episode_0049

“…That’s all for this story. To explain the details, after the timeline travel, I visited the ruins once and found out about Noah’s arrangements, so I made preparations to use them through Galvein and brought the ark, and I killed the enemies who would get in my way later.”

So this is how the story continues. Lucy’s story was slowly coming to an end.

“I wanted to kill Leah’s companions too, but unfortunately, that’s far off as long as the goddess is intact. The person who reconstructed me advised me that an imperfect being like me could disappear as if I never existed in the first place just by being ‘observed’ by the goddess’s eyes. The last incident was a deviation that was possible because the goddess was too unreasonable. ”

Kicking. Lucy laughed.

Deep down, I knew that if I killed Abel, all those restrictions would disappear and I would become real, and I had the strength to do so…

What’s the use of it anyway, since the person I love is already dead? My sole purpose in existence is to lead them to a happy ending, and to bring about the downfall of the goddess.

“If it weren’t for that deviation, I know that the goddess would have regained her faith and strength… But now I have to worry that the goddess might look at me. I wouldn’t care if a few of the demons died, but it’s different if I almost got killed.”

“…So?”

“So what’s the big deal? From now on, I’ll be staying in the Demon King’s Castle, so please take good care of me. It’s easiest to avoid eye contact next to you.”

Lucy looked at Abel teasingly. But surprisingly, the reaction she got back wasn’t one of annoyance.

“Oh, really? That’s good.”

“…Are you okay? You’re not the type to do that.”

“Well, even if it’s a different worldline or something, aren’t you still me in the end?”

“Right?”

“And the documents on this desk right now are ones that the Demon King himself must file.”

“Yeah, I see. I’ve dealt with a lot of that too.”

“Then I’m done talking. Sit down.”

Sit down?

Lucy looked around, but she couldn’t see a single chair or anything to sit on. Was she supposed to crouch down in a corner?

“Why are you wandering around a strange place? I want you to sit down here where I am.”

“Abel… Abel broke the chair.”

“Oh, right. Is that so? Then, what, let’s work standing up. It’s good for your health, too, I guess.”

“Work…?”

“Then you shamelessly tried to live off me for free? I’m going to rest with Leah, so take care of business.”

Lucy glanced up and glanced at the papers.

mountain.

It was a mountain of papers.

What on earth did he do to get such a huge pile of documents? Lucy strode over to Abel and grabbed him by the collar.

Then, I saw Leah slightly avoiding my gaze.

You must take responsibility for the capture of the Imperial Capital + the massive number of prisoners resulting from the occupation without killing them all.

At least 80% of the paperwork is due to the latter reason, which is caused by Leah.

If it had been done the way the Demon King’s Castle originally was, it would have just been a massacre.

And the price for Lucy’s carelessness was high.

“Huh? Hey! Where are you!!!”

“It’s too late. Take a quill, Your Majesty…”

“Galvein? Galvein?!! You’re holding me back because you have to do paperwork anyway! You damn bastard, break the spell!!”

While Galvein was binding Lucy with magic, Leah and Abel escaped at the same time.

“Sacrifice, Demon King! Honestly, from the perspective of someone who has seen it a few years later, I feel like I could die from the speed of Abel’s work. Be a leader who sets an example for your subordinates! ”

“Don’t make me laugh! Even if I were to handle the Demon King’s business, if someone came in, they would immediately know that it wasn’t Abel. What kind of nonsense is that!”

“I absolutely can’t recognize you. If I do, I’ll let the Demon King go.”

“Oh, really? You definitely said that? Let’s just wait and see.”

*****

“Your Majesty, I have brought you the documents.”

“Ma, Ma, Demon King…! Hey, hey, here… afterlife, damage… Th, th, it’s a document… I’m sorry…! ”

“Are you cross-dressing?”

“…That’s ridiculous…”

“You see? You lost the bet, so now you should work quietly.”

