Chapter 11:
The Demon Lord's Demise
T HE DEMON LORD GORIUS had witnessed something unbelievable: a
massive metal giant had descended from the heavens.
Hovering in the air, the titan stared down at him, its body impossibly
composed of metals straight out of legend and myth. Gorius had no idea
where it could have come from.
It was abundantly clear to Gorius that the giant was an entity of a
higher order than himself, and that it was essentially alive. It clearly had its
own will, and acknowledged this hero as its master. Gorius could also tell
that the giant was enraged at him. Its artificial eyes stared down at him.
There shouldn't have been emotion in those eyes, but Gorius sensed that
the giant regarded him as no more than a roadside pebble bothering its
master.
Gorius shuddered. His instincts screamed that he would never beat
the airborne metal giant. If he challenged the monstrosity, it would destroy
him without a trace, and he would never revive. Even if he managed to, he
would lose to the giant again.
This metal giant was threat enough, but the hero before Gorius was
even more unbelievable. Seeing the sword in his hand scared Gorius worse
than spotting the metal giant.
Th-that weapon is impossible! How could it exist?
There was something inside that sword—just a trace of it, but it
terrified Gorius. He didn't want to be anywhere near it. The blade's metal
resembled gold, but was something far rarer. The demon lord wanted to
scream and weep with the weapon merely pointed at him. It was far too
powerful to wield against someone like him; it was comparable to sending
an army of ten thousand to squash a single bug.
Even more terrifying than his weapon was the hero himself.
Just what is he?
He called himself evil—said that humanity was the true evil—but
Gorius sensed the will of tens of billions of humans united by worshipping
the man. The wishes and prayers of the people whose lives he'd saved
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protected him. That positive energy sparkled like gold dust, strengthening
the hero. It was a holy power—the very might of the divine. Now that he'd
armed himself with his holy weapon, the power had manifested, allowing
Gorius to observe it. The demon lord couldn't believe that such holy
power protected this boy; that he could even wield it without realizing.
More unnervingly, it wasn't just living people whose energy
empowered the hero. He also drew power from the dead of multiple
planets.
He's more than human, was all Gorius could think. He'd never met
a human being like this in his long existence. He'd come to accept that the
hero was far more evolved than himself, and far superior.
Glimmering with divine might, the hero raised his terrifying sword.
It shone with a golden light; that light alone was poison to Gorius.
"St-stop! Please, no more!"
The hero didn't even seem aware of the light, but Gorius felt his
essence burning everywhere it touched him.
"You aren't evil," the demon lord cried out. "You're something
else!"
He tried to say more, but the hero was no longer interested.
"Shut up. I have nothing to discuss with you." The hero lifted his
sword higher.
Gorius's instincts screamed at him. If I'm killed with that weapon,
I'll never revive again! I-I'd rather take my chances with the giant in the
sky!
He made up his mind to flee from the hero. As he shot into the air,
the hero gaped in surprise for a moment, then held his stomach and
laughed loudly.
"The demon lord's running away? Avid, would you handle him?"
The hero allowed Gorius to escape into the air. Sucking negative
emotions from the atmosphere around him, the demon lord expanded his
body of flames before the metal giant. The black flames took the shape of
an enormous dragon. In this sinister form, Gorius was over a hundred
meters long.
"I'd rather fight you than the hero, and revive again later!" Gorius
said. "Even if it takes one or two centuries...even if it takes millennia...I
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swear I will come back to ravage this land once again!"
Opening its huge mouth, Gorius's dragon form lunged at the giant.
The Avid closed its hatch to protect Ellen, then folded its arms instead of
drawing a weapon. As the dragon flew at it, the mech activated laser lenses
distributed across its body. Narrow, delicate red beams converged on
Gorius.
"What do you think an attack like that will—"
Gorius underestimated the lasers' power, so he didn't try to avoid
them. Large holes opened in his black flame body wherever the beams
pierced him.
"Th-that's impossi—"
Gorius struggled in the air as if pinned in place as the Avid's eyes
glowed red. Having finished analyzing the demon lord, it held up one great
hand. A magic circle began to form there—a holy magic circle.
The circle, composed of complex glyphs and mysterious symbols,
shone with blue-white light. When Gorius saw that, he knew the truth.
