Letting Go and Accepting. (1)
It shines brilliantly.
The Hero exhaled slowly, gazing at the Royal Capital, which shone brilliantly even in the dark night.
The Golden City.
As he took in the place once called that, an unpleasant sensation slowly crept up.
"Soon, I'll see the end."
There was no hesitation.
The Hero, who could now kill not only demons but even humans without hesitation, was no longer someone anyone could stop.
Corrupt nobles. Filthy traitors. Even disgusting Demon Worshippers.
Killing those who were human but not, he had finally arrived here.
"To pass here, your identification tag—"
"..."
"Pass!"
Did this guard know what he had come to the Royal Capital for?
To open the way for just a few gold coins, he certainly wasn't normal.
He passed through a gate larger than any other place and headed straight.
The path to the Royal Castle was not particularly difficult.
There was no way he could miss that enormous building.
"Stop!"
Once, this place had seemed so beautiful.
People laughing and chatting even amidst the demon invasion.
Even a benevolent king and loyal subjects who cared for the nation.
But what if all of it had been an illusion?
"Lord Kelvin. Isn't it too much that you don't even recognize me?"
"..."
Even after he removed the robe covering his face, the other's vigilance did not subside.
Instead, he merely glared as if looking at the most heinous enemy.
He had come for confirmation, but no further confirmation was needed.
Perhaps because he hadn't expected anything in the first place, he didn't even feel betrayed.
"Do you know who you are protecting?"
"...I only ever protect His Majesty the King."
The man's demeanor changed.
He widened his eyes at the familiar sensation.
The demonic aura, not human, was something he could never forget.
"Lord Kelvin, surely you haven't become a demon?"
"..."
The horns that had grown on his head answered in his stead.
A man who was human had become a demon.
This simple fact confused the Hero, but it couldn't stop his actions.
Blades were drawn, and they clashed immediately.
"..."
"..."
With a powerful clang, shockwaves spread in all directions.
Taking that as a signal, the knights nearby also drew their swords, one by one.
Would it be a lie to say this place felt more like the Demon King's Castle than the one he had seen before?
The Hero let out a hollow laugh and swung his sword.
The battle against the Demon King began now.
***
"I have to go."
She muttered blankly.
She was most surprised by her own words that had suddenly burst out, but now was the time to move.
She had to go to the Hero.
An inexplicable impulse colored her body.
"Mother."
"...Rin."
The one blocking her was none other than Rin.
The child was still looking up at her with an unchanged expression.
Her body stiffened for a moment as she met the child's hazy eyes, so clouded that she couldn't tell what the child was thinking.
How could she possibly ignore the warmth sleeping within those eyes?
This was the child's gentlest threat to her.
Asking if she could leave the child she had given birth to.
That's what she was asking.
"...I have a feeling it has to be now."
"Is that so?"
Even at her half-forced words, the child nodded.
Would it be her imagination if it seemed like a parent giving permission to a child?
But she knew.
That the child's actions stemmed from being deeply sulky.
"Please take good care of the others."
She would definitely return, so there was no need to worry.
Rather, she was the one who should be worried.
"Hallibel-ssi, she doesn't have much time left."
"..."
"We tried every method to extend her life, but it was all useless."
The child's story continued.
Hallibel's body had reportedly not been normal from the start.
Her body, tormented by humans for a long time, had been broken for ages.
They said she was so saturated with drugs that she would have died long ago if she hadn't been a demon.
It was a hard story to believe.
So much so that she wondered if it was a lie to keep her there.
"I'm not trying to stop you from leaving."
I'm just telling you this because I think Mother will regret it if you leave now.
Only after hearing those words did she realize.
Perhaps, she was just trying to run away.
Now that Elli had lost her virginity, all means to restore Hallibel were gone, making her death a foregone conclusion.
Leaving her like that was surely a defense mechanism to avoid witnessing her death.
"..."
She held a past death in her memory.
Reina.
She still hadn't forgotten the sensation of stabbing her heart.
