Chapter 7: The Hidden Boss Faces the Demon Lord
Immediately after I started my third year at the Academy, a group of monsters heading toward the kingdom was spotted. Just like the story in the game and like the Royal family had anticipated, the Demon Lord had likely been resurrected.
The combined forces of the kingdom and the aristocrats stationed in the direction of the Demon Lord’s castle were probably dealing with the army of monsters right now. Patrick should also be there, assisting the margrave’s army.
Our elite unit put together to defeat the Demon Lord headed on Ryuu’s back in the direction that the monsters were swarming. I was fully decked out for battle, a rare occurrence for me, even though that just meant I had my dark-type sword that I usually didn’t carry around. I painstakingly grinded that dungeon to obtain it, so it would’ve been a waste not to use it on the Demon Lord.
The other four members of the group were also sporting pretty good equipment. William’s current great sword looked sturdier than the one I destroyed, and Prince Edwin and Oswald’s staffs looked like the ones I saw toward the end of the game.
As for our key member Alicia, she had a sword hanging from her waist—another rare sight. However, both the scabbard and handle were wrapped up in cloth, so I couldn’t tell what kind of sword it was. Alicia was stronger with light magic anyway, so there probably wouldn’t be an opportunity for her to wield it.
Alicia was currently sitting behind me, pale in the face and screaming.
“I’m scared! I’m scared! I’m scared!”
“It’s all right, Alicia. You’ve got us,” William assured her.
The others tried to comfort her as she seemed to recall the trauma of level grinding with me, but it didn’t seem like they were doing much better.
I guess they can’t show that they’re scared in front of the girl they like.
Alicia was getting along with all three of the love interests at the Academy. Prince Edwin, William, and Oswald were very clearly head over heels in love with her, to the point where it was obvious to any outsider.
“So, who do you actually like, Alicia?” I asked.
“This isn’t the time for that kind of conversation!” Prince Edwin yelled.
It is when you’re hugging her from behind like that.
Although there was no more bad blood between us, he still seemed to be very much into Alicia.
This is why I can’t deal with people who are all about love and romance... Though, I guess I’m not really one to talk.
“Ryuu, drop us off at that clearing over there,” I instructed with the point of my finger.
The Demon Lord was said to be able to control monsters. As of now, there weren’t any changes to Ryuu’s behavior, but the Demon Lord’s powers may affect Ryuu, so I had him drop us off a distance away from the Demon Lord’s castle as a precaution. From there, we would walk to the castle. After getting off Ryuu, I thought it would be best for him to go help the troops dealing with the army of monsters.
“Go to Patrick,” I told him. “And don’t accidentally attack any people thinking they’re monsters.”
I’m a little bit worried someone might mistake him for one of the monsters and attack him, but there probably isn’t anyone who could hurt Ryuu.
After letting out a single roar, Ryuu took off, looking slightly worried for me.
I led the way as we walked toward the Demon Lord’s castle. I planned on staying out of any conversations and silently scouting the area on the way there, but Alicia increased her speed to walk alongside me.
“Yumiella, I’m sorry for everything until now. I’ve said a lot of horrible things to you, but I thought we should work together from now on... Let’s do our best together.”
Are you okay? Did you eat something weird?
Alicia had been totally treating me like the enemy until now, so I wasn’t sure why she had a sudden change of heart. Perhaps it was because of how afraid she was to go up against the Demon Lord.
“Oh, yeah, good luck.” I couldn’t help my stale response. I didn’t really trust her.
After that, Alicia returned to the rest of the group behind me. All I wanted was for Alicia not to get in the way during the fight with the Demon Lord.
Even Alicia wouldn’t do something as stupid as that, right?
As we continued to make our way through the forest, an old castle made out of stone slowly came into view. We didn’t encounter any monsters, perhaps because they were all headed toward the kingdom.
“There it is. That must be the Demon Lord’s castle.” I paused for a moment, thinking. “But why is there a castle out here in such a secluded place in the first place?” I asked naively.
“This entire forest used to be a large domain, but people don’t come here anymore because of the Demon Lord,” Prince Edwin responded.
This is the first I’ve heard of this. So that castle was the governor’s mansion. I’ve read lots of books related to the Demon Lord, but nothing like this was written in any of them.
