I Am the Weakest of the Four Heavenly Kings but the Demons Are Obsessed With Me

4 – Date at the Demon King’s Castle – 1

The Red Complex.

There was a time in the Republic of Korea when everyone felt an intense fear of the color red. The stigma of being labeled a ‘commie’ was a license for all forms of insults and violence, and people, in order not to be branded as such, were the first to throw stones at those labeled.

It was a sight to behold, as those without sin threw stones just to prove their innocence. The label of ‘commie’ fit the expression ‘Scarlet Letter’ all too well. An unforgivable tag.

Ironically, this fear spread to the color red itself. The terror of the red led to the transformation of the traditional Red and White sports competition into a Blue and White one.

This story is hard to believe. When I heard it from my father, I thought it was simply a joke. Not being able to use red just because of the commie stigma. It’s almost like a setting from an absurd play. I, born towards the end of the 20th century, thought so.

When I learned that this joke was the truth.

I thought this world sure operates in peculiar ways. That made me curious about the principles governing the workings of this world.

…

…

“Rain? What are you contemplating so deeply?”

“Ah, Scarlett. Oh, just reminiscing about the past?”

“Now that I think about it, I’ve never heard about your past, Rain.”

“There’s not much to talk about. I faced discrimination for being half-demon, wandered the streets, a typical vagabond. It wouldn’t be entertaining to hear, would it?”

Discrimination in this world was indeed simple. Much more direct and primal compared to the convoluted justifications for discrimination in the 21st century Republic of Korea.

The races of the Human Realm despise demons. The races of the Demon Realm ignore humans. Even within the same realm, there is discrimination among races, and amongst demons, minority races that are not in the mainstream are disregarded as powerless.

In a world where there are ‘clear targets of hate’ like humans and demons, discrimination within the same camp is merely trivial. The simplest way to prevent division is to create a common enemy.

The vast worlds of the Human Realm and the Demon Realm were each unified for that reason. It was similar to how an alien invasion would lead to the formation of an Earth alliance.

“For someone who was just a wanderer, Rain seemed… quite cultured, you know? Almost like someone who had received formal education.”

“Maybe it’s just innate?”

“That would be a lie.”

Scarlett, who had inherited the power of the Hero, dismissed even the questioning as ‘deception’. Her ability to read emotions, a fusion of a succubus’ prowess and the Hero’s talent for seeing through weaknesses, resulted in a strange amalgamation.

For a spy infiltrating the Demon King’s castle, it was a rather troublesome ability. That’s why they kept Scarlett close. They approached her, repeatedly testing and confirming the limits of what her ability would deem a lie.

In fact, it wasn’t easy. Born with the power of the Hero, Scarlett was the strongest among the demons, a particularly noticeable presence within the Demon King’s castle. Unconsciously, all demons feared her. Scarlett, too, kept her heart completely shut towards those around her.

I was fortunate to find a gap in Scarlett’s guard. It was the result of several coincidences.

“…Well, I’ve learned and picked up various things because I was curious.”

“Curious about what?”

“Probably about this world split by two gods… Or maybe it’s more fitting to say I was simply curious about everything.”

“Rain must have been quite curious.”

“Yes… Definitely very curious. What about you, Scarlett?”

I deflected the conversation with a casual reply and turned the question back.

Scarlett pondered my question for a moment. As she thought about the past, her brow furrowed. Mentioning that even her frown seemed like a piece of art embodying deep thought might be a bit overstated, right?

“I think… I wasn’t a particularly curious child. I wasn’t in a situation to be curious about anything. The Succubus Queen, my mother, was so afraid of me that she locked me up all day long.”

“It’s chilling to hear of a mother fearing and confining her daughter.”

“It’s understandable for a mother to fear a baby who tore out of her own womb. I don’t resent her. She must have suffered a lot because of me.”

It’s a chilling story, one I had heard before but still unsettling. To envision a mother watching her child tear themselves from her womb is beyond my wildest guess. Had Scarlett’s mother not been the Succubus Queen, she would have died on the spot.

However, the confinement by Scarlett’s mother was probably not solely for that reason. To a dream-dwelling succubus, the flesh is nothing more than a shell. Isn’t it a species that spends half its life in dreams? The shock must have been great, but perhaps not the greatest.

There was fear of the power of the Hero within Scarlett, but…

I couldn’t help but suspect that there was also a deep sense of betrayal towards the very being who granted that power, the ‘Hero’. I didn’t voice that theory aloud, though.

“Even listening to such stories, Rain, you show me pity.”

“Ah, sorry.”

“No, I should be the one thankful, right? I can feel the sincerity in that emotion.”

Conversing with someone who reads emotions is always burdensome. Finding the right words to say was difficult.

So I smiled awkwardly. To outright deny being grateful would be ridiculous.

What would the world look like through Scarlett’s eyes? Could Scarlett understand this intricately grotesque and bizarre world any clearer?

Perhaps it would be better if Scarlet felt awkward. Given her predisposition for reading emotions, she often found herself in awkward situations.

She could even sense the feelings that were hard to express in words.

“Surely it was embarrassing… But hearing it directly from Rain is harmful to my heart…”

“I’ll be careful next time.”

“Next time, you won’t ask such a thing…right?”

With a snort, Scarlet started to walk ahead. I followed behind her at a slower pace.

Seeing that I was falling behind, she slowed down to match my steps.

And so we walked side by side for a while. There wasn’t any particular destination; it was simply a quiet stroll around the Demon World.

A gentle breeze blew.

Scarlet’s dress swayed in the wind. Somehow it looked so fleeting, I instinctively reached out to hold her hand.

“Eh?”

“Ah…”