*****

“How can this make sense? How can none of the Four Heavenly Kings recognize the difference between me and Abel? My subordinates and Faber don’t see my face often, so there’s no way… Bullshit! Our genders were switched! Why can’t you recognize me!”

Lucy whined, buried under a mountain of paperwork.

He was being sentenced to hard labor for losing a bet.

“And shouldn’t we get to know Mino and Hira more? Even if we only get to know one of them…!”

“Just give up.”

Matopju, whose workplace had changed, stood nearby and intervened.

Of course, he too was buried under a mountain of paperwork.

“They are higher-ranking beings, so it’s even more so. Those of lower rank would see them and think, “Huh? A woman?” or “A different person?” But since they are of higher rank, even if their bodies are a bit different, their souls are the same, so they’d probably think, “They’re the same person,” and move on. ”

“Scam, scam, this is a scam!”

Lucy protested when she realized the trick too late, but what good would that do? It was already a lost battle.

No matter how much you cry, the truth does not change.

“Well, isn’t that guy who committed the fraud also working with you? …I’m also a slave… No, I have to bring the graduate students. Oh, when you say slave, did I mention that? The prophet saved the slaves-”

“Mr. Ma, keep your mouth shut and do your job, you fucking fanatic.”

Of course, that didn’t mean that Galvein was any different. His skull was sticking out from between the documents, making a noise.

And currently, Galvein’s stress level is at an all-time high, even though he’s reduced his workload by holding Lucy’s ankles.

Most of the reason was that Matapju kept singing Noah’s praises nonstop while processing the paperwork.

Why on earth wasn’t the top master born in the Holy Land? Wasn’t it the Sponge effect that made him born in the Holy Land and destined to become a fanatic? No, it wasn’t a question, it was a conviction.

Because of that, the respect for elders and conscience that existed in Galvein’s heart were destroyed long ago. He became an even more evil lich!

*****

“…Fucking Richie.”

Peep.

And at a time when the two men and one man were in pain, Hira was looking at Galvein with only his head sticking out from beyond the door.

Of course, all three were already on the verge of suffocating to death under the mountain of documents, so Hira couldn’t even be seen.

“Still, I don’t like it… so… Hehe.”

In a place where no one was looking, Hira quietly raised his hand to help with the processing of documents.

“I’m about 20% done.”

“Hmm… I feel like my efficiency has improved, but this is also Noah-nim’s-”

“Attack the elderly… That’s my only mission…”

“Galvein. …Oh, it’s finally gone bad. Actually, all the regressors have gone bad at least once, so isn’t this right?”

“But, don’t you feel like something is casting a shadow? Young man…”

And Hira witnessed it.

“Heee…?!”

The expressionless-faced demon servants were pouring down on them, without even a flicker of expression, a volume of documents that was far more than the 20% of the documents they had been processing.

It seemed like their work was still a long way off.

*****

Oh, really.

No matter how many shitty things happened today…

Still, I could have ended it on a good note since I confessed to Abel.

“Leon…! You’re here!”

Why do you guys cling so tenaciously to my life?

“I’m your friend! We hunt monsters together, and…and…”

You guys were the ones who kicked me out first.

Because I lost my warrior’s power just trying to protect you.

So now that there was no place to make money, I switched without even showing my face.

“You were the one who showed me there was light. You said you would be my precious person! You said you would pull me out of the darkness…”

It used to be like that.

I thought you were a diamond in the rough, never losing your shine even in the mud.

But it was a mistake.

You were just a person who could do anything with money. You only hated the demons, and you didn’t even have anything like light in your heart.

It’s funny when I think about it.

If I was such an important part, shouldn’t I have been kept by your side and watched over you?

What on earth were you guys thinking, leaving me like that?

Oh, were they just all crazy about their own desires? Is that so?

Yeah, what’s the point of asking you? I should ask Gabriel.

But thanks to you, you guys not keeping an eye on me, I ended up meeting Abel.

