"......"
A cold silence settled beneath the blazing sun.
The man who had suddenly appeared before him and introduced himself as a demon merely wore a faint smile, while the [King], who stared back at him with suspicion in his eyes, also said nothing.
"...A demon, is it..."
But then the [King], remembering that he was as good as dead already, slowly opened his mouth as he turned the man's words over in his mind.
"...Not bad. If the one watching over my death is a warden of hell, then that must mean this is as fitting a death as any."
If he was destined to die here anyway, then for the first and last demon he had ever met, he wanted at least to ask for someone to speak with at the end. A bitter smile touched his lips.
Rather than dying alone on this drought-stricken land with nothing left behind, he had wanted someone to witness his final moments.
"I know what my sin is. And you must know it as well, or you would not have come all the way here on purpose."
The [King] continued, his voice thick with regret, clinging to him like mud.
"They say a king's role is to ease the suffering of his people, but I crossed a line that should never have been crossed."
"......"
"For the sake of the children of my own kind, I attacked other races. For the master who gave me a name, I used my soldiers."
"......"
"I knew it was the best choice and the worst choice. Even so, I had no choice but to make it."
"......"
He had known.
Even before receiving a name from Gelmud, from the very moment he had first set out for the great forest, he had already known.
But he had not stopped.
Even if he fell into a [Demon Lord]'s scheme, even if he earned the hatred of other races.
Because to him, as [King], the survival of his people mattered more than anything else.
Even if he were given another chance, he would never be able to cast aside his own kind. He would walk the same path all over again.
"So... punish me however you wish."
At last, after admitting all his sins, the [King] closed his eyes.
"......"
And then—
"You regret the past... but you do not regret your choice."
The man who had quietly listened to the [King]'s words all this time, Adelio, finally spoke as he looked at him.
"It's a contradiction."
As if passing judgment, he dismissed the [King]'s entire path with that single word, still wearing the same faint smile.
"But perhaps that's why this is fortunate."
Adelio had no desire to punish the [King].
Instead, he drew out the souls Moss had gathered, along with the souls he had collected while Shizue and Rimuru fought. Then, reviving the memories dwelling within those countless souls, Adelio overturned the drought-ravaged land in an instant.
Fwaaaaash...!
The heat of the sun faded. Forests and leaves spread thickly across the land. Lakes and rivers flowed.
He had recreated the land as it had once been, in the age when the Dondu had revered it as their sacred ground.
"...Th-this breeze...?"
The [King], who had kept his eyes closed to meet the death that should have come at any moment, felt a gentle wind brush past his shoulder—a breeze that should not have existed here at all—and opened his eyes again.
And before him—
"...Th-this place...?"
"...Where are we...?"
"I was sure we were on the battlefield..."
"My king... what in the world is this...?"
"......Could it be... the sacred ground?"
—tens of thousands of [Orc (Dondu)] had appeared, their souls now transformed into flesh and blood.
"...!! H-how is this even possible?!"
And he was no longer a [King] crawling across the ground, either.
The instinctive power that had driven him to falsely claim the mantle of a [Demon Lord] was gone, leaving behind only wisdom for the sake of his people. No longer grotesque and twisted, he had returned to being an ordinary Dondu, just like the other [Orc (Dondu)].
"How could you perform a miracle like this...?"
The moment he saw that the members of his race before him were real and not mere illusions, the [King] trembled as he looked at Adelio in shock.
"......Is it truly all right to do this for a sinner like me...? I already..."
The [King], who had believed cold death was the only destination left for him, lowered his head, unable to continue.
Because a fear had risen in him—that perhaps all of this was only the first step of his punishment.
But as if to sweep away that worry, Adelio spoke in a calm voice.
"You don't need to worry about your sins anymore. From now on, I and my dear friend will devour them for you."
"...Devour my sins?"
"Yes."
Pointing beyond the horizon, outside this space, Adelio made a promise to the [King].
"I swear it in my name. Even if this war ends in defeat for the [Orc (Dondu)], they will never be oppressed again."
That the [Orc (Dondu)] would come to live in harmony with the great forest.
Making that the price, Adelio sealed the [Contract], then turned his head back to look at the [King].
"...For one who calls himself a demon to offer kindness and salvation... you are a contradictory demon as well..."
The [King] let out a hollow laugh, instinctively understanding that Adelio meant every word.
Then he raised the head he had lowered and met Adelio's gaze together with his people.
"......You have my thanks, Ashen Demon... thanks to you, our hunger... has finally been filled."
At last, the stream running down the [King]'s cheek fell onto the grass.
The final remnant of the storm came to an end together with the [King]'s regret.
Comments (0)
Please log in to leave a comment. Login or Register