Ch.177Epilogue

# Epilogue

In truth, I was afraid of dying.

It was only recently that I could admit this to myself.

Human relationships are truly frightening.

They turned Lug, who once moved mechanically without caring whether he lived or died, into a human being.

The journey with the hero’s party was enjoyable.

Though there were many life-threatening crises, perhaps they made me cling more desperately to life.

The strange psychological warfare with Hero Esmeralda made my heart race.

Physical contact with Eirene Saintess sent thrills through my body.

Literary exchanges with Mage Millia made me feel connected even without direct contact.

And every word from Scholar Tina made me hold my breath.

I enjoyed it all.

“Where will my soul go?”

I had escaped from worldly desires and the three poisons, breaking free from the cycle of rebirth.

Even if I’ve embraced worldly desires again, the fact that I’ve broken free from the cycle doesn’t disappear.

As expected, perhaps I’ll simply cease to exist?

Now I stood in the middle of a pure white space.

I couldn’t distinguish up from down, nor could I tell what lay in the distance.

“…What will happen to the demon realm and the human world?”

I burned my power and my very existence.

I decided to burn everything without thinking about the aftermath.

By doing so, I illuminated the world and sealed the cracks of hell.

I purified the land that had turned into hell, so once the demons currently alive eventually die, only humans will remain in this world.

Those who were demons will gradually regain their humanity and become human.

The two sides fought because there was a problem in the world. Now that the problem is solved, perhaps they can begin peaceful exchanges someday.

Or conversely, will the rift between them deepen because of Belphegor, who turned the empire into a wasteland?

“…”

I shook my head.

It’s not my concern anymore.

The people who are alive now will find their own answers, each carrying their own sense of justice.

It would be arrogant to think I could solve everything.

Transcendent beings like me should rightfully disappear from this world.

Belphegor will eventually leave this world, just as my brother once did.

Mara-papiyas will remain in the world, but she fundamentally doesn’t deeply involve herself in human affairs. So things will surely be fine.

There’s also Tanha who can stop her rampage, and at least while Belphegor is alive, nothing serious should happen.

“What are you doing standing there in a daze without even saying hello, you brat?”

“…”

As I trudged through the pure white space, a familiar voice suddenly came from right in front of me.

And the moment I realized whose voice it was:

“Colonel?”

“Yes, good job running away.”

It’s Colonel Extra.

How is this possible? Why is he here when he should have been reborn through the cycle of rebirth?

“Could it be because of the dragon’s heart?”

He had a Dragon Heart transplanted. Did that knock him out of the cycle?

Surely such an absurd…

“Forget about such trivial matters. Did you bring all your luggage?”

“…”

The Colonel was grinning. He looked so genuinely carefree that I couldn’t help but smile.

“Of course. Now you just need to take care of me as your luggage.”

“That’s not funny, you know?”

“Haha.”

I wonder how long it’s been since we exchanged such silly jokes. Yes, our journey began in this kind of atmosphere.

By the end, things got serious and we laughed less.

But I suppose the essence never changed.

“Is there anything else you’ve forgotten?”

“No.”

“Really nothing?”

“…Pardon?”

The Colonel didn’t move.

He just stood there looking at me from the same position where he had called out to me.

He seemed to have no intention of leaving.

“I don’t think so.”

“…”

“You’ve left behind a lot of lingering attachments. That won’t do.”

His words made me smile bitterly.

I couldn’t possibly deny it. The fear of death I felt was less about not knowing what comes after and more about the severing of all the relationships I’d built.

I’ve done something terrible.

I know that much.

But I believe there couldn’t have been a better ending.

An ending that hints at the possibility of peace is better than a story that must end with someone’s death.

“Lug.”

“Yes, Colonel.”

“I had nothing left from the beginning. I had nowhere to return to and no purpose in life.”

“You had me.”

“Cut the crap.”

“Yes.”

“Well, anyway, I don’t regret the choice I made back then. But you’re different. You’re still regretting it now, aren’t you?”

“Is there any choice in the world without regret? The very situation of having to choose means giving up one side.”

I sat down next to the Colonel.

He took out tobacco from his inner pocket and handed it to me.

I used to smoke a lot, but I naturally quit during the long journey with the hero’s party.

Did I smoke when I tried to escape back then too? Though I failed in the end…

“Lug.”

“Yes, Colonel.”

We talk while each holding a cigarette in our mouths.

Though my time in the Demon Lord’s army wasn’t long, this moment clearly brought back memories of that time.

“Do you remember what I told you?”

“Well, which words do you mean?”

“How to win on the battlefield.”

“…”

“You have to survive. Surviving is winning. At the very least, you should win, shouldn’t you? After running away so much, you can’t remain a loser.”

Thwack!

The Colonel struck my back forcefully. A tingling shock followed by a numbing pain remained.

“Now stop being stubborn and quietly return to where you belong.”

***

Awakening in intense pain.

Slowly opening my eyes, I saw a blue sky with pure white clouds drifting by.

It was a bright, sunny day.

After gazing at the sky, I turned my head and eventually saw Demon Lord Belphegor.

She was in tatters. I could see her bleeding profusely—she who had seemed impervious to any wound.

“What happened?”

“I did what I had to do.”

Belphegor grinned. It was a fierce, hearty, yet tender smile.

“Since you acted on your own, I did the same.”

With those words, I finally understood. She had absorbed the collapse of my physical body.

She had once succeeded in usurping my power. It seemed she had gone against the torrent of power and taken half of my burden.

Thanks to that, we both survived.

She had led us to a better ending than I could have imagined.

“Well then, shall we begin now?”

With those words, Belphegor stood up and dusted herself off.

As I watched her back, I could see what lay beyond her.

