255
I Killed the Demon King. It Was a Mistake
Chapter 255
No one could hastily respond to Caesar's radical opinion. The Demon King's sword was certainly an extraordinary weapon, but wasn't it the sword that the 'Demon King' had used?
Moreover, the thought of the Hero wielding the Demon King's sword against Elijah...
If the tabloid journalists learned of this, they would incite citizens with sensational headlines like 'Hero Heads to the Continent with Demon King's Sword' and 'Demon King Bestows Sword to Hero...'
The person who broke the long silence was none other than Agatha.
"But doesn't it seem like we're straying from the core issue here?"
"The core issue?"
"Yes."
Agatha crossed her arms and looked at Yan with suspicious eyes.
"Hero, what do you plan to do about Elijah?"
"What an absurd question. I will obviously kill Elijah."
"Even if he takes your woman hostage?"
"..."
Agatha's question struck deep into Yan's core.
The thought of Elijah holding a sword to Rose's neck made his whole body go weak.
"Seeing how you can't answer right away, we should think carefully about giving you the Demon King's sword."
"...I'm the Hero. I know my responsibilities and duties."
"What are your responsibilities and duties?"
"To protect humanity's peace with my sword."
"Ha!"
Agatha's eyes grew sharp.
"So you're saying you attacked my people for the sake of humanity's peace?"
The answer 'Of course' rose to Yan's throat, but he couldn't speak it. Hadn't he fought against Belial alongside the Demon King just days ago?
Are demon race truly humanity's enemy?
If he had been asked this question a year ago, he would have said yes without hesitation, but now the answer was far too complex and difficult.
"Isn't it fascinating, Hero? You took up the sword claiming to want humanity's peace, but look now. Does this land seem close to peace? Do you truly think you've contributed to humanity's peace?"
"...You're not one to talk. Weren't you a succubus who fed on people's energy? You were a monster who devoured humans."
"Fine. I'll admit that we fed on your energy to survive. That was something we had to do to survive. We might have to continue feeding on human energy to live."
Agatha looked directly at Mitchell as she spoke.
"But you need to admit your part too. You say you invaded the demon realm for humanity's peace, but really, you came because you wanted the magic stones in the demon realm. Do you think it makes sense that those who claim to want humanity's peace would set up mines and lay railways to extract magic stones immediately after killing the Demon King?"
Unlike Yan, Mitchell didn't desire lofty ideals like humanity's peace. For Mitchell, the demon realm was simply a target for conquest. Since it was the natural right of a conqueror to take spoils, Mitchell plundered the demon realm without any pangs of conscience. Mitchell chose to keep quiet rather than argue back right now. There was nothing to gain from engaging in a war of words with the Demon King right now. If by chance relations with the Demon King soured, they might have to face both the Demon King and Elijah simultaneously. That would be nothing short of suicide, both militarily and politically.
Agatha sneered at Mitchell's political approach.
"You're in this situation now because you couldn't control your greed."
Unlike Mitchell, Yan was neither rational nor political. Yan responded emotionally to Agatha's scathing insults.
"So what are you trying to do with me now? Demon King?"
"Do you really not understand why I'm acting this way?"
Agatha faced Yan's anger head-on.
"The moment you lose your mind and side with Elijah to save Rose, you'll become my enemy, how could I give you my 'mercy' then?"
"If you don't trust me, then just don't give it to me."
"Do you think that foolish statement only applies to me?"
Agatha spoke while looking at Raven.
"Doesn't this apply to your friends too?"
Only then could Yan see the expressions on Raven, Mitchell, and Caesar's faces. They were deep in thought as they watched Yan's anxious behavior. Raven carefully opened her mouth.
"Yan, I know you really want to kill Elijah. But I also know how much you love Rose."
Raven had seen countless times how Yan was swayed by Rose. She had witnessed numerous times how someone who had been making fairly reasonable suggestions until evening would spout nonsense after spending a night with Rose.
"Nameless can make you stronger, but it's a sword that eats away at your mind. In a confusing situation like this, I honestly don't know what might happen if we hand Nameless over to you."
Yan suddenly remembered the tear-stained letter Brighton had left behind.
[I wanted to tell this to you, Hero, directly, but I couldn't bring myself to speak, so I leave this suicide note.
