If his mindset changes too, we'd truly become a bunch of good-for-nothings in the real sense as the Demon King's army.
If that happened, there might even be a chance for the three of us to survive.
But that's probably impossible.
"I just wanted to believe that humans have a reason to live. It's meaningless to live knowing you'll eventually die. I didn't want to think that life is meaningless because, you know, humans have a lifespan, and everyone dies at some point, right? No matter how close you are to your lover or friends, there will always come a time to part. There's no relationship that lasts forever."
"So, it's meaningless if it's not eternal? Is your ideal everyone becoming immortal and living happily ever after?"
"That's not what I'm saying. Humans can leave behind children, right? Children who carry half of their genes. And those children will eventually have their own, so life goes on forever."
Well, there are those who can't get married, I thought, but decided not to dampen the mood.
"Your descendants are the proof of your existence. And even the most noble souls who saved the world, if born into great power, can become corrupt, degenerating into a rotten lineage. I didn't want to think of such people as the living proof of the hero. I looked away. And where I turned, there were irredeemable victims and perpetrators. They were all proof of the battles I fought alongside the previous hero."
"…After all, you should have spent your remaining years growing old with the previous hero. Like you said earlier, wouldn't you have been happier dying around the same time as the hero?"
"Probably. But living for five hundred years wasn't completely futile. I went through countless meaningless encounters and separations, but unexpectedly, I met the hero and the Demon King again, and someone like you."
"I don't think meeting me is any kind of advantage."
Besides, it's creepy to be told by a guy that he's glad he met me.
"By the way, did you ever have a lover? Even if you did, it would be painful to outlive them."
"No, I've never had one. I'm a virgin."
"…!"
A virgin at over five hundred years old!
I was shocked to learn this fact.
I mean, I'm not one to talk, but why would a good-looking guy like him...?
"I'm just not interested in women."
"…Eh!"
Wait, is he... that way inclined?
"Just to be clear, just because I don't like women doesn't mean I like men. If that were the case, I would have had a male lover."
"Ah, yeah. That makes sense."
Not that I know much about those kinds of preferences.
"I've just never had sexual desires."
Ugh, that's information I really didn't need to hear.
"If everyone was like me, humanity would have gone extinct without any effort."
"Ah, yeah…"
"By the way, what about you? The hero was pretty cute, did you make any moves?"
"Don't be ridiculous! She's only twelve years old!"
"That's old enough by some standards."
"It's not the right age for anything! And what are you talking about, you said you have no sexual interest!"
"Well, there are quite a few people only interested in girls of that age, so I wondered if you were the same. So, what age do you think is appropriate then?"
"That's... not really important right now…"
"Hmm. So, you didn't make moves on any of the other saintly swordsmen either? Their ages and body types varied, offering a wide selection."
"No, seriously speaking, those girls were a bit too much for me... And going after several of them is beyond reckless, it's a fool's errand..."
"Oh, I see. So, you're similar to me."
"We are not similar! I have a normal level of sexual interest!"
What are we even talking about?
To think I'd be having this conversation on the brink of death.
And with a guy who's lived over five hundred years.
"…"
But suddenly, I felt melancholic.
Of all the people I've met, he's the worst.
I can confidently say there's no one worse than him. He's the reason Shion suffered terribly, and why we were all nearly massacred.
And even now, he's seriously intent on annihilating humanity.
He's irredeemably awful, deserving death for his crimes.
Yet, as I talked to him, I found myself growing fond of him.
I've always ended up making allies out of those I was opposed to.
I don't believe that it's possible to understand and get along with every human being.
But still.
Once I start talking, I grow attached.
Because, well, we can talk, right?
There's no need to kill each other.
Talking reveals sides of the other you didn't know existed.
New discoveries are made.
You get to see their good and bad sides, what's interesting and what's not.
Why would someone, who can have a normal conversation with me, try to annihilate humanity?
Well, it's not something for me, the Demon King, to ponder.
"…Hey, Geranium… you…"
As I was about to say something,
"I will kill all humans."
Geranium stopped me with his hand.
"I'm here to end the world with you."
"…"
In that moment, my heart grew cold rapidly.
"So, you're definitely going to betray me, huh?"
"I may have become a demon, but I'm weaker than you, the Demon King. I can't betray you."
Hearing that, my heart grew even colder.
"Geranium, I have a piece of advice for you."
"What is it?"
"You think you're stronger than me. You're planning to kill me and become the Demon King yourself."
"That's not…"
"I know it."
This time, I stopped Geranium's words with my hand.
"I don't know what makes you think you can always beat me, that you can dispose of me whenever you want. That's why you don't interfere with my methods."
"…"
Geranium neither denied nor confirmed.
He's such a clumsy man.
He could've just verbally denied it.
"So, here's my advice. You'll probably ignore it anyway."
"…"
"If you oppose me, you'll die. There's no escaping it."
"…"
"This isn't a threat. Whatever reason you think you can beat me is a misunderstanding. I assure you, you can't beat me."
"…"
"Only Shion can defeat me. No one else can beat me but her. So don't oppose me."
"…"
Geranium didn't respond.
He really is a clumsy man. Chapter 6: The Hero and the Demon King Confront
Since becoming the Demon King, I've lost track of how many days have passed.
I don't know how much time has gone by.
My vishion narrows.
My consciousness is fading.
I'm losing my sanity.
No matter how long it takes, the hero doesn't come.
"…"
Do you not want to kill me that badly, Shion?
Why aren't you fulfilling your role, Holly?
Haven't you read the letter, Instructor Cattleya?
Iris, Saffron, Heath, Platanus.
Cineraria, Jasmine, Amaranth.
What are all of you thinking?
Hurry up and come to kill me.
I'm at my limit.
I can't see anymore.
My mind is going mad.
It's impossible, after all.
I can't hold it back.
I can't suppress my heart from becoming the Demon King.
Do you all… want me to become a mass murderer?
Don't you understand I'm desperately holding back?
Do you think I can keep this up forever?
"…Maris…"
"…"
Ah, damn, it's no use.
I can't even see Maris.
My vishion is getting narrower.
Maris seems to notice the change in me.
"Has the Demon King… ever won against the hero…?"
"Never."
"I see… then…"
"Except for one exception."
"…!?"
"When the hero and the Demon King first appeared in this world, the hero was defeated by the Demon King."
"What…?"
"Both Holly and I were new to this, and we failed. Holly lost in a battle she couldn't afford to lose, and I won in a battle I shouldn't have won."
"What happened after that?"
"…The victorious Demon King nearly drove humans to extinction. The Demon King that became my vessel went out of control, beyond my reach. I couldn't do anything, just like I can't stop you now."
"…"
"Then, Mother stopped it."
"Mother?"
"The one who created me and Holly. The one who created the hero and the Demon King. What humans call, God."
"…A god that makes her own children kill each other…?"
"If it comes to it, Mother will stop the rampaging Demon King. So, you don't need to worry too much. You will most likely lose to the hero, and even if the hero intentionally loses, Mother will stop you in the end."
"…After humans are nearly driven to extinction…"
Damn it…!