The Greatest Demon Lord Is Reborn as a Typical Nobody - Volume 5 - Chapter 65

CHAPTER 65

The Ex-Demon Lord Before the Meeting

A good man had met a tragic end.

No one considered it of any significance in the grand scheme of the world.

The sun rose with a new day, even though darkness settled over us.

And…a new morning always came at dawn.

Birds were chirping. Sunlight poured down on the city.

The window offered a view of early-morning activities.

I imagined the faces of the pedestrians would be glowing like any other day.

Except one man could not be found among the crowd.

…Two days had passed since that wretched evening. I was in the dining hall at the manor, having breakfast with Rosa. Ireena was absent.

For those two days, Ireena had closed herself away from the world, locking herself in her room as soon as we returned to the manor. Even though I’ve known her for all these years, I’d never seen her like this. I knew Rosa was feeling the same way. She was initially surprised by her melancholy…but she pressed me as to what was going on with Ireena.

After I explained what had happened, Rosa’s reply was short.

“…I see.”

That was it. I mean, what else could she have said?

Rosa and I decided to give Ireena space. We would believe she’d get back on her feet on her own if she could.

“…Say, Ard.”

Silverware clinked against porcelain in the dining hall. Rosa was trying to talk over it.

“Tomorrow is the assembly. However…I think it might be best for Ireena to sit out.”

I stopped eating and looked at her for a few seconds. “If she’s absent, I can’t serve as your guard. I don’t have to explain why, right?”

Rosa shook her head somberly.

If Ireena was just another student, I would have attended the meeting as Rosa’s guard. However, that wasn’t the case: Ireena’s social standard was not ordinary, which was why I couldn’t exactly leave her side.

She was a descendant of the Evil Gods, which made her a target of the demons…in particular, Lars al Ghul, the crime syndicate. They believed the Evil Gods could be resurrected if they sacrificed her soul in a ceremony. Under these circumstances, I had to guard Ireena around the clock. It was my responsibility to bear.

“Those hiding away in Megatholium have been subdued…but we must remain vigilant,” she said.

“Yes. They might be in disguise, waiting for the right opportunity to strike.”

They could be scheming an act of terrorism during the conference…or…use that as a decoy to abduct Ireena.

“I’m guessing the demons have two main goals. One is to cause terror. The other is to kidnap Ireena. I am doing my best to prevent both objectives, but…if I had to make a choice, I’ll always choose Ireena.”

“Indeed. If she is not mentally there by tomorrow, we shall have a proxy guard me in thy stead. Stay by her side.”

I had just started to nod back at Rosa. The door to the dining hall burst open, making way for a frantic servant.

“A-a guest has arrived.”

Rosa and I exchanged a look, experiencing a sense of déjà vu.

As if to re-create his visit from a few days prior…a certain man made his entrance.

“I apologize for interrupting your morning meal once again. I’m short on time these days. I hope you will forgive me.”

Lizer Bellphoenix. His Eminence strolled into the dining hall, locking eyes with Rosa.

“…I’m sorry, but would you mind stepping out for a moment?”

“Understood. Please take as long as necessary, Your Eminence.” Rosa rose to her feet, obliging his request and departing the dining hall.

After confirming she was gone, Lizer settled into a chair and let out a groan.

“Phew. These papal duties are too much for this old body to bear.”

“…Isn’t that necessary to construct your ideal vision of society?”

“Indeed. That’s why I cannot stop nor compromise.”

Our voices were gentle, but our gazes were steely. I stared at the wrinkled face of my former subordinate.

“Does your visit today have anything to do with the previous incident?”

“Yes. I’d hoped to visit immediately after the case was resolved…but I’m afraid I was caught up with business.”

“I can imagine. You have my deepest gratitude for taking time out of your busy schedule.”

“Think nothing of it. Speaking with you makes it worth it.”

We resumed glaring at each other, letting silence wash over us. It was almost suffocating in here. You could cut the tension with a knife. Our hairs stood on end.

Lizer broke the silence.

“I heard the details of the case from my subordinates. Allow me to thank you for your hard work.”

“Thank you. I am pleased to hear your praise.”

“Yes… I am not here to hear a summary of the case. I’ve come to ask you a question.”

“…What could that be?” My eyebrows knit together.

