Translator: Denryuu; Editor: Ryunakama
Why had I let the Demon King live?
If you had asked me many months ago, you would not have received a satisfactory answer. The reason remained the same, even up till now — but I had finally found the words to express myself.
I was nothing more than a killing machine back then. I knew nothing. After starting a new life as a guild employee, I learnt what ‘warmth’ was. I learnt how to lead a ‘normal’ life. It became apparent how far removed the life of an assassin was from that of the average person. There was a mantra I had never questioned — ‘It’s a job, a target; good or bad matters not’. Yet, after leaving that life behind, I slowly realised the reservations I had towards it.
And at long last, I was ready to explain myself and lay the ghosts of the past to rest.
「I apologise for disappearing without letting any of you know. It was wrong of me to do so.」
I lowered my head, and the four ladies fell silent.
「It had been decided that it would be my last assignment as an assassin. I was unable to kill my last target, however, because I felt that the Demon King was a good person at heart. So I took an unusual approach and decided that sealing her powers away was good enough. I also want to mention that at no point did I distrust any of you — if there’s only one thing you take away, please allow it to be that.」
Not only had the Demon King been unharmed, but also alive and well. Believing that this secret could not see the light of day, I had chosen not to tell anyone. I had informed King Randolph about the collar, but telling the rest could very well have produced a different effect.
「Is everything okay, El, now that Roland has apologised?」
「Yeah… if Lylael has him by her side, there’s nothing to worry about.」
I sensed that her response had allowed Lyla to calm down.
「There’s something I want to ask you, Al」, continued Elvi. 「What on earth is a kiss?」
「Eh?」
「You said that Roland kissed you?」
「I mean… you don’t have to know…」
Almeria looked away in embarrassment, casting an awkward glance at me.
「Hey, what are you doing with your eyes — !?」
Seeing that the princess was trying to get up, Elvi held her down.
「That’s enough! Let me go!」, exclaimed the former, flailing.
「No.」
「Roland hasn’t kissed me yet…」
I never said I would, Rina.
「Ah, me neither!」
You too, Seraphin.
Watching the spectacle unfolding in front of her, Lyla laughed.
「So this is the Heroes’ Party. I see. It must have been tough for you.」
The verbal tug-of-war between Almeria and Elvi had livened up the living room. The ruckus made Rina uneasy, and the young mage quickly tried to calm them down.
「Do you have alcohol, Roland-san?」, asked Seraphin shamelessly without a shred of concern for what was going on.
「Oh right」, said Lyla. 「You’re a good drinker.」
Getting up, she brought a bottle of wine and a few glasses from the kitchen. As she poured the wine, I prepared some simple dishes to go with it and gave Rina some juice. The six of us dined together and talked about the past, allowing pleasant memories to return to us.
「I like that story, Roland! Tell us, tell us!」
「You mean that time Almeria wet herself?」
「Aru-chan wet herself, fufufu…」
It was a story oft repeated among ourselves, and Rina, who obviously already knew all of it, giggled.
「Hey, we’re eating here! And look, I didn’t wet myself, okay!?」
「You wet yourself a lot, didn’t you, Rina-san?」, asked Seraphin with a grin.
「N-No, I didn’t!」
「You ran out of undergarments, and had to go commando on the battlefield…」
「Uh… uh…」
I can’t hear you hear that, signalled Rina, covering my ears. It’s not like I had never heard of it before, so I let her be. The alcohol was beginning to kick in, and everyone was more talkative now.
「Hey, El. Roland’s training made you cry every night, right?」
「Speak for yourself! Why would you do me dirty like that?」
Everyone laughed.
「Are there any embarrassing stories about him?」, asked Lyla.
「Oi. Don’t poke your nose into my business.」
The four party members thought long and hard before Almeria came up with an answer.
「We were attacked at night once, and for some reason, Roland fought butt naked.」
「I remember that too. He somehow wasn’t wearing clothes.」
「I think it’s very clear why」, said Seraphin. 「Roland-san ‘attacks’ in a different sense at night and casts his ‘magic’ on others. His clothes were hidden away, so he was naked… and his weapon of choice was the ‘spear’… fufufu…」
「Enough of that」, I interjected, punching her in the stomach to silence her.
「Fufu… fu…」
She fainted.
「Looks like you’ve always been a pillar of support for others」, sighed Lyla.
「What do you think of Roland, Lylael?」
「Oh, I’m interested too. Do tell us!」
「Fufu. Ask, and you shall receive.」
Lyla launched into a lengthy monologue with glee. Other than the sleeping Seraphin, the other ladies were eager to know what I had been up to since the war. Lyla’s account was accurate for the most part. She had chosen not to include any romanticisation, so there was no need for me to correct her at all.
「No guild employee does the stuff you do, you know?」
「I believe it to be ‘normal’.」
「Al was right. Your life is the polar opposite of a ‘quiet’ one.」
I shrugged, not understanding why they felt that way.
「Roland was being, well, Roland!」, squealed Rina, to which the others nodded.
We continued talking through sips of wine, and Rina soon grew tired. After tucking her into bed, I returned to the living room to find the other three at the end of their tethers as well.