This may have been information that only the royal family was privy to—the prince spilling confidential information without thinking was par for the course.
Prince Edwin spoke a bit louder as he addressed everyone. “All right, let’s go in.”
“The Demon Lord is in there, correct? Wouldn’t just destroying the entire castle with him inside take care of things?” I felt there was no need to enter the enemy’s territory ourselves. If we could one-sidedly attack from a distance, that would be for the best.
“We can’t do that... We, um, wouldn’t be able to confirm that he’s dead,” the prince rebutted with a reason that sounded like he came up with on the spot. But I was curious as to the identity of the Demon Lord, so I decided to overlook that.
“All right, then. Let’s enter the castle. Everyone, please stay behind me.” I reached out to open the main doors to the Demon Lord’s castle. The door opened with an unpleasant screech signaling that it most likely hadn’t been opened for many years.
The inside was dim and completely silent.
This place was full of monsters in the game... I wonder what’s going on.
I couldn’t help but feel like this was a sign that something bad was going to happen. In fact, I had been feeling like this since we started making our way here.
If I were to face the Demon Lord head-on, I probably wouldn’t lose. The only thing I was afraid of was a surprise attack—if I was hit with one of the strongest spells or if I got hit with an attack to my vital organs, then even with my strength, I wouldn’t be fine.
The four others followed behind me, keeping a distance.
If we’re ambushed from behind, I’ll do my best, but worst case, I’ll have to forget about them.
I focused on the sounds of everything in the area, increasing my hearing to the point where even the slightest sounds from the group behind me were noisy. While I listened in, I could hear Alicia chant a spell.
“Holy Enchant!”
A spell that affixes the light element to an object? That surprised me. I guess it’s fine to be prepared, but it would be nice if she told us what she was doing first.
I almost turned back to complain, but I collected myself in order to focus on the area in front of me.
The next moment, a brilliantly shining sword erupted from my chest. I had seen this sword before—it was the light-type sword I obtained in the dungeon in Valius. I had wrapped up the sword, which had rejected my touch to even its handle, in a cloth, brought it back, and sold it off. The weapon was more dark-resistant than light-type and, affixed with the light element, could have an immeasurable effect on the dark element.
By the time I realized that I was stabbed from behind, my consciousness faded away.
◆◆◆
The herd of monsters that suddenly appeared in the Kingdom of Valschein was headed straight for the Royal Capital. If the monsters were able to invade, then the Royal Capital would not be the only place affected—there would be extensive damage to the entire kingdom.
The Margrave of Ashbatten’s army was also part of the combined forces gathered to stop the monsters. However, they didn’t send many soldiers out. They also had to reserve forces in the event that another kingdom used the commotion to invade—even the margrave himself wasn’t present.
With a small group of expert soldiers, the Ashbatten army was performing the best out of all the troops in the combined forces. This was partially due to the high level of skill that was required to protect the borders, a task the margrave’s army was famous for, but this was not the only reason.
“Third platoon, take three steps back! I’m going to create a dirt wall! Second platoon, switch with the first platoon!” The young commander directed the margrave’s army by sending out instructions with wind magic while, at the same time, creating a defensive fighting position with his earth magic on top of valiantly fighting in the front lines.
“Little master, you’re doing too much. At this rate, you won’t last ’til the end,” the lieutenant, a veteran of the army, said calmly.
“I think I’m too old for ‘little master’ now, don’t you think?”
“Shall I call you Sir Patrick then?”
“Stop that. You’re giving me chills.” Patrick shivered. “I get your point, though. I’ll step back a bit.”
The two, who had known each other for a long time, fell back from the front lines and casually bantered back and forth as the momentum of monsters slowed. Patrick was frustrated with himself for his lack of experience. He was still no match for the lieutenant, who was an experienced soldier.
“I still can’t believe you’ve gotten this strong,” the lieutenant marveled. “You probably could’ve joined the battle against the Demon Lord.”
“I probably could have. I think I should have gone after all. I wonder if Yumiella is doing okay...”
“Oh right, your lover. I can’t believe you found someone before the young master.”
Patrick wondered why his older brother got to be “young master” while he was still called “little master,” but he kept it to himself.
