Chapter 101
Chapter 101
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 101
Chapter Title: The Story of the Changed Past
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"What tea would you like?"
"Black tea will do. Lillias black tea is quite famous, after all."
"Yes, please wait a moment."
I had been urgently summoned from class by a professor who rushed into the classroom, and now I was sitting in the student council room.
And shortly after, the Demon King—who had been shouting at the top of her lungs across the campus—was guided here to the student council room as well.
So here we were.
I was face-to-face with the king of the demon race that ruled the Karav Continent. The Demon King herself.
Is that really the Demon King...?
The Demon King, who had settled onto the sofa across from me, didn't look the least bit imposing or dignified for her station.
She was a girl gracefully brushing back her long silver hair, savoring the black tea the student council president had brought.
Even being generous, she looked like a high schooler.
More realistically, she appeared to be middle-school age.
But the massive black horns protruding from her temples made it clear she was no ordinary girl.
"Mmm~ This place's black tea really is delicious. I should take some home with me later."
"Ah, sure..."
She had shown up out of nowhere looking for me, and now she was just sipping her warm black tea.
As a bonus, she took a bite of the scone that came with it, let out an "Mmm~!" of delight, and savored the dessert.
I never even saw the Demon King in the game...
This was the first time I'd laid eyes on the Demon King, who had always been shrouded in mystery.
Naturally, her utterly ordinary girl-next-door appearance left me more than a little disappointed.
Especially since...
All the hardship I'd gone through challenging Tarros Tower had been because of her.
Seeing her like this just deflated all that tension.
No, wait... According to the prophecy, wasn't the Demon King supposed to be a man?
The demon race's prophecy clearly stated that Rapne and the Demon King's child would rule the world.
That meant the Demon King—who could impregnate a woman like Rapne—had to be male.
"Hmm? What's that look? Your eyes feel a bit lewd. Interested in my body or something?"
As I scrutinized her appearance, Demon King Reynesis blushed slightly and flashed a playful smile.
"No, I have someone I'm going to marry, so I have no such intentions."
"Hmph... What a boring answer. You're no fun."
Having a fiancée was truly a blessing in times like these.
In the past, I might have flushed with indignation and embarrassment, protesting vehemently.
But now, I had three women I was responsible for marrying.
I had no intention of playing along with such teasing.
Still, she really is a woman.
That said, Reynesis wasn't entirely wrong. I had been examining her body from every angle.
Checking if those breasts were real.
Or if there was anything sticking out that shouldn't be on a woman.
Demons could have all sorts of unnatural modifications, after all.
She could have a man's parts in a woman's body.
But after a close inspection, she seemed genuinely female.
Of course, I hadn't checked under the clothes, so who knows for sure.
Maybe it's because I changed the past.
I didn't know the mechanism, but before I altered the past, the Demon King had surely been male.
At least equipped with the parts needed to impregnate a woman.
That's why the kingdom had taken the prophecy so seriously.
But the Demon King before me now was female.
Possible explanations: Changing the past had altered the Demon King's gender.
Or...
Changing the past had replaced the Demon King entirely...?
Such questions flitted through my mind, but there was no way to know right now.
After all, only I and those three women knew that I'd changed the past.
Asking her outright, "Why are you a woman?" would just make me look like a weirdo.
So, there was only one thing I could ask.
"So, Your Majesty, what business do you have with me...?"
I had no idea why she'd come to see me unless I heard her out, so I got straight to the point.
Would she find it rude?
No, she was the king of the demons on the neighboring continent.
I shouldn't be rude, but I didn't need to be overly deferential either.
I wasn't well-versed in etiquette to begin with.
"Ah, we'll discuss the details once my companion arrives."
Thankfully, my question wasn't too rude. Reynesis smiled amiably in response.
"Before that friend shows up, maybe I should tell you something you're probably dying to know."
"Something I'm curious about...?"
What else could I be curious about besides why she'd come to see me?
I tilted my head in confusion, and Reynesis grinned.
"Yes. For example... why I of all people am the 'Demon King.'"
"......"
I couldn't hide my shock at her words.
Why Reynesis was the Demon King.
That was something I was curious about.
The problem was...
Her knowing that question meant...
She knew the past had changed.
"Hahaha! Finally, a fun reaction! Much better than that tepid response to my teasing earlier!"
