About the Truth. (4)
I don't need revenge.
Why are you so determined to go?
Why are you so determined to kill other people?
There are no more demons.
Even the dead, I can just give birth to all of them, can't I?
But why are you trying to get revenge?
"You don't have to get revenge... so please don't leave me."
I knew well enough that he didn't need me on his journey.
If so, it would be a path he walked alone.
Of course, I had no intention of complaining in the slightest.
But imagining myself not by the Hero's side—no, imagining the Hero not by my side—I couldn't bear it.
'Why am I like this?'
My heart pounded.
Even though I should truly hate someone like the Hero, I absolutely couldn't let him go.
I remembered his embrace that had held me gently.
I remembered his face as he stroked my hand.
I also remembered his expression when he handed me the baby and his tone of voice when he spoke to me.
"You promised me, you promised me."
"..."
"You promised you'd never leave my side..."
I pounded on the Hero's chest.
What's so important about that revenge?
What the hell is so important about that revenge that you're trying to leave me?
I gave up, didn't I?
I gave up my desire for revenge against you, abandoned my resolve not to become a female, and ended up thinking of you this much.
You made me like this, and now you're trying to leave?
'I can't allow it.'
I had to hold onto the Hero.
Because the Hero was mine, because he had decided to be mine, he absolutely had to stay by my side.
You feel sorry for me, don't you?
Then you should stay by my side, right?
Or is it because I'm not enough?
Is it because the feelings I give you are too little?
"Mmm..."
*smooch, suck, slurp*
Lips collided, tongues intertwined.
A kiss I had never initiated, perhaps even my first.
Or, gluttony.
Despite the sudden kiss, the Hero skillfully moved his tongue.
He swept over my teeth, tapped my palate, and pulled my tongue with his, sucking it roughly.
As if violating the inside of my mouth, my body burned hotly.
"Haa, hah, hnn..."
"...Ariel."
"Don't go. I'll do anything, anything at all, so please don't go..."
I clung to the Hero's clothes and pleaded.
I dared to utter words I never would have in the past.
I can't be without you.
Because I, as a person, am now completed by your presence.
So, I can't be without you.
'...How did it come to this?'
Was it because of the fear that I couldn't give birth to a baby without the Hero?
Or perhaps, I had grown fond of this guy?
I couldn't tell.
No, I didn't want to know.
But one thing I knew for sure was that I didn't want to let the Hero go.
"Arthur."
"..."
I opened my mouth.
Words I would never have uttered in the past welled up from my throat.
If I say these words now, there's no turning back.
That thought crossed my mind.
...If I had known it would come to this, I would have rather not said anything.
Perhaps it would have been better not to know that humans had summoned demons.
"I love you. I love you so much that I go crazy with anxiety without you. Whether this is my true heart, something fabricated, the Goddess's Curse, or a blessing, I love you!"
"..."
"So please, please don't abandon me..."
Hesitation could be read in his eyes.
I clung to that tiny emotion and pleaded with the Hero.
Yes, that's it.
Just give up.
Give up, and stay with me.
"There's no way I would abandon you."
"..."
The Hero embraced me.
He held me so tightly that it hurt a little.
But I liked that pain.
The pain flowing through my arms and waist told me that I was alive.
At the same time, it made me feel that the Hero was by my side.
"But that's for your sake, Ariel."
Revenge.
He wanted to get revenge for me.
No, to be precise, he wanted to use me as an excuse to get his own revenge.
He might have thought he was hiding it well, but I could see it.
The fire burning in those eyes, was it really just for me?
No way.
"...Do as you please."
But my mouth uttered surrender.
Perhaps I was exhausted, or perhaps it didn't matter anymore.
Or perhaps it was because I realized I couldn't persuade him.
Because lies made with others as an excuse could never be easily retracted.
So, this was inevitable.
***
A single word, "I love you."
I didn't know it was such a sweet word, but I had to shake off that temptation.
Because I knew that the love Ariel spoke of was merely words uttered to hold onto me.
Love and obsession.
Similar, yet different emotions.
What she felt for me wasn't love.
