episode_0034

A nobleman has arrived.

Hold it.

Cherish it!

-, someone seems to be shouting loudly. My heart sinks. My breathing becomes rough due to my fast beating heart.

It’s because of a demon standing about 10 meters away from me right now.

None of the Four Dukes of the Demon World, not even Leonard’s father, the North Duke, came to the funeral. The sky, so high that even they could not dare to look at it, attended the funeral.

Something no one could have imagined. I also didn’t expect it, even in my dreams. Because in the past life, when Leonard and Letavis’ funeral was held, the Demon King did not come.

… … Should I kill him?

The devil was my enemy in my last life. I was originally an ally, but the Demon King, who wanted to monopolize power, betrayed me. There is no way that the devil will not be my enemy in this life as well.

The continent becomes embroiled in war. What is war? People belonging to both extremes form groups and fight like blue flags and white flags.

Meanwhile, there can be no ‘middle way’.

I have no intention of becoming second in command to the Demon King’s army in this life. Of course, I don’t want to be thrown out, and I have to go to Eden Academy, which the saint told me to go to.

So since you won’t stand against the Demon King’s army, will you stand against the Continental Army? If you do that, it’s still ambiguous. Why do I stand on the side of the people I beat to death in my past life?

War is truly a strange thing. I will not allow my older sister, Adela, to die in this life, so Adela will end up in the devil’s army. Then, Adella, who is my bloodline with the saint I love, may meet as an enemy.

Even if you decide gradually which side you will be on. It doesn’t change the fact that the Demon King is my enemy.

If you live as a member of the Demon King’s army that is invisible to the Demon King, won’t you be purged?

No, you’re saying I’m going to make an enemy of you?

The devil is the one who killed me. Therefore, I too will kill the Demon King.

Revenge is the most beautiful act a demon can do. Revenge is what gives psychological justification to fratricide, which is said to be the worst crime.

Other demons might ask what kind of enemy the demon lord killed me for, but who cares? There is no reason to listen to other people’s opinions or words.

What matters is my doctor. In my world, my doctor is more important than anything else. Nothing can compare.

The Demon King is strong, but he is still young. If you can somehow manage it, it will be possible to kill it. For example, using extremely powerful hypnosis to make someone commit suicide.

It would be very difficult to break through the young demon lord’s mental barrier, but it might be possible for me. I’m not sure.

“… .”

My whole body is tingling. The desire to suffocate that young demon at any moment grows rapidly. My mind is focused on emotions.

but.

“I have to endure it.”

“Hmm? What are you putting up with, Oscar?”

“There is such a thing.”

King said.

It is said that the death of a big man like the devil may have an impact on the birth of a saint. If I make a mistake, someone other than the Saint Mary I know may be born.

That’s not possible.

Saint Mary.

My light, my lord, the other side of my mirror.

The only being who can make me complete, a great good man who silently accepts trials and death.

I need her. Only with her, can I experience the ‘love’ that would be impossible on my own. Of course, there is no evidence anywhere that that is really possible.

The saint is the only human being who fascinates me. Her goodness, virtue, and nobility tempted me. Like a bee looking for nectar in a flower bud, I fly to her without any hesitation and fall in love with her.

Shine Stella, the hero I had hoped for in my past life, failed.

If it were Saint Mary, she would be able to make my eternal wish come true. No, it has to be done. Because she said it herself.

Maria must show me the value I have returned to. Considering her upright nature, I don’t think she would have lied.

Anyway, for that reason, I shouldn’t kill the Demon King now.

what a waste. Having to give up a golden opportunity like this.

The Demon King will become stronger without end. I don’t know how many more opportunities I will have to kill him.

However, I suppress my desires. I am an intelligent demon. I don’t want to become a troublemaker who gets swayed by the petty desires of the moment and forgets about the cause.

“That person… It’s the devil.”

“… Do you know the devil?”

“I saw you once before from afar. The Demon King personally attended Leonard’s funeral… I hope this soothes Leonard’s soul even a little.”

Well, I’m here too, the person who pushed Leonard to death, so is that really the case?

Actually, if you think about it, Leonard didn’t commit a crime worth dying for.

In the barbaric town of Demon World, poisoning siblings’ meals to compete for succession is a common tactic. It’s not like he really tried to kill his brother.

But the problem is that that younger brother was me.

Yes, Leonard’s crime wasn’t keeping his brother in check and poisoning his meals. It’s a crime to touch a returner from the future.

