Chapter 324: translated
I Killed the Demon King. It Was a Mistake.
Chapter 324
Gloria hugged Caesar tightly.
"Master!"
"Ouch, ouch, ouch... I'm in pain."
Gloria examined Caesar's physical condition. The armor of Sturungarden that the Emperor had given him had long disappeared, and the clothes he was wearing underneath were almost completely torn to rags.
"Master, I..."
"Let's talk later and get out of here first."
Water was rushing in forcefully from under the pillar. Caesar grabbed his knees and stood up.
"If we climb up here, there's an exit."
"Do you know where it leads?"
"Montmesis, the capital of Royder."
"What? From here to Montmesis?"
"I'll explain later. We don't have time."
As Caesar staggered up the stairs, Gloria quickly supported him.
"Are you alright?"
"Getting help from you like this, I never thought this day would come."
Gloria pulled Raven up as well and then closed the waterway entrance.
Bang!
And she turned the doorknob to lock the door.
"This should stop the water from flowing out, right?"
"Who knows."
Rumble!
The waterway shook and dust fell. As the City of Sin began to collapse, the underground waterway was also being affected.
"Let's hurry before the waterway collapses."
***
The underground waterway leading up from the City of Sin, Grezawa, was dark but the path stretched straight. It was wider and higher than expected, making it not difficult at all to walk through.
Of course, there were parts where the waterway had collapsed, but since they weren't completely blocked, they could squeeze through the gaps and move forward.
However, Caesar, Raven, and Gloria were all exhausted and couldn't walk for long. Caesar was also struggling, but Raven especially was having a very hard time.
"...This part is completely blocked."
Until now, even when the waterway had collapsed, there was at least some space to squeeze through, but now it was blocked with soil and there was no way to cross. In this hopeless situation, Caesar spoke up.
"Let's rest around here."
"What if the waterway collapses?"
"The tremors have subsided, and we've all reached our physical limits. Let's rest first and then move."
Caesar took out some pieces of cloth and the jewel he had obtained earlier while catching the golden fish from his spatial bag. The jewel the golden fish had inside was a type of elemental stone called 'volcanic stone.'
Caesar lit the clothes with a match and placed the volcanic stone on top. Then a fire as big as a campfire was lit.
Raven chuckled, as if in disbelief.
"You're probably the only person who would use a precious volcanic stone like that."
"Why, is it a waste?"
"No, I'm just saying."
Raven found it difficult to move even a finger. Due to the backlash from overusing dragon language, her whole body was a mess. Her eyes closed automatically from the warmth of the fire.
"Rest a bit. I'll let you know if there's a problem."
"Okay..."
Raven lay down on the hard floor. Caesar covered Raven's body with a blanket and shielded his eyes with his hand. Fortunately, there was no sound of wood burning, just the campfire. Raven quickly fell into a deep sleep.
"Gloria, you should sleep a little too."
"...Yes."
Gloria was also exhausted both mentally and physically. She felt like she could fall asleep immediately if she closed her eyes. But there was something she wanted to ask right now.
"Master."
"What?"
"You are not human... No... you're different from me, right? It sounds strange but..."
Gloria was rambling, but Caesar seemed to understand what she meant. She was asking if Caesar was a doppelganger.
Honestly, it was strange that it hadn't been discovered earlier. Especially after causing such chaos while confronting Smaurne.
Caesar decided to admit it honestly.
"That's right."
"...So it was true."
Gloria didn't know what to say. Words were caught in her throat, but she couldn't choose which ones to say.
Why did you deceive me?
And since when were you a doppelganger?
Why are you, a demon race, being kind to humans?
And why haven't you told Gloria the truth until now?
But she found it difficult to ask these questions freely, fearing they might hurt both Caesar and herself. Because in Gloria's world, Caesar had always been a reliable and caring person. As brightly as Caesar had shone for Gloria, she thought that Caesar's darkness, which she hadn't seen, might be unfathomably deep, to the point where she wondered if it might be better not to hear about it.
Because despite being deceived, Gloria still liked Caesar. Caesar was the one who broke the silence.
"Raven found out I was a doppelganger when we went to the demon realm recently."
