Ch.18661. Extremely Selfish Self-Righteousness (2)

“…….”

I, for one, had neither the will nor the intention to receive this.

So rather than grasping her hand, I tried somehow to hold onto her arm, to keep her from vanishing at any moment.

……But she disappeared.

All that remained was a tiny flame floating in the air like a firefly.

For a while, I just stared at it as if in a daze.

And those memories that appeared, that I felt, that were transmitted when I grabbed her arm.

……Perhaps they were the life flashing before her eyes… as she crossed the bridge of death.

Yes, wasn’t it something like that?

But that wasn’t all.

The curse of pain.

And not just her own share, but because she embraced everyone else’s too.

That pain, even though I didn’t actually experience it but merely recalled and empathized with the memories.

It was terribly horrific.

It was terribly cruel.

Enough to momentarily stop my breath.

The aftereffects were still endlessly gnawing away at my entire body.

“…You were watching everything, weren’t you?”

……

“What is this situation? Explain it properly so I can understand. Right… now.”

I glared into the empty space as I demanded.

And there, as if she had been there from the beginning.

The golden girl, the Demon King, was sitting there.

I casually look around.

A hill.

A large tree that had somehow sprouted.

A place with a panoramic view of the islands… but such a space doesn’t exist in reality.

The sun has set and darkness floods in.

In this sky, without even a moon, let alone a single star, it’s pitch black and dismally dark.

As if the world itself has entered eternal rest like some being.

“What more needs to be said? If you really want to ask something, be specific with your question.”

“……”

Forcibly cooling my heated reason, I voiced the first question that came to mind.

“El, what happened to her?”

“You’ve probably guessed already?”

“…Please drop that kind of vague talk.”

“Hmm.”

She shrugged her shoulders.

“As you somewhat know… she had reached her limit as a human. And not just a simple limit… she had gone beyond the extreme of extremes. When she appeared before you, she was in a state half-close to a divine spirit.”

“…Is that even possible?”

“That’s what bearing a legacy means. It means becoming qualified. To resist or bias the world… anyway, that’s what it means.”

“So, what happened to her?”

“Why don’t you say it yourself? Is she dead or alive? If you had asked like that, I would have answered immediately.”

“You know very well what I’m thinking, what I mean, don’t you?”

“But I have no obligation to read your mind and spoon-feed you answers.”

“……”

“Dead or alive? To put it simply, half dead and half alive. Yes. Is that answer satisfactory?”

“…Her body lives but her spirit… her heart is dead. Is that what you mean?”

A soul cannot die.

Then… I can only interpret it as meaning that the consciousness, the mind that would settle in the vessel, has died.

But.

……What difference does that make from being dead?

“Is there a way to restore her?”

“It would be harder than breathing life into a corpse, wouldn’t it?”

“……”

“That’s not a lie. It’s that difficult. If it were simply a case of the soul leaving the body, any method to call it back would suffice, but… this situation is a bit different.”

“What do you mean?”

“That thing named the Great Demon King’s legacy. Each one is like what you borrowed from Jephs, Aegis, Astrape. They’re essentially the same, just different in level.”

“……”

“In the middle realm, they’re the fruits of individual achievement—knowledge and skills. In some cases, they could be specific treasures. I told you before, didn’t I? In the demon realm… such things are rare, but demon weapons serve as substitutes.”

“…When did you say that?”

“And they are a kind of divine beings’ last will, lingering attachment, treasure… and obsession.”

Hebatein.

The same divine object as Levateinn, just pronounced differently.

But Heba, Legarlen, put forth her divine name under that name.

It was later excavated by the Great Demon King, and the lingering attachment was revived as power and divine authority.

…Eventually, it was leaked to the middle realm by the will of the Golden Demon King herself.

And it chose an imperial princess as its master, companion, or user.

Being able to glimpse even the distant future, that choice must have been all the more special.

“And being able to handle it means losing your original self.”

That’s what it means to wield divine power, authority.

“……”

“But even that would have been fine… but the situation wasn’t good, it seems.”

She had some kind of confrontation with the current Demon King, and miraculously escaped, but the situation was dire.

And coincidentally.

It seems that El’hermina herself had the strongest endurance and resistance to pain at that very moment.

In her past trials, she had to burn her own body alive to tame the flames she wielded.

It was just one of many trials, but because she overcame it, only she could bear that pain alone.

“If not for that, several of her companions would have died, she judged. So she chose to bear it, and set out on the journey alone.”

Afterward, she met Zora, heard the situation, entered the temple, fought and fought… until she reached her own destination.

There, she received what Heba had entrusted in her lifetime.

And based on that… she burned her own body.

“That’s why it was so overwhelming.”

“……”

“I can’t completely deny that Mistilteinn helped drive away and overwhelm the others… but just as a fool with a legendary sword in hand is useless, as in that example. However, if the wielder is exceptional… it becomes a serious threat.”

“What happened next… is exactly as you saw and experienced.”

