The Demon King is Slain, the Hero is Abandoned, and the Luggage Carrier Saves Her
"Not yet! Do you truly believe this is where I meet my end?!"
The final battle.
Cornered, the Demon King thrashed in desperation.
As she unleashed a chaotic barrage of dark, blood-red demonic energy, the shield knight, Morgan Reinhold, stepped to the vanguard, raising his massive shield to block the onslaught.
"Annihilation!"
"Aaargh!"
"Reinhold!"
The Demon King clenched her fist, and Reinhold's arm crumpled along with his shield.
Seeing her fiancé wounded, the Hero, Luciena Estelle, shrieked. The Saint, Arciel, quickly cast holy healing on Reinhold.
"I'm fine! Focus on the enemy!" Reinhold roared.
"Lucy! Finish it now! Don't worry about the injuries! I can heal all of them!" Arciel yelled.
Reinhold and Arciel shouted in unison, quickly repositioning themselves for combat against the Demon King.
"Watch out!"
As the Demon King raised her hand once more, the High Elf archer, Nydrian, loosed an arrow to disrupt her.
Left with no choice, the Demon King swatted the arrow away, triggering an explosion of the mana infused within it.
"Net. Weaken. Intimidate. Slow."
Seizing the opening, the mage, Tigria, cast her spells.
True to her status as a member of the Hero's party, she manifested and activated the magic formulas with mere words, visibly slowing the Demon King's movements.
"Now is the time!"
Nydrian fired a rapid succession of arrows, pinning the Demon King in place.
"This time, we're taking her down for good!"
Arciel slammed her fists together, channeling her refined holy power into the Hero's holy sword, Hnoni.
"Optimal opportunity," Tigria muttered.
Tigria unleashed a barrage of offensive magic, cornering the Demon King even further.
"Lucy! Do it!"
Reinhold stood firm, blocking the black demonic energy that still surged like wildfire.
Spurred on by her companions, the Hero raised Hnoni high into the air.
"I envision it!"
A blinding radiance enveloped Hnoni.
"A peaceful day spent with you!"
With all her might, Lucy thrust the holy sword forward—a blade heavy yet sharp enough to pierce the heavens.
"Aaaaaaaah!"
The radiance cleaved through the dark mana.
Shattering the impure energy to pieces, the sacred force surged forward, slicing the Demon King diagonally in two.
"Cough...!"
Ultimately, the Demon King fell to her knees.
Even as she collapsed, her eyes remained fixed on a single spot.
Her gaze landed on the luggage carrier, who stood far in the distance, trembling all over while clutching a small shield.
"You know... this is not the end... right...? I will surely...!"
Before she could finish her sentence, she crumbled into black dust and scattered away.
Thud.
Leaving behind only a single, heavy-looking horn.
"Haa... haa... We did it!"
"Not yet. We must seal that horn in the casket immediately!"
Lucy panted heavily, but as Arciel said, it wasn't completely over yet.
Unfortunately, securing the horn was not a task for the combatants.
Lucy swept her sweat-drenched red hair back, her voice laced with irritation.
"Hey, luggage carrier! What are you doing? Get over here right now!"
"Yes!"
The luggage carrier wore a bizarre mask.
It depicted a face smiling widely with squinted eyes. Despite having no visible eyeholes, he navigated his surroundings perfectly fine.
In truth, it wasn't the mask that was bizarre, but the luggage carrier's very existence.
He had been tasked with carrying the holy casket to seal the Demon King's horn—the proof of her subjugation—simply because, as a luggage carrier, he could easily transport the massive casket, which took up a significant portion of inventory space.
To be precise, he could carry the casket as well as everything else.
"Here it is!"
"...Are you expecting me to handle that demonic energy right now?"
When he pulled the holy casket from his exclusive item, the Luggage Carrier's Bag, and held it out, Lucy snapped at him again.
The luggage carrier looked around, feeling put on the spot.
Aside from being slightly stronger than average, possessing a sturdy body, and carrying various tools in his exclusive item, he had no real advantages. It was difficult for him to endure the demonic energy radiating from the horn.
"Damn it, I'm at my limit," the Saint muttered, shaking her head.
Except for the habitually expressionless mage, the other party members also showed signs of reluctance.
The battle with the Demon King had been so fierce that everyone was utterly exhausted.
Left with no choice, the luggage carrier swallowed hard and approached the horn.
The energy radiating from this object, which was smaller than his palm, was no joke.
Sssssss.
"Aaaaaaargh!"
He tried to move as quickly as possible, but the arm holding the horn was instantly stained pitch-black.
It was undeniably demonic corruption.
Yet, none of the party members looked surprised or worried.
