Instructor Cattleya to marshal, Iris to general.
Saffron to head of the intelligence agency, Cineraria to captain of an independent unit.
Jasmine as the Holy Mother of a religious organization, Amaranth as the hero's guard.
In essence, monopolizing the apex of military, political, information, and religious groups with the saintly sword wielders, and using this united force to protect the hero.
Simply put, it's starting world conquest backed by the power of the sacred swords.
There's no other way to ensure the hero Shion, who becomes redundant to humanity after the Demon Lord is defeated, lives safely.
That was my idea, but Heath seemed to take it seriously.
Well, it's irrelevant to me now.
I won't be in the world after the Demon Lord is defeated.
"...You look quite pale. Something wrong?"
King Heath, now donning a flamboyant mantle and wearing a crown, spoke to me.
His outfit was in poor taste, but it suited him.
"No, I just feel a bit under the weather."
Heath and I were alone in the audience chamber.
Even though it was my idea, changing the chancellor and marshal right after ascending to the throne was quite the bold move, but he achieved it without hesitation.
In the end, I might have been a burden to him.
"Take care of yourself. It would be problematic if you were to fall ill now."
"Why's that?"
As I tilted my head, Heath sighed while sitting on his throne.
"If you get sick, it would disturb Hero Shion. If anything unexpected happens at such a time, our plans could fall apart instantly."
"Even though we're taking on all the important national matters, it's only possible because of the overwhelming power possessed by the hero. Without it, controlling the world would be impossible for us."
"Yeah, I guess..."
"Though Platanus might be happy with that. He seems to enjoy the idea of using his own wit to maneuver the army and conquer the world."
"Haha. True. We never really got to see Platanus's genius military tactics in action, did we?"
"It's better that we never have such an opportunity."
Heath then slowly rose from his throne and approached me.
"…Crow. Your real challenge is just beginning."
"Huh?"
What is he talking about?
Surely, he hasn't realized that I'm the Demon Lord.
"Whether Hero Shion can defeat the Demon Lord depends on whether you're by her side."
"No, no, no. I'm irrelevant now. When Shion fights the Demon Lord..."
I won't be able to be by her side.
"Hmph. I'm not saying you should join the fight between the hero and the Demon Lord. Even we can't do that. Only the hero can fight the Demon Lord."
Actually, I am going to participate. Because I'm the Demon Lord.
"Just being alive is enough. Hero Shion's motivation to protect the world is solely based on whether you're alive. She wants to protect a world where you're alive."
"Once the Demon Lord is defeated, my role as a figurehead king is over. Then, you can become the supreme authority alongside the hero."
"…That's impossible. It's too much trouble."
"That's exactly why you should do it."
"Huh?"
Heath placed a hand on my shoulder and gave me a sly smile.
"I hate you. I hate everything you do."
"Bossing around, always taking the easy way out. Yet, without you, nothing starts, and everything falls apart. I hate you for that."
"…Heath, I…"
For once, like friends…
"That's why I'll annoy you. I'll shove all the trouble onto you."
"…Trouble?"
"Becoming the supreme authority. If you were happy to become king, I'd sabotage it. You hate having more work to death, right? Then, the most annoying thing is to put you in the position with the most work."
"…If I became the supreme authority, wouldn't the country be doomed?"
"Don't worry, Platanus and I won't let that happen. We'll always be nearby, making sure you can't slack off."
"You say some unpleasant things, Heath."
"Ah, yes. I'll do anything you dislike. So, after the hero defeats the Demon Lord, let's have a victory parade."
"Parade?"
As I tilted my head, Heath turned his back to me, laughed, sat back on the throne, crossed his legs, and leaned back arrogantly.
"My coronation was quite modest, so I'm planning to spend a good amount of money on a grand parade. Let's all dress up and parade through the country. After saving the world, that's the least we can do, right?"
"...Yeah. That sounds good. Everyone, except me, has done something praiseworthy enough to be celebrated by the people."
"Haha, don't talk as if it doesn't concern you. You'll ride in the same carriage as the hero. The hero will be in the most extravagant carriage, so you'll stand out too, you know?"
"...Haha."
At that moment, I genuinely laughed.
"You know I hate standing out, right?"
"That's right. I only do things you'd hate."
"Seriously, this is such a hassle."
"...You deserve to be praised by a crowd of people every now and then."
Suddenly, Heath's expresshion turned serious.
"Most of the public doesn't know what you've done. Officially, it's as if you've done nothing."
"I won't deny that."
"Still, you deserve to be celebrated."
"You're the man who achieved the greatest feat in this world. At least, that's what I believe."
After leaving the audience chamber, I sat silently on a bench in the courtyard.
After the hero defeats the Demon Lord, we'll have a victory parade.
I think Shion and the other saintly sword wielders deserve that much.
The people living in this country would surely want to see the heroes who saved their world in person.
Yet, I won't be there.
I won't be able to witness the moment when Shion and the others, after their hard-fought battles, revel in their glory.
"Sigh..."
This is tougher than I imagined.
I had anticipated possibly dying in an unforeseen accident, but I never thought my death would be a certainty.
Being told that I'm actually the Demon Lord, I don't know how to deal with that.
I simply don't want to die, but more than that, I hate the idea of becoming the Demon Lord and committing mass murder.
However, it's also bad to ask Shion in advance to kill me in a sort of suicide.
If that works, great, but it might just accelerate my transformation into the Demon Lord.
And, I really don't want to die.
If I strip away all the pretense, waiting to die because there's absolutely no chance of survival is impossible for me.
The fear of going mad from terror is the worst, especially when the only escape seems to be death.
"Sigh..."
"What's wrong?"
"!?"
Iris approached me as I was lost in my thoughts, sighing heavily.
"Oh, it's nothing."
Iris sat down on the bench across from me, crossed her arms, and stared directly at me.
"You're hiding something, aren't you?"
Caught. How do I say, 'Actually, I'm the Demon Lord'?
"No, I'm not hiding anything..."
I had no choice but to play dumb.
"Why lie? You've been acting just like you did two years ago."
"…?"
"When you stole the Sacred Sword and went off to find the hero."
Iris muttered, her voice tinged with irritation.
"Back then, you didn't explain anything to me or Instructor Cattleya either, just acted on your own. You have a habit of leaving trivial matters to others, but when things get really tough, you bottle it all up inside, don't you?"
"…"
I had no response.
Stealing the Sacred Sword was, in hindsight, a judgment error.
If I had somehow made Iris and Instructor Cattleya aware of the existence of the Sacred Sword's spirit and sought the king's permisshion before setting off to find the hero, the whole execution fiasco wouldn't have happened.
Considering that, I know I shouldn't keep secrets from my comrades and should consult them to resolve issues.
Yet, this situation isn't something I can discuss.
My current dilemma is unsolvable.
Solving my problem means fully transforming into the Demon Lord.
Accepting in my heart that I am the Demon Lord would free me from all my troubles.
But that would lead to the deaths of many people.
If things go poorly, some of the saintly sword wielders might die.
In the worst-case scenario, Shion could die, leading to humanity's extinction.