I see. This is where my existence finally comes to its end.
The blast of holy magic the Avid unleashed struck Gorius head-on,
obliterating him so thoroughly there was no chance he would ever revive.
***
"Looks like it's over."
A little scuffle with the Avid had wiped that weakling who called
himself the demon lord out of existence.
I looked down at my trusty sword and sighed. "Didn't even get a
chance to use this."
In the end, that so-called "demon lord" had proven hopelessly weak.
I was a little embarrassed at how I'd lost my cool and almost taken it
seriously. After our encounter, however, I felt a new goal taking shape.
"An adversary I can't cut, eh?"
I'd heard there were beings resistant to conventional physical and
magical attacks. In the Empire, powerful technology like the Avid could
destroy them easily, so I shouldn't need to face such enemies myself. I
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wasn't satisfied with that, though. As a practitioner of the Way of the
Flash, I couldn't permit myself to struggle against inferior beings as I had
just now. I needed to find a way to deal with such foes on my own.
"How do I cut things that can't be cut, though?"
It had sort of felt as if some strange power residing in my favorite
sword would have allowed me to land a blow, but I still wouldn't have
accomplished that with my personal strength.
While I pondered this, Ellen jumped down from above. "Master!"
she cried, landing and wiping her teary, snot-stained face against my chest.
She'd obviously been really concerned about me; she clung to me tightly
and wouldn't let go.
I laid a hand on her head gently. "Sorry for worrying you. I didn't
think you'd come along to pick me up. Who else is here?"
"Snff. Miss Amagi, and Mr. Brian, and Miss Nias..."
My face twitched when I heard that Amagi and Brian were here.
Facing them would be a pain. At the same time, I was curious when I
heard that Tia and Marie weren't here.
"What about Tia and Marie?"
"Th-they didn't come."
I wondered why Ellen averted her eyes as she said this. Still, I
supposed those two could wait.
"They aren't here, but Nias came along? I guess that's fine, but how
come Nias is here?" I wouldn't have expected her to be particularly
worried if she heard I'd disappeared, so I was surprised she'd come to pick
me up. Maybe she was just afraid to lose her precious sponsor.
"Oh, whatever." I didn't care about Nias. The problem was Amagi
and Brian, who would get on my case for sure.
As I lamented that, Kunai slid up out of my shadow. "Master Liam
—the chief."
"Hmm? Kukuri's here too?"
A large man wearing a mask appeared from the shadow of a pillar
that still stood amid the castle's wreckage. "I am relieved to find you safe,
Master Liam. But now..."
He drew a weapon and headed straight for Kunai.
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I understood what he was about to do, so I held up my hand to stop
him. "Don't, Kukuri."
"She exposed you to danger, Master Liam. You will allow me to
dispose of useless subordinates, will you not? Heh heh heh!"
I looked at Kunai, who willingly kneeled before Kukuri with her
neck exposed, ready to accept her punishment. Seeing her that way made
me reflect on the time we'd spent together here.
"I pardon her. Anyway, I brought her along in the first place—I
didn't avoid the summoning. So you will pardon her, too." As Kunai's
employer, I ordered Kukuri to let it slide.
He obediently put his weapon away. "If that is your command, then
I will obey, Master Liam."
"Kunai did good work for me here. I'm even thinking of giving her
a reward."
Kukuri looked at his subordinate, surprised. "You even received a
name? Well then, be grateful to Master Liam—Kunai."
"Sir!"
That problem taken care of, I hugged Ellen, relieved. Kunai bowed
her head to me in gratitude, so I gave her a little nod in response. Still
holding Ellen, I asked Kukuri if there had been any problems in my
domain while I was gone.
"Anything interesting happen while I was gone, Kukuri?" Since I
hadn't been away all that long, I figured everything would be fine.
Kukuri answered after a slight pause. "Yes, Master Liam. House
Banfield split into several factions, and a number of figures from other
noble families intruded upon your domain. A portion of House Banfield
betrayed you in favor of your successor. Traitors among Prince Cleo's
faction are also working alongside pirates to plunder your domain."
"What?!" What the hell had happened while I was away?
***
"Those good-for-nothing morons!"