This was how they always treated the non-combatant luggage carrier.
Since he had spent the entire life-or-death struggle against the Demon King trembling behind his own shield, they only felt contempt for him.
"Urrrgh!"
Squeezing out every ounce of his strength, he placed the horn inside the holy casket and shut the lid. The demonic energy finally stopped leaking out.
However, the luggage carrier's arm was still sizzling with dark energy.
"Stop exaggerating. Reinhold endured even after his arm was completely crushed earlier," Arciel scoffed.
It was a plain fact.
The shield knight's arm had indeed been crushed by the Demon King.
But the Saint had healed him immediately.
The problem was that the very same Saint was now scolding the luggage carrier instead of healing him.
"It's finally over!"
Overjoyed, Lucy leaped into her fiancé's arms.
Reinhold caught her, offering a strained smile.
"Be careful, Lucy. The Demon King thrashed around so much that the ground behind us has crumbled into a cliff."
Just as Reinhold said, the battlefield, which had once been a simple highland, had been carved and hollowed out by the intense clash, leaving a sheer cliff in its wake.
To reshape the terrain in a single battle—it was truly fitting of the Demon King.
"Now we can go back to the imperial capital and have our wedding!" Lucy cheered.
"Haha, we need to handle the aftermath first once we return. We must also distribute the rewards and achievements properly," Reinhold replied.
"Hmph."
As the blonde knight gently chided her with a bright smile, Lucy snorted.
"What achievements could the imperial family and those pathetic nobles possibly claim? They did nothing but wait safely inside the empire while we risked our lives."
"Lucy, the imperial family and the nobles fulfilled their duties in their respective positions. In fact, they were the ones who held back the other demon armies so we could face the Demon King."
"Nonsense. We could have marched forward while crushing every single demon army on the front lines anyway. They only threw a tantrum because the front lines got slightly closer to the capital, forcing us to make a reckless charge at the Demon King."
"Lucy."
"'If you are the Hero, stop the demon army immediately. If you are the Hero, slay the Demon King at once.' Cowardly bastards who only know how to talk. Every single one of them is incompetent and foolish. Especially that princess. She only became the Crown Princess by luck because all her siblings died, yet she acts so arrogant..."
"Lucy!" Reinhold barked.
"Fine, fine."
At her fiancé's sharp rebuke, Lucy grumbled and stopped complaining.
She loved him dearly—this handsome, kind man with blonde hair and blue eyes—but she couldn't help but feel a pang of resentment whenever he defended the imperial family and the nobility.
To Lucy, a fiancé was supposed to take her side unconditionally.
However, she had crossed the line.
Pouting, Lucy walked toward the edge of the cliff. There, she finally uttered the words she never should have said.
"Once we get back, I might just have to replace the damn ruler of this empire."
At that exact moment...
The atmosphere shifted.
Lucy, who had been secretly waiting for Reinhold to come comfort her, frowned when she received no response and turned around.
There stood her companions.
The habitually expressionless mage, the Saint, the archer, and finally, Reinhold—all of them were staring at her with cold, lifeless eyes.
"W-what is it? Why is everyone looking at me like..."
"Target. Rotate. Move. Crush."
Crack!
Following the swift incantation, Lucy's left leg twisted at an unnatural angle and tore completely off.
Losing her balance, Lucy collapsed, nothing but a wheeze escaping her lips.
"Huh...?"
"Lucy!"
At the unbelievable sight, the Saint gathered her holy power and rushed toward her.
"Arciel... that crazy bitch suddenly..."
Crunch!
"Aaaaaaargh!"
To her horror, the Saint did not use her holy power to heal Lucy. Instead, she grabbed Lucy's right arm with her bare hands and shattered it.
Thwip!
Just before Lucy hit the ground, two arrows flew from out of nowhere, tearing through the air and severing her remaining arm.
Splat.
It was a sound akin to a wet rag being thrown onto the floor.
That was the grand sound the Hero who had just slain the Demon King made as she landed on the dirt.
"Reinhold!"
Lucy instinctively sought out the one she loved.
She desperately called for the shield knight who had always cherished her, never laying a finger on her, always protecting her.
"Ah..."
But the moment she saw the chilling look in Reinhold's eyes as he approached, she plunged into despair.
"Why...?"
She couldn't understand.
Had they not shared life and death together?
Why on earth were the very people who had risked their lives to defeat the Demon King doing this?
The answer came from Reinhold's mouth.
"Hero Luciena. Now that the Demon King is gone, the greatest threat to the empire is you."
"What are you talking about... Reinhold... Morgan! Why would I be the empire's..."
"You were far too arrogant. You constantly showed hostility toward the imperial family. You openly spoke of overthrowing the regime."