Patrick stepped farther away from the battlefront to take a small break. As he was hydrating and refueling with some of the other soldiers, a voice rang out from the distance.
“Dragon! There’s a dragon!”
Hearing that the strongest monster had appeared, the soldiers in the area became unsettled. Even the lieutenant was grimacing, but Patrick stayed calm. He wiped off the blood on his sword without even glancing in the direction that the dragon appeared.
“I can’t believe a dragon appeared. We’ll have to be prepared to lose some soldiers,” the lieutenant said.
“Don’t worry about it. The dragon is black, right? That’s an ally. His name is Ryuu—”
“It’s red.”
“What?” Patrick finally looked up from the sword in hand to find a fire-type dragon causing havoc. Mages blocked the fiery breaths that were shooting down from the sky, but they were clearly reaching their limits. “I’ll take care of the dragon. You take care of everything else!”
Patrick started running and created a foothold by raising the earth with magic. He then created a tailwind with magic to help lift him high into the air.
“The first move is mine!” Patrick swung his sword down on the dragon’s head, and it went crashing into the ground. Soldiers immediately surrounded it to follow up on the attack, only to find that it was already dead.
When Patrick gently landed on the ground, cheers erupted at the birth of a new champion. On the other hand, Patrick was mainly relieved that there weren’t any victims, given how late he was to handle the dragon.
“This time, it’s wyverns!” a voice yelled out. “A herd of wyverns is headed this way!” Once again, Patrick geared up for battle. Wyverns were similar to dragons in their ability to fly, but their strength and size weren’t anything special compared to dragons. They were weak in comparison, but they weren’t monsters with low battle skills by any means. Their strong flying capabilities were also troublesome.
Patrick looked into the distance and could already count a few dozen wyverns. “I can’t reach them with arrows, and we don’t have enough mages. There are too many for me to handle on my own...” he thought aloud. He didn’t think they would lose regardless of how many wyverns there were, but with that many, there were bound to be a few that slipped through. Patrick couldn’t fathom the damage a wyvern could cause if any made it to the Royal Capital.
Patrick helplessly stared at the herd of wyverns that continued to make their way closer. The next moment, a flood of black magical energy rained down from even higher up than the wyverns. The herd of wyverns was sucked into the dark-type flood and disappeared without a trace.
What came down from the sky was a jet-black dragon. It was this dragon’s breath that destroyed the herd of wyverns. The size of this dragon was incomparable to the one that appeared earlier. Its claws and teeth were sharper than the sharpest of swords, and a massive amount of magical energy was overflowing from the corners of its mouth. The dragon was ominous, but at the same time, there was something divine about it.
The wyverns were taken care of, but the soldiers were shaking with fear from the dragon they thought they would have to deal with next.
“Ryuu’s here! We’re saved!” Patrick shouted with an expression of relief. “Calm down, everyone! That dragon is an ally!” Just as Patrick said, Ryuu showed no signs of attacking the soldiers and only fired his breath onto the monsters.
Eventually, Ryuu slowly descended to Patrick’s side. The surrounding soldiers watched from a distance. “Thanks, Ryuu. You saved us. I’ll leave the flying monsters to you. After this is over, let’s go to Yumiella together,” Patrick said while petting the tip of Ryuu’s nose. Ryuu roared in agreement and flew back up into the sky.
After Ryuu joined the battle, the defense had more room to breathe.
“You even killed a dragon on your own...” the lieutenant praised, standing beside Patrick. “I’d love to know the secret to your strength.”
“First, you carry an amulet of growth, then you use a monster-summoning flute in a dungeon.”
“Hold on. There’s no way I could do something so insane... I’m sorry, but is that the method she uses?”
“No need to apologize. I think it’s insane too,” Patrick reassured. The lieutenant had turned pale at the eccentricity of Yumiella’s style of level grinding.
“Little master, are you by any chance carrying an amulet of growth right now?”
“Right now, I have an amulet of protection on me. We made a promise to each other.”
“Good. As long as you have an amulet of protection, you can avoid instant death. She is really something for not carrying one with her when level grinding.”
