Chapter 9

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"I guess it's about time for me too."

"You've held on well, Flounder."

"Haha, I'm even surprised by my own tenacity. This is far more intense than any lingering attachment from the past. --I wonder if Merea will survive."

"Merea will be fine. In terms of power, at least. The question is whether she has the will to live. Yes, she has it now, but whether she can recover after you're gone..."

"It'll be fine. Merea is serious about living. Her experience with death has shaped her resolve."

"---I see."

"Hey, Curtista, can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Is the Heavenly Dragon Curtista a friend of Merea's?"

"---Who knows. That's a secret between me and Merea."

"Haha, that answer is enough for me."

The wind on the summit of Lindholm Spirit Mountain was particularly fierce.

The Heavenly Dragon, with a body that had almost lost its limbs, was having a conversation with a Hero.

"Perhaps it goes against your principles to intentionally help someone. But still, I wish you would watch over Merea. I don't think I can keep watching over him anymore."

"Is watching over enough?"

"Watch over, and if Merea seems to be struggling, help her."

"I have a certain fondness for Merea. The stories she tells about other worlds are quite interesting. Her character isn't bad either. ---As long as I'm in the mood, I'll watch over her. You've been a great help to me."

"I'm grateful."

Flounder's legs were already almost gone.

"---Are you leaving?"

"Yeah. I might be... the last one."

"What about the other Heroes?"

"They probably left in other places. Their presence is gone. They all think the same way. They're embarrassed to be seen off by Merea."

"They're stubborn."

"Heroes have strong wills."

"That's a poor attempt at sarcasm."

Flounder's arms disappeared, and his face began to blur.

Flounder's face had its usual smile.

A gentle, slightly troubled, and somewhat melancholic, mysterious smile.

"---Tell Merea, 'Sorry for leaving without you.'"

"Is that all?"

"I've already written 'Thank you.' The first time Merea woke up, I wrote it in that place."

"I see."

"Oh, and about the 'Demon King Hunt,' can you tell Merea again? I explained it, but it's a story that needs to be told many times."

"I understand."

"Most likely, Merea will be labeled as a Demon King. From what you've said, if someone has even one specialized or special power, they can be labeled as a Demon King in this era, right?"

"Yes. Just like your Magic Eye. You were also skilled in magical techniques, so it was better for you, but in this era, the 'Divine Magic Eye' alone would be enough to label you as a Demon King. If it's a power that can be useful in war, it doesn't matter if the rest is weak. That's the kind of era we're in."

"Quite a free-for-all, isn't it?"

"The term 'Demon King' is used conveniently by those who want to gain even more power. Since the ones who label others as Demon Kings are powerful nations, it's even more malicious. If you deny it, you'll be crushed."

"Truly... a convenient word. It sounds grand, but it's actually empty. It doesn't have any real meaning. Even knowing this, you can't say it out loud."

"You can't make your voice heard unless you win. That's the nature of an era of war. I don't remember how many cycles it's been, but it's always been like this. Conversely, if you win, that's what gets accepted. In such an era, the only ones who can criticize a powerful nation are other powerful nations or---extremely foolish and naive ones."

"Foolish and naive nations... huh."

"Or, to put it nicely, noble ones. The stance of upholding one's principles, you know."

"---Yeah."

At that moment, Curtista and Flounder had the same country in mind.

"Then, the place where Demon Kings who are pursued by powerful nations should flee to is probably such a country."

"If they can flee there and not be crushed immediately, it could indeed be a place for Demon Kings to stay."

"Then, tell Merea about the country that has the potential to be such a place."

"Stop making such broad statements. If the country I have in mind isn't the one you're thinking of, it won't be a laughing matter."

"Haha, that's true."

Flounder's face, which was beginning to blend into the air like mist, wavered, and he spoke in a fading voice.

