Chapter 197
Chapter 197
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 197
Chapter Title: 57-1. The Hero Confronts the Demon King
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Kainel watched Licht's back as he headed off to fight the Demon King, and for a moment, it overlapped with someone else's silhouette in his mind.
Adrian.
The brother he'd longed for back in his innocent childhood, when he knew nothing of the world.
"Mom, who's this guy in the picture?"
"Oh... that's your big brother, Kainel."
Adrian was a young man with golden hair and blue eyes, just like Kainel.
From the photo hanging on the wall, he could tell his brother had grown into a tall, lanky figure with striking good looks—nothing like Kainel's scrawny kid self.
"Whoa! He's so cool! My brother's like that?!"
To his younger self, Adrian had become an object of pure admiration.
An old knight's rank plaque on the wall of their rundown countryside home, next to armor that gleamed in the sunlight.
"But why doesn't he ever come home? I've never even seen his face!"
As days turned into endless waiting with no end in sight, Kainel began to pine away.
Unlike Kainel, stuck in their backwater village of Lavrans, his brother worked for the Empire.
There was nothing fun around—no adventures like chasing butterflies or playing in the dirt and leaves.
A country bumpkin like him couldn't even imagine city life.
"...He's just too busy with his duties in the Imperial Knights."
"Yeah, he's working hard to buy you all sorts of cool toys, our little Kainel."
Like a kid waiting for Santa on Christmas Eve, his vague longing snowballed into something huge.
"What does Adrian do in the knights?"
"He defeats evil Demon Kings and protects people."
Every time, his parents would say it with somber eyes—a truth too subtle for young Kainel to catch.
"I wanna talk to him too! I caught a huge stag beetle playing with the other kids yesterday—I gotta brag about it!"
A child's innocence is pure and unclouded, so Kainel once scribbled a letter on rough paper with his tiny hands and sent it off to the Imperial Knights.
He'd begged the friendly old postman who passed by often.
And one day, a letter arrived at their home.
"Mom! A letter from Adrian!"
"...What? That can't be..."
The envelope was stamped with a wolf emblem in sealing wax and addressed from Adrian.
"Your brother says he's doing well in the knights... He tells our Kainel not to be picky and eat his veggies."
The neat handwriting on fine parchment was still too advanced for young Kainel.
"What about the stag beetle? No praise for that?"
"He says to tell you that you're the coolest, our Kainel."
His parents read it aloud for him.
One day, upon seeing the Imperial Knights' banner, Kainel declared:
"I wanna be a knight like Adrian!"
Admiration blossomed into a dream in the boy's heart, growing like a flower he couldn't uproot.
The idea of following in his brother's footsteps—who hadn't shown his face home in years.
"You're still too young, Kainel. Just grow a bit more, and then..."
"Your dad wishes you wouldn't become a knight."
It hit his parents hard too.
They had no choice but to rein in the little boy cheering with arms raised high.
"...Why not?"
He couldn't hide his gloom when his ever-kind parents turned cold.
His brother had served under Knight Commander Reinhardt of the Lionheart Knights.
Why could Adrian be one, but not him? Naive Kainel threw tantrums for hours, sobbing and wailing.
"Your brother... actually left on a long journey far away, Kainel."
Finally, his parents told him the truth.
Adrian had been killed by Finn, the Demon King of Martial Might, during the Demon God War.
And those letters he'd thought were from his brother? Written by his comrades to spare the boy's pain.
It was pouring rain that hammered the windows.
The boy learned the truth. Tragically, the day before his brother's death anniversary.
'....'
Even after being chosen by the Light Holy Sword, a hero's duty was to slay the Demon King.
Kainel had lived with the guilt of failing to save his brother in time.
He even heard whispers that he'd devoured his own brother to become a hero, leading to ostracism in the village.
Training swordsmanship without a proper master was grueling day by day.
"Hey, Kai...! Thanks for saving me last time!"
Ariel had set him straight. The beautiful elf girl with red twintails.
She'd taken his depressed hand in hers, cheered him on as his constant companion—now an irreplaceable childhood friend.
The mere thought of losing her to someone else terrified him.
That's why he'd shown hostility when he first met Licht.
The man in the black knight helmet, forcing an awkward act.
