Published at 20th of March 2024 8:56 am

Chapter 370: The Thing I Deeply Desired Was Already Within Me

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

Even if the giant of light disappears, the scars it left behind do not vanish. I couldn’t even take a second step; I simply sat on the spot, but even so, in front of me, a depressed hollow formed in the broken trees as if stars had fallen.

In the center of that, I walked towards it alone. There, I found Hyde, whose body had become like a tattered or rather, a muddy substance, with most of it turned into a black, sticky liquid. Even at this point, the fact that his face remained that of a boy named Hyde and not mine might be due to his final pride.

“Hey, Hyde. How are you feeling?”

“Haha… I never expected that the fragment of a god who devoured all my power would be defeated so easily… Both I and the god are, after all, fragments. Perhaps I was the real clown…”

“Well, it’s not like it was that easy, you know? But, yeah, if I have to say, it’s the order of things… I guess it was just bad luck this time.”

If this had been my first encounter with the fragment of a god, I would have been the one defeated. I learned to use my powers through battles with the fragment of the god known as [Winged Ones] alongside the Black Knight, had the opportunity to directly touch the fragment of the god at the casino Demon King’s place, and even defeated the fused fragment of the god in the form of Eld, also known as “Hill people, Eltartan.”

Because of all that, without doing much, I was able to defeat the giant of light. Whether you call it luck or fate may vary from person to person, but at the very least, for him, it was the worst misfortune.

“Well then, once more. Do you have anything left to say at the end?”

“What’s the point now… If you absorb me, you’ll understand everything I’m thinking, won’t you? Then what’s the meaning of saying anything? All the secrets I’ve gathered—”

“Not like that.”

Despite Hyde’s sarcastic remark with his half-melted face, I shook my head while pointing the tip of the [Dawnbreaker] at him.

“Certainly, if I retrieve power, I might inherit knowledge, memories, and experiences it possesses. But it doesn’t mean I’ll understand everything… Above all, that’s precisely why I’m asking.”

“…What?”

“I’ll ask one more time. Demon King Hyde, do you have anything to say… at the end?”

The fragments of power collected naturally lose their individuality. Even the optimistic Demon King Last, who had offered her all, no longer retains her personality. Changing from an independent entity to a larger part formed by the aggregation of countless powers, it’s an inevitable outcome.

That’s why I’m asking. Whether he’s a villain or whatever, while Hyde is still Hyde, he might have something to say, especially since this is the last chance.

“…………………..”

In response to my question, Hyde’s eyes widened, and he froze. His body was slowly but surely melting, indicating the short time remaining. Yet, Hyde remained silent for a full minute… and then slowly opened his mouth.

“I… I wanted to become myself. Not a fragment of your power, not a Demon King with countless forms and faces—I wanted to become an individual called ‘me.’ That’s why I sought power….. If I could gather the power of the Demon King, the Hero, and the God, become an existence a ‘higher being,’ …I thought I could break free from the framework of being just a fragment of yours and become a unique entity called ‘me.'”

“That’s—”

I tried to interject with a different opinion, but my words got stuck. The face of the boy named Hyde finally melted away, revealing my face underneath. A fragment of my power with my face. Faced with such an opponent, I had nothing significant to say here.

“Everyone takes that for granted. But I alone couldn’t possess it. Manipulating the world with the power of the Demon King, devouring the power of the God, reaching out for the power of the Hero… Even coming this far, I still couldn’t become myself. You won’t understand. No one will. I am, I am, I am, I am…”

Barely maintaining the form of a human hand, it reached towards the sky. However—

“I just… wanted it for myself…”

That hand, without grasping the sky, made a splashing sound and crumbled. I gently touched the black puddle it became, reclaiming the power of the Demon King.

Demon King Hyde had stirred up the world extensively. The sacrifices were countless, and it would take a long time for the effects to fade even after his death.

