episode_0141

On a late afternoon.

I was meeting with the goddess Stellania inside Mariel’s mansion, which was being used as a demon protection shelter.

The reason for seeking out the goddess was, of course, to discuss how to eliminate the demon soul.

“If I directly attack the demon soul with the sword that I infused my last bit of power into, I can destroy it.”

“So, you’re asking about a way to directly attack the demon soul.”

“Well… we need to subdue the demon, right?”

“At least find its weakness, or a way to fight favorably. You should know, being your creation.”

That’s right.

In the end, it was the incompetent goddess Stellania who created both the demon soul and the hero.

She granted me the power to destroy the demon soul, but that alone was not enough.

It wasn’t just a matter of simply defeating the demon in battle.

I had been too preoccupied with the kingdom’s issues to think deeply about it, but simply obtaining the Holy Sword was not the solution.

The biggest problem was that the demon soul grew stronger over time.

Even if I were to gain the power to surpass even Milayama through extreme training in magical transformation, if the demon became stronger during that time, wouldn’t I be unable to defeat it forever?

“Well… if we’re talking about weaknesses…”

“Is there something after all?”

“Heroes are never supposed to lose to the demon.”

“And the hero with that power died. That doesn’t apply to me, does it?”

“Since I thought the hero would win anyway, I made the demon as strong as possible so that only a hero could defeat it.”

“…”

“Still, how can we win?”

Stellania glanced at me.

You useless goddess, so in the end, it’s impossible to win.

“Yunoa consulted with Stellania, forgetting her pathetic and incompetent nature.

Yunoa’s memory was truly questionable.

Her incompetence did not change just because she was treated as a goddess by the people of this world.

The one Yunoa should have consulted and relied on was not her.

Why didn’t she know that?”

Letting out a small sigh at Stellania’s pitiful answer, I heard the narration.

Admiring the sarcastic tone that criticized both me and Stellania at the same time, I wondered, then who should I consult with?

Who in this world could advise on how to defeat the demon in battle?

“Yunoa was indeed a fool.”

…

Is this the narration?

Consulting with the narration, which only communicated unilaterally without proper communication, seemed absurd.

Well, the narration was a being far superior to Stellania, so it wasn’t surprising that it knew the answer even if I didn’t ask.

But seeing it speak in that manner, it seemed like it did have some advice regarding the demon soul after all.

So where should I listen to, the narration’s strategy for defeating the demon.

“The demon soul was an entity that inhabited the demon’s body, turning the owner of the body into a demon.

But one must also consider that the shoddy structure created by Stellania has collapsed.

Originally, a hero should have been designated as a human truly fitting for demon subjugation, as the name suggests.

But what actually happened?”

Well, a complete scumbag hero came out.

He died, though.

“If there is a trash hero, there may be the opposite as well.

The reason a trash hero emerged in the first place was because the world’s structure had collapsed.

So, is the current demon truly the same as before?”

Huh… then could it be…?

The demon is also trash?!

No, no. That’s unknown.

But according to the narration, just as the hero was born wrong, there is a possibility that the demon was also somehow flawed.

And once the narration directly mentioned the possibility, it was closer to being a ‘fact’ than just a possibility.

Something is definitely wrong with the Demon King…

If that can be used as a weakness in the fight against the Demon King with the Demon King’s soul, then maybe we have a chance as well.

The problem is, I don’t know what that is.

I waited for the narration to provide more detailed information, but as always, the narration did not give perfect information.

I guess it means I have to figure it out on my own.

“Yunoa, I firmly believe that you can eliminate the Demon King’s soul.”

At that moment, the goddess Stellania spoke gently, emitting a soft light.

Having been busy playing the role of a goddess among the demons and refugees in the fortress, my acting skills had improved.

But to me, who knew what kind of trouble she had caused in this world, her acting was useless.

“Don’t say things you don’t mean.”

“…Didn’t ‘they’ tell you something?”

The only existence that Stellania would call ‘they’ is the narration.

“The goddess attached to me is a bit capricious.”

“Yunoa blurted out useless words.”

The narration’s counterattack came back sharply.

