This location marked the deepest heart of the demonic realm. Within the chambers of the Demon King’s castle, a sprawling space that could have accommodated a multitude, a confrontation between the Demon King and the Hero Party was unfolding.
“Is this all…?”
“Grr…”
Before Hero Alexis, who knelt with an expression of agony, the Demon King muttered those words in a tone of boredom. His power was so overwhelmingly vast that the Hero, who should have been a force to reckon with, seemed fragile.
“Why have I feared such trivial beings and remained in seclusion until now? Foolish. Truly foolish.”
With an air of indolence, the Demon King rose from his throne and advanced toward the Hero. A burly man interposed himself to halt the Demon King’s progress, but the Demon King effortlessly dispatched the man’s robust frame with a casual swing of his arm.
“You’re in the way.”
“Gah!? Ugh, I can’t believe I can’t even serve as a shield…”
“Burn out! [Flare Lance]!”
Next, the Demon King glanced at a fire-imbued spear hurtling from the side but made no move. Naturally, the spear of flames struck the Demon King… and naturally, it left not a single singe mark on his armor.
“Why… why won’t my magic…!”
“Hah, truly basic. To think that as the Hero, you must be among humanity’s most accomplished spellcasters. Yet, this is the extent of your capabilities…”
“Grrr…”
A young woman clenched her teeth in frustration, her gaze locked onto the Demon King. Yet, her most potent magic had failed to make even the slightest dent in him, and his mere gaze seemed unassailable.
“Now, is your futile resistance at an end?”
The Demon King inquired, his gaze unwaveringly fixed upon the Hero. There was one more individual within the Hero Party, a shabby figure huddled in a corner of the room, hood drawn low and trembling under a heavy burden on his back. However, the Demon King didn’t even acknowledge the shabby man’s presence.
“It’s not over… I haven’t lost yet!”
“Hmm? It’s indeed befitting of a Hero to not lose heart in such a dire situation. But… it’s the behavior of a fool who fails to grasp the current reality. And what will you do with a battered holy sword?”
“…………………….”
The Holy Sword was meant to be a unique and invincible entity, yet its tattered state rendered it unmistakably counterfeit. With a touch of sarcasm in his tone, the Demon King taunted the Hero, who responded with a glare of silence. Then, the shabby man rushed past the Hero.
“I, I surrender! So please, just don’t kill me!”
“What!? You traitor!?”
Amidst his companions’ astonishment, the man staggered toward the Demon King. From the Demon King’s perspective, there was no reason to heed the man’s plea. Raising his arm, he prepared to decapitate the man as he drew near…
“Long time no see.”
“!?”
The Demon King’s motion momentarily froze as the man revealed his face by lowering his hood. Hero Alexis seized that fleeting instant.
“Taaahh!”
“Futile… Gaah!?”
Alexis’ sword struck the Demon King’s armor, and the blade shattered. From within emerged the genuine, radiant Holy Sword.
“Th, the Holy Sword!? What, what’s happening!?”
“Wanna know? I’ll tell you… This should be sufficient payment.”
“Gyaaaaaa!?!!?”
The hooded man, sporting a sly smile, made contact with the Demon King. The Demon King’s power ebbed away as the Holy Sword pierced his abdomen. Simultaneously, a whirlwind of contradictory thoughts raced through the Demon King’s mind.
(Why did I possess such power from the very start? I could have effortlessly annihilated humans with this strength, so why did I leisurely build a demon army and launch attacks? No, I stole this power from my original self… but why is my original self, which should have vanished forever after its power was pilfered, present here…!?)
If all the power was extracted from the original self, it should never reappear within the world. In fact, that world should have reached its conclusion. So why was “he, with his newfound power,” once again cast as the Demon King upon the stage orchestrated by the gods? Doubts that had never plagued him before now surged to the forefront, converging on one realization.
“Ah, I understand now… I erred in the final step, didn’t I…?”
“Well, that’s how it goes. You were merely dancing in the palm of the gods… yet it seems I’ve managed to outmaneuver them.”
“Ha, Hahaha… That’s indeed… a rather gratifying…………………”
With a glimpse into the man’s… Ed’s memories and thoughts, exchanged as their powers shifted, the Demon King chuckled and crumbled into dust, uttering those final words.
*******
“……….Is it really over?”
“Yes, without a doubt. You did well, Alexis.”
