Chapter 68 - Volume 4 (1/2)
Volume 4, Chapter 19: The Demon Princess, Part 2
“……Al. Are you sure you don’t want to come?”
“…………”
Alfio couldn’t reply to Anteikowa the Elf’s, words.
It was the first time he’d gone to war. The threatening power of the real Hero. A raging, large-scale magic. Even the Daemons were afraid of the genuine Saint, who had healed tens of thousands of the injured in a flash.
The girl that he had thought was collaborating with the Daemons had brokered peace with the Daemons, and in addition, she rushed in to a horrible place where even he could not enter as a Hero.
It was like a black vortex that continued into hell.
Since he had memories of his previous life, he thought that it would be impossible to head into such a place, where common sense didn’t exist.
Anteikowa, who had been called a [Saint] as well, was having issues when compared with a true Saint, and Alfio who was also trying to show his power as a [Hero].
But she didn’t recognize that she wasn’t the [Real Thing], or that the Hero that she had chosen was a [Fake].
“Really……… In that case, I will be walking my own path from here on in.”
“Eeh…… Anko…?”
Anteikowa pulled her hand out of Alfio’s outstretched hand, and then began to collect her things.
“Well, err…… Al, I will also be going back to my home.”
“Ch-Cheria…?”
Looking somewhat sorry, the swordswoman Cheria began to pack her equipment beside Anteikowa.
“Al is a hero… I would be happy if I could help. But, I am about to get married, and my parents are starting to getting annoyed”
In other words, if he wasn’t a hero, then they wouldn’t want to spend time with him normally.
“Bye then, Al. It was fun up until now. I will go home escorted by Anko.”
“Thank you for your help. Let’s go, Cheria.”
“……O-oi…”
Even as he spoke in an inaudible, husky voice that couldn’t be heard, the two of them turned around, and broke away from Alfio.
“……………”
Alfio crumbled as if he had been knocked over, as his lovers experienced a change of heart even after they’d travelled together for years.
Alfio didn’t know what had gone wrong. Was it because he didn’t have the [Courage] to fight like a hero? It was really impossible to avoid that much danger.
Someone gently approached Alfio who was stuck there without an answer.
“……E-err… Al-sama…?”
“…………Ophe~…?”
Alfio faltered as he looked at the only girl that remained.
When he thought about it, Alfio had no memory of interacting or conversing much with Ophelia.
He saw her only as the [Younger sister of the beautiful noble sister siblings], and since she was 13 at the time, he was more fascinated with the beauty and nobility of Athena, but had invited her anyway, being unable to lay his hands on the two of them, since they were very young.
A younger sister who couldn’t do anything without her older sister; a girl that liked the things her sister liked, and turned herself away from the things her sister didn’t.
Only such a little girl… called out to Alfio by herself.
Athena had recently been cold towards Alfio. Be that as it was, Alfio didn’t know why Ophelia was calling out to him.
“A-Al-sama, please cheer up… those two… they… if you do your best, they will come back.”
Speaking for herself for the first time, Ophelia’s words raised Alfio’s spirits.
“Ophe~……”
Alfio felt like he had finally seen what the inside of this girl was like.
Clumsy, weak, foolish, a simpleton, an idiot… and yet really gentle.
“……A, Al-sama…?”
“Opheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”
“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!?”
As Alfio tried to hug Ophelia with a teary face that was overflowing with emotion, Ophelia screamed and fell backwards on her butt.
“I, I was a fooooooool…… It’s fine if only Ophe remained. Let’s go home and start a farm. Let’s work hard to do food processing. I won’t let you be poor; I will never cheat on you, so please marry meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee”
“eh? ah, Yes… EeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHH??”
Ophelia replied despite being in a huge fluster. She was surprised by Alfio and his actions, and held on to his crying face that was like a child’s, quietly stroking it.
Alfio had finally gained the [Courage] to live as a true person after experiencing two lives.
Ophelia also finally remembered that he was to be 15 this year, the age of marriage.
What would her sister say if she saw this situation?
And if those two who went elsewhere were to know that the two of them were going to get married……
{………ah.}
Ophelia, who was always following at the back in the Shiguresu Hero party remembered well the contents of the [Wanted Poster] she noticed as they left the last city.
{Strangely, there were a lot of features of Alfio listed… Since there’re few Elves here, they would stand out, but will be okay to go to the town?}
＊＊＊
“[FuhahahahahahaAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA]”
“Ahahahahahahaahahahahahahhahahahahahahahah”
“[Haa!?]”