Gloria was slightly surprised because she hadn't expected Caesar to bring up this topic first. But since it was a subject she had been waiting for, Gloria approached it carefully.
"...Found out?"
"Yes. I transformed into Barre's appearance to save Raven."
"Barre? That appearance was really Barre?"
"Yes."
"Then perhaps you and Raven together..."
"Yes. I accidentally blew off the Demon King's head."
"Huh?"
Gloria's head was too complicated to sort things out.
"So you're a doppelganger, and you were also Barre, a companion of the hero and Raven, and you're also Caesar?"
"That's right."
"And you accidentally killed the Demon King? How can something like that happen by accident? Weren't you trying to kill the Demon King?"
"Originally, all demon race cannot resist the Demon King's orders. It's also impossible to harm the Demon King. I became a member of the hero's team, acted as a spy, and delivered information to the Demon King's side."
"From what I know, you fought fiercely with Lord Yan at the most dangerous frontline..."
"It was all an act. Of course, I did kill for real... But it happened while fighting hard to avoid being discovered. And then I ended up cracking the Demon King's head without realizing it."
Gloria's small head ached trying to understand this incomprehensible story. In fact, Gloria had something more important on her mind.
"Wait a moment. So when did you start being Caesar?"
"I've been me since I first appeared before you. I was borrowing the body of Caesar Sylvatil who was dying in the demon realm."
Gloria was somewhat relieved by Caesar's words. She thought it was fortunate that the Caesar she had known was entirely the current Caesar.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Honestly, it's not an easy thing to say. If I had told you that I was a doppelganger and a demon race, I wouldn't know how you would react."
"Why?"
"Because I didn't want you to feel betrayed. Well, if it was going to end up like this anyway, I think it might not have been bad to tell you a little earlier."
Gloria felt a bit pleased that Caesar had been considering her feelings. That meant he didn't want their relationship to go sour, which meant he truly cared about Gloria.
"Still, thank you for telling me now."
"And I'm grateful you accepted it."
Caesar tapped Gloria's forehead.
"Now go to sleep."
"No. You sleep first, Master. Kos and I will keep watch."
Caesar thought for a moment and then nodded.
"Thank you for that."
"Then please sleep."
Caesar lay down by the fire and closed his eyes. Gloria couldn't take her eyes off Caesar as she became lost in thought.
Caesar is a doppelganger. And very few people know this fact. Gloria is included among them. Just that alone made her feel a little excited... To be a precious person who knows Caesar's biggest secret. She feels like she's finally on equal footing with Raven.
***
When Caesar opened his eyes, a green meadow appeared.
Just looking at the endless horizon made him feel like his fatigue was flying away.
"It's not a full moon today."
Agatha approached beside Caesar. Agatha was slightly translucent.
"Tomorrow is the full moon. I called you just in case."
"Did something happen today?"
Caesar touched Agatha's cheek. He couldn't feel warmth or much of a sensation. Though it was a bit disappointing, he decided to be satisfied just being able to talk with Agatha.
"I have a lot to talk about, but I just called because I missed you."
Agatha fanned herself, cooling the heat in her cheeks.
"Goodness, why are you being so strange all of a sudden?"
"I'm not sure myself."
Caesar sat on the meadow. Agatha sat next to Caesar and leaned her head on him.
"What happened?"
"Gloria found out my true identity."
"Hmm... Well, she found out later than I expected."
"You knew she would find out?"
"Come on, you two are always together, wouldn't it be strange if she didn't? To the point where I'm a little jealous."
Caesar put his hand on Agatha's shoulder and embraced her. There was no warmth and the sensation was faint, but he was satisfied with the feeling of holding Agatha.
"I guess there's no such thing as an eternal secret in this world. When I cracked the Demon King's head in Barre's form, I thought an eternal secret could exist."
"There's no such thing in this world. Especially you, who causes big trouble wherever you go. It's amazing you haven't been found out until now."
"Will others find out someday?"
"They definitely will. The more you try to hide a secret, the more it reveals itself."
Agatha stroked Caesar's hair as she spoke.
"I know what you're worried about. You're afraid humans will condemn you?"
"Rather than being condemned, if the people I cared about turned away from me... I think I would dislike that."
