Chapter 1

The castle stands at the very depths of the demon world, ruled by the demon race. This castle, located in the deepest part of the demon world, is of course the castle of the demon king, the ruler of the demon race. At the very back of the castle, in the throne room, the two are facing each other.

On one side is a young man, somewhat slender but with a strong core. He is clad in silver armor, and in his hand, he holds a silver longsword.

He is the existence known to the world as the "hero."

On the other side is a beautiful woman, but horns like those of a sheep grow from her head, and she is draped in a sinister robe. In her hand is a thin sword with a black blade.

She is the lord of this castle, the demon king herself.

Without exchanging words, the two clash their swords.

The hero swings his sword with great force, but the demon king does not dodge; instead, she blocks it with her own sword.

The blow is so powerful that it would have split an ordinary sword in two.

Compared to the hero's sword, the demon king's sword is slender, but it withstands the blow without showing any sign of the difference in blade thickness.

The two leap back and clash swords again.

This time, the hero blocks the demon king's thrust with the side of his sword.

The thrust is so sharp that it would have pierced through an ordinary sword.

However, the hero's sword easily withstands it.

They clash swords several times, but both move with complete trust in their weapons. As they do, a look of confusion begins to appear on their faces.

Considering their positions, it was expected that their weapons might be top-tier items passed down from ancient times.

However, it was strange that such high-quality weapons could withstand so many clashes without breaking. It seemed to exceed their limits.

The confusion is mutual, and eventually, they both lower their swords without a word.

"O Demon King, I ask a question, though it may be impertinent."

"Yes, go ahead. I, too, wish to hear the answer, hero."

"Then, I shall ask. Who forged your sword?"

"Indeed. I, too, wish to know who forged this sword."

"Then, you also?"

"Yes, the person you are thinking of is correct. It is the work of that stubborn blacksmith."

As he says this, the demon king points the pommel of her sword toward the hero. There, an engraving of a fat cat is carved.

"Of course, that old man..."

The hero says this as he points the pommel of his own sword toward the demon king. The same engraving is applied there.

"Probably, he anticipated this and forged swords for both of us. What a troublesome fellow."

"Continuing this is completely pointless."

"Yes. Unless one of us runs out of stamina..."

"From what we've seen so far, we are evenly matched."

"Indeed. Even if one of us were to win, the exhausted one would be easily defeated afterward. It would be meaningless."

"Then, there is only one answer."

"I understand. At the very least, let us swear a truce in our generation."

"I will also inform that old man, alright?"

"Yes. To avoid his displeasure is the greatest deterrent for both of us. We wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of his displeasure. It's fine."

"Then, I will do so. We may meet again under different circumstances, but until then, farewell."

"Understood. I must prepare to send out a message...”

Thus, the two turn their backs to each other and leave the scene.

The tense atmosphere that was present when they first faced each other is gone, and a relaxed air flows between them. The two, so different in appearance, are thinking of the same person.

A man who, at first glance, seems to be just an older man.