Chapter 288
- The Stories of Others (1)
#1 Their Circumstances: The Circumstances of a Demon King
“Ugh…!”
Blood flowing from my chest slowly drips down.
It’s painful. It was the first time I felt this much pain since becoming the Demon King.
“Just what… Was that?”
The wide wound the hero inflicted in my side at the cost of his life. It was an excellent blow I did not expect at all.
As expected of the savior of the world, the mortal enemy of the representative of evil!
As if to prove his name as the natural born hero Swin, he assaulted me burning his own life.
If I had focused on defense instead of offense, I would have been struck down by the hero’s sword.
But my instincts, tempered by carrying out countless missions in an evil organization, and overcoming numerous adversities as a hero afterwards, chose to attack rather than defend.
With that choice, the hero’s death was certain… Until that monster appeared.
“Ugh….”
Blood flowed from the wound inflicted by that monster. It was a critical injury.
At the moment she stabbed her sword into my heart, I couldn’t believe how flexible the sword pierced inside me moved.
If my reaction had been even slightly slower, my heart and surrounding organs would have been shredded.
“Recovery is slow.”
Even pouring recovery potions and using recovery magic at the same time, this serious wound would not heal easily.
Moreover, I could not receive the effects of recovery magic.
A Demon King is a being that has stepped outside the boundaries of the world.
As such, I am immune to things like magical power created by the laws of the world.
This was a double-edged sword.
While I gained immunity to the attack magic and curses of my opponents, I also became immune to recovery magic and various buff magics.
Therefore, this wound could only be healed by natural recuperative abilities, but the situation was not good.
Boom!
“There he is!”
“Dammit!”
I hear the voices after the attack has already been launched at me.
The Karan Empire. Mankind’s strongest nation, and the nation that practically ruled the entire continent….
And…
“Why…?”
I was on their Special Pursuit list.
“Die!”
“I can’t die to some no-name knight!”
A shabbily dressed man covered in dirt swung his sword as he charged at me.
I also draw my sword to block his strike and slash at his chest…!
“Damn, he’s strong!”
“This is crazy….”
Those were the words I wanted to say.
No matter how much of an imperial swordsman he might be, I was once known as the strongest hero.
Even with the help of the gods, I alone took down a dragon, and that ability remained at its peak after becoming the Demon King.
Yet my attack was blocked by a swordsman whose name I don’t even know!
To hide monster-like masters of this level, the Empire was truly mighty.
“Are you a knight of the Empire?”
With skills like these, in a kingdom lacking Swordmasters he would at least be a royal knight commander.
No matter how powerful the Empire might be, there’s no way they would call such a master a novice.
“What nonsense are you spouting!”
Clang!
I reacted a bit slowly to the swordsman’s words as he swung his sword again.
“What bullshit! There’s no way a kid like me could be a knight!”
A novice?
If he’s a novice, then all of the continent’s knights must be newborns.
“I told you, I’m an imperial trainee knight!”
“What are you talking about!”
It was an incomprehensible claim.
In my assessment as a hero who wandered countless kingdoms, this man was clearly a master swordsman who would be a royal knight commander in a small kingdom.
No matter how powerful the Empire might be, there’s no way they would call such a master a trainee.
“A code word?”
If that’s the case, then this man must belong to some very special organization within the Empire, and his codename being Trainee makes sense.
“What nonsense have you been spouting!”
“Gah!”
Blood spurted from my heart from the trainee swordsman’s strike. My wound had opened up.
“I can’t waste any more time on the likes of you!”
No matter how hidden an existence he might be, I am the Demon King.
An existence that brings terror to the world.
An existence that tries to destroy the world.
An undefeated being until struck down by the hero’s sword!
“Hraaah!”
His swordsmanship may be outstanding, but in pure swordsmanship I was superior.
The strike I had risked my life to learn from that instructor could not be blocked by the trainee as he was sent flying.
“Burn.”
“A spirit?”
