Chapter 7
“……”
Celestia looked up at him with innocent eyes and a little fear, and the scarred Demon King looked down at her as well.
His chest was gouged open and blood was dripping from the corner of his mouth, but even though he was covered in sores like this, the Demon King was still smiling calmly.
“…. I will take your sword.”
“Eh?”
Looking at the Demon King who raised his mouth slightly in pride and said, Celestia was taken aback.
“….”
But the clever Celestia quickly understood what that meant.
“Is this over?”
“Yeah..”
Hearing her somewhat subtle but clear response, the Demon King smiled and nodded.
“Goodbye then.”
“Ah!”
Immediately afterwards he flew outward through the cavern of the ceiling and away from the place.
The pair of gleaming, clear eyes under the shining of the moonlight looked up at the scene for a long time after that.
♢♢♢
Bringing the decorative black sword with me, I arrived at a patch of forest quite far from the top of the mountain.
Then, after confirmed that no one was around.
“…… Gah!!!..”
I spat out blood with a large mouthful of blood and fell to one knee.
Then I thought.
What the hell is that? I thought I was going to die!!!
People in another world are so strong————
Why is a guy who is locked up in a mountain like that and bound by chains so tightly so strong? And the wings are just annoying accessories …
I underestimated otherworlders too much. This time it was just too much of a life-threatening situation.
And it seems like there’s quite a bit of magic power over there, so it really isn’t that simple.
Well, at first I thought that girl just wanted to get a powerful weapon, so I quietly followed her while sneaking.
…… No, no, that’s not it! You get me wrong! I really did it to get the sword!
I didn’t expect that the situation would turn so bad.
…… But yeah, at least the girl was saved.
I roughly wiped away the blood from the corner of my mouth, covered the side of my abdomen that the magic couldn’t completely heal with my hand, and set off on my way home.
I’m not the strongest at all….
There’s still some time before that little Hero grows up.
It’s time to start again… Restart the exercise..
——I need to reform the exercise method! !
♢♢
“Ha, ha, ha..” (Mary)
“Sorry! I’m going to go first!”
“Sure! Hero-sama! Please take care of Celestia-sama!”
Everyone was woken up by the loud roar that seemed like natural disaster, Celestia was nowhere to be found, and a white light suddenly broke through the sky near the top of the mountain.
There was no doubt that Celestia was over at the ruins and something was happening.
If there really was something that could liberate that….
( ….I’m too careless)
Shiro left Mary behind, the princess’s escort who had arrived to pick up her. Alone, he rushed towards the ruins with a speed like an arrow, invading the interior with that sense of anxiety.
“Celestia-sama!!”
The fact that the sturdy door was blown away, in contrast to Celestia who sitting there unscathed, gave him a feeling of discomfort, he got into the innermost seal.
“How could it be…”
Seeing that impossible sight, Shiro doubted his own eyes.
The sturdy temple …… built by incorporating the wisdom of the great ancestors of the past was in tatters and on the verge of collapse.
Then, although the chains were still…that one was no longer there.
He didn’t run away.
Because from the appearance of the chains, there was neither a sign of removing, nor a sign of being cut apart.
In other words ……
“Celestia-sama! What happened to the man who was here?”
“….. he has been defeated.”
“How is that possible!?”
Impossible.
Even though he was sealed, that [Ancient Demon] was defeated. Is such a thing possible in the first place?
“Who is it, who did it?!!”
“… Black, it’s Black Demon King…”
Black Demon King?
Although Celestia who was muttering quietly like this had been staring at that big hole in the ceiling since a moment ago, there were more important things than that right now.
It couldn’t possibly be that demon king of isolated island.
Because, the appearance of his couldn’t be called black in the first place.
(That means …… is the new threat? And …… he is able to defeat that [Ancient Demon] on his own.)
It was truly astonishing.
That unimaginable level of strength made him feel as cold as freezing inside.
Celestia’s testimony was true.
(New, Demon King ……)
And it’s not just power, his tactics are also very vicious and clever.
First he broke into the house, made contact with Celestia and provoked her. Even though she was the princess but after all it was a child’s words, so Shiro and the others surely didn’t take it seriously. In fact, they did pass it off as a nightmare of the princess.
Then, the princess who felt a sense of crisis led him into the ruins.
What an evil strategy to use a child.
(Damned …… That Black Demon King……)
He clenched his teeth to make them creak and clenched his fists, showing his anger at the unseen evil.
♢♢♢
It was the time when the people of the Royal City had completely gone to bed.
In tense atmosphere of King’s room, it was King Light and his assistant, George Gigi, and then Mary, Celestia’s escort, and the Hero, Shiro Yusia.
