Chapter 65
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: Her
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Her.
Don't forget me.
Eli's final words to me lingered in my mind. Over them, Rachel's emotionless voice stabbed down mercilessly.
"Those were her last words. 'Don't forget me.' It's quite paradoxical, isn't it? In the end, it wasn't you who was losing her memories, but her herself."
Rachel continued pouring out the story. I stared blankly into her eyes.
"Of course... it's true that her mental strength was stronger than I thought. Even as all her memories crumbled away, the one thought of wanting to see you remained etched into her brain. That's why she started moving much faster than I'd anticipated."
"..."
"Lorenheim. Baimeletter. Erendel. Mailer. And even up to the imperial capital. She began unconsciously searching for places where you might be. And by coincidence, it also turned out to be a strategic move for the Demon King's army. By eliminating the former Hero's party members, she greatly weakened the empire's forces. Of course, we provided quite a bit of help there."
"..."
"I'm curious. What do you think was going through her mind as she went to those places? Did she think she was searching for the lover she so desperately wanted to see? Or did she believe she was hunting down the Hero, her lifelong enemy? You'll find out soon enough. It's time for you to face her now."
"Now."
I slowly opened my mouth. Then, staring straight at Rachel, I said,
"All of this... it went exactly as you planned?"
"Of course. From start to finish, it was all according to my intentions."
"Why did you do something like this?"
"There's only one reason, isn't there? Just like there's only one reason you came here."
"...Revenge?"
"Isn't that obvious?"
She straightened her back and looked up at me. Her emotionless eyes even carried a cold sneer.
"Did you think you could escape karma after committing such atrocities in demon territory? Ravaging our lands without reason and taking countless lives. Did you really think you could just walk away like nothing happened?"
"I just..."
"You can't claim you were just following orders. You're not a soldier. You weren't commanded, nor were you paid like a mercenary. You just killed. To prove your own strength. To become the Hero from the prophecy—that's why you killed."
"I thought they were a threat to our people."
"On what basis? Because of that outdated prophecy you barely even believed? Because of what some knight you just met said? Or just your innate prejudices? Don't say you didn't know. Because of your ignorance—your ignorance—I lost everything. I..."
"So."
I abruptly cut her off. Heat was rising in my tightly clenched fist.
"That's why... you claim you orchestrated all this?"
"Yes."
"From the very beginning to the end?"
"To be precise, it started when Lian stopped your time. Why do you think I left you alone in front of the Demon King's Castle back then? Because I knew once you started crumbling, you'd fall all the way to the bottom. Because I believed you humans were that fragile."
"Don't tell me even the fact that I could open my eyes every night was..."
"Thanks to me. I could only perform the precise manipulations when mana peaks at night. That's how I gradually nurtured your thirst for revenge. But then I suddenly got scared—scared that you might just give in to despair. So I prepared another safeguard."
Safeguard. The moment that insanely indifferent word hit my ears, a hot breath burst from me. I felt short of breath as I took a step toward her.
"No way, that was..."
"Yes. Eli. She was the trigger to ignite your revenge—and the finale to it all. She was my best card."
I took another step toward Rachel. But she didn't move, just stared straight at me.
"She endured as wretchedly as I wanted, meeting her end and becoming the spark for revenge. No matter how incompetent, no man wouldn't vow revenge after seeing his beloved die so nobly."
"...!"
"So when the seal broke, you acted exactly as I intended. You didn't even glance back at the Demon King's Castle—you headed straight for human lands. If you'd turned back to fulfill your duty and kill the Demon King, you might have had a chance to meet her."
Her name triggered something snapping in my head. Before I knew it, I was right in front of Rachel's eyes.
"But you didn't. You went straight to take revenge on your comrades. Rick. Bobby. Leo. You cut down the last bulwark that might have saved the empire. And now..."
"Shut up."
"Now you just have to behead the one who became the Demon King."
"I said shut the fuck up!"
I finally lost it, grabbing her collar and slamming her against the wall. I felt the old man and child flinch and step back beside us, but I ignored them and glared at her.
"Don't spout bullshit. Eli became the Demon King? No way. No fucking way."
"Denying it won't change anything, Luca. The one there right now is definitely Eli. You saw her using magic back then. As the saint said, not just anyone can tear space apart. Only a once-in-a-millennium genius mage."
"Shut your damn mouth!"