“Let’s go back quickly. Okay? I just met you this time because you came all the way to the empire, but I don’t know when you’ll have another chance to sneak in. I’ll forgive you for colluding with the Demon King and all. I’m sorry, but honestly, it wasn’t me who tormented you, it was the other kids. I just watched from behind…!”

But, I’m not particularly grateful.

Nothing has changed at all, Sue.

“You’ve always wondered my real name. It’s Han Su-jin.”

You were darkness to me.

I know how to cut the thread.

The method is so simple.

All you have to do is stab the number with the silver sword you just summoned.

And there was no reason not to do it.

-Phew.

“Gyaaah!!!”

ah.

It feels so refreshing.

*****

It’s noisy.

Lucy didn’t bother to stop Galvein and Matapju from fighting with magic. She thought that if one of them lost, things would be a little quieter.

But I didn’t know that the fight would last this long. If I had known, I would have prevented the fight from starting in the first place, but the fuse had already been lit, so I thought it was too late.

He purposely left it alone so that he could use the fight as an excuse to get some rest anyway.

Doesn’t the work just keep piling up?

Anyway, the amount of paper is already piled up to the point where it’s hard to even count the sheets, so I’ll let my future self take care of it.

As I sit there blankly like this, memories that were stuck in my heart like a yoke start to creep back to me.

That memory from when I first went to the ruins.

If I think back a little… At the time, I was, well. I think I was quite confused.

So I guess I just ran, hoping something would define me.

And in those white ruins, I met it.

The 6th Demon King.

Slaughterer.

Record-destroying type.

Those who should not be recorded.

“Are you here? You’re a little late. And that evaluation is a little too much. I’m not a chain avadaketabra or something like that, turning people into explosives… um, no. I’ve done it before. ”

“You…revived me?”

In the midst of that chaotic mind, I discovered fear.

What is before your eyes is not a person.

A dragon, a lich, a god, an animal that only speaks human language, or even the scum of the earth may all be considered human, but by any standard, they are not human.

“That’s half right. What I did was right. But I didn’t revive it. Do you think that piece of shit is ‘alive’? A body that deviates from the rules that disappears with just one observation by the goddess.”

…No.

I, who had not yet defined my own name, knew.

I am in such an unstable state.

“…Anyway, that’s true.”

The man nodded obediently.

“Still, you came at a good time. I had something I had been keeping for a while, and I think it’s time to return it.”

Follow me.

I didn’t even think about resisting and just followed the man until I saw an ark.

“Ark?”

“Noah’s relics.”

“Noah’s…!”

At the one word the man said as if it was nothing, I was possessed and tried to put my hand on the ark.

I would have actually touched it, if the man hadn’t grabbed my wrist.

“Let go of my hand.”

“Noah’s relics…!! What Noah left behind before he died…”

“If you had touched it, you would have died.”

“…What?”

Ha. The man stared at me for a moment, then said he was ready to talk and continued.

“Why do you think I ‘created’ you in the first place? Because Noah would be sad if you died? That’s nonsense.

If that was the reason, there would have been no reason to separate you, the contaminated part of ‘Abel’, and maintain your form. I would have just erased you. Then why did I bother to interfere with you?”

“…”

I don’t know.

Thinking was an extremely difficult task for a blank sheet of paper.

“There are several reasons. For example, Abel of this time period must reveal the information about the ark that he was unable to find out, or the fact that you know of the thugs and traitors must be taken care of. However, there are two main reasons.”

“…”

“One, bring Noah to me. I have something I’m preparing, and I can’t do it without meeting him in person. You don’t have to do anything big. Just tell your subordinate to investigate the ruins. Then Noah will come naturally.”

The blue thread of fate is like that, the man added quietly.

“How can I trust you?”

“If you were going to hurt Noah, you could have done it a long time ago. And, when you meet Noah later… you’ll see a blue string wrapped around his wrist that looks like mine. Let’s use that as evidence.

