“By the way, are you going to say it!?”
I tried to look cool and grabbed the holy sword, but the intense pain I felt in my hand made me hastily let go. When I looked at my hand, the palm was burned. Ah, I guess healing potions don’t work, do they? Wow, this is going to hurt for a while…
Oh, by the way, or rather, of course, the wings on my back disappeared the moment I entered this world. Since they served their purpose, those wings are no longer here.
“Ed? I am――”
“What, why!?”
Surprised, Burn remained still as Euralia ran past me in a panic to get closer to Burn. Her face shows even more surprise than Burn’s, and she tightly clasps her hands in front of her chest as if praying.
“It’s impossible! Why did you notice at that timing!? I thought I had completely caught you off guard!”
“Hahaha, well, I cheated a little,” I said, scratching my cheek awkwardly at Euralia’s protest. It wasn’t just a little cheat, actually… but I had struggled accordingly, so I hope it’s all squared away.
“By the way, don’t you have something you want to confirm rather than that?”
“That’s right! Yuusha-sama, this man is――”
“Yo Burn. I’m actually the Demon King!”
Before Euralia can speak, I wave my burned hand and tell Burn. Then Burn’s holy sword shines brighter as he turns to me.
“…When Euralia told me, I thought it couldn’t be. But why… why! Ed, have you… have you been deceiving us all this time?”
“No, I haven’t deceived you? I just didn’t tell you I was the Demon King because you never asked. Burn, you wouldn’t say ‘I am super! A human!’ without being asked, would you?”
“Huh? Well, that’s true, I suppose…?”
Confused by my casual words, Burn shows an obviously bewildered expression. But Euralia quickly intervenes.
“Don’t be deceived, Yuusha-sama! He’s the Demon King!”
“What!? Darn, I almost got super! Deceived again… Traitor Demon King, Ed! Now, as a Hero, I’ll super! Lead you to――”
“No, I told you, I didn’t betray or deceive you. Listen, Burn. I am indeed the Demon King, but not of this world. I came from another world… or rather, I’ve been traveling through various worlds, defeating the Demon Kings there. So my goal is the same as yours, to defeat the Demon King of this world. Right? I didn’t betray or deceive you, did I?”
“…Eh???”
“Yuusha-sama! You must not take the Demon King’s words seriously! It’s all lies!”
“Wow, that’s harsh, Euralia. I’m known to be a fairly honest guy, you know?”
“Quiet! Demon King, don’t call my name so casually, the apostle of God!”
“Oh, don’t get so angry…”
Being yelled at with a demonic expression, I feel a bit down. I knew all along that her attitude was an act and she hated me, but it’s still a little sad to be cursed to my face.
“Wait, wait! Super! Wait for me! There’s too much information, I don’t know what to do…”
“You don’t have to hesitate, Yuusha-sama. That holy sword can only cut evil. So you should just defeat Demon King Ed right away!”
“That’s a bit rough, isn’t it? Well, I understand how you feel.”
“!? For you, a Demon King, to understand the feelings of a servant of God like me――”
“I understand.”
I respond strongly and shortly to the angry, narrow-eyed Euralia. Oh, I understand. I know very well how much God wants to end me.
“Hey, Euralia. I don’t deny your position or thoughts. From God’s point of view, a Demon King is evil that must be defeated just because he’s a Demon King. But is evil really like that? Is it evil to commit evil deeds or if someone is born evil, they are destined to be evil? Is that really right?”
“What!? To question the righteousness of God’s words is outrageous!”
“It’s different. If you believe something is right, it’s your duty to doubt its righteousness.”
“Hmph! What a Demon King-like sophistry. It’s foolish to doubt God… Yuusha-sama, there is no point in talking to such a person anymore! You should subdue him right away!”
“Sigh, I knew it would come to this…”
I give a wry smile and sigh at the indignant Euralia, but Burn slowly opens his mouth.
“…Hey, Ed. What do you mean by what you just said?”
“Yuusha-sama!? You don’t intend to doubt God too, do you!?”
“Not like that… but honestly, I don’t know what to do. So I want some basis for judgment…”
“Isn’t that basis nothing less than God? God’s words are all right, and if we follow them――”
“Then you’re just livestock or slaves.”
“―!!!!”
With an intensity I had never seen before, Eulalia glared at me. She probably didn’t lunge at me because I’m the Demon King. But I can’t stop speaking here. If I don’t convey what I must, our journey will surely end here.
“Hey, Burn. Believing in what great people like gods or kings say and doing as they say is certainly easy. But that’s also the same as throwing the responsibility you should bear onto someone else. The reason to fight, the reason to kill, you throw it all onto someone else. Sure, it makes life easier. So some might deliberately choose to live that way, and I’m not going to deny that. But Burn, if you want to bear the title of ‘Hero’ on your own will, you have to think about it.”
