Chapter 177
The Demon King―――a vile creature that once waged war on humanity and plunged the world into chaos.
According to the records, it was said that, aside from Elibel, this being was the only one capable of using the four major elements to the level of a Soul King-class.
Which means, it’s ridiculously overpowered.
Well, the sage sitting next to me drinking tea is also an exceptionally overpowered being.
A being comparable to that.
Its true identity was “Emperor Beast,” an Evil God-class creature.
To add to that, this beast used to be a follower of Jibru and the guardian of the Stellar Vein Dungeon.
History has it that it was defeated and killed by a hero, but apparently, it’s not actually dead.
And the plain-looking woman sitting before me, Léna-Lloyd, entered into a contract with this Demon King and tried to destroy humanity.
Yeah.
That’s the kind of info that would make anyone faint if they heard it.
Looking over at Elibel sitting next to me, she’s mumbling to herself deep in thought.
「…Demon King… Emperor Beast… Jibru’s follower…」
After a while, she lifts her head and looks at Léna-Lloyd.
「…You old hag, how old are you anyway?」
After all that thinking, that’s her question?!
「Eli, it might be a bit late to say this, but that question’s a boomerang, you know? It’s coming back to hit you.」
「I don’t count because I was dormant for a long time.」
「Really now…」
Léna-Lloyd continues while picking at a purple strawberry, clearly not satisfied.
「Well, whatever. So, after making a pact with the Demon King ‘Emperor Beast’ Agil, my life changed dramatically for the better. Warm meals, a soft bed, high-quality clothes. Honestly, the basics of clothing, food, and shelter are fundamental to life. That’s really what I came to realize.」
Ah, I can agree with that.
Having a home is super important.
「Honestly, at that time, I didn’t care whether it was humans or demons. I readily took Agil’s hand. His goal… well, I had an inkling. He knew I was a reincarnated person, so I guess that had something to do with it.」
「He wanted the knowledge of a reincarnated?」
Elibel seems to have caught on quickly.
She asked me a bunch of questions when I revealed my identity here before.
「Probably. I told him almost everything I could. Japanese culture and language, history and current affairs, common sense, weapons, architecture, and all sorts of other things I knew from my previous life. Using that knowledge, Agil strengthened the Demon king’s army and took control of the war. But… he fell just short of victory.」
「…The hero?」
Léna-Lloyd nods.
「Yes, the hero Cadias and his companions. With just a handful of them, they managed to dismantle the Demon king’s army, and with Agil defeated, the war ended in humanity’s favor.」
The hero, huh.
In Elibel’s records, he’s described as a kind-hearted, dense harem guy, but he must’ve had tremendous power to defeat an Evil God-class being.
He’s the pinnacle of humanity, the greatest hero in history, and the strongest human.
That’s Hero Cadias.
「After losing to the hero, the wounded Agil and his followers retreated into the dungeon. One of the Eight Great Dungeons on the Segan Continent, ‘The Hundred Demons Dungeon.’」
The Segan Continent… Oh, that’s the continent next to the one where Elibel mentioned the famous Axis Lake.
That’s where Axis Lake is known to be.
And the Eight Great Dungeons.
They’re considered nearly impossible to conquer, just like Fafnir and Elibel’s Sage’s Labyrinth.
So, one of them is the Demon king’s dungeon.
「With the demon king’s top brass hidden away there, the continent came under human rule. From there on, it’s as history records.」
『Hm? Didn’t the heroes pursue them?』
Just diving into the dungeon doesn’t mean the threat of the demon king is gone.
If they healed, they could come back.
There’s no reason to let up.
「They didn’t. The heroes were wounded too and weren’t in a condition to pursue. Instead, they sealed the dungeon where Agil hid. Even if they healed, the seal made it impossible for them to come out. With them unable to leave the dungeon, peace effectively returned to the world.」
A mighty seal, huh.
So the hero could even handle something like that.
Impressive, that hero.
「Hold on, why are you here then? If you had a contract with the demon king, shouldn’t you have dived into the dungeon too?」
Oh, now that you mention it.
If she had a contract with the demon kingd, she shouldn’t be able to come out on the surface.
But Léna-Lloyd shakes her head.
「…I left the demon king’s army along the way. Whether I was dismissed or Agil had foreseen our end, one day, he terminated our contract. Thrown out all of a sudden, I was left confused and idle, and during that time, Agil was defeated, the dungeon sealed, and as a result… I was the only one left on the surface. Just me…」
Her voice trembles.
Léna-Lloyd sets down the glass she’s holding onto the table.
Small ripples spread inside the glass.
「After that, I blended into human society, living a leisurely life while doing various researches. Fortunately, I look like a normal human, and my face wasn’t that well-known. By the time a hundred years had passed, the ‘witch of the demon king’s army’ had been forgotten. But well, after that, one thing led to another, and eventually, I got stuck with the nickname ‘witch’ again.」
What does she mean by one thing led to another?
Is it about the time she became a noble in the Borhelic Kingdom?
She’s lived a long time and with that kind of personality, it figures she’d end up with the witch moniker again.
「I see, and how does that connect to us and Kirishima Aoba?」
Oh, right,
I was just listening normally, but so far, Léna-Lloyd’s story hasn’t touched on anything about us or Aoba.
