It Seems That the Demon King Is Among the Members of the Hero’s Party

17. Beriel, the Demon

───Beriel, the man, is a demon who had a significant impact on our brave party.

Before meeting him, we had repeated battles with demons, but every demon showed hatred or contempt towards humans.

Looking back at their history of battles, it’s understandable. At the time, we didn’t know anything and just fought.

Many demons harbor intense hatred towards humans and Elves due to past mistreatment. When they rise up to free themselves from slavery, humans and Elves try to suppress them.

Conflict is inevitable.

That battle has continued to this day, spanning a long period of time.

Will the battle end if we defeat the Demon King? Honestly, it won’t.

Either the demon tribe will be destroyed or our kind (humans) will be eradicated, and that hatred will continue until one of them disappears from the world. We’ve already reached a point of no return.

That’s why demons like Beriel are rare.

He loved humans, who were supposed to be detestable beings.

When I first met him, I didn’t know he was a demon.

As the innkeeper, he was used to dealing with travelers and had a warm, gentle smile.

───He was a demon who loved his wife.

As we chatted while he cooked, he told me that his wife was the reason he had changed.

He went on and on about how beautiful his wife was, how lovely she was, and I thought, “Wow, he’s really proud of her.”

She was like a saint. No, she was an angel sent from heaven! Beriel would stop cooking, spread his arms wide, and enthusiastically talk about her.

To be honest, I was hungry, so I thought he would hurry up and cook. But in the end, he talked for about 10 more minutes.

It was his wife, Iris, who finally stopped him.

“What are you doing to our customers?” she scolded, and Beriel apologized with a smile, looking delighted. He loved his wife that much.

───He was a demon who loved his child.

The next day, as we chatted while he cooked, I realized it was too late.

He wouldn’t stop talking about how cute his child was, how lovable, and I knew that today’s cooking would be delayed again.

But I didn’t feel annoyed.

In a world where demons were a threat and smiles were disappearing, seeing someone as happy as him was the greatest salvation.

Our hero party (us) had failed to intervene many times, and each time, tragedy occurred. This was a common tragedy in this world.

We were a hero party that aimed to save tragedy and protect smiles.

As I saw Beriel, who looked like he was about to cry, and Iris, who was scolding him, I vowed to protect this happiness.

───The tragedy occurred two weeks later.

Early in the morning, I heard Beriel’s worried voice and called out to him, but Iris and the child were nowhere to be found.

The three of them had been sleeping together, and Beriel, who woke up first, had stepped out for a moment to wash his face. That’s when the incident occurred.

When he returned to the room, the window was open, and Iris and the child were gone.

He immediately understood that something was wrong and frantically searched around the inn.

It was highly likely that they had been kidnapped.

Beriel and I shared the same understanding. There was still a possibility that they were nearby, so we decided to search the town. After Beriel rushed out of the inn, I woke up the other party members and asked them to help search for Beriel’s family.

I also explained the situation to Noel, who was staying at the church, and asked for his help.

He grumbled, saying, “Why do I have to help humans?” but eventually agreed to cooperate.

Our party of six and Beriel’s group of seven searched the entire town. It wasn’t a large town, and with this many people, we should have been able to find some clues. However, no matter how hard we searched, we couldn’t find anything.

Around noon, when we were sharing information without Beriel, a man approached us.

He told us that Beriel was waiting on the outskirts of town and had found a clue about Iris.

Noel was a bit suspicious, but we decided to meet Beriel first and headed towards the outskirts of town, where we found Beriel with a dark expression.

It didn’t seem like good news. I could tell from his expression.

Before I could ask what he had found, Beriel shouted:

“I’m sorry, die for the sake of my family!”

It took me a few seconds to understand. I didn’t even have time to ask what was going on.

Beriel had cast a dark-attribute magic spell towards us.

I was surprised, but everyone remained calm and dodged the magic.

As I gazed at Beriel, I instantly understood that he was a demon, and my comrades entered combat mode.

───Beriel and Klovikas, they were comrades.

This fact was only revealed later.

From the time the Demon King rose up in rebellion, the two of them had been fighting against humans and elves.

As “One Wing” Klovikas and “Massacre” Beriel, their names inspired fear as seasoned demon warriors.

The two had fought together on numerous battlefields, and their bond was strong enough to be called a deep friendship.

About 300 years ago, the Demon King was sealed away by a brave hero, and the demons chose to lie low. At that time, the two parted ways.

They didn’t doubt that either of them would remain alive until they reunited. They trusted each other’s strength and waited for the day they would meet again.

And when the Demon King revived (that day arrived), Klovikas visited Beriel, hoping to fight alongside him.

But what he saw was a transformed Beriel.

Beriel, who had once fought to create a demon world, detesting humans, had taken a human woman as his wife and even had children. What Klovikas saw was not the former comrade Beriel, but a spineless traitor Beriel.

Klovikas couldn’t forgive Beriel.

More than that, he couldn’t forgive the humans who had changed Beriel.

So Klovikas kidnapped Beriel’s family and forced him to fight as a demon, saying that if he wanted to save their lives, he would have to kill the brave party (us).

Beriel was torn. He was caught between his human and demon sides. Humans were detestable beings, unforgivable beings.

But after meeting Iris, he came to know love and changed. Humans were still not likable, but as he lived with Iris and touched their lives, his hatred towards humans began to fade.

He realized that there were good people among humans, people with whom he could laugh and share joy, as he spent his days with his family.

Above all, Beriel decided to live for Iris and his child (human) when the incident occurred.

And Beriel chose to fight against the brave party (us). For his family, whom he cherished above all.

Beriel was strong. He was stronger than any demon he had fought before. If Beriel had fought mercilessly like he used to, we might have lost.

But that didn’t happen.

He had doubts, and if he didn’t have those doubts, we might not have won. Beriel had doubts.

He suspected Klovikas.

Even if he killed the brave party (us), would Klovikas really release his family? Knowing Klovikas’s cunning, those doubts ran deep.

And more than anything, the days he spent with Iris had weakened him.

He knew humans too well. He had come to feel emotions towards humans. He remembered the times they had talked and laughed together at the inn. He saw us desperately searching for Iris.

His attacks were hesitant.

That hesitation was the reason for his defeat, due to his excessive kindness.

Beriel’s life was spared. We also came to feel emotions towards him.

We noticed his hesitant attacks.

He fell, wounded, yet still came at us, and we realized the reason he fought.

Even Noel, who would normally complain, didn’t refuse to treat Beriel.

We revived him to the point where he wouldn’t die, as there was still a possibility he might attack again.

Beriel, shocked, tearfully told us his story.

He asked us to save his family in his place.

We rose to the challenge, but it was already too late.

Klovikas had never trusted Beriel from the start. He couldn’t forgive the transformed traitor Beriel.

So he destroyed what was most precious to him.

The brutally slaughtered corpse was no longer human-shaped.

The child’s head was twisted off, and both arms and legs were cut off, stacked like blocks. The body was toyed with like a plaything.

Iris’s body was beautifully split in two, each half seated on a different chair. The blood that flowed from her body dyed the chairs a deep crimson.

There were red letters written on the wall in blood.

“Glory to the Demon Clan.”

───The sight shattered Beriel’s heart. He couldn’t bear it. He couldn’t even look at his own screams.

He followed in his family’s footsteps and took his own life.

I’ll avenge his unjust death. At least, let’s do it with our own hands.