197 And the hard fight is over.




"----. We did it, didn't we?

 On the battlefield where countless corpses lie, the voice of a friend whose face I cannot even remember. It's the comrades who fought with us who are barking out cheers of victory. Ah, yes... This is the time when I was human.
 The world was full of war. There were plenty of reasons to fight. Nations came and went, day after day taking up arms in preparation for war. I considered myself lucky to have been born as a warrior in a powerful country.

"Oh, this victory will make our territory more secure. Other neighboring countries will not be able to invade us easily.
"We've got it, we've got it! At last, at last, there will be peace. ......!

 We stopped the repeated invasions of neighboring countries and finally defeated the most powerful empire in the neighborhood. Many friends and comrades risked their lives to secure this victory. At this time, even I, a quiet man, could not restrain my feelings and howled with my friends for victory. By continuing to win, we succeeded in demonstrating our territory and power to the world. Even though the world was still fighting, our country was promised a peaceful life for the time being.

"Hey, ----. What are you going to do after this?
"What will I do? I've been promoted to general after this victory, so I'll just do my best to protect this peace.
I see. It's not like this peace will last forever.
What are you going to do?
I think I'll go to ...... and become a blacksmith, which was his dream. I'm sure you'll be able to understand why. I'm sure it would have been best for him to become a blacksmith.
"Inheriting a man's dream. Don't you have any dreams of your own?
All I cared about was the immediate peace. To be honest, I didn't have any. But then I remembered him, and I wanted to try something.

 In our country, all the people took up arms and fought. But that is no longer necessary and many warriors have given up their swords. From now on, the armed forces will be manned by those who specialize in this field and will protect the people. I didn't have the same dreams as my friends. There were too many battles going on for anyone to have dreams. Fortunately, I had the talent to fight. In recognition of my achievements, the king asked me to continue to protect the country. I had no reason to refuse and no other path to pursue. I accepted the position as appropriate for my talent and role.

"So this is your forge. It's small, but it's tasteful.
"Isn't that slightly demeaning? It's okay to be small. I don't have to go out and get my tools.

 Everyone I've called friend has gone their own way. Faces full of vitality I had never seen on the battlefield. I was more than a little jealous of the way they tried to enjoy the peace they had won. More than ten years of peace passed. Other countries continued to fight, but our country was not invaded by other countries and continued to lead a peaceful life. ...... seemed to be.

I'm not sure what to make of that. We're not expanding our military anymore, are we?
It was the decision of kings and nobles. It's a necessary expense for the betterment of the country.

 In a time of constant war, there was no room for anyone to save, so the amount of taxes that could be collected was limited. But as the people began to accumulate wealth, the state began to collect taxes. The nobles also learned to line their own pockets, and began to use every means at their disposal. Compared to the time when the nation was fighting as one, the gap between each side was gradually getting deeper.

"You know, if we're taxed like this, we won't even be able to work properly. The aristocrats have more money than we do, don't they?
"Compared to that time, our country has become much richer. We don't have to worry about food, and we don't have to worry about invasion from other countries. The cooperation of the people is essential to maintain this prosperous country.

 He uttered a common phrase that had been said by kings and nobles. As an interloper, I understand both sides of the argument. That's why I should be the one to mediate between them. .......

It's peaceful, but ...... it feels more suffocating than before.
That may be ...... true.

 It's not easy to vent your animosity when you're dealing with people from the same country. But with no one to vent their anger on, their frustration only piled up.

Well, I guess there's no point in complaining about your in-betweenness. But you're still using that axe, aren't you?
"Yes, but ......
I'm taking good care of it, but it's not exactly a weapon for a general. Why don't you get a new one?
I don't think it's necessary now that there's no war going on. It's good enough for training.
"Don't say that. I thought you'd give me a job. I've got a good arm.
"...... Huh. That's right. It's not a bad idea to see how you develop as a craftsman.
"Oh, yeah, you're right. You've always given us the courage to fight, and I'll give you the best swing I can to repay you! I'll show you the culmination of this Laxios!



 Many of the people had fought together to protect their country, and because of that, they were able to swallow all their grievances. However, this did not last forever. Eventually, the people began to raise their voices in unison, appealing to the king to improve their treatment. What started out as verbal protests gradually became more and more militant, and finally began to cause problems that the country could not ignore.

The people were subdued. ...... But if we suppress them by force,......," he said.

 And as a defender of the country, it was inevitable that they would take up arms. In the event that you have any questions concerning where and how to use the internet, you can call us at the web site.

"......, ----. I'm not sure if this is the kind of peace we've won.
"......