I returned to Erle Kingdom's capital to find it overrun with mobile
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knights. A landing force of my soldiers had alighted to occupy the city as
well. The ships floating above the capital all but blocked the sun; it was
noon on a cloudless day, but the capital was dim. Faced with this vision,
the citizens prayed, apparently mistaking this for the demon lord's
invasion.
I couldn't blame them for being astonished, but I was quite pleased
to find an entire fleet here to pick me up. It might have been a pain for the
capital's citizens, but that wasn't my problem.
In any case, Kukuri's report had incensed me. An idiot was
proclaiming himself my heir, and other idiots had swarmed in to support
him—to say nothing of the equally idiotic traitors after House Banfield's
fortune.
I was also irritated with Tia and Marie. "I was just reevaluating
those two, after how they performed in the war, and now what do I find?
Not only are they letting traitors do whatever they want in my domain,
they've split up my forces to wage a little civil war against each other.
What should I do with that pair when I get back?"
Things had never devolved into such chaos when I'd left my domain
for a short while, but my problem children had escalated things until all
hell broke loose. And who the hell was this "Isaac"? No way would some
brother I'd never heard of be my successor!
"I'll deal with Tia, Marie, and Isaac when I get back. First, I need to
handle the problem in front of me."
It was time to enjoy myself a little more before heading home. I
walked down a castle hall, the captain of my Royal Guard at my side.
"We have this castle under our control, Lord Liam," she told me.
"However, I wouldn't say it's very hygienic. We probably shouldn't stay
long."
They'd infiltrated and secured the castle before I returned from
challenging the demon lord. I'd spared no expense recruiting top knights to
serve as my Royal Guard, and they were diligent enough to make the cost
worth it. Still, I didn't like them trying to hurry me home. I'd prevented
the demon lord from destroying Erle Kingdom specifically so I could
enjoy this part.
"I'll go home as soon as I've had my fun. Just sit tight."
"Yes, sir," the captain said resignedly. She must have understood
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that I was set on this.
I made my way to the audience chamber, where I found the throne
empty for me. Erle Kingdom's dignitaries—including Enola, who'd been
responsible for summoning me—were lined up in handcuffs. The same
went for the country's remaining knights, some of whom were strung up
from pillars looking rather worse for wear. They must have fought back. It
was pretty amusing seeing them like that.
The moment I entered the audience chamber, a waiting Royal Guard
member proclaimed, "Lord Liam has arrived!"
Everyone who'd come to retrieve me stood at attention when they
heard my name. Most appeared relieved to see me, but a few trembled in
fear instead of looking at me—my mages. They had surrounded that
summoner named "Citasan" or whatever, and were berating him. They
couldn't believe his magic circle got past their defenses.
"Y-you've got to be kidding!" one told him. "A primitive magic
circle like that summoned Lord Liam?! You must be hiding something! If
you don't come clean, we have ways of making you—"
One of my mages turned to me, begging, "Pl-please spare me!
Please!"
Each and every one of my mages looked worn out, so I felt a little
bad for letting Citasan summon me. I mean, if I'd wanted to prevent it, I
absolutely could have. Citasan's circle had gotten past their defenses, of
course, so I couldn't let them off the hook completely.
For her part, the Royal Guard captain looked ready to kill them on
the spot. "How long are you going to carry on like that? Don't act so
disgracefully in front of Lord Liam!"
My agitated mages sank to their knees, bowing their heads deeply.
They virtually prostrated themselves, in truth.
"L-Lord Liam, we're so sorry! We will atone for this disgrace with
our lives! Just, please, spare our families!"
When Citasan saw the humbled mages press their foreheads to the
ground, he started browbeating them for some reason. "Mages are supreme
beings who comprehend the mysteries of the universe! It's deplorable to
bow your heads before a common human!"
The Royal Guards' eyes darkened when they heard Citasan's words.
Before they could draw their swords, I addressed the mages, wanting to
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have some fun.
"Did you hear what he just said? Teach him what's what, would
you?"
My mages rose to their feet. "As you wish," said their leader. He
looked down scornfully at Citasan. "You know nothing, you buffoon.
You're incapable of comprehending what sort of being Lord Liam is,
aren't you?"
