2 Hero Summoning Research (1/2)
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”Preposterous! I would like to see how you'll talk me into believing my companions are indeed scheming against me as well” He was agitated but who could blame him. He had been through a lot and spent the most time with them when he was called to this unknown world.
”I would have liked to inform you which of them had not been included but, I'm afraid… they, at some point… perished along your journey. The only ones that remain are of the human kingdoms or part of one of the main factions”
Kazuya was shaken. He thought about the companions that have made it this far with him. Each of them belonging indeed with the humans despite racial differences.
Alicia Von Lichtenstein - Princess of Zweifel Kingdom
Robert Britt - Head Knight of the Filodoxos Kingdom
Julia Tisdale – Royal Guard of the Zweifel Kingdom
Dwayne Mybber – Dwarven Paladin of the Church of the Goddess of Light
Gale Valentine – New Saintess of the Church of the Goddess of Light
”Wait a minute! Gale was only recently part of the church and I was the one who introduced her to them. She raised from the ranks and became the new saints by herself!”
”I know… That is why I decided not to tell you mention this if you did not bring it up, but that woman was manipulated the moment you left her in the hands of that wretched organization. The fate she suffered… is worse than those who have died along the way”
”Gale… (Are you really scheming with them against me? Did I really throw you into the belly of the beast?)”
The demon lord was had not gained this title for nothing. The mere flicker of his anger when mentioning the church of light caused a tremor that shook the castle. One could easily identify that he has his grievances with the church.
”If not for the oath I took with Natsu, I would have already razed such a wretched organization to the ground. They are hypocrites that feed on human weakness. They stomp on anything remotely against their organization whilst shamelessly proclaiming righteousness”
”No… Gale was saved by me and would never do anything against me”
”Never underestimate the church of light. Their prowess of brainwashing individuals can be proven not by their own followers but the soldiers labeled with that wretched 'Holy' title. She would not have been allowed to leave their compounds much less as the new saintess if they doubted her loyalty to their objectives”
”I trust her. If it is how you say it is then I would save her once again…”
”I admire your loyalty to your friends but…” The demon king wanted to continue but stopped after looking into the hero's gaze.
The hero's eyes convinced the demon lord of his determined decision and nothing he could say can convince him otherwise. The demon king could only sigh and keep the conversation going before they ran out of time.
”But what about the princess? She was engaged to me and if something happens then won't she be once again placed as a political pawn towards Filodoxos' crown prince?”
”The illustrious crown prince of Filodoxos and the princess of Zweifel were once promised to each other. Did she tell you herself that she didn't want the marriage to happen?”
”No, but the king expressed his deepest regrets on that promise he made with them. That was why I worked hard to break it”
”Were you aware that princess Alicia admired the crown prince of Filodoxos since they were young? The seemingly mysterious and talented crown prince of Filodoxos despite his fame is a ruthless individual while the cold and beautiful princess is even more ambitious than her father. Do you truly know your so-called fiancé? Were you aware that those two were the ones that suggested to cancel their own engagements just so you would have more motivation to finish this campaign earlier?”
”Princess Alicia… Do you have proof?”
”Indeed I do. Here are letters you can go through”
Letters and envelopes with the seals from the royal families of both kingdoms made them undeniably real. The demon lord observed as the hero's trembling hands as he went through the letters one by one. The well-known merciless demon king felt both pity and regret. This was mainly because the hero in front of him reminded him of his old friend, They were truly alike. Both wished nothing more than to help and this was how they were repaid.
”This…”
”Let me tell you a secret which only few from generations know of. Magical races like us can make an absolute oath to our cores that can ensure that what we do or say is undeniable. Have you ever heard someone say 'I swear upon my core'?”
”Core…”
Scanning his memories, he indeed has heard this phrase more than once. They were mostly his enemies but what does that have to do with anything?
”I swear upon my core that what I am telling the hero Kazuya is nothing but the truth or may fingers explode”
A surge of magic pulsed in the area which alerted the hero but after observing for a bit, nothing happened. His gaze went back to the calm demon lord wondering what was that all about.
”I don't get it…”
”Then this might make things clear. I swear upon my core that what I've told the hero Kazuya is full of lies or may the little finger on me left hand explode”
”Isn't that basically the—”
BOOM!
Blood splattered before he could finish his sentence as the demon lord's little finger suddenly burst. Kazuya didn't know what he should be shocked about. What had just happened or the unaffected face the demon lord made as he lost his own finger.
”Please don't spread this secret around. Although I do have the ability to use my magic to fool you and make my own finger explode, you can try this out with other demons that do not have such an ability if you are still uncertain”
”That's not the point! Your finger just…”
”It is but a small price to pay. I can grow another one in time. I do believe that I've made my point so I will be moving on to inform you about what Natsu and I have worked on together. Do you perhaps know magic?”
”I know the basics. I didn't have enough time to study deeper because the war suddenly began. Milleya… was only able to teach me until she…”
”Ah yes… The youngest elven sage. She, as well as your other companions were taken to our side after their attempted assassination. We failed to save them…”
”You mean…”
”I promise that you will have the choice to know everything about them if you desire. We must focus on the more important things with our limited time. The reason I asked about your magical knowledge is because Natsu and I uncovered a variable that led us to doubt the whole hero summoning process”
”What about it?”
”If you were not aware, Natsu stayed for a few years after the war to settle personal matters and to ensure that his legacy would be preserved by all sides. In that period, Natsu, myself and the High Elf Figg studied the summoning formation the humans use to summon heroes. We found a startling discovery”
”What did you find?”
”Natsu always told us that summoned heroes from your world were not that uncommon in literature. That was the primary reason he was not as startled as he would have led others to believe when he first arrived in our world. He informed us that what we found were indeed similar to his own, yours and the people that were part of your literature”
Apparently, the demon lord assumed that the fictional characters from the other world were some part of their history. Kazuya wanted to laugh but couldn't since he only noticed this because he was subconsciously looking for something to distract himself from all the bad news that he has heard so far.