A high ranking fire spirit that suddenly appeared strikes its fist at me.
“Tsk!”
Clicking my tongue briefly, I could not deliver the finishing blow and had to flee again.
Completely assassinating him would have avoided increasing enemies later, but things change when the opponent is a summoner.
“Just what is the Empire…!”
Originally, summoning magic was a skill only select chosen ones could use. While anyone with enough magical power can summon creatures, contracting those summons is a different matter.
No matter how much magical power one has, if the summon rejects forming a contract with the summoner, no contract can be made. Yet the imperial army chasing me could basically all use summoning magic.
Aside from earth spirits that can move the earth itself, most other spirits are relatively easy to deal with. But my enemy was the imperial army.
The summoner using fire spirits could also summon earth spirits, or water spirits.
While it’s not impossible to defeat high ranking summons if I tried, buying time by enduring was possible.
One minute, no, even just 30 seconds.
Just delaying them that much, countless imperial enemies would charge at me. Having experienced battle multiple times already, I could quickly abandon the enemy.
Rooooaaar!
“He went that way!”
“Those crazy guys!”
They attacked before uttering a word again. Confirming a giant hole open up 40 meters ahead from the massive explosive sound, I quickly started running hunkered down as much as possible.
“Just a little… A little more!”
I just needed to cross two more mountains. Then I could link up with the approaching evil army.
I knew the evil army could not defeat the imperials, but they could at least buy me some time.
As long as I can successfully flee, that’s good enough.
If I can just get the final fragment of evil the Instructor has, and buy enough time until the fragment of evil I handed Parfesey grows big enough!
No matter how many monsters the Empire has, I would be able to taint the world with evil and bring ruin.
And for now,
“I will endure.”
This was a time I had to endure over and over.
What was the reason I lived? What was the reason I tried to ruin the world?
Was it not for the sake of her who had to face a gruesome death despite doing her utmost for the world?
It was revenge for her. Or more accurately, revenge for my own satisfaction.
And for that, there was nothing I would not endure.
So I will endure.
“Where did you scurry off to, Demon King!”
“A Demon King got whipped by a trainee! Is that really a Demon King?”
“He says he became the Demon King! Do your parents know that?”
“Your parents didn’t feed you so you could say crap like that!”
To think the strongest army would spout such lowly insults…!
#2 Their Circumstances: The Circumstances of a Hero
“Good work.”
I shook my head at Mirea wiping sweat from her brow.
“I didn’t really do anything.”
It wasn’t false modesty. The Demon King fleeing was all thanks to Mirea.
If Mirea hadn’t been there, then…
“I was moments away from being killed by the Demon King after all.”
I would have been killed by the Demon King.
“You fought well for someone fighting the Demon King alone.”
“Alone…”
It’s true I fought the Demon King alone. But right before attacking, I barely managed to hold my own after receiving all kinds of buffs from multiple saints and priests, including heals. And that was only thanks to using several gambles.
Yet the Demon King calmly blocked my assault and even attempted a counterattack without panicking.
Thanks to that, I had to stake my life to prepare a final strike.
I strengthened my body with magic power and waited for an opportunity. Right before the enemy unleashed his final blow, I chose either he or I would die and swung my sword.
Thanks to that I managed to inflict a long wound on the Demon King’s flank, but that was it.
Despite his grievous wound, the Demon King did not cease his assault and kept pushing me.
So this is how it ends. My shit luck has drawn the curtain on my fate here.
The moment I thought that, Mirea appeared.
And died.
Mirea’s figure, bisected and falling to the ground, was surreal.
Did she really die? That Mirea? When she looks like she could move at any second to sever the Demon King’s neck?
The moment I thought that, Mirea who appeared behind the Demon King stabbed her sword into his chest.
“What… What was that?”
Mirea collapsed on the ground looked real.
It wasn’t magic or illusion.
Blood was gushing from the corpse on the ground that was Mirea, and the blood was hot.
