“What do you mean!? The Hero… Jeed is dead!? Why did this happen!?”
The Hero, whom I was supposed to meet, is dead. I slam the table in response to this fact, stand up, and lean toward the Black Knight. But Tia gently pulls my arm.
“Calm down, Ed. I understand how you feel… though I can’t say that I do, but let’s listen to the rest for now?”
“…Yeah, you’re right. Sorry.”
Hearing Tia’s soothing voice, I quickly regained my composure and sank back into the sofa. I express my gratitude to Tia and my apologies to the Black Knight, but he looks at me suspiciously.
“What’s going on? You, who didn’t even know about the winged ones, how do you know about the Hero? He died two years ago, you know?”
“Heh!? Ah, no, that’s…”
I stammer at his question. Naturally, as my senses have been numb lately, the fact that the world is looping is something that nobody should know about, except for Tia and me. But the fact that I, who didn’t even know about the winged ones that everyone else knew about, knew only about the Hero doesn’t add up.
“Right… I can explain it in one sentence, but it will probably confuse you. But if I explain it properly, it will take a long time. If you want to know, I’ll tell you later. Can we focus on the story of the Hero for now?”
In that case, let’s put it off for now. It’s not that I can’t talk about it, but if I suddenly say “the world is looping,” it will only cause confusion. Without hiding or deceiving, I honestly tell the Black Knight, who grimaces slightly but continues talking.
“Hmm… Well, alright. But you will have to tell me later. As for the Hero… I can only say that the compatibility was just too bad.”
“Compatibility? What do you mean?”
“You may or may not know, but the Hero is the world’s defense mechanism against foreign objects that have intruded without permission. Like you and me, who have entered directly, or those who have gained abnormal power through influence or interference from other worlds, they are removed by giving power to something born in that world, to restore the world to its rightful state. That’s what the Hero is but–“
“Excuse me? May I ask something?”
“Hm? What is it?”
Hearing Tia’s voice, who had raised her hand, the Black Knight reacts.
“Is the Hero only generated against beings influenced from outside? Don’t they naturally arise in the world itself, like Demon Kings and Heroes?”
“That’s what they “claim.” Those born within the world will never gain power that transcends the world. Those who have become strong like a mutation may arbitrarily call themselves “Demon Kings,” and a species that produces a strong individual out of survival instincts may merely acclaim them as “Heroes”. But, like me or that man over there who came from outside, because we are unrelated to the world, beings possessing power that transcends the world do exist. That’s why the world itself desperately creates a “Hero” by directly giving its power to an existence born from itself… Is this explanation sufficient?”
“Yes, that’s enough. Sorry for interrupting.”
“No, don’t worry about it… So, as I was saying, when the winged ones began to invade human territory, naturally, the Hero rose up to counter them. Since my Demon King’s army had been defeated and was no longer able to invade, we considered dealing with the winged ones, who were a greater threat. But, as I said earlier, the compatibility was just too bad. The source of the Hero’s power is the world itself, but the winged ones exist to destroy that world. Therefore, the Hero’s power was unilaterally defeated by the winged ones. Even that man who had stood alone against my Demon King’s army couldn’t lay a finger on the winged ones.”
The Black Knight pauses and gently swirls the wine in his glass, staring at it. However, his eyes seem to be looking somewhere far away, not here.
“The worst part was the very existence of the Hero who ‘gains the aid of the world.’ The winged creatures attack the world but show no interest in the beings living there. They attack without concern for people underfoot, yet they do not pursue those who flee from them. So normally, if the Hero who sensed the disadvantage escaped, that alone should have allowed a reset. But the Hero… the Hero who harbored ‘the power of the world’ within himself was recognized by the winged creatures as part of the ‘world’ that must be destroyed. Ah, I still remember it clearly. Through the eyes of my subordinates, I witnessed that man being pierced by the winged creature’s spear. The armor that deflected my attack shattered like glass, his defiant face froze in astonishment, and the moment when he was crushed without even a corpse remaining…”
“…”
Before the quietly speaking Black Knight, I couldn’t find the words to speak. The Black Knight and the Hero were undeniably enemies. To the extent that I knew, they clashed fiercely many times, and even if their essence was a fight to the death, they must have had their respective thoughts about each other.
“Then you… Black Knight, are you carrying on the Hero’s will, protecting people, and fighting against the winged creatures?”
“Ha! Don’t be a fool, girl! Why should I have to do something like that!”
“Eh? But then, why?”
“It’s simply that I cannot bear to see the world, which will eventually become my territory, laid to waste any further. I’m not protecting the lowly humans. Well, if I find someone with potential, I might recruit them into the greatly diminished Demon King’s army.”
“…I see.”
