Episode 99
"...Who are you?"
Frey, who had been staring with hollow eyes at the girl standing before him, cautiously asked a question.
"Well, who could I be?"
In response, the girl looking down at Frey answered with a quiet smile.
"........."
Frey, who had been silently glaring at the girl for quite some time at those words, soon began to tilt his head in confusion.
For some reason, he couldn't read the person standing before him at all.
"I am the Demon King."
"What!?"
Sneering at Frey, the girl spoke.
"I said I am the Demon King."
"Huaaaah!!"
The moment those words ended, Frey tried to slash at her, but...
"...Huh?"
When his body wouldn't move for some reason, he started to make a panicked expression.
"You cannot attack me."
"W-why..."
"There's no reason for me to tell you that."
As the Demon King who said that slowly walked into the room, Frey began to break out in cold sweat.
"I will give you a choice."
"A choice...?"
"Yes, though it will be a rather cruel choice for you."
The Demon King who said that spread her arms wide and spoke.
"Kill everyone in this room and surrender to me, or just die. One of the two."
"What kind of..."
"If you choose the former... I will give you the position of second-in-command of the Demon King's army, just as you currently hold. How about it."
Frey, who had a blank expression at those words, immediately raised the sword he was holding.
"Huaaaap!!"
"I thought I told you that you cannot attack me."
Eventually, Frey, who was about to swing his sword even imbued with star magic, started to wear a bewildered expression when the sword that had been swinging as if by lie came to a stop.
"You... how are you..."
"I know that you are a hero."
"What?"
"And I know your true nature very well."
The Demon King who said that lifted Klana who was slumped on the bed and spoke.
"Come, show me your true nature."
When the Demon King who finished speaking threw Klana at Frey, he was startled and caught her, then quietly glared at the Demon King and said.
"What... are you saying right now?"
"I said kill her quickly."
The Demon King waved her hand as if annoyed by such actions and gave the command, Frey answered while gritting his teeth.
"No."
"What did you say?"
The Demon King, who opened her eyes wide at that answer, soon sneered and said.
"Don't be difficult. If you resist one more time, it will be your head that gets removed."
"Fuck off."
"Huh?"
But when Frey gritted his teeth and spat out a curse, the Demon King made a surprised expression and started approaching Frey.
"Are you really saying you'll choose death instead of coming under me?"
"K-kill me and let these people go. Please."
"Hah?"
When Frey closed his eyes tightly and spoke, the Demon King who stopped right in front of him soon frowned and said.
"What did you just say?"
"You know too. Without me, there's no one who can defeat you."
"That is true."
"So, kill me and spare these people. Anyway, if you just get rid of me, this world becomes yours, doesn't it?"
When Frey pleaded earnestly to the Demon King, she sighed and suddenly lunged at Frey.
"Fine, if you surrender to me... I will give you a chance to embrace me."
".....What?"
"I'm saying I'll make you mine. Wouldn't that be the highest honor for a mere human and a loser like you?"
As the Demon King smiled with her eyes while saying that, Frey who was quietly watching her soon snorted and answered.
"Bullshit."
Frey, who spat out a short curse, tried to raise his leg to kick the Demon King, but when the attack was once again blocked by an unknown force, he started to make a despairing expression.
"Are you having trouble understanding the situation?... The moment I came out of the Demon King's castle, you have essentially already lost to me."
"Ugh..."
"Therefore, if I want, I can rape you whenever I please."
The Demon King who said that soon traced Frey's chest with her finger and spoke.
"Last chance. Will you be raped by me and die? Or will you have intercourse and become mine?"
When Frey quietly closed his eyes after hearing the Demon King's words, the Demon King smiled and started whispering in his ear.
"If you choose the latter, it won't be a disappointing experi..."
"Kill me."
But when Frey did not bend his will until the end, the Demon King said with a deeply wrinkled face.
"Why? Why are you refusing?"
"It's simple."
Then Frey glared at the Demon King with hatred-filled eyes and murmured.
"First, just the thought of mixing bodies with you, the root of all evil, makes me want to vomit and..."
When the Demon King's expression started to rot at Frey's words, he raised the corner of his mouth and added.
"Second, you can't attack me either, can you?"
"What?"
"Otherwise, there's no way you would try to tempt me."
Frey who said that thrust his neck toward the Demon King and spoke.
"Kill me. Go ahead and kill me."
"............"
"Hurry and kill me, I said?"