 The desolate streets, the bodies lying around, the smell of fire and blood in the nose. But there is nothing to be gained from victory. There is no joy to be found. All that's left is the feel of the axe your friend gave you.

"If this is how it's gonna end, I wanted to die in the war. How do you feel about that?
"......
"Sorry, that was sarcasm. You're always on the sarcastic side, but I'm trying to be sensitive to your feelings. You don't have to say anything.

 My friend resisted on the side of his people. I, on the side of my country, condemn it.

'While you're at it, do me a favor. I'm sorry, but I can't die like this. But if I'm caught, I'll be beheaded anyway. Then take the axe to .......
"You want me to put my hands on my friend ......?
I'm glad. I guess I can still be your friend. ----. Let me see you one last time in my eyes. Then I'll feel like I'm back in the old days. ......

 The feeling on the axe will never go away. When I close my eyes, the smile of a friend whose face I can't even remember flickers distortedly in my eyelids. What should I have asked for? What should I have done?
 As the domestic strife intensified, other nations took the opportunity to invade. I fought back, but with my own people diminished and my country losing its ability to fight, I no longer had the strength to survive another war. And yet I continued to wield the axe. There was no reason for me to give up this axe now. If I don't continue to fight until my life is over, I will have nothing left.

"Oh, I thought there were only dead bodies. I thought there were only dead bodies, but it seems there are still some breathing.

 I met Yugra just when I thought everything was going to end. While everyone was lying on the ground covered in blood, only one person was still beautiful and floating in the air.

"Well, you look like you've accepted death. Well, I don't mind. If you're going to die, why don't you at least give a monologue at the end? Even if it's just some random guy, it's better than talking to a corpse, right?
"...... I fought for peace with my friends.

 I'm not sure if you've heard of it or not. I was on the verge of death, and I told Yugra what was on my mind without suspicion or caution.

"Hmm. It happens all the time. People can't help but make enemies. When there's an external enemy, we unite, but when there's no external enemy, we create a new enemy within. Human or subhuman, it's no different. Don't worry. You're just going to die in the middle of the natural order, unable to resist it. There was nothing you could do now.
Now ...... or ....... I'm sure you'll be able to figure out how to get rid of it.
"Oh, that's a bad thing to say. No matter how far back in time you go, you'll never be able to. It's just that if you're going to live. You've just been trying to figure it out. If you don't act on those answers, nothing will improve.
...... I see. That's right. But I don't think I can accomplish anything with the ...... I have now.

 That's what I've come to understand. But what can I do to avoid such an end, and will I die before I get the answer? When I was thinking about this, Yugra said.

"You should become a demon king.
"Demon ...... King ......?
"If you want to stop the humans from fighting, you should become their common enemy. The Demon Lord is immortal. The demon king is an immortal being. If you struggle forever, the humans can continue to work hand in hand.
"...... Well, that makes sense. But you're asking me to become such a being.
"Yes, you can. Only if you want to. Do you have any regrets? Are you ready to make an enemy of the world? If you sign the contract, I will grant you your twisted desires.


"I am .......

 And I became the Demon Lord. And I became a demon lord, a being outside the realm of reason who will live forever, who will not perish even in death. Yugra also gave me the power of Struggle, a power worthy of being the enemy of all humans. But not all demon kings had the same goal. There was a time when my plans were thwarted by Kuro's outburst.

I'm sorry. If you move now, humans could truly become extinct. I'll let you get some sleep. When you wake up, you're free to do as you please. I'm sure we'll be a little more powerful by then.
"Yeah, I'll do that.

 Yugra put the Demon Lords to sleep in order to keep the humans alive. I'll let you do that." Yugra put the Demon Lords to sleep in order to keep the humans alive. He also made sure that the black ones, who were deemed unruly, would never appear on the stage again. That's it. After I woke up, I decided to organize an army of demons to fulfill my contract with Yugra.
 A threat to all my people, an absolute obstacle to their hatred. As long as I am here, all struggles will come to me. At least one who knows the feel of this axe.


It's so silly. It's an idea I understand, but never want to be associated with.
What do you know about ......? If there's no fighting, people will eventually...
Yeah, that's fine. I'm not interested, and your words don't resonate with me.

 The man's eyes look down at me, and I see no will in them. But his eyes can see right through me.

I was angry that someone I cared about had lost their life, and I had a lot on my mind. But more than that, I genuinely don't like the way you live. It's just unpleasant. If I could fix it, I would, but your resolve is so strong that I will never be able to break it. So I'm ending it. You're not leaving this cave forever. Your struggle ends here today. Worthless and unrecognized.