To the disinterested Black Knight, Tia responded with a short acknowledgment and a small smile. We have no way of knowing the Black Knight’s true intentions… Well, it seems there’s no problem with just watching the situation for a while.
“By the way, I wanted to confirm something. You defeated the winged creature earlier, right? Is that the end of it…?”
“There’s no way that’s the case.”
“I figured.”
At the Black Knight’s words, I respond with a bitter smile. If that had been the end, we wouldn’t be leisurely talking here. The answer is clear from the fact that we’re drinking together now.
“I’ve only been able to defeat the winged creatures for about half a year. Before that, my attacks didn’t affect them at all, but somehow, I’ve got the hang of it now. As a result, I’ve already defeated dozens of them… but honestly, I don’t know to what extent it’s been effective.”
“Is that so? But are there so many of those things?”
I’d rather not have so many opponents against whom my attacks barely work. Hmm, should I become more conscious of using the Demon King’s power? But then again, getting too used to that might also be a problem.
“I wouldn’t say there are so many. All the winged creatures look the same, and at most, there were about thirteen at once? There may be more active in places unknown to humans and me.
And no matter how many I defeat, their numbers don’t decrease. While they don’t revive on the spot, the next day they’ll attack other places as if nothing happened.”
“Oh, really? Whether there’s a limit to how many can appear at once, or if there are many inactive ones or they revive in a short time… I want more information.”
“I agree. But since I’m the only one who can defeat them, there’s nothing more I can do. They don’t approach each other within a certain distance, so it’s impossible to defeat several in one day. Oh, needless to say, humans can’t defeat them either. Even with my full support, they can only hold them back… or rather, they can only delay them by catching the spears.”
“I see… then, next time we’ll fight for information gathering.”
Even if humans can’t fight, Tia and I can. There might be something to learn even if we can’t defeat them, and if the Black Knight can defeat them, there’s a good chance I can too.
Besides, I’m curious about the winged creatures’ purpose. This doesn’t feel like mere harassment against me.
“Then, My Main Body. Shall I consider you an ally for now?”
“Yeah, sounds good. Let’s have a good brawl as fellow Demon Kings.”
“Don’t forget about me, okay?”
With the glass raised by the Black Knight, Tia and I clinked our own glasses together. And so we became allies with a Demon King, a pseudo-Hero in a world where the real Hero had died.
“What do you mean!? The Hero… Jeed is dead!? Why did this happen!?”
The Hero, whom I was supposed to meet, is dead. I slam the table in response to this fact, stand up, and lean toward the Black Knight. But Tia gently pulls my arm.
“Calm down, Ed. I understand how you feel… though I can’t say that I do, but let’s listen to the rest for now?”
“…Yeah, you’re right. Sorry.”
Hearing Tia’s soothing voice, I quickly regained my composure and sank back into the sofa. I express my gratitude to Tia and my apologies to the Black Knight, but he looks at me suspiciously.
“What’s going on? You, who didn’t even know about the winged ones, how do you know about the Hero? He died two years ago, you know?”
“Heh!? Ah, no, that’s…”
I stammer at his question. Naturally, as my senses have been numb lately, the fact that the world is looping is something that nobody should know about, except for Tia and me. But the fact that I, who didn’t even know about the winged ones that everyone else knew about, knew only about the Hero doesn’t add up.
“Right… I can explain it in one sentence, but it will probably confuse you. But if I explain it properly, it will take a long time. If you want to know, I’ll tell you later. Can we focus on the story of the Hero for now?”
In that case, let’s put it off for now. It’s not that I can’t talk about it, but if I suddenly say “the world is looping,” it will only cause confusion. Without hiding or deceiving, I honestly tell the Black Knight, who grimaces slightly but continues talking.
“Hmm… Well, alright. But you will have to tell me later. As for the Hero… I can only say that the compatibility was just too bad.”
“Compatibility? What do you mean?”
“You may or may not know, but the Hero is the world’s defense mechanism against foreign objects that have intruded without permission. Like you and me, who have entered directly, or those who have gained abnormal power through influence or interference from other worlds, they are removed by giving power to something born in that world, to restore the world to its rightful state. That’s what the Hero is but–“
“Excuse me? May I ask something?”
“Hm? What is it?”
Hearing Tia’s voice, who had raised her hand, the Black Knight reacts.
“Is the Hero only generated against beings influenced from outside? Don’t they naturally arise in the world itself, like Demon Kings and Heroes?”
