TPDGR 39

Chapter 39 ….

“Yeah, Han Hyunjin. You must have guessed it too. What kind of secret this body holds.”

“?”

After a week of devoted care and therapy—consisting of takeout food deliveries courtesy of Rider Han Hyunjin—I was in the best mood possible.

Standing by the sunlit window, I chuckled softly.

I thought that in this perfect state, I should finally tell Han Hyunjin the truth he had been so curious about.

“Your guess is correct. I used to be human.”

“I see.”

Han Hyunjin nodded. His reaction was so bland that I furrowed my brow.

“…Why aren’t you surprised? You only suspected I had traces of human energy mixed in. But I just said I was human! Shouldn’t you be more shocked?”

Even after revealing such an earth-shattering secret, he didn’t bat an eye.

Just as I was disappointed by his boring reaction, he spoke flatly.

“Well, you’re a Demon King from a dungeon that only grows fruit, yet you suddenly wanted honey-sweet chicken wings. Isn’t it obvious?”

“!”

“People here wouldn’t even know what honey-sweet wing combos are.”

“Th-that’s… true…?”

“On top of that, you knew about all the variations—honey, soy sauce, and so on. At the very least, that means you were Korean in your past life.”

“!!”

His deductive skills were incredible.

“You even added wedge potatoes, Cheongyang mayo, and red dipping sauce as if it was natural.”

As if driving the nail in deeper, Hyunjin added another remark.

To think he figured out I had been human—and Korean—just from ordering chicken…

All because I was a true foodie.

“So? Now that your curiosity is satisfied, are you not going to come here anymore?”

I looked at him with a face that couldn’t hide my disappointment.

After all, it was his curiosity about my identity that kept him hanging around in the first place.

Seemingly caught off guard by my question, Hyunjin hesitated for a moment.

“…If you’ll allow it, I’d actually like to keep coming here.”

“What?”

I hesitated before asking,

“Why? What’s even here?”

Could it be because of Yoanna?

I suddenly remembered the older ladies gossiping about setting him up with Yoanna.

She was beautiful and charming enough that someone might want to keep coming back just to see her.

But Hyunjin only looked at my sulky expression for a while before muttering quietly.

“…I don’t know. It just feels like there’s no place more comfortable than here.”

“Really?”

“I keep getting curious.”

I didn’t know exactly what he was curious about, but the way his gaze lingered made my cheek tingle for no reason.

Whatever the reason, it still felt nice.

It felt like I had gotten closer to Hyunjin somehow.

As if I had taken one more step toward making him obey me.

The thought of him visiting every day was secretly pleasing. The tentacle sticking out from under my coat wiggled and swayed happily in response to my mood.

“So, are you going to bring delicious food every time you come?”

“Is that the entrance fee here?”

Hyunjin nodded as if he had no choice.

“Fine. I’ll bring whatever you and the kids want.”

“Yesss!”

I jumped up from my seat, grabbed Hyunjin’s hand, and shouted in delight.

Now I could eat chicken or pizza even here. Nothing could make me happier.

Watching me, Hyunjin’s lips curved ever so faintly into a smile.

3. The Demon King Still Dreams of Becoming a Romance Heroine

After tossing that lunatic AJ back to Earth, a brief time of peace returned.

Although it wasn’t publicly known that I was the one who drove an S-rank Hunter insane, Hyun-jin said the government and the Association were surely aware.

Which meant they’d tread more carefully now. They’d seen what happened to someone who ignored my warning.

I wasn’t particularly worried anyway.

‘If they invade again, I’ll just drown them all in the Hell Road.’

Thankfully, No. 1 and No. 2 were recovering quickly.

No. 2 was still bedridden, but No. 1, who had only taken a scratch on the chest, had already returned to work.

The moment No. 2 regained consciousness, he asked after Henna—making me slightly regret letting AJ leave with all his limbs intact.

Hearing my grumble, Griffith shook his head.

“No, my lord. That punishment was appropriate. If you had struck more cruelly, it could have sparked a war.”

Despite his calm words, Griffith kept training near the mines every dawn. I’d caught sight of him more than once, slashing at the air beneath the morning dew.

He must have felt some inadequacy within himself.

‘Well, it’s not a bad thing to polish his skills until he’s satisfied.’

He was the captain of the guard, after all. Quietly, I cheered on my steadfast guard captain.

