"Please don't kill me."
Thousands of people heard when the King was boasting about beating up Azekiel, but not a single of them was even waiting to hear what he was saying now. Most of the surroundings were already void of people now, as everyone had already left.
Even the Nobles weren't brave enough to stay behind as they also ran away, hiding inside the castle. Other than Azekiel and the King, only the guards were outside, surrounding them.
None of the guards dared to even closer though. They could see their King lying on Azekiel's feet. If this guy himself had surrendered, what could they even do? Some were even mocking the middle-aged King in their minds for talking so big when he couldn't even stand straight before Azekiel.
"All your guards gave their lives to stop me, on your command. But you... You just hid. What kind of a leader are you?" Azekiel inquired, smiling. "Then again, I can understand you were scared, so I won't blame you for hiding. But after all that, even when you thought I left, you took all the credit instead of giving any to the guards who actually fought while you hid?"
He didn't even try to keep his voice down at all, letting all the guards around him hear just what kind of a person their King was.
"Alright. We'll do it like this." He took a few steps back, leaving the King on his knees.
"Since you are stronger than your guards, I'll give you a chance. Prove that, and I'll forgive you."
"P-prove how?" The middle-aged King asked, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. It seemed as if there was actually some hope here.
"Fight one of your guards and prove that you're stronger. If you can, I'll consider some truth in your lies. I'll let you live. But if you can't defeat a guard of yours, you'll be killed right here." Even though Azekiel didn't have to kill anyone here, this game did seem interesting to him.
Moreover, the worth of a life was really minuscule for him, so if he could get some entertainment out of it, then it was worth it.
"T-this I can do!" The King excitedly stood up. If that was all he had to do to survive, it was easy. He was sure that he could just gesture for one of the guards to lose against him intentionally. That way, he could survive, and this demon had to leave according to his words.
"I'll give you the opportunity to choose your own opponent. You can select any of the ones available here," Azekiel reminded the middle-aged King. "If you're feeling particularly adventurous, you can even select me for a battle."
"N-no! I'll select a guard!" The King looked around at all the guards. Even though he knew that all of his guards would be willing to lose against him, he still preferred to select the weakest against them.
Out of all the guards, a few had barely any mass on their bodies. The skinny guards looked to be the weakest.
The King had never gone to see the training of the guards, and he didn't know much about them on the basis of their fighting ability, so he should only go on looks.
He raised his finger at the red-haired Guard.
The Guard was stunned to be selected. He didn't want to fight the King. It was too much responsibility, but he could only agree as the King had chosen him in the end.
The middle-aged man stepped out of the group and stood before the middle-aged man.
The King faced the Guard, having his back toward Azekiel as he made some gestures with his eyes as if telling the Guard to play along to save his life.
The King looked less like he was requesting the Guard and more like he was commanding him. The Guard also got what he had to do and nodded.
"Oh right, I forgot to mention one thing," Azekiel smirked as if he wasn't finished yet. This time, he addressed the Guard. "Since your King's life is on line in case of defeat, it's only fair that your life will be on the line as well."
"You..." The King's face went pale. Just what was this condition? With this condition, there was no way the Guard was going to accept being defeated! No matter who it was, their lives were precious to them.
Still, the King couldn't show that he was planning for the guy to take the fall. He glared at the Guard as if warning him against being clever and attacking him.
Even the Guard didn't know what to do. No matter what the conditions were, if he killed the King, he and his family were going to be executed later on. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
"Also, one last thing. If you can kill your King, you'll get an added bonus. I'll make sure you become the next King, and as you may know, I don't think anyone here will go against my decision."
"So it's your choice if you want to die for the King who will forget your death the moment as he did with all the others, or you want to defeat him and become the next King? Think carefully. Not many people get an opportunity like this," Azekiel smiled wryly.
"Also, you, bring me a chair. I want to enjoy the sight." He further commanded another guard.
At the moment, the guards of the Empire were like his personal errand boys, doing as he was saying, as if he was the default king now.
One of the guards rushed inside the castle and returned with a chair he placed near Azekiel. On the other end, the Guard was still thinking about what to do. However, his mind was undoubtedly tilting in one specific direction. He had already decided on what he had to do if he wanted a better life.
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