The Demon King's Guide To Not Getting Defeated By A Paladin-Chapter 37 - 36: Secrets Beneath The Candlelight

The restaurant gleamed like a palace, with chandeliers spilling golden light over a sea of velvet chairs and pristine linen. Fine cutlery gleamed against polished wood tables, and soft music curled through the air like an invisible silk ribbon.

Quinn sat with one arm lazily draped across the back of Azra’s chair, their seats tucked close together at one side of the long, extravagant table. Azra wore his spectacles tonight, their delicate frames catching the light every time he pushed them up the bridge of his nose, a quiet fidget that only Quinn seemed to notice.

Across from them, Lilith laughed softly at something Asami had said, her brown hair cascading over her shoulders in waves. Asami, all mischievous smirks and winking glances, leaned in conspiratorially with Emilia, whose eyes kept wandering — not so subtly — to Quinn.

He felt her gaze like a brush of fingers over his skin. He didn’t look at her, but he smiled faintly into his glass of wine, amused and... perhaps a little troubled.

At the head of the table, Ares sat hunched with his arms crossed, his usual easy grin replaced with a theatrical scowl.

"Don’t you brats dare order the lobster," he grumbled, glaring at the ornate menu like it personally offended him. "The guild’s not exactly swimming in gold, you know! Heavenward Academy barely funds us as it is."

Lilith snickered behind her hand. "Come on, Ares. Live a little. It’s not your wallet tonight."

"It’s still my reputation!" Ares barked, though there was no real heat behind it.

Asami waved the wine list teasingly at him. "What about the aged dragonbone ale, Guild Master? That’ll only set us back a small fortune."

"If you order that, you’re washing dishes until your next lifetime!" he retorted, making everyone chuckle.

It was easy, for a while. Easy to pretend that the world outside didn’t exist, easy to laugh and joke. Easy for Quinn to forget the heavy crown he wore unseen.

Emilia, cheeks flushed with wine, leaned forward with a daring glint in her eyes, and for a moment Quinn caught her staring at him like he was something golden she couldn’t quite reach. She turned away quickly when she noticed him noticing, but not before the damage was done. A warmth stirred low in Quinn’s chest — not entirely unpleasant, but... complicated.

He turned his attention back to his plate as Azra bumped his knee lightly against Quinn’s under the table, a silent, brotherly reminder that he was here, grounded.

Ares eventually sighed and lifted his glass — filled with nothing more than water — and tapped the base against the table, calling for quiet.

The laughter dimmed but the warmth remained, hovering.

"I know it feels like we’re just blowing coin for no reason," Ares said, voice roughened by something more than age or drink. "But... this isn’t just a dinner."

He glanced down the table at each of them, his storm-grey eyes softer than usual.

"I called you all here because..." He trailed off, rubbed a hand through his short hair, and sighed again. "I got a feeling. Things aren’t going to stay the same in this kingdom. Not with everything stirring in the shadows."

A weighted silence fell over the table. Even the golden music seemed to dim.

"I just wanted to tell you," Ares went on, quieter now, "that I’m proud. Watching all of you grow — in your own strange, stubborn ways — has been the greatest thing I’ve done with my miserable life."

Lilith’s expression softened, her fingers absently tracing the rim of her glass. Asami looked away, unusually serious. Emilia just stared at her plate, lips pressed together.

"I just hope," Ares finished, "that whatever storm’s coming... you’re ready for it." 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

He stood abruptly, scraping his chair back with a loud screech, and muttered, "Need some air," before striding off toward the restaurant’s open balcony.

They watched him go, the door swinging lightly behind him.

For a moment, no one spoke.

Then Lilith whispered, "What storm do you think he meant?"

Azra adjusted his spectacles thoughtfully, but it was Emilia who broke the gathering tension. She set down her glass and leaned in.

"I overheard my uncle talking with some of the council mages," she said, her voice low. "They said the barrier around the kingdom... it’s been breached."

Azra sat up straighter. "Breached? That’s impossible. The barrier’s been up for centuries."

"That’s what we thought," Emilia said with a dry little chuckle. "But the rumors don’t stop there."