“That’s what they “claim.” Those born within the world will never gain power that transcends the world. Those who have become strong like a mutation may arbitrarily call themselves “Demon Kings,” and a species that produces a strong individual out of survival instincts may merely acclaim them as “Heroes”. But, like me or that man over there who came from outside, because we are unrelated to the world, beings possessing power that transcends the world do exist. That’s why the world itself desperately creates a “Hero” by directly giving its power to an existence born from itself… Is this explanation sufficient?”
“Yes, that’s enough. Sorry for interrupting.”
“No, don’t worry about it… So, as I was saying, when the winged ones began to invade human territory, naturally, the Hero rose up to counter them. Since my Demon King’s army had been defeated and was no longer able to invade, we considered dealing with the winged ones, who were a greater threat. But, as I said earlier, the compatibility was just too bad. The source of the Hero’s power is the world itself, but the winged ones exist to destroy that world. Therefore, the Hero’s power was unilaterally defeated by the winged ones. Even that man who had stood alone against my Demon King’s army couldn’t lay a finger on the winged ones.”
The Black Knight pauses and gently swirls the wine in his glass, staring at it. However, his eyes seem to be looking somewhere far away, not here.
“The worst part was the very existence of the Hero who ‘gains the aid of the world.’ The winged creatures attack the world but show no interest in the beings living there. They attack without concern for people underfoot, yet they do not pursue those who flee from them. So normally, if the Hero who sensed the disadvantage escaped, that alone should have allowed a reset. But the Hero… the Hero who harbored ‘the power of the world’ within himself was recognized by the winged creatures as part of the ‘world’ that must be destroyed. Ah, I still remember it clearly. Through the eyes of my subordinates, I witnessed that man being pierced by the winged creature’s spear. The armor that deflected my attack shattered like glass, his defiant face froze in astonishment, and the moment when he was crushed without even a corpse remaining…”
“…”
Before the quietly speaking Black Knight, I couldn’t find the words to speak. The Black Knight and the Hero were undeniably enemies. To the extent that I knew, they clashed fiercely many times, and even if their essence was a fight to the death, they must have had their respective thoughts about each other.
“Then you… Black Knight, are you carrying on the Hero’s will, protecting people, and fighting against the winged creatures?”
“Ha! Don’t be a fool, girl! Why should I have to do something like that!”
“Eh? But then, why?”
“It’s simply that I cannot bear to see the world, which will eventually become my territory, laid to waste any further. I’m not protecting the lowly humans. Well, if I find someone with potential, I might recruit them into the greatly diminished Demon King’s army.”
“…I see.”
To the disinterested Black Knight, Tia responded with a short acknowledgment and a small smile. We have no way of knowing the Black Knight’s true intentions… Well, it seems there’s no problem with just watching the situation for a while.
“By the way, I wanted to confirm something. You defeated the winged creature earlier, right? Is that the end of it…?”
“There’s no way that’s the case.”
“I figured.”
At the Black Knight’s words, I respond with a bitter smile. If that had been the end, we wouldn’t be leisurely talking here. The answer is clear from the fact that we’re drinking together now.
“I’ve only been able to defeat the winged creatures for about half a year. Before that, my attacks didn’t affect them at all, but somehow, I’ve got the hang of it now. As a result, I’ve already defeated dozens of them… but honestly, I don’t know to what extent it’s been effective.”
“Is that so? But are there so many of those things?”
I’d rather not have so many opponents against whom my attacks barely work. Hmm, should I become more conscious of using the Demon King’s power? But then again, getting too used to that might also be a problem.
“I wouldn’t say there are so many. All the winged creatures look the same, and at most, there were about thirteen at once? There may be more active in places unknown to humans and me.
And no matter how many I defeat, their numbers don’t decrease. While they don’t revive on the spot, the next day they’ll attack other places as if nothing happened.”
“Oh, really? Whether there’s a limit to how many can appear at once, or if there are many inactive ones or they revive in a short time… I want more information.”
“I agree. But since I’m the only one who can defeat them, there’s nothing more I can do. They don’t approach each other within a certain distance, so it’s impossible to defeat several in one day. Oh, needless to say, humans can’t defeat them either. Even with my full support, they can only hold them back… or rather, they can only delay them by catching the spears.”
“I see… then, next time we’ll fight for information gathering.”
Even if humans can’t fight, Tia and I can. There might be something to learn even if we can’t defeat them, and if the Black Knight can defeat them, there’s a good chance I can too.
Besides, I’m curious about the winged creatures’ purpose. This doesn’t feel like mere harassment against me.
“Then, My Main Body. Shall I consider you an ally for now?”
“Yeah, sounds good. Let’s have a good brawl as fellow Demon Kings.”
“Don’t forget about me, okay?”
With the glass raised by the Black Knight, Tia and I clinked our own glasses together. And so we became allies with a Demon King, a pseudo-Hero in a world where the real Hero had died.
