The Hero’s Conclusion (1)

One should not expect formalities or courtesies in combat.

The very moment violence is employed, having further expectations is truly the pinnacle of audacity for a criminal.

Even so, the Demon Sovereign had tried to avoid direct confrontation as much as possible.

In any case, his physical condition had been far from ideal even before arriving at this stage.

‘How much time do I have left?’

‘It pains me to say this, but in my assessment, you likely have no more than a decade remaining…….’

It had been quite some time since his last positive report from the health examination in his hometown. A decade might seem like a decent number, but considering it was likely an optimistic result tinged with flattery, perhaps not so much.

Being of the Demon race, his basic hardware specs were undoubtedly superior to humans to begin with, but none could defy the ravages of time.

The muscles that had once effortlessly lifted boulders had become deflated balloons, and the heart that could run tirelessly for days was now toying with the cards of myocardial infarction and angina.

For him to directly wield a blade and fight would amount to nothing more than an old man’s last dance.

No, had that been possible, he would have dramatically landed before Edan and immediately engaged in combat, rather than going through the troublesome backdoor of soul transference to manipulate Freugne and Sif.

The fact that he could even briefly withstand the electric shocks was thanks to his innate resistance to magic, as well as his lingering regenerative abilities despite his advanced age.

-Thwack!-

“Ughh……”

Though not intended for this very scenario, the one who ultimately wielded the club was Freugne, who had maintained at least a minimum level of physical fitness and strength through training.

The moment he lost consciousness, the magic he had been sustaining crumbled like a line of dominoes, completely dissipating, leaving his defenseless body unable to endure any further stress.

“I, I……”

He did not even know what his final words were intended to be.

A lingering desire to live? Or perhaps a lament about the cowardice of facing two against one? It might have been a denial of reality, disbelieving this could truly be the end.

Before his consciousness completely faded, instinctively sensing the finality, his barely parted lips ultimately closed without uttering a suitable word.

The former pinnacle of an empire that had once commanded the world, an object of terror in its heyday – such a bygone era now felt like a mere falsehood as the Demon Sovereign met his demise.

---

The ultimate title bestowed upon one who vanquishes the Demon Sovereign is “Hero.”

It has always been so throughout history, and if the war ended without the Demon Sovereign being defeated, it was simply considered that no Hero had emerged.

Hence, no matter what, the frontline soldiers were merely regarded as “Hero candidates” at best.

If my memory serves, that is likely how it is written in the Glasgow Dictionary as well, unless a recruitment officer is trying to inspire fervent youths or engage in some occasional lip service.

In other words, by that very definition.

“……”

“…Did I defeat him?”

Freugne, who delivered the final blow… theoretically becomes the Hero.

Of course, that is assuming today’s events become known.

Approaching the elderly man’s fallen body, Freugne gently prodded the pipe still lodged in his neck.

With no reaction, not even a groan or movement to the stimulus a living being should have shown, he was undoubtedly dead.

Even when the belatedly awakened and bewildered Sif approached, Freugne did not sense anything amiss.

After a brief silence, Freugne looked up at me and asked:

“Was this… the Demon Sovereign himself?”

“It would seem so. He was going around blabbering about it himself.”

“Really?”

“Guh, it’s unlikely there would be a Demon impersonating the Demon Sovereign by coming all the way to Londinium. The magic he used also deviated significantly from that of ordinary Demons.”

“We should still confirm, so let’s ask a Demon who claims to have seen the Demon Sovereign’s face later. Regardless, we need to deal with his body first, um……”

I glanced at Freugne.

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Hero?”

“…Oh.”

Taken aback by the sudden appellation, Freugne slightly trembled before her face flushed as she replied:

“I didn’t really do much, so that name feels a bit burdensome.”

“Why, it’s not an inaccurate description, strictly speaking.”

“Regardless of right or wrong, hearing it from you makes me feel strange somehow, ugh.”

We could not simply leave the corpse here. But the idea of burying it nearby and promptly erasing it from memory also felt concerning.

Since I had revived in a similar manner, a confirmatory kill was likely necessary, and more decisively than what the Demon Sovereign had done. After all, I had revived despite his apparent carelessness.

However, before disposing of the body, there was one matter to settle.

“Do you intend to announce the Demon Sovereign’s death?”

“It would certainly boost morale if this were during the war… but the war has already ended, hasn’t it?”

