Regret
*
At the same time, Eskalia was sinking into a swamp of agony. Neither the white flames that scorched her body nor the blades of light that tore at her innards could kill her... but the fact that she couldn't even choose to end her own life was a torment so profound it was her greatest misfortune.
It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts.
Like walking barefoot on a bed of thorns. Like endlessly plummeting into an abyss of darkness. The unrelenting pain was all that remained for her.
It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts.
She whispered it over and over until the words grew worn and crumbled to dust... until her mind went blank white and she wondered if she was already dead. That's when Eskalia saw the familiar illusion.
「Eskalia, over here.」
In the illusion, Eskalia was tiny. A frail little thing that would topple over if stepped on. A thick, large hand guiding such a fragile existence.
「Come here, Eskalia.」
She remembered that man's voice.
Who... who are you?
A piercing longing washed over her. When she lost herself in the illusion, the pain released her—but when the extreme suffering dragged her back, she couldn't recall where she'd picked up this fragment of memory...
It doesn't matter who. As long as you pull me from this pain, even for a moment.
When she had a moment to think, the first thing that surfaced wasn't her arch-nemesis, the hero Ethan Hillel, who had brought her down... nor her Demon King's army, overflowing with loyalty willing to die for her.
Family. Her one and only family.
Little brother... I'm sorry...
Eskalia was reminiscing about her encounter with Chokgoe. The shy kid who didn't know what to do when they first met as siblings, fumbling with strange words. He'd been so cute when she stroked his plump body and he squished under her touch.
Little brother, little brother. Even from afar, Eskalia could sense her brother's presence. Many monsters were born under Premium's influence, but she felt a deep connection only with Chokgoe. She didn't know why. That uniqueness quickly turned into affection. Eskalia cherished Chokgoe dearly.
My cute little brother.
Do you know how heartbroken your big sister was when you died? Killing all those humans didn't even ease the pain...
Was it the endless torment that had warped her mind? Lately, Eskalia had learned that her brother—dead for eight years—was somehow alive again.
Hehehe, even the body called Demon King goes mad when it's time to lose it.
To think the cute little brother she'd buried eight years ago had come back to life. Cursing her own weakness, Eskalia still clung to that faint possibility, writhing in desperation.
Even this wretched, defeated body, surviving in humiliation—if it could help her brother, she'd howl for the world's end. Proclaiming that she, Eskalia, could emerge anytime.
Instead of building a Demon King's army and lording over the world...
Eskalia exhaled her deep regret with a breath.
...I should have stayed by your side.
*
The kingdom was abuzz with the vulgar monster known as Chokgoe, who turned women into slaves and mass-produced offspring... just ahead of the Hero Selection Tournament, a major event.
"Jonah... is dead...?"
The moment Claire returned, she was hit with back-to-back bad news. The White Flame Knights were on the brink of annihilation. Thirty-four dead, fourteen critically wounded, eleven pregnant. The female knights had mostly returned with their limbs intact, but their souls seemed stolen—they just sat there sobbing blankly. The White Flame Knights HQ was like a funeral home.
"Captain..."
"We're sorry, Captain."
"...Where are Syr and Lyr?"
Claire noticed the pink-haired twin sisters, who always brightened the knights' mood, were missing.
"Well..."
"Don't tell me..."
"...They're quitting the knights."
The Lyr-Syr sisters were adorable juniors Claire adored. They'd always said they wanted to be knights like her—it had been a burden, but she'd be lying if she said it didn't bring her joy. All this had happened while Claire was away.
Once word spread that the kingdom's strongest order, the White Flame Knights, had been defeated—not somewhere remote, but right in the capital—Chokgoe's existence became infamous.
"Heard the rumors?"
"They say the knights were nearly wiped out and still couldn't capture the bastard."
"This is bad, right?"
"We're totally fucked."
"I heard the thing spews some weird pheromones—women can't resist it."
...My failure.
On Claire's desk sat a mission report, ghostwritten by Glova's subordinate.
Chokgoe was still alive.
If I hadn't left...
But deep down, she knew it was unavoidable.
My mission was to defeat the Demon King. But...
A mere monster—not even the Demon King—had rampaged through the capital, annihilating the knights. And precious people by her side had died.
This isn't what I set out to do...
Heading out to slay the Demon King—did that mean everyone else could die? She hadn't thought that way. But... she had prioritized it when she left the city. Why? Because slaying the Demon King would bring peace?
From a broad view, Demon King subjugation led to peace. But the Demon King wasn't easy prey. It took world-class talent honed through endless effort, heaven-sent ultimate skills and gear... sweeping up countless opportunities, with the best comrades... and even then, sometimes enduring sacrifices right before your eyes to plunge the blade home. That was the hero's burden.
A knight of Rune Kingdom... as sworn upon receiving her title, had to protect the people. Keep those in front of her unharmed. Keep those close safe.
That was my duty.
The hero knew. Where she belonged.
"Where's the vice-captain now?"
"Resting at home."
Claire headed straight for Glova.
"Chokgoe is still alive, Captain."
"Uncle Glova, what did you see?"
"I saw the evil omen from that forest day. To me... it felt as dangerous as the Demon King."
Glova told Claire everything without omission. The current monster wasn't a "Chokgoe type"—it was the original Chokgoe that seized Monster Forest eight years ago... How, just before defeat, black matter emerged to block him, and it manipulated a knight's brain to express "I want to live."