"Just a little?"
"No, I think I would dislike it a lot."
Agatha hugged Caesar with a smiling face.
"I'm a little happy because it feels like I'm finally hearing your real concerns."
"I'm being serious."
"But how can I not be happy? I can feel that you're finally leaning on me."
Caesar found himself leaning on Agatha.
Agatha patted Caesar's back and said:
"I want to give you advice, but I don't really know the answer either."
"Really?"
"But there are just two things I do know."
"What are they?"
"One is that even if humans are disappointed or afraid of your true form and reject you, you have a place to return to."
"Where?"
Agatha poked her own chest and said:
"Here in my arms."
Caesar burst into laughter, finding Agatha's proud appearance cute.
"And?"
"The other is that you're a more amazing person than you think."
"What does that mean?"
"You will surely find a way to be welcomed by the people you care about, even when showing your true self. You've overcome all the things that were thought to be impossible until now. Because you're a much more amazing person than I think, you'll be able to overcome your worries too."
Caesar felt Agatha's comfort like a sturdy tree. Naturally, Caesar leaned more and more on Agatha.
"Thank you for saying that."
Boom!
At that moment, the sky shook.
"Huh? What's happening?"
Ce...Sar!
A voice calling Caesar was heard from somewhere. At the same time, rain suddenly fell from the sky.
"It seems something is happening outside. You should go quickly."
"All right."
Agatha hugged Caesar tightly.
"See you later then."
"Yeah."
Caesar buried his nose in Agatha's hair and inhaled her scent. Even though there was no actual smell, he thought he could sense Agatha's distinctive rose fragrance. Intoxicated by that scent, he felt like he could accomplish anything no matter what challenge came his way.
***
Caesar opened his eyes. The first thing he felt was a cold, damp sensation. When he sat up abruptly, the water had risen enough to completely submerge the back of Caesar's hand. Raven waved her wand and said.
"Caesar! Get up right now! We have to go!"
"How long has it been like this?"
"It suddenly rose about 5 minutes ago."
If it rose this much in just 5 minutes, it's a serious problem. It takes at least three days to walk from here to Montmesis.
The waterway could fill up completely within that time. Raven created a large block of ice, and Gloria threw the dimensional bag on top of it.
"Get on!"
Caesar, Gloria, Kos, and Raven climbed aboard. Due to their weight, the ice sank to the bottom. Raven waved her wand again. It was a lightweight magic spell.
The ice floated up buoyantly on the water.
"The water seems to be flowing from Grezawa."
"I definitely closed the entrance tightly... Why is it flowing out?"
"I don't know either."
Raven used magic. The collapsed soil cleared to both sides, opening a path. The ice carrying Caesar's group slid straight along that path.
Swoooooosh!
At that moment, Caesar heard the sound of strong currents in his ears. The direction was from behind, where Grezawa was located.
"Raven, shine some light behind us."
Raven immediately sent a magic light backward. Then they could see water surging from far away. It wasn't simply flowing; it was rushing like a tsunami, completely filling the entire underground waterway. And a man was riding that tsunami. It was Roland.
"Damn it...!"
"Raven, faster please!"
Raven waved her wand to cast an acceleration spell. With the sudden increase in speed, Raven's body momentarily flew backward. Caesar grabbed Raven's wrist and pulled her back in.
Despite this, their speed was still far too slow compared to the approaching tsunami. Raven concentrated on continuously using earth magic toward the front of the waterway.
There were collapsed sections everywhere, and she was busy clearing them with magic.
"Caesar...!"
Roland jumped off the board he was riding on. And he swung his sword. Caesar instinctively parried Roland's sword to the left.
Crack!
Along with the sound of ice cracking, a large fissure formed. Not just Raven, but Gloria too was so shocked she couldn't close her mouth.
"Hey! Do you want us all to die here?!"
"Better to die than lead you to the sanctuary."
This guy has lost his mind. Is it like a 'if I die, you die too' mindset?
Crack! Snap!
The sound of ice breaking can be heard. If this continues, everyone will truly die. Caesar made eye contact with Raven and Gloria.
"No, Caesar!"
"See you in a bit."
Caesar left the ice together with Roland.
"Caesar!"