The day after the hero's relentless spirit broke through the defense barrier, the Demon Lord waited without sleeping, watching the peacefully sleeping girl in his bed. Not out of concern, but because he simply didn't need to sleep.
After the girl passed out, he quickly administered first aid. Feeling it improper to leave her lying on the ground, he carried her to his own room. He hadn't used the bed in about a hundred years, so there was dust everywhere, which he easily blew away with magic—a wasteful use of magic, indeed.
The girl slept all night. She seemed to be deeply exhausted, occasionally mumbling in her sleep, but she never awoke.
After watching her for several hours, leaning against a wall, the sun passed its zenith. The sleeping beauty finally awoke.
"Uhm... Yawn..."
She stretched, and as she sat up, she looked dazed, staring into the void.
"Where am I...?"
Slowly regaining her senses, she began to look around. Her gaze met the Demon Lord's, who was leaning against the wall. She blinked several times, rubbed her eyes, and then looked at him again. Realizing that he was indeed the Demon Lord, her face turned bright red in panic.
"Why are YOU here?!"
"Well, this is my room."
"What?! How could you bring an unconscious girl to your room? That's the worst!"
The Demon Lord sighed heavily at the girl's misunderstanding of his intentions.
"I have no interest in a young girl like you."
"Huh? You don't look much older than me."
"I've lived for hundreds of years."
The girl was stunned by this revelation. It's understandable; anyone would be surprised to learn that someone who looked their age had been alive for centuries.
"...That's not a scam, right?"
That was the first thing the girl muttered upon regaining her composure. The Demon Lord chose not to argue.
"How are you feeling?"
"Eh? Oh, I'm tired and my right hand hurts, but I'm okay."
The Demon Lord was a bit surprised at her response. When he had administered first aid, he had thought she wouldn't be able to move properly for a week. Either she was underestimating her injuries, or she had an extraordinary healing ability. He was reminded once again that common sense seemed not to apply in this world.
"You treated my wounds, right?"
"Eh? Oh, yeah, I did."
"...Thank you."
The girl muttered her thanks. The Demon Lord, not feeling shy about it, responded:
"Why would a hero thank a Demon Lord?"
Ignoring his role in helping her, he said this.
"Shut up! Instead, tell me what I need to know!"
Trying to change the subject, it appeared the girl wasn't used to expressing gratitude. The Demon Lord let it slide.
He wondered whether or not to tell her everything. It was a bothersome decision.
"Come on, spill it!"
"I don't see a reason to."
"You're stingy. I broke the barrier; at least reward me with information!"
"Annoying, persistent, troublesome."
"You said it! You actually said that out loud?!"
The girl was outraged at the Demon Lord's unintentional outburst.
"Hey, don't look away! Look at me!"
While the girl ranted on the bed, the Demon Lord pondered how much to reveal. Not telling her was out of the question, given her persistence. And her persistence reminded him unpleasantly of the Holy Sword.
But before he divulged anything, he had to ask one crucial question.
"Are you prepared for what you're about to hear?"
With a slightly intimidating tone, the Demon Lord posed the question.
The girl seemed a little overwhelmed at first, but soon, she met his gaze with unwavering determination.
"I can't say I'm fully prepared. I might not be able to handle it. But I'll regret it if I don't know. So, tell me."
"...Alright."
Sensing the girl's unwavering intent, the Demon Lord sighed softly.
"What I'm about to tell you is a mix of facts and conjecture I know. Don't take everything at face value."
With that caution, he began to explain.
The existence of 'Status Open' and 'Item Box'.
The fact that she has significantly less magical power than previous heroes.
The fact that she cannot wield the Holy Sword.
From these facts, he deduced that something went wrong during her summoning, and she wasn't granted the full abilities of a hero. Hence, she's probably deemed a failure by those who summoned her.
While the part about being deemed a failure was just a hunch from the Demon Lord, he was pretty sure of it; otherwise, she wouldn't have been sent out with such poor equipment.
As he wrapped up the main points, the Demon Lord refrained from mentioning too much about himself, not wanting to burden the already troubled girl.
The girl listened silently, occasionally showing signs of surprise but never panicking.
But it seemed she wasn't without shock, as she soon said, with a bitter smile,
"So, I'm basically a failed hero..."
Her self-deprecating smile was quite heartbreaking. The Demon King remained silent.
From the beginning, he neither felt pity for the girl nor did he have any intention to comfort her. Whether she was devastated or in despair, he felt that it was her own business.
"...Hey."
A voice came from the girl. It was terribly weak, a frail voice that seemed to vanish at any moment.
"Can you leave me alone for a bit..."
Saying that unilaterally, the girl sank into the bed and quietly closed her eyelids.
Having witnessed this, the Demon King took her hint and left the room. As he did, he remarked, "There's a bath at the end of the hallway on the first floor. Use it if you want." It was probably his own way of being considerate.
The girl's appearance hadn't changed; in other words, she was covered in soot. Naturally, he felt hesitant to let her remain in that state.
A voice of astonishment arose from the room, but the Demon King ignored it. Unintentionally, he had disrupted the serious mood.
Looking outside through a large hole in the crumbled wall, the sun was still shining brightly in the sky.
He pondered what to do next. Normally, he would spend his time idly on his throne without doing anything, but today he wasn't in that mood.
— Should I go there?
On a whim, the Demon King began to walk toward the castle's basement.