“A situation where you could die instantly, huh? I think an amulet of protection might be useless for Yumiella.” Patrick couldn’t imagine a scenario where Yumiella would need to be saved by an amulet of protection. She would probably be able to instantly defend her vital organs and use recovery magic to immediately get back on her feet—as long as it wasn’t a surprise attack with the element she was weak to. “The element she’s weak to...”
Patrick stared off into the distance in the direction of where Yumiella was, unpleasant thoughts running through the back of his mind. Yumiella wasn’t necessarily undefeatable. She was only able to stay calm through assassination attempts because there was a difference in their levels. If someone of a high level used a high-quality weapon to attack her, naturally, she would take damage.
“Yumiella, stay safe,” Patrick whispered to himself while gripping the amulet around his neck.
◆◆◆
“Why don’t you understand?! We have to kill her off!”
“Yumiella hasn’t done anything wrong! Why do you all treat her like she’s the enemy?!”
I was woken up by hysterical screams.
Oh, right. Alicia stabbed me in the back. Literally.
Still lying on the ground, I held back the groans and used recovery magic on myself. Once I healed my wounds, I stood up and felt the amulet around my neck sway. It wasn’t the amulet of growth that I had spent many years with, nor the amulet that enhanced dark magic, the prize of the battle arts competition—it was the amulet of protection that Patrick gave to me. We promised each other we would carry one.
Thank you, Patrick. This saved me.
It seemed that Prince Edwin and the other three were arguing.
“Usually, you would want to do something like this after taking down the Demon Lord,” I called out to them.
“Wh—?! Why are you alive?” Alicia responded incredulously.
“You all have one too, don’t you? An amulet of protection? So, you’ll be explaining why you stabbed me, right?”
“I-It’s all your fault... I’m supposed to be the one who defeats the Demon Lord with my light magic!”
Like hell I’m going to die for a reason like that. I don’t even want to take credit for taking down the Demon Lord.
“It’s all right if I incapacitate her, right?” I asked, turning to Prince Edwin, who was by my side. “It would be troublesome if she stabbed me in the back again while we were fighting the Demon Lord.”
“Just wait a moment. I’ll reason with them.” Despite the prince’s words, it felt like we had already reached a point where that would be impossible. I wouldn’t be able to fight the Demon Lord without turning my back to them, and there was no way I was going to do that again.
Prince Edwin began trying to convince Alicia and the others who were opposing us. “Alicia, please stop. You have such a kind heart. You must know this is wrong. You can’t baselessly discriminate against people with black hair.”
“No! She is someone who shouldn’t live!” Alicia exclaimed.
“Will, you don’t like things that are unreasonable, right?” the prince asked William.
“What happened to you, Ed? You didn’t like her before either,” William responded.
The prince then turned to Oswald. “Oz, what happened to your usual calm self?!”
“Even now, I’m calm. After we defeat the Demon Lord, she’s going to be dangerous for the kingdom. We should take this opportunity to take her out.”
“Your Highness, I think that it’s impossible to reason with them. This is dangerous. We’re in enemy territory. You should just give up, and I’ll restrain them,” I said.
We can let the law judge Alicia and the others. I didn’t think they would do something this stupid. I don’t want to dirty my hands with people like them.
The king would surely give them quite the punishment for friendly fire in the midst of the kingdom’s biggest crisis—they might even be imprisoned for the rest of their lives.
“Restrain us? You were able to survive, thanks to an amulet, but do you really think you’re any match for us right now?” the hotheaded William gloated as he unsheathed his sword.
Just where does all that confidence come from?
“If you add up our levels, together, we’re level 120. That means we’re stronger than you,” Oswald declared, pushing up his glasses.
Um, I don’t think that’s how it works.
I had thought this before, but Oswald was just a glasses-wearer who pretended to be cool and wasn’t actually smart by any means. If his logic was correct, then that would mean I was just as strong as ninety-nine people who were all level 1—there was no way a group of fewer than one hundred level 1 people could defeat the Demon Lord.
Wait, that means each of them is only around level 40. That’s way weaker than Patrick.
“Ed, please, come to our side,” Alicia pleaded to the prince, using an upward glance with teary eyes.
So that’s how she made three guys fall for her. I’m impressed.
“Do you think you can fight me head-on and win? You used a surprise attack because you weren’t confident that you’d have a chance against me, right? Your Highness, please step back. I won’t kill them or anything.” As I took a step forward, Alicia and the others took a step back and braced themselves. Just as I had thought—they were bluffing.
