With light steps, I descended into another world and quickly checked my surroundings. The scenery was nothing special, but if my wish had been granted…
“We’re done here!”
“Uhyaa!?”
(Success!)
Hearing that voice, I suppressed the urge to break into dance and put the [Silver Winged Sword] into the [Stranger Box]. Then, I swiftly replaced it with a steel sword on my hip and quickly started moving. As expected, there was a young woman with blonde vertical rolls and an old man emanating an oddly stern aura, and in front of them was a somewhat unreliable-looking man crouching on the ground.
This was definitely the 16th world. That’s why I know what will unfold next.
“Ahh!?”
“Ohoho! I’ve finally got it!”
The man… Hero Toby let out a pathetic scream as the black metal box was snatched from his bosom. The woman… Palm, elated, cackled and held the box in front of her face… now!
Kiin!
“What!?”
From the shade of the trees, I rapidly approached with [Hermes Dash] and my steel sword sent the metal box flying. Then, I snatched the box that twirled in the air.
“Oops, sorry. I’ll take this.”
“How dare you steal treasure from me, you thieving stray dog. Claude!”
“Yes!”
Smirking, I fend off an attack from Claude, ordered by an enraged Palm. His swordsmanship was impressively sharp for his old age, but I quickly switched the box to my left hand and scooped up my drawn sword from below to defend.
“Ngh! To be so easily defended… I’m sorry, Ojou-sama, this guy seems quite skilled.”
“It seems so.”
Instead of angrily pursuing me, Claude stepped back calmly. His words made Palm grit her teeth in frustration. Having skill, he could imagine my abilities from that one blow.
Then, separate from those two, the now-standing Toby began to talk to me as well.
“Who are you… Wait, that’s not it! Give it back! It’s not the treasure you think it is!”
“Hm? You mean this is the real ‘Demon King’s Heart’?”
“Yes! It’s definitely not just a treasure… waa!?”
At my words, Toby’s eyes widened in astonishment, letting out a strange sound. It made sense. Only a few people would know that this is the “Demon King’s Heart,” and especially that it’s the “real” one.
“What!? Knowing what it is and still taking it… Ha!? Are you part of some evil cult aiming to resurrect the Demon King!?”
“Ah, besides the Empire and the idiot prince, there were such forces too… Well, that’s not it.”
“The Empire!? And an idiot prince… Who exactly are you?”
“Calm down. My goal is simple… Yoink!”
I tossed the box lightly into the air and swung my sword. The magical seal was quietly absorbed and nullified by the [Magia Absorb] so the box easily split open, and its contents tumbled out.
“That’s the Demon King’s Heart! How beautiful…”
“The seal! Ah, it’s hopeless. This world is over…”
Palm casted an enraptured gaze at the mysterious red gem I was holding, while Toby showed a face of despair as if the world’s end had come.
“That is a treasure worthy of me! I will definitely obtain it, Claude!”
“Understood.”
Literally changing their colors at the sight of the real thing, Palm and Claude attacked me together… but even putting in some effort, the result won’t change.
“Impossible!?”
Claude’s sword accurately aimed at my left wrist holding the jewel, my heart, and my right eye, but didn’t even graze me. Of course, it can’t penetrate my [Invincible].
“Move, Claude! Burn him to ashes, [Volcanic Napalm]!”
From behind the swiftly dodging Claude, a scorching breath drew near. But the flames lost their power as they clinged to me, not even touching a single hair. As long as it’s a direct attack against me, [Magia Absorb] can’t be defeated.
“What on earth… Ojou-sama, please run away!”
“Don’t be stupid! I would never run away from treasure…”
“No, no, even if you don’t run away, it doesn’t change anything.”
Outmatched by an absolute, superior force, Palm and the others changed their expression with caution and regret. I, however, gave a wry smile and sheathed my sword, pinching a red gem between my right thumb and forefinger so that it could be seen clearly. And then…
“All I will do is this.”
CRACK!
As I gently put force into it, the red gem broke into pieces. I couldn’t absorb its power because Riel had destroyed it last time, but… Hmm, it seems fine this time.
“It, it broke!? Eh, eh? But the Demon King won’t be revived, so… eh!?”
“Hahaha, rest assured, Toby. The Demon King is defeated. It’s much better than sealing it in a temple, right? Your role is finished now.”
