Became the Emperor of the Demon Realm Empire Chapter 4

Became the Emperor of the Demon Realm Empire

Chapter 4: The Strange Village 

“I saw it with my own two eyes! Zeke and I were gathering herbs in the forest when we heard something suspicious! I didn’t get a good look, but it was definitely a demon!”  

Sonia of the Red Bear Inn passionately argued before the gathered villagers.  

The idea of demons in their peaceful village seemed absurd, but the villagers noticed Sonia’s stiff expression and softened their tone.  

“First, you wanted to be a mage, now you’re a novelist?”  

“Bwahahaha!”  

Laughter rippled through the inn like a wave.  

To the villagers who had known Sonia since her parents’ time, who had even attended her first birthday, her eerie warning felt like nothing more than a childish tantrum.  

“You have to believe me! If you don’t, we’ll all die!”  

Despite Sonia’s desperate plea, the villagers remained indifferent.  

If there really were demons hiding in the forest, the hunters would’ve noticed by now. 

Animals with keen senses could detect the stench of demons from miles away and avoided those areas entirely.  

…Come to think of it, are there even any hunters left in the village?  

“Everyone’s acting weird… Why won’t anyone listen—”  

“I’m back!”  

The inn’s door swung open.  

As all eyes turned toward the entrance, Sonia, still frustrated, followed their gaze. 

The villagers’ faces darkened instantly.  

“…Zeke. Who is that?”  

“Huh? Oh, he’s a guest I brought from outside. He said he wanted to eat here…”  

“You idiot, Zeke!”  

The village chief slammed his beer mug down with a thunderous crash.  

Sonia flinched. 

The chief, known for his deep piety and gentle nature, never raised his voice like this.  

“Have you lost your mind?! Bringing in an outsider without even consulting us first?!”  

“I-I’m sorry! He didn’t seem like a bad person…”  

Zeke, the guard on duty, hung his head under the villagers’ icy glares. 

Oblivious—or perhaps indifferent—the guest simply scanned the inn with mild interest.  

“Fine. What’s done is done. We can’t just kick him out now. Come in.”  

“……”  

“What’s your name?”  

“Ron.”  

“Since you’re here, we’ll at least feed you. You do have money to pay, right?”  

The man who introduced himself as Ron nodded and took a seat in a secluded corner, separated by a low partition meant for guests who preferred privacy.  

“Hey, what are you doing? Go take his order.”  

Sonia, who had been staring blankly at the guest, hastily grabbed a menu. 

When their eyes met, her face flushed red.  

“W-What would you like to order?”  

“……”  

The man silently studied the menu, clearly unfamiliar with the options.  

‘Must be from another kingdom…’  

Sonia smiled warmly.  

“If the menu is confusing, how about our human flesh stew? It’s our inn’s bestseller.”  

Ron stared at her.  

Though she felt suffocated under his gaze, she couldn’t look away from his striking features. Flustered, she quickly added:  

“O-Or maybe some chicken?”  

“That’ll do.”  

“I’ll bring it right away!”  

As Ron handed back the menu, Sonia’s face brightened.  

Excited to serve him, she hurried to the kitchen—though she didn’t quite know why she felt so compelled.  

“Tch. What’s an outsider doing? eating here?”  

“…Huh?”  

But the innkeeper’s reaction was cold. 

Still, an order was an order, so she grudgingly began preparing the chicken—until Sonia saw something she couldn’t comprehend.  

The innkeeper pulled out a heap of garlic and dumped it entirely into the pot.  

“H-Hey, no one can eat it like this—”  

“And why not? We should serve him something inedible. Never show kindness to outsiders.”  

“Why…?”  

“Because he’s an outsider.”  

Sonia couldn’t understand the innkeeper’s baseless hostility.  

It sent chills down her spine. 

It was as if the entire village had been replaced by different people.  

“Here’s your order…”  

A few minutes later, Sonia served the dish.  

Steam rose from the chicken stew, now packed with an overwhelming amount of garlic. 

The spices were so pungent they made her nauseous—it was the kind of stench even a dog would refuse.  

“Excellent.”  

“…Huh?”  

Sonia blinked in disbelief.  

The man, seemingly satisfied, pulled out a purse and handed it to her.  

“Gah!”  

Without thinking, she took it—then gasped. The weighty purse was filled with gold coins.  

“T-This is way too much for just a meal…!”  