Right when I was about to use magic to restrain them, the entire area was filled with that which I was all too familiar with—dark magical energy.
What’s happening? I haven’t used my magic yet.
“Your Highness, stay back!” I warned.
“Wh-What are you—?!”
I grabbed Prince Edwin by the collar and leaped backward. At that moment, the space we were previously standing in became engulfed in darkness.
“This is...” This was Black Hole, one of the strongest dark magic spells. Only two enemies in the game were able to use this. The hidden boss—me—and the final boss...
“He he, infighting in enemy territory, huh? Humans really are quite foolish. Or rather, it’s the people of Valschein who are foolish. No, it would be more correct to say that the royal family of Valschein are the fools. I’ll have to thank you. I was able to take down three of you without any effort at all.” In the spherically carved out hall in the Demon Lord’s castle, a man dressed in black Japanese armor appeared. Yes, this was his castle.
“The Demon Lord...” I muttered.
“I see, so that’s what they’re calling me now,” he said, his words catching my attention.
He looked just like he did in the game—dressed from head to toe in jet-black Japanese armor. The only thing that could be inferred was that he was a man. Even his face was obscured by a Kabuto helmet that covered his head.
“Please stay back, Your Highness,” I warned again.
As I urged the prince to keep his distance, the Demon Lord let out a resentful growl. “Huh, so that man’s a member of the royal family, huh? Don’t expect to die so simply.” It seemed that he had an exceptional hatred toward the royal family. The in-game Demon Lord complained about humans and the kingdom, so I guess he was the same in real life.
I wonder if there’s a reason for his hatred that wasn’t explained in the game.
I unsheathed the sword hanging on my waist and stood across from the Demon Lord. I decided to use my sword one-handed, so I could use magic easier. As I waited for the right moment to attack, the Demon Lord spoke.
“Hey, you. What’s your name?”
“I’m Yumiella Dolkness.”
“Dolkness... I’ve never heard the name. Must be a recent aristocrat. There are few households that have been around since this kingdom was founded. Well then, Yumiella Dolkness, how about you abandon the evil Kingdom of Valschein and join me?”
Oh, there’s the classic question. I wonder if he’ll offer me half the world.
“No, thank you. I don’t have any reason to do something like that.”
I wondered why the Demon Lord was only trying to get me to join him.
Is he trying to increase his strength by appealing to me, or is he—
“H-Help...” a voice murmured faintly from behind the Demon Lord, sounding like it could disappear at any moment. The floor of the Demon Lord’s castle, where the voice came from, was carved out with magic and, currently, a blind spot for me.
“I see you’re still alive.” The Demon Lord turned around and picked up Alicia, whose clothes were tattered like torn-up cloth.
Oh right. She and the others had on amulets of protection. I guess you can even survive a spell that destroys an entire space itself once with an amulet.
The amulet that had saved my life saved hers as well. William and Oswald should have been alive as well, but they must have been unconscious because they didn’t make a sound. Either way, without any method of recovery, they were probably covered in wounds.
“Alicia!” the prince cried. He tried to run toward her, but I stopped him by grabbing his collar. The Demon Lord faced us, still holding Alicia by her arm.
“I was listening to your conversations, but I really don’t understand you two. I did realize that these three are garbage right away,” he said, gesturing toward Alicia and the two others behind him. “Prince of Valschein, why do you care so much for this one? Wouldn’t it be better to get rid of a fool who would stab their ally in enemy territory?”
“Alicia did something unforgivable, but even so, I love her.”
“How absurd. What’s the point of love? People will even betray those they love if it furthers their own interests.”
“That’s not true. I wouldn’t betray those that I love.”
“Well then, if you stand there and watch Alicia, or whatever her name is, die, I will accept my own death. If that happens, the Kingdom of Valschein will be free from the threat of the monsters. Love or benefit—which will you choose?”
“That’s... You can’t compare an entire kingdom and one person. There isn’t even any guarantee that you would keep your promise...”
Alicia, still held captive by the Demon Lord, became erratic, seeing Prince Edwin at a loss for an answer. “Ed, I don’t want this! Save me!”
