episode_0576

‘I’m sorry, everyone. But I have to go back to my original world.’

‘Hero! Please think about it just once! If it’s for you, I can make you a princess… no, I can even make you the next emperor!’

‘I’m sorry, Seraphine. It’s already too late. I thought I’d really regret it if I didn’t go back now.’

‘Is that something to regret more than leaving three women behind? I said I would allow Seraphine and Serista… up to two.’

‘… I would like to remain in this world with you if possible, but I have no choice. Please forgive me, Silena.’

‘Yes, if that is your will, we can’t stop you… . Instead, I will only bless your future path, Heh, Heh… .’

‘…Thank you, Serista. And I think it’s time to go now.’

‘Ah, no! Don’t go! Warrior!!’

“No… … !”

Seraphine woke up in her bed, letting out the exact same scream she had let out in her dream.

What he sees next to him are his other party mates who are sleeping peacefully, unlike him.

It didn’t take long for me to realize that what I had just seen was not reality, but a ‘nightmare’. It was the same nightmare I had experienced countless times before.

‘I failed again…’

The same future that catches my eye again and again.

After a long battle, the ending was always the same: the hero returning home and the three people who had no choice but to send him off in tears.

There was a time when we were friends who kept an eye on each other and watched each other closely, but not anymore. If only I could draw a future with just the hero, that would be the best thing, but what was more important right now was to somehow keep the hero from leaving this world.

Even if three people had to share him, or even if he was stolen from them by someone else, they had to use every means necessary to capture him, just to have the chance to see his face once in a while.

He tried to persuade her several times, saying that he would give her all the money, title, land, power, and any other means he could give her, but it didn’t work at all.

He also tried to persuade the other two people to change the future. If the hero decides to leave this continent, we must hold on to him even if it means we all become his wives.

However, even after the number of people trying to persuade increased to three, the warrior’s attitude was always firm, and Seraphine had to send the warrior away several times during the last moments of the dream.

‘No. Far from stopping it, it’s becoming clearer and clearer… .’

How on earth can I keep the hero in this world?

Interfering with the subjugation of the Demon King? That is not possible. A future where the Demon King is not subjugated is more horrifying and tragic than a future where the hero disappears.

Returning after making another comrade the Demon King? That’s nonsense. Not to mention Antonio, who is my blood relative, and the other comrades have been fighting each other’s backs for years.

The same goes for Lilith and Edan Gongja, who will arrive at the Demon Realm some time later. They especially cannot be forced to make any more sacrifices because they have received favors during the palace raid incident.

Above all, when he made that choice, the feelings the hero had for him also ended up being read as a ‘vision of the future’. Even if she was Seraphine, if he asked me to leave the hero in the world and receive hatred and disgust from him for the rest of my life, I simply did not have the confidence to do so.

…then, in the end, there is only one case left.

“… … .”

Seraphine, who had decided to risk her life, went into a future that even she, who could see the future, had never seen before.

⁎⁎⁎

To be honest, it’s gambling.

Because it means nothing to me anyway. If I hadn’t known from the beginning, I wouldn’t have known, but now I can’t imagine life without you.

So, I just want to gamble one last time.

It’s a gamble where you throw away what’s worthless and maybe save the most precious thing in the world.

⁎⁎⁎

The Demon King’s ideology suddenly rushed towards me, and Seraphine took that ideology on her body instead of me.

It was Luke’s confused voice that woke me up from my confusion as I didn’t know what was going on.

“Princess Seraphine!!!”

Ah, Seraphine.

That’s right. Just now instead of me.

No, but what happened? Seraphine clearly predicted that the thought would bounce off Luke… .

“Sera Nuna!!”

“Princess!!”

“Se, Seraphine!!”

After Luke, people started flocking to Seraphine, who was infected with the Demon King’s ideology one by one.

In a situation where everyone was worried about Seraphine’s safety, I quietly made eye contact with ‘another person’ who had the same confused look in her eyes as me.

“… Why?”

The warrior, who was sitting on the floor, looked at Seraphine with a dejected expression, infected with the Demon King’s ideology.

A warrior who somehow cleared the original game with a twisted storyline and now has only one last step left to take to return to Earth.

Although I couldn’t hear his voice because it was far away, I could tell just from the shape of his lips that he had a dejected expression.

