1 Last Boss (2/2)
”(I don't know what this guy wants after everything he's done but since he has no plans to battle then I cannot slay him but rather convince him to surrender)” he thought.
”Thank you, Sir Kazuya. I hope that you will forgive me for being blunt. Please keep an open and calm mind because I would not have gone to such lengths just to mislead you. At first, I had every intention to fight you to the death, but in the recent years, I have found a reason to want to avoid that and even risk the life I recently did not want to lose to provide that specific reason a better future”
”Are you talking about a peace treaty after everything that has been done? After all the lives have been lost? I'm sorry but that is not…”
”I'm afraid you are gravely mistaken Sir Kazuya. I am not here to negotiate about another peace treaty that was broken by you humans in the first place”
”What a bunch of lies! You're telling me that it was--”
He slammed the table but was startled when he looked into the clear and truthful eyes of the king before him. He was blessed with godly intuition which was very accurate and combining it with his observational skills, he decided to silently sit back down and listen.
”You've met a lot of demons and races in your several years in our world correct?”
”What does that have to do with anything?”
”Have any Demons or Beast Race people you've come across with ever broke oaths and promises to you before?”
”No”
”How about humans?”
”…”
The answer could be seen on his face. The best example of this the royal palace and the inner courts where hypocrisy was at its highest. Even his original world was full of politicians and businessmen that were either worse or on the same level.
Compared to them, demons, especially beast races were easier to trust since most of them lived and took pride in their promises. This was an undeniable fact based on his experiences and interactions with them for the past few years.
”That is of course excluding dwarves, imps, and the like”
”pu…”
Kazuya tried holding back his laughter at the sudden comment. Who didn't know that most common greedy dwarves would turn their backs on you as long as there was a better offer?
”That was not meant as a joke though”
””Hahahahaha!”” Finally, unable to hold back. The two of them laughed dispelling the tense atmosphere altogether.
”Fine… you win. I'll seriously listen what you have to say”
”I didn't plan on discussing much about the war but since you seem to be under the impression that it was us who started the war then I am sorry to inform you that you have been fooled by them as well. The war was started in order to take advantage of an unexpected success of an experiment”
”Experiment? What experiment?”
”Well… it was the sudden success of the hero summoning”
”What!? Because of me?”
”Not precisely because of you. It was to test the legend of summoned heroes. Since no human has ever lived from the generation of the previous hero Natsu otherwise called as Uriel”
”You… knew him?”
”Not only did I know him, he was the one who granted peace for all races that lasted until the current scheme that broke it. I may not look that old to you, but I was once a young and ambitious demon lord that wanted to conquer everything before I met him during that time”
”This is… all a little too hard to take in…”
”I know it is, but we do not have a lot of time for discussion, so I want you to be able to listen to the truth before you make your own decision. The previous hero was a close friend of mine and since you came from the same world as him, I decided to try and put my trust in you as well”
”Why? Why would you go so far just for that?”
”It was because of something Natsu once told me about. Unlike you, he was in this world for more than two decades before he was able to return to your world. Thus, he made me make two promises; First, If another hero was summoned with the purpose of war then I would at least talk to you like I am now and come to a peaceful conclusion. Second, to inform you of what he found out during his research and his own theory regarding it”
Kazuya looked calm on the outside but his mind was currently in disarray. Things have really been taken a sudden turn after listening to the humble demon lord in front of him. The fact that he appeared as he currently is right now and not the described crude and bloodthirsty demon lord he was portrayed to be gave enormous doubts on the human side of things.
He hated to admit it but a lot of things made more sense the longer their conversation went. What was he here for then? Was he just a pawn to feed the human's ambition and greed? Demons were truly vicious and fierce but every single one of them he has slain, especially the high ranked ones always reminded him of the heroes and valiant warriors he admired from his own world.
”Why…?”
A quiet murmur coming from him reached the demon lord's ears.
”What do you mean?”
”Why didn't you try reaching out to me before all this? We could have avoided an all-out war if we had talked earlier”
The demon lord looked at the serious expression on the hero's face and gave a deep sigh.
”Did you think I didn't try? Not only have I tried, but I've done so multiple times to the point that in almost all your campaigns, I was present. Do you remember the letter you found on your tent at your first campaign? The merchant who wanted to discuss the price of sulfur privately? The slave trader who insists on protecting client's preferences privately? Those are just examples, but you have
been tightly under guard and observation which foiled all my attempts”
”Then that was… you?”
”Indeed. I've neglected to tell you that I myself travel freely to live amongst the races these past few decades. I do not like being held up in this stuffy castle all the time and it gives me a better understanding on the current news and events on each race's circumstances. That is why I've tried communicating with you even before the so-called war escalated where you had to take action yourself”
Still in a state of confusion, the hero was panicking and hardly understood the explanations of the demon lord. His mind came to a certain realization when they talked about the attempts of communicating with him.
”I've been under close guard and observation… That should be wrong since most of the time I've only been…”
”I need not say it myself since you yourself have come to the same conclusion. My attempts were foiled every single time by the same group of people. I am sorry to say that you have indeed been under close watch by your so-called aides and companions”