No one would forgive his sins. No one would tolerate his desires. But that’s precisely why—

“…You’re an idiot. You’re probably the worst Demon King that everyone in this world would acknowledge.”

Hyde, the faceless Demon King emerging from the shadows. The man who engraved a unique scar across the world concluded his life in this manner.

“…Ed, is it over?”

After absorbing that black, bitter essence into myself, like the coffee from Canal’s world, Tia approached as if she had been waiting and spoke. Kongiku also arrived behind her, observing the surroundings with a languid gaze.

“Yeah, sorry for keeping you waiting. Kongiku-san, you really saved us this time.”

“Fufufu, you’re welcome. Ah, finally, I’m free at last… the thought of not having to see that irritating face again is truly refreshing from the bottom of my heart.”

“R-Right…”

Facing Kongiku, who was celebrating Hyde’s death with a genuinely refreshed expression, I returned a subtly strained smile. Considering what he had done, this attitude was only natural, but now he had become a part of me…

“Now then, I’ll be heading home soon. You remember our contract, right?”

“Of course. I won’t talk about your secrets to anyone, and we won’t visit your country. Just let Jinku go.”

“I don’t mind at all. Nobody pays attention to the idle words of a mere boy. However, if you act too impudently, we might have to respond accordingly, you know…”

“Hahaha, I’ll make sure to keep that in mind.”

“Very well then. I shall take my leave… hohoho…”

Leaving behind an elegant laughter, Kongiku’s figure vanished along with the petals. Hmm, no matter how many times I see it, teleportation magic is truly amazing.

“She’s gone.”

“Yeah. Despite being a queen, she’s quite nimble.”

Of course, it’s probably not like that in reality. The queen, who disappeared at my request and now suddenly returned, would likely cause a commotion in the demon realm. Well, it’s not under my jurisdiction, so Kongiku will handle it in her own way. After all, she’s been a queen for around 300 years, managing to keep her true identity hidden.

“So, Ed, what’s your plan?”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“I mean, the explanation here. How do you intend to explain this to the guild?”

“Ah…”

At Tia’s words, I let out a deflated sigh and looked around as if the air had been sucked out of me. The overwhelming signs of destruction spread across the surroundings, something that couldn’t be concealed no matter what. Even with Kongiku’s magic hiding the appearance of the giant of light, it made things even more challenging.

“We can’t talk about Kongiku-san, right? And we can’t talk about the Demon King either? So, how do we explain it? Since it’s you we’re talking about, I’m sure you’ve got something in mind, right?”

“Uh…hahaha. Of course, Tia. Leave it to me; I’ll clean up everything!”

“As expected! So, what’s the plan?”

“It’s obvious… Let’s just pretend we didn’t see anything!”

“Eh…?”

I boldly declared, and for some reason, Tia shot me an intense glare. However, despite Tia’s attitude, I felt determined to protest.

“Come on, what else can we do!? There’s no way we can come up with an explanation for this scale of destruction no matter what we do! Oh, I see! Looking back now, should I have asked Kongiku-san to summon some random demonic beast? Even a single Earth dragon, leaving a corpse, could have been enough to cover it up… Maybe I should call her again and see if she’ll come?”

“Ed?”

“I get it! I get it already! I won’t call her! But if that’s the case, the only option left is to pretend we didn’t see anything! History repeats itself. Just like Guildmaster that day, pretending not to see anything, we’ll do the same… Yeah, the spiral of karma is doing great today.”

“Sigh… Well, certainly, I can’t do anything about this scale either…”

“See? So, let’s just pretend nothing happened here, and let’s quietly go back to the town so that nobody notices us. We do need to explain to the guild at least to some extent. Yeah, yeah… Sorry, Guildmaster. Good luck with the paperwork.”

Bowing slightly in the direction of the distant town, Tia and I left the forest. The adventurer guild’s response to the mysterious destruction found in the forest not once but twice is unknown, but well, yeah….. Hang in there, Guildmaster. When things cool down a bit, I’ll send you something to lift your spirits.

Share