‘I probably would have felt the same way if I were in that situation.’

There has never been a case where Seraphine mispredicted the direction of the Demon King’s ideology, and it is even more unprecedented for her to become the Demon King herself instead of someone else.

“This, we need to treat it first! Before the Demon King’s thoughts spread throughout the princess’s body… .”

… No, that’s wrong. No matter how much divine power a saint has, an ideology that has already begun to take hold cannot be driven out.

Rather, it is dangerous for everyone to be so close to Seraphine, who is on the verge of becoming the Demon Lord. Especially Serista, who is the only healer in the party.

“Almighty Aurelia, drive away the evil energy that dwells in her body… .”

“It’s dangerous, Lady Serista!”

“Yes, yes?!”

Hearing what I said, I grabbed the back of the Serista’s neck, who was flustered, and hastily made her retreat.

-grasp!!

“… … !!”

And then, right after that, a black thorn rose from where she was. If Serista had continued to recite the prayer without knowing, she would have been fatally wounded and had no choice but to withdraw from the battle.

Everyone, including the saint who was being held in my hand, was confused, and the thorn that had risen up wriggled around and returned to the body of the Serista from which it had emerged.

“Hwa, Princess… .S,Surely not… .”

“Sister… … ?”

“… … .”

It is impossible to comfort each and every one of the party members who are in mourning. Even just a little bit of their senses and entering the battle was the last way to reduce the number of victims to ‘one’.

The one who sacrificed herself on my behalf… No, I don’t know if she really ran in to sacrifice herself, but in any case, in order to save her, I had to calmly assess the situation and come to my senses to lead the battle.

“Everyone, step back! Princess Seraphine has already been infected…!! If we don’t want the princess’s sacrifice to be in vain, we must… .”

“Nooo!!!”

Luke screams and has a seizure when he hears that Seraphine has been infected with the Demon King’s ideology. I had somewhat expected that reaction.

… Since Seraphine has become an enemy, it would be right to conclude that Luke has also become an enemy.

“There may still be a cure. Don’t act hastily, Lady Rosewood.”

Antonio’s reaction to his beloved older sister was also expected.

This is why the last hidden boss pattern is so tricky. If a comrade becomes a demon lord, not only that comrade, but also some of the comrades who have fought together until now will betray him in this way.

Because Seraphine was the one with the deepest interpersonal relationships within the party, there were a lot of desertions among the troops.

Luke, who has been Seraphine’s servant for almost half his life, Antonio, Seraphine’s blood relative, and Agnes, who considers her her only friend. Including Seraphine, he has to endure the departure of a total of four people…

“Before you came in, Seraphine already said that if someone is infected with the Demon King’s ideology, it will end with them being killed, no matter who it is.”

…uh?

“No!! I said no!!! Come even one step closer to the princess!! I’ll kill you all!!!”

“… Agnes Youngae, are you serious? Sister Sera truly considered Agnes Youngae a friend, so how could you… .”

“… I know that too. And that’s the last operation Seraphine left behind. You know that what you’re doing isn’t for Seraphine. ”

“… … .”

… Still, it’s fortunate that this part is different from the original.

If Agnes had turned around here, it would have been a disaster. At that time, we might have had to accept the sacrifice of other party members except Seraphine.

Fortunately, in this world, Seraphine was not Agnes’ ‘only’ friend. She was able to make more cool-headed judgments, perhaps because she thought she had to protect at least her remaining friends.

And if this happens, Antonio, who is now deeply in love with Agnes, might be able to be won over by Agnes’s persuasion…

“No. Even if Agnes Youngae’s words are right, I cannot yield to Sera Noona.”

“… Okay, then it’s over.”

“I’m sorry, Agnes Youngae.”

Seraphine becomes the Demon King.

In addition, there is a hunting dog that lost its owner and is crying, and a prince who gave up his lover to protect his own flesh and blood.

…let’s just be thankful that the mad wizard who lost his only friend and went mad didn’t become our enemy.

“… Those who do not have confidence in fighting seriously, fall back.”

This fucking world. Who would have thought they’d prepare such a huge, shitty event for the last time?

“… As per Seraphine’s final operational instructions… The operation to subdue Seraphine begins now.”

The voice of the warrior giving battle orders was unusually gloomy.