I reassured Alexis, who wore a look of incredulity, and casually gave his shoulder a reassuring pat. It appeared straightforward now that it was done, but leading up to that moment was a continuous tightrope walk.
“But the power of the true Holy Sword is extraordinary. To think we could defeat the once-powerful Demon King so easily.”
“Indeed, it’s almost like cheating, isn’t it? Well, even if I’m a prodigy, I doubt I could have overcome that Demon King without it…”
“Doubt? Your magic was practically ineffective, wasn’t it?”
“What! If you’re saying that, Gonzo was no different, right!? What happened to those muscles you always brag about!?”
“Mmm… It seems I still have a lot to learn in training.”
Gonzo, covered in wounds, and Rouge, who had a strong look of fatigue on her face, exchanged light banter. After watching the two of them, Alexis turned back to me.
“But still, it was our strategic victory. You keep surprising me.”
“Hahaha, well, yeah!”
My strategy was this. First, we set up a base at an appropriate place between the demon land and the Demon King’s castle. It was ostensibly to “hold out until Alexis, who had fallen ill, could recover,” but it was actually different. What we created where Alexis was supposed to be was the “transfer destination of the transfer crystal,” created with Rouge’s help.
Then, we designated that spot as the exit, equipped Alexis with a transfer crystal, and instructed him to use it in case of emergency. As we had heard from Tia before, it was to transport him to Nortland’s castle. Once there, Alexis, accompanied by a knight who had knowledge of the lake, deceived the Demon King’s perception and led him to the location. After retrieving the holy sword, he swiftly returned using the transfer crystal.
Subsequently, I employed my skills in [Blacksmith] and [Copy and Fake] to craft a scabbard for the holy sword. With the “recovered” Alexis, we once again marched to the Demon King’s castle and launched a surprise attack while catching him off guard… The plan unfolded seamlessly.
“Now, my role concludes here.”
“Huh? Hey, Ed, what do you mean by ‘concludes’?”
“What’s that supposed to mean? We’ve defeated the Demon King, so my task is done, right?”
Alexis, appearing puzzled, received a nonchalant shrug from me. We had saved our friends, vanquished the Demon King, and reclaimed the stolen power. Thus, there was no further purpose for me within this world.
“That’s why I’m proceeding. There’s a matter I need to attend to.”
“Hey, wait, Ed! You’ve also contributed to the defeat of the Demon King! Are you going to shame me?”
“If that’s the concern, you can use that merit to silence any impoliteness directed at the Hero… Right, Rouge?”
As I attempted to depart, a woman who stood about a head shorter than me blocked my path. Her usually sharp eyes were even more piercing today.
“You! Do you think you can just leave without my consent?”
“…Haha, what’s the matter, Rouge? When we first met, you hardly seemed to care about me.”
“That’s…! Th-that’s in the past! More importantly, why the hurry to depart?”
“…I have someone waiting. An important partner I need to meet.”
“Hmm? Is this journey perhaps quite formidable?”
Detecting something in my tone, Gonzo promptly positioned himself next to Rouge.
“They say companionship enhances the journey. I believe you could hire an exceptional monk, correct?”
“!?” W-well, yes! If you insist, I, the prodigious magician, can lend my expertise!”
“…Alexis?”
“Sigh. I can report the Demon King’s defeat. Whatever those two decide has no bearing on me. If they visit the castle, I can at least offer them a parting gift.”
Responding with a wry smile, Alexis conveyed his thoughts. Gonzo, his smile outshining his bald head, and Rouge, her arms crossed as she occasionally averted her gaze while occasionally glancing at me.
Right. We had truly, genuinely become comrades. However…
“……I apologize, but I’ll carry your sentiments with me.”
I couldn’t take both of them on my journey. This would likely be our final farewell in this lifetime. With the collected power of the Demon King in this world, the resultant Hero would not be born again, and even if the cycle repeated, I wouldn’t return to this realm.
Especially Rouge… Encountering her, who filled the void left by Tia’s absence, felt like an irreplaceable miracle. Her visage and voice had been etched deeply into my heart.
Farewell, my friends. Farewell, my comrades. Even if the world shifts and spirals continue to spin, even if I fade from memory or vanish from everyone’s lives, I will remember. The adventurous days shared with everyone on this specific day, at this precise time, in this particular place.
“Until we meet again!”
Raising my hand and turning my back, I bid a light farewell and departed from the Hero’s party.
