“If you were the Demon King, wouldn’t you feel wronged?”
At that moment, all the thoughts I had ever had before quickly passed through my mind.
I mean, I had doubts that the real hero might be the Demon King.
…It has already been 999 years since Atiloya was founded. It was said that the Demon King existed much earlier, so he must have lived thousands of years.
If the true hero is really the Demon King, as I suspected before. And if, as that man said, he had been alive all that time without being able to die?
Not only is he quietly alive, he is constantly subjected to attacks and hatred from humans. Without being able to integrate anywhere.
In that case, the Demon King would have lived thousands of years without knowing the reason for his existence, only to be the target of Presibe's invasion.
Simply because it was designed that way. Because the game settings decided so.
Of course, the Demon King does not know that he is the real target of the invasion, nor that this world is just a game and not reality...
“Answer me.”
The man said again in a strong tone.
“Wouldn't you feel wronged?”
"…Yes."
Precipi answered in a very low voice.
“I think… I would have felt wronged.”
In fact, either before I played the game or even after I played it and got into it, I never really thought about the characters' point of view.
Even after I successfully conquered Dietrich, Siegfried, Ivan, Atari and Noah, it didn't occur to me.
Moreover, those damned five were living a fulfilling life in their own way both before and after meeting Precipe. Quite the opposite of the Demon King.
But as the man said, if the Demon King had spent all those years just because he had to meet Prisippi… then he must have felt really wronged.
“…”
Although Precipe answered, the man showed no reaction. He just stared at her from above with a slightly different face than before.
“But why do you ask me such a thing?”
Precipi looked at the man's face silently, then asked bravely.
"who knows."
He seemed to be silent for a moment, then moved his dry lips in a low voice.
“Maybe because I'm curious about what a half-demon creature is thinking?”
“…”
“Or because I'm curious about which side a demonic creature like you would side with.”
From the outside, the answer might seem normal, but for some reason I felt uncomfortable. As if the man is lying.
“But how do you know all these things?”
Prisippi asked again.
“It feels like you've been observing the Demon King closely.”
"correct."
"What?"
“I watched him. From his side.”
“…”
“I saw how much time and how much torment he spent resisting.”
The man smiled sarcastically.
“I am a demonic creature that has existed for a very long time.”
“So, what happened to the Demon King…?”
"disappear."
Precipe's eyes widened in horror at the unexpected words.
“But you said he was coming back even after his head was cut off!”
"Maybe...maybe he found a way out. I know he put a lot of effort into it."
Impossible… So, if the Demon King is the true hero, what does that mean?
If this had been the case before, I would have thought: “Then he's not the real hero” and moved on, but the situation has changed a lot now.
Crashes (game errors) appeared, and both Atari Hannan and Noah Deverne died.
Even if the Demon King was the true hero, I couldn't be sure that he wasn't affected by those malfunctions.
"When? When did this happen?"
“It happened recently.”
“…”
“Only a few years ago, at most.”
Precipi's little fist trembled as it clenched.
No no. There is no confirmed evidence yet that the Demon King is the real hero...
If this was years ago, it may have nothing to do with mistakes...
Although she tried to convince herself of this, she couldn't help but remember Vanessa's last words, telling her to go to the Forbidden Forest, and the pop-up that appeared at the church statue.
Does this mean that I...
I no longer have any chance of getting out of this place?
“You seem to be quite popular.”
No matter what she was thinking, the man continued talking while staring at her.
“However, you were interested in the Demon King? You seem to have strange taste.”
“…”
“Men surround you from every side, trying to reach you, and their eyes are burning.”
What does he mean now?
Even if this was the case in previous rounds, in this round nothing like that happened. She hadn't even met Siegfried, and what happened with Ivan never came out.
Atari Hannan and Noah Deverne are already dead, so there's nothing to be jealous of.
But his words sounded like he actually knew something…
“Just look at the Emperor. As soon as he took the throne, he quickly locked you in the tower, didn’t he?”
What happened with Dietrich...
Yes, he probably knows.
It was known among the people of the empire that the Emperor imprisoned Pricipe in the tower immediately after his coronation.
“I've heard many rumors, too. They say that Duke Fenric has secret feelings for you.”
...Duke?
Precipi paused for a moment.
“It's not entirely unfounded rumour. Otherwise, would he have dared to defy the Emperor's will and take you here?”
“You said you are a demonic creature, so how do you know all these details?”
Precipi looked at the man with suspicious eyes and asked him.
“Because, unlike the Demon King, I learned how to live among humans.”
He replied with a cold smile.
“Even the Knight Commander, Siegfried, seems to be interested in you.”
“…”
“What do you think of it?”
"I don't care."