Lilith frowned, brushing hair from her face. "What rumors?"

Emilia’s lips curled, half daring, half afraid. "They say a demon has crossed over. A powerful one. Some even say..." She lowered her voice theatrically, "the Demon King himself has returned."

The words struck like stones dropped into still water.

Azra stiffened, reaching instinctively for the pendant tucked under his shirt. Asami muttered something under her breath, clearly unsettled. Even Lilith paled slightly, her playful spark dimming.

Only Quinn remained calm.

Because, if only they knew — if only they knew — the Demon King was already here. Sitting beside them. Laughing with them. Pretending. Quinn lifted his glass to his lips to hide the tightening of his jaw. He didn’t feel triumphant. He didn’t feel clever. He felt... trapped.

Bound by a secret heavier than chains.

"The rumors might not be true," Quinn said aloud, his voice smooth as ever, betraying nothing.

Emilia sighed heavily, twisting her napkin between her fingers. "Maybe. But if they are... and if the Demon King is truly back..." She shook her head. "The Demon Army won’t stay quiet. They’ll rally. And with their king leading them..."

She swallowed hard.

"This kingdom doesn’t stand a chance."

The tension grew sharp, cutting through the remnants of their earlier joy like a blade. Asami slammed her glass down harder than she meant to. "It’s just a rumor," she said, but even she didn’t sound convinced.

Quinn leaned back in his chair, letting the conversation wash over him.

He stared at the flickering candles, feeling the pull of two worlds inside him — one where he was Quinn, their friend, their brother-in-arms. And the other...

The other, where he wore a crown of shadows, where armies would kneel, and kingdoms would burn at his command.

And sooner or later, he’d have to choose which life he truly belonged to.

But not tonight.

Tonight, he would sit here among them.

Lie a little longer.

Pretend the world wasn’t already beginning to end.

For a long moment, none of them spoke. The soft clinking of dishes from other tables sounded too loud in the heavy silence that surrounded them.

Lilith was the first to force a small, uneasy laugh. "Come on," she said, reaching for her glass. "You’re all acting like we’re cursed already. Even if some demon is running around out there, we’re not exactly helpless."

"She’s right," Asami said, her usual sharp grin returning, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. "We’ve got brains. We’ve got magic. We’ve got... well, some of us have muscles." She nudged Azra, who gave her a bland look over his spectacles.

"And," Emilia added quickly, a determined spark flickering to life in her voice, "we’ve got each other."

The words hung there, sincere and raw.

Quinn felt it — that brief surge of hope — but it only twisted deeper into the knot already forming in his chest.

If they knew what I was... would they still say that?

Azra finally leaned back, exhaling through his nose. "Even so," he said, voice low, "it would be foolish to ignore the possibility. If there’s even a sliver of truth to the rumor... we need to be ready."

"Training?" Lilith guessed, wrinkling her nose.

"Training," Azra confirmed grimly. "A lot of it."

Asami groaned dramatically, slumping across the table. "Great. Goodbye free time, hello daily suffering."

Quinn allowed himself a small chuckle — genuine this time — and said, "You suffer enough already with your eating habits."

Asami lifted her head and shot him a mock glare. "Hey! One spicy dumpling and a fire spell accident, and suddenly I’m branded for life."

"You literally set the training hall on fire," Lilith said, grinning.

"I improved its ventilation," Asami argued, deadpan.

For a while, it almost felt normal again. Almost.

Quinn caught Emilia looking at him once more, her expression softer now. He offered her a faint smile before glancing toward the balcony where Ares still hadn’t returned.

"I should check on him," Lilith said, starting to rise, but Quinn shook his head.

"Let him be," he said gently. "He needed a moment."

Lilith hesitated, then nodded, sinking back into her seat.

The candlelight flickered, casting dancing shadows across their faces.

He wished he could tell them the truth.

Wished he could say I’m here. I’m the demon you fear. I’m not your enemy...

But secrets were a kind of armor.

And for now, he needed that armor more than he needed their trust.

So he sat back and just watched them, hoping one day they wouldn’t have to fight.