It was just a strong obsession.
But even such an obsession, I was confident I could accept it sweetly.
From the start, I was in a position where I had to cherish even the emotion of obsession.
"Are you really leaving?"
"...Yes."
The child's voice was heard.
I had intended to leave quietly when everyone else was asleep, but in the end, I was caught like this.
I didn't have the confidence to face her, so I didn't turn around.
Because whenever I stood before that child, I felt so ashamed that I couldn't lift my head.
"Even though Mother wants you to stay, you're leaving for revenge."
I wished you would disappear from Mother's side, but not like this.
The Hero, as a being, should have left wounded by my mother, not having wounded her.
Revenge, revenge. What a beautiful sound.
But is it really that important?
I couldn't read his mind, so there was no way I could know.
"It's a necessary task."
For me, and for Ariel.
The Hero murmured.
To be honest, I could have chosen her instead of revenge.
I was the one who said I loved her, and I was the one who gave up my hatred for her.
But could I be satisfied with that?
Could the Hero, Asteria, live forgetting revenge?
'No, never.'
There was no way I could give up.
There was no way I could live forgetting.
My childhood friend, family, villagers, Master, comrades, and innocent people died.
Those who killed them had been dealt with long ago, but those who summoned them remained.
They might do the same thing again someday.
Another case like mine might arise again.
"I'll be back."
This was a journey to sever lingering attachments.
It was time to put an end to everything that had driven him until now.
He roughly remembered the locations of the humans who followed the demons.
If he searched those places, clues would surely emerge.
As he traced back, he would surely meet those who had summoned the demons.
The Hero, Asteria, cannot stop his revenge.
It was true in the past, and it was true now.
"Please take good care of Ariel."
The Hero turned around.
Moonlight streaming through the window illuminated the child's eyes.
He gazed at the cool, pink hue and slowly reached out his hand.
The hand that had gently patted the child's lovely crown was pushed away by the child's annoyed gesture.
But that alone was enough.
"..."
Rin sighed, watching the Hero's retreating back.
Did that person really think he left secretly?
She leaned her head against the arms that embraced her.
"He left after all."
"..."
"He left after all."
It was a hollow voice, but at the same time, a voice that had accepted everything.
Rin, stroking her mother's hand, tightly hugged her slender waist.
Don't worry about someone like the Hero.
Because I'm here, because I'm here, please don't be sad.
"He was going to leave anyway."
"...Even so."
At least I could have seen his face one last time before he left.
A small tremor pierced her heart.
Even though he's the one who hurt you, you miss him so much.
Was it truly due to the Goddess's Curse, or was it genuine love?
'It'll be resolved once the curse is broken.'
As time passed, her past abilities were returning, so given enough time, she would be able to break the Goddess's Curse.
Yes, by then, Mother would change her mind.
She looked down at the bracelet on her wrist.
A demon's horn had the effect of resisting curses.
Although it was only the horn of a half-blood, it would be helpful enough.
"Now, go inside and sleep."
"Just a little, I'll go in after a little while."
She nodded at the faint reply.
If Mother wishes it, then so be it.
The sound of turning pages echoed under the moonlight.
That the sound was meant to cover someone's sobs, however, was another story.
***
Demon God.
Eight things are needed to summon the Demon God.
The heart of a young boy.
The blood of an old sheep.
The broken hymen blood of a virgin.
The finger of a blind person.
The spine of a cripple.
The beak of a wingless bird.
A demon's horn.
The ash of the World Tree.
Combine the ingredients in order, draw a magic circle with twelve phrases and seven shapes, and it will finally be complete.
The Demon God is coming.
The Demon God is coming.
To give us power, the Demon God is coming.
To grant our wishes, the Demon God is coming.
Demon God-isiyeo, descend-hasoseo.
Demon God-isiyeo, descend-hasoseo.
.
.
.
It's a failure.
I didn't expect this.
Where did it go wrong?
Demons were summoned instead of the Demon God; this is wrong.
...It was wrong.
It wasn't a demon's horn.
It wasn't a demon's horn, but the Demon King's Horn.
Next time, definitely.