"If Merea is labeled as a Demon King and has nowhere to go, tell her to head for the Kingdom of Remuse in the east. If it still harbors the 'naivety' of the past, it will surely help Merea."

Curtista nodded in relief, confirming that the country he had in mind was the same as the one Flounder mentioned.

"Raelas'... homeland, huh?"

"Yeah."

"---You're not going to ask."

"Ask what?"

"What the state of that country is now."

"---No. No matter what, I guessed that if Curtista thought of the Kingdom of Remuse in the same way I did, it would be the place with the highest potential to be a place for Merea. Besides, if I ask, it might leave me with lingering attachments."

"---I see."

"We shouldn't interfere with the times. So, let's leave the rest to those who live in the present."

Suddenly, Flounder's wavering face looked up at the sky.

Curtista also looked up at the sky.

"Still, Raelas is leaving first. Leaving her husband behind, that's quite something."

Although his face was almost gone, it seemed that Flounder smiled up at the sky.

"Raelas was more restless than she looked."

"Hehe, that's right."

Curtista also looked up at the sky with a nostalgic and exasperated smile.

"---"

The wind stopped.

It felt as if time itself had stopped.

But still---the time of parting had come.

"---Well, I'm going to her now."

"---Yeah."

The eyes of the Heavenly Dragon Curtista wavered once.

"See you again. If we meet in the 'Sea of Souls.'"

"---Yeah. ...Soul bound by lingering attachments, now release your bonds and go to where you should be. ---Farewell, Heroes of the old era."

On that day, in a place unknown to Merea, the spirits who had wandered for a long time on Lindholm Spirit Mountain severed their attachments and ascended to the sky.

Merea learned that they had gone a few hours later.

◆◆◆

Merea was dazed in a stone hut on the summit of the Spirit Mountain when she suddenly heard a familiar voice of the Heavenly Dragon from outside.

She went out of the hut and heard from the Heavenly Dragon Curtista that Flounder and the others had gone.

"---"

She was speechless.

But then, a mysterious smile, very similar to Flounder's, appeared on her face.

To Curtista, Merea's face with that smile looked like Flounder's.

"---I knew. I didn't spend over a decade with Flounder and the others for nothing. I grew up with them. ...I understand. Everyone... is shy... ---"

A single tear overflowed from Merea's eyes and fell.

"---I'll build everyone's graves. Then I'll go down to the mortal world."

"Graves?"

"Everyone is a Hero from an old era. I think some have been forgotten. But I want to set up a monument here to prove that they lived as proud Heroes. Even if they were betrayed or failed, they still wished for me to become a Hero. I think that's amazing."

"---I see. You've been through a lot."

"So, I'll record here that they were indeed Heroes. I won't let their thoughts fade away."

"What will you do when you go down to the mortal world?"

"I'll go looking for it."

"The current world is steeped in war. There are no universal values. Therefore, the universal Hero that Flounder and the others first sought no longer exists."

"I understand. Flounder said the same. So, I want to be a Hero for what I want to protect. That was their fundamental spirit. So, I'll be a Hero for Flounder and the others. They wanted me to live. I'll be a Hero to fulfill that wish. I'll be here for them."

"---I see. Then I'll pray that you can be a Hero for something other than a spirit."

"Thanks, Curtista."

"I meant it as a bit of sarcasm---"

"Your sarcasm is for my benefit, Curtista?"

"Haha, you're still as uncharming as ever. ...But it's fine. I've been with you for too long. ...I've grown attached. That's all. ---Well, the clouds are rising again. I'll be going now."

"---Yeah."

The sky above the summit of the Spirit Mountain was about to be covered by clouds again.

"---Farewell."

"---Yeah, see you again."

"---Yeah."

The Heavenly Dragon Curtista disappeared into the sky.

Merea was left alone on the summit of Lindholm Spirit Mountain.

On that day, Merea finally stood alone.

The End: [Heroes and Demon Kings]

The Beginning: [The Twenty-Two Demon Kings]

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