episode_0166

Lucella couldn’t answer my question.

Well, of course not—she’d never seen it anyway.

Even if the real Demon King, El, were on our side, the Demon King’s army under her wouldn’t be so easily unified. Even now, demons and the Demon King’s forces frequently appear at the frontlines of the border.

No matter how many Demon Kings we slay, it’s meaningless if everyone doesn’t fear the hero.

Besides, though everyone else seems convinced that El is the Demon King, considering what I’ve seen of her so far, it’s more likely that she isn’t.

Of course, that doesn’t mean El is entirely innocent. It’s more reasonable to think she’s something that separated from the Demon King.

That kind of trope is common anyway, so whatever.

At any rate, El has already enrolled in the Academy and even formed a contract with me.

No one would raise objections against her anymore. Personally, I’d love to push her away from my side immediately, but given the terms of our contract, even that’s impossible.

Sigh… “Eric, you really…”

“Then, Lucella. I’ll leave things to you from now on. Make sure Eric doesn’t do anything reckless or throw his life away. And in the off chance that El starts acting suspicious…”

“Yeah, I’ll kill her.”

It was a somewhat brutal topic to discuss with El right in front of us, but reaching this level of agreement was a satisfying outcome. Even if it meant Lucella would keep close watch on me—no, act as my bodyguard—when the other three weren’t around.

Frankly, Lucella was the only one among the four who could move unnoticed in public, so this was probably the natural outcome.

“If it’s Lucella, I don’t mind.”

Soon, the Academy festival would begin. Shortly after, midterms would follow. And once exams were over, Lucella’s long journey to obtain the Holy Sword would finally start. By then, the surveillance on me would likely become half-hearted. If I had to pick just one out of the four, Lucella was the right choice.

Of course, that didn’t mean I planned to sit idly by. I’d do everything I could in the meantime.

Lost in thought, time passed quickly.

Preparing for speeches at the Academy ball, entrusting the newspaper’s final managerial tasks—now practically out of my hands—to Cheryl and Dave, including recruiting new sellers, and planning for the future…

Amidst the relentless busyness, I might’ve let my guard down somewhere.

These people were kind and wise enough to embrace even a Demon King. Surely, they were fit to carry the future of humanity.

I believed the ones I’d chosen—heroes who would sacrifice everything for the world—would do just that.

———–

“Eric.”

One day, less than a week before the festival, Ellia suddenly called for me.

“What’s up? I came since you asked, but you even made me leave El and Lucella behind. What, confessing your feelings?”

Lucella had eased her guard when Ellia said she’d accompany me and instead volunteered to monitor El directly.

“Close, but wrong. If it were something that simple, it wouldn’t be a problem. Do you remember I mentioned investigating our contract?”

“Of course. Ah, if it’s about El… Did you find something?”

“Before that, I want to ask you something.”

I nodded, signalling her to continue.

“First, about the contract between you and the Demon King. I confirmed that it involves mutual memory-sharing and a mana link through a single path. There were no unusual clauses—at the very least, the Demon King didn’t lie.”

“But?”

“I told you, right? That your mana is shared. The more you use your magic, the more that girl—no, the Demon King—regains her original strength. The sharper you become, the stronger she grows.”

“Hold on. Then why would she agree to such an unfair contract in the first place? Did you forget? She could’ve killed us both right then and there.”

“She saw value in you. I hate to admit it, but the Demon King… likely saw through us completely. She knew we weren’t the kind of people to abandon everything and flee.”

“That’s…”

“The mana-sharing is just a side effect of the contract, but she exploited the fact that we wouldn’t think clearly while under threat to our lives.”

Hmm, probably not. When I first contracted with El, she was practically on death’s doorstep.

“Is that so? Then what do you want me to do?”

“It’s simple. Stop using magic. Betray the Demon King’s expectations. If you stay safely within the Empire without actively using magic, that creature will remain as she is now—trapped in El’s current state.”

“You want me to never use magic again?“

“Only until we’re strong enough to kill her. I’ll take full responsibility for your academic performance and convenience until then. If necessary—”

“Enough. You already know I have no talent with swords, right?”

Even if I once defeated Lucella, it was purely through trickery. In my first playthrough, all I could manage was middling midfield support between Lucella and Cecilia.

“So you want me to just sit back and watch while you all risk your lives?”

“I understand what you’re trying to say. But you know how dangerous that creature is, don’t you? Right now, she’s obediently following you, but her true nature is that of a monster. If her magic grows stronger, there’s no telling what she’ll do. She might twist the contract in ways neither of us can predict.”

“…Fine.”

The moment I nodded, Ellia’s expression visibly brightened.

“I’ll listen to you. I admit I’m not much use on the front lines, and if I die, it’d hurt all of you. But that doesn’t mean I’ll give up on what I promised in the student council room. El will stay by my side.”

“You plan to persuade her?”

“Yes. Like you said, she might already be playing us all. But for now, our contract is intact, isn’t it? We know far too little about her. If she wants to learn about us, then so do I.”

“You’re choosing to travel with a beast. You never know when she’ll snap the leash and tear out your throat, so you speak boldly.”

“You’re saying it’s dangerous?”

“Obviously. You only need to stand back and judge whether we’re on the right path. Expecting more than that is just selfish. No journey relying solely on the power of prophecy can ever end well.”

“No. I dragged you all into this, pushed unreasonable demands on you. If she bites, that’s my responsibility to bear. And if it comes to that, I won’t be the only one dying.”

I was prepared to self-destruct if needed. Still, coming back safely would be ideal.

“…Fine. I get it. I’ll relay this to the others.”

“Huh. You’re surprisingly quick to agree.”

“Further words would be pointless.”

“Glad you understand. Then are we done?”

“No. One last question. Answer honestly. Even if everything else—even your identity as a prophet—is a lie, I don’t care. Just this once, I want the truth.”

“Why the theatrics? Just say it.”

“If I were gone… would you still move forward?”

What kind of answer was she expecting? I thought about it but couldn’t tell. Ellia was already several times smarter than me. If she set a trap, I wouldn’t escape it. So I decided to confidently speak my mind.

“I’d have to. I’d probably tremble and beat myself up endlessly, but…”

Nothing would make me happier if everyone survived. But if I lost someone and collapsed under the weight of it… that wouldn’t be what she wanted either.

“Knowing you, you’d tell me to find replacements if any of us died. No—maybe you’ve already lined them up?”

“You’d keep moving forward… even when unsure of the path ahead?”

“At the very least, I know the path I’m on is the right one. No matter what waits at the end, I want to remain someone you can be proud of.”

In this fantasy world, living with its knowledge and manipulating the original heroines as I pleased… this was my last shred of responsibility. I knew I was driving them toward danger. That’s why I could never stand safely on the sidelines.

“I might hurt or use you. Once a prophecy is heard, it begins to distort. But knowing the future and turning away from it—that’s something I could never do.”

“…Heh.”

Ellia chuckled softly.

“You truly are the man I thought you were. That was a pointless question.”

“Glad to hear it.”

“So… I’m sorry. I never wanted things to end this way.”

“What—”

Ellia knelt.

“Eric… I beg your forgiveness for everything the Ellia Perielle of all worlds has done to you. Even if I served you for the rest of my life, I could never repay this debt. So I make this presumptuous request—let me stay by your side forever, as both your servant and companion. I will bear all your burdens and responsibilities.”

Thump—

In that instant, my legs gave out.

“Ellia… are you seriously…?”

“You’re right. This is undeniably a confession.”