The Demon Lord turned his face to look at Alicia. “Stay quiet. Actually, let’s ask you, Alicia. You, the prince, and the kingdom. I’ll save one of those three. Go ahead and choose,” the Demon Lord threatened, bringing his face closer to hers.
“Me! Please save me!” Alicia answered in screams, possibly at her limit with the stress and fear she was feeling in that moment.
“See, Prince of Valschein? This is what people are like.”
“No...” Upon hearing Alicia beg for her life uninhibitedly, the prince was left in a daze. According to the prince, Alicia was a kindhearted girl who just acted differently when she saw me. That was something that I understood as well. She was originally someone who was worthy of being the main character of the game. However, reality had strayed from the game’s story. Alicia had spent her time until now avoiding the various obstacles she was supposed to encounter during her first and second year at the Academy. I believed that this was the reason why her heart was still weak.
“Well, I only asked who I should kill out of curiosity,” the Demon Lord said before strangling Alicia, who let out a cry of agony.
“Alicia!” Prince Edwin tried to run to her once again. It was then that I felt something was off about the Demon Lord’s actions. The Demon Lord should be able to kill Alicia easily, but he was slowly strangling her, as if to make us watch her die.
I jumped in front of Prince Edwin and shoved him behind me. “Emergency escape by shoving!” At the same time, magic was shot my way. I used my magic just in time for the spells to cancel each other out. A bit of my momentum was lost, but I immediately ran toward the Demon Lord and closed in on him.
“You’re fast.”
“Shadow Lance.” A spear shot out from the Demon Lord’s shadow, and he used Alicia as a shield to block it.
However, I had anticipated that very move. “That’s exactly what I thought you would do.”
“What? Recovery Magic?!” Alicia had been slowly recovering herself in a way that the Demon Lord wouldn’t notice. Although she was stabbed by my Shadow Lance, Alicia had an exceptional resistance to dark magic—she was able to tolerate my spell that I only weakened enough for the Demon Lord not to notice. My real objective was a physical attack, and my kick landed on his helmet.
“Gah!” The Demon Lord staggered back and let go of Alicia.
“I’ll be taking back this hostage, then.” I threw Alicia, as well as the unconscious William and Oswald, behind me. I was only a little worried that the impact of being thrown would be the nail in their coffin. “Things would have been easier if the prince hadn’t kept getting in my way,” I sighed. I couldn’t hear a single sound of movement from behind.
You guys aren’t dead, right?
“You don’t seem to respect the royal family either... Are you sure you don’t want to join me?”
“I’m sure. Why do you keep only inviting me to join you?”
“Well...” The Demon Lord appeared to be thinking of an answer to the question, but I sensed that he was going to cast a spell instead. It was also likely that his target was not me but the four in the back.
I knew it. I should have left them and come alone.
As expected, the Demon Lord shot his magic behind me. I continued to cancel out his attacks with my own spells, but we weren’t getting anywhere—this battle was going to have to be in close quarters. I ran forward like a bullet and swung at the Demon Lord. I aimed for his neck and felt my attack hit something.
“You’re fast. It seems that your strength is on a different level from the others,” the Demon Lord said calmly as he jumped backward.
“Huh? I thought that landed.” That’s strange. I should have hit something. Just then, the Demon Lord’s helmet crumbled away, and the face underneath looked like... “Me?”
No, he’s a man. But this man’s black hair, black eyes, expressionless face, and even his facial structure look exactly like mine. I feel like we even have a similar air about us.
“I guess we do look similar. I was surprised when I saw you earlier. I shouldn’t have any descendants, so it may be that we share a distant relative.”
It appeared that the Demon Lord was a human, or rather, he was a human in the past.
“Did you ask me to betray everyone just because we share a similar appearance?”
“Isn’t this kingdom, nay, this world, hard to live in with your black hair? Haven’t you dealt with unreasonable things? Resent the world, resent the kingdom, hate the people, and destroy everything with me.” The Demon Lord’s eyes clouded with overwhelming hatred.
The Demon Lord seems expressionless like me, but even so, his resentment is on full display. I wonder how much animosity is stirring within him.
