Location: The Hidden Alley of Solencia's Capital – Early Evening
The capital city of Solencia, normally bustling with its royal markets, trading bazaars, and merchant guilds, now carried a strange, hushed tension. By midday, whispers had spread like wildfire: The Demon King had arrived in the heart of the city.
Yet, no one saw him. No ominous dark clouds. No armies marching in the streets. Instead, the Demon King, Gerald, had arrived incognito, a well-kept secret hidden beneath a veil of ordinary cloak and commoner's garb.
"Honestly, you could have at least rented a better disguise," Hiroto muttered to himself, pacing down the cobbled alley leading to a dimly lit tavern. His once peaceful afternoon had turned into a maze of preparations and covert meetings, yet nothing was as unpredictable as the arrival of his old... associate.
"I'm the King of Demons, not some wandering minstrel," Gerald's voice replied, muffled beneath his cloak. He had appeared at the very door of Hiroto's cottage earlier that morning—without so much as a courtesy knock. "Besides, it works. I blend in. No one would suspect me."
Hiroto glanced over at him skeptically. "Gerald, you have horns."
"They're subtle," Gerald said, running a hand over the edges of his cloak, which was less concealing than he'd hoped. He was still six feet tall and built like an armored tank, and his glowing eyes pierced the dim light.
"If by 'subtle' you mean 'impossible to hide,' then yes, I agree," Hiroto sighed.
Gerald flashed a knowing grin. "You're just jealous that I can walk around without people immediately recognizing me as a 'merchant god'—or a 'failure of a guildmaster,' depending on who you ask."
Hiroto winced. "I really don't need to be reminded."
The two of them continued walking through the bustling marketplace, blending in with the crowd, yet drawing strange stares from the occasional passerby who looked a little too long at Gerald.
"You're here for the summit, aren't you?" Hiroto asked quietly. "To get involved in the upcoming negotiations?"
Gerald shrugged, his massive frame shifting beneath the cloak. "Something like that. The Demon Kings are rarely invited to political meetings, and I've heard rumors... you're the one they want to 'negotiate' with."
"Negotiate? With me?" Hiroto frowned. "Isn't it the Spire that wants to talk? The kingdoms are all over me, dragging me to their idiotic meetings. And now I have to deal with you too?"
Gerald chuckled darkly, his voice rich with amusement. "You really do have a talent for attracting chaos, don't you?"
Before Hiroto could respond, the pair reached the tavern—a quiet, inconspicuous establishment known as the Crimson Flame. Despite its ordinary exterior, it was one of the few safe spaces where high-ranking political figures could meet under the radar, far from prying eyes.
They entered, greeted by the warmth of the fire crackling in the hearth and the soft murmur of hushed voices. A shadowy figure approached them immediately. His hooded face was almost completely covered, but his tone was unmistakable.
"You made it." The figure's voice was low and gravelly, betraying none of the anxiety Hiroto had expected.
"Barely," Hiroto muttered, his exhaustion clear. "We should've just had tea. Maybe then I'd have gotten a good nap instead of… well, all this."
Gerald leaned against the wall, his arms folded. "Let's be clear here: you're not actually avoiding all this, are you? They want you, and you're the one who keeps playing it off like a game of hide and seek."
"I hide because I don't want to deal with their nonsense!" Hiroto snapped. "The only reason I'm going to that summit is because you showed up out of nowhere."
"Well, it's not every day the Demon King visits the capital, is it?" Gerald replied, his grin sly as he watched Hiroto's growing irritation.
At that moment, a tall, broad-shouldered man entered the tavern. His features were obscured beneath a hood, but his aura was unmistakable—calm yet powerful, like a force of nature in disguise. Hiroto knew this figure all too well.
"The Silent One," Hiroto muttered under his breath, noticing Gerald's immediate reaction. "No, please. Don't tell me—"
"I'm here to make sure you don't do anything stupid again, Hiroto," came the gravelly voice of the new arrival.
The man removed his hood, revealing a chiseled face marked with the scars of battle—General Tyrus, one of Solencia's most formidable military leaders. His deep-set eyes were still fixated on Hiroto, full of suspicion.
"And you're here because you can't leave him alone, can you?" Hiroto sighed, rubbing his temples.
"No one can leave you alone, Hiroto. You're pulling attention like a magnet. A magnetic disaster," General Tyrus said, his tone laced with sarcastic amusement. "But since the Demon King has come to play, I suppose I can't complain."
Gerald raised a brow, looking entirely unimpressed. "You're the one who's going to tell me not to start a war with the entire continent?"
Tyrus snorted, his posture unfaltering. "If it's between the merchant god and the Demon King who's the real problem here, I'd say you're both as dangerous as the other. But I've got orders to keep both of you alive and sane for as long as possible."
Hiroto rubbed his eyes, feeling an approaching headache. "I just want a quiet life, is that so much to ask?"
"You didn't even want the life you have," Gerald pointed out, enjoying Hiroto's discomfort a bit too much. "And yet here you are. Managing the entire continent's economy from your living room."
A loud bang interrupted their conversation as the tavern door swung open, revealing a flustered woman in an extravagant cloak—Lady Virelya, her eyes still wide from the previous day's confusion.
"Did I miss something?" she asked with a hint of wariness. She hadn't seen Gerald yet, and her eyes quickly scanned the room for any familiar faces. "Hiroto, you did say I could help you with the summit, right?"
Hiroto felt his heart sink at the thought of how this summit was shaping up. "You're just in time for the mess of a lifetime, Virelya," he groaned. "This is just great. A Demon King, the army's top general, and a bunch of people trying to force me into some ridiculous political drama. And I haven't even had lunch yet."
Virelya crossed her arms, tilting her head. "That's the exact sort of situation you're good at, Hiroto."
Hiroto leaned back in his chair, rubbing his face. "Tell me about it. And now, I have to deal with all of this while trying not to set the world on fire… again."
---
Location: Spire Citadel – Later that Day
As the sun began to dip, casting a golden hue across Solencia, all eyes were now on the Spire Citadel—where political negotiations were set to take place the following morning. The city had never been more divided.
Everyone was eager to either forge alliances or sabotage the one man who had inadvertently woven his fate into the fabric of every kingdom. And at the center of it all stood Hiroto, still trying to figure out how he'd gone from Logistics Commander to the world's most wanted man.
He sighed deeply, his eyes closing for a moment. Why me? He wasn't sure who was in more danger—the kingdoms, the guilds, or himself.
Tomorrow's summit would be anything but peaceful. But whatever happened, one thing was certain:
Hiroto's life had just become even more chaotic than he could have ever imagined.
---
To be continued...