The Steel Lion Knights cruelly said that if you want to save Lady Rose, you must be prepared to turn your back on the world. They probably mean to swear allegiance to Elijah again. Knowing how much you truly love Lady Rose, I cannot begin to fathom the depth of the sin I have committed.
I am truly sorry.
I am truly sorry.
I am truly sorry.
I am truly sorry.
I do not know how to bear the weight of my sin.
Please never forgive me for running away from my sins through death.]
Yan was so filled with rage that he didn't know what to do. His anger was not directed at Raven or Agatha. It was at himself. Even Yan could not trust himself anymore. Though he claimed to have taken up the sword for humanity's peace, there was no peace to be found in the current demon realm. The Imperial province was in chaos with thieves and demons running rampant, all his disciples were dead, and even Rose had been kidnapped by Elijah.
'What have I been doing all this time?'
He thought everything would end once he cut off the Demon King's head. Like in fairy tales, he thought if he killed the villain, he would live happily ever after, just as the ending goes. But the world did not grant Yan happiness.
Instead, it gave him hell.
Where did it all go wrong?
Was it when he betrayed Elijah?
Or when he decided to become a hero?
Or when he attacked the demon realm?
Or when he cut off the Demon King's head?
...Or was it when he left the village alone to pick daylilies for his first love?
"Give me some time to think."
Yan felt nauseous.
***
Though Yan asked for time to think alone, there wasn't time to wait forever. The cargo unloading was already finished, and soldiers were boarding the ship to head home. Caesar decided to board last and had the soldiers board first. Caesar blankly watched the soldiers climbing aboard in a single file like ants. No one approached Caesar.
Just as Yan needed time to think alone, Caesar needed time alone as well.
Then, Raven approached. Even as Raven came close, Caesar showed little reaction. Since Raven wasn't particularly expecting a greeting from Caesar, she just stared blankly at the horizon. Breaking the long silence, Raven spoke.
"What do you want to do? Barre?"
The reason Raven called for Barre instead of Caesar was probably hoping he would look at Yan as his companion.
After long contemplation, Caesar opened his mouth.
"Could you kill Yan?"
Caesar's sharp question made Raven's breath catch. Though she thought it would never happen, what should Raven do if Yan were to side with Elijah and they had to fight?
Since the time he was Barre, Caesar had always known that Yan would become a 'devil.' Looking at all the stories of the Valent Saga, there was never once a case where Yan didn't become a devil. Only when Yan realized his state wasn't normal and passed 'Nameless' to Raven did he discover a thread-like hope. That's why Caesar had only one answer.
"Yan is my comrade. My friend. And he must remain so until he dies of old age."
Though Yan may be a fool, what could he do?
How many years had they lived side by side, and how long had they swung sword and axe to protect each other's lives?
Caesar could not possibly imagine a future where he killed Yan with his own hands.
In the Valent Saga game, he had killed Yan dozens of times, but how could that Yan be the same as the current Yan?
That was just a bunch of data, but the current Yan is Caesar's irreplaceable friend. That's why he couldn't give Nameless to Yan even more so.
"If Yan loses Rose, he'll break. Right now, Yan is one step away from going insane."
Raven was reading Yan's state in real-time. The Yan from just before was truly so precarious it was difficult to watch with both eyes open.
"What Elijah wants from Yan is probably one thing. For Yan to lay down his duties as a hero and swing his sword against the Imperial Province. Could Yan really do such a thing just for Rose?"
"No. That's not what Elijah wants."
"Didn't Elijah tell Yan to come to the Steel Fortress and surrender? Isn't that what it means?"
"Elijah isn't targeting Yan, he's targeting us."
"...What do you mean?"
"Look at our current situation. We're racking our brains over whether to give Yan the sword or not. If we're struggling this much just over giving him one sword, how easy would it be to provide other support?"
Providing support to someone who might become an enemy is no different from nurturing cancer. If fear spreads throughout the Imperial Province about potentially facing the hero who beheaded the Demon King as an enemy, support might be cut off entirely.
"Elijah probably doesn't care whether Yan surrenders to him or not. He has already damaged the relationship between Yan, us, and the Imperial Province."
Caesar was right.
