Chapter 252
- Ah, is that so? (8)
This is really my fault.
– Yes, it’s your fault.
It was an uncool, rude response unlike her.
– Hmph! And I was trying to share the secrets of the world with you! It was you who rejected it!
No. This was a problem caused by my usual behavior.
If I had been more thoughtful in the past, I wouldn’t have ignored her words like that.
You’re right. This is all…
– My master’s fault?
– Yes.
It seems to be my fault.
“I’ve been wondering for a while now. Why did the god who must maintain the balance of the world unseal the evil? Why did she do that?”
What do I feel is the reason?
If it’s this guy…
“Just because s he felt like it?”
The one who popped out from the metal bat in the form of a girl said it like it was obvious.
“…Is that all?”
“Is there a need for any other reason?”
There needs to be.
When that seal was opened, the world nearly perished. And even after that, the Demon King kept appearing trying to destroy it.
It’s too great a damage the world has suffered to just say just because.
“The realm I was in charge of when I was a god was greed and desire. I just diligently did my job as the god of greed and desire when I unsealed the evil. What’s wrong with that?”
“It seems very wrong?”
The shamelessness that burst out in an instant was startling.
Does this guy have any awareness that she nearly destroyed the world?
“Master… Sometimes gods have to do what they want even knowing it could lead to the world’s destruction.”
“It’s not just you though?”
“I was just diligently doing my job as the god of greed and desire!”
Ahem!
Seeing her put her hands on her hips and stick out her chest, I could feel the troubles of the gods. She must have acted this way even when she wasn’t an evil god.
“I just wanted to do it…”
Seeing her repeat the same words, even the Demon King seems to find her words absurd.
“Good.”
Huh? What did I just hear?
“You understand some things.”
The metal bat looked at me with an expression like ‘See?’.
What is it? That confident look?
No, before that, how twisted does the Demon King have to be to become like this? He wasn’t originally like this!
“I became a hero, and couldn’t do what I wanted. I’ve always lived to protect something, but failed to protect the most important thing.”
Hmm… The Demon King doesn’t look well. That’s why he could react like that to the metal bat’s nonsense.
“Nonsense. Being honest about your desires is very good.”
“You’re right. Rather than losing precious things being concerned about how others see you, honestly doing what you want to do is best.”
“Yes! Desire is good! Being honest with yourself!”
…No matter if he’s the Demon King apostle to evil, his words seem to connect well.
“What are you talking about? The apostle of the evil god is master.”
“Huh?”
What nonsense is this again?
“As expected…”
Shuttle, who seemed confused by the abrupt development, looked at me as if he knew all along.
Shuttle, I think it’s going a bit too far for you to act like this.
“The only apostle I chose, that is master. While the master is my master, I am also the master’s master!”
“What kind of crazy relationship is that?”
A master and slave relationship where you’re both! Where does such a relationship exist!
“Right here!”
“As expected, an apostle of the evil god…”
“Hey…”
It’s obviously nonsense but everyone except me seems to believe the metal bat’s words.
At this rate, I’ll be recognized as an apostle of the evil god by the evil god, the Demon King, and the saint of their religion.
“As expected, Master… Bearing a fragment of evil, and even taking the evil god around.”
No matter if he’s the Demon King related to evil, isn’t he accepting it too calmly?
For some reason, I feel like he would have believed it even if we met when he was the hero rather than the Demon King.
“It’s all master’s karma.”
We’re clearly enemies with the Demon King, so why does it sound like everyone is worried I’ll lose to him? What did I do wrong?
“Ignoring my words.”
…Still on about that?
“I’m a delicate goddess!”
The metal bat turned her head away to avoid eye contact with me, just snorting.
“Evil god, I have a proposal for you.”
“What is it?”
Seeing me and Shuttle like that, the Demon King speaks up.
I have a bad feeling. I feel like I know what the Demon King is going to say.
“Will you join us?”
“Oh! A scout offer!”
“That’s right. Our name itself is the Evil god’s Army. It’s natural for the Evil goddess to lead us.”
“Oh!”
“You can’t do that!”
“Yeah!”
Seeing the metal bat’s reaction to the Demon King’s words, she was in a hyper mood I haven’t seen recently.
Hearing about her recent temper and being the Goddess of Greed and Desire, I had a feeling she would happily join the enemy and destroy things!
“You won’t really go, right?”
“What to do?”
The metal bat hummed a tune while still avoiding eye contact with me.
Our lives and the fate of the world waver back and forth depending on the choice of this guy!
“Should have treated me well before.”
“To be honest, haven’t I served you poorly, goddess?”
“Hmph! Calling me goddess now! You ignored me when I told you to call me that before!”
“I’m sorry!”
I quickly spat out an apology.
Seeing the metal bat take a step forward towards the Demon King as she spoke, I had no choice but to throw away my pride.
“Hmm~”
“Goddess, we are ready to show greed and desire to the world.”
“Oh, I have always been greedy and full of desire!”
I can feel Shuttle’s gaze turn cold next to me, but I have no choice.
Shuttle, I’m throwing away my pride now to save the world!
“If my master had been like this always, I wouldn’t waver…”
“I’ll do better from now on!”
“I’ve watched you for a long time, so I know the moment the Demon King disappears, you’ll switch sides immediately.”
This guy… As expected, he knows me too well.
“Do you not think so?”