“Keep the change. Consider it a tip.”  

“Huh? B-But still…”  

“In that case, bring me another serving. I’d also like to take some garlic as a souvenir before I leave.”  

Sonia could only stare blankly as the man focused on his meal.  

To casually hand over a fortune—more than a commoner could earn in a lifetime—he must’ve been incredibly wealthy.  

No… perhaps a noble from another kingdom? Now that she thought about it, there had been something off about him from the start…  

“Boss! Look at this! The guest paid with this much gold!”  

Not that she was greedy, but money was money.  

Overjoyed, Sonia rushed to show the innkeeper the purse.  

“Tch. What’s the point of money you can’t even use?”  

“Can’t use it? It’s gold! Actual gold!”  

Even as she waved the purse, the innkeeper didn’t spare it a glance. Sonia didn’t understand.  

‘Why is she ignoring gold coins?’  

Something felt wrong.  

At the same time, she felt like she’d forgotten something.  

…What was I doing again?  

“Sonia! Are the orders ready yet?!”  

“Ah, yes! Coming!”  

Abandoning her thoughts, Sonia grabbed a knife from the kitchen and decapitated a chicken.  

She caught the spurting blood in a beer mug, then served it to the guests with a blood-splattered smile.  

‘They all look so happy. That’s good.’  

Wiping her bloody hands on her apron, Sonia hummed contentedly.  

By now, the villagers had forgotten about the outsider, chatting merrily as they drank the dark liquid. 

They spent their final drowsy day quenching their thirst with the thick, murky blood.  

…Oh, right! I shouldn’t be slacking off!  

“Sir?”  

Knife in hand, Sonia smiled sweetly at Ron.  

“How about human flesh stew for breakfast tomorrow?”  

***  

‘No living humans left, it seems.’  

I had hoped, but there was nothing to salvage.  

The farmers tilling the fields.  

The women chatting under the shade of trees.  

Even the children running through the streets.  

They were all already dead.  

The village had perished before I even arrived.  

Judging by the severe decay and the sticky blood oozing from their bodies, they must’ve died about ten days ago.  

The inn’s residents were in slightly better condition, but that hardly mattered now that they’d turned into demons.  

They could never return to being human.  

This village had become a dungeon.  

‘As expected, my luck is impeccable.’  

Coincidentally, I knew exactly how this played out.  

– Mutual Consumption  

– Mind Control  

– Absolute Hypnosis  

These three themes defined the first chapter of ‘NTR Hero’—the ‘Strange Village’ dungeon.  

Though called the first chapter, the dungeon’s boss was no pushover. It wasn’t designed to be beaten in the first place.  

‘Seriously, what kind of game is this?’  

The main content involved the hero being devoured, torn apart, tasted, and enjoyed by a horde of ghouls.  

Even as their clothes were ripped apart in real-time, the hero hesitated to strike back—unable to bring themselves to kill what looked like people.

In the process, they were violated by the ghouls and died at least three times. Truly a fitting development for the NTR genre.

And it was then that the hero realized—

With each death, they felt an overflowing power. They would come to understand just how broken the divine blessing within them truly was.

‘Just imagining it is horrifying.’  

Leveling up just by dying?  

I sighed just thinking about it.  

Even considering the harsh conditions, it was practically a cheat. 

The goddess’ 300-year wait had birthed the most overpowered protagonist in history.  

So, what should I do?  

Simple.  

I’d screw over the gods.  

“I won’t let them die so easily. I’ll crush that light beneath my heel—so your blessing never awakens.”  

I muttered it to the sky out of habit.  

I’d always believed the gods were listening. At the very least, the one who dragged me into this world had to be paying attention.  

And then—  

“Sir, are you asleep?”  

The clouds parted, revealing the moonlit sky.  

Pale light spilled into the room, illuminating the girl who had slipped inside—door half-open.  

Dressed in black lingerie.  

Shyly crossing her legs.  

Reciting the same line Sitri tormented me with every night.  

“Are you… feeling lonely?”  

“Why is everyone so desperate to eat me the moment night falls?”  

Sonia hid a knife behind her back.  

***  

“A-Achoo—!”  

“…Did you catch a cold?”  

“Pfft—HAHAHA! Since when do demons get colds? Endymion, even your jokes are boring—Achoo!”  

Sitri sniffled, laughing through her runny nose.  

“Hehe, I wonder who’s talking about me?”