 This man understands my heart, my resolve, my desires, and yet he tramples them down as worthless. Such a man has no right to be in this world. But my body has already been robbed of its functions by the demon eater. I can't do anything against this being who can take care of me if I point a finger at him.

"Your ideals are trampled by the ego of a single individual whose name I do not know. Goodbye, Scarlet Witch King, and continue to live in a hell that produces nothing of value.

 He turns away and leaves the scene. It's over. It's over? Then for what purpose did I become the Demon Lord? What have I accomplished? Don't be silly, if you're human, if you understand what's in my heart, you'll understand ......! The demon eats through his throat and into his body. I can no longer even speak.

I can't even speak anymore. "Oh, ......!

 There's only one thing I can do. The only thing I can do is to put all my thoughts into an unspoken roar and curse him. But he left this place without ever looking back.

 "◇

 It will be some time before the Scarlet Witch King's body is completely decomposed. If there is any danger, it is from the demon eaters that have already scattered near the cave entrance. There are no demons to be seen along the way. All we can see is a large number of demon eaters in the surrounding area. Once the creatures with magic power are gone, they will attack anything that moves. But so far, there is no sign of the demon eaters jumping at us. This is because the magic power flowing through my body is thinner than the magic power in the atmosphere of the demon world.
 The demon eater even takes in the magic of its surroundings. It will be a while before I become a predator. However, if I make a loud noise or move violently, that will not be the case. Compared to that time, you now have a small amount of magical spirits in your body.
 The surrounding demon eaters will stop moving and gradually grow in size while taking in the surrounding magic power. If this behavior continues as it is, it will suck up all the magic power of the Ghanaian demon world and become a very dangerous thing, but that's okay. Some of the demon eaters are already showing signs of change.

(It's always mysterious, no matter how many times you see it.)

 The unmoving demon eaters that have reached a certain size are starting to move, attaching to other individuals and gradually reducing their size. And the terrain around them gradually becomes translucent and begins to glow. The scene is reminiscent of the Mountain of the Kuro Demon Slayer.
 Demon Eaters feed on magic power and increase their volume, splitting and increasing in number. However, if individuals that have absorbed a certain amount of magic power are in close proximity to each other, they may decide that they cannot expect to eat any more. They cling to each other and use the magic power they have absorbed to change the terrain around them. To prevent their own numbers from growing too large, they use unwanted individuals as materials for their nests. It is because of the nature of the demon eater that the mountain of the Kuro Demon Slayer has become such an alien space.
 When I first learned about the demon eater, I wondered why, if it ate all creatures that possessed magical power, it didn't feed on trees that were so full of magical power that they glowed even in the night. And I came to the conclusion that those surroundings were all created by the demon eater itself. There are a few other things I've learned. The demon eater does not try to expand its territory beyond a certain point, and eventually becomes a single entity and its activities subside. This is probably the consideration of their creator, who feared that if they expanded their nest infinitely, humans would perish no matter how hard they tried.

(It's just like Shigeya Yukura, I guess.)

 He used the Demon Eater to stop the Kuro Demon King. This suggests that the one who created the Demon Eater is no doubt Seiya Yukura, the Shiro Demon King. If it was a demon prepared to prevent humans from being eradicated, I thought it would have some restrictions, and conducted several observation experiments on its ecology in the virtual world of gold to understand its mechanism. The inside of the cave would be a complete nest of demon eaters, but their erosion would stop at the periphery of the cave. Although I have made the cave a place where no one can come, it will be more than enough compensation if the Scarlet Witch King will no longer appear on the stage in the future.


 Even if the Scarlet Witch King is resurrected in the future, it will be at the very back of the cave where the demon eaters nest. It will be preyed upon before it can act, and it will continue to resurrect without even being able to move. The Scarlet Witch King, who has no knowledge of special magic like the Kuro Witch King who summoned me, will not be able to escape from that place, let alone leave his intentions to others.

I'm not sure if this is really the best way to go.

 I had no intention of using this method. The reason was simple: Ilias and Marito would never allow it. Whether it was capturing the demon eater or having the Scarlet Witch King attack, I had to do it all by myself. A method that could never be done with the inhabitants of this world by his side. I would never have approved of letting someone else have it on their own. In order to do this, I had to keep them away. I have to get them out of the way. But it was me who entrusted the method to me. I relied on me to do these things without guilt. It is understandable, because it is your own business. But even so, I keep asking myself the same question.

I don't even know if Grandpa Kara is dead or not.