It’s the law of how the world works. It doesn’t matter how much you touch a weak person, but if you touch a strong person by mistake, you’ll be hit with a bullet. It’s the same even if you can’t recognize a strong person among weak people.

“Phew… .”

“Oscar? Why are you sighing?”

“I’m going to be silent.”

“It was a moment of silence, so I thought about it carefully. It seems like just yesterday that this sister was carrying you around… You’ve grown so much now.”

What are you saying, you idiot?

“Even though I was a competitor to you… After all, he is your brother.”

“… .”

“I hope you become a demon who knows the way, Oscar.”

Leonard, my brother, who has crossed the path of the underworld from which there is no return.

In this life, I chose the wrong brother and met a miserable death.

I hope that in your next life, you will meet an easy-going younger brother and become a wonderful demon.

Don’t go into a magical forest that doesn’t work out and die like you did in your past life.

“… .”

As I mourn for Leonard as he is buried in the ground, I keep feeling eyes on him.

The gaze is painted black with red eyes.

“But… Why is the Demon King putting dark butterflies on his eyes? It’s really confusing.”

I know.

After hearing this, I became curious too.

*****

After Leonard’s funeral, another few days passed.

During those few days, the family’s affairs were quite urgent. What about the transfer of power and succession rights? .

I was at the center of it all.

“Sister.”

“Oscar, why are you doing that?”

“Please take care of me in the future.”

“Hmm? Moore… ?”

“I left a letter in your room. Please read that.”

“Hmm, are you planning to give me a gift? Don’t be grateful. It’s amazing.”

“If it’s a gift, it’s a gift.”

After all, he handed over the position of successor to the Grand Duke of the North, the most powerful position in the demon world.

Of the Duke of North’s three sons, the first went missing, the second died, and the third ran away from home. That will be known to the world.

I sent separate letters to my uncle and my mother. Help Adela. Both my mother and my uncle are very calculating people, so they will take care of Adela, who will become the center of power in the future.

And, I will be behind the scenes.

Even if it’s the back line, there’s nothing special about it. Because for the next 500 years, I will never return to the Oscar family residence.

If you need anything, you can ask Adella, who will be the heir of the family.

After that, after the training and various other things in the Demon Forest, I will head to Eden Academy. The saint told me to come.

Perhaps by then, Adela will have become a person suitable for the position of head of the family to some degree.

Adela is clumsy and has an immature mind. Of course, it does not suit the demon world where intrigue and trickery are rampant.

But here’s what you need to know: My father won’t die for the next 500 years. Governing and personnel affairs are all the responsibility of the father.

In other words, Adela is bound to the family as the heir for 500 years! A whopping 500 years! Just like I did in my past life!

… It was a pretty shitty experience. It’s Adela’s now, but giggle.

In short, you enjoy the pleasure, but pass on all the responsibility. How wicked this is!

I also left a letter in my father’s room. I don’t know when the person who likes to go out will come home, but if you read the letter I left you, I think you will agree to making Adella the head of the family.

why? Because Leonard and Letavis are already dead. I, the one remaining son, run away from home. The father has no choice.

I only have the obligation to choose the line I created.

Rattling-.

Now I’m in the carriage. This is because I left the house after finishing the work at the Duke’s residence.

Rattling-.

The carriage is heavy. This is because Adela was worried that I had hurt my head, so she only selected the most valuable items among the elixirs and treasures she gave me.

Rattling-.

The demon king who attended the funeral left without much fuss. His presence was so great that none of those present except Adela recognized the Demon King.

I don’t know why he came. I couldn’t even talk to him. Silent child.

Rattling-.

The current destination is the western part of the Demon World. There’s one thing I have to win at the auction house there.

This is something you must buy before entering the Demon Forest. Because the , who was taken away by Lilith in her previous life, is there.

Rattling-.

Spending time in a carriage is free. I yawned and tried to take a nap, but perhaps because the demon world was so wide, the carriage road had no intention of ending.

Rattling-.

What you need in times like this is reading. I took out Evans’ book, , which I had carefully stored away. I didn’t read much last time.

This time, I will read until the end. I have nothing to do.

fluttering-.

I grabbed several dusty pieces of paper at once and flipped through them. This is to find the place I was reading before.

I guess I passed about fifteen chapters like that.

The chapter I was looking for was found. I rubbed my eyes and narrowed my vision.

『Oh, and.』

『In order to rewind time, there is a necessary preparation period. Not many people know this, so please write it down somewhere. Because if this book disappears, the only thing in the world that will know this is your brain.』

Preparation period?

