episode_0168

-Tingling

With the refreshing burst of sound as the background, I stared at it with my eyes wide open.

Suddenly feeling uneasy, I started looking around in a hurry.

“… That’s weird.”

Isn’t it too quiet around here?

… it was beyond quiet, the sound was gone.

Even if a saint, a warrior, or Camilla takes care of me, isn’t she a god?

It’s really strange that there’s no response… .

Let me dwell on that thought for a moment.

Soon, I stopped looking around and squinted my eyes at the ‘thing’ that slowly revealed itself as if it were my ruin.

“… What.”

When I met eyes with it, I couldn’t help but hold my breath, unable to hide my embarrassment.

“In the end, it turned out like this… .”

First of all, it is neither male nor female.

If I had to describe it, a voice close to a beautiful voice settled in my ear.

It looks at me with a self-deprecating smile.

It had a human form and an appearance that was all too familiar to me.

“What is this… .”

The long hair and eyelashes that reminded me of a beautiful woman only looked pitiful.

The smart nose and slightly moist lips harmoniously matched each other.

It’s almost as if Lucius’s appearance was that of a woman.

The confusion doesn’t end there.

When I looked closely at the body that appeared thin at first glance, I could see that I was wrong.

With broad shoulders and a low body fat percentage, he had the body of a muscular man.

“… See you again?”

But if that were all, I wouldn’t be so flustered.

The one who is called God may have the appearance of my creation, and above all else.

As Lucius is called the warrior, he may have been loved by the god and received that appearance.

“Why are you here…?”

But this was strange.

As I said, it’s a look that’s all too familiar to me.

“You… must have stabbed me.”

It died for me once.

No, was he dead?

Looking back, I didn’t check it properly at the time because I had other urgent matters to attend to.

… I should have seen it if I knew it would be like this.

No, even if I had survived back then, I would have definitely lost my karma, right?

Could it be another being that only resembles the outside world?

In reality, the huge horns he had are not there.

… my head is complicated.

Could that be what I was thinking on my face?

“Well, that shouldn’t be so surprising. Actually, my job was taken away by you.”

It said this and shrugged its shoulders.

“Huh… .”

Looking at that sight, I burst out laughing at how absurd the situation was, and I tried to close my mouth, which was wide open in embarrassment, as I asked it.

“… Are you a god?”

What I was most curious about.

“… God.”

Then, after closing his mouth as if he was thinking for a moment, he added with an awkward smile.

“It seems like it’s called that way, but… It’s a little different to be exact.”

“… Different?”

What does that mean?

I frowned at the words I didn’t understand, and soon the answer came back.

Of course, it wasn’t the answer I was hoping for.

“If I had to be specific, is it the same as you? No, I’d say it’s a being of similar status.”

“… Huh.”

He is someone who has simply reached a state and achieved transcendence.

If you consider it as a ‘realm’ rather than simple strength, then it’s a position much higher than mine.

As I recalled that fact, I felt the hatred that had been building up inside me die down.

If he really was a god, if he was a god who was called omnipotent, if the words of the nameless one were lies, and in fact there was a god.

My hatred will be directed at that guy too.

But now that I realize that he is not a god, but simply a transcendent being.

There is no reason for my hatred to be directed at it.

And, this may be a little out of context, but… .

“… but.”

There’s something that’s a little bit on my mind.

“Surely, you didn’t take my karma from me?”

As I said before, it is clear that this karma was taken from me. There is no room for argument about this.

Looking at how far I’ve come, it’s true that I’ve taken that guy’s… no, that guy’s karma.

If not, then not only would I not have achieved transcendence now, but the nameless one would not have said such a thing.

So, if it really is a transcendent being as it says, shouldn’t it not be here?

Because I would have had my karma taken away from me.

It nodded to my question.

“It was taken away.”

“But why-”

“But the karma you took away is the karma I, commonly called the Demon King, built up, right?”

What the heck is that… .

Is this the karma I built up as the Demon King?

Are you saying that karma is now separated?