Meanwhile, I inspected the forest inside my dungeon again.

And so, the day to go to the market arrived.

The aunties harvested mandrakes in the forest: half were juiced and stored as potions, the rest dried for sale.

At that time, I also learned that across the Gate, the kingdom and the monsters had reached a ceasefire in their war.

My mirror-servant had shown me the continent’s state.

The official ceasefire was set to begin tomorrow. The end of slaughter was, undoubtedly, good news.

And on top of that…

“The timing is perfect! Since they wasted so many supplies during the war, they’ll be short on herbs. We’ll sell them high to the rich, and cheap to the poor!”

I might love money, but I couldn’t stand to see the wealthy monopolize good resources.

Besides, I had just received an excellent new item.

[Reward: ‘Public Sentiment of a Special Person.’
Special Perk: 1-Day Outside-Exploration Pass ×3]

With the people’s goodwill soaring after AJ’s defeat, I earned this reward!

As long as I appointed someone to act as Dungeon Boss in my place, I could leave the dungeon for a full day.

And I had three of them!

That meant three days of freedom outside.

Since this would be my first outing, I debated whether to use the passes on Earth or on the continent…

“…It has to be the continent.”

Even though I’d been reincarnated into a novel, Earth was still familiar to me.

Besides, Hyun-jin was already bringing me Earth’s delicious food. Nothing to miss there.

‘The continent I’ve never stepped foot in is far more tempting.’

After all, seeing something with my own eyes is different from seeing it in a mirror.

Once I’d decided, I immediately went to Griffith.

“Me? Acting as your proxy, my lord?”

It was his day off, and he’d been training near the mines that afternoon. Wiping away sweat, Griffith stared at me in surprise.

“Of course. Aside from me and Hyun-jin, you’re the strongest. You’ll have to protect everyone in my stead.”

“But…”

To leave the dungeon, I had to appoint someone as its temporary master.

Someone who could guard the fortress and make swift decisions in emergencies.

Naturally, Griffith—with his strength and sense of responsibility—was perfect.

Of course, he looked troubled.

“How could I dare act as the Demon King’s proxy…?”

But when I insisted that I needed to go outside, he reluctantly agreed.

“…I may be unworthy, but I’ll do my best not to bring shame to you, my lord.”

“Good. Then let’s perform the ritual at once!”

The ceremony was simple.

With my permission, the chosen proxy had to sit on the throne in the central hall.

Griffith, looking burdened, hesitated a moment before lowering himself onto the black leather throne.

And at that moment, I realized something important.

I hadn’t truly understood how heavy it was to appoint a “Demon King’s proxy.”

As soon as Griffith sat down, his body began to tremble.

“Kuhuhuhu… kuhuhuhuhuhu…”

“G-Griffith?”

I was startled by the eerie movement.

Could there be some fatal side effect of becoming a proxy?

The system hadn’t mentioned anything like that.

Then, Griffith suddenly raised his head.

“I shall protect this land in your stead, my lord!!!”

…He even used three exclamation marks.

His sudden character shift shocked me. The orcs who had peeked in and even Kyu froze in fear.

Kyu, in particular, hissed as if meeting Griffith for the first time.

Griffith pressed his right hand to his forehead.

“Ahh… my lord. I can feel the Black Flame Dragon in my left arm!”

“…That’s your right arm.”

“Hahahaha!! I, Griffith, shall repay your trust, even if I must stain this hand with blood!!”

“…”

He usually acted like a cheerful country boy, but now he was terrifying. Was this the power of the throne? The weight of authority?

‘Don’t tell me… do others see me like this too?’

The thought left me oddly self-reflective.

That throne must have some mysterious power that enforces a “character concept.”

‘It must be hell for the ones watching.’

It was almost like therapy through humiliation.

“Do not worry, my lord. No mere lowly creatures shall dare defile this land—”

Griffith chuckled darkly, gazing out the window.

“Heh. Are they… frightened? The vast plains themselves have turned pale with fear. Surely, it must be my aura.”

“I don’t understand a word, but… sounds cool.”

The plains were always green anyway.

Barely keeping my composure, I slipped out of the hall, leaving Griffith in his chuunibyou state—and the orcs and Kyu pale with dread at his transformation.

Watching him might be torture for them, but for me… my very first outing beyond the dungeon was far more urgent.