「Huh? Eli, aren’t you interested in what happened after that? How I became a noble in the Borhelic Kingdom and all that. You know, there’s a lot to it, don’t you wonder?」
「Not at all, not even a little bit interested. Spit out the information already.」
She cuts her off with finality.
She’s really merciless when it comes to her, isn’t she?
「Uuu… Eli, don’t say such lonely things… sniffle」
Ah, she’s starting to cry again.
「Earth, we’re leaving.」
「Wait, wait just a minute! I’ll talk, I’ll tell everything!」
…She’s a handful but easy to deal with, this plain witch lady.
「Then spit it out quickly. Come on.」
「Uuu… don’t rush me like that… I’ll talk properly. But just giving you the conclusion won’t mean anything. There’s a process, and based on that, I need to explain the result, especially for you.」
Léna-Lloyd’s gaze is fixed on me as she speaks.
She takes another sip of her wine.
「So, let’s get back to the story. The hero Cadias who defeated the demon king had four companions. You know about them, right?」
Léna-Lloyd looks at Elibel.
「The ‘White Saintess,’ the ‘Silver Magician,’ the ‘Spearman,’ and the ‘Blue Warrior’… right?」
「Yep, correct.」
As if it’s obvious, Elibel mutters.
「The hero is famous, but so are his companions. Especially the ‘White Saintess,’ who founded the Holy Kingdom, and the ‘Silver Magician,’ who laid the groundwork for the Magic City Endymion. Well… I don’t know much about the other two, though.」
Elibel speaks the last part in a quieter voice.
Huh, is that so.
That means this continent has quite a long history.
In my previous life, they said a hundred years for a nation, but there aren’t many that last five hundred years.
I don’t know much about the Holy Kingdom, but the fact that they have designated the Holy Dragon as their guardian dragon suggests there’s a reason for that.
Now, about the remaining two, the Spearman and the Blue Warrior.
Léna-Lloyd’s explanation continues.
「The ‘Spearman’ went back to the countryside after the battles ended. He was originally just a peasant from a remote village. He sealed the spear he had used in the depths of a certain dungeon and spent the rest of his days peacefully.」
「He sealed his weapon, huh. Interesting…」
Elibel crosses her arms and muses.
「Right. And that spear, after passing through many hands, is now in the possession of a certain adventurer.」
『A certain adventurer?』
「You all know her.」
Saying this, she deepens her smile.
「World Piercer’ Beldi Raven. The God-Killing Spear, Gungnir, that she wields is the very same legendary spear once used by the ‘Spearman.’ Though, not many people know this.」
Seriously?
I thought that the grandiose title was just for show, but that spear is actually that amazing?
「Moreover, Beldi has awakened Gungnir’s true power, which only the ‘Spearman’ could originally handle. She’s something else. I never thought it was possible, which is why I let her have it. But she certainly proved me wrong.」
Now that she mentions it, Ann reported something like that.
『That woman has acquired even more troublesome powers』 she complained.
I really don’t want her coming to the dungeon…
「If Beldi can master Gungnir, she can take on Calamity-class threats on equal footing. There are probably only a handful on this continent who can stand against her now.」
Wow, she’s that strong now?
Calamity-class… that means most monsters can’t even compete.
I definitely don’t want her coming to the dungeon now.
「And what about the last one… the ‘Blue Warrior’?」
「Same as the Spearman. After the battle, he retired, and his armor and sword were passed down to another warrior. And now, that gear is in your possession, right?」
『That would be…』
The Blue Warrior… blue… the blue armor.
Could it be?
「―――The magic sword Ridill and the blue armor. The gear worn by Fafnir’s follower Ragin, and now wielded by your follower―――that queen ant. That’s the very equipment that the ‘Blue Warrior’ used to wear.」
Connections are popping up from unexpected places.
The gear that nullifies magic, with such unbelievable capabilities, well, that explains why it’s so powerful.
Wait, but hold on. Ragin’s room, like his armor, nullified magic.
Is that something different?
Fafnir mentioned inheriting the dungeon originally, could there be something related to that? Maybe Fafnir’s dungeon itself has some connection?
Hmm…
Man, my head is spinning.
Let’s put that aside for now.
『Speaking of which, what happened to the hero afterward?』
Elibel’s records didn’t say what became of the hero after.
It ended like a happy ending with the defeat of the demon king, but what really happened?
「Now that you mention it, I’m curious about that too…」
Apparently, Elibel doesn’t know either.
Our gazes turn to Léna-Lloyd.
「―――He disappeared.」
『Eh?』
「The hero existed only to defeat the demon king. Once his role was fulfilled, he ‘disappeared.’」
「Does that mean he just disappeared from public view?」
Léna-Lloyd shakes her head.
「No, literally vanished. …I feel sorry for Cadias. Because of his potential, he was used by ‘her.’ Though he probably wasn’t aware of it himself.」
…Her?
Who is that?
As we tilt our heads in confusion, she reveals a crucial piece of information.
「The one who found ‘Emperor Beast’ Agil to be the most troublesome wasn’t humanity.」
Saying that, Léna-Lloyd looks at me.
「The one who saw Agil as the greatest enemy was―――your mother, the Divine Catastrophe Dragon King, Jibru.」
『Eh…』
「Hero Cadias was a being empowered by Jibru… by the Stellar Veins. So, you’re far from irrelevant. You are Jibru’s son, the one she loved most, and also the one she ‘opposed’ the most.」
『What?』
―――Throb
I felt a headache coming on again.
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