It was a difficult situation to understand with my ignorant common sense, but when I thought about it carefully, it didn’t seem entirely impossible.

In the first place, karma was just a way to express the path we have walked since birth.

So, if we assume that that being can create a clone of itself… it is entirely possible.

Well, that’s because I can just start over from scratch with a shell, a clone that hasn’t inherited my karma.

It shrugged its shoulders slightly, and I frowned as I waited for it to continue.

“You’re right. The being called the Demon King is another me.”

Oh, that’s what happened.

As I was nodding my head in agreement, it continued speaking.

“Ah. By the way, Lucius is me too.”

“What.”

That’s also a bit absurd.

I opened my eyes wide in bewilderment as I watched him raise the corners of his mouth as if he had said something obvious with an expression that seemed nonchalant.

…Lucius is himself?

No, more than that.

Lucius… Apart from that, is it okay for Elia and Camilla to come in?

The Demon King was a god, and the warrior was a god.

Isn’t this content so shocking that it distorts the very foundation of religion here?

“Um… .”

He looked around in confusion and saw that everyone had stopped moving.

… Was this the identity of the sense of discomfort I first felt?

Somehow, I found it strange that there was no reaction from people around me even though I had delivered such shocking news.

“Ah.”

No, that’s not the point.

Lucius is that guy?

Although their appearances are similar… when you think about the way he speaks and his actions, they don’t match at all?

Besides, wasn’t Lucius also going on an adventure to defeat the Demon King?

Then… does that mean he went on an adventure to kill himself?

As I was thinking about that, it laughed heartily and wiped its eyes, adding:

“Ahaha, I know what you’re thinking, but that’s not it.”

“How did I get my thoughts… No, it happened.”

It’s a level so high that it can create clones, not to mention transcendence, which even I can’t guarantee.

Well… I guess I can read your thoughts.

As I was waving my hands and sighing deeply at that thought, it soon added its explanation with a smile on its face.

“To be exact, only the body is nine. Well, like a child.”

I frowned for a moment, trying to understand what he was saying.

It would probably be better to think of the body as a separate entity.

Just like the nameless one and my disciple, the nameless one.

Wait a minute… then what?

“… Then the Demon King only has your body… ?”

“Ah. That body and mind are mine.”

This wasn’t it.

“… Well, things didn’t work out the way I intended.”

“Um… .”

As I watched him sigh as he spoke, I also let out a sigh.

So… the one I’ve been looking for so far is a transcendent being called God, huh… .

How should I take this?

It would be a stretch to say that the original purpose has disappeared, since that thing called God has appeared before me, but it is not a God, since it is of the same level as me… .

How should I accept that guy?

“…”

My head feels a little complicated.

I stared at it for a while, biting my lips, and then it shook its head slightly as if it knew what I was thinking.

“I can’t say I did anything wrong, but… I wasn’t the one who brought you here.”

“… Is that so.”

Of course, that’s true.

“Still, I’m grateful to you… ”

I closed my ears to its words and looked at the distant mountains with a self-deprecating smile.

‘…What should I do now?’

I have an immediate goal, but what about after I fulfill the dreams of the Heavenly Demon Sect and the Demon Tribe?

No, is this really my goal?

If I were to achieve their goal, Camilla, Lucius, and Elia would surely be hurt. Can I do that?

I don’t know.

Like that, I stared blankly at the distant mountains for a while.

“… As expected.”

I blurted out the thought that suddenly occurred to me.

“Should I go back?”

Not a cabin, not anonymity and not my space.

Back to my original hometown.

I feel uneasy about having to go with this body… but wouldn’t that be better than my current situation where I have no goal?

With that thought in mind, I just sat there blankly.

Because I was just staring straight ahead, lost in thought.

“-Your Majesty… !”

To my ears, it’s really nice to hear. But, I don’t want to hear it now.

“Master!”

A truly wonderful, low-pitched voice was heard that seemed capable of stealing women’s hearts with just its sound.

“… Anonymous?”

“What is it? How does it move?”