Demon King Kyuse Descends! (4)

-Bingulbingul.

I indulged in joy for quite some time and gave Buril an airplane ride. Buril. This damn Buril. Maybe because the name sounded so adorable, Buril started to appear cute to me.

It was delightful.

"Kerookkerook!"

Here in this middle realm, I had gained my first subordinate. The Demon King inherently dominated and ruled over these monsters. And the first of these underlings was none other than Buril.

I couldn't help but be joyful.

This was a tremendous achievement. It was truly an accomplishment so grand that it felt almost insane. Now, I was no longer alone. I had a subordinate. This meant I could now assign tasks or the duty of being a guard to my underling.

The mere thought of it sent shivers down my spine…!

"Whew! Let's stop and come down now!"

"Kerook…!"

-Bitulbitul.

After being spun around for so long, Buril staggered as he landed, supporting his head with his hand. The sight of this dwarf-sized creature wobbling was undeniably cute.

"Ah, right."

This little one was injured.

Although my control magic had taken effect, infusing him with magical power and aiding his recovery, he was still not in perfect condition.

I needed to ensure he was in the best possible state to properly utilize him as my subordinate.

Alright.

From now on, let's set our priorities and act accordingly. Water? Check. A hideout? Check. Food? Check. The conditions were absolutely perfect.

"Well then, let's go in. First things first, let's focus on recovery."

"Kerek."

The priority was to fully recover Buril's condition.

When one was hungry, the recovery rate of magic was almost nil. One must eat well to restore magic.

And as of now…

Thanks to Buril, I was able to eat the fruits.

There were still many fruits left. If I consumed all of them, I should somehow get through the day. And once there was something in my stomach, my magic would recover, which could then be used to heal Buril.

"Let's go in."

"Keruruk."

Buril entered the pit, making a "keruk" sound. Was this a goblin's cry? Keruk, kruruk? I had no idea what he was saying for now, but living together, I think I would eventually understand.

-Wasakwasak!

The pit felt even more cramped after Buril entered. We immediately began consuming the fruits inside.

"It's delicious…!"

The bursting juice filled my mouth!

Honestly, it wasn't sweet. How should I put it? It felt as if someone had added a tiny bit of fruit juice to a bottle of water.

A long time ago, the fruits I ate on modern Earth were probably all enhanced and, hence, very sweet. Wild fruits had an unmatched flavor instead. These fruits gave off a wild, natural taste.

"But it's still tasty!"

Since I only consumed water yesterday, everything tasted incredibly delicious since I could eat now!

"Buril, you eat too!"

"Kerookkerook."

And so, Buril and I devoured every last fruit as if we had our eyes set only on them.

"Geoeok."

After stuffing everything available into my belly, it felt like it was about to burst. Good. I should abandon the idea of repairing the pit today. Mindlessly filling up my stomach and then engaging in such intense labor might cause my stomach to sink, which would significantly hinder magic recovery.

While I could go back out to collect more fruits… taking Buril, who was still recovering, seemed challenging. And I felt uneasy about leaving behind the very first subordinate I had obtained.

So, well.

"Hey. Let's just sleep here together today."

"Kerook?"

It seemed the only option inside this pit was to conserve our energy.

"Sleep."

"Kerook…"

While giving the command to sleep and closing Buril's eyes, it seemed he, too, was tired as he immediately let go of all tension.

"Hehehe, look at this guy, sleeping so soundly."

"…"

Sleep well.

After confirming that,

I also relaxed, closed my eyes, and focused on my body.

-Gooooo.

As I focused, I could feel the magic inside me. Sensing it, I took a deep breath slowly, ensuring the magic remained still.

It was a meditation method to accelerate the recovery of magic.

Of course, it was Karuti who taught me this meditation method… Karuti. I couldn't help but think of Karuti. Despite always saying unpleasant things, she was a tiny and cute child.

If I could see Karuti now, I would have bragged about today's achievement. I would've boasted so much about dominating a goblin.

With such thoughts, I continued meditating.

Let's focus hard on recovering my magic!

"Keuuu…!"

The next day.

Being in the cramped space made my body incredibly stiff, but my spirits were exceptionally high.

"Now, Buril, you do it too. Keuu!"

"Kehoook!"

Buril imitated stretching with his small child-like body. With monster-like skin and a snub nose, seeing such a crumpled-looking fellow make such an adorable gesture almost drove me mad.

"Anyway, Buril. How do you feel?"

"Kerok?"

He didn't understand all of my words. Of course, that wasn't a problem. Anyway, I examined Buril's wounds.

"Hmm… It's better than yesterday."

This guy must have eaten the fruit and rested well, so his body condition had improved. Still, it wasn't 100% healed. I made Buril kneel down and stood behind him.

"Alright."

"Kerruk?"

Honestly, I didn't know any monster healing methods. However, if I injected magic, something might happen. It was worth a try.