But as they got to know each other, Licht mirrored the knights Kainel admired.
And he protected Ariel, whom Kainel valued more than his own life.
'...Licht fights the Demon King without regard for his own life.'
Now, Licht was a friend, a reliable comrade he could trust his back to—like an older brother.
The Black Knight who occasionally showed mature poise.
His longing for the Nameless Saintess and knowledge of unknown facts suggested he really was from the future.
Even if their first impression was the worst, he'd worked to bridge Kainel and Ariel.
'He's a hero too, but his resolve is different.'
Kainel healed himself with recovery magic while watching the Black Knight battle.
To Kainel, Finn was the enemy who'd killed his brother.
Unlike Kainel, who'd lashed out with rage-fueled, pointless attacks.
This hero stayed calm, analyzing the Demon King's weaknesses even now.
Licht had seemed burdened from the start—probably scarred by the Hero Cult.
Glittering glass shards caught his eye amid the timely downpour.
Rain like diamonds sketched a scene: someone with silver hair and wolf ears.
A familiar sight.
Dancing with Pine in her dress at the social hall, or sharing drinks and stories at the festival.
The tiny shards formed vivid landscapes—not quite rain, more like falling snow.
Soon, Licht closed in on Finn and shattered his sunglasses.
"Licht!! I'm coming!!"
He'd created the perfect opening for the Light Hero. Kainel charged to burst the giant god's exposed eye.
Wings unfurled white, he soared and plunged straight down—shwaaaaack!—driving his slashing strike home.
With both heroes striking simultaneously.
"Y-You bastards..!!"
Finn clutched his bleeding face and bellowed.
One thing to always watch for when facing a Demon King: prepare for at least Phase 2.
Head did it. Magic Hat too.
That's why I'd told Kainel to preserve his body with healing magic.
Too many got cocky thinking the boss was dead during phase transitions and paid for it.
"Fuck. Fuck... you accursed hero bastards..."
Finn gripped the wound I'd inflicted with one hand, roaring like a beast. Since I'd targeted his face along with the sunglasses, the injury must be severe.
"Fall back for now, Licht."
As the Demon King went for my neck, Kainel rushed over. A quick pull yanked me back.
"Thanks. You saved my skin, Kainel."
"...That guy's blind now?"
We watched the Demon King from a distance. He'd had me dead to rights earlier but went for the grab instead.
'...He's swinging wildly.'
The red-haired man now flailed his arms at empty air.
Each punch boomed—boom! Kwang!—cracking sub-space in a chilling display.
Shards in his eyes from the sunglasses? He hadn't predicted this; his freakout was pathetic.
"One more push. You'll back me up, right?"
"Of course, Licht."
I charged sword-first at the seemingly berserk Demon King.
Even if he turned to raindrops, a sneak attack that worked once wouldn't again. Straight textbook play.
His white fists and arms strained to grab me. A mere graze warped space, mangling limbs.
'......Kuhk.'
Gritting through exploding pain, I fused Eye Stab and Reverse Scale Thrust.
Thudududuk!—carving wounds in the giant god's body, slipping through the gaps.
Offense and defense in one fluid motion—a perfect blend.
"There you are! You goddamn hero!!"
Finn spotted me. No matter.
I merged Flowing Stream and Wing Shed to deflect the oncoming fist head-on.
Its power cratered the ground; my sword hand trembled.
Like water wearing down rock—the softest must conquer the hardest.
Countering force with force. Boosted by conceptual strength, I swung down.
"...The Cyclops is cut?!"
Void Slash fused with One Sword Falling Flower scarred the massive fist. Finn closed in.
Magnolia petals drifted down around us.
"Licht!! Now!!"
Kainel attacked deliberately to expose an opening, slashing relentlessly as he closed in.
Finn barely blocked with his knuckle-guard-like sword. His chest was riddled with blade marks.
"Demon King Slayer: Fang Wolf."
Seizing the Light Hero's opening, I invoked Demon King Slayer. A massive white wolf spawned from my back.
It lunged to devour the Demon King whole. As I targeted Finn's shadow for the slice.
"......Infinity."
In that instant, the Demon King of Martial Might opened his blood-weeping eyes and grinned.