Chapter 251
Meeting humans in the Demon Realm isn’t exactly a common occurrence, but any demon worth their salt has had a few encounters.
In the Satan Army camp, two low-ranking soldiers standing guard at the rear fence were no exception.
“Hey, aren’t those humans coming this way?”
“Yeah, perfect timing. I was getting bored.”
When demons with menacing faces start threatening, nine times out of ten, humans drop to their knees and beg for mercy.
The soldiers, like kids who’d found a new toy, started chuckling.
“That one over there, even from a distance, her face is glowing. She’s really pretty. Let’s have some fun and then report it.”
“Kehehe, who would’ve thought we’d get such a treat while on guard duty?”
Up close, the humans were even more stunning than they’d appeared from afar. There were five of them.
The soldiers’ faces lit up.
Of course, from the humans’ perspective, the already terrifying-looking demons were now making even scarier expressions.
“Hey, you idiots, what are humans doing here? You wanna die?”
“Hey, hey, calm down. They probably came to make our night more entertaining.”
They exchanged exaggerated threats, like comedians bantering on stage, but…
The situation didn’t go as the soldiers had imagined.
“Wow, finally, we meet some real demons. I told you! Those are demons!”
“Ugh! We could’ve had more fun, but why did they have to show up now?”
“Too bad. Nothing’s as fun as teasing Gyeoul.”
“…?”
Far from begging for their lives, the humans were too busy chatting among themselves.
They even started walking toward the soldiers without a care in the world.
Their movements suggested they didn’t feel the slightest bit threatened.
The soldiers, who had never been treated like this by humans before, started to frown.
“This won’t do. We need to teach them some manners.”
“Don’t mess with their faces. Those pretty faces would ruin the mood.”
The rugged soldier put down his spear and stepped in front of Jeong Gyeoul, cracking his knuckles.
“Don’t you get it? When you meet demons, you’re supposed to kneel!”
This time, it wasn’t just a verbal threat. He even flexed his muscles, but the humans’ reactions remained the same.
The young human girl looked oddly excited, leaving the soldier baffled.
The soldier behind him started to laugh, and the confusion quickly turned to anger.
Forgetting his earlier promise not to touch their faces, he swung his fist at Jeong Gyeoul.
Whoosh—
Thanks to his racial traits, he was strong—no wonder he was a soldier in Satan’s army.
The sound of his fist cutting through the air was impressive.
If he entered a boxing tournament in the human world, he’d probably win the championship.
But… by Awakened standards, he’d barely be D-Class.
“Nice strength. But that’s all you’ve got.”
“Wow, Gyeoul could be a middle-tier rapper.”
“Stop teasing me.”
“Neulreujeumeulreugeu~”
“…”
The group was passing the boring time by teasing Jeong Gyeoul, and even as a fist swung toward her, the jokes didn’t stop.
Whoosh whoosh—
The demon soldier kept throwing punches.
At first, he thought her dodging was a fluke, but as his fists kept hitting air, he started to feel something was off.
“What the hell! Why aren’t you hitting her?”
“Hey, idiot! Can’t you even throw a punch properly?”
“This is weird! Even our captain can’t dodge like this!”
Jeong Gyeoul, with her arms crossed, yawned as she dodged.
“Yawn… How long are you gonna keep this up? I need to go meet Satan.”
“…”
She casually mentioned Satan, dodging his punches with her eyes closed.
She even turned around to chat with her companions while still dodging.
The old stories the veterans used to tell started coming back to him.
“Decades ago, there was a human who could rival Satan.”
“Ah, I’ve heard of her. Rumor has it she easily defeated Asmodeus…”
“That woman Satan himself avoided fighting? I heard she was incredibly beautiful. I’d love to see her.”
“Does everyone know this story? This is my first time hearing it…”
“Of course you wouldn’t know, rookie. Only the seasoned veterans know this stuff.”
The tall tales of hunting 30-meter-tall beasts, raising Cerberus in their old unit, and capturing spies from Asmodeus’ territory in the dead of night.
