Carpe 1

I was called that.

Demon King.

But was that truly the name I desired?

No, I wasn’t even allowed to have desires from the start.

My memories begin in darkness.

A subterranean space made of cold stone, iron bars reaching the ceiling, and air always thick with dampness-that was my entire world.

There were no windows, no sunlight, and I was born and raised in that underground prison.

Those who brought me into this world were there.

Beings so cold they could hardly be called parents.

My mother was a tall, high-ranking demon with sharp horns.

Her eyes were always cold, and even when she looked at me, it was as if she saw only a tool.

My father was a demon with massive wings, his voice so thunderous it could shake the entire underground cavern.

They were consumed by blind faith in Abraxas.

The walls were adorned with images of Abraxas, and every morning they prayed before them.

From the moment I was born, they had only one goal:

“To create the perfect weapon and offer it to Abraxas.”

Every morning, even deep underground, the sound of a bell signaled the start of training.

The first was swordsmanship.

My father personally trained me, starting with wooden swords and gradually moving to real ones.

My hands bled, my arms felt like they would fall off, but we didn’t stop.

Mistakes were met with a whip.

The barbed whip tore my flesh, but crying only led to harsher punishments, so I endured it in silence.

The second session was magic training.

Led by my mother, this was even more terrifying.

Starting with the basics of dark magic, I had to learn spells of destruction and curses.

If my magic was insufficient, I was starved for days.

If my concentration wavered, my nails were pulled out one by one.

The third session was the most horrifying-feeding time.

The underground storage held various demons and monsters, all alive.

I had to choose one, kill it, and eat its heart raw.

The first time, I vomited until my stomach turned inside out.

But if I vomited, I had to eat it again.

Along with what I had vomited.

“Everything is for Abraxas.”

That’s what my parents always said.

And I, as a child, believed it was only natural.

But as time passed, a problem arose.

I was different from other demons.

I was small, with soft, pale skin.

My voice was clear and high-pitched.

My parents found this shameful.

They made me wear a full set of black steel armor.

It completely hid my small frame, and I was never to remove the helmet.

I was trained to speak in a low, neutral tone.

I obeyed.

Fear of punishment kept me in line.

Decades passed.

I left the underground prison for the first time.

Following my parents’ orders, I killed countless demons and humans.

At first, I trembled, but I grew accustomed to it.

Emotions faded.

That’s how I survived.

Centuries passed.

I became the perfect weapon they desired.

And the day finally came.

When I first set foot in Abraxas’s grand castle, the sight took my breath away.

The towering spires, the elaborate carvings on the walls, and Abraxas’s overwhelming presence engulfed me.

In that moment, the stories I had heard since childhood became reality before my eyes.

Abraxas, whom I had only seen in portraits, now stood before me.

From a young age, I had been told to dedicate my life to him, and so I naturally accepted him as my master.

That day, I knelt and swore my loyalty.

From then on, I truly lived only for Abraxas.

When wars with humans erupted, I volunteered to lead the charge.

I fought against the Holy Ones who interfered and expanded our territories, crushing our enemies to offer them to Abraxas.

I gave it my all.

Abraxas’s approving smile was the only recognition I received, and that was enough for me.

The greatest war was the conquest of a vast island to the northeast.

It was home to ancient, powerful monsters, and at its center lay a mysterious labyrinth.

When I heard Abraxas speak of the island with interest, I volunteered without hesitation.

I would do anything for Abraxas.

After decades of bloody battles, I conquered the island.

And I faced the labyrinth’s ruler.

A gigantic drake-like creature.

I defeated it and absorbed the labyrinth’s core.

Power surged through me.

From then on, other demons began calling me the Demon King.

The ruler of the labyrinth, the king of demons.

Abraxas praised my achievements and introduced me to other evil gods as his right hand.

The emotions that swelled in me were indescribable.

But when I lay alone at night, a hollow feeling gnawed at my chest.

One day, something changed.

After a victory in the human war, while wandering a burning city, I found a book.

Its half-burnt leather cover had a title embossed in gold:

「Wait, it turns out I was actually a duchess?」

Without thinking, I picked it up, unaware it would change my fate.