I saw numerous humans and the hero’s party surrounding us.

All around them, broken weapons littered the ground.

“What are you thinking? What exactly is going on here…?”

“I need to bring this to a proper end.”

It seems she not only shared the burden I should have borne but had also been guarding this place until now.

“Come, humans. I am the Demon Lord.”

The end of a heroic tale is the defeat of the Demon Lord.

As the one responsible for starting the war, Belphegor intends to take responsibility.

For the sake of the world to come.

“Lilith will be sad.”

“…Why is that child’s name coming from your mouth?”

Belphegor glared at me with a sour expression. But soon she chuckled and, with a much brighter expression, walked forward saying:

“Then I’ll entrust Lilith to you. She’s a delicate child, so I’d feel reassured if someone stayed by her side.”

“…”

I couldn’t stop her. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say I didn’t stop her.

Too many people had bled because of her choices.

Someone had to take responsibility, and Belphegor was claiming that responsibility for herself.

That was the answer she found.

Since I forced my own answer, I can’t deny hers.

“So we’ve finally come to this point.”

The one who walked out from among the countless humans was Hero Esmeralda.

She walked forward proudly, relying on a single holy sword.

Both were in tatters.

A single strike would determine the situation.

And the result was already decided.

Slash!

The two walked toward each other and instantly closed the distance.

With the sound of cutting, they crossed paths, and the predetermined outcome of the match was revealed.

“I won.”

“…Yes, you won.”

Victory for Hero Esmeralda.

Belphegor, having already achieved her purpose, had no intention of winning.

The already battered Belphegor collapsed, and Esmeralda raised her holy sword—practically her symbol—toward the sky.

“Waaaaaaaaah!!”

A scene from a heroic tale recreated.

The gathered people shouted in joy.

“Well done, Demon Lord. My name is Esmeralda. May I know the name of the ruler who accepted defeat for the sake of the world?”

A show of respect to her opponent.

Esmeralda must have known that Belphegor had let her win.

Seeing this, Belphegor smiled.

Looking up at the sky, she answered with a pleasant smile.

“I am… Demon Lord Belphe…”

“Oh my goodness! Everyone, did you hear that?!”

“???”

The atmosphere suddenly changed.

Esmeralda, who had been speaking in a solemn tone, shouted with her eyes wide open as if shocked.

Belphegor, whose words were suddenly cut off, could only blink in confusion, not understanding the situation.

“This person is not the Demon Lord! The Demon Lord was… The Demon Lord was Mr. Lug, whom we thought was our comrade all this time! How could this happen?!”

“Huh…?”

At those words, I had to get up too.

I have no idea what she’s talking about.

But Esmeralda’s acting skills, which had fooled even me, were exceptional.

The mood was shifting.

“…No, this isn’t something only the hero can do.”

There was an agitator among the crowd.

And the most skilled agitator I know is Saintess Eirene.

As I looked around trying to find her among the crowd, for some reason I spotted Lilith.

What’s going on? What is this situation?

“Sob! Everyone, I’m sorry! I can’t kill Mr. Lug! Mr. Lug may look helplessly lying there, but he’s incredibly strong… I don’t have the strength anymore…”

The crowd sighed.

I felt a chill, as if watching a well-orchestrated play.

Something had been designed.

And this design wasn’t by just one person.

The hero’s party and Lilith.

It was clearly a collaboration between humans and the Demon Lord.

“Then I will do it.”

Finally, the person I had been looking for emerged from the crowd.

The Saintess, Eirene.

“I will seal and monitor the Demon Lord’s evil.”

“We can’t let Eirene sacrifice herself alone. Then I’ll also stay with Eirene to monitor Demon Lord Lug.”

“…The Magic Tower will join too.”

“Ahem! T-The Eye of Truth will also remain to find a solution.”

I couldn’t open my mouth to refute what was being decided without any room for objection.

“Seal!”

Because Esmeralda had struck me down.

***

Several more days passed after that.

At the time, I wondered what on earth was happening, but thinking about it now, I realize it was indeed designed by clever people.

I became the Demon Lord.

And I was bound by a contract of marriage with everyone in the hero’s party.

The hero’s party had to stay in the Demon Lord’s castle under the pretext of surveillance, and to add legitimacy to this, they connected the demon realm and the human world through a political marriage.

Because of this, the human world couldn’t think of taking revenge against the demon realm, and the demon realm couldn’t invade the human world either.

How could they, when the Demon Lord and the hero were united?

Even though I had lost all my powers and become an ordinary person.

Even though Hero Esmeralda broke her holy sword with her own hands, saying she would retire now.

Well, as long as the general public thinks so, there’s no problem.

“…Brother.”

Sometimes, while sitting in the Demon Lord’s office handling all sorts of documents, I think of the moment when my brother left the castle.

“Brother, is this why you ran away?”

The work was quite hard.

With the war over and the demon realm becoming a land where people live, there seemed to be no end to the work no matter how much I did.

Is this why my brother ran away?

I know my brother struggled a lot to make Capilla a proper country.

I merely inherited a country that was already wealthy and powerful. It was my brother who made the country powerful.

“Should I escape…”

I couldn’t understand why my brother left the castle and embarked on a path of asceticism.

I followed in his footsteps and also embarked on that path, eventually reaching the place where my brother had arrived.

But I couldn’t understand.

Why did my brother go beyond the world? Why did he abandon everything?

I wandered for a long time seeking that answer, and finally I could understand.

“Maybe there isn’t just one reason.”

That there isn’t just one answer.

That the reason my brother left is something only he can know.

Yes, today at last.

I found my own answer.

“The answer is to escape.”

The End of “I Became the Baggage of a Conscienceless Party”