A newly carved wound could be seen slowly healing where the stigma used to be.
If you can see any healing, it means that the recovery speed is ridiculously fast, but if the owner of the wound is a warrior, the story is different.
'Resilience to general wounds... it's natural to heal right away, so let's skip it.'
Because it's actually strange if it doesn't heal. The important thing was this.
The Demon King, who was looking at the recovery speed of the wound caused by magical power by pressing and releasing the wound for no reason, eventually came to a conclusion.
'Compared to the warriors I've met so far, his recovery level is just average.'
Even after hearing such words from the head of the mermaid tribe, the results were average at best. It seemed like the world put a lot of effort into it, but he wonders if his physical condition had been so poor that it ended up like this. Since his existing physical condition was not good, all physical talents were probably average for a warrior. In other words, it meant that the most important part of being a warrior was not outstanding.
'The Demon King will die at the hands of the hero born this time.'
He didn't understand.
Why did the World, which values efficiency, choose this person?
Why did the head of the mermaid tribe make such a statement?
When he heard those words, it may have seemed like he took it lightly, confident that nothing would happen as she said. But that can't be possible. This was a statement from the head of the mermaid tribe who sees the future. Although the Demon King expressed confidence, he did not overlook her remarks.
A new gaze turned to Deon Hardt.
A warrior born after devouring 90% of his magical power from the threshold of death.
... Ah. There are still many questions, but he thought he could understand the World's intentions a little by looking at him. After organizing his thoughts, the Demon King focused on the current situation.
So what did Deon Hardt say?
"... So. Are you going to kill me?"
Beautifully curved eyes filled his field of vision. Haha, the Demon King laughed.
You really are a fox. Even though he was openly referred to as a fox, he did not deny it.
... He's also cheeky.
"No."
He won't kill him. To be precise, he can't kill him right now.
It wasn't for nothing that he went all the way outside the Demon King's Castle to meet the last time the hero came. A clash between a warrior who gave his best and the Demon King would be enough to ruin the Demon King's castle, which is the size of a small city.
The last hero also had enough time to control his strength, so the aftermath of the collision was limited to a reasonable level. Otherwise, not only the demons who came out to watch, but also Deon Hardt, who was hiding on the cliff and watching, would not have been able to escape the aftermath.
Even putting all those reasons aside.
"You're still on my side."
"..."
"There is no reason to kill our allies."
The Demon King smiled brightly.
Deon kept his mouth shut. The words that came out after a short silence contained a static calmness, as if he had never smiled before.
"... I was going to make sure we occupied the human world anyway."
Although he was just thinking about it vaguely.
Deon remembered the time he heard the Demon King's explanation in the conference hall. It was about the restrictions imposed on demons when they crossed over to the human world. He was able to get some information there.
The World cares about the race called 'humans'.
At least, more than the demons. Because the Demon King himself said that the Demons are a race hated by the World.
'The World tried to use me.'
The moment he knew the truth and made that promise, the purpose of the World was already half-fulfilled.
From the moment he was dragged into the Eight Year War until now, Deon Hardt has lived under someone else's will. But he had no intention of leaving it like that until the end.
'Too much is too much.'
According to the World, he would kill the Demon King. It was difficult to simply kill the Demon King cleanly, and he had no intention of doing so, so quite a few demons will also die in the process. However, it was unfair to eliminate only the demons.
Deon smiled slightly at the conclusion. The Demon King had a puzzled expression on his face, but he ignored it.
'There's a saying in the South like this?'
They say they burned the grass to catch fleas.
Before he kills the Demon King, he will burn the human world first.
He had no intention of crying and arguing about why it all happened to him. Because it already happened. Also, he decided quietly that there was nothing more meaningless than making an emotional appeal to a transcendent being who did things with a purpose.
'I'll make you regret choosing me.'
The 'Hero' smiled happily.
The pool of blood at his feet grew bigger.
***
The Demon King's gaze passed by and landed at my feet. Before it was caught by the warrior's keen senses for a moment, it naturally rose and was fixed on his face again.
A sweet and soft voice came out as if soothing.
"I understand that your condition is not perfect yet."
"I am very healthy."
"The body is like that, I guess."
The problem was mental. I knew it myself.
The Demon King, who naturally accepted Deon's warning words, slowly stood up.
"I think you need a change of pace. What do you think?"
And then he smiled and held out his hand.
"What about going to see the flowers in the central garden?"
"I don't like it."
"Even though there is a flower of the human world?"
"... Yes?"
"It was recently replaced. I heard that you liked flowers you received from Hien in the past, so I prepared them for you."
"... I never liked it."
He recalled the time before he became a warrior and answered hesitantly. The Demon King shrugged his shoulders as if it was okay.
"It will help you feel better."
"... If you say that much."
His brain did not listen to the Demon King's words directly. Instead of being moved by the story that they plowed the central garden and filled it with flowers from the human world, he doubted and calculated the other person's intentions and looked for gain.
So the thought that came to mind was this.
'How much magical power did it take to bring the flowers from the human world to the demon world, grow them, and maintain them?'
The Demon King of the past could not have said that he consumed that much magical energy, but it was different now that he consumed 90% of his magical energy while saving Deon. Nevertheless, the fact that he did something like this...
