Chapter 181

Evade the Hero and Flee! 181 #20. This World Doesnt Want to Leave Me Alone (10)>

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Kuh~uh. Thats beautiful.

I stared at the gleaming crimson hand seal imprinted on the paper. It sure was very nicely done, maybe because it was done by a pretty human oops, I mean, a pretty demon girl.

Sob

Yup, this was a good trade.

My trade partner mustve liked this deal a lot because she softly sniffled away after sealing the contract.

-Uhh, master? Dont you think those are tears of despair and regret?

-Hey! Where in the world would you find more favourable conditions than these! Shell become the next demon king as long as she hands over a bit of land and helps me manage it, you know!

-But that big sis is making a face of someone who lost everything, master?

-Nope, thats the face you make when you get everything you wanted.

We were talking about the demon king here. The demon king, a ruler of an entire continent!

I didnt know the exact numbers for the total area of the demon continent or how many resources it had. But, when a.s.suming its largely similar to the other side, the position of the demon king must be as lofty as the emperor of the Karuan empire.

Here I was, promising to give her that position on a silver platter. See how wonderful this contract is?

-Master, if it reeeally was a wonderful contract, you wouldnt have to use a Gea.s.s scroll in the first place.

-Youve become pretty proficient at chewing me out lately, havent you?

-I learned from the best, master. You!

Yup, I raised a dang tiger, didnt I?

Honestly, this dang metal bat had been annoying me so much lately that I couldnt help but wonder if my true enemy was this little punk all along.

I mightve understood where her insolence was coming from if her stress level had been rising up, but that wasnt true, was it? When adding up all of her recent victims, wed almost get the total of the main protagonist in a novel, after all.

Starting from the hero, an elf, a priest, a dragon, and even the daughter of a demon king, too!

With such a collection, never mind venting her acc.u.mulated stress, she should be dancing around in pure bliss by now.

Hang on a minute. Maybe she behaved this way because its been too much fun for her lately?

What are you planning to do, instructor? The hero walked up to me and asked that. He was making a face of a part-time worker who had a ton of things to say but couldnt utter a single word out of fear of getting fired.

What do you mean, what? Well help the demon kings daughter so that she can claim that position for herself.

But dont you think its strange for humans to interfere in the politics of the demon world?

Not in the slightest. Besides, not doing anything will mean the demon race invading the human world. Are you just going to sit back and watch that happen?

Well, no. But

If Shuttle was here, wed have been showered by the oracles of the G.o.ddess of Nature by now. Wed be urged to quickly help this daughter of the demon king to defeat that Aggreahrt or whatever, then bring peace and harmony to both humanity and demonkind!

Belegrea, the demon kings daughter, told us this the goal of Aggreahrt, the instigator of the rebellion, was to create a world only for demons. And to achieve this goal, he sought to start another war between humans and demons.

Just how many innocent people would get hurt if that was allowed to happen!

Like what happened during the last great war, countless people would lose their lives on various battlefields. And to feed the army during the lengthy war, farmers all over the land would have no choice but to surrender their crops, too.

That would lead to a shortage of food and people dying of starvation. And since this would be a war between humans and demons, the scale of devastation could very well be several times greater than other wars.

Now that such unprecedented danger loomed over our world, what would be the job of the hero, I ask you!

To protect world peace, the hero must step forward to eliminate Aggreahrt that chose to walk the path of destruction. Then, he must endeavour to install the girl who loved peace and harmony Belegrea!

-To summarise, since hes a hero, he must fight to protect the world? And master, youll be on the sidelines, gladly mopping up all the benefits you can get your hands on?

-This is all for the sake of this world. For this world, I say! This lifeform called the hero is supposed to overcome all sorts of trials and tribulations for the sake of our world, you know!

Just as we stepped foot inside the demon world, the demon kings daughter miraculously appeared before our eyes! This had to be a divine revelation, some G.o.ds way of telling us to fight for peace and freedom.

-Besides all that. Take a good look at the demon kings daughter. Shes pretty, right?

-Master, could it be that since you couldnt find a suitable partner among humans, youre thinking of marrying a demon?

-Not me, dummy, but Im thinking of tying her up with the hero punk over here. Since the beginning of time itself, its always been like this. If the demon king has a son, the story would end up with him and the hero duking it out to their death. But if its a daughter, all sorts of other storylines get added on top, eventually leading to the climax of the hero and the daughter entering that sort of a relations.h.i.+p.

-Why does it sound like youre trying to insult every demon king with daughters, master?

Of course not.

Since the dawn of time, the sub-species of humanity called hero had this tendency of getting in bed with the demon king if the latter happened to be a pretty girl. And if the demon kings had pretty daughters, the heroes would end up with them, instead.

Was it because of a fathers instinctive love for their girls or something? Why was every demon king with daughters such goody-two-shoes? Thats including Belegreas father, too. According to her, he worked hard to maintain peace instead of pursuing war against humans despite ruling over the most prosperous era in the demon races history.

