TDKH 03

Chapter : 3

Maybe it was unexpected, but I wasn’t as shocked as one might think.

Perhaps he was observing my expression, because after keeping silent for a moment, he continued.

“You can’t tell who I am, can you? Of course not. The only thing I changed from when I was in the party is my way of speaking. I chose a tone none of the party members ever used.”

Indeed, none of my companions spoke like that.

Even Renel, who talked to me casually, never used such an arrogant, insolent tone.

As if amused by my tense look, he sneered and went on.

“To think that the leader of a party who’s slain countless Demon Kings and even four Great Demon Kings is actually a pitiful lunatic suffering from such a mental illness. I wonder what humans would think if they knew?”

“If I ask which party member you are, you won’t answer. Then I’ll change the question. What do you want with me?”

“……”

“The party should be disbanded by now. You too… whoever you are, you left me along with the others.”

Quad Wrangle stayed silent for a moment, then replied.

“Why are you trying to kill the Demon King of Corrosion?”

“Because he’s an enemy of mankind.”

“Is that really all?”

I didn’t answer.

As if he hadn’t expected much, he began talking to himself.

“There are currently 131 Demon Kings on the continent. But how do you think all those Demon Kings came to be?”

“You’re not asking because you truly don’t know, are you?”

“Answer.”

With a sigh, I said,

“When a strong human falls. When a mind that’s reached a certain level faces a great trial… when it’s pushed to the absolute limit and then collapses for some decisive reason, another Demon King is born into the world.”

“Correct. But those ‘trials that push one to the extreme’ don’t usually happen. Normally.”

“Normally?”

“Because naturally occurring misfortune and bad luck have their limits. No matter how unlucky someone is, it’s hard for misfortune great enough to make them fall into becoming a Demon King to happen naturally.”

“……”

“So more Demon Kings are born from ‘artificially created trials.’ In fact, they’re the overwhelming majority. Being falsely accused, framed, having murderers break into your home, and so on. Most of the misfortunes in this world are made by humans, aren’t they?”

At those words, I thought of the Demon King of Corrosion.

And the curse he placed on me.

Well, it was something I had already suspected.

‘The Demon King of Corrosion wants to turn me into a Demon King.’

He must be waiting for the moment I collapse under his curse and fall into corruption.

Patiently, for twenty whole years.

Swallowing a groan, I asked,

“So? Why the sudden history lesson?”

“I’m just wondering… hasn’t that ‘artificial trial’ happened to you too?”

“……”

“And seeing you desperately hunt down the Demon King of Corrosion…”

He continued slowly.

“Isn’t your misfortune something the Demon King of Corrosion caused?”

“……So what if it is?”

“I was just curious. It felt… familiar.”

…Familiar?

At that moment, a chilling thought crossed my mind.

“Hey.”

I asked calmly, quietly,

“Are you a Demon King too?”

And a moment later—

“Uhaaaaahahahahahaha!”

Quad Wrangle’s sticky, distorted laughter boomed out.

The fact that I could hear it like that meant my concentration had slipped.

I focused my mind on him again.

Then his words began to make sense.

“I always think this, but you’re really sharp. Except when it comes to reading people’s feelings.”

“A Demon King… a Demon King was in our party?”

“Why not? I’m the Demon King of Absence.”

The Demon King of Absence!

A Great Demon King ranked 11th, nicknamed so because, like the Demon King of Corrosion, his whereabouts were unknown.

“That’s how I exist. One who exists and yet does not. One who can be anyone and no one. If someone shares the same foundation of existence as me, anyone, anytime, can become the Demon King of Absence.”

“……”

“Humans really are good at coming up with nicknames, when you think about it.”

I could feel my face stiffen.

I said,

“You said you felt familiar earlier. That must mean… you too were artificially made into a Demon King by the Demon King of Corrosion.”

“Heh. You really are sharp.”

“Don’t you hate him? The one who turned you, a normal human, into a Demon King—don’t you resent him?”

Quad Wrangle said nothing for a long while.

I couldn’t tell if he was thinking of an answer or if he was simply too dumbfounded to speak.

As I’ve said, I can’t see expressions.

Eventually, he spoke.

“Anyway, my curiosity’s been satisfied. Now all that’s left is for you to die.”

A cold autumn night wind swept between us.

A moment later, I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Heh.”

The Demon King of Absence asked strangely,

“Why are you laughing? Have you finally gone completely mad?”

“Demon King of Absence. You might pity me. Losing the trust of my party members, having them be the ones to ask for the party to disband.”

“……”

“Or you might think I’m pathetic. A man who swore to kill Demon Kings, yet couldn’t even realize one of his own party members was a Demon King.”

“You bastard.”

“Either way, it’s true. But you see—”

I grinned.

“I feel really good right now. Because I finally met someone who knows where the Demon King of Corrosion is.”

“What?”

“A Demon King of Absence who was artificially created by the Demon King of Corrosion. I figured someone like you could tell me where that bastard is hiding.”

Shing.

I drew my sword and continued.

“I’d appreciate it if you told me nicely.”

“You lunatic. Do you think you can face a Demon King alone after losing all your party members?”

“Ah, now that you mention it, I did struggle quite a bit against the previous Demon Kings, didn’t I? I suppose that could make you think so.”

“……!”

“That’s because I was pouring part of my mental power into my companions. So I wouldn’t miss their skill chains or their calls for help.”

