11
Chapter 11
'How on earth did things end up like this?'
A rough mountain path.
I couldn't just sprint in a straight line, practically flying like Rien. I had to stumble through the rough terrain, desperately searching for the path to the village while trying to organize my thoughts.
It's strange.
No matter how much I think about it, nothing makes sense.
Why the Empire chose to attack right now, and what exactly is happening to Rien. And on top of that...
'And why is the sky like that?'
A red sky.
That bizarre sight only made me panic more.
I suppose it was only natural.
Because I knew.
The true nature of that crimson sky.
It was a specific event that had appeared once in the previous installment.
When a Demon King was about to be born in the mortal realm.
It was an omen that appeared when someone with the aptitude of a Vessel was about to become the Demon King.
But why?
No matter how I looked at it, there was only one possible answer.
Rien.
After seeing the state of the village and losing her mind, she must have been chosen as the Vessel.
But seriously, why?
That was exactly why I couldn't understand it.
The spoiler post never mentioned anything like this.
Not a single word about this was written there.
Thinking about it logically, it was far too strange for such an important event to be missing from the spoilers.
It just didn't make any sense.
The sheer contradiction was enough to drive me crazy.
'......Right, I need to calm down first.'
I took a deep breath and steadied my mind.
Let's sort out the situation step by step.
The fact that this wasn't described in the spoiler post meant it never happened in the original story.
If so, what was the difference between the original and now?
First, it was Rien's traits.
The flavor text attached to her skills, like Berserk and Weakness Insight, had worsened her mental state.
As the game became reality, the descriptions of her traits manifested directly in her personality, giving her dangerous tendencies, like losing herself in a frenzy of blood.
That likely boosted her compatibility as a Vessel.
Second, it was me.
It was the impact I had on this world.
I could only conclude that my interference with her had twisted the future.
If I hadn't stopped Rien back then, if I hadn't told her that the village was under attack...
What would have happened?
Rien would have arrived at the village much later than she did today.
She would have been deeply engrossed in hunting far away, only to return and find the burnt ruins of the village, left all alone as the sole survivor.
What would happen next was obvious.
No matter how much the villagers treated her as an ominous child, they had still built up some affection over the years, so Rien would have grieved.
She would have embarked on a journey for revenge, coincidentally met the protagonist, become friends with them, completely overcome her trauma through them, and become a reliable ally.
But now, it was different.
Rien had arrived at the village far too early.
She must have gone berserk after witnessing the villagers being slaughtered by the Imperial Knights.
And as if that wasn't enough, she happened to have the exact disposition needed to serve as a Vessel. She had the talent for it, too.
'......What kind of ridiculous cosmic joke is this?'
A sigh naturally slipped out.
The worst possible outcome, born from a chain of coincidences.
Even the butterfly effect has its limits.
Does it really make sense for things to get this twisted over such a trivial change?
It was so unfair that I felt like I could just drop dead from the frustration.
'......There isn't much time left.'
I recalled the quest I had played in the previous installment.
A quest where an orphaned child, having lost their parents, goes mad after losing their last remaining family—their younger sibling—and transforms into the Demon King.
The way to solve that quest was.......
To kill the orphan the moment you meet them.
You slash the throat of the small boy trying to block the protagonist with his tiny body to protect his little sister.
Since the sister will come seeking revenge later if left alive, you just have to behead the five-year-old girl as well while she wails, clutching her Oppa's corpse.
But.
'But this isn't a game.'
Rien isn't just some NPC in a game.
I know what she worried about, and I know what made her sad.
I know that Rien is a good person.
I know she's a terribly honest girl who can't hide her emotions, making her incredibly easy to tease.
"......."
I could feel the Curse gnawing away at my body.
If I had chosen anything other than the trait that protected my mind back then, I would have already lost my sanity.
The closer I got to the source of the Curse, the thicker the ominous aura became.
Yet, I kept putting one foot in front of the other.
I kept walking forward.
It was strange.
If I didn't want to kill her, running away was the right choice.
If I couldn't bear to kill the child with my own hands before she completely transformed.
Then I should at least run away to survive.
That's what I should do.
But my feet wouldn't stop.
I just kept walking endlessly.
A voice reached my ears.
The man, desperately resisting the Curse, was telling me that I would die if I went any further.
I heard his words and thought to myself.
Why weren't my feet stopping?
Why was I still moving forward?
I pondered the reason.
......And then I realized.
It was simple.
An incredibly foolish, yet simple reason.
"Because I made a promise."
I had promised that if she ever lost her mind again, I would bring her back to being human.
That was why I had to go and keep my promise.
*****
A mountain of corpses.
Not a single human remained alive there.
In the end, this was the fate that awaited her.
Her father's prediction had come true.
She should have died.
She shouldn't have held onto hope.
She was never meant to live in the first place.
With those thoughts in mind, she pressed her blade against her own neck.
Desperately ignoring the ominous presence whispering into her ear.
And then,
she noticed.
The presence of someone nearby.
The man walking toward her, taking the full brunt of the Curse upon himself.
It was impossible not to notice.
Because that strange man always showed up at times like this.
"Don't come. You can't come."
Even as she said those words, she already knew.
That the man wouldn't back down from such threats.
That he wouldn't leave her alone.
That was why.
"Are you deaf? I told you not to come!"
She pressed her blade against the man's neck.
Blood trickled down his neck.
With just a slight movement of her hand, he would lose his life.
And yet.
"When you say it with a face like that, it's way too obvious you're lying."
The man stepped closer.
Not caring about the wound on his neck.
Not caring about her blood-soaked figure.
Just like back then.
He approached her with a perfectly calm expression.
"Kill me......."
Those words slipped from her mouth.
Her mind, drunk on blood, was incredibly hazy.
The whispers in her ears were so alluring. If she lost her grip on reality, she felt like she would immediately succumb to them.
She felt like she would turn into something inhuman.
So please.
"Please...... kill me."
It had to end here.
She had to die here.
She should have died long ago.
But.
But why on earth...
are you approaching me?
I will end up killing you if this keeps up.
It's getting hard to restrain myself anymore.
Because you are completely full of openings.
You would die so easily.
I don't want that.
I can't kill you, of all people.
I don't want to kill you.
So please, don't make me suffer anymore.
But no matter how much she pleaded, the man wouldn't listen.
It's terrifying.
I don't have the confidence to keep living.
Someday, I might completely lose my mind.
Someday, I might turn into something that isn't me at all.
If that's going to happen.
Rather than being treated as a monster by the people I love, by you.
It's better to die right now.
Even though he surely knew her wishes.
The man.
Just looked at her.
He looked at her with eyes full of trust.
This is too much.
Even cruelty has its limits.
Because if you look at me with those eyes.
I end up thinking that I want to go back, that I want to stay with you longer.
Then she would have to live on the boundary between human and monster once more, suppressing her instincts for the rest of her life.
She would have to live her whole life trembling in fear of losing her mind at any moment.
And yet.
"Don't worry. Everything will be alright."
The boy smiled as he said that.
Smiling playfully, he spread his arms wide.
When you say that.
When you make that face.
I have no choice but to go back.
I have no choice but to fall into your arms.
Shedding endless tears,
Feeling nothing but your warmth.
I have no choice but to return to being human once again.
Even knowing it would be a painful path, she had no choice but to choose it.
The world, once stained with blood, regained its original colors.
The sky above lit up like it did back then, illuminating a night sky that shone more nobly and beautifully than anything else.
However, such things were no longer important to Rien.
It was only natural.
Because something more beautiful than that.
Something more precious than that.
The person she loved was right in front of her.
The night sky and everything else could no longer catch her eye.