I guess I’m good at answering in situations like this.

* * *

Lately, there have been rumors that Edward frequents the mayor’s mansion.

It seemed natural as a representative of the refugees, but after subtly giving Algot information about his secret, it seemed like Algot was summoning him for various reasons.

I left Edward’s affairs to Algot for now and focused on preparing to face the Demon King.

Honestly, besides the fact that there might be something wrong with the Demon King like a hero, I didn’t know much else.

So, I thought about what was needed.

Practical information about the Demon King.

And the combat power to fight the Demon King.

Finally, the military strength to break through the demons and monsters protecting the Demon King.

…In the end, all I can do now is train myself.

“You! You’re screaming that you need me on your face!”

“Surprise!”

I was walking near the guild, lost in thought, when Mariel suddenly appeared and shouted.

Come to think of it, she hadn’t been seen for a while since she collapsed while conducting strange experiments.

Seeing her healthy and revived, there was no need to worry.

“Hmph! You don’t have to thank me! I made a magical tool to defeat that monster!”

“What?”

“That blabbermouth over there! Didn’t he ask for a magical tool to help him fight that guy?”

Mariel put her hands on her hips and raised her nose proudly.

When did Bloodstain die…?

“Um… that blabbermouth is already dead.”

“Hahaha! I knew it! With this magical tool, I will defeat that blabbermouth… Huh? What, what did you say?!”

Mariel was flustered with exaggerated gestures at my words.

It’s too late to hear the news.

“What on earth have you been doing all this time that you didn’t know?”

“T-That… my research lab is strictly off-limits. I was in the lab the whole time after waking up.”

“You never came out?”

“That’s right.”

After turning the mansion into a demon shelter, Mariel made sure that no one could enter her research lab without permission. Since no one who knew Mariel would want to go in and mess things up, she was completely cut off from the world and herself while inside.

Still, not knowing that Bloodstain had died was a bit extreme.

And on top of that, completing the magical tool I had asked for without knowing that fact…

I didn’t know Milaia would do such a thing, that’s why I asked for it.

“So, what is this completed magical tool?”

Well, let’s find out what it is since I’ve already made it.

I’ve used the magical tool that was once called a compass for finding trash in my own way, so there might be unexpected uses for it.

“Uh… uh… Did I just make another useless magical tool?”

“No, tell me what it is.”

“How can this not be enough for the promise I made to make a magical tool for you? This is already the second one I’ve made! Isn’t three too much? I made it even though it’s useless!”

Mariel said, clutching her head in agony.

Actually, the first magical tool was also used quite well, but… is she agonizing over breaking the promise again?

As I quietly watched Mariel, she somehow seemed a bit pitiful.

“Well, let’s consider the promise kept with this magical tool then.”

“Huh? Really?”

Mariel’s expression brightened.

Since it was an unfair deal that I started without any loss from the beginning, this should be enough.

But I can’t help but worry about the magical tool that Mariel made for the Great Bloodstain dragon.

“So, what did you make this time?”

“Well… that would be…”

Mariel rummaged through her pocket and pulled out a small ring.

“A ring?”

“You asked for a magical tool that would help you escape when facing a powerful demon, right? So, I made a magical tool that makes you invisible to demons so you can escape when you meet them next time.”

In other words, invisibility… in a ring form?

Then it must be incredibly useful.

It’s a great magical tool regardless of Bloodstain’s life or death, so why did Mariel…?

Just as I was thinking that, Mariel added.

“Of course, something went wrong while making it, so the function is not perfect. Even if you use it, everyone except demons can see you. The same goes for monsters. And the duration is not that long. It just buys you time to escape.”

“Well, even if Bloodstain was alive, it wouldn’t have been very useful.”

I honestly replied as I accepted the ring-shaped magical tool that Mariel handed me.

Whether she’s a genius, a fool… or just eccentric.

She can create extraordinary things, but there seems to be a screw loose somewhere.

In short, it’s a magical tool that allows you to hide from demons for a short period of time.

…I couldn’t think of an immediate use for it.

Still, I’ll keep it for now.