Heraness jumped back with a startled face as he noticed a golden-haired girl that was laughing in the same way next to him.
“[You!]”
“Oh, I’ve been rude. I am Yurushia. I’m pleased to make your acquaintance.”
With not even a shred of tension, plucking at the hem of her black and silver dress was a [Devil] that was gracefully greeting him, and Heraness’ face warped.
And at his other shoulder…
“[Yurushia, that is one of the Demon World’s Seven Pillars, the [Demon Lords]… well, now it’s 6 pillars. That’s one of them.]”
The violent [Demon Beast] that had killed and eaten one of the pillars of the Demon World, the [Demon Lords], was sitting there as a black cat.
“Then it’s considerably strong, Rinne?”
“[It’s weaker than I am. Or rather, it’s the weakest among the [Demon Lords]. It’s just a little bit stronger than Yurushia.]”
“Fuuhn~”
“[…………]”
He was irritated by that attitude that lacked in nervousness, and it seemed both of them were Demons that were [Named] just like Heraness, the first in thousands of years, with uncertain abilities, and usually the [Demon Lords]paid attention to the new [Devils].
Moreover, they were even able to [Manifest] here fully due to his negligence, something that even he couldn’t do.
“[Welcome, Yurushia, and Rinne. Welcome to my, Heraness’, base… or perhaps I should say it was good of you to have come. This is a pocket dimension that I made for the sake of connecting to the material world. If you were an ordinary Demon…… no, because you are Demons, you shouldn’t have been able to make it here easily.]”
Because of that he was careless.
Heraness knew that there was an unknown [Demon] that was near Geas that could be called an [Irregularity], but he didn’t think that it would get involved.
An unknown [Demon]…… How could such a ridiculous existence be born?
“Is that so? I was able to come normally…”
“[It’s only just because of [Yurushia]. If I wasn’t on your shoulder, I wouldn’t know if even I would be able to reach it properly. In fact, the four of them haven’t arrived yet, right?]”
“Ah~… that’s true.”
The three kinds of Demons that stood at the top of the Demon World, a [Demon Lord], a [Demon Beast], and a [Devil] were together in a narrow space that was not even a tenth of the world, that should never have happened.
Moreover, this [Relaxed] atmosphere should be impossible.
Even though there are three pillar Demons, even though the magic power and miasma swirled, and even as the space began to decay, it would not be strange to say that this would become a second Demon World where lesser Demons would spawn infinitely.
“By the way…”
Yurushia’s atmosphere changed, and there was a slimy, coal-tar-like presence.
“Hirai-san, won’t you give me this?”
“[Who, is that…]”
Heraness was puzzled by the feeling of wanting to make multiple questions at the same time, but forcibly returned it to the main line of questioning forcibly.
“[Is this……? You knew that there was a [Contract] with me, cousins?]”
There was Geas surrounded by the three Greater Demon Pillars, on the verge of death and madness. Heraness’ appearance cheered upon seeing a decent reaction.
The contracts of Demons were [Absolute]. If one broke it of their own will, it would cause [self-denial], and their very existence would be compromised.
Trying to nullify it was to be declare complete hostilities to that Demon, and indeed, it was as if they were proclaiming their [Enmity] towards [Demon Lord] Heraness.
And yet……
“Did you say something? Monkey-san”
A beautiful Demon girl that had a smile like a flower.
With that one line, Heraness’ face distorted into that of a Demonic monkey, and the [Demon Beast] that was on the shoulder of the [Devil] breathed a quiet sigh.
In that instant, Heraness and Yurushia’s hands stretched towards Geas at the same time, and as their hands clashed, discernible sparks scattered, and Heraness grasped Geas with one hand and fled to the rear.
The right sleeve of the Yurushia’s dress was broken, and Heraness bled black from where he had been struck across the left cheek, even as he laughed.
“[…Fast. But, it’s my win here.]”
Even as he spoke Heraness flew backwards and disappeared into a big door that was formed from the shadows.
＊
“……He got away.”
“[The opponent is a several-thousand-year-old [Demon Lord], after all. An [Arch demon] would have been annihilated with that amount.]”
“Am I not old enough?”
While looking at my dress that was happily sucking up my magic power to regenerate itself, I appropriately responded to Rinne’s sermon.
But it was strong indeed. Before I fought against Rinne I would have been afraid.
“[…Are you planning on pursuing?]”
“Of course.”