Instructor, isnt there a possibility that this demon girl is deceiving us?

Unfortunately, this hero of ours didnt seem all that enthusiastic about fighting for world peace. To think that hed break the resolute silence he had been maintaining for so long with those churlish words. What a foolish kid!

Do you honestly think anyone can come up with such a story after receiving the metal bat treatment?

Ah.

Only those who had experienced it knew the true depth of the pain inflicted by the metal bat.

Just one hit caused all strength to abandon your body. But that was merely the start; two, maybe three, hits were enough to let you have an out-of-body experience. Heck, you could even see how ones body would move according to ones consciousness!

Could someone come up with a sad tale about themselves mostly composed of lies while stuck in such a situation? If they were capable of pulling off something like that, then it was only polite for us to fall for the ruse.

Anything else you wish to add, my disciple?

Do we really need to eliminate this person named Aggreahrt and install the former demon kings daughter as the new demon king, instructor?

Yes, we do.

Is there no other way?

No, not really.

Is this truly for the sake of world peace?

Absolutely.

Lets get one thing clear: the world at peace would automatically make my life peaceful.

Sure, I still had to flee to the demon continent despite the world being largely in peace. Even so, peace was absolutely crucial. During the war, itd become c.u.mbersome to travel between villages, for one thing.

Back in the days of the previous great war, I was affiliated with the imperial court, which granted me a certain level of authority, making things a bit easier for me. But to a regular farmer, a war zone would be an environment no different from h.e.l.l itself.

-Master? You gotta break yourself out of the mistaken belief that youre a regular farmer, master.

-Hey! Where would you find a farmer more regular than me in this world?!

I mean, except for my daughters backstory, the unique characteristics of our pets, and my strange fate of getting tangled up with the hero, Im very normal, you know!

-Master, you know just as well as everyone else that none of those qualifies as normal, now dont you?

-Kuh-huk

This is all the fault of the hero. If only this dang hero hadnt tracked me down! I would still be stuck in a remote corner of the human continent, preparing for the new years crops while generally enjoying my days with my dear daughter by my side!

Yes, its all because this punk chased me down while mouthing some nonsense about oracles and whatnot, and thats why I had to travel to the demon continent like this!

Now that I thought about it some more, one of the causes also happened to be this punk making the princess fall head over heels in love with him, isnt that so?!

Yes, it was the fault of this punk all along!

Well, my disciple. Its time to save this world.

I said that with a serious look on my face. The hero punk also nodded, seemingly having come to grips with the sacred duty entrusted to him.

-Oh, and its not because of me gripped in your hand, master?

-Probably not.

Besides, just what kind of people were heroes? Werent they the breed of brave men and women who were ready to discard their own lives like a pair of worn-down sneakers for the sake of world peace!

Sure, the hero punks eyes were currently glued to the metal bat but, he must be thinking about throwing away his life for the sake of world peace.

Im right, arent I?

I believe in you, oh dear hero!

#7 Their circ.u.mstances: a certain heros circ.u.mstance

World peace?? What kind of a dogsh*t am I hearing now?

I mean, cmon! Heroes wanting to risk their lives for world peace are a-dime-a-dozen, you know.

Havent I hunted down a dragon recently? Not just any dragon either, but an elder dragon that lived for not one thousand, not ten thousand, but twenty b.l.o.o.d.y thousand years!

But why am I being saddled with this kind of trial? Are there no other heroes alive in this world or something?

As far as I know, there are thousands of self-proclaimed heroes actively toiling away throughout the land, while the religious-order-acknowledged heroes numbered almost one hundred, so why!

Why does it have to be me?!

Could it be because of the instructor?

No, wait. If I keep digging deeper and deeper, then the true culprit had to be my siblings that forced me into Howling in the first place.

If I ever get a chance to return to the empire in the future, I swear I shall crush and annihilate my family.

If they had been a Grand Duke family, then it wouldnt have been possible, but as a mere ducal family, they should not be able to avoid punishment if many of their unsavoury secrets get exposed to the imperial court.

I might have spent far more days outside the family than inside, but I still felt confident about finding out my familys secrets.

How? I could just exchange the info on all the first-rate eateries Ive discovered during my travels for Miruas help in getting my familys secrets!

I believe in you, Team Leader Mirua! If its you, it should be easier than breathing for us to acquire all the secrets a ducal family wishes to bury deep in their closet!

I dont know why I feel this way, but you can definitely do it. You fully deserve my faith in you!

Of course, I should a.s.sume that the odds of Mirua not being aware of first-rate eateries I had discovered in my travels were close to zero. Even so, I had seen all corners of the continent thanks to the divine oracles. If I combed really hard through those experiences, I should know at least one place she had never heard of. One at a minimum, three if I get lucky.

That should be enough to motivate Mirua, I thought.

Excuse me.

While I was mulling my options on how to rain down even more calamities upon the Raina Ducal Family, the former demon kings depressed-looking daughter called out to me from right next to my sitting position.