"Reinhold!"
"By order of Crown Princess Rinacien Carlun, I, Morgan Reinhold, along with the members of the Hero's party, hereby arrest the traitor Luciena Estelle!"
The knight raised his shield.
Its bottom edge was sharpened to a point, designed to push back and strike enemies.
Without a moment's hesitation, Reinhold drove the sharp edge of the shield into the thigh of Lucy's remaining leg.
Crunch!
"Aaagh!"
Crunch!
"Morgan!"
Crunch!
No matter how sharp, it was still a shield.
Amidst the agony of bones shattering and flesh turning to mush, a sudden realization struck Lucy.
Reinhold had never once allowed her to call him by his first name.
Crunch!
"Ugh!"
Drowning in her own blood, doubt began to bloom.
"You... planned this from the very beginning, didn't you...?"
Crunch!
"Ugh...! Did you ever even love me...?"
The knight raised his shield one last time, offering her a final mercy.
"From the very beginning, the only one in my heart has been Rinacien Carlun."
That mercy was the answer to her doubt. The shield slammed down once more, mercilessly severing her mangled left leg.
Yet, the pain in Lucy's heart far surpassed the agony of her severed limbs.
An unbelievable reality.
No, the reality she had believed in all this time was nothing but a grand parade of lies.
"Are we going to kill her?" Arciel asked.
"Now that her limbs are severed, we will bind her and transport her to the capital. We will display her head on a spike in the streets as an example to strengthen the imperial authority alongside the announcement of the Demon King's subjugation," Reinhold replied.
"Tsk, there won't be much of a body left to show," Arciel grumbled.
The Hero, whose heart had already died, listened to the conversation between the Saint and the knight with hollow eyes.
Even when the mage cauterized her severed stumps with magic, she only twitched slightly, showing no other reaction.
"You haven't forgotten our promise, have you?" Nydrian asked, her voice quiet.
"It is not over yet. The terms of the contract are to escort her to the capital. Nydrian, do not be hasty," Reinhold said.
Is this how it ends?
"The pointy-ears is right. We need confirmation. You haven't forgotten the promise, have you?" Arciel chimed in.
"I didn't expect the Saint to harbor such deep doubts," Reinhold sneered.
"If we are strictly following the contract, the first phase is subduing the Hero, and the second phase is her transport. Therefore, now that the first phase is complete, I request a reaffirmation and pledge of the promise," Tigria stated in her robotic tone.
"Sigh, fine. We don't have much time, so I will reiterate it here," Reinhold sighed.
I only wanted a normal life with the person I loved. I only complained a little about the things that seemed to get in the way of that.
"First, regarding you elves, Nydrian..."
Was I really that arrogant?
As a single tear rolled down Lucy's cheek,
A voice echoed, speaking of someone everyone had forgotten.
Scroll: Art of Earth Shrinking
"What?!"
Amidst the collective panic, someone approached Lucy at a speed invisible to the naked eye.
It was the luggage carrier.
"The luggage carrier?! Damn it, I forgot about him...!" Arciel cursed.
"Nydrian, shoot!"
Reinhold shoved the panicked Arciel aside and screamed, but it was already too late.
Even Nydrian, with all her elven reflexes, could not track the luggage carrier, who had used a one-time item containing an ultimate movement skill: the Scroll: Art of Earth Shrinking.
By the time Nydrian managed to draw an arrow, the luggage carrier was already soaring over the cliff, cradling Lucy in his arms.
"Tigria!" Reinhold shrieked.
"Targeting... failed," Tigria reported flatly.
Leaving the panicked party behind, the luggage carrier let out a sigh in midair.
"Ah, this wasn't part of the plan."
The Art of Earth Shrinking did not simply accelerate movement.
It was an ultimate skill that brought forward the outcome of the caster's actions.
Consequently, their descent through the air was incomparably faster than a normal fall.
Splash!
As if it had been meticulously arranged by someone, the luggage carrier and Lucy plunged into the deep valley waters far below the towering cliff.
It was a dive only possible because the luggage carrier knew the map layout of this game inside out.
Furthermore, since this was the final battle map of the original game, there was no way he could be unfamiliar with it.
"Luciena!" Reinhold's desperate scream echoed from above.
My, what a loud voice he has.
The luggage carrier—Rin—let out a silent sigh of relief beneath the water.
Since he had left behind the holy casket containing the Demon King's horn, they wouldn't be able to pursue him immediately.
He relaxed his body.
If the DLC content was anything to go by, the current would carry them to a safe spot.
Instead of worrying, Rin held Lucy's limbless body close, shielding her face to keep the water from entering her eyes and nose.