「So that priest can’t hold her alcohol after all」, commented Lyla.
「Yeah. Her tolerance isn’t very high, though she loves drinking.」
I settled the rest into the bed in which Lyla and I usually slept.
「You’re the only one who’s a match for me」, she said as she poured more wine into my glass.
「I don’t think you’re much of a heavyweight either.」
「You’re not wrong.」
Lyla chuckled, then became serious.
「…So those were the people I fought against.」
「They have their quirks, but they’re nevertheless great friends.」
「My powers weren’t sealed away, and yet none of them were wary of me in the least. I wasn’t shown undue respect, either. It shows how much trust they have in you.」
「I know and believe that you’re harmless. They must have felt it as well.」
We had all talked as usual earlier. I had assumed that they had somehow changed, but once we actually met up, I knew that I had been wrong.
「I’ve held back from asking this for a while now… but what happened to that kingdom… the Kingdom of Jorvenssen, I think?」
「Oh, Jorvenssen…?」
It was the first kingdom that her army had invaded. The castle inhabited by the former monarch had been repurposed as the Demon King’s castle — a fact known all through the land by now.
「From what I’ve heard, its former inhabitants have not returned. It’s inhabited by monsters and other creatures now.」
Throughout my career as an employee, I had never seen a quest originating from Jorvenssen or even anywhere near it, presumably because there wasn’t anyone who needed help around those parts.
「I see.」
「It was an invasion. It goes without saying that something had to happen.」
「That’s merely an excuse on our part. Those thirsting for war ravaged it because I allowed them to.」
I wondered if it was the alcohol speaking.
「You don’t have to be too caught up about it. The war is over. You are no longer the Demon King. Let the dead remain dead, and bygones be bygones.」
Agreed, said Lyla, downing a glass of wine. A long silence followed. I knew that if Rodje had been present, she would have given her master some encouragement. It was a crucial moment, and yet the elf was nowhere to be found. The Demon King laid on the sofa, closed her eyes and quickly drifted off.
As I covered her with a blanket, I noticed tears in the corners of her eyes.
「The Demon King, merciless…」
It was nothing more than an image she had conjured during the war.
Beneath the facade she had put up, it was easy to see that she was, in truth, a gentle and caring girl born with royal blood running through her veins. She had shown no resistance even after being defeated, and instead looked as if a colossal weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
It had been a difficult war, even for her.
She may have renounced the title of ‘Demon King’ long ago, but the vision of herself ingrained in the hearts and minds of many kept her chained to her old title, reminding her of a past she could never be allowed to forget.
Translator: Denryuu; Editor: Ryunakama
Why had I let the Demon King live?
If you had asked me many months ago, you would not have received a satisfactory answer. The reason remained the same, even up till now — but I had finally found the words to express myself.
I was nothing more than a killing machine back then. I knew nothing. After starting a new life as a guild employee, I learnt what ‘warmth’ was. I learnt how to lead a ‘normal’ life. It became apparent how far removed the life of an assassin was from that of the average person. There was a mantra I had never questioned — ‘It’s a job, a target; good or bad matters not’. Yet, after leaving that life behind, I slowly realised the reservations I had towards it.
And at long last, I was ready to explain myself and lay the ghosts of the past to rest.
「I apologise for disappearing without letting any of you know. It was wrong of me to do so.」
I lowered my head, and the four ladies fell silent.
「It had been decided that it would be my last assignment as an assassin. I was unable to kill my last target, however, because I felt that the Demon King was a good person at heart. So I took an unusual approach and decided that sealing her powers away was good enough. I also want to mention that at no point did I distrust any of you — if there’s only one thing you take away, please allow it to be that.」
Not only had the Demon King been unharmed, but also alive and well. Believing that this secret could not see the light of day, I had chosen not to tell anyone. I had informed King Randolph about the collar, but telling the rest could very well have produced a different effect.
「Is everything okay, El, now that Roland has apologised?」
「Yeah… if Lylael has him by her side, there’s nothing to worry about.」
I sensed that her response had allowed Lyla to calm down.
「There’s something I want to ask you, Al」, continued Elvi. 「What on earth is a kiss?」
「Eh?」
「You said that Roland kissed you?」
「I mean… you don’t have to know…」
Almeria looked away in embarrassment, casting an awkward glance at me.
「Hey, what are you doing with your eyes — !?」
Seeing that the princess was trying to get up, Elvi held her down.
「That’s enough! Let me go!」, exclaimed the former, flailing.
「No.」
「Roland hasn’t kissed me yet…」
I never said I would, Rina.
「Ah, me neither!」
You too, Seraphin.
Watching the spectacle unfolding in front of her, Lyla laughed.
「So this is the Heroes’ Party. I see. It must have been tough for you.」
The verbal tug-of-war between Almeria and Elvi had livened up the living room. The ruckus made Rina uneasy, and the young mage quickly tried to calm them down.
「Do you have alcohol, Roland-san?」, asked Seraphin shamelessly without a shred of concern for what was going on.