“…What about?”
“What’s right, that’s what. There’s nothing absolutely right or absolutely wrong in this world. Righteousness or evil is just about whether it’s convenient or inconvenient for you, and the way you see it changes depending on where you stand. And Euralia stands in the position of God. From the standpoint of God, the Demon King is evil, so just by existing, I become an evil that must be killed. But Burn, you’re different. You’re not God, you’re a hero. How do I look to you, standing in the position of a hero? Was I evil to you all the way through our journey?”
“I am……….”
“Yuusha-sama!”
Eulalia called out, clinging to Burn’s arm, but Burn closed his eyes tightly, shaking his head vigorously.
“No, it’s impossible! I don’t understand! I do want to believe in Ed, but Ed is the Demon King…”
“Hahaha, then isn’t that the answer?”
“…?”
“Don’t you get it? That’s what I mean by ‘doubting what’s right.’ As I said before, what’s right changes constantly depending on your position and situation. Trusting someone completely isn’t normal. So it’s fine. Trust moderately and doubt moderately. Continue our journey as before while being wary of me. Right, Tia?”
Saying so, I casually looked back.
Actually, I wanted to turn back as soon as I came to this world. To see her face, to hug her, to feel her warmth.
But the Tia here shouldn’t know anything. So I can’t be careless. I was supposed to interact with her as if nothing had happened, without making her realize or worry…
“…Tia?”
Turning to Tia, I see her eyes filled with tears, ready to overflow. Her lips, tightly clenched, softly open, and she steps forward, embracing me.
“Tia!? You remember…?”
“…Welcome back, Ed.”
A voice filled with a myriad of emotions reaches my surprised ears. Ah, a familiar voice. For this voice, I came back here.
Her arms tightly embracing me, the warmth transmitted from there is more precious than anything else. I can’t help but hug her back, putting my hands around Tia’s back.
In the church filled with the light of God, the Demon King and an elf embrace. The feeling of having returned filled me.
It’s Tia, Tia is here. I don’t care about God’s plans or the power of the Demon King. What matters more than anything else, even if I have to trade everything else, is in my arms.
“I’m back, Tia.”
So with all my feelings, I said those words to Tia..
(T/N: Just Marry)
“By the way, are you going to say it!?”
I tried to look cool and grabbed the holy sword, but the intense pain I felt in my hand made me hastily let go. When I looked at my hand, the palm was burned. Ah, I guess healing potions don’t work, do they? Wow, this is going to hurt for a while…
Oh, by the way, or rather, of course, the wings on my back disappeared the moment I entered this world. Since they served their purpose, those wings are no longer here.
“Ed? I am――”
“What, why!?”
Surprised, Burn remained still as Euralia ran past me in a panic to get closer to Burn. Her face shows even more surprise than Burn’s, and she tightly clasps her hands in front of her chest as if praying.
“It’s impossible! Why did you notice at that timing!? I thought I had completely caught you off guard!”
“Hahaha, well, I cheated a little,” I said, scratching my cheek awkwardly at Euralia’s protest. It wasn’t just a little cheat, actually… but I had struggled accordingly, so I hope it’s all squared away.
“By the way, don’t you have something you want to confirm rather than that?”
“That’s right! Yuusha-sama, this man is――”
“Yo Burn. I’m actually the Demon King!”
Before Euralia can speak, I wave my burned hand and tell Burn. Then Burn’s holy sword shines brighter as he turns to me.
“…When Euralia told me, I thought it couldn’t be. But why… why! Ed, have you… have you been deceiving us all this time?”
“No, I haven’t deceived you? I just didn’t tell you I was the Demon King because you never asked. Burn, you wouldn’t say ‘I am super! A human!’ without being asked, would you?”
“Huh? Well, that’s true, I suppose…?”
Confused by my casual words, Burn shows an obviously bewildered expression. But Euralia quickly intervenes.
“Don’t be deceived, Yuusha-sama! He’s the Demon King!”
“What!? Darn, I almost got super! Deceived again… Traitor Demon King, Ed! Now, as a Hero, I’ll super! Lead you to――”
“No, I told you, I didn’t betray or deceive you. Listen, Burn. I am indeed the Demon King, but not of this world. I came from another world… or rather, I’ve been traveling through various worlds, defeating the Demon Kings there. So my goal is the same as yours, to defeat the Demon King of this world. Right? I didn’t betray or deceive you, did I?”
“…Eh???”
“Yuusha-sama! You must not take the Demon King’s words seriously! It’s all lies!”
