Published at 17th of July 2024 7:26 am

Chapter 378: Because It Is Imperfect, It Is More Valuable Than Perfection.

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

Later, after chatting with the Demon King and playing with the fairies, we returned to the village and set up our tents. As expected, there were no accommodations tailored for humans in this place.

By the way, we only set up one tent. In the densely forested area, finding a suitable spot to set up a tent was limited, and instead of setting up two tents in distant locations, it made more sense to share one. It was large enough for two people to sleep comfortably.

Once we secured our sleeping arrangements, we had some free time before dinner. We explored the surroundings of the village, but…

“This is… quite intense.”

Around the village, there were no ordinary beasts, let alone demonic beasts. While there were occasional traces, the absence of any excrement indicated that they had been gone for at least several years.

(Oh, damn. I wonder how it was during the first loop…?)

Undoubtedly, this situation was caused by the presence of the Demon King. However, I honestly couldn’t remember how the forest looked during the first loop. Although I had no memories of being attacked by demonic beasts or ordinary animals, there was nothing left in my impressions.

(Back then, if I had asked the fairies about the Demon King… Well, it’s pointless to think about it now.)

At that time, I had no means of determining whether the Demon King was present in the village. So, I resigned myself to the fact that there was no use in pondering over it. While thinking so internally, Tia, with a slightly furrowed brow, spoke to me while looking around.

“Is this environmentally okay? If all living beings have been eliminated to this extent, it seems like the natural balance would be disrupted…”

“I think the Demon King must have considered that… but, hmm?”

Fairies were a “difficult to defeat” existence but by no means a “strong” existence. They fluttered in the air with small bodies, but their bodies were sturdy enough to match their size. If caught or hit unexpectedly, they would easily die. Although they could use various magical abilities, all were on the scale of pranks, making it quite challenging to repel enemies, let alone cause harm.

In short, fairies were not immortal beings as described in legends but rather ordinary living beings that lived and died. That’s why the Demon King probably eliminated surrounding threats to protect the fairies in this area. However, this seemed overly thorough, crossing the line into overprotection.

“By the way, what’s your assessment, Tia?”

“The power of the spirits has weakened considerably. At this rate, I think the forest will die within ten years.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously. But that’s just our perspective based on the area we’ve explored. If we go a bit further outside, and there are animals living normally, then there might not be any issue. After all, just because there’s a human town doesn’t mean the surrounding forest will die, right?”

“Ah, true. That makes sense.”

A town where humans lived wouldn’t necessarily mean the surrounding forest would perish. Even if they eliminated threats in such a large area, if there was abundant nature outside that area, there shouldn’t be any problems.

“In other words, could it be that this is just a town that the Demon King has beautifully arranged to look like a forest?”

“If we consider it that way, the reason makes sense. This forest probably continues further beyond, right?”

“Probably. Although I haven’t gone that far into it.”

—I heard about it during the first loop, and it was described as “an endless forest.” Since I didn’t encounter any humans during the six months, it should be a deep forest where people wouldn’t easily venture.

“In that case, it should be fine. That Demon King seems to care a lot about the fairies and this place.”

“Yeah, I think so too. We can ask him later; there’s no need to rush.”

With that conclusion, after completing our survey of the surroundings, we returned to the village. We had a meal with the Demon King, and then we treated ourselves to a sweet called ‘Yokan,’ one of the preserved foods I bought in the 92nd world, which was getting close to its expiration date. The Demon King devoured it eagerly. When we returned to the tent, I lay down right away.

“Ah, I moved a lot today.”

“The first day of a new world transfer is usually intense.”

Beside me, Tia was also lying down, wrapped in a blanket. In normal camping, one of us would stay awake and keep watch, but here, it was safer than a mediocre inn room, so there was no issue.

“Hey Ed, what are we going to do tomorrow? Are we just going to keep playing around like this?”

“Umm…”

Under the lantern’s light, Tia, with her emerald eyes shining like the sun, asked me. I responded with a subtle groan.

“The Hero is here, and we found the Demon King… Honestly, there’s nothing we really need to do.”

“Well, that’s true. Just to be sure, though, defeating that Demon King…?”

“No way. If we defeat him, I can imagine getting pranked beyond imagination by the fairies, you know?”

“Haha, that sounds scary.”

Anger and sadness don’t last with the fairies. However, that doesn’t mean they forget. Behind their cheerful laughter, the fairies will carry the existence of the Demon King with them for a long time. Since that future is not what I desire, I decline from my side.

“But remember that we need to gather fragments of power to meet God, right? What about that?”

“Well, that’s a bit of a problem.”

To oppose God to some extent, it seems collecting fragments of my power was essential. However, once I leave this world, it’s practically impossible to come back for them. While it might be achievable with repeated loops, there’s no guarantee I can retain my memories in the next loop, and above all, losing Tia was out of the question.

“I used to think that Demon Kings were much scarier and evil. But when I actually met one, I realized that many of them are quite reasonable people.”

“Yeah, that’s true…”

“At least, I never imagined a Demon King who could produce sweet treats from his hands.”

“Oh, uh, well… yeah.”

The Demon King’s powers were diverse, but the idea of producing “sweet treats” was not something I had imagined. Still, I do have a skill that allows me to enjoy the faintly delicious taste of roadside grass, calling myself a [Grass Eater, a pretentious herbivore]

“Hey, Ed? Could it be that there are so many Demon Kings like this because they are fragments of your power?”

“…I can’t deny that.”

“You don’t have to make that face. I think it’s wonderful. Besides… Hey, Ed? You’re the Demon King of End, right, the one who brings about the end of everything?”

“Yeah, but… Tia?”

Rolling around on the floor, Tia approached me. She embraced me tightly, and at such a close distance that our noses almost touched, she gazed into my face.

“I thought about it. If the original Ed, the Ed who was the Demon King of End, became imperfect and turned into a Demon King who only ends ‘sadness’ and ‘tragedy,’ wouldn’t that be a good thing? Losing something isn’t necessarily unfortunate. By losing, you can see things that were hidden. If you can think like that, it might bring happiness…”

“…”

“So, um… What I want to say is, Ed is fine just the way you are now. Instead of forcing yourself to pursue perfection or sacrificing various things to punch the God, I think it’s better for me to be here with you just like this. I believe it’s better for you to be surrounded by many Demon Kings born from Ed, laughing together. Is that okay…?”

“Haha.”

I laughed and embraced Tia, who was looking at me with anxious eyes. The soft and warm sensation seeped into me.

“It’s more than okay. Yeah, it’s more than okay.”

A perfect being cannot accept anything because they are perfect. But in my fragmented state, there were gaps everywhere, and that’s why I can accept someone like this.

Rather than gathering fragments to return to the original, inserting something else into those gaps and accepting it… that sounds quite enjoyable.

“So, Tia, are you going to fill my gaps?”

“Oh? Are you saying that after going this far, there are still gaps left to fill?”

“Hahaha! Well, yeah!”

My patched-up self, with various colors mixed in, would be much more lively than the monochrome me. But this distorted existence, which should be warped, was much more charming than the original.

“I plan to stay with Ed forever, but I won’t become the same as you. No matter how tightly I’m embraced, I’ll just be myself and snuggle up to you.”.”

“Yeah, that’s good. It has to be that way. Tia, stay as Tia. Yeah, that’s right. Is everyone okay with that…?”

Although nothing in the situation has changed, I feel some of my lingering doubts melting away. I continued to embrace Tia, and quietly, we both drifted into sleep.

(T/N: So cute)

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