“Hmm… That’s tempting to say, but being by my master’s side is more fun!”
When the metal bat provoked me without a definite answer, the Demon King stepped in to confirm the metal bat’s intentions.
“That’s too bad.”
He had a truly regretful expression.
“Then you’ll have to die.”
“Master, as expected you taught me well. The moment I reject him, he changes his expression and says ” I’ll kill me.”
“I taught you well.”
It’s good to persuade them if needed, but it’s best to swiftly remove guys who can’t be persuaded.
“You know your master is included in that target?”
“Hahaha! No need to worry with the goddess by his side!”
Metal bat the evil god who once nearly brought the world to ruin.
She’s hidden her powers until now to conceal her identity, but now that her identity is revealed, she’ll show tremendous power!
The power of a god could be dangerous even for the Demon King!
“Master? Sorry to pour cold water on your expectations, but… I’m the goddess of Greed and Desire! There’s no way I’d hide any powers!”
“No powers?”
“Nope, none of that. Actually, I have some lingering effects from when I was sealed away. My powers weren’t properly organized when I woke up.”
“An evil god with no powers?”
“My younger sister stole my soul too when I was sealed away.”
Unlike laughing at the metal bat, the Demon King’s expression hardened as he started emitting some black stuff.
“No way to stop that?”
“Nope, no way.”
“Shuttle, how about you?”
“I don’t think I can either.”
I tried talking to them as the black sphere grew larger and larger, but no one could help.
“My master can’t help either.”
“Right.”
Seeing me nod, the metal bat let out a deep sigh.
“Since my master has a fragment of evil or something, maybe he won’t die?”
“You’re an evil god, so maybe you won’t die either?”
“Hahaha! Then I’ll just stay back.”
I felt bad for the laughing Shuttle, but I couldn’t guarantee I would live either.
This is bad. It doesn’t seem like there’s any way to stop that.
The only thing left is for a hero to appear and defeat the evil Demon King, but does such a hero exist? When the strongest hero is in that state?
“I’m sorry, Instructor. Please die for the sake of my goal.”
The black aura clumped and clumped together, forming into a giant spear.
And the moment that spear shot forward—
Kooowoong!
Along with a thunderous boom that shook heaven and earth, the ground started trembling.
“What are you doing?!”
I didn’t do anything though.
If I had such an ability, I would have run away long ago!
“Was it you?”
“I told you I don’t have that kind of ability.”
That’s right. Then what’s left is…
“Could it be the God of Nature doing this…”
It was an ambiguous answer, but it was the most hopeful possibility.
To save the world! And to save his priest!
The God of Nature could have used his powers to stop the Demon King!
“It still stands!”
Seeing the barrier gradually crumbling, the Demon King grit his teeth and hurled the evil energy he had gathered at me.
“Metal bat!”
Just once, just block it once.
Whoever it was with enough power to break through the Demon King’s barrier.
While they fight after breaking the barrier, we can escape!
So we just need to block that once.
-Can you block it?
-We have to block it to live.
I gripped the metal bat in my hand tightly.
What I need now is an application of the swordsmanship I learned.
Using the metal bat’s form and swordsmanship, that spear—!
“Smack aw… Huh?”
The moment I tried to hit the hurled spear away, a spear of dazzling white light collided with the black spear in the sky, causing an explosion.
“Kgh!”
I was forced to stumble back 10 steps from the shockwave.
Thanks to Shuttle quickly making a barrier next to me, I just got pushed back instead of getting seriously injured somewhere.
-Trying to hit something like that away…
-I didn’t have any other method.
Even making the metal bat into armor, it felt like it would pierce through, so I had no other choice but to try batting it away.
“Who are you?!”
The Demon King, failing with his spear, scowled and looked up at the sky.
With this pattern, it must be a hero.
The villain gets questions and backstories before the late joining protagonist ally or savior makes them pay.
Not even knowing that… You still have much to learn, my former disciple!
“Are you wondering who I am?”
The voice coming from outside the crumbling barrier was a beautiful, feminine one.
“How did you break through this barrier? Just being strong wouldn’t allow you to break this barrier!”
“I have no obligation to tell you.”
“Tch!”
Along with a sound cutting through the wind, an explosion could be heard.
An accurate spear precisely striking the Demon King’s position!
The enormous aura falling with the dazzling white light was powerful enough even the Demon King couldn’t evade it.
“This is…”
“That’s…”
The fallen spear looked like something I had seen before.
Describing it in words, it was a spear made of wood, but not a bamboo spear.
Brown with an irregular shape.
The identity of the hurled spear was the form of a tree branch itself!
-Master? Could that be what I think it is?
-I think so too?
Seeing a tree branch emitting a faint something unlike an ordinary tree branch, it reminded me of something.
The wooden bat I made to train the imperial soldiers and my disciples.
A branch of the World Tree I saw before making it looked like this.
“This is the World Tree’s power? Don’t tell me!”
“Yes, don’t tell me.”
As if to confirm mine and the metal bat’s guess, that conversation could be heard.
“That is a branch of the World Tree.”
Outside the completely shattered barrier, thousands of troops had gathered. And the elf at the head of those troops was looking at me, not even glancing at the Demon King!
Could it be…
“It’s fate that we meet in a situation I’ve been waiting for, but I guess this kind of thing is fate as well.”
As our eyes met, the elf at the front smiled lightly.
“That’s right, isn’t it, Prince?”