“It’s true that my life until now was unreasonable and hard to live through, but I felt resignation rather than hatred. I’ve thought about running away countless times, but I’ve never once wished for the end of the world, the destruction of this kingdom, or the death of people.”
I...don’t think I have. I’d like to think I’ve never felt that way because I could actually make all of that happen if I wanted to.
“Why do you care so much? In the end, you’re just going to be betrayed. I want to know, how did the story of this kingdom come to be told?”
“It’s said that the hero and saintess sealed away the Demon Lord and created this kingdom.”
I wonder if the Demon Lord’s secrets are related to the founding of this kingdom.
The Demon Lord erupted into laughter. “The hero and saintess, huh? Those snobs.”
“Snobs?”
“Don’t you think it’s strange? Shouldn’t there have been a kingdom here before the one called the Demon Lord appeared?”
I had found that strange, and I even looked it up once but didn’t find a single piece of writing related to the history before this kingdom was founded. I convinced myself that the records had burned up in flames during the battle with the Demon Lord.
“Before the Kingdom of Valschein was established, this entire area was in a period of warring states where there were rivalries between warlords. The First King of Valschein won many consecutive battles and created this kingdom with the help of two skilled people working under him. One was a user of light magic, the other a user of dark magic.”
“Were you...”
The two people must have been the first queen and saintess, and the other...
“Yes. I served the King of Valschein. I respected and worshipped him. My loyalty to him was second to none because he was accepting of my black hair, which had been seen as unlucky even back then.”
So, the Demon Lord was a loyal subject of the first king who ended up betraying the kingdom later on.
“But as soon as the kingdom was stable, I was sent to these backwoods,” continued the Demon Lord, referring to this castle’s remote location. “The king feared my strength. No, from the beginning, he was only after my strength. He probably secretly detested black hair and dark magic.” Despite his harsh words, the Demon Lord’s expression was surprisingly gentle as he spoke about the past, like he was nostalgic for those days.
“Is that why you started a rebellion?”
“Absolutely not!” the Demon Lord exclaimed, his face instantly filling with rage. “That is absolutely not true. I thought the way that I was treated couldn’t be helped. The king truly cared for his people, and I thought that was enough. It didn’t sound so bad to spend the rest of my days in this secluded place, hearing what the king was up to through others from a distance.”
That probably wasn’t what happened, though, and the Demon Lord likely did not throw the first stone.
“The king raised an army against me. I didn’t have an army of my own to go up against him, so I pleaded for him to stop. I pledged that I would fight in any harsh battlefield for him.”
Why didn’t he fight back or run away if there was no chance of winning?
As I thought about his actions, I realized that, unlike me, the Demon Lord probably cared for this kingdom.
“I cared for this kingdom and its people,” the Demon Lord said sadly. “I loved them, but I was betrayed. I was betrayed by the people in my domain who blindly listened to the rumors that the king spread and even my most trusted subordinates.” Because he loved the kingdom so much and so deeply, it was easy for his feelings to flip to intense hatred. “It was then that I killed and destroyed everything in my path. Eventually, I found that I was able to control monsters. Even though I never cared for monsters because of their threat to the kingdom and its people, I still used them.”
I didn’t know much about the Demon Lord’s story, but I do know how this story ends.
“But I lost. They avoided confronting me directly and sealed me away using an ancient spell. And that’s how we arrive at the present. Even after hearing this, do you still side with the Kingdom of Valschein?”
“I think that the first king is entirely at fault for all of that, but things are different now.”
“Oh? But it seems like those three over there haven’t accepted you.”
“Well, they’re on the extreme end of those who dislike me... Neither His Majesty nor His Highness are like that.”
“They were probably just cajoling you in anticipation of my resurrection. Even if you kill me and return, there’s no place for you in this kingdom.”
After hearing the Demon Lord’s story, I understood what the king meant when he mentioned a second Demon Lord. I also understood why the king thought it was better that I didn’t know the identity of the Demon Lord.
“I would like to eliminate the discrimination against people with black hair for me and for the black-haired children that will be born in the future as well.” That was why I couldn’t become an enemy of humanity—that would only exacerbate the discrimination against those with black hair. “Upon hearing that, His Majesty said he would support me so that we could also prevent the creation of a second Demon Lord. I’m just guessing, but I believe that you are the villain in the story that’s been passed down in the royal family. However, I think that His Majesty is aware that you didn’t cause a rebellion and knows that you were truly born out of discrimination and contempt.”
