The Demon King who wanted peace

CHAPTER 7: Outside The Dungeon

When the 50 soldiers came out of the beautiful house Haru had given them, they were completely surprised.

There was no dungeon anymore.

They looked around and saw that the entire area where the dark prison once stood had become a beautiful place. In front of them was a very big, fertile field that had been prepared just for them.

One soldier whispered, "We never thought it could change this much. Not only did he give us freedom, he healed our wounds. He gave us a house, new clothes, and now this big field."

Another one said, "If he gave us freedom, then our people must have gotten freedom too. Not just us."

As they walked, they were still in shock because everything had totally changed. The path was no longer dark and muddy, but bright and full of flowers.

Soon they reached the place they feared the most — the torture room. They didn't want to see that room again. They were scared because they were tortured there for months. Their bodies trembled.

But when they went there, there was no torture room anymore.

The screams, the chains, the sound of whips — all of it was gone.

There was only a beautiful entrance without any door, covered in glowing flowers and soft light.

They were shocked when they went inside. It had become a completely different place.

They walked in slowly and were even more surprised. They saw many things they had never seen before. They felt a strange happiness, like they were getting back the life they had lost.

They walked around that place and then they saw the hot spring. Steam was rising from the warm, clear water.

They were filled with happiness and quickly ran to bathe in the hot spring.

"This is our first time getting something like this in this kingdom," one soldier said with a laugh. "In the capital, we never had this."

When they were done bathing, they wore the beautiful new clothes that were kept for them and came out.

As they kept walking, they came out again through the beautiful entrance. And only then did they fully realize — this beautiful place was the same dungeon where they were kept as prisoners.

They continued walking towards the main kingdom, and what they saw next shocked them even more.

They saw human children wearing new, clean dresses. They saw demon children and human children playing and laughing together in the garden. They were holding hands and respecting each other.

The soldiers couldn't believe their eyes. They expected to see dead bodies and darkness, but the place was now beautiful and full of life.

They couldn't believe that demons and humans were happy and laughing together.

Just then, a human man who was living there happily came to talk to them.

"Did the Demon King also give you freedom?" the man asked with a smile.

"Yes," the soldiers replied.

The man smiled brightly. "We love and respect him so much. At first, we thought he was manipulating us, but he wasn't. He gave us a real home. Our kids now go to school with demon kids. He respects us, and we also respect and love the Demon King."

He continued, "Like he said, we are all equal in his eyes. Can't you see? He has completely changed. We have lived here for 3 weeks and we feel so safe. When we lived in the capital city, we were poor and no one cared for us. But here, since the Demon King changed, we have hope. We are no longer homeless and we are no longer hungry again."

The 50 soldiers looked at each other. Their commander, Kalvin, was silent.

"What will we do, Commander? Shall we trust this Demon King?" one soldier asked.

Kalvin looked at the happy children, at the free humans, at the beautiful kingdom.

"We shall trust him this time," Kalvin said. "Maybe he really has changed. Maybe he really will bring peace for both demons and humans, just like he said."

They all agreed.

They all went to the palace. When they reached the palace, they were shocked to see how beautiful it had become. It was no longer a dark fortress, but a shining white palace full of flowers.

The General was waiting for them at the gate. He smiled at them and took them inside to see Haru.

Haru was sitting in the bright hall. When he saw them, he smiled kindly.

"What is your decision?" Haru asked them gently. "Will you leave the kingdom or stay? It is your choice."

The Commander, Kalvin, stepped forward and knelt down. "We will serve you, my king, and stay here," he said with respect.

All the other soldiers knelt down and agreed. "We will stay."

Haru smiled and said, "I accept that. Welcome home."

He didn't just give them a place to stay. He gave them jobs and purpose.

Some of the 50 soldiers became ministers to give ideas and advice to the king.

The Commander, Kalvin, chose to be the keeper of the bees and the watcher of the main gate. He said he wanted to protect the entrance of this new peaceful kingdom.

Some of them chose to work in the field and grow vegetables.

Some of them chose to work in the library, some in the hospital, and some worked on the water system.

They were all happy and worked hard at their duties. When they returned to the house where they lived, they admired the Demon King even more, because not only did he give them freedom, he gave them work and dignity.

Kalvin said to his men, "He will bring peace to both kingdoms. From this day, we swear we will protect the Demon King. We will not let anyone hurt him."

One of the soldiers who became a minister said later, "He was different. He was so kind. He listened to every idea we showed him. If an idea was not good, he would explain kindly why it should not be used. If it was good, he would accept it immediately. He was honest, and his voice was so clear and smooth that everyone in the meeting obeyed him because he always told us the truth. He was very smart and he always listened to us."

He smiled and said, "I am very happy to stay in this kingdom."

All the soldiers agreed. And they laughed together with happiness and joy for the first time in years.

To Be Continued...