He appraised me. “Now that you’ve experienced all this, have your opinions changed?”

As soon as he expressed this, I was sure of one thing: He was the one behind all this.

From our reunion until this very moment, I had been dancing in the palm of his hand.

“…Did you use Mr. Bordeaux’s life just to ask me that?”

“Answering a question with a question? That’s not polite.”

“I knew something was off when I discovered Mr. Bordeaux’s identity. There’s no way his conspicuous presence would escape your notice. You would know his true self with a single glance. You left him alone on purpose—all so you could use him as a pawn. That was the purpose of this incident.”

Lizer said nothing. He simply stared at me as I verbally beat him.

“I am proud to say that the citizens of Megatholium enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the world,” he said. “Our laws ensure it. Our education system leaves nothing to be desired… Even so, the results are just as you have experienced.”

His eyes gleamed. It was a dangerous glimmer that revealed his inner self.

“I was hopeful, too—hopeful that I would be proven wrong. Hopeful that people would make the right choice. But in the end, this was their decision.”

“………”

“As a citizen of Megatholium, Bordeaux was a true saint. He could heal any ailment. He didn’t even request payment. He was filled with love and charity. You might even call him a paradigm of humanity.”

“………”

“Everyone loved and respected him. Even those in the black market. Even those who committed crimes without batting an eye. All held a certain degree of regard for him…which is the same for you, Ard Meteor, and for Ireena Litz de Olhyde. Your current situations are identical. And that is why…”

“………”

“That is why I can say this with certainty: One day, you will face the same fate. Humans are disgusting creatures. Even if they are head over heels for you, they will turn on you in the next moment—when they realize you’re both mutants.”

“………”

“So maybe they extended kindness to you, or formed bonds with you, or expressed their love for you. In the end, discriminatory feelings will override any positive ones. That’s human nature. They fear the unknown. They despise it. They want to get rid of it. That is the true essence of humanity. That is why there will always be tragedy in this world. However, if a savior appeared—”

“Thank you for sharing your opinion.”

I didn’t care about anything else he had to say.

Lizer Bellphoenix…I’d thought he’d changed when we reunited, but I was wrong. He wasn’t any different from before. He had stayed the same all this time. Lizer was a man who could switch off compassion and morals if it meant sticking to his principles. If that core was unchanging…any discussion was meaningless.

As if picking up on my feelings, Lizer sighed and quietly got to his feet. “…Don’t forget how this incident made you feel.”

And with that, Lizer went to leave.

I called out to him in a cold voice. “I see. So maybe humans are pathetic. You know…I believe we should detest egoism. We ought to scorn those who use others and ruin lives for their own gain.”

“I must agree. However…do think about how those words reflect on you as well.”

Lizer spat this out and withdrew once again.

By the end of our conversation, the food on my plate had grown cold—as cold as my heart. To distract myself from this feeling of irritation from the discussion, I took a bite.

“…Hmm. It’s really, really cold.”

After the meal, I left the dining hall and made my way to Ireena’s room. For some reason, I had an insatiable desire to talk to her. I wanted to see her face.

“…Ireena.” I stood in front of the door and knocked. “It’s Ard. Could we talk for a bit? Even just a little bit.”

No answer. She must not have recovered yet.

…That was fair.

I stood in front of the closed door and remembered that night. One by one, the civilians slipped away from the scene of the fire. In the meantime, Holy Knights arrived and went to work.

There was no trace of his existence left behind on this planet. It had crumbled under the fire.

To extinguish the blaze, the knights had taken apart the building as we gazed at the burning edifice. I’ll never forget the look on Ireena’s face—utter despair at the state of humanity… That would be a dark memory that I carried within me for the rest of my days.

“…Ireena. Please. At least drink some water. You must take care of yourself.”

I was about to retreat to my own room, when…

“Come in…”

I could hear Ireena’s fragile voice come from the other side of the door. I stopped for a moment, then went back toward her room. I grabbed the handle, turned it…and opened the door.

“Pardon me,” I said as I stepped inside and took in Ireena.

She looked a bit haggard but not sick.

…I imagined her mind was at greater risk than her body. Sitting upright on the bed, she was squeezing a pillow as she stared at the floor. Her puffy eyes didn’t even look in my direction, even when she started to talk to me.

“Hey, Ard. Tell me the truth.”