I slammed my fist into the wall with all my strength. With a loud bang, a hole exactly fist-sized punched through. Rachel glanced at the hole in the otherwise flawless wall and muttered indifferently.
"...No matter how strong Eli is, she'll kneel before your power. You really are the Hero of the prophecy, Luca."
"I said shut your mouth."
"You'll really behead her. That's your fate."
"Fuck this shit!"
I gripped her collar with both hands, screaming like a madman. Fuck. That damn fate, fate, fate! I denied the truth before my eyes, driving myself insane as my heart pounded wildly. She'd already taken everything from me once, used me like a dog without leaving anything, and now she wanted to shove despair down my throat again? Bullshit. No fucking way!
"It's a lie. All of it—a lie!"
"What's the lie? That she's alive? That she became the Demon King? Or that you have to behead her?"
"Shut up, fuck!"
"Isn't the evidence too clear to call it a lie? Her using spells under the Demon King's name, the Demon King tearing through space to ravage human lands, tracking your exact trail—none of it makes sense unless Eli became the Demon King. Right?"
"Shut up, Rachel. I'm warning you..."
"Or are you just angry at your own powerlessness? For failing to save her, and ruining others' fates with your own hands? Is that what pisses you off?"
"One more word and..."
"Or maybe now you regret everything you've done?"
"Shut the fuck up!!!"
I gripped her collar like I wanted to kill her, raging. Heat surged to the top of my head, blurring my reason. I ached to smash her tiny skull and pulverize the brains inside down to her bones.
"...So finally. You regret it all?"
But then her surprisingly calm voice seeped into my ear. My body trembled as I looked at her. There was a faint red glow in her eyes, but otherwise, she looked the same as always. The detective girl who'd tailed me everywhere. The enigmatic demon. The one who'd grant any request, blush and get mad when I called her to the castle—she was still Rachel.
"..."
Were all those sides of Rachel just pretense? Just a ploy to deceive and manipulate me? I'd thought she was a comrade I could rely on, even briefly. That maybe there was still one person in this world I could trust. Even that was a lie?
"Haa..."
Suddenly, strength drained from my body, my knees nearly buckling. Why are you so cruel to me too? Why grant mercy and miracles to others but force only sacrifice and pain on me?
Why. Are you trying to pin your own incompetence and ugliness on me?
"..."
Sweat dripped from the hand gripping her collar. Looking down, my scarred, ugly hand trembled thinly, tears streaming down. Through my choked throat, clogged with everything tangled inside, I barely squeezed out one word.
"Why."
"..."
"Why tell me all this?"
My strained voice sounded pathetic even to me. Like a wounded dog whimpering, it echoed low but clear.
"Why tell me now? You could've just pretended not to know and waited for me to behead Eli. Wouldn't that be more pathetic and hilarious for you? Watching me behead her and despair in vain—wouldn't that hurt more?"
"..."
"If you tell me now, I'll obviously run. I'll struggle and flail, and maybe—even if low odds—find a way to escape the prophecy. So why tell me now?"
Rachel didn't answer. Without even looking up to check her expression, I kept going.
"It was the same in Mailer. Why ask if I shouldn't go back? That was before I'd even dealt with Leo. What if I'd listened and actually gone back—what was your plan then?"
"..."
"Same in the capital. You kept grabbing me, making me hesitate on the way to revenge on Leo. Why? It was unnecessary. Why take that risk?"
"..."
"Why? Why do all those pointless things? If revenge was so important, why?"
"And you."
Her mouth finally opened, a slow answer flowing out. I looked up to meet her gaze.
"Why did you do it?"
For the first time, emotion tinged Rachel's voice. Faint, but unmistakably regret-like, dripping from within. She blinked long once, then spoke again.
"Why did you do it? You killed people in Erendel without a shred of guilt. Why apologize to Professor Heide? Why comfort him? And that suspicious girl mentioning Eli's name—why not torture her to make her talk?"
"That had nothing to do with the people I wanted revenge on."
"Really? Then what about Mailer? Why rush to save Bella and me—people unrelated to your revenge?"
"That was..."
"And why fight the Minotaur? You could've died. If you needed me, you could've just grabbed me and run. That would've been enough. So why?"
Her words pierced the doubts that had tormented me. Revenge. Fate. Hero. Eli. I couldn't understand why I kept veering off the path I'd set. In the end, I spat out my raw feelings.