“……”

“It was the shackle placed by the Demon King of Corrosion. The curse he put on me to make me fall.”

I leveled my sword and said,

“It hurts that the party’s gone, but honestly, thanks to that, I can now focus entirely on the enemy in front of me.”

“Hmph. Enough bluster—”

“If you ever feel like telling me his whereabouts, shout the password.”

I said coldly,

“Let’s make the password ‘Please save me.’”

How much time passed?

“Huff… huff… cough…”

The Demon King of Absence was dying before me.

Of course, objectively, I couldn’t tell if Quad Wrangle was truly dying or just pretending.

But the sensation of my blade piercing his heart was clearly still in my fingertips.

For someone like me who can’t see an opponent’s condition, that feeling was an absolute guide.

With confidence, I said,

“Did you forget the password?”

He didn’t answer.

I wanted to see his face, but since he hadn’t breathed his last yet, it was still hidden behind white squares.

Looking at those white squares, I spoke absentmindedly.

“You said you were made by the Demon King of Corrosion. That means he must’ve cursed you too.”

“……”

“The kind might be different, but it must’ve been something just as vicious as mine. How can you protect the one who gave you that trial and pain? I just can’t understand.”

I wasn’t really expecting an answer.

But unexpectedly, the Demon King of Absence spoke.

Quad Wrangle’s voice was already hard to understand, and being on the brink of death, I had to concentrate with all my might just to catch it.

But what he said was far too off-topic to be an answer to my question.

“There was a time when I had expectations for you. Dyle Magnus.”

“What?”

“If you had lived up to them… I might have helped you fight the Demon King of Corrosion.”

My eyebrows twitched.

“You’re just spouting nonsense because you’re about to die.”

“I’m serious. That’s how much innate leadership you had.”

“……”

“If everything had gone well, you could’ve become a Hero candidate… no, perhaps even a Hero. You had the capacity for it.”

Hero candidate?

Hero?

It was the first time I’d heard such words.

“What’s a Hero?”

“There’s too little time left to explain that. More than that, I don’t feel like answering.”

“Then shut up and tell me where the Demon King of Corrosion is.”

“Hmph.”

He sneered and went on.

“You should’ve just fallen and become a Demon King yourself. Then I would’ve given up my expectations early on.”

“……”

“Dyle Magnus. A half-baked nobody who became neither Demon King nor Hero.”

At last, I accepted that I’d get no information from him.

Swish.

So I aimed my sword and said,

“Your next words will be your last. If possible, I’d like you to leave our agreed password, ‘Please save me,’ as your final words.”

“Heh heh.”

And then he left me with words exactly opposite to what I hoped for.

“Kill me.”

Slash.

Thud.

I swung my sword sideways.

I cut through where I guessed his neck would be, but it seemed to be his chest.

The white squares split in two and fell.

Just like with my mother, as life left the Demon King of Absence’s face, the white squares faded away.

And his true form was revealed.

“Sand? This is his true body?”

There lay brown sand, its grains extremely fine, scattered about.

All Demon Kings can freely change their faces and bodies.

Usually, they take human forms to avoid pursuit.

Their true bodies, however, are often unique, grotesque, and horrific.

‘But a Demon King whose true form is sand… this is a first.’

Not that it mattered to me.

What I was really curious about was…

“Who was he, really?”

Surprisingly, I knew all my party members’ faces.

Even though their real appearances are hidden by white squares, portraits and statues aren’t covered by the curse.

I had seen all their faces on their registration portraits when they first joined.

I just couldn’t believe that one of those kind faces had been a Demon King.

But now, what did it matter?

Thud.

I slumped down and ran a hand through my hair.

“This is bad.”

I’d become a great hero who’d slain five Great Demon Kings ranked in the top 20, yet I felt no joy at all.

Because the path to finding the Demon King of Corrosion was still hopeless?

It had always been that way. No reason to be disappointed now.

The reason I wasn’t happy was—

“Cough.”

I spat out a mouthful of blood.

The technique I’d used at the end had damaged my body too much.

Rustle.

I rummaged through my half-shredded pack and took out a potion.

But unfortunately, all the potions had shattered during the battle.

“Saintess… heal me…”

I muttered unconsciously, then let out a small laugh.

This is it.

It seemed that dying together with a Demon King around rank 11 was my limit when fighting alone.

Facing the Demon King of Corrosion, who’s even called a Demon God, alone would be impossible.

‘I need my party.’

And among them must be the Demon King of Absence.

If I believe what he said earlier, I have to live up to his expectations.

So that between the Demon King of Corrosion and Dyle Magnus, he would choose me.

But what’s the point of such thoughts now?

“I’m sorry. Everyone.”

For making you suffer under an unlucky, conceited leader.

“I’m sorry, Mother.”

In the end, I couldn’t get my revenge.

My eyes slowly closed.

My vision faded, and so did the cold and the pain.

They say that hearing is the last sense to remain when one dies.

Maybe that’s why, just before my breath stopped, I thought I heard this hallucination.

“No one in history has come as close to being a Hero as you. As that Demon King said, you became neither, but still.”

“……”

“So I’ll try taking a little gamble too.”

In that final moment, I realized—

That “hallucination” I’d just heard was not Quad Wrangle’s damp, sticky voice.

It was a normal, clear voice I was hearing for the first time in twenty years.