That night, in the dark labyrinth, I lit a candle and read a story for the first time.

Not a tactical manual or a magic textbook, but a novel meant solely for enjoyment.

The protagonist was a young noblewoman, a bastard child who had an unhappy childhood.

But what she endured seemed like heaven compared to my own past.

A warm bed to sleep in, three hot meals a day, beautiful clothes to wear.

Strolling through gardens, smelling flowers, laughing with friends.

These were things she was denied, making her life unhappy.

I closed the book and thought for a long time.

What was I, then?

What was my childhood compared to hers?

Born in an underground prison, whipped, eating raw hearts.

Days filled with darkness, never hearing a kind word or feeling a gentle touch.

Her unhappiness was nothing compared to my hellish childhood.

But… it was too late.

I had become Abraxas’s most trusted subordinate.

Many demons followed me, and I was called the Demon King.

Now, could I say I no longer wished to fight?

Abraxas would not tolerate such disloyalty.

He would see me as a traitor and execute me.

Thus, I had no choice but to become strong enough to escape him.

Starting the next day, I began to change quietly, in secret.

Before burning human villages, I secretly gathered books.

During raids on noble estates, I prioritized etiquette manuals over jewels.

「Perfect Etiquette for the Social Scene」, 「A Guide to Noble Manners」, 「Jewelry Appraisal and Valuation」, 「The Basics of Refined Speech」…

Each book was a treasure to me.

Every night, by candlelight, I read and dreamed of a different world.

Someday…

Perhaps someday I could live such a life.

Outwardly, I remained the loyal subordinate.

To deceive Abraxas’s eyes.

Then, a major event occurred.

Ceranos began attacking demon territories.

Once a quiet ruler of a Great Labyrinth, he had finally been provoked by demons encroaching on his domain.

When Ceranos’s lightning shook the entire demon realm, Abraxas summoned me.

“Deal with Ceranos appropriately and return. He has a role to play in my plans, so just instill enough fear to keep him from attacking again.”

He handed me his sword.

It was a black steel blade with a red gemstone, radiating immense power.

But in that moment, another thought crossed my mind.

What if… what if I killed Ceranos and took his labyrinth core?

With two cores, I could become stronger.

Strong enough to escape Abraxas.

It was a dangerous thought.

One core was already a burden; two might be fatal.

But it was my only escape from this cursed life.

Ceranos’s labyrinth was filled with lightning and wind.

A massive pit descended endlessly, crackling with lightning and howling with gusts.

Ceranos himself was a colossal tiger.

His body crackled with lightning, and his roar shook the earth.

“How dare you try to take my territory!”

A brutal war lasted a month.

Ceranos summoned countless bolts of lightning from the sky, which I deflected one by one with Abraxas’s sword.

Whirlwinds sent me soaring, but I used magic to steady myself in mid-air and counterattack.

The battle raged day and night.

We were both battered, but neither would yield.

Ceranos fought to protect his territory, and I fought for freedom.

On the final day, Ceranos unleashed his ultimate attack.

A colossal lightning spear, a weapon worthy of a god.

I gambled everything on one last strike.

“This… this will end it!”

Even if it killed me.

At least I would die fighting for freedom, not as a slave.

As the sword and spear clashed, the world turned white.

Then, silence fell.

Ceranos lay defeated.

The lightning around his massive body faded.

And from his chest… a beautiful core, glowing blue, appeared.

I did not hesitate.

My final gamble for freedom.

It was the only way to escape this wretched life.

As soon as the core touched my lips, excruciating pain tore through me.

My body, already strained by one core, could barely contain the power of two.

Bones shattered, flesh tore, blood surged.

Two immense powers clashed inside me, destroying everything.

“A… aaaaaah!”

Even in agony, I thought:

If this is the price I must pay…

I would gladly accept it.

For freedom.

The last thing I saw was the black armor that had concealed me and the cherished books hidden beneath it.

Beneath the shattered armor, my true form was revealed-small, delicate, but more beautiful than ever before.

Then, a massive explosion engulfed everything.

My dream of freedom vanished into the darkness.

I died.

Born as the perfect weapon, living as the Demon King, and in my final moment, becoming my true self.

That was the end of Carpe.