 Marito said at the time that he had nothing else to report. Since he had even reported on Exoik and the others' mother, he could have thought that the reason he had not reported on Grandpa Kara was because he had decided that there was no need to do so. Then, there is a good chance that Karaji is safe. No, I'd even say it was high. Still, I chose to leave that room and use me.

The reason is obvious.

 The reason for this is obvious. If I had been told later that Grandpa Kara was dead, I would not have been able to do this. I would have been forced to leave the Scarlet Witch King alone, unable to take revenge using the Demon Eater with Ilias and Ecdysius guarding him. I was afraid of that. I was afraid of not being able to do anything in front of someone I could never forgive. That's why I didn't even check with Marito that night to see if Grandpa Kara was okay. Once I did, Marito would have tightened his guard around the room where I was sleeping.

I'm you and you're me. I'm you and you're me.

 Neither is real. It's just a difference in mental states that can be switched on a case-by-case basis. If they had dual personalities, there might have been more opportunities to interact. There is a gap between "me" and "I". Needless to say, the reason is that they, the girls, are changing me. I don't think this change is bad, in fact I think it's good. However, it's not a good thing for me to have relied on the same "me" that I've relied on since Earth. It's your job to be a good steward, not mine.

(Well, ...... remains the problem. ......)

 You don't have to worry about falling over thanks to the light created by the demon eater. You'll be able to get a lot more out of it. The problem is after you get out of this cave. There are no demon eaters outside the cave. They'll show up in a little while, but not yet. There's still time to get away from this place. The question is, will I make it back safely? Walking from the Garne demon world to Garne in this body will kill you. You'll encounter demons on the way and die, or run out of energy and die. It's safe to assume that Duvraeori has already collected Kuto, but Duvraeori, who got the information from Kuto, can't come near this cave. I'm sure Marito and the others understand that I brought the cannibal.

I'm sure Murasaki has Duvraeus waiting for him at the place where he left Kuto. I don't think it's ...... possible to get there.
You know exactly what I mean.

 It's as if a stun gun was pressed on you from behind. To be honest, you don't need to do that, just a light push will knock you down. Well, you're going to be very careful, aren't you?

As you can see, he's injured, so you'd better take it easy on him. Rahite.

 I couldn't get up completely, but I managed to check behind me. There were three strangers there. No, I can intuit that one of them is Raheit's new body.

"To go to the Scarlet Witch King alone, without any guards. That's very unlike you.
Not really. Not at all. It's just a matter of probability.
I thought you were going to kill yourself when you went to the Mountain of the Kuro Demon's Slayer, but to use a demon eater... He's a real pain in the ass.
If you had been watching the area from afar, you could have caught him then.
We were curious to see what kind of contact you would have with the Scarlet Witch King. I'd like to thank you as well as Reitis for removing one of the obstacles.

 I was able to anticipate the actions of the knights of Taze, the Garnets, and the Demon King's group and get past their encirclement, but I was unable to fully grasp the actions of Raheit and the others, whose cards were not completely in their hands. However, he was sure that they were planning to interfere in the battle between the humans and the Scarlet Witch King and were watching the situation. It's a good idea to take a look at the website to see if you can find any useful information. I'm sure they'll try to secure you if they find out you're acting alone. ...... It was luck of the draw as to who they would encounter first, Duvraeus or Raheit, but here we are. I'm not sure what to make of that.

"So, if you're going to take him away, you might as well do it quickly. If the demon eater senses your magic, it will jump out at once.
That's right. I'm using a spell to suppress the magic, but it's only a matter of time.
Raheit, are you taking us to Lord Lytial?

 One of Rahite's companions raises her voice. One of Rahite's companions speaks up. Her voice sounds like a woman's, but she is emotionless, as if she were a machine. It matches with Ritual's cronies who have been in contact with the Purple and Duvraeori. ...... So they are users of transference magic. This makes it difficult to expect Duvraeus to track her down.



No, I've already discussed his treatment with Mr. Littoral. He'll be useful as a bargaining chip. Let's get out of here first.
All right. And watch your back. I'll f*cking kill you.
If he kills you, he'll just switch bodies, so don't waste your time.
All right, I'll kill him later.
Let's go to .......

 The remaining man carries up our body. He seems to be a hard worker, but considering the character of Rahite and the woman who uses transference magic, it makes sense. --If we're going to break him, it's going to start with this guy.

"Oh, keep the man distracted. Don't talk to him at all until he's handed over to the other side. That way, there's no threat.
Okay.

 I don't mind people who can learn, but I don't think I'll ever like Rahite. With a sigh, "I" lost consciousness.