'I guess he knew that I was measuring the total amount of magical energy remaining.'
In other words, it was for showing off his magical power.
It was a show that he still had a lot of magical power left to waste on something like this, but as soon as this was noticed, his actions became useless bravado.
He suppressed a sneer, swallowed it, and grabbed the clues given in passing.
He didn't know when the garden was plowed, but the fact that it was already completed meant that he noticed before this conversation took place.
'Well, there's no way he wouldn't notice.'
It's been a while since he measured and calculated his magical power.
Deon pretended not to notice and held the Demon King's hand. He smiled brightly as he raised his head and met smiling eyes.
"Of course I have to go."
"I'm glad."
The Demon King, who maintained an unwavering smile, gently led him.
... Unlike before, the central garden was filled with flowers from the human world so bright that it was hard to believe they were in the same space.
From gorgeous and famous flowers like roses to small, unknown flowers commonly seen on the side of the road, the sight of all of this coming together was quite something to see even in the eyes of the Demon King, who ordered without much expectation.
'It looks like it must have consumed a lot of magical power.'
The Demon King's magic power was included. Although it was incomparably less than what was seen.
Most of the work depended on magic stones and Lirinel handled minor magic, so the Demon King did not have much need to use his power. It's not that his magical power was no used at all, but it was cost-effective for showing off magical power, and as a bonus, it could manage Deon Hardt's mental health, so there was no loss.
The Demon King turned his head inadvertently and closed his mouth when he saw Deon buried among the flowers.
'... Now that I think about it, there was a time when a hero infiltrated the Demon King's Castle by enticing demons.'
As if to not make fun of human imagination, the warriors invaded the Demon King's Castle using various methods. The beauty of the natural world was also one of them.
If Deon Hardt wasn't a member of the Demon King's army, he might have easily gotten in that way. He burst out laughing at the funny thought.
'If Lirinel had seen this now, she would have fainted.'
Anyway, he seemed to like it, and Deon Hardt's mood
softened.
At this point, he supposed he could say it soon. The Demon King looked at Deon, who was looking at him as if he was puzzled by the sudden laughter, then glanced down, fixed it at his feet, and slowly began to chant.
"I know you're cursed."
"..."
Deon was frozen from the moment the Demon King's eyes turned to his feet.
"If you don't want to die of guilt, you'd better not feel guilty."
"... This."
Deon, who froze for a moment, took a step forward. Every time he took a step towards the Demon King, he heard a crunching sound from the soles of his shoes. As he walked away from the flower that had soothed his sense of smell, the bloody smell hit him again.
Still, there was no stopping. He asked, steadily narrowing the distance while looking directly into the Demon King's eyes, as if he would not miss anything.
This. This annoying curse. What a fucking annoying curse.
"Do you see it?"
"No, I just feel it. It's not the first time I've felt it."
"If it's not the first time you've seen it..."
"It's a common curse in times of war. Usually, it is not something that someone intentionally does, but it is created naturally by thoughts derived from a strong, clinging grudge. If I were to put it into words that are easy to understand, it would be something like a vengeful spirit. So usually people who commit many murders fall under this curse."
"Then mine, too..."
"Oh, it's true that someone deliberately staked yours."
The Demon King smiled slightly at the familiar magic felt from the curse.
"It's a bit surprising that the condition was guilt. Usually, there are other conditions, such as the curse becoming stronger every time you commit a murder."
"... How can I get rid of it?"
"There's no way."
"Why..."
It's his magic power, right?
The Demon King's most powerful hand was damaged by the Demon King's contractor. This happened because he gave magic power to the Duke, but he can't fix it?
He caught the horse that was about to jump out without thinking. Although he kept his mouth shut, the Demon King placed his hand on Deon's head as he got closer, as if he knew everything.
"It is true that magical power was used, but it seems that the magician had a bad mind. As a curse offering, not only the magic power but also the soul of the afterlife was put on the line."
"... Huh."
"I don't think he knew it or intended it."
It seems like something was missing from the front of the horse. He should say, 'It is true that he used my magic power.'
The Demon King would probably have realized that Deon Hardt was aware of his contractual relationship with the Duke. Nevertheless, the reason he remains ignorant until the end is probably because Deon knew the difference between 'guessing' it alone under the water and bringing it to the surface and admitting it with his own mouth.
The point of acknowledging that it was magical power was the same as revealing that he had no intention of hiding it.
A steady voice added as if Deon's silence had taken on a different meaning.
"How about separating the memories like before?"
The method chosen by a young Deon Hardt, who had just entered the battlefield, to avoid feeling guilty.
What kind of bullshit was he talking about now? For a moment, death appeared in Deon's eyes.
'...'
It was only for a moment that his emotions soared out of control. Before the Demon King saw this, his strong reason made him lower his head, hide his eyes, and calm his voice. A dry voice that did not contain any sign of survival came out like a sigh.
"... It was my brother's last words."
"Hm."
"I will no longer turn away."
If he looked away, he's already done enough. He worked hard for ten years until he lost the one remaining member of his family.
What Cruel said before he died was to stop turning a blind eye, so how could he dare to do that again?
So he had to find another way. Deon lowered his gaze.