A power she could no longer bear or shoulder, so in the end, she tried to pass it to you.

“Is there a way to return it?”

“Not easily.”

She clicked her tongue at my words.

“You want to believe that her soul and mind still reside in that remaining ember, don’t you?”

“……”

“Surprisingly, that’s correct. But… it’s better that you keep it for now.”

“…Is her… body’s condition that bad?”

“Yes. It’s as if the vessel that could contain it has been destroyed. If you put it back? It would be like pouring water into thin air. What would happen then? Nothing more than wetting the ground. And then? Like spilled water that can’t be gathered… it would be the end.”

“At least, it sounds like there’s a way.”

“Right. That’s true… but it will be quite troublesome in its own way.”

“……”

I look around.

In this dark world, the surrounding scenery still seemed unchanged.

“Since you’re not saying it’s impossible, I assume it’s relatively easy compared to other things I’ve experienced.”

“Well, for the current you… that might be true.”

A sigh escapes me involuntarily.

Frustration, irritation, and all sorts of unreasonable emotions stirred and pounded in my chest.

“That’s somewhat good news.”

“That’s because you’ve been through all sorts of hardships until now. Rejoice, little one. ‘Joy comes after suffering’ means exactly this.”

Now you too.

“Have obtained your own qualification and means to conspicuously dominate and overturn the world as you please.”

“……”

Just as she often showed.

I gave a dry snort.

“You told me not to be picky about means and methods, but this wasn’t what I had in mind. I don’t know if it’s because it’s not the form I wanted… but I’m extremely annoyed and displeased.”

“Would El’hermina be disappointed to hear that?”

“…I’m not the kind of person who would gladly accept someone doing whatever they want, finding self-satisfaction, and turning a blind eye.”

If she had truly been in front of me.

I would have firmly slapped her face.

“There’s nothing that annoys me more… than seeing someone who dedicates themselves to others not valuing themselves.”

Good people leave early, while the wicked linger persistently.

Isn’t this absurdity what ultimately devastates and ruins the world?

In that sense, what was El like as an imperial princess?

……At least, she never once lived for herself.

That point, even thinking back and reflecting.

I really didn’t like it.

‘El. Among the reasons I’ve been desperately struggling, you were definitely included.’

Because I was certain that she would lead the world somewhat correctly. That she would lead it well.

“……”

But that didn’t mean you should drive yourself into pain like me. How did this person end up so misaligned?

Thinking about it, another sigh escaped me.

Because this cursed reality was too lamentable.

====

A crimson sky.

A pitch-black earth.

Everywhere you looked, the desolate land showed no signs of vegetation, not even a blade of grass.

On such ground, a massive throne stood as if placed there in isolation.

On the ominous throne, formed as if from blackened dead bones and metals fused together, something that seemed composed only of shadows and black mist.

It rested its right elbow on the armrest, chin propped on hand, with a bored gaze fixed on the empty air.

Through the pitch-black covering its entire body, only the blood-red gleam in its eyes gave any hint of its emotional state and form.

Meanwhile, a girl crashed through a dimensional gate onto the pitch-black ground.

A girl with red hair and red eyes, clad in black armor, coughing blood, repeatedly trying to stand up only to fall again.

“Lutesia. You damn lord. What’s so difficult that you’ve gone and been defeated again?”

The man sitting on the throne stood up abruptly.

The black mist rose as if following him.

Step by step.

Twenty paces from the throne.

Crouching down to look at his pathetically sprawled lord, he grabbed her by the hair and lifted.

-……

Though her eyes seemed dead, the malice and hostility within them still hadn’t lost their color.

Originally, they were like the eyes of a dead and rotting beast, completely devoid of vitality.

But the one cloaked in darkness couldn’t completely deny that she was somehow still alive.

Only.

“You pathetic woman. You’re a half-baked Demon King who can’t even invade. Yet with all that so-called power, you go out only to get thoroughly beaten and return. What are you trying to do? Have you developed a taste for defeat? Or are you just playing around?”

-……

“You don’t even respond. I can’t understand why the Divine Tree would draw in someone like you.”

Though his voice was gloomy, his manner of speech was quite human.

The problem was that this “human-like” quality was extremely self-centered, arrogant, and selfish.

“Let’s try to do better, my lord. I’m not asking for much. I’m saying this sincerely. Take it to heart.”

Releasing her hair, her head fell limply to the ground.

“Haah.”

With a deep sigh, the man trudged back, and then, as if something displeased him, returned to drag his lord by the hair.

Finally, he unceremoniously dumped his limp lord onto the throne.

“See how kind I am? Ha! I think I’m too generous no matter how I look at it.”

The one cloaked in darkness disappeared, scattering black mist.

-……

And the current Demon King, Lutesia, with closed eyes, lay sprawled on the throne.

She remained motionless, as if dead.

In the crimson sky and pitch-black earth.

All that adorned this desolate world was the ominous black and red throne, and the girl who had come to rest upon it.

That was all there was.