Currently, she was in the same boat as me, our instructors sla Ahem, I mean, a travel companion. Belegrea whispered to me in a tiny voice. What will happen to us?

Hmm How should I answer her? Like from a ruined n.o.ble family, now taken away by a slave merchant? Right, this atmosphere fit that explanation perfectly, wouldnt you say?

Besides, did you just ask me about what fate awaits you? A dude whos been riding in said slave merchants carriage before you joined us?

What the h.e.l.l? Whats up with this nonsensically perfect comparison? And how unfortunate it was that the comparison also happened to include me!

What do you mean, what?

Belegreas eyes staring at me were faintly trembling.

Wow, those eyes sure hold lots of emotions, dont they? I can see her anxiety, antic.i.p.ation, despair, and even hope, too.

Once upon a time, I, too, made such an expression. I often made that face while staring at a certain someone, but the end result always remained the same.

Aha. So, this was what it felt like. This feeling was the whole reason why that certain someone answered me in such a manner.

A chuckle automatically leaked out of my mouth as I answered her. Obviously, we

We?

My bright smile managed to wash away negative emotions like anxiety and despair from her eyes.

Ah, thats right. I was a hero. Well, the label of a hero came with a certain image, didnt it? Like, an image, a symbol, of self-sacrifice for the greater good.

Thats why its time to teach her about our cruel reality. Teach her that our fate had been sealed the moment the metal bat began hovering right in front of our faces.

We are f*cked, thats what.

That moment when her expression fell headlong from the heights of hope to the depth of despair, I I felt this strange satisfaction.

Was this feeling the reason why our instructor showed us a glimmer of hope every now and then?

Wed dash madly forward at the distant ray of hope, only for it to disappear when we reach the spot. And that ray of hope would s.h.i.+ne in the far-off distance once more.

Since there was the light, we rushed forward with the belief that there would be an end to this tunnel. Unfortunately, that light was not a beacon of hope but merely a torch wielded by our instructor.

When I managed to reach him, hed slyly retreat, and when I stopped to take a breather, hed slyly get closer and make me believe that I could finally reach the light. Yes, it was that kind of light!

The thing was, though, I was not our instructor. I was not the former instructor from the evil organisation nor a professor from Yugrasia.

I was a hero. I didnt become one out of my own volition, but people still looked up to me and respected me. Of course, I knew that Belegrea before me was not a human but a demon. Even so, I was a hero, and I had the duty to rescue this wandering soul.

I spoke up. Does it feel like you can escape somehow? Does it feel like theres still some hope left for you?

Her eyes were steadily getting darker and darker.

Good, it seems that youre pretty quick on the uptake, then. This is the only hope I can give to you.

Yeah, well. Sorry, but no. If that was possible, you think wed be sitting here next to you? I first pointed at myself, then Ria next to me before shaking my head. Yup, its impossible.

Then, then what

Belegreas raven hair and those black irises that suited her hair so well I stared at those eyes seemingly possessing an extra layer of something else that surpa.s.sed mere concepts like colours. And then, quietly nodded as an affirmation. Yeah. Giving up now will make it easier for you.

How, how can that be

I s.h.i.+fted my gaze away from the despairing raven-haired girl and looked at the other end of the carriage. The metal bat mustve heard everything we were talking about just now, but she pretended to be none the wiser.

That little evil silver-haired creature was currently playing with the pink-haired Alice. A golden-furred cat was lazily curled up on Alices lap, and a dragon with the weird name, Kkokko, were chatting away with the two girls.

At a casual glance, this scene resembled the very picture of tranquillity and peace. But amidst that peace were the metal bat, a Succubus, and a dragon.

Holy cow. To think that such a tranquil-looking scene would suddenly resemble a nightmare the moment I thought about their true ident.i.ties!

Ha. Ha. Ha

Yup, were all finished now.

We had already crossed a river that couldnt be un-crossed.

Whether it was a threat from the G.o.ddess of Nature or whatever, I shouldve just ignored them all and chose to get chased around the human continent instead. Why, oh why did I go after our instructor and get myself into such a nonsensical situation?

You only figured that out now?

The familiar voice of Ria came from next to me, sounding like she had already resigned herself about everything. Actually, the way she refres.h.i.+ngly smiled looked rather cool to my eyes.

I replied. Well, its like, I knew the truth in my heart but just didnt want to admit it.

I get where youre coming from.

Its not like we can go back now anyway, right?

Hahaha, youre right.

Hahaha, hohoho

Ria and I began chuckling like the good friends that we were.

This, this has to be a lie

Only Belegrea was still rejecting her new reality, but it was only a matter of time before she realised the truth, too.

Naruan, Ast, Nicerwin

Ah, wait. Hes calling himself Marcus now, isnt he?

In any case, it didnt matter what his current name was, because Belegrea would soon learn that

With our instructor choosing to b.u.t.t into her business, shed better forget about living a life of common sense. More than that, shed never get to enjoy a normal life from this moment on.