"Wh-what?" Citasan barked in rage, raising his manacled hands
toward the mages. "You are the buffoons! Did you really think these mere
pieces of wood would stop me? Fireball!"
An orb of fire about twenty centimeters wide shot toward my mages.
One waved his hand, wiping the spell away.
Citasan gaped in disbelief. He must have been pretty proud of that
fireball spell. "I-impossible! My fireball! It..."
"Fireball?" my mage exclaimed, scowling. "That puny spark? I'll
show you a real fireball!"
He raised a hand, and an orb of fire twenty or thirty meters across
appeared outside one window. The citizens of Erle Kingdom cried out in
shock when they saw it. The mage sent the fireball to an empty spot in the
distance; when struck the ground, a pillar of fire rose more than twenty
meters into the air.
I applauded. "Pretty impressive."
My mages bowed their heads reverently. "We hardly deserve such
praise, my lord."
Citasan seemed unable to understand why such powerful mages—on
this planet, they would probably be called sages—would bow to me, let
alone put their foreheads to the ground and beg for forgiveness. On the
other hand, Erle Kingdom's leaders seemed to be grasping things at this
point.
Kukuri eyed my mages. "How would you like to deal with them,
Master Liam?"
The mages trembled, looking up at me woefully.
I averted my eyes with a sigh. "Give the mansion's defenses a
thorough going-over when we get back. You won't get a third chance."
"Bl-bless you! Bless you, Lord Liam!"
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I couldn't justify executing them, having permitted my summoning
to take place. When I spared them, they practically banged their heads on
the floor in gratitude. I still felt a little bad for them, but mostly, their
desperation creeped me out.
I sat on the throne, crossing my legs, and my people immediately
knelt. The officials who'd come with my team to retrieve me looked coldly
at the Erle Kingdom's people.
"'Hero summoning' sounds noble," one of my officials declared,
"but you've essentially engaged in kidnapping. Lord Liam, I believe you'd
be prudent to make the exact position they're in clear."
All the confusion my disappearance brought about must have put
my officials in a tough spot. They were glaring daggers at Erle Kingdom's
residents.
"I suppose you're right," I said. "Maybe I should just destroy this
puny little planet. I mean, they had trouble with a two-bit villain passing
himself off as a 'demon lord.' They probably won't last long anyway."
When I threatened that, two women stepped forward to object:
Queen Enola...and Kanami.
"Pl-please, wait!" Enola cried.
"What do you mean, destroy this planet?" Kanami demanded.
"Overkill, much?"
My expressionless Royal Guards unsheathed their swords, ready to
send the two women's heads flying at any moment.
I raised my hand to halt them. "Sheathe your weapons."
"Yes, sir."
Once the Royal Guards settled down, I decided to keep teasing
Enola. I wanted her to eat humble pie.
"You abducted me with summoning magic. I would like you to
atone for that crime, but what are you even capable of doing for me?"
Hanging her head, Enola began to speak of reparations. "Please have
mercy. We could pay you in gold and silver coins."
She was offering me gold and silver? How laughable. "Sounds
good! If you fill up this castle with those coins, I'll rethink destroying the
planet."
Enola's face paled. She knew just how unreasonable my demand
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was. "But that's...that's impossible!"
"Are you saying I'm worth less?" I turned to my subordinates.
"What do you guys think of that?"
I'd ordered her to pay an amount she could never come up with, but
my subordinates didn't blink an eye.
"I believe that would be insufficient compensation."
"I don't think they're repentant enough in the first place."
"Calling it 'impossible' without even trying... It's like they don't
think they did anything wrong."
When my followers said crap like that with straight faces, even I felt
taken aback.
The Royal Guard captain looked ready to kill Enola then and there.
"It seems they still do not understand the position they're in. Please leave
their disposal to us, Lord Liam. We shall wipe this country off the map
before the day is done."
I had planned to laugh like any good villain during this scene, but I
was flabbergasted by my subordinates' comments. I'd never personally
interacted with them much, but they seemed seriously pissed—not at all
like they were joking with me. I was just teasing Enola's people, but my
subordinates actually wanted to massacre them.
"W-well, I'll think about it," I said.
A serene voice echoed through the audience chamber. "What
exactly is it you think you are doing?"