“Wow, that’s harsh, Euralia. I’m known to be a fairly honest guy, you know?”
“Quiet! Demon King, don’t call my name so casually, the apostle of God!”
“Oh, don’t get so angry…”
Being yelled at with a demonic expression, I feel a bit down. I knew all along that her attitude was an act and she hated me, but it’s still a little sad to be cursed to my face.
“Wait, wait! Super! Wait for me! There’s too much information, I don’t know what to do…”
“You don’t have to hesitate, Yuusha-sama. That holy sword can only cut evil. So you should just defeat Demon King Ed right away!”
“That’s a bit rough, isn’t it? Well, I understand how you feel.”
“!? For you, a Demon King, to understand the feelings of a servant of God like me――”
“I understand.”
I respond strongly and shortly to the angry, narrow-eyed Euralia. Oh, I understand. I know very well how much God wants to end me.
“Hey, Euralia. I don’t deny your position or thoughts. From God’s point of view, a Demon King is evil that must be defeated just because he’s a Demon King. But is evil really like that? Is it evil to commit evil deeds or if someone is born evil, they are destined to be evil? Is that really right?”
“What!? To question the righteousness of God’s words is outrageous!”
“It’s different. If you believe something is right, it’s your duty to doubt its righteousness.”
“Hmph! What a Demon King-like sophistry. It’s foolish to doubt God… Yuusha-sama, there is no point in talking to such a person anymore! You should subdue him right away!”
“Sigh, I knew it would come to this…”
I give a wry smile and sigh at the indignant Euralia, but Burn slowly opens his mouth.
“…Hey, Ed. What do you mean by what you just said?”
“Yuusha-sama!? You don’t intend to doubt God too, do you!?”
“Not like that… but honestly, I don’t know what to do. So I want some basis for judgment…”
“Isn’t that basis nothing less than God? God’s words are all right, and if we follow them――”
“Then you’re just livestock or slaves.”
“―!!!!”
With an intensity I had never seen before, Eulalia glared at me. She probably didn’t lunge at me because I’m the Demon King. But I can’t stop speaking here. If I don’t convey what I must, our journey will surely end here.
“Hey, Burn. Believing in what great people like gods or kings say and doing as they say is certainly easy. But that’s also the same as throwing the responsibility you should bear onto someone else. The reason to fight, the reason to kill, you throw it all onto someone else. Sure, it makes life easier. So some might deliberately choose to live that way, and I’m not going to deny that. But Burn, if you want to bear the title of ‘Hero’ on your own will, you have to think about it.”
“…What about?”
“What’s right, that’s what. There’s nothing absolutely right or absolutely wrong in this world. Righteousness or evil is just about whether it’s convenient or inconvenient for you, and the way you see it changes depending on where you stand. And Euralia stands in the position of God. From the standpoint of God, the Demon King is evil, so just by existing, I become an evil that must be killed. But Burn, you’re different. You’re not God, you’re a hero. How do I look to you, standing in the position of a hero? Was I evil to you all the way through our journey?”
“I am……….”
“Yuusha-sama!”
Eulalia called out, clinging to Burn’s arm, but Burn closed his eyes tightly, shaking his head vigorously.
“No, it’s impossible! I don’t understand! I do want to believe in Ed, but Ed is the Demon King…”
“Hahaha, then isn’t that the answer?”
“…?”
“Don’t you get it? That’s what I mean by ‘doubting what’s right.’ As I said before, what’s right changes constantly depending on your position and situation. Trusting someone completely isn’t normal. So it’s fine. Trust moderately and doubt moderately. Continue our journey as before while being wary of me. Right, Tia?”
Saying so, I casually looked back.
Actually, I wanted to turn back as soon as I came to this world. To see her face, to hug her, to feel her warmth.
But the Tia here shouldn’t know anything. So I can’t be careless. I was supposed to interact with her as if nothing had happened, without making her realize or worry…
“…Tia?”
Turning to Tia, I see her eyes filled with tears, ready to overflow. Her lips, tightly clenched, softly open, and she steps forward, embracing me.
“Tia!? You remember…?”
“…Welcome back, Ed.”
A voice filled with a myriad of emotions reaches my surprised ears. Ah, a familiar voice. For this voice, I came back here.
Her arms tightly embracing me, the warmth transmitted from there is more precious than anything else. I can’t help but hug her back, putting my hands around Tia’s back.
In the church filled with the light of God, the Demon King and an elf embrace. The feeling of having returned filled me.
It’s Tia, Tia is here. I don’t care about God’s plans or the power of the Demon King. What matters more than anything else, even if I have to trade everything else, is in my arms.
“I’m back, Tia.”
So with all my feelings, I said those words to Tia..
(T/N: Just Marry)
