"So, was there poison in the water bottle?"
"That's a possibility! First of all, keep the water bottle separate. Find out who prepared that water bottle!"
"Sure... huh? After thinking about it for a moment, I prepared that water bottle myself."
"Ed, you... you couldn't do that...!"
"No, wait a minute. Why do accidents happen in that direction?!"
Ah, now that I thought about it, Ben had not yet recovered from the mania of the battle. So, that meant he was not sane.
'Did he plan on killing me for calling that guy?'
When I looked at Ed with slightly cooled eyes, he was thinking of me for a moment and he seemed quite embarrassed, so I decided to take that into account.
It was absolutely not because I was afraid that the next adjutant would be someone like Dahar, the adjutant of the12th Corps Commander.
At this rate, it seemed like those two were going to have a life-or-death duel, so I hurriedly coughed and called them over.
"I'm fine, so you two just stop... Cough."
"Commander Demon!"
"What on earth...! There was no blood and there was no reaction from the magic stone... What on earth was it? Is the magic stone defective? I have to change it as soon as I get back!"
No, that's not it.
Oh damn...
It was quickly dwindling.
What was? My mental strength.
I never thought it would take so much mental energy to prove that it wasn't poison. Still, they didn't believe me until the end.
It's just that they were thinking, 'our strong Demon overcame the poison alone and lied about it to avoid causing worry.'
I'm really grateful that they stopped at that point... but why am I so shocked?
"...At that time, Commander Demon crushed the former commander of the 7th Corps and fell in between...!"
An excited, exaggerated voice was heard.
Exhausted as I was, I sat on the cloak that Ed had laid out for me, leaned against the wall of the carriage, and listened to the voice in a daze.
A cool breeze blew and messed with my white hair. The wind that blew through my hair caressed my scalp coolly, as if telling me to quickly come to my senses.
Thanks to this, my mind cooled down to some extent and the truth about 'my saga' began to fill the empty space in my mind.
'Yeah, that one. That's why my stomach hurts again. I'm really going to be amazed.'
I didn't kill the warrior.
I did not stop the hero who was about to destroy himself, nor did I accept his suicide.
The story about the former 7th Corps Commander was actually a bit distorted.
Now, let me introduce myself again.
My name is Deon Hardt.
Currently, due to unavoidable circumstances, I am living in the Demon King's Castle under the name 'Demon Arut'─
─And I was actually the 'last companion' of the 'last hero'.
'The last hero...'
I tilted my head back and leaned against the carriage wall. Three moons and a black sky studded with stars filled my field of view.
'...It's not even funny.'
'The last warrior.' 'The last companion.'
That was what they called us in the Empire. There was no particular reason.
Because the Empire likes things that seem like they have something meaningful. Rather than just referring to him as 'the hero' and me as 'his companion,' adding the modifier 'last' seemed to have more weight.
But I don't think the modifier 'last' has any meaning. Especially if it's attached to a hero.
'Because there is no such thing as the last.'
Let's say there was a house with two children. Here, the second child would be the youngest.
But what if you had another child? The nickname 'youngest,' which was given to the second child, would be passed on to the third child.
The same went for heroes.
The world valued balance. The power of the Demon King was so strong that it can destroy the balance, so as long as the Demon King lives, the world will send another hero at any time.
At that time, the word 'last' attached to my dead comrade will be transferred to the new hero. In that case, I would not be the 'last comrade' of the 'last hero', but the 'last comrade' of 'one of the many heroes who have ever existed'.
In short, it means that there is no need to pay too much attention to the word 'last'.
Because it's like a kind of bravado just to appear present.
"He punched the shoulder of the hero who was about to self- destruct! He stopped him!"
Oh, were they still talking?
But in reality, it wasn't like that. It was just that the hero was speaking and I couldn't hear the hero's voice clearly, so I put my ear closer.
So... where should I start explaining...
Okay, starting with the story of being selected as a hero's companion and heading to the Demon King's Castle.
'...Now that I think about it again, I'm really lucky to be alive.'
When I thought back about that time, I shuddered.
The road to the Demon King's Castle was quite rough. No, it was not at a level that could be expressed with just the word 'rough.'
In addition to me, many of the people who had been selected as colleagues all died, so how can I express it so simply as 'it was rough'?
In the end, by the time the Demon Castle came into view in the distance, I was the only one still alive, and the hero trusted me so much that I became his only companion. In reality, I was just lucky.
'Yeah, I was lucky.'
I smiled bitterly as I looked at the Corps members talking excitedly about me.
***
"From here on, I will go alone."
"...Are you serious?"
A rebuttal suddenly came out.
Are you saying that the hero can't see them now?
No, that can't be possible. Is 'the hero' a hero for nothing? A hero is a being born with overwhelming talent and a body that is superior to anyone else in order to deal with the Demon King.
Currently, he was probably seeing that army more clearly than I was seeing it.
I turned my head once again and looked at the huge Demon Castle.
It was magnificent. The Demon King lived right there.
Then they'll just be stuck there and continue to live. Why…
'Why did he have to come out and meet us like this?'
A huge and magnificent Demon King's Castle.
Normally, my eyes would be taken by its size and majesty, but now there was something that caught my attention even more.
Black things crowded in front of it.
