"I handed them over to those who I thought were not evil. I needed to train users of the saintly swords in preparation for the Demon Lord's revival. I thought of it as a sort of preparatory lesson. So, I set up something like a dojo or school to train users of the saintly swords, and in the process, I developed an eye for distinguishing those who could handle the saintly swords from those who couldn't. It was more of an intuitive thing based on experience."
This guy, a true genius.
Completely the opposite of me.
"But that was a mistake too. Those in power lusted after the saintly swords I managed, flashing their wealth or sending armies. I had followers who betrayed me for money, and those who fled in fear of the military... Anyway, after various incidents, I stopped running the dojo and killed all the soldiers."
"By the time I descended from the frontier back to civilized lands, I was in despair."
"The widening gap between rich and poor. The rampant discrimination. The endless wars."
"There wasn't one defining moment. I just watched. The world of humans was beyond the word 'unreasonable.' A mere reality where if there are rich, there are also poor. A mere reality of those who take and those who are taken from."
"Holly, I didn't want to save a world like this!"
"I wanted to protect a world where all humans could live happily! Not a world where many people starve, suffer, and shed tears! I didn't want to see a world where the strong oppress the weak! That's no different from when the Demon Lord was alive!"
"Defeating the Demon Lord doesn't save the people. No, it actually aids the very cause of people's suffering. If discrimination and inequality don't disappear, it doesn't matter whether the Demon Lord is alive or dead."
"…Are you… planning to annihilate the current royal family?"
Is that why he allied with Cineraria and Jasmine, who bear grudges against the authorities?
I guess he values Amaranth for their loyalty.
"No, Holly. Killing all the authorities just means new ones will emerge among the survivors."
"Then, what exactly do you intend to do?"
"Have the Demon Lord annihilate humanity."
"What!?"
"The cause of human suffering is humanity itself. The only way to free all humans from suffering is to kill them all. And only the Demon Lord can do that."
"What are you talking about!"
"I knew you'd try to stop me. I don't think what I'm doing is right either. But I've already decided to do it."
"Don't be ridiculous!"
Despite becoming emotionally charged, I managed to keep up the act of being Holly."You wanted to protect a world where all humans could live happily, didn't you!? How can you, of all people, contemplate massacring humanity! Wake up!"
"…I've realized there's no way for people in this world to truly be happy. The only salvation for humans is death. I know because I've lived without dying. Death is the only true salvation for humans."
If that's what you think, then go die by yourself.
Dragging innocent people into this mess, damn it.
Especially since I'm undoubtedly the one who's suffering the most here.
"I've always wondered why the Demon Lord revives repeatedly. Why does the Demon Lord attempt to annihilate humanity?"
Platanus looked up at the night sky, spreading his arms wide.
"The Demon Lord is the bringer of salvation for people! That's why the Demon Lord revives over and over. No matter how many times defeated by the hero, the Demon Lord will always return, to eventually save humanity by annihilating it. And that time is now!"
I was left speechless.
This guy, undoubtedly brilliant and a genius, has clearly lost his mind.
"What's the purpose of night, Holly?"
"Huh?"
"To sleep."
"…"
"Without the darkness of night, people couldn't even find rest in sleep. In this harsh and painful world, people manage to live in the present because they know they'll die in the future. Knowing that death will come allows them to bear life. So, why don't we all die together? Let's graduate from this world, all of us. Let's be freed from this reality that's nothing but suffering."
What is this idiot saying?
He's completely lost it.
Because of this guy, Shion is still immobilized, and Holly is gone.
Because of him, I'm robbed of the time I could have spent with those two.
No, he's trying to rob all humans of the time they could spend with their loved ones.
Despite being chosen by the saintly sword that manipulates time, he intends to steal the precious time of humans.
Despite feeling indignant about the strong oppressing the weak, he's oppressing more humans than anyone else.
"Geranium. Do those three know about your plan?"
"Huh? You mean Amaranth and the others? They don't know."
"That figures. They wouldn't cooperate if they knew. Especially Amaranth, who has a noble spirit and fights to protect people every time monsters emerge from the dungeon. If they knew about your plan, they would have definitely tried to stop you."
"I'm not fond of that type. Without such a personality, it would have been impossible to wield both the Demon Sword and the Rakshasa Sword together."
Not fond, huh?"You've really lost it, haven't you?
Someone who tries to protect those weaker than themselves should have been your greatest ally.
If you've come to dislike such people, it means you're no longer the person you were when you were allies with the hero."
"You say you're not fond of them, but it looked like you were quite admired…"
"Well, they've been in harsh environments since they were kids. They're grateful to me because it seemed like I rescued them from that."
Rescued from a harsh environment?
Sounds like how I freed Shion from slavery.
"I can tell who has the potential to become a user of the saintly swords. I gathered those with the potential, kept them captive, and had them breed to produce strong saintly sword wielders."
"…What?"
Kept captive and bred?
"The power of the saintly sword wielders tends to be hereditary to a significant degree. The trait is passed down to the children of saintly sword wielders. So, I gathered men and women with a high compatibility for the saintly swords and had them produce children. Kind of like a human farm."
"…"
"If the children born there were also made to breed, they would inherit even higher potential. It's the principle of dominance. Some children were born without any potential at all. Those kids were quickly discarded, and only the promising ones were kept, raised, and then bred again. Well, Amaranth was born in the third generation, so it was easier than I thought to create a saintly sword wielder who could handle both the Demon Sword and the Rakshasa Sword simultaneously."
"What are you… talking about?"
I have a headache.
His statements are making me nauseous and giving me a headache.
"The Demon Lord's revival tends to follow a roughly 500-year cycle, so I thought it was about time when such a monster was born. It must be fate. The hero has also been born. I don't know why, but dungeons have appeared, and the Demon Lord's revival is imminent."
"…"
He's beyond mad.
He's a complete devil.
Not human or anything else.
He thinks of other humans as nothing more than objects.
"…By the way, Holly. Can I confirm something with you?"
"Huh?"
"The previous hero, what was his name again?"
"…!"
"…"
Geranium stares at my face intently, then suddenly becomes expresshionless."…I've been had. You're not Holly."
"…"
"Remarkable. I'm impressed. I really thought you were the real deal."
"I was with them every day."
"I see. So you were talking to Holly, who was possessing the hero."
"No. I could see them, so it was during the times they weren't possessing anyone that we were together around the clock."
"Nonsense. Holly couldn't be visible to anyone but the hero. Well, it doesn't matter anymore."
While drawing the Timeflow Sword at his waist, Geranium sighs.
"I've realized what my bad premonition was about. You truly are a terrifying man. I couldn't understand why you could gather the hero and the saintly sword wielders, but now I'm certain. You are the most terrifying person in this world. Consider that a compliment."
With a thud, Geranium's Timeflow Sword pierced my left chest.