Rather, a sociopath like Mitchell who purely pursues his own interests can be trusted. From Mitchell's perspective, Elijah is someone who must be killed. Since Elijah is a traitor to the Imperial Province, if Mitchell personally takes his head, it will increase his influence over the Redfield family, and consequently increase his chances of becoming the head of the family.
Moreover, since Elijah is extremely hostile to the Redfield family, from Mitchell's standpoint, they cannot have a friendly relationship. However, it's different with someone like Yan who pursues idealistic goals like 'peace for humanity' and even chases after 'love'.
The main reason Yan was relentless in cutting down the demon race during the Demon Realm War was because of his vengeance. However, because he keeps trying to package himself not as a human driven by such base desires but as a superhuman advancing toward the grand goal of 'peace for humanity', he keeps wavering.
"So what we need to do is one of two things. Either cut off support entirely, assuming Yan will betray us, or trust Yan until the end."
"...What are you planning to do?"
"When I came to the Demon Realm, I had exactly three goals. First, return alive. Second, ensure a stable supply of magic stones. Third, help Agatha settle safely in the Demon Realm."
While the first and third goals are essentially achieved, Mitchell and Yan's cooperation is absolutely essential to achieve the second goal. Without helping Mitchell, they cannot activate the magic stone mine. In this situation, abandoning Yan is out of the question.
"We must support Yan completely, without thinking he will betray us no matter what happens."
"You think we should give him Nameless?"
"Since we can't let Yan be overwhelmingly defeated by Elijah like last time, it's right to hand Nameless over to Yan."
Because the current Yan is no match for Elijah
"What if Yan wavers?"
"Then... We'll see when we get there."
Caesar had seen all the natural endings of the Valent saga. This meant he had killed Yan that many times. Raven was speechless at the magic waves emanating from Caesar's body. Caesar is thinking of killing Yan.
***
When Yan headed to the dock, it was night with a red moon rising. He had thought about it for a very long time. Could Yan truly live in a world without Rose? Conversely, could he betray the Imperial Province for Rose?
Right now, Yan had one answer. Neither choice was possible. Yan would save Rose and kill Elijah. If asked whether there was a way, Yan had no answer. No matter how much he thought about it now, no method came to mind.
Unlike Yan, they are very rational. They are people who excel at calculations and always move with the worst situations in mind. Yan couldn't find a way to rationally convince them. So Yan would appeal to them. To trust him.
If they couldn't trust him, he would say he would find another way himself. Even though Yan himself thought it was a frustrating method, he could neither imagine a world without Rose nor picture himself wielding his sword against the Imperial Province. So he planned to ask them to trust and follow him. Because Yan alone couldn't envision a future where he could both save Rose and kill Elijah. He was willing to give up anything for that.
Raven, Caesar, Mitchell, and Agatha were on the dock.
Raven spoke.
"If you had been ten minutes later, we were about to leave."
"...Sorry. I needed time to think."
Yan's gaze naturally turned to Agatha. Although Yan usually felt uncomfortable just looking at Agatha's face, strangely, he didn't feel that way now. She seemed like one of the ways to save Rose.
"I have something I want to tell you all."
"Before that, I have something to give to you, Brother."
"...Something to give?"
Caesar handed Yan a long wooden box.
"What is this?"
"Please open it."
Yan carefully opened the wooden box. Inside was something very familiar. It was Nameless. Tears unconsciously rolled down Yan's cheeks.
"You all..."
"We will trust you, Hero. Surely you will find a way to save Rose somehow. For that, your sword will definitely be necessary."
Yan didn't readily reach for Nameless. While he had planned to somehow ask them to trust him, the trust of his friends who believed in him before he could even speak was too heavy to bear. But this too was a burden he had to shoulder to save Rose. Yan carefully picked up Nameless.
A chilling sensation sent shivers through his palm. Confidence welled up that he could accomplish anything with Nameless. Joy filled Yan at the thought that he could cut down Elijah and protect Rose.
Therefore... Yan put down the sword.
"No."
The four people, including Caesar, looked at Yan with confusion.
"...This sword is not right yet."
Yan knew by instinct. If he wielded this sword, he would break. Even if he could kill Elijah with this sword, it felt like he wouldn't be able to save Rose.
Yan looked at Agatha.
"Demon King, I have a favor to ask you."
"You have a favor to ask me?"
Yan's knees touched the ground.
"Show mercy. I want to save Rose."