This location marked the deepest heart of the demonic realm. Within the chambers of the Demon King’s castle, a sprawling space that could have accommodated a multitude, a confrontation between the Demon King and the Hero Party was unfolding.
“Is this all…?”
“Grr…”
Before Hero Alexis, who knelt with an expression of agony, the Demon King muttered those words in a tone of boredom. His power was so overwhelmingly vast that the Hero, who should have been a force to reckon with, seemed fragile.
“Why have I feared such trivial beings and remained in seclusion until now? Foolish. Truly foolish.”
With an air of indolence, the Demon King rose from his throne and advanced toward the Hero. A burly man interposed himself to halt the Demon King’s progress, but the Demon King effortlessly dispatched the man’s robust frame with a casual swing of his arm.
“You’re in the way.”
“Gah!? Ugh, I can’t believe I can’t even serve as a shield…”
“Burn out! [Flare Lance]!”
Next, the Demon King glanced at a fire-imbued spear hurtling from the side but made no move. Naturally, the spear of flames struck the Demon King… and naturally, it left not a single singe mark on his armor.
“Why… why won’t my magic…!”
“Hah, truly basic. To think that as the Hero, you must be among humanity’s most accomplished spellcasters. Yet, this is the extent of your capabilities…”
“Grrr…”
A young woman clenched her teeth in frustration, her gaze locked onto the Demon King. Yet, her most potent magic had failed to make even the slightest dent in him, and his mere gaze seemed unassailable.
“Now, is your futile resistance at an end?”
The Demon King inquired, his gaze unwaveringly fixed upon the Hero. There was one more individual within the Hero Party, a shabby figure huddled in a corner of the room, hood drawn low and trembling under a heavy burden on his back. However, the Demon King didn’t even acknowledge the shabby man’s presence.
“It’s not over… I haven’t lost yet!”
“Hmm? It’s indeed befitting of a Hero to not lose heart in such a dire situation. But… it’s the behavior of a fool who fails to grasp the current reality. And what will you do with a battered holy sword?”
“…………………….”
The Holy Sword was meant to be a unique and invincible entity, yet its tattered state rendered it unmistakably counterfeit. With a touch of sarcasm in his tone, the Demon King taunted the Hero, who responded with a glare of silence. Then, the shabby man rushed past the Hero.
“I, I surrender! So please, just don’t kill me!”
“What!? You traitor!?”
Amidst his companions’ astonishment, the man staggered toward the Demon King. From the Demon King’s perspective, there was no reason to heed the man’s plea. Raising his arm, he prepared to decapitate the man as he drew near…
“Long time no see.”
“!?”
The Demon King’s motion momentarily froze as the man revealed his face by lowering his hood. Hero Alexis seized that fleeting instant.
“Taaahh!”
“Futile… Gaah!?”
Alexis’ sword struck the Demon King’s armor, and the blade shattered. From within emerged the genuine, radiant Holy Sword.
“Th, the Holy Sword!? What, what’s happening!?”
“Wanna know? I’ll tell you… This should be sufficient payment.”
“Gyaaaaaa!?!!?”
The hooded man, sporting a sly smile, made contact with the Demon King. The Demon King’s power ebbed away as the Holy Sword pierced his abdomen. Simultaneously, a whirlwind of contradictory thoughts raced through the Demon King’s mind.
(Why did I possess such power from the very start? I could have effortlessly annihilated humans with this strength, so why did I leisurely build a demon army and launch attacks? No, I stole this power from my original self… but why is my original self, which should have vanished forever after its power was pilfered, present here…!?)
If all the power was extracted from the original self, it should never reappear within the world. In fact, that world should have reached its conclusion. So why was “he, with his newfound power,” once again cast as the Demon King upon the stage orchestrated by the gods? Doubts that had never plagued him before now surged to the forefront, converging on one realization.
“Ah, I understand now… I erred in the final step, didn’t I…?”
“Well, that’s how it goes. You were merely dancing in the palm of the gods… yet it seems I’ve managed to outmaneuver them.”
“Ha, Hahaha… That’s indeed… a rather gratifying…………………”
With a glimpse into the man’s… Ed’s memories and thoughts, exchanged as their powers shifted, the Demon King chuckled and crumbled into dust, uttering those final words.
*******
“……….Is it really over?”
“Yes, without a doubt. You did well, Alexis.”