I was genuinely someone who could become a Demon Lord—one that was far stronger and more terrifying than the one before me.
“People’s feelings are fleeting. Even if things are good now, the situation will change in a few decades.”
“If that happens, I’ll run away—out of this kingdom or even outside of this continent. There are people here who are capable of killing me or possibly sealing me away, but here I am.”
I was referring to Alicia, who was probably the greatest light magic user in all of history. But I wouldn’t be bested by her a second time. If I destroyed the light-type sword, it would probably be impossible for her to kill me.
After hearing what I had to say, the anger in the Demon Lord’s face slightly softened. “You’re...how should I say this...kind of cold. Do you have anyone you love?”
What is he suddenly bringing up?! The Demon Lord shouldn’t be gossiping about love lives.
Flustered, I stumbled a bit before responding. “I-I do...”
“What would you do if he betrayed you?”
I didn’t say that the person I love is a guy. I mean, he is, but even so.
What would I do if Patrick betrayed me? I would probably just flee the kingdom. I wouldn’t want to hurt him and hurt myself by hurting him.
“I think... I would run away. If he were to betray me, I would accept it if that would bring him happiness.”
“That’s how I felt at first as well. I saw her happy with the king and thought that was fine. But things weren’t so good when I was betrayed a second time.”
Were the Demon Lord and first queen lovers? He had his lover stolen by his king and still served him... This guy’s loyalty is incredible.
“I have the option to run away. You didn’t have that. I think that’s the only difference between us.” You could also say that the Demon Lord was brave enough to face this kingdom, while I wasn’t.
“Run away, huh? I never even thought of that. I wonder if history would have been different if I had fled...” As I watched him imagine a different life, my will to fight gradually dissipated. Patrick was right... I may be an overly trusting person.
“What if you were to run away now? We could say that you died, and you could go somewhere far—”
“I can’t run after having done all this,” the Demon Lord interrupted. “I think your mission to get rid of discrimination is venerable, but I still think this country should be destroyed.” It seemed that the Demon Lord would face this kingdom until the end.
Unable to reconcile our feelings, there was only one option left for the two of us—a battle of kill or be killed.
“I understand. It looks like we have no choice but to fight.”
My battle with the Demon Lord resumed, with those words as the starting signal. We both jumped backward and attacked each other with magic from a distance. My magic was more potent and troublesome to deal with, but I had to intercept the Demon Lord’s attacks and cancel them out so none of the stray shots hit the four knocked out behind me.
I guess I’m at a disadvantage from a distance after all.
I tried to close in on him, but the Demon Lord targeted both me and the floor. As I jumped into the air to dodge an attack, a smug look sprawled across his face.
He probably thinks I can’t move freely in the air, but too bad for him because moving in the air is what I’m good at.
I made my way to the Demon Lord by shooting magical energy out behind me. The Demon Lord’s eyes widened with surprise at my speed, but it was too late for him.
“I’ve got you.” I swung my sword, cutting off his right arm and sending it flying. Without a moment’s delay, I brought my sword up to his throat. I instantly went for the kill...or at least, that’s what I thought I would do. My hands froze and the point of my sword stopped just before reaching the Demon Lord’s throat.
“What’s wrong? Hurry up and kill me.”
“Would you reconsider running away...?” I asked. I thought that I was prepared for this, but after hearing his story, my resolve had wavered. The king’s advice was spot on.
“How tedious! You must have killed countless monsters to be this strong. This is the same! At this point, I’m closer to a monster.”
“That’s not true. You are a person.”
“I don’t know if you’re trying to show kindness, but that will be the reason for your demise in the future.”
The Demon Lord was someone much stronger than I was. He had much more of a backbone than me. I understood his warning as well—not being able to kill was my weakness. But even so, I couldn’t help but feel it would be all right if things stayed that way.
I shut my eyes tightly and took one deep breath before opening my eyes. “One last thing. Please tell me your name because you’re neither a monster nor the Demon Lord.”
His eyes widened, and his lips curled up in a small smile as if he were astonished. “My name is...”
That day, I killed someone for the first time.
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