“You defeated it!? You defeated the Demon King that could only be sealed!?”
“That’s right. You saw it breaking, didn’t you?”
To Toby’s astonished words, I responded with a slight smug smile. But Toby’s face was the very picture of confusion.
“I saw it, but… does breaking it mean it’s defeated? Besides, the gem is broken, how should I report…?”
“Heh!? Ah, well… Um, good luck?”
I admittedly hadn’t thought about the report. Naturally, a passerby breaking the gem wouldn’t go over well with superiors. But now, with no evidence left… Yeah, let’s leave it to Hero Toby as his last task.
“Ahhhh… the gem… My ‘Demon King’s Heart’…”
Toby, who began mumbling and looking at the sky, and Palm, who squatted down at my feet, seemed to be collecting fragments of the broken gem. But all of them had changed from bright red to a dull red, losing all value as gems.
“How cruel. How utterly cruel. I just wanted to admire the beautiful gem in my hand… Uuuh…”
“Ah, Ojou-sama. How hard it must be for you…”
The young and beautiful lady was hugging the now worthless gem, crying with a sad face. A gentle old gentleman was softly caressing her back to comfort her, and as I looked down at the two of them… Somehow, I felt like the villain in this picture, despite having done nothing wrong.
“What should I do… How should I report this… What should I tell the king who trusted me… Ha ha, the sky is so blue… “
“Uuuh… Sniff…”
“If I could heal even a fraction of this sorrow, I would even give up my life… Forgive me for my powerlessness, Ojou-sama…”
“…Well, well! I’ve done what I needed to do! From now on, the people of this world just have to do their best, right? Right? Right? So, that’s it for now!”
Probably, no one was listening, but I just said that and left the place using “Tailwind Foot Hermes Dash.” Once I reached a deserted area, I drew the Silver Wing Sword and opened the path to the next world.
“Heh, hehehe… Anyway, the first one! Or the eighth? Let’s keep this pace!”
Pushing away what I shouldn’t be concerned about, I jumped into the opened black scar. Having defeated the Demon King and saved the world, I quickly left without anyone seeing me off.
With light steps, I descended into another world and quickly checked my surroundings. The scenery was nothing special, but if my wish had been granted…
“We’re done here!”
“Uhyaa!?”
(Success!)
Hearing that voice, I suppressed the urge to break into dance and put the [Silver Winged Sword] into the [Stranger Box]. Then, I swiftly replaced it with a steel sword on my hip and quickly started moving. As expected, there was a young woman with blonde vertical rolls and an old man emanating an oddly stern aura, and in front of them was a somewhat unreliable-looking man crouching on the ground.
This was definitely the 16th world. That’s why I know what will unfold next.
“Ahh!?”
“Ohoho! I’ve finally got it!”
The man… Hero Toby let out a pathetic scream as the black metal box was snatched from his bosom. The woman… Palm, elated, cackled and held the box in front of her face… now!
Kiin!
“What!?”
From the shade of the trees, I rapidly approached with [Hermes Dash] and my steel sword sent the metal box flying. Then, I snatched the box that twirled in the air.
“Oops, sorry. I’ll take this.”
“How dare you steal treasure from me, you thieving stray dog. Claude!”
“Yes!”
Smirking, I fend off an attack from Claude, ordered by an enraged Palm. His swordsmanship was impressively sharp for his old age, but I quickly switched the box to my left hand and scooped up my drawn sword from below to defend.
“Ngh! To be so easily defended… I’m sorry, Ojou-sama, this guy seems quite skilled.”
“It seems so.”
Instead of angrily pursuing me, Claude stepped back calmly. His words made Palm grit her teeth in frustration. Having skill, he could imagine my abilities from that one blow.
Then, separate from those two, the now-standing Toby began to talk to me as well.
“Who are you… Wait, that’s not it! Give it back! It’s not the treasure you think it is!”
“Hm? You mean this is the real ‘Demon King’s Heart’?”
“Yes! It’s definitely not just a treasure… waa!?”
At my words, Toby’s eyes widened in astonishment, letting out a strange sound. It made sense. Only a few people would know that this is the “Demon King’s Heart,” and especially that it’s the “real” one.