When I saw who had entered the audience chamber, I froze. "A-
Amagi?"
I straightened up in the throne right away. Amagi strode right to me,
standing tall before me. Running after her to catch up came a crying Brian.
"Master Liam!"
"St-stay away from me!" I snapped. "I don't want some guy's gross
tears on me!"
As if he hadn't heard, Brian latched onto me. "I'm so, so glad you're
safe! Do you know how many nights I went without sleep worrying over
you?"
As I tried to peel Brian off me, Amagi came to my side. My
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subordinates looked back and forth between Amagi's face and mine; the
Royal Guard's captain watched silently.
"Master," Amagi addressed me.
"Y-yeah?"
I wanted to act haughty in front of my people, but Amagi had a
pointed question to ask me.
"When you were summoned, you deliberately remained inside the
circle, did you not?"
She'd realized that I had simply chosen not to escape it. "Uh...yes."
"I suspected as much. I cannot say your strategy was commendable,
but I understand that the people here were in dire straits, and that you were
well aware we would come retrieve you. That said, please conclude this
diversion of yours."
Everyone around me waited to hear what I'd say. If I shrugged
Amagi off and ordered my lunatic subordinates to destroy this planet, they
would do it without hesitation. Amagi could complain all she wanted; to
my underlings, my orders were absolute. That said, if I followed through
on my threat, Amagi would definitely be angry. In light of that, there was
no reason to bend over backward to destroy this planet. Still, it would be
highly embarrassing to withdraw my threat because Amagi had told me to.
I was between a rock and a hard place.
As I considered my options, Brian finished wiping his tears and
informed me of the Empire's stance on the matter.
"Master Liam, Imperial law dictates that, where possible, we avoid
interaction with intelligent life not yet capable of space travel. And such
contact must not affect this planet's natural diversity. Although their
summoning magic resulted in your traveling here accidentally, it would be
best to leave without further interference."
We avoided contact with places like Erle Kingdom for various
reasons—primarily to prevent our interference from stifling their unique
technology. The Empire considered it a waste to lose unique cultures and
customs.
Brian's words were the out I needed. I would've looked weak if I
reconsidered my threat because Amagi scolded me, but now this was a
matter of adhering to the Empire's laws.
"I-I guess you're right. If that's Imperial law, there's nothing for it.
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Let's get out of here, then!"
Hearing my order, my subordinates hastily saluted me, scrambling
into action without a word of protest or criticism. Maybe they were too
tactful to comment on how wary I was of Amagi. I was grateful for that.
Amagi bowed her head. "I appreciate your considering my
suggestion. That said, there is still the matter of your discussion with me
and Mr. Brian. Shall we agree to resume that conversation upon returning
home?"
So, when I got back, another lecture awaited. Still, I didn't want to
upset Amagi further.
"I apologize, all right?" I said, my face twitching. "Don't be mad."
"I am not. Maid robots are incapable of anger."
"Don't lie. You only make that face when you're angry!"
"You are mistaken, Master."
"No, you're definitely mad. You always say that when you're mad
at me!"
"Do you wish me to express genuine anger?"
"I-I'm sorry! Okay?"
I left the audience chamber as if fleeing, unable to handle the
reproachful looks Amagi and Brian gave me.
***
Enola couldn't believe what had happened. The otherworldly army
that arrogantly subjugated her country had suddenly fallen in line upon the
arrival of one woman.
The woman appeared almost like a goddess to Enola, although she
looked rather odd. Her beautiful dress bared both shoulders, which were
graced with a tattoo design Enola had never seen before. Enola didn't
know the design's meaning, but she was struck simply by the woman's all-
encompassing beauty.
As Enola stared, enraptured, the woman called Amagi approached
her. She removed Enola's handcuffs and clasped one of the queen's hands.
Her red irises were so alluring, Enola felt as if she was being drawn into
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them.
"Please allow me to apologize for everything that occurred here
today," the woman said.
"U-um, I'm the one who should apologize. If you'll permit me to
ask, though...y-your name is Lady Amagi, is that correct?"
What am I saying? There are plenty of more important things to ask,
aren't there?
Amagi gave her a small smile. "Indeed. I am my master's Amagi. I
will leave you some resources to help your country rebuild. Please use
them as you see fit."