This is the first reason, and there is a second reason.

Do you know exactly what Noah’s Ark is?”

“It’s a dimensional transfer line for migration to another dimension. That’s all I know. ”

“Then, do you know what powers that ship? Judging from your expression, I don’t think you know.”

How could you know?

‘Abel’ knew nothing about Noah’s arrangement. He had never been involved in its production in the first place, and he only found out about its completion today.

“My heart. To be exact, it should be the heart that contains the properties of my ‘time’.”

hour.

The reason I regressed. And the power that still exists in my body.

“I worried a lot about what to do. My heart was supposed to be given to Noah, but it was hard to find a heart to sacrifice instead. If I wasn’t strong enough, my existence would disappear just by touching the power.”

“…Me too-”

“The existence disappeared. And I reattached it. It’s a satisfactory result just because there’s even a trace left. Anyway, when I looked at my hand a little, it was alive with my power in it, right? ”

“Then should I die too? I’m moving around in the dark to push away the mobs, and I’m sacrificing my heart to activate the ark…”

I didn’t have high expectations anyway, but I didn’t want to die like this…

Even though I never asked for it.

“No, a heart won’t be enough. At the very least, you’ll need to create a large receptor that can completely accommodate the power of a goddess or a demon lord, and then place the very fact that you existed inside it. ”

Why is your expression like that?

To you who have returned for a happy ending, I am merely providing the best guidelines.

In the first place, you are a body that was forcibly put together by something that cannot exist as a person. Even if I try my best to save you, you are a ‘piece’ that will scatter into the dimensional wavelength and disappear the moment you successfully migrate to another dimension.

I would have tried to save you.

It’s just that no matter what you do, there’s no solution.

It’s only natural that when a person moves away from a mirror, the mirror image disappears.

.

.

.

Lucy woke up as if from a deep sleep, blinking and returning to reality.

In conclusion, I accepted all that reality.

The fate of becoming the ark’s battery, and sending Noah to that man bypassing Galvein.

And the second one ended up being the best one. It solved Leah’s heart problem, which I could never fix.

As the man said, ‘the best happy ending’.

“Don’t die, just hurt enough to work, fanatic old lady. [Inferno Hellfire]!”

“Showing the years of experience of the Magic Tower. [Protection of Aegis].”

Thump.

When I snapped my fingers, the magic of the Matapju and Galvein was released at the same time.

Since both of their eyes were focused on me at the same time and they had expressions like ‘what are you doing?’, I had to use a little conversation to bring them to their senses.

“Oh, the name tag doesn’t come off easily. I should have written “sedative” instead of “conversation.” ”

“So, what’s the matter, Your Majesty?”

“The core I asked you to make as my last request. Is it almost finished?”

“Ah, if that’s what you mean, here it is.

Galvein handed over a transparent, jewel-like gem.

Yeah, this is my grave… ha.

Anyone who knows me, would know.

Soon you won’t even remember me. I’m already dead.

In fact, there is a way to escape this limited life.

As I said before, either kill Abel and cover him with his skin, or stay here whether the ark departs or not.

There is no point in staying here anyway, as it will eventually be destroyed by the goddess and fall into her grasp.

And what’s the point of turning Abel’s skin over? In a life that is only alive.

If I can only live by hurting others, if I have to die to have a happy ending.

I would gladly die.

There was a possibility that Leon and I could be happy. There was a possibility somewhere.

I’m just standing there as a scapegoat, proving that.

.

.

.

“I have a question.”

“Questions? Even if there is something you don’t understand-”

“…No. Did you…know that this world would regress?”

The man opened his eyes wide and then made a face as if he had heard something he shouldn’t have.

“What nonsense.”

“Well, that’s true. How could they know? Even the gods wouldn’t know that.”

It was a stupid question. If the man hadn’t cut her off, she would have continued talking.

“Of course I knew that. Didn’t it feel like my plan itself was based on the premise that the world would regress once?”