Preseppe answered firmly:
“If I wanted to sum it up with a yes or no?”
“I hate him to death.”
“Do you mean that you hate him to death, or that you hate him so much that you would kill him?”
"I don't know. I think...both."
The man smiled lightly.
“……”
Presibe remained silent for a moment, a lost look on her face.
She knew who her father was, and she also knew that he was dead. She was able to guess that the real hero might be the Demon King.
But what if he's already dead? Even if it was only a few years ago, going back to that moment means restarting the game from the beginning.
This is impossible. It can't be done. Prisippi bit her lips hard, clenched her fists,
“هل مات ملك الشياطين حقًا؟”
نظرت مجددًا إلى الرجل وسألته بصوت مرتجف.
“It is true that it disappeared, but there is no evidence that you knew a way to destroy it. You did not see it disappear with your own eyes...”
“……”
“He might be alive somewhere, right?”
“هل يهمك الأمر إلى هذا الحد؟”
What do you think? Does it look like I don't care? Presibe stared at the man with a desperate look.
“ربما إن ذهبت بنفسي أستطيع أن أعرف.”
"To where?"
“North of the Forbidden Forest. The Beast’s Navel. The place where I last saw the Demon King.”
“What is there?”
“You'll know if you go yourself.”
It was an extremely cold response.
Moreover, Siegfried and his knights, along with the Duke, must be very excited to investigate there, so how could she go? ارتسمت على وجه بريسيبي نظرة يأس.
"I'll show you a shortcut. No one knows it but me."
As if he knew what was on her mind, the man continued his words.
“You will encounter neither monsters nor humans. It is a path that no one knows except me.”
It has reached the point of no return. Even if she asked Fenric to take her north of the Forbidden Forest, it was unlikely he would agree. Although the number of monsters has decreased, the area is still very dangerous.
But since he promised a safe route, there was no room for hesitation. Of course, she wasn't entirely sure if that man could be trusted.
So, I asked Presibe:
“What's your name?”
“Why do you ask?”
“I can't trust the words of a person...no, the words of a monster who won't even tell me his name.”
“The way you talk is annoying.”
The man grimaced slightly as if annoyed, then seemed to think for a while, and finally said his name:
“Vidar.”
“……”
“And I swear on my name, the shortcut is perfectly safe.”
In the end, Precipe's decision was clear.
She took a deep breath a few times, then looked at Vidar again. I asked him one last question:
“If you know Nidhogg, do you know my mother too?”
Although she hoped that the Demon King wasn't the real hero because he might be dead, she couldn't be completely sure of that.
Because what was most important now was to collect as many clues as possible, just as he had told her about Nidhogg, if he told her something about Vanessa it would be very helpful.
“I've seen her before.”
"Huh? Really?"
“On the banks of this lake.”
"When? And what was she doing here?"
Prisippi asked eagerly.
“Who knows. Maybe...”
“Maybe?”
“I think...she was crying.”
...Was she crying because she had to leave Nidhogg, who was badly injured and asleep, alone?
Prisippi tried to recall Vanessa's features, which she no longer remembered well, but she could not figure out the answer.
“Since you asked one more question, I will also ask another question.”
Vidar said as he stared at Presibe from above.
“If you are the King of Demons, and if you are oppressed, as you told me a moment ago...”
“……”
“If you met the being who planned your life like this, would you try to take revenge on him?”
She thought: Is there even a way to do that?... But she answered with all sincerity:
“Maybe… if that’s possible.”
Because when she put herself in his shoes, she felt like she would have done the same thing.
“As I expected.”
Vidar said, his eyes shining after he heard Precipe's answer.
“Isn't it?”
“Yes, maybe...”
“You better get going now. If it gets dark, it's no good for you.”
Prisippi nodded several times as if she understood what he meant, then stood up. She started walking in the direction Vidar had indicated.
“……”
Vidar remained standing alone in front of the lake, silently staring at Prisippi's back as she turned away from him.
Then he looked at the banks of the lake glowing red from the twilight reflection.
And remember…
[H… hah…]
That woman who sat in the same place where Precipe sat, and kept crying nonstop.
Vanessa.
[What…]
And the first words Vanessa said, with a terrified face when she saw me...
[Demon King...]
“I should have killed that motherfucker right then.”
If I had, you'd be dead too.
Vidar muttered in a cold voice.
But all that has become a thing of the distant past. No matter how much he regrets it, he can't fix anything.
Therefore, until now. If only now...
“Yes, you are right.”
There must be revenge.
Even you thought of it that way.
“……”
Vidar remained standing there, staring silently at the path Precipe had taken. Although her shadow had disappeared a long time ago, he had been staring at the place with his blue eyes, full of rage and anger, for a very long time.