When the Demon King was only glaring at Frey, he burst into laughter and said.
"See, you can't kill me after all."
"Hmm."
"And those two too... and the other people as well, I suppose."
Frey, who had spoken that far, frowned and added.
"Why is that? Demon King?"
[You have failed the sudden quest. (You have failed to corrupt the hero.)]
[Memories created during this quest will be deleted only for the first playthrough. And, as a penalty.........]
And at that moment, an opaque system window floated before the Demon King's eyes.
- Kugugugugugugu!!!
"H-huh?"
Eventually, when the surroundings started to distort, Frey who had a blank expression met eyes with the Demon King who had moved away from him and was glaring at him with cold eyes.
"Y-you...!"
"It's useless to realize anything now. The memories from just now will be erased. Of course, that too will only be this time."
Frey's silver eyes and the Demon King's ruby-colored eyes crossed belatedly, but before Frey could say anything, the Demon King whispered in a low voice.
"This won't be the end, Frey. Rather, this is just the beginning."
"You don't mean..."
"I declare war on you starting today."
Frey, who was desperately trying to say something, was soon swept away by the encroaching darkness along with the Demon King.
"Of course, you won't remember though."
The last thing he heard was the Demon King's real voice, arrogant yet young.
.
'Young master... please wake up.'
"Ugh..."
I grabbed my head that felt like it would split open and rose from the floor, then hardened my expression and started examining my surroundings.
"What, what's going on?"
"Well... I just woke up too, so I don't know well either."
I tapped my head that wasn't working well as if I had been soaked in alcohol, and started slowly tracing back my memories.
"So... I overwrote Klana's memories, then got advice from you, and then a will..."
"That won't do."
"Huh?"
In the meantime, when Kania interjected with an angry expression, I scratched my head and said.
"No, I mean what if. Just what if."
"...You shouldn't say such things even as a what if, young master."
When Kania spoke with a stern expression, I quietly sighed and turned my gaze to Klana and said.
"Will Klana... be okay?"
"Her vital signs seem to be fine."
I looked at Klana who was breathing heavily for a moment, then noticed strange sounds coming from outside the room and cautiously looked out the window.
- Pajijik! Pajijijik!!
- Kugwagwagwagwang!!
".....What is that?"
Then, the scene of a large-scale battle taking place outside the window came into view.
"Who, who are you!! Who are you to interfere with me!!"
A person of unknown identity holding a silver sword that looked somehow familiar was engaging in combat with the Moonlight family's secret patriarch floating in the air.
"Kyaaak!!"
"Ugh..."
The nobles who had regained consciousness were fleeing in all directions, and Serena, perhaps injured, was crouched right next to our room.
"Serena!"
I urgently opened the door and went out to help Serena, when the secret patriarch floating in the air looked at me and suddenly started shouting.
"Frey Raon Starlight!!"
"What a surprise..."
I became curious about what the old man with white hair starting to show ate to shout like that, but first, it seemed I needed to cut his throat.
"Frey... don't."
"Serena?"
But Serena started to dissuade me as I drew my sword.
"If you use your abilities here... you'll show your competence to the other nobles. Then absolutely not."
"But, the curse of your subjugation is right in front..."
"You are more important than me, Frey."
When Serena, who now had a magic circle all over her body from the subjugation curse, trembled as she said that, anger suddenly rose within me.
"Then even I..."
"Kania, the same goes for you. If you use black magic, you'll be chased for your whole life."
Eventually, when Kania who was beside me tried to step forward, Serena just shook her head and carefully observed the battle scene.
"...Who is that person?"
Following Serena, I started looking at the battle scene and pointed at the mysterious person who had been fighting fiercely with the secret patriarch since earlier and said.
"That sword, doesn't it look familiar somehow?"
"Huh...? Now that you mention it..."
Looking carefully at the sword the person was holding as Serena said, it had a quite familiar shape.
"That's... supposed to be kept safely stored in our basement?"
After watching the sword carefully for a while, I soon frowned deeply and muttered.
- Pajiiiiiiing!!!
"Kuaaaaaaak!!!"
And at that moment, the battle was decided.
"Damn... some brat I don't even know..."
The secret patriarch whose right arm was blown away by a single strike from the mysterious figure called a brat started screaming and scattering blood in all directions.
"Just give up now!!"
"...Huh?"