Claire mulled it over, nodding.
"Now that I'm back, relax. I'll find and eliminate the monster for sure."
Glova gripped her hand tightly.
"Uncle Glova?"
"It's... dangerous... That thing... to women..."
"I won't lose just because I'm a woman."
"...Claire..."
"Rest, Uncle. It'll all be over by the time you wake."
At the same time, Riana—who'd returned to the capital—was reading the report and grinning amusedly. It was so bizarre, laughing at a non-laughable situation, that everyone avoided eye contact with their captain.
"This is fun. Is it luring us? Calling us to come play... How did it control all those people?"
Brainwashing? How? Did Tia betray the same way? Were they acting on individual thoughts? Or controlled by one will?
Riana let every possibility churn her brain, laughing refreshingly. It was mad cackling.
"Ahh, I want to know!"
Her conclusion was always the same.
"I want to explore it. Dissect it. Taste it. A luscious fruit of wisdom awaits me."
"C-Captain?"
"Seongyul Knights can't function anymore, so assemble the intel division~."
"Yes, sir!!"
Chokgoe...! Make it fun for me this time.
Riana was the kingdom's most loyal knight, contributing more than anyone—but she was also a monster of curiosity. Casualties? She didn't take them seriously; reaching the truth mattered most. Her instincts foretold it: something very fun was coming to the kingdom.
Soon after the knight captains assessed the situation, Princess Aira summoned them.
"White Flame Knights Captain, Claire, at your service, Princess."
"Seongyul Knights Captain, Riana here~. At your service, Princess."
The assembled elders immediately berated them.
"International disgrace!"
"Mission failed, knights obliterated!"
"The kingdom's greatest shame since founding."
"How embarrassing!"
Princess Aira's expression was grim too. With foreign dignitaries gathered for the Hero Selection Tournament... a hole punched in the capital's heart, knights annihilated. Too chaotic to brush off as scandal.
"...To cut to the chase."
"Yes!"
"Yes~."
"I received the report that Chokgoe is the same one from eight years ago. Is this true?"
"Yes. Vice-captain confirmed it personally."
"Princess! Punish these captains for dereliction first."
Dereliction? Absurd nitpicking, but the elders were furious— even Aira struggled to calm them.
"White Flame? Useless!"
"Pathetic. Utterly pathetic."
"Enough."
Aira drove the wedge into the legal verbal abuse.
"More important than past failures is the future. If Chokgoe's alive, we must eliminate it before more atrocities."
"Princess is right."
"But with our weakened knights?"
"Plus, rumors say Chokgoe is brutally strong against women..."
"Disaster. All our captains are young virgins..."
Claire couldn't hold back, glaring fiercely.
"I'll handle it! On the honor of the White Flame Knights!"
Silence fell. Claire's fierce resolve was unprecedented—like Siroko back from retirement. With her proven skill, objections vanished.
Aira said quietly,
"Claire, Riana. Can you do it?"
"I'll check it out."
One fuming elder shouted,
"'Check it out'? No young captain fire! Riana, you think that'll redeem the failure?"
"Checking is my job. If Chokgoe's hiding here, intel might investigate you all too."
"...Urk..."
"T-Threatening us?"
"Before the princess... insolent!"
Riana continued calmly, unflinching.
"Ahh. But intel says Chokgoe really hates men. If it's lurking... anyone could die, no surprise."
The elders fell silent, suddenly enlightened. No one could cower Riana. Her mind was beyond interference.
"One request, Princess."
"What?"
"Lift restrictions on the church intel division."
"...You want emergency declaration?"
Silent regent Delia spoke up.
"Princess, that would disrupt the Hero Selection."
"But this is an emergency. Quasi-emergency declared. Riana, one week."
"...Thank you."
"Success brings great reward. Dismissed."
"Yes!"
After the audience, in the corridor, they eyed each other.
"Looks like competition, Claire."
"...Call if you need help, Captain Riana."
"Oh? No competitive spirit?"
"Doesn't matter who catches it first. We end it before more damage."
"Because Chokgoe might be the second Demon King?"
"No."
Claire stated firmly.
"Because it's a monster threatening people's safety."
"Finding the main body might be tough. Reports say eight years ago, it made dozens of tentacles in its nest, wielding them freely."
"Uncle Glova—vice-captain—said it's head-sized, starfish-shaped."
"Then it could hide inside a human body."
"......"
Riana's idea struck where Claire hadn't thought—disgustingly so, furrowing her brow just imagining it...
"...Captain Riana, you're creative."
"What do you think?"
"Enter a dead body? In a living one, the pain would be unbearable."
"Hm. Guess I need to see it myself."
Claire shivered at Riana's words.
"It's 'quasi' emergency, Captain. You won't touch kingdom citizens, right?"
"Of course not. I'm a knight who follows orders."
"I... plan to form a search team right away and patrol the city."
"Like guards?"
"......The enemy is inside."
Riana smiled slyly.
"I have a hunch. If I learn something, I'll tell you."
"...Thank you."
Claire bowed to Riana and strode off.
...Might be too stimulating for young Claire.
With the knight captains back, the chaotic streets stabilized. Gossip about Chokgoe faded...
I'm coming to see you now, Tia.
Riana began her move.