Both her breath fading, and finally, her breath ceasing.
Even if she could give birth to her again, it was nothing short of a curse.
Surely Hallibel, too, would become another one of her curses.
"Hah, huff..."
"Be careful."
Her head was spinning, making her dizzy.
Could she remain calm even after witnessing Hallibel's death?
Or, could she kill someone again?
The only way to save her was to kill her with her own hands.
It wasn't funny at all.
"Child."
"Yes, Mother."
"...I'm sorry for being a cowardly mother."
Hallibel's voice, begging her not to kill her, came to mind.
But she was more afraid of never seeing Hallibel again than of killing her.
She found herself disgusting for not being able to accept death as death.
If it had been her parents, would she have done the same?
...
Perhaps, she might have.
"...Hallibel."
She whispered the name.
She, who used to smile brightly whenever she called her name, now couldn't even open her eyes.
"Hallibel."
Perhaps this was more fortunate.
Because it was better to kill her while she was asleep than while she was awake.
With trembling hands, she drew a dagger.
The eerily gleaming blade tore at her heart.
'Just stab her.'
That heart.
Just stab that heart, which was still faintly beating.
She slowly raised her arm, as if a roller coaster was climbing.
Falling would be instantaneous, she thought.
Yes, all she had to do was close her eyes tightly.
If she did that, a world where everyone was happy would surely come.
.
.
.
"..."
"Hah, huff, I, I can't..."
With a clattering sound, the dagger clattered to the floor.
She didn't want this anymore.
Why did she have to kill Hallibel?
Why, exactly?
A hollow laugh escaped her once she realized.
It felt as if someone was pushing her back off a cliff.
"Tell me my choice is right."
She clutched Hallibel's hand.
The cold warmth that always reached out to her was now utterly chilling.
At the flickering flame of life, which seemed like it would extinguish if she breathed even slightly harder, she dared not breathe.
Was it the right choice to let her go like this?
Would it be better to pick up the fallen dagger again and stab her heart?
"...Demon King-nim."
"Hallibel."
Hallibel still had her eyes closed.
Her lips were still tightly sealed, just as before.
Perhaps, it was a hallucination created by her desire to hear Hallibel's voice at the very last moment.
But she didn't want to dismiss it as just a hallucination.
"Do you know that succubi are immortal?"
"...A lie."
"It's not a lie."
Hallibel whispered in her ear.
Startled, she turned her head, and there was another Hallibel looking at her.
Is this possible?
"All that's needed is Demon King-nim's consent. If Demon King-nim truly wishes for me to live, I can live forever within Demon King-nim's dreams."
A curse possible only once in a lifetime.
But this time, it would be a blessing, not a curse.
There were no other options.
Hallibel's proposal was clearly the only escape route for her.
"Please, don't leave me."
"Of course. There's no way I would leave you."
The voice faded.
Was it done now?
She no longer heard a heartbeat.
The cold warmth that only she could feel was also gone.
"Hallibel."
"..."
"Are you there?"
She felt somehow like a fool.
What if everything was actually an illusion created by her brain?
She irritably clutched her hair.
There's no way she could accept it.
How was she supposed to accept the fact that Hallibel was dead?
"...Mother."
"Rin. Child."
She tried not to cry, but tears came.
She had tried not to show Rin such an unsightly appearance, but she had already been unsightly for a long time.
Towards her, the child extended a hand.
On the small palm lay a necklace made of black thread.
"Hallibel-ssi asked me to give this to you."
With trembling hands, she picked up the necklace.
A black fragment attached to the end.
Seeing it, carved into a heart shape, she couldn't help but break down.
"Ah, ahhhhhh......"
Clutching the necklace, made from Hallibel's shaved horn, to her chest, she sobbed for a long time.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry for letting you die.
I'm sorry for being weak, for being nothing.
It felt as if she heard a comforting voice, saying, "It's okay."
It was obvious, but Hallibel was still dead.