『111 days.』

… … hmm?

『No matter how great Cronus, the god of time, is, rewinding time is not a simple act. Return is only possible when all preparations for the world, space, and providence are completed.』

Wait, wait, wait.

『Therefore, there must be a minimum preparation period of 111 days. Of course, this is just a digression, so you don’t really need to pay attention… … .』

111 days. The period is not unfamiliar.

I’ve heard of it. I have experienced it. Something that stole exactly ‘111 days’ from my past life.

What was that? I close my memory. There was definitely something there, but it doesn’t come to mind easily.

111 days. The more you think about the word, the darker the color becomes. Dark, dark clouds are everywhere.

I closed my eyes and continued the chase, trying to set up a similar situation.

what? What is it? What did I have to do with the number 111?

What is dark? A time when the surroundings were full of black things? It was so stuffy, so hot, and it was like hell to even breathe… … … … … .

Tartarus!

It’s Tartarus! The Tower of Babel, a large prison where only the world’s worst criminals can be seen! Tartarus, the lowest level of the Tower of Babel, where only condemned prisoners gather!

The devil has trapped me! I spent a week with the saint! It becomes the background of my memories before I went up to the guillotine!

Tartarus was as dark as a dark world and as hot as a fiery hell!

I was trapped in Tartarus for 111 days. Afterwards, he climbed the guillotine in the square with the saint, and returned the moment his head was cut off.

If you think of those 111 days as the period of preparation for regression, it fits perfectly. Someone imprisoned me in Tartarus for 111 days to bring me back, and then returned me after completing the ritual on the day of my execution.

… … … … … So, who is that someone?

chin-.

I closed the book. To think deeply. Tracing the thread of memory, I recall the person who was involved in my trip to Tartarus.

I didn’t get too lost this time. There was one demon that came to mind so clearly.

[The Grand Duke of the North, Joker Oscar Lucifer, is sentenced to 111 days in Tartarus and guillotine.]

Devil.

He framed me, became a lawyer, prosecutor, and judge and imprisoned me in Tartarus, conclusively sentencing me to exactly 111 days in Tartarus and guillotine.

As of now, the most likely person behind my return.

“… .”

My head feels blank, as if it had been hit by a sniper rifle. Demon King Kanos. My old friend, and the enemy who betrayed me. Questions about that guy continue one after another.

Since when did you start making plans like that? How did you come into contact with Kronos? Who did you work with? What is the possibility that there is someone I don’t know behind the Demon Lord?

and… Why did you regress me?

What was the devil’s intention?

What did I know that I didn’t know, what goals did I dream of, and what kind of future did I hope for?

I can not know.

However, there are a few fragments of fragmentary memories that come to mind.

[Do you have any clue about what the saint is doing? Why did the devil imprison me here?]

[…] .]

[Saint? Why aren’t you answering? Are you sleeping?]

[…] that.]

This was when the saint, who had been giving me thorough answers to every pointless question I asked, slowly opened her mouth in a manner that contrasted with her usual attitude.

[I know it, but I can’t tell you.]

[what?]

[Please understand.]

[Kick, if you don’t know, you say you don’t know. I’m just pretending to know to make myself look good.]

[haha.]

A conversation with a saint that I ignored and did not consider as a big deal.

If I recall just a little bit, the saint had just heard from me that I had been sentenced to 111 days in prison. So, did the saint know in advance the time needed for regression, and did she foresee the coming situation?

[mother… .]

[I miss you… .]

No, the saint was clearly afraid of death. If I was confident that I would return, there would be no reason to be afraid.

guesswork. It would have been exactly at that level. There must have been a feeling that too much meaning was being given to the word 111 days.

Come to think of it, even when I was put on the guillotine.

When I told the saint that I couldn’t see the devil, she smiled.

Afterwards, he left a message telling me to come to .

At that time, when I said that it seemed like the Demon King had not come to the square, the saintess made a wild guess.

The devil will bring me back.

“… .”

Unanswered questions continue for a long time.

Did the Demon King return with me?

Was that why he came to the funeral of Leonard, who had not come in his previous life, and stared at me?

What are the modern-day sunglasses he was wearing? Does the saint’s rosary have something to do with her return with me?

What did he give Kronos in return for his return?

As if my jumbled mind had no interest, the carriage rolled slowly toward the west as dusk fell.

Rattling-.

Rattling-.

It rattled… … .