"Because I didn't want to."
"What does that mean?"
"Just... I didn't want to."
"So why? Why? You're a monster. You slaughter people without emotion, gouge out old comrades' eyes without flinching. So why act human? You can't even laugh or cry properly—why pretend to have feelings? Why act like you have emotions...!"
Suddenly, her voice choked off like something blocked it. Rachel closed her eyes long again, sighing out one sentence.
"...You're saying you're sorry to me."
This time, a clear wave of emotion surged. Rachel's eyes widened in surprise at herself, then she bowed her head. She raised her hand slightly, grasping the one holding her collar.
"You were a beast, Luca. Until you killed my husband and hardened at his dying words, you were a beast—a monster. The worst monster who stole Lian from me, knowing no mercy. That's why I thought it served the knight and saint right when they fell."
Rachel paused, closing her eyes again. But she soon opened them and continued.
"When Eli resisted, I was thrilled—a good card. While she suffered, I planned revenge, waited for the right moment, and made the contract. You can't imagine how happy I was that day."
"..."
"But after the barrier broke, watching Eli suffer started feeling a little unpleasant. Unlike the others, she wasn't a beast. I knew she was just a good country girl who'd have lived ordinarily if she hadn't come here. I even felt pity."
A faint warmth came from her fragile hand on mine. I stared piercingly at her downcast eyes.
"But that was for Eli, not you. After that, I followed the plan strictly. Released the seal, poured all my power into her, imprinted the Demon King's persona and existence to evaporate the human Eli in her mind. Then I followed you, savoring the sweetness of revenge. Do you remember what you asked when I took the saint's vocal cords for you?"
Why are you helping me? And you answered: Because it'll be fun. Back then, I thought it was just a joke.
But it wasn't.
"I really enjoyed it then. Hilarious, right? Stealing my enemy's voice, impersonating her to manipulate people. Up to then, I truly enjoyed it. Even if you started giving off a human vibe instead of a beast, even if you differed from my expectations, I still enjoyed it. But..."
Once more, Rachel's eyes closed. Very long this time.
"But..."
...
"..."
Rachel tried to continue but closed her eyes again, taking a long deep breath. Was emotion she'd never meant to show flooding in?
"...The moment you came back to save me, everything started breaking."
Suddenly, I felt the Minotaur's massive roar echoing. That day, his earth-shaking bellow cracked the hardness in my heart.
And perhaps, in the heart of a girl who'd long planned revenge.
"It wasn't in the plan. I thought you'd just leave, of course. Because you're just a mad revenge ghost. But you came back. For me... for me and Bella. It was so human it pissed me off. But on the other hand..."
Rachel's lips formed a word in the air, then closed. Her trembling lips leaked a feeling she tried to deny. Watching her, I slowly spoke.
"Then why did you do it?"
"...What?"
"Why go save Bella, who had nothing to do with revenge?"
"That was..."
Rachel bit her lip, glancing up at me with just her eyes. But the moment our gazes met, her pupils clouded, waves of emotion rippling.
"I've spent too long among humans."
She couldn't face me directly, averting her eyes sideways to erase me from view—unable to turn her head.
"Or maybe when I erased Eli's persona, some slipped into me uninvited. It must be that."
But I stared unwaveringly. Without a mirror, I didn't know my expression. I just gazed at her with my raw feelings.
"...I know."
Very slowly, Rachel's lips parted, a wet voice leaking out. Something was about to spill from her soaked eyes.
"I know too..."
Rachel closed her eyes. Then, like a confession in church, a word slipped from her lips.
"I know I was just lashing out at the wrong people..."
"..."
Tears welled between her closed lids, slowly trailing down. Hot tears left clear traces on her cold cheeks, dripping to her chin. I stared vacantly, head dropping.
"It shouldn't have been that way."
"What?"
"It shouldn't have been that way... to you... not to you."
I still gripped her collar. And she still had her hand on mine.
"Thinking about it... you didn't even kill Lian. You... didn't really want to do all that..."
I didn't know what to do with this hand. In an instant, the root of all evil who'd planned everything became the Rachel I knew. Unlike me, she felt guilt, cared for people—a good demon girl.
And that pissed me off so much.
"If you'd been trash like Rick, Bobby, or Leo, it would've been so easy."
"Stop."