I reassured Alexis, who wore a look of incredulity, and casually gave his shoulder a reassuring pat. It appeared straightforward now that it was done, but leading up to that moment was a continuous tightrope walk.
“But the power of the true Holy Sword is extraordinary. To think we could defeat the once-powerful Demon King so easily.”
“Indeed, it’s almost like cheating, isn’t it? Well, even if I’m a prodigy, I doubt I could have overcome that Demon King without it…”
“Doubt? Your magic was practically ineffective, wasn’t it?”
“What! If you’re saying that, Gonzo was no different, right!? What happened to those muscles you always brag about!?”
“Mmm… It seems I still have a lot to learn in training.”
Gonzo, covered in wounds, and Rouge, who had a strong look of fatigue on her face, exchanged light banter. After watching the two of them, Alexis turned back to me.
“But still, it was our strategic victory. You keep surprising me.”
“Hahaha, well, yeah!”
My strategy was this. First, we set up a base at an appropriate place between the demon land and the Demon King’s castle. It was ostensibly to “hold out until Alexis, who had fallen ill, could recover,” but it was actually different. What we created where Alexis was supposed to be was the “transfer destination of the transfer crystal,” created with Rouge’s help.
Then, we designated that spot as the exit, equipped Alexis with a transfer crystal, and instructed him to use it in case of emergency. As we had heard from Tia before, it was to transport him to Nortland’s castle. Once there, Alexis, accompanied by a knight who had knowledge of the lake, deceived the Demon King’s perception and led him to the location. After retrieving the holy sword, he swiftly returned using the transfer crystal.
Subsequently, I employed my skills in [Blacksmith] and [Copy and Fake] to craft a scabbard for the holy sword. With the “recovered” Alexis, we once again marched to the Demon King’s castle and launched a surprise attack while catching him off guard… The plan unfolded seamlessly.
“Now, my role concludes here.”
“Huh? Hey, Ed, what do you mean by ‘concludes’?”
“What’s that supposed to mean? We’ve defeated the Demon King, so my task is done, right?”
Alexis, appearing puzzled, received a nonchalant shrug from me. We had saved our friends, vanquished the Demon King, and reclaimed the stolen power. Thus, there was no further purpose for me within this world.
“That’s why I’m proceeding. There’s a matter I need to attend to.”
“Hey, wait, Ed! You’ve also contributed to the defeat of the Demon King! Are you going to shame me?”
“If that’s the concern, you can use that merit to silence any impoliteness directed at the Hero… Right, Rouge?”
As I attempted to depart, a woman who stood about a head shorter than me blocked my path. Her usually sharp eyes were even more piercing today.
“You! Do you think you can just leave without my consent?”
“…Haha, what’s the matter, Rouge? When we first met, you hardly seemed to care about me.”
“That’s…! Th-that’s in the past! More importantly, why the hurry to depart?”
“…I have someone waiting. An important partner I need to meet.”
“Hmm? Is this journey perhaps quite formidable?”
Detecting something in my tone, Gonzo promptly positioned himself next to Rouge.
“They say companionship enhances the journey. I believe you could hire an exceptional monk, correct?”
“!?” W-well, yes! If you insist, I, the prodigious magician, can lend my expertise!”
“…Alexis?”
“Sigh. I can report the Demon King’s defeat. Whatever those two decide has no bearing on me. If they visit the castle, I can at least offer them a parting gift.”
Responding with a wry smile, Alexis conveyed his thoughts. Gonzo, his smile outshining his bald head, and Rouge, her arms crossed as she occasionally averted her gaze while occasionally glancing at me.
Right. We had truly, genuinely become comrades. However…
“……I apologize, but I’ll carry your sentiments with me.”
I couldn’t take both of them on my journey. This would likely be our final farewell in this lifetime. With the collected power of the Demon King in this world, the resultant Hero would not be born again, and even if the cycle repeated, I wouldn’t return to this realm.
Especially Rouge… Encountering her, who filled the void left by Tia’s absence, felt like an irreplaceable miracle. Her visage and voice had been etched deeply into my heart.
Farewell, my friends. Farewell, my comrades. Even if the world shifts and spirals continue to spin, even if I fade from memory or vanish from everyone’s lives, I will remember. The adventurous days shared with everyone on this specific day, at this precise time, in this particular place.
“Until we meet again!”
Raising my hand and turning my back, I bid a light farewell and departed from the Hero’s party.