“That is…?”
Pop!
Suddenly, Mirea jumps out from midair. Her corpse with separated lower and upper body.
“What the hell! Crazy!”
I recoiled back in shock at Mirea’s corpse plopping down.
“Recovery still not working, huh?”
“I told you not to summon it….”
“What, what is it?”
Mirea, who had fallen on the ground, started grumbling.
“Sorry. My partner said he wanted to see you.”
“It’s a pain so can I go back?”
“Yes, yes.”
The moment my eyes met Mirea collapsed on the ground, I couldn’t help but nod.
“Then, I’ll get going?”
“Good work.”
Mirea waved at the disappearing corpse as it faded away.
“What was that?”
I don’t know what it was, but it was seriously creepy.
Two Mireas.
If there were two Mireas, they might have been able to handle a single Instructor.
“A summon creature.”
“A summon?”
“Yeah. A doppelganger. I saw one before and thought it might be useful so I made a pact.”
A doppelganger? Seen one before?
Something rang a bell.
“Don’t tell me… The time Howling was destroyed?”
“Yeah. It was so effective it fooled the Imperial army too, right?”
“Certainly.”
The doppelganger’s effect had definitely been outstanding, tricking an army of tens of thousands from the Empire. Copying not just that person’s looks, but personality and abilities to some extent was the doppelganger’s trait.
Especially compared to magic dolls and golems, their natural behavior and high intellect made them very helpful.
There were even times we fought the doppelgangers of senior cadets during the training at Howling.
However, doppelgangers had a critical weakness as summon creatures.
“But doppelgangers are demons, right?”
That’s right. Doppelgangers were demons. And quite dangerous high ranking demons at that.
While they exist as multiple entities rather than single powerful greater demons, making contracts with them is easier than greater demons, but, demons are still demons.
There’s no way forming contracts with such beings could be easy….
“Did you forget what we have?”
“What? Don’t tell me you made some scam contract?”
There was the case of the far superior greater demon Surtur forced into a slave contract after being conned by the Instructor.
As the Instructor’s disciple, Mirea doing something similar wouldn’t be surprising.
“Nope.”
“Not it?”
“Yeah. That kind of scam only works if you know demons well. I used the Yugrasia method.”
“The Yugrasia method?”
Yugrasia. That place. The prestigious institution Instructor worked as a professor at in the Empire.
If Instructor worked as a professor there, then surely it turned into a new hell.
“Don’t tell me some naturally manifested…?”
And demons were born there making contracts with the students!
“No way.”
“I could see that happening though?”
While Mirea denied it, I could totally see Instructor making that happen.
“That’s not it. The Yugrasia method is…”
I quietly listened to Mirea explanation.
It was nonsensical in some ways, and sensible in others.
“So basically, summon them first, then when they come to their senses beat them black and blue with a wooden stick before they can reverse summon themselves? Until they form a contract?”
“Yeah.”
Mirea nodded expressionlessly. I wanted to ask her.
Just what color is your blood?
“Red.”
“You didn’t have to answer! Guh…!”
The moment I screamed, my wound tore open and blood started pouring out.
Damn! This was a serious injury needing at least a week to recover from.
“What are you planning to do now?”
The Demon King undoubtedly suffered more serious wounds than me.
I couldn’t help it.
No matter how powerful the Demon King, there’s no way he could be uninjured after having his heart shredded.
If we pursued him now, we would be able to strike down the Demon King and save the world. And as an extra, I would be free from my contract and could live a free life too.
“What we’ll do is, like Instructor taught, we’ll dangle some bait.”
But Mirea knew I wouldn’t want that.
“Bait that could catch the Demon King, Instructor, and my recipe all at once.”
Mirea’s faint smile had something about it that naturally reminded one of the Instructor.
To be honest, if this guy turned out to be the Final Boss, I don’t think we’d stand a chance…
– Sorry. I did not know…
Oh damn god, could you stay silent at times like these!