When I heard the voice of the mysterious figure pointing the sword at the secret patriarch, I felt a sense of déjà vu and tilted my head.
"Kuaaaaaaaa!!"
But before I could even think anything, the secret patriarch started to struggle desperately.
"Disappear, I said!!!"
- Pajuzuzuzuzu!!!
Gathering the purple aura together, forming it into a giant blade shape and firing it, the desperate attack covered the mysterious figure and me.
- Pagagagagagak!!
"Where are you running to!"
The mysterious figure simply knocked away the aura with the sword and blocked the attack, then started following the staggering secret patriarch who was fleeing, but.
"Damn."
The remaining purple aura started flying straight toward us.
"Aheuuuu..."
Since Kania and I couldn't show our skills, Serena urgently tried to raise the moon's mana with her fan, but it was far too insufficient to block the purple aura containing the mysterious figure's power.
"Frey! No!!"
"...Withdraw your mana. I'll finish this."
As people's gazes started turning toward us, I urgently said to Serena.
"If it's now, as naturally as possible..."
- Shaaa...!
"...Huh?"
I was talking with a tense expression while straightening my sword, when suddenly a dazzling light flew in from behind.
- Kugwagwagwagwagwang!!!
Eventually, a giant golden bird and the purple blade collided, causing a massive explosion, and I, who was watching that sight in amazement, slowly turned my head back.
"Hmm..."
Then, Klana, wearing a noble expression that had been completely gone for the past few days and radiating a ruler's aura, walked out of the room emitting a more brilliant light than ever before.
"Klana....."
I stared blankly at her, then gulped thinking about vomiting blood and collapsing.
""............""
The same was true for Kania who had directly overwritten the memories, and Serena who had figured out how things had gone in that brief moment and became tense as well.
"Don't misunderstand."
Thus, at that time when a tense silence was flowing.
"I didn't save you because I like you, but because of the oath, I had no choice but to do it."
"""Whew....."""
When Klana looked at me with cold eyes as she did months ago and spoke, the three of us let out a sigh of relief simultaneously.
"Move aside, I need to clean up the situation."
She looked at us for a moment with strange eyes then passed by with a cold expression, and as I was watching her with a smile, Kania who was beside me quietly whispered.
"Nothing has been resolved yet. Her memories will return within a few weeks to a few months. So, we need to find a solution by then."
"...Understood."
I, who finally grasped the string of tension again, supported the staggering Serena and asked a question.
"Serena, if we chase after the secret patriarch now..."
"It's too late. Seeing that the influence of my subjugation curse has weakened, it seems he was seriously injured, but he escaped safely."
"Damn..."
When Serena spoke with a hardened expression, I made a frustrated face and clenched my fist tightly, but,
"It's okay. There's a way for everything."
"...Really?"
"Yes, of course. Probably?"
Hearing Serena's confident answer as she winked at me, I felt relieved.
"Then, let's get out of here first. There are too many eyes watching."
Thinking we had finished our business, I tried to leave this place quickly before receiving any more unnecessary gazes, but.
"Just a moment."
"What, what is it."
Klana, who had passed by me, stopped and turned back to me, and I instinctively stepped back in fear.
"I know a dessert cafe nearby that's still open. Let's go there."
"W-why all of a sudden?"
When I asked with a panicked expression at Klana who grabbed my arm and dragged me along, she answered with her still cold expression.
"Don't you know? I can't let your birthday party, the only one you have in a year, end like this."
"What?"
"On behalf of the imperial family, I will take responsibility for you. So follow me."
As I watched Klana with a blank expression, Klana who had been looking at me with eyes as if I was ridiculous deeply frowned and said.
"I'm not doing this because I like you, but because of the 'oath' I have no choice but to do this. Do you think I'm doing this because I like it?"
"Ah, no... I thought you were cleaning up the situation..."
"Your oath with me takes priority over cleaning up the situation, so stop talking and follow me."
Somehow overwhelmed by her ruler's aura that had grown considerably stronger, I followed behind her with a sour expression.
"...Anyway, happy birthday."
Klana murmured in a voice that I could barely hear.
"Kania, what's going on with that?"
"I don't know either..."
Behind me, Serena and Kania were mumbling something in serious voices, having managed to hear that sound.
'Well, I've bought a few weeks to months at least...'
In that confusing situation, I made a new resolve.
Although Klana had become a time bomb and hated me again, unlike before, I would treat her as well as possible.
Tonight, the stars are truly bright.