Episode 10: The Hero Takes His Own Life (10) – The Beginning of the Final Journey

　The heads of the king, the prince, and the princess were laid out in the castle, while the citizens still on the run were being slaughtered with a fine-tooth comb below the castle.
　Looking at the king's head, his face contorted with despair and regret, the moment of his execution, which was most unbecoming, comes to mind. He sobbed and sobbed, begging for his life until the end, and was beheaded with a sordid scream, which was an extremely unbecoming end for the sovereign of a country.
　I have heard the saying that a person's death is the consequence of that person's life, which means that the king's end was self-inflicted, cause and effect.
　……But then again, I don't understand why the "hero" had to die the way he did.
　As if to shake off the gloomy mood, I shifted my gaze to the royal capital and found that the kingdom, which boasted beautiful scenery and was proclaimed the most beautiful city by other countries, had become a city of death, with rubble and corpses lying around.

"……Did you see? The whole country is now dead."

　As I muttered these words to Al, the devil came up from the side to join in.

"Yes, it was an ignominious end. How does it feel to have witnessed the destruction of your country? "

　Come to think of it, this fellow has been here all along. She was so still that her presence faded and I forgot she was there sometimes. I didn't speak to her but she appeared so happy thinking I was talking to her…… I don't really get her.

"――――Nothing special."

　I was careless enough to reply to her, so I tossed the empty sake bottle into the air for comfort and smashed it with my "Celestial Sword" invoked blade, the fragments of which disappeared in the wind without falling to the ground.
　The bottle that had been a liquor bottle turned into particles and scattered in the wind, and at the same time, "that" flew from beyond the sky and landed on the castle as if it were crushing it.
　Like the darkness of night, the scales of deep black seemed to swallow and absorb light.
　It had highly developed limbs, wings sprouting from its back, and a long, thick tail that lashed like a whip.
　And at the end of its long neck, like the sickle neck of a snake, was a huge lizard-like head with several horns...a Dragon. If it is as big as a country's castle, it will be the highest-ranking demon among the dragon species. ...... Oh, I see, that's the one called Hroboros.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! ! "

　After the roar of Hroboros, who leaned his curved head back to glare at the heavens, shook the atmosphere, several, numerous fireballs were released from his mouth. As if from an erupting volcano――or a meteorite―― fireballs poured down upon the city.
　I could feel his will not to let a single person in the kingdom live through his actions of mercilessly burning and destroying the city and its people, as well as the demons under his command.　
　
　The Black Dragon King, reigning over the sea of flames, slowly shifted his gaze toward me. His eyes reflected me sitting on top of the hill. So, I glared back at the Dragon King too.
　I don't have any reason to fight him, but I still have things to do now, so if he wants to get in my way, then I have to fight him. ……Now, if we had fought as a Hero's party, we could have defeated him for sure, but if I had to fight him on my own now, I would have to make a lot of preparations. The power of protection lacks the decisive power of the hero's holy sword. Now, if he's coming, how do I fight him? ――――Just as I was thinking this, Hroboros shifted his gaze from me, flapped his wings, and flew up.

　Apparently, he is moving on to the next raid location. I don't know if he overlooked me or if he ran away. But at least it was fortuitous for me to avoid a useless fight.

"Good for you, Celestial Knight."

　I was not even inspired to respond to the devil's innocent and joyful words, perhaps because I was nervous, or perhaps because I was exhausted. It could be both.
　　
　The kingdom was destroyed by Hroboros, but there was something that bothered me about the king's words, "The empire and the church suggested that the Hero be eliminated," which I would have missed if I hadn't heard him say it.

――――――There are still some people whose fate I've got to "see through".

　I must "witness" it until the last one of them is dead. And when it's over―――― It's a life that has no more will to live anyway, let's just end my story. Maybe I should put a sword to myself in the end, just like that guy.
　Perhaps reading my inner thoughts, I sensed that the devil beside me was smiling.

"May I accompany you? "

　Although she asked me for confirmation, I could sense something unfathomable from this devil as well. ……I had a feeling that she was as much, if not more than the earlier Hroboros since she had defined herself as one of the world-destroying phenomena.
　However, since this fellow just stood by my side and didn't show any signs of interfering, I decided that it was better to leave her alone than to fight with her and wear myself out.

"……You'll probably try to follow me even if I say I don't want to. Just don't get in my way."

"Fufufu, but of course. Besides, I'm a committed person, you know? ……So, where to next? "

　I did not answer the Devil's question. I'm the one who let the hero die....... I must first receive the punishment. In truth, it should have been done much earlier, but it was delayed so long in order to witness the kingdom's demise. ……Besides, I have a promise to her.
　So, I closed my eyes for a bit and spoke to the hero in my mind.

――――Well then, I'm off.……Al.

　I don't think I will ever come back here again. So, here's where I bid farewell to the Hero.
　I slowly opened my eyes, then stood up and turned my back to the place that used to be my kingdom――――  And so, I started my final journey.

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Chapter 1 ・ End

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