"Y-you'll do that for us?"
"We have caused you a fair amount of trouble. A word of advice,
however... I would refrain from such hero-summoning in future. It is
possible that the same sort of accident could reoccur. Your magic circles
are simply too unstable."
Enola wished she could promise Amagi that. She didn't want to
have to rely on heroes. "If that demon lord reappears, we will be unable to
stand against him on our own."
"My Master—Master Liam—destroyed the demon lord," Amagi
said gently. "He will no longer revive. Whatever other difficulties you face
in future, you should strive to contend with them independently."
"We are weak...hopelessly weak," protested Enola, almost clinging
to Amagi. She couldn't help seeing the woman as omnipotent. "Please...
please help us!"
Amagi just shook her head. "Your trials are yours to overcome," she
cautioned Enola firmly. "That is the burden living beings like yourself
must bear."
***
As I walked through the halls, carrying a large sack on my back, a
woman ran after me and called out.
"W-wait!"
It was Kanami. I stopped and turned around. "What?"
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"Well, uh... Those people over there say they can send me back
home."
She looked behind her at my personal mages. They'd analyzed
Citasan's magic circle, and claimed they could use some residual aspect of
his magic to send Kanami to her original planet. I'd ordered them to do so,
since it benefited no one to leave her here. I assumed she would be happier
returning to her old world.
"Yup. They'll send you back at no cost to you. Don't worry."
I was just helping her out on a whim; I didn't want to collect
anything from Kanami, and she had no way to pay me anyway.
"I don't want to go back."
"What? Your dear mama and papa are waiting for you."
When I mentioned her parents, Kanami exploded at me. "My papa's
not! Dad was the only one who really loved me, but now he's dead!"
My guards drew their weapons, alarmed, but I shot them a look to
deter them.
Well, I'd guessed that Kanami's dad would meet a sorry end, and
apparently I'd been right. I could tell her family situation was complicated,
but that had nothing to do with me. Still, if I just sent her home like this, it
would bug me later. I decided to tell her what was what.
Setting down my sack, I directed Kanami to sit on the steps beside
me so we could chat.
"I have no interest in your family situation. People have their own
places in the universe, though. Go back to where you were born."
Her dead dad would probably have wanted that for her. If he really
loved her, he wouldn't want her to remain in this bloody universe.
"If I go back, my mother will just try selling me somewhere. I'd
rather stay here and help them rebuild."
She was such a child. She hadn't anticipated the future that awaited
here.
"You're so stupid. Now that there's no demon lord, Erle Kingdom
will see a powerful person from another universe as a dangerous threat."
"Enola won't feel that way."
She really was a sucker to rely completely on the queen. Enola
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herself might be a good person, but her inner circle definitely weren't.
"Even that queen will be forced to reckon with you, if her advisors
strongarm her into it. Actually, they might just kill you behind her back.
Either way, it won't end well for either of you."
"Y-you can't mean that."
When I saw her shocked face, I was even more eager to help set her
straight. At the same time, I remembered the words my own daughter had
said to me. "I don't want you, Dad! I like my papa better!"
She and this hero had the same name. This Kanami, however,
preferred her dad to her "papa." Judging from her naïve personality, her
dad was probably as ignorant as she was, yet she still preferred him to the
other man.
"Your dad must have been a much better guy than me," I murmured.
"Huh?"
Although I hated kids, I couldn't bring myself to hate my daughter
from my past life. At the time, hearing that she preferred her papa had
been incredibly shocking. Still, I'd continued paying child support because
she was my daughter, and I loved her. Besides, my daughter was still very
young when we'd parted. There was a good chance her mother and new
papa had somehow manipulated her into saying those words. It wasn't like
she bore no responsibility at all, of course. But who knew whether she
even understood what it was she was saying?
When I looked at this Kanami, I felt like it would be stupid not to
forgive my daughter after so long. The people I should really resent were
the woman who'd left me, and the man who'd led her to do so. I hated
plenty of other people in my past life too, but my daughter shouldn't be
one of them.
Maybe it was a good thing that I'd met the Kanami beside me
thanks to this little diversion. She'd helped me realize all sorts of things
about myself. I guessed I owed her something in return. She might not
want to hear it, but I decided to give her some advice for the future.