Reynesis burst into hearty laughter, clearly delighted by my wide-eyed, sweating expression.
"You... know something...?"
"Oh, I know plenty. I know all about how you conquered Tarros Tower and changed the past."
In an instant, the innocent girl-like gaze shifted.
Her cat-like slit pupils gleamed as if she'd spotted intriguing prey.
"I even know you changed the past to erase the prophecy hanging over us demons."
"......"
I kept my tension high, my hand slipping toward the subspace pouch.
Ready to summon Tyrpione—my maximum firepower—if things went south.
Why does she remember the prophecy...?
One question led to another.
The biggest: Did she remember the world before the change?
And was she the same Demon King obsessed with that prophecy?
"Hahaha! Just kidding! Don't make such a scary face! I'm just a guest here to ask you a favor!"
But that tension deflated like a punctured balloon as Reynesis laughed it off.
What was this? Did she just enjoy messing with people?
"Ehehe!"
She seemed to find my reaction hilarious.
Her laugh even reminded me of that first-year kid with the demon eyes.
"I brought up the prophecy just to share some background before my friend arrives. So relax."
"......So you knowing the prophecy means... you remember the time before I changed the past?"
With the tension easing from my shoulders, I lifted my cooling teacup for a sip and asked.
Reynesis beamed and answered readily.
"I don't remember a thing!"
"......Pardon?"
Then how...?
"But while I don't remember, I know someone who does."
"So you heard about the prophecy from that person?"
"No, the prophecy's a bit different."
Clink.
Reynesis set her teacup on the table, crossed her arms, and puffed out her chest proudly.
Then she declared with utmost confidence.
"The prophecy was what let me crush my brother—the original heir to become the thirteenth Demon King—and take the throne for myself. I don't remember it, but I sure know about it!"
"...Pardon?"
I'd been blurting out dumb questions like an idiot since earlier.
The story was moving way too fast.
But Reynesis's words packed a ton of info that resolved most of my doubts.
The Demon King before me was not the one who ruled the demons before I changed the past.
The previous Demon King was her older brother. Her flesh-and-blood brother.
That's why she's a woman...
And according to her, she'd eliminated the prophecy to prevent her brother from becoming Demon King and claimed the title herself.
I thought it'd just swap out with a poof.
I finally grasped how changing the past worked.
In Rapne's case, her memories had been completely overwritten with the new history.
Naturally, the same logical flow would create a new history for the Demon King.
"My brother Arleus was originally the top successor to the thirteenth Demon King."
Reynesis gave me a rough rundown.
"But being first in line doesn't guarantee the throne. I'd been preparing for years to steal it from him—winning over the elders, earning the top commander's trust to secure military power."
She spoke fondly, like reminiscing about childhood playground days.
"Then one day, a letter arrived. It said a prophecy favorable to Arleus was coming, and he'd ascend the throne because of it."
"...Who sent that letter?"
"No idea. It just appeared on my desk out of nowhere. Maybe a goddess's blessing."
A Demon King invoking the goddess—how mismatched could it get?
"Anyway, thanks to that letter, I personally killed the old hag who was supposed to deliver the prophecy! No prophecy ever came, and I smoothly became Demon King."
Her thorough explanation cleared up all my lingering questions.
The prophecy truly never happened.
Rapne was safe from it now.
Relieved, I finished my black tea.
"...But why tell me all this?"
Honestly, she had no reason to share this with me.
But Reynesis had said it was to share background info.
...Which meant she was telling me this to pave the way for a favor.
"We'll talk about that once my companion arrives."
"...That 'companion' you've been mentioning?"
Feeling uneasy, I cautiously asked about her companion.
Right then—
Creeeak.
"Ah, perfect timing."
The student council room door opened, and Reynesis's 'companion' appeared before us.
"Whew... Your Majesty, what am I supposed to do if you just bolt off like that?"
"Hahaha! I was just too curious about the face of that master craftsman you wouldn't shut up about!"
He smiled in relief at the sight of Reynesis sipping tea, then met my eyes and grinned.
I was more than a little shocked by his face.
"Long time no see, Ken. Doing well?"
He was the man who, in the original timeline, should have been Emily's main target at this academy.
The one who vanished when the past changed.
Adrian Arnold Lillias.