In a dimly lit basement illuminated by the light of a lamp, the Demon Lord and a young girl stared at each other in a tense silence. However, the Demon Lord, seated on the floor, looked up at the girl, while she looked down at him.
Rather than merely gazing at each other, it was more like a glaring contest. It was the Demon Lord who broke the silence.
"It's none of your concern."
With a dismissive tone, the Demon Lord turned back to a gravestone as if nothing had happened.
But the girl wasn't about to let that go.
"Hey, don't ignore me, Demon Lord!"
With a mix of annoyance in her voice, the girl approached him. But the Demon Lord, not wanting her to come any closer, raised his voice.
"Stay back."
There was a different tone to his voice this time—a restrained, suppressed emotion. The girl halted in her steps.
"If you step any closer, you won't be able to turn back."
This was no bluff.
If the girl were to learn about the sacred sword and the past battles with heroes, she might not be able to stand it. She might even try to destroy the sacred sword herself.
In the short time they had known each other, the Demon Lord had somewhat understood that the girl had such a nature.
That's why he couldn't tell her.
There was no need to involve the girl in this cursed loop. He couldn't make her abandon her peace to engage with the curse of the sacred sword.
The girl had escaped the fate of a hero. Wasn't that good enough? She should live her daily life, perhaps as an adventurer or something else. That would be best.
The Demon Lord yearned for that "ordinary" life, which he could never have again.
And yet, the girl declared,
"I refuse."
She intended to step into this world, rejecting his kind intentions.
"...Are you foolish? You could return to your normal life if you remain ignorant. Are you willingly throwing that away?"
"I'm not throwing anything away. Besides, once I came into this world, my normal life was gone."
"That's not what I meant."
"Then what?"
"This is none of your concern. It's my business."
"But it involves me, a failed hero."
"Look..."
The Demon Lord, tired of going in circles, stood up to face the girl directly.
"You'll die."
"I won't die. Who would want to?"
"How many times do I have to tell you? You don't need to know."
"But I need to."
The girl responded without hesitation, never once breaking eye contact. There was a clear sense of determination, but at the same time, the Demon Lord felt a strange obsession in her.
"...Why are you so insistent?"
The Demon Lord asked, to which the girl grimaced and replied,
"...Because I don't want to have any regrets."
With a somber expression, she spoke as if confessing a sin,
"If I turn a blind eye now, I'll regret it. I... don't want any more regrets."
So she continued,
"This is purely my selfishness, to avoid my own regrets."
With that straightforward declaration, she boldly stepped forward, facing the Demon Lord with defiance.
"Now, tell me!"
With a bright smile reminiscent of the sun, the girl stood firm. That untainted smile overlapped with a memory of their past.
"Hm? What's wrong?"
"...Nothing."
The Demon Lord discreetly let out a sigh.
"You're quite the troublemaker."
With a casual motion, he stepped forward, grabbed the girl's hand, and pulled her into his embrace. The sudden movement caught the girl off guard, and she found herself snugly wrapped in his arms.
"What are you doing?!"
Flushing red, she struggled to escape from the Demon Lord's grasp, but he held her firmly.
"Pervert! Let me go!"
"I told you, I'll tell you."
"That's not the point!"
Realizing she couldn't break free, she began to kick his shin. However, that didn't faze the Demon Lord.
"Why doesn't it hurt?!"
The girl, on the brink of panic, reacted so innocently. The Demon Lord wanted to point out that he had no ill intentions, and this act was merely precautionary in case of emergencies. Though, there might be a hint of revenge for losing to someone younger.
"Let go, you molester!"
"Calling me a molester is a bit much. I'm just restraining you."
"In general terms, that's called molestation!"
Realizing he might have gone a bit too far, the Demon Lord, seeing her genuinely resist, said in a serious tone,
"Alright, I'll tell you. Just calm down."
"Let me go first!"
"No, I can't let go of your arm."
"Why not?!"
As the girl neared hysteria, he realized they were getting nowhere.
"You'll understand why I'm doing this once you hear what I have to say."
"But you don't have to do this to—"
"—I do."
Cutting her off, the Demon Lord was firm in his statement, and there was no joking in his voice. The girl seemed to understand and calmed down within his grasp. "What I'm about to share is my past, and it's the undeniable truth. It may be hard to believe. But no matter what, don't leave my side, alright?"
The young girl silently nodded in response to the Demon Lord's words. Seeing her confirmation, he began to speak.
- He was summoned to counteract the Hero.
- He fought with the Hero and won.
- The holy sword killed the Hero.
- He continuously fought against the Hero and lost everything.
- Unable to die, he endlessly continues to battle with the Hero.
Upon putting it into words, the Demon Lord felt it sounded somewhat shallow. The girl wasn't particularly surprised when she found out that he was originally a Japanese summoner. She probably had some suspicions when he mentioned the term "Japanese." However, she reacted strongly to the revelation that the holy sword killed the Hero. But one couldn't blame her; had one thing gone wrong, she might have been the next victim of that sword.
Still, the danger hadn't passed.
Why was the Demon Lord holding the girl? It was entirely due to his wariness of the holy sword. From his experiences, the Demon Lord had realized there were certain conditions that led to the holy sword killing the Hero:
- The Hero is defeated by the Demon Lord.
- The Hero loses the will to fight against the Demon Lord.
- The Hero learns the truth about the holy sword.
If any of these conditions are met, the sword will unhesitatingly turn against the Hero. The girl, though a failed Hero, has already been defeated by the Demon Lord and seems to bear no malice. Still, she might lose her life upon learning the truth about the sword. If that were to happen, the Demon Lord resolved to protect her with his life.
It seemed the girl understood the intentions from the discussion about the sword. She too began to keep a vigilant eye on her surroundings.
An almost painfully tense silence enveloped them. Neither spoke, as they both remained on edge. Time passed in this quietness. After what felt like an eternity, with no sign of the holy sword making an appearance, the Demon Lord finally let out a sigh of relief and released the girl.
"It seems we're safe for now."
"Yes, it seems so..."
Perhaps it was tiring to remain in the same position for so long, as the girl began to stretch her arms and shoulders. But then she paused, as if struck by a thought.
"Hey... Was there really a need to hold me like that?"
In response to the girl's accusing tone, the Demon Lord remained silent, looking away like a child caught in mischief. Truthfully, there was no need to hold her so closely to protect her. It would have been enough just to stay within arm's reach. The fact that he chose to hold her was merely a whimsical gesture on his part.
This Demon Lord really can hold a grudge.
The Demon Lord, dodging the girl's probing questions, left the basement with a lamp in hand.
"Wait a minute, you perverted Demon Lord!"
The girl's angry shout echoed in the basement.