So.

-Gooooo!

I focused my mind and channeled magic into my hand that was on Buril's back.

"Kerook…!"

While doing so, I closely observed Buril's condition. He seemed startled, but he didn't move. After injecting the magic into him, I removed my hand.

"Hey. How is it?"

"Kerok?"

I immediately laid Buril down to check his wounds.

"Oh…!"

It was improving!

There was definitely an effect!

For such a weak monster, simply infusing them with magic could significantly enhance their natural healing abilities!

"I must have the talent of a healer!"

This was perfect!

Let's rest for about an hour and then start moving.

"Hey, Buril, rest inside. I'm going to fix the beat for a bit."

"Kerek?"

"Go inside."

"Kerek-Kerek."

"You don't want to go in? Then, just sit there."

Buril immediately sat down in his place. Well, sitting was also resting. I should let him watch. I think I would have him do a lot of digging in the future.

"Then watch closely as you rest."

I immediately took out my hand axe and started digging the ground around the pit. If Buril and I were to live together, we would need more space. But living together? A Demon Lord and his subordinate living together. That would be called a dungeon. It could be referred to as a dungeon.

"A dungeon."

When one thought of a Demon Lord, it was usually associated with dungeons. To be honest, this pit was just a burrow. It couldn't really be called a dungeon. But maybe when I had a lot more subordinates, I could create something like a real dungeon?

Such thoughts made me feel excited.

I should make a dungeon.

In games, there were usually places like monster lairs. Rather than creating one, perhaps I could… Wait a minute? Seeing that Buril was here, could there be goblin lairs nearby?

"Hmm."

I would have to think about that later. It was important, but I couldn't act on it right now.

-Puhuk!

I focused again on expanding the pit around the burrow.

After about an hour, it seemed like Buril had fully recovered!

It was really a relieving situation! The goblin I got as a subordinate had become super amazing!

"Then let's start the work, Buril!"

"Kerek!"

Hearing my shout, Buril jumped and cheered! This guy… His emotional expression was so touching! His reactions were so good that it made me happy, too.

"Kerek-Kerek."

I didn't know what he found so amusing, but Buril rubbed the area where he was hurt and laughed eerily. From the start, his face being that of a goblin, even a genuine smile looked creepy. I still wished he'd laugh more. After all, they said that fortune came with laughter.

Anyway…

What I was about to do now was crucial.

"Buril, look into my eyes."

"Kerek?"

Buril gazed at me intently.

According to what Karuti told me, when you looked straight into the eyes of the one you were commanding and spoke directly, they would understand commands better. I was planning to test how well Buril could understand my words.

"Buril, raise your right hand."

"Kerek."

Buril promptly raised his right hand.

"Good job. Now, turn around."

"Kerek-Kerek."

-Chongchongchongchong.

Buril turned a full circle. Great. It seemed like he understood almost everything when I made eye contact and spoke.

"Now, turn your back."

"Kerek."

Buril immediately turned his back.

"Buril, sit down."

"Kerek?"

-Swoosh.

This time, Buril didn't sit but looked back at me.

"Kerek-Kerek?"

Then, he made a sound as if asking me to say it again… I see. So he couldn't understand my command when he was turned around?

"Oh. Face me again."

"Kerek."

Buril repositioned his head.

"Shall we try again? Buril, sit down."

"Kerek?"

He looked back at me again.

With that gaze fixed, I issued the command again.

"Sit."

"Kururuk."

Buril sat down.

"Got it. Clear as day."

Buril wasn't understanding my language right now. When he was facing me, it was clear that he was reading my intent by looking at my eyes, my face, or my mouth.

This was definitely some kind of magical interaction at play.

"Now, Buril! Run to that tree over there and come back!"

"Kerek!"

-Tatatat!

Immediately, Buril dashed to the tree. Such commands were easily executed? Buril soon returned.

"Good job, Buril!"

"Kerek!"

He smiled as if he liked it when I patted his head.

The more I looked at this guy, the cuter he got.

"Now, Buril! This time, go to that tree, do two spot jumps, punch the tree three times, kick it twice, then do three spot jumps and come back!"

I wondered if he could do this?

"Kerek!"

-Papapat!

Buril dashed to the tree again, jumped twice, and proceeded with the punches. Oh. Did his memory reach this far? Or was it the magic helping him remember?

But then.

-Hesitation.

Mid-punch, Buril hesitated for a moment. He then made some indecipherable gesture, clutched his head, and returned to me.

"Kerok. Kerek-Kerek. Kerururuk. Kerek-Kek."

"What are you saying, damn it."

He was fervently trying to explain something, but I didn't understand.

"Kerek-Kerek. Kururuk. Kruruk."

Buril continued passionately, seemingly unaware that I couldn't understand. Well, alright, I got the gist. And from the feel of it, he seemed to be saying he forgot some of the commands.