Thinking back to a moment ago, I was still surrounded by sturdy walls, elegantly watching as the heroes anxiously jumped and hopped around in the safest place. But in just a moment, I found myself exposed in the most dangerous place.
Indeed, heroes are the most cunning existences in this world.
I felt a bit panicked, but quickly calmed down. Maintaining composure and elegance at all times is the creed of a Sea God King like me.
"Oh? I actually fell into your trap. I have to say, you guys are worthy of being the Kamiya Third and the 87th on the continent. Just your courage to challenge me and the audacity to deceive me are enough to make me acknowledge that you're qualified to be my opponents."
"...What's wrong with this guy? He was just talking big, but now he's sneaking back into the city?"
The hero with blonde hair looked at his companions and Eldew with a puzzled expression. The other two heroes had the same look of confusion, while Eldew sighed helplessly.
It seems that these rookie heroes can't understand the meaning behind my words and actions at all.
That's fine, even I occasionally find myself inexplicable and not understanding what I'm doing.
"Now that you're already here, there's no need to go back, Sea God King."
The hero called Kim said as he quickly stood between me and the city gate, cutting off my retreat.
The red-haired girl and the boy in black quickly sealed off the positions on my left and right.
Now, only my front was left with some space. And standing there was my maid Eldew.
Eldew looked at me, and I looked at Eldew.
Eldew then turned her gaze to the red-haired hero, and the red-haired hero looked at her expectantly.
"Twenty Kamiya Kim coins."
Eldew shouted.
"Ten!"
The red-haired hero replied.
"Eighteen."
"Fifteen!"
"Sixteen."
"Alright! Deal."
The two of them quickly reached an agreement in front of me.
Then, Eldew picked up the white flag from earlier and used it as a spear, striking a very cool pose in front of me.
...
"You, you sold me for sixteen Kim coins!"
I roared in disbelief.
"I'm surprised that Master could be sold for sixteen Kim coins!"
Eldew seemed very happy. Her expression towards me had never been this gentle, and her eyes were never this sparkling.
"Since it's money I earned from selling you, you should give me half afterwards!"
I continued shouting.
As I shouted these words, the three heroes surrounding me clearly showed a look of hesitation and confusion on their faces.
Only Eldew, whom I knew well, had no reaction at all.
"If I give half of the Kim coins to Master, what would you use them for?"
"Playing with bunny girls."
"Then please forgive me for seriously refusing!"
Eldew swung the spear, leaving a wide trajectory in the air.
She seemed angry.
Not splitting it? What's with the attitude. This person is really inexplicable.
But it's really troublesome.
Although Eldew seems a bit out of touch, her fighting power is actually quite high. Although she joined the enemy earlier, she shouldn't have exerted much effort because the reward wasn't enough. But now that she's angry, the situation is different.
I not only have to face three heroes who rank highly on the continent, but also one of the strongest forces in The city of Moria.
Being surrounded on all sides, there's no way to escape.
Should I just surrender?
No, that won't work. Eldew isn't the kind of person who would stop just because I surrendered. According to the Human-Demon Treaty, when heroes attack me, they still have some consideration, but Eldew has none. Looking at how ferocious her sister Meruvie is, one can imagine how terrifying Eldew, an upgraded version of Meruvie, can be when she gets angry.
"Ah..."
I gazed at the distant sky and let out a long sigh.
"Heh, regretting it now, you dead fish-eyed guy? You looked down on me before, but now you're surrounded!"With a tone resembling that of an agitated dwarf, the red-haired girl naturally began conversing with me.
Overall, this girl was quite an interesting character.
She was a little noisy, but on the other hand, full of energy.
She constantly looked for opportunities to challenge me, but on the other hand, she could talk naturally with anyone.
Aside from being a bit lacking in intelligence, having poor eyesight, and needing some improvement in aesthetic judgment, there didn't seem to be any major issues with her.
"Oh, can't you tell? I'm sighing on your behalf!"
"So, why do you always act so arrogantly out of nowhere? Where does that confidence come from?"
The red-haired girl seemed a little fed up.
But that wasn't strange, because my aura was naturally that powerful.
"Where does the confidence come from? Of course, it's because of my identity. You guys have encountered slimes before, as well as opponents who surrendered. Under these farces, have you forgotten about your original purpose for coming here?"
After I posed the question, the three heroes clearly paused for a moment.
Oh my, so you really did forget...
"That's right, your original target was me. One of the Four Heavenly Kings under the Demon Lord of Siafrindo, Lord Camey, the King of the Sea!"
After I finished speaking, the expressions of the heroes instantly became serious.
They seemed to remember that they were actually going to face someone important.
"If the previous farces made you back down, it could be considered lucky for you. Have you ever thought about how difficult it is to invade the territory of a powerful demon race like Siafrindo?!"
Gulp.
The three heroes swallowed nervously.
"But, what did you encounter in front of the Moria Fortress gate? Just some cheerful little interludes. Do you really think that I, the majestic King of the Sea, could be repelled by slimes or maids alone? Of course not. So why do I have only a few subordinates guarding the gate?"
When I said this, the faces of the heroes had already turned pale.
"The answer is simple. Because with me alone, I am al·ready· enough to counterattack against a hero group! In fact, for me, the King of the Sea, to personally deal with you lot is a waste· of· talent!"
As I said this, I tore off the vest I was wearing in front of the shocked gaze of the three heroes.
"So do you understand now? Do you realize how foolish you've been? Although it may seem like you four are surrounding me now, in reality, it is I who have surrounded you four!"
I roared with all my strength.
Perhaps even I didn't know what I was saying.
Clang.
Along with my roaring, the heroes took a step back and pulled out their weapons.
The red-haired girl drew her long sword from her waist.
The black-skinned young man somehow had a large hammer in his hand.
The yellow-haired one-eyed boy grabbed the harp from his back.
All three of them furrowed their brows, concentrating deeply, with an appearance of facing a formidable enemy.
...
Huh? Huh?
I had just wanted to boast a little and scare away these heroes.
But why did these guys suddenly become serious?