“…All right.”

“Did Mr. Bordeaux die?”

“…Yes. He did.”

Ireena tightened her grip on the pillow as she asked another question.

“But it hasn’t been three days and three nights since he died, right?”

“…That is correct.”

“In that case, can’t we bring Mr. Bordeaux back?”

I nodded in agreement, and Ireena looked at me for the first time. There was a little glimmer of hope in her hollow eyes.

“Hey, Ard. Bring Mr. Bordeaux—”

“It would be meaningless,” I interrupted, rejecting her idea.

It pained me. In all honesty…I wanted to make Ireena’s sweet delusion a reality.

But that was impossible.

“Ireena. Let me take a guess. You want me to resurrect Mr. Bordeaux so we can cheer him up and become his support system. You want to persuade the citizens to come back around and return him to his happy life.”

“…Can’t you do that? I know you can do it—and well.”

“Yes. But…all I can do is create a pleasant facade to blot out the lies—a form of happiness that’s very superficial.”

Although it hurt me to admit this, I told Ireena the truth. We could no longer afford to turn away from reality.

“As you said, I can resurrect Mr. Bordeaux. But…is that what he wants? When we saw him last, he appeared to be anguished, but it looked like he was intimately familiar with this emotion. His heart must have already been broken by that point.”

“………”

“He spent his entire life loving and saving people…but was always betrayed in the end. As soon as his identity came to light, people would fear him, persecute him, and drive him away. Yet he wanted to believe in them. He wanted to believe they would accept him in time.”

“………”

“But the constant rejection wore down his psyche…and that was when his heart snapped. Only despair remained, and his love for people…was nowhere to be found.”

Tears began to flood her eyes as she looked at me. Her peach lips quivered…but she remained silent.

Seeing her like that broke my own heart, but I had to continue explaining this to her.

“Mr. Bordeaux didn’t want to reconcile… In fact, he didn’t even want to live. And what about the people? They’re out there, celebrating the defeat of the foreign entity. They haven’t the slightest intention to reconcile or coexist… There is only one way to join the two, and that’s by using magic to brainwash them.”

“…That’s…”

“It’s wrong. I know. However, that’s the only way for your dreams to become reality—by using magic to control Mr. Bordeaux and the people of Megatholium and construct a happy life for them… It would be no different than a small child playing with dolls… As for myself, Ireena, that is the last thing I wish to do.”

I had done it before, back in my old life. I had done it until the moment of my death. I had built the world of my visions. But the truth was, it was a repulsive game of make-believe. I wouldn’t do that again. Ever.

“…So what do I do?”

Ireena’s voice was strained. Her lips trembled, and tears escaped her dewy eyes. “I do understand. I know it’s all useless, and there’s nothing we can do. But…but it’s all too much! I can’t believe he isn’t with us anymore…! That’s…! That’s…! That’s just not right…!”

She buried her face in the pillow, and her entire body trembled.

…I hated to admit we wouldn’t be so hurt if this tragedy didn’t remind us of ourselves. Maybe we would have been shocked, but it wouldn’t take long before we went on with our own lives—accepting it as just one tragedy among many. After a good night’s sleep, we would have just moved on.

However…Bordeaux was too much like us.

We were irregulars like him and adored like him. Our situations were essentially the same.

And that was why we’d seen ourselves in him. We wondered whether we would one day experience the misfortune that had befallen Bordeaux. Our hearts gnawed on good will, righteous indignation, and sympathy.

But…as painful and heartrending as the situation was, we had to overcome this.

Even if we were struck by grief, even if we detested the cruelty of humankind, the world would continue to move. And we had to keep on living in it.

“…Ireena. Do you remember his last words?”

She nodded, face still buried in the pillow.

I went on. “It was a message for Carmilla…our classmate, a demon. He said she mustn’t forget her love for humanity. To keep believing in people… However, I cannot help but think that his message was for us as well.”

I quietly stared at Ireena’s unmoving form.

“Love people and believe in them… We can carry on his will for the rest of our lives.”

I really wasn’t sure whether my words had reached Ireena.

Regardless, time didn’t wait for us. Morning became afternoon, then turned to night.

And it was a new dawn.

I prayed there would be a ray of sunlight creeping into her heart.

It was the morning of the Five Powers summit.