The army’s veterans were full of bluster, spinning unbelievable stories.
But looking at the human girl before him, he started to think that at least the stories about her might be true.
“…Was that story real?”
The human woman in the tales was said to possess lord-level combat prowess, with a violent streak that made her more demonic than actual demons.
Cold sweat started dripping down his back.
“Wow, that guy just stopped. Come on out, you idiot.”
“…I give up.”
“What? What are you mumbling about?”
“We’re all gonna die at this rate!”
“What the hell are you talking about? Are you scared of a human?”
The soldier who had been throwing punches suddenly stopped, his face pale as he muttered nonsense.
Ignoring the confused looks from his comrades, he ran back to his post and lit a blue flare.
A yellow flare meant a monster had appeared.
A red flare meant the enemy army was approaching.
A blue flare… meant an unstoppable calamity had arrived.
It was the signal used when a lord-level powerhouse suddenly attacked.
The soldier who had frozen in front of the human girl thought it was all a joke.
“But… a blue flare? Seriously?”
A blue flare would put the entire army on high alert, from the commanders to Satan himself.
Even if his comrade was an idiot, he should know the implications of this.
He clenched his mouth and moved to stand beside his comrade.
“…What’s going on?”
“Remember all those tall tales the veterans used to tell?”
“Of course, I could recite them by now.”
“That’s it, you idiot. The human urban legend. Shut up and stay quiet if you want to live.”
“…?”
Frustrated, the soldier slapped his comrade’s back and pointed at Jeong Gyeoul.
“An insanely pretty and young-looking human girl. Dodges my punches, which even our captain sometimes gets hit by, with her eyes closed and her back turned. And… she casually calls out Satan’s name in front of the Satan Army camp without losing her cool.”
As he explained the connection to the human urban legend, his comrade’s face turned pale.
“Sh-she’s really that woman? But that story’s decades old!”
“That’s why, you idiot! She’s not just any human, that’s why it’s possible!”
***
One of the rugged demons who had been throwing punches at me suddenly turned pale, lit a blue flare, and ran off.
“What the hell is this…?”
Oops, my inner thoughts almost slipped out.
“What are they doing?”
“…You’re the one who’s hung out with demons. Shouldn’t you know best?”
No, this kind of stupidity isn’t something you learn just by hanging out with them.
It didn’t take long for me to figure out why, thanks to their conversation.
“Pfft… Jeong Gyeoul, the protagonist of human urban legends?”
“…Are they seriously insane?”
After just two visits, my story had become a legend circulating among them.
Of course, hanging out with lords is like hanging out with presidents or S-Class heroes on Earth.
And if it’s a young, cute, and pretty girl like me?
There’s no way rumors wouldn’t spread, and my personal details would be thoroughly exposed.
Something similar seemed to have happened in the Demon Realm.
But… the guy who was throwing punches at me is acting like nothing happened as long as he keeps his mouth shut.
“Hey, you, come here.”
I pointed at the soldier who had swung his fist at me and beckoned him over.
“Hey, she’s calling you. Go on.”
“…Me? You mean me? Not you?”
But this guy is either pretending not to know or genuinely clueless.
He’s pushing the soldier who was blabbering beside him.
“The guy who threw a punch at me, step forward.”
I don’t know what it means, but that guy lit a blue flare.
Whether it’s a general or Satan himself, they’ll come find us, so we just need to kill time here.
Since he saved me some trouble, I decided to spare his life as a reward.
The demon who had swung his fist at me approached hesitantly, like a guilty dog looking at its owner.
“Get down.”
“…Huh?”
Does he not understand “get down”? He’s just standing there, confused.
Is this… the Satan Army’s discipline?
“The only response you’re allowed to give is ‘Yes.’ Get down.”
“Yes!”
I said I’d spare his life, but I didn’t say I wouldn’t mess with him.
It’s time to spread the great Korean Army’s disciplinary methods to the Demon Realm.
“From now on, you’re Owl Number 1.”
“Yes!”
I kindly taught him the Korean-style disciplinary action that might one day become the core of the Demon Realm’s military discipline.