Guy Crimson, the strongest and most fearsome Demon Lord.
For the briefest moment, his gaze met mine.
It lasted only a few seconds, but that alone was enough for me to understand everything.
The absolute apex had arrived—someone I could never defeat, no matter what happened.
"...I see. So you're that irregular."
The silence broke, and the moment Guy Crimson spoke, an ominous pressure came pouring over me.
'?!'
An overwhelming presence so vast it couldn't even be compared—like an ant standing before an elephant.
It was the most intense pressure I had ever felt in my life.
"......What in the—"
Crushed by his aura in an instant, I reflexively tried to ask him what he meant... no, more precisely, I was about to.
Right up until the skill he activated began probing me.
"Are you planning to play dumb? You know better than anyone that you're no ordinary demon."
No Attribute.
If even the other kings had noticed it, there was no way the one hailed as the strongest hadn't.
More than that, he possessed 'that Ultimate Skill' as well...
He wasn't someone I could fool with lies or quick excuses.
'This is seriously bad...'
"And on top of that—this is that 'mark,' isn't it? ......How does a demon like you have that thing in your soul?"
......?
'......A... mark...?'
My mouth went dry, and I could feel goosebumps racing over my whole body in real time. Then Guy's eyes turned even sharper, and he asked me something utterly bizarre.
"You'd better tell me everything you know. If you're carrying this mark, then as an Arbiter, I absolutely cannot overlook it."
A vicious killing intent, impossible to measure, began to seep into Guy Crimson's oppressive aura. It was as if he was saying that if I didn't give him a proper answer, he'd kill me right here and now.
The fact that he had even brought up his position as an Arbiter meant that this so-called mark I possessed was no trivial matter in terms of its effect on the world.
And at the same time, it was proof that the demon named Guy Crimson was being completely serious.
'......Is he really planning to kill me—?'
.......No, probably not that far.
Guy Crimson was more flexible than people gave him credit for. If I explained things properly, there was a good chance he would steer this toward some kind of resolution.
To begin with, he was the sort who hated making a huge mess of things.
But the problem was—
'...What exactly is this mark inside me...?'
I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about.
For over a hundred years, I'd lived believing that aside from being No Attribute, I was hardly any different from other demons—and in truth, that had been correct.
Sure, Elder Gran had once said something similar a long time ago, but all he told me was that I would naturally come to understand it someday. He never once explained directly what it was.
In the end, knowing nothing, I had no choice but to remain silent.
"............"
"If you're still refusing to answer, then I can take that to mean you want to die, correct?"
But Guy interpreted my silence differently.
He frowned, clearly displeased.
And then, just as his palm moved toward my head—
Whiish!!
A pure white whip, like frozen flame given form, coiled around Guy's arm.
"Stop, [Rouge]."
The owner of that whip was Blanc, the queen of this land.
Cold killing intent radiated from her, and she made no effort to hide her fury, as if she were ready to fight then and there.
"It was bad enough that you suddenly ran out of my castle, but now you're trying to kill my subordinate? No matter if you're the king of hell, don't you think that's far beyond the bounds of courtesy?"
From the top of the white castle, Blanc stared down at the ground below with crimson eyes.
The elegant smile she wore almost every day was nowhere to be seen. All that remained on her face was a sharp, expressionless glare.
If her subordinates had seen that ghostly expression, it probably would have traumatized them.
That was how furious she was right now.
But Guy accepted her killing intent without the slightest concern and glared back at the Blanc who had interfered with him.
"......Ha, this is no time to be saying things like that, Blanc. Maybe the other two wouldn't notice, but there's no way you didn't."
Fwoosh!
Then Guy casually burned away the whip wrapped around his arm with [Elemental Magic], baring his white teeth in a savage grin.
And what he said next was more than enough to throw me into complete confusion.
"A demon with a [Hero's Egg]... That's an irregularity that has never existed even once since the age of creation. If the world finds out that a monster can become a Hero, how much chaos do you think that'll cause?"
"..."
"......"
"........."
"...........What?!"
Across the silent battlefield, only his shocked voice rang out.
'......A [Hero's Egg]...? What kind of ridiculous nonsense is that......'
[Answerer]: [Explanation. A Hero's Egg is a mark bestowed upon races acknowledged by the world, and it possesses power equal to a Demon Lord Seed. Once the egg hatches, one gains power comparable to an Awakened Demon Lord, and depending on the individual, may reach the realm of a Sage or a Saint...]
'I know that already...! That's why I'm freaking out!'
[Hero's Egg].
Just as [Answerer] explained, a Hero's Egg was a mark that non-monster races such as humans, dwarves, and elves could obtain. It was also a system directly created by the world itself to oppose Demon Lords, which meant those who bore it were forcibly burdened by karma and destiny by the world—a kind of seal.
In a way, you could call them slaves to fate.
It was an inheritance possessed by only a handful of Heroes even in the story...
'.........So why the hell do I have it...??'
Why would something like that exist inside me—a monster, and a demon at that?
No, more than that, if what Guy said was really true... then even my meeting with Guy like this would mean it had been guided by the destiny of the [Hero's Egg].
Because Heroes and Demon Lords were bound to each other by the rules of the world.
Comments (0)
Please log in to leave a comment. Login or Register