In hurry, together with Celestia and Mary, the whole of family of Hero went to the capital.
The bonfire in the corner ignited, and the stern expression of the king on the jade throne was chilled.
Everyone had a grim look on their faces, and they were sweating profusely because of this unexpected and extraordinary situation.
For those present, who had inherited the True Legacy, this was considered to be the beginning of the end of the world.
“…If the legend of the [Ancient Demon] is like what is said in the legacy is true… then it is really unbelievable…”
This would have more made sense if it was a dragon or some other entity that transcended humanity.
The dragons of this world are not monsters, but gods, disasters, and symbols of power.
In other words, they are objects of awe, fear and faith.
“…… Boy, is that right?”
“Yes. Celestia-sama has made contact with him twice, so there should be no mistaking it.” (Shiro)
“…… Hm.”
He had a deep trust in the Hero and Mary kneeling in front of him, and the witness was Celestia too.
Then with a sigh, the king said again.
“….. new… and, the unknown [Demon King]?…. Then, are there any other characteristics?”
“I can only assume that his appearance was a common dark-haired humanoid.”
“Hmmm.”
Dark-haired humanoid.
There are many humanoid races be it on the demon or human side.
In other words, it can’t be a strong lead to track him down.
“I will stay here from now on, mainly to do my part to train young people.” (Shiro)
“Oh! Hero-sama will settle nearby from now on, there’s nothing more reliable than that…” (George)
Since his mission had disappeared, he thought that it would be better for him to stay in the royal capital and focus on training Celestia and Hakuto than to stay there.
“I feel the same way. I also feel very relieved. It’s even more so now that we’re facing a crisis of extinction.”
“You are exaggerating too much.” (Shiro)
“Anyway, what is important now is to gather as much information about the Demon King as possible. I’ll take care of that… Then, how is the condition of Celestia?” (King)
Ending the topic of being a king, he moved on to what he wanted to ask as a father.
While it was still unclear as to why the Demon King had spared Celestia, nothing is better than her safety. Then there was, some concern about her mental trauma as well as stress.
“…… Your Majesty …… that ……” (Mary)
“…Mary. Please say it clearly.” (King)
He asked with a deep voice as he couldn’t conceal his irritation at Mary’s stammering behavior.
“No, I’m very sorry… Your Majesty… She is very energetic…”
“Very energetic, you say?”
Even after being told that she was in good spirits with such general words, King Light couldn’t feel at ease.
“Your Majesty. Celestia-sama was a bit sluggish after that incident, but by the time she was ready to return the next morning, she was more energetic than ever. It’s to the extent that she was still working hard on her sword training with me during the trip.” (Shiro)
“I can’t believe that …… can be ………” (King)
Never before had that Celestia committed herself to something with her own will.
“When I asked her why, I was told, “So that I can fight whenever the Demon King shows up”. She seems to think that the Demon King is her sworn enemy and doesn’t listen to anyone’s advice”. (Shiro)
The King’s eyebrows rose slightly at Hero’s explanation.
“It’s very reliable …… but I can’t honestly feel happy about it.” (King)
“Even though she has the strength, I still hope that the princess can stay in a safe place as much as possible.” (George)
“Yeah… I agree.” (King)
Both the king and George can’t help but smile at the joyous change.
“Her smile has also become more beautiful than before. Just looking at her made everyone around her feel happy. It’s a great honor for me to be at her side ……” (Mary)
“Really?”
Looking at Mary, who was even woozy to speak than before, the king, whether George or the Hero, sighed inwardly.
Immediately afterwards, the king began to think about the unavoidable problem and was troubled by the relentless situation.
This country, which had always had the crisis brought about by the [Demon King] of isolated island across, had the possibility of a brand new, unprecedented threat being born.
The best thing to do is to find a way to create some friction between the two and cut down on the war effort ……
But why, not only the residence of the Hero who is classified as a secret… but also the ‘Lore of Ruins’ that only a few people including the king himself knew about was known to him.
Who exactly was the [Black Demon King], it was completely impossible to figure out his true colors. Being able to feel a great power stirring, the indescribable horror of the thing caused him to feel a terrible chill.
“… Sigh..”
“Hmmm?”
“…… Just tonight is fine, how about a good night’s sleep please?”
“Hoo, do you think you can do it?” (George)
“…… Sorry about that.”
Looking at the king who had a dry smile on his face, George couldn’t help but apologize to him while sending him a sympathetic look.
You never know when that evil hand may creep in.
For the sake of the people of the kingdom, King Light felt the need to make all kinds of preparations as soon as possible, even if it was only a moment earlier.