「Oh right」, said Lyla. 「You’re a good drinker.」
Getting up, she brought a bottle of wine and a few glasses from the kitchen. As she poured the wine, I prepared some simple dishes to go with it and gave Rina some juice. The six of us dined together and talked about the past, allowing pleasant memories to return to us.
「I like that story, Roland! Tell us, tell us!」
「You mean that time Almeria wet herself?」
「Aru-chan wet herself, fufufu…」
It was a story oft repeated among ourselves, and Rina, who obviously already knew all of it, giggled.
「Hey, we’re eating here! And look, I didn’t wet myself, okay!?」
「You wet yourself a lot, didn’t you, Rina-san?」, asked Seraphin with a grin.
「N-No, I didn’t!」
「You ran out of undergarments, and had to go commando on the battlefield…」
「Uh… uh…」
I can’t hear you hear that, signalled Rina, covering my ears. It’s not like I had never heard of it before, so I let her be. The alcohol was beginning to kick in, and everyone was more talkative now.
「Hey, El. Roland’s training made you cry every night, right?」
「Speak for yourself! Why would you do me dirty like that?」
Everyone laughed.
「Are there any embarrassing stories about him?」, asked Lyla.
「Oi. Don’t poke your nose into my business.」
The four party members thought long and hard before Almeria came up with an answer.
「We were attacked at night once, and for some reason, Roland fought butt naked.」
「I remember that too. He somehow wasn’t wearing clothes.」
「I think it’s very clear why」, said Seraphin. 「Roland-san ‘attacks’ in a different sense at night and casts his ‘magic’ on others. His clothes were hidden away, so he was naked… and his weapon of choice was the ‘spear’… fufufu…」
「Enough of that」, I interjected, punching her in the stomach to silence her.
「Fufu… fu…」
She fainted.
「Looks like you’ve always been a pillar of support for others」, sighed Lyla.
「What do you think of Roland, Lylael?」
「Oh, I’m interested too. Do tell us!」
「Fufu. Ask, and you shall receive.」
Lyla launched into a lengthy monologue with glee. Other than the sleeping Seraphin, the other ladies were eager to know what I had been up to since the war. Lyla’s account was accurate for the most part. She had chosen not to include any romanticisation, so there was no need for me to correct her at all.
「No guild employee does the stuff you do, you know?」
「I believe it to be ‘normal’.」
「Al was right. Your life is the polar opposite of a ‘quiet’ one.」
I shrugged, not understanding why they felt that way.
「Roland was being, well, Roland!」, squealed Rina, to which the others nodded.
We continued talking through sips of wine, and Rina soon grew tired. After tucking her into bed, I returned to the living room to find the other three at the end of their tethers as well.
「So that priest can’t hold her alcohol after all」, commented Lyla.
「Yeah. Her tolerance isn’t very high, though she loves drinking.」
I settled the rest into the bed in which Lyla and I usually slept.
「You’re the only one who’s a match for me」, she said as she poured more wine into my glass.
「I don’t think you’re much of a heavyweight either.」
「You’re not wrong.」
Lyla chuckled, then became serious.
「…So those were the people I fought against.」
「They have their quirks, but they’re nevertheless great friends.」
「My powers weren’t sealed away, and yet none of them were wary of me in the least. I wasn’t shown undue respect, either. It shows how much trust they have in you.」
「I know and believe that you’re harmless. They must have felt it as well.」
We had all talked as usual earlier. I had assumed that they had somehow changed, but once we actually met up, I knew that I had been wrong.
「I’ve held back from asking this for a while now… but what happened to that kingdom… the Kingdom of Jorvenssen, I think?」
「Oh, Jorvenssen…?」
It was the first kingdom that her army had invaded. The castle inhabited by the former monarch had been repurposed as the Demon King’s castle — a fact known all through the land by now.
「From what I’ve heard, its former inhabitants have not returned. It’s inhabited by monsters and other creatures now.」
Throughout my career as an employee, I had never seen a quest originating from Jorvenssen or even anywhere near it, presumably because there wasn’t anyone who needed help around those parts.
「I see.」
「It was an invasion. It goes without saying that something had to happen.」
「That’s merely an excuse on our part. Those thirsting for war ravaged it because I allowed them to.」
I wondered if it was the alcohol speaking.
「You don’t have to be too caught up about it. The war is over. You are no longer the Demon King. Let the dead remain dead, and bygones be bygones.」
Agreed, said Lyla, downing a glass of wine. A long silence followed. I knew that if Rodje had been present, she would have given her master some encouragement. It was a crucial moment, and yet the elf was nowhere to be found. The Demon King laid on the sofa, closed her eyes and quickly drifted off.
As I covered her with a blanket, I noticed tears in the corners of her eyes.
「The Demon King, merciless…」
It was nothing more than an image she had conjured during the war.
Beneath the facade she had put up, it was easy to see that she was, in truth, a gentle and caring girl born with royal blood running through her veins. She had shown no resistance even after being defeated, and instead looked as if a colossal weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
It had been a difficult war, even for her.
She may have renounced the title of ‘Demon King’ long ago, but the vision of herself ingrained in the hearts and minds of many kept her chained to her old title, reminding her of a past she could never be allowed to forget.