“What!? Knowing what it is and still taking it… Ha!? Are you part of some evil cult aiming to resurrect the Demon King!?”
“Ah, besides the Empire and the idiot prince, there were such forces too… Well, that’s not it.”
“The Empire!? And an idiot prince… Who exactly are you?”
“Calm down. My goal is simple… Yoink!”
I tossed the box lightly into the air and swung my sword. The magical seal was quietly absorbed and nullified by the [Magia Absorb] so the box easily split open, and its contents tumbled out.
“That’s the Demon King’s Heart! How beautiful…”
“The seal! Ah, it’s hopeless. This world is over…”
Palm casted an enraptured gaze at the mysterious red gem I was holding, while Toby showed a face of despair as if the world’s end had come.
“That is a treasure worthy of me! I will definitely obtain it, Claude!”
“Understood.”
Literally changing their colors at the sight of the real thing, Palm and Claude attacked me together… but even putting in some effort, the result won’t change.
“Impossible!?”
Claude’s sword accurately aimed at my left wrist holding the jewel, my heart, and my right eye, but didn’t even graze me. Of course, it can’t penetrate my [Invincible].
“Move, Claude! Burn him to ashes, [Volcanic Napalm]!”
From behind the swiftly dodging Claude, a scorching breath drew near. But the flames lost their power as they clinged to me, not even touching a single hair. As long as it’s a direct attack against me, [Magia Absorb] can’t be defeated.
“What on earth… Ojou-sama, please run away!”
“Don’t be stupid! I would never run away from treasure…”
“No, no, even if you don’t run away, it doesn’t change anything.”
Outmatched by an absolute, superior force, Palm and the others changed their expression with caution and regret. I, however, gave a wry smile and sheathed my sword, pinching a red gem between my right thumb and forefinger so that it could be seen clearly. And then…
“All I will do is this.”
CRACK!
As I gently put force into it, the red gem broke into pieces. I couldn’t absorb its power because Riel had destroyed it last time, but… Hmm, it seems fine this time.
“It, it broke!? Eh, eh? But the Demon King won’t be revived, so… eh!?”
“Hahaha, rest assured, Toby. The Demon King is defeated. It’s much better than sealing it in a temple, right? Your role is finished now.”
“You defeated it!? You defeated the Demon King that could only be sealed!?”
“That’s right. You saw it breaking, didn’t you?”
To Toby’s astonished words, I responded with a slight smug smile. But Toby’s face was the very picture of confusion.
“I saw it, but… does breaking it mean it’s defeated? Besides, the gem is broken, how should I report…?”
“Heh!? Ah, well… Um, good luck?”
I admittedly hadn’t thought about the report. Naturally, a passerby breaking the gem wouldn’t go over well with superiors. But now, with no evidence left… Yeah, let’s leave it to Hero Toby as his last task.
“Ahhhh… the gem… My ‘Demon King’s Heart’…”
Toby, who began mumbling and looking at the sky, and Palm, who squatted down at my feet, seemed to be collecting fragments of the broken gem. But all of them had changed from bright red to a dull red, losing all value as gems.
“How cruel. How utterly cruel. I just wanted to admire the beautiful gem in my hand… Uuuh…”
“Ah, Ojou-sama. How hard it must be for you…”
The young and beautiful lady was hugging the now worthless gem, crying with a sad face. A gentle old gentleman was softly caressing her back to comfort her, and as I looked down at the two of them… Somehow, I felt like the villain in this picture, despite having done nothing wrong.
“What should I do… How should I report this… What should I tell the king who trusted me… Ha ha, the sky is so blue… “
“Uuuh… Sniff…”
“If I could heal even a fraction of this sorrow, I would even give up my life… Forgive me for my powerlessness, Ojou-sama…”
“…Well, well! I’ve done what I needed to do! From now on, the people of this world just have to do their best, right? Right? Right? So, that’s it for now!”
Probably, no one was listening, but I just said that and left the place using “Tailwind Foot Hermes Dash.” Once I reached a deserted area, I drew the Silver Wing Sword and opened the path to the next world.
“Heh, hehehe… Anyway, the first one! Or the eighth? Let’s keep this pace!”
Pushing away what I shouldn’t be concerned about, I jumped into the opened black scar. Having defeated the Demon King and saved the world, I quickly left without anyone seeing me off.