Yes, they are 'demons.' It's probably a legion that came along to watch the Demon King's fight.
Did you understand what I said? I said, 'they came along.'
So, in short, it means that the Demon King is now in front of the Demon King's castle.
Isn't the final boss usually supposed to be located at the very back? Why is he out here?
"In the first place, the role of a 'comrade' is to pave the way for the hero to reach the Demon King. Battle is solely the responsibility of the hero. So, Deon Hardt, your role ends here. Thank you for your efforts."
"..."
"But... if I win, I will come back here, so can you just wait here until the battle is over?"
"...You are stating the obvious."
Looking down at the enormous army again, I was convinced.
The hero would lose. There is no way he could win.
The Demon King alone is too much, but he had to deal with all those troops as well? No matter how much of a hero he was, that was impossible.
There's one thing he didn't say. The role of a 'companion' is to pave the way to the Demon King.
Therefore, it is also the role of a companion to stop those troops and ensure that the hero can fully fight against the Demon King.
Still, the reason I didn't mention it was probably to avoid death.
Because it would be better to die while saving at least one person who was about to die.
It is truly a heroic idea.
"Uh..."
The words I was about to say got stuck in my throat. I was suffocating as if someone was strangling my neck.
What was I trying to do by calling him now? Something that cannot or should not be held onto was held onto anyway.
Even if I called him, there was nothing to say. I couldn't even dare to go back.
In the first place, heroes were born to kill the Demon King. The fact that he would leave the Demon King in front of him meant that he was throwing away the value of his own existence.
That didn't mean I wanted to go with him either.
I tried so hard to stay alive, but I only barely made it this far, so there was no way I could easily say that I would go to a place where I was almost certain to die.
Damn it, I wanted to live.
"..."
I closed my mouth and cleared my mind.
There was nothing I could say in this situation...
...There was nothing.
Nothing.
"Then, I'll go."
"...Yes."
By the time I could muster the words to reply, he had already gone down the cliff where we were hiding and was walking towards the Demon King.
A gait without the slightest hesitation.
His confident gait, as if he was not thinking about defeat at all, only stopped when he stood in front of the Demon King.
A short conversation took place and the Demon King gestures to their surroundings. Then the Corps that were in position retreated and formed a huge circle.
'Still, he seems to have a conscience.'
Honestly, I didn't think he would fight one-on-one.
Isn't he the Demon King in name and appearance? This is a place where people nod their heads even if they do something cowardly and dishonorable.
But soon after the battle began, my thoughts changed.
'Crazy what is that?'
He didn't push away those around him because he had a conscience.
He pushed them because he was confident he would win.
Only then did I realize why he was called the strongest Demon King in history.
It was overwhelming.
The opponent was a 'hero.'
The Demon King was receiving all his attacks with a bored expression, as if an adult was playing with a child.
The result was, of course, the victory of the Demon King.
His sword burrowed into the warrior's stomach and even pierced through his back, dripping red blood. The Demon King looked down at him as if he was bored, and then grabbed the handle of the sword stuck in his body as if he wanted to kill him.
It was then.
"Who are you?"
"!"
I froze for a moment. I got goosebumps all over my body.
A creepy voice that sounded like it's scratching the vocal cords. It was clearly coming from behind me.
I reflexively pulled out my dagger first.
And after checking the other person, I soon relaxed my hands.
'... An ogre.'
I could never beat that.
He even spoke. This meant that he was a 'demon' who had been influenced by the power of the Demon King, and as such, they must have abilities that are far superior to those of ordinary ogres.
I had to run away.
The good news was that I am better than anyone else at running away.
'I've survived so far with 80% luck and 20% agility, so I've said it all.'
To be exact, 'fleeing ability' would be more appropriate than agility.
'Still, out of pride, I call myself 'agile'...'
Boom!
"Ugh, crazy!"
Really, I barely escaped the blow. He was swinging his sword first, but wasn't it basic etiquette to try to talk before attacking?
I took a couple of steps back from him, thankful for my judgment in reflexively leaning my upper body to avoid it.
And I realized too late.
That's right, this is a cliff. We were fighting on a cliff. The floor supporting my heels crumbled and fell down.
The only escape route was the one blocked by that giant guy.
After seeing the ridiculously long sword he was holding, the bulging muscles on his upper body, and his relaxed attitude as if he knew the current situation very well, I nodded quietly.
'Unfortunately, it seems my luck ends here.'
If he was ignorant, I would have somehow lured him into falling off the cliff, but judging by his attitude, it seems like he was at least not stupid.
If I died, it would probably be because of that guy right in front of me.
But life was too precious to give up so easily.
'How did I survive until now!'
In the first place, being selected as a warrior's companion was not something I wanted.
So, I can't die of injustice like this!
It's unfair to die together. You die, I will live.
Holding a dagger in both hands, I jumped straight at him. Of course, I didn't do something stupid like shouting my spirit and alerting the enemies below to my presence.
I just kept my mouth shut, my eyes wide open, and ran in silently. The guy, who opened his eyes wide in surprise, immediately laughed as if it was ridiculous and raised his sword again.
When the guy took a big step forward and the raised sword cut through the space and came down towards me, I, who had been watching it without blinking even once, counted the timing in my head.
'Now!'