“Indeed.”

And without the Demon Sovereign, there was no reason for it to resume.

“For the citizens, the fact that the Demon Sovereign was in Londinium would likely be more shocking than news of his defeat.”

“Don’t you want to try out the ‘Hero’ title once? If not now, you might never get the chance in your lifetime.”

“Well, it would make for a few impressive lines on a resume, I suppose.”

Since she had no need for such honors or renown to begin with, I could take her response as a refusal.

No, by the time one reached her level, renown would be more of a hindrance than a necessity. Had she been the type to crave attention, she would never have created her organization from the outset.

“What about you?”

“Me?”

“You could claim it too. After all, you did restrain him initially.”

“I’ve already taken a job, so there’s no need. Like you, I’m not someone who particularly needs another line on my resume.”

And the same applied to me.

Having already drawn ample aggro from all sides, further attention would only bring no benefits.

Our gazes naturally shifted to Sif, but even before we could speak, she was already shaking her head.

“Let’s just deal with it here.”

“Can you make sure no one approaches the area?”

“Yes, there should be some organization members nearby. It might take some time to summon them urgently, but they can adequately control the surrounding area.”

After closely observing to ensure the Demon Sovereign did not somehow regenerate and enter a second phase, or possess someone else in his spiritual form.

“With how thoroughly we’ve dealt with him, there’s no way he’ll revive again… right?”

“If he does somehow regroup and come back to life here, then we’ll just have to kill him again. What else can we do? And if such a thing were possible, he wouldn’t have coveted your body to begin with.”

“Then, I’ll start.”

Having lost consciousness only to awaken surrounded by residual flames, their owner was the one who knew best whose mana it was.

As if realizing she must have committed some act, even if not directly her fault, Sif glanced at me before snapping her fingers.

-Thoom-, the erupting flames engulfed the Demon Sovereign’s body.

A slightly unpleasant odor wafted along with the rising smoke, and after some time, only a blackened pile of ash remained.

“That should be enough.”

“Yes, it should.”

“Just in case, shall we take it to be scattered in the sea, a river, or some remote area? Or perhaps bury it deep underground……”

“If we keep it, it might attract the unclean. It’s better this way.”

---

The last thing I remembered was the bustling streets of Londinium before losing consciousness.

And when I reopened my eyes, I found myself in an abandoned factory on the city outskirts.

As for the explanation Freugne provided on the way home to help me grasp the situation, it was remarkably simple:

‘Upon receiving the distress call, we tailed the Demon Sovereign and ambushed him at an opportune moment, defeating him.’

‘There were some minor hiccups like Sif getting mind-controlled and the Demon Sovereign being harder to kill than expected, but regardless, we managed to resolve it all in the end. The end.’

Freugne simply nodded without further inquiry.

I was certain there were still significant untold facts.

The factory was in utter disarray, like a pigsty – there was no way that was the full story. However, I chose not to pry further.

Edan must have had his own reasons for phrasing it that way. At the very least, I was confident he would not say anything that could harm me.

I could hazard a few guesses as to why. Roughly, that I had spoken ill of him or perhaps even attacked him at some point.

Regardless of how it had unfolded, since the outcome was favorable, his decision not to disclose the details was likely an act of consideration.

Outwardly, Londinium showed no signs of change.

A few people might have felt that the festival’s energy had slightly waned, but most simply chalked it up to the natural comedown after several consecutive days of revelry.

And the lack of change also meant that Freugne would continue her daily life as before.

In short.

“…So what now?”

“……”

“Sif.”

“I, I have a separate appointment today……”

“Mmm……”

For Freugne, it meant returning to her previous unemployed state.

Even Sif, who had been reinstated as a personal security guard, maintained her daily routine.

She was still a young woman in her prime, and the thought of growing old and dying alone was too heartbreaking to accept.

With no more Demon Sovereign to orchestrate schemes, unlike the relatively freer Sif, Freugne, who had effectively become a full-time housewife, had no one to meet.

Of course, there were acquaintances among the organization members, like Lord Norton, Chief Inspector Balder, or perhaps Urra.

But those were purely business relationships, were they not?

There was no one she could casually invite to meet without reason, and even if she did, she had nothing particular to discuss. It was not as if she could regale them with tales of bludgeoning the Demon Sovereign’s skull.

Naturally, Freugne’s state of dissatisfaction only compounded over time.