"Why... why mix in with that trash and confuse me? Why bear the Hero's name among them and catch my eye?"
"Stop it."
"Seeing you hurt, suffer, sad, yet reach out to others, hide it but find solace there..."
"Stop, Rachel."
"...I started hoping, without realizing, that you'd quit. Go back to her before it was too late."
Her hand clutched mine slightly. Unable to grip hard with her palm, her blunt nails scraped my skin a bit.
I wanted to shake it off. But then a hot tear dropped onto it.
"Before it was too late... before my guilt overtook my revenge, I hoped you'd stop... that you'd ultimately..."
"Stop..."
"You were just... just an ordinary boy..."
"..."
Tears now flowed freely under her eyes. I gaped blankly at Rachel—no, a demon—crying for the first time. But no breath came. Something heavy squeezed my chest tight.
Why start revenge on your own, then regret and cry before me? If you'd been cold from start to finish, I'd have smashed that little skull to pieces.
"...I'm sorry, Luca."
Finally, those words slipped from her. Involuntarily, I swallowed and echoed them.
"Don't."
"I'm sorry..."
"Don't say it."
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry, Luca..."
"To me..."
"Don't say you're sorry... to me..."
Finally, my grip on her collar loosened. She tried to hold my hand but slipped on tears, missing it. She clenched her small fists and sobbed for a while.
Staring blankly, I gripped my sword. The familiar feel seeped into my palm as always, but no reassurance came. Suddenly, past memories flashed through my mind.
Just moments ago, everything was simple. Just vent rage on Leo and cut his throat. No, Bobby was easier. I didn't know Eli was alive then. No, Rick was way easier. No, entering demon territory was easier. No, even before that...
My tangled heart kept recalling the past. Back then, everything was simple. Everything was easy. Sometimes Rachel appeared in those memories. The culprit of it all. The true devil who tormented Eli. I gripped my sword, coldly fueling my anger. Yeah, it's all your fault. All of it.
No.
The real culprit is someone else.
Starting all this. Tormenting Eli.
Even Rachel starting her revenge.
In the end, it's all because of one person.
My head grew complicated again. The naive youth from Lorenheim couldn't handle the surging complex emotions. Truth I couldn't treat simply, twisted fate, loomed before me.
"...No."
Finally, denying everything, I drew my sword.
"All of it. Lies."
"Luca..."
"Eli is dead."
I pointed the blade at Rachel's throat. I felt soft flesh yield under the sharp edge.
"All your tricks. Right? To stop me from killing the Demon King. To make me hesitate for a moment. That's your scheme, demon?"
"..."
"No more falling for your bullshit lies. You thought you could fool me? With such sloppy lies?"
"If only that were true. How good that would've been."
Rachel said that and pressed her throat toward the blade. I flinched, pulling the sword back slightly, but as a tear fell from her eye, blood beaded on the edge.
"If only everything ended with you beheading me. How good that would've been..."
For the first time, I saw my blade tremble. I'd beheaded people without hesitation, but now it shook unnaturally. The sensation of my first kill vividly returned to my fingertips.
"...I don't want to hear it."
I glared coldly at Rachel.
"I'll prove it. That everything you said is a lie. I'll bring the Demon King's head right here. Once it's before your eyes, you can't spout those lies anymore."
"..."
"Then I'll behead you. It won't be quick. I'll make you suffer as much as you've deceived me."
"Go on, then."
Blood from her throat mixed with tears, dripping to the floor. Rachel whispered, head bowed, unable to meet my eyes.
"It might not be too late yet."
"Even now with this crap..."
I gritted my teeth, staring at the crying girl before me. The sword tip still dug slightly into her throat, but I couldn't move. Finally, I withdrew the blade and turned sharply, striding away.
Lies. All lies. She can't do this to me. The world can't do this to me.
With each step, I denied my fate. Thud. Thud. My heart pounded with the floor's echo, my head heating. No. All lies.
"I'm sorry, Luca..."
Haa...
That phrase clung to my shadow like a ghost. I plugged my ears, locked my heart, grabbed the doorknob, and opened it.
"Actually... actually, from some point..."
Just before closing the door, her voice leaked through the crack. But I didn't want to hear, slamming it shut hard. Yet my ears caught it, spreading thickly in my heart. To erase that voice, I gritted my teeth, gripped my sword tight, and ran. Toward the fate before me. Toward the last truth remaining.