"You might think you and that queen are friends, but she's
fainthearted. Eventually, she'll become scared of you and begin keeping
you at a distance. If you say goodbye to her now, though, you'll part with
only fond memories of each other."
The heroes had been last-resort weapons brought in to defeat the
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demon lord. With the demon lord gone, we would naturally be nothing but
burdens.
Kanami hid her face, pressing it into her knees. "Ha ha... There's no
place for me, no matter where I go."
There was only one thing to say to that. "Create your own place for
yourself."
"I can't," she insisted. "I'm just a normal high schooler back there. I
can't do anything on my own."
I suddenly felt as if I was seeing my daughter from my old life,
superimposed on this Kanami. As I'd reasoned several times before,
though, there was no possibility she and I could reunite here. This Kanami
had to be someone else. I did think my daughter would look like this when
she reached the same age, but she would no doubt be living happily with
her papa—though it made my stomach churn to think of my ex-wife living
contentedly with another man after my death.
There was no point even thinking about those people anymore, since
I would never have anything to do with them again. My daughter Kanami
was different, though. I'd have liked her to lived a long, happy life.
I took a small leather bag out of my pocket and handed it to Kanami.
"Here."
"Huh?" Kanami accepted it with some confusion, so I told her what
was inside.
"It's treasure I found in the demon lord's castle. Gold and some
jewels."
Kanami apparently couldn't believe I'd give her any of the demon
lord's riches. "Are you really rich? If you didn't care about getting the
demon lord's treasure, what did you even go to his castle for?"
I couldn't help laughing at her guileless reaction. "The demon lord's
treasure belongs to whoever defeats him, but gold and jewels are valuable
in your world too, aren't they?"
Kanami nodded awkwardly, but held the bag back out to me.
"They're valuable, but I can't accept these. There's no point in me having
them anyway. People would just be suspicious about where I got them
from. I couldn't get any money for them."
I couldn't believe she was so pessimistic that she was trying to
refuse the treasure. "Find a way to sell them!"
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"I'm telling you, I can't! I'm a minor. I'm just a student!"
"Are you going to give up on life and tell yourself 'I can't, I can't'?
Listen. This is a piece of advice from yours truly. Other people won't take
responsibility for your life. So, are you going to keep insisting you can't
handle things, passing up every opportunity that comes your way?"
I was sure it would be hard to sell the treasure, but if she pulled it
off, she might turn her life around. To be honest, I had a feeling she'd find
a way to do that even without the treasure.
Kanami seemed stunned by what I'd said. "Other people won't take
—"
"You said your mom would sell you someplace if you went back,
but that's not her decision to make. Are you just going to let her do
whatever she wants with you?"
Kanami clutched the bag of treasure to her chest with both hands.
"If I sell these, do you think I can start a new life?"
"That's up to you. You could do that, or blow it all having fun.
Whatever happens, at the end of the day, you're the one who has to take
responsibility for your path."
I found my hand reaching toward Kanami's lowered head. When I
stroked her hair, she looked up in surprise. She also looked flustered for
some reason. I was a little confused by my action myself; I supposed I just
saw my own daughter in her.
I remembered fondly how I'd often stroked my daughter's hair the
same way. It felt as though I'd finally dealt with my regrets about her.
Embarrassed by my action, I pulled my hand back and stood.
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Seeing that our conversation was over, the mages approached. "Let
us go, Lady Kanami."
Kanami followed the mages toward the basement where the
summoning circle awaited. As she went, she kept glancing back at me.
I lifted my sack under my arm and turned away. "Get back there and
start over, already!"
My back still turned, I heard Kanami call in return, "Th-thank you!
You're nicer than I thought you were, aren't you, Liam?"
I stopped and sighed heavily at being called "nice." Glancing over
my shoulder, I replied, "Let me give you just one more piece of advice.
Work on your ability to assess people, because you're not a good judge of
men."
"Wh-what was that for? I gave you a compliment! You don't have
to be snide about it!"
This is why you're an idiot. I only helped you on a whim. I'm an evil
lord—a terrible villain! It's just wrong to call a guy like me "nice."
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