Chapter 424

How surprised Luna Artorius was, who had been as unyielding as a wall and had seemed inhuman, was so surprised that she let go of the hand that was holding my neck.

"Ugh... chew..."

I gasped for breath in the pain that felt like my wrist was shattered.

Eleris was still struggling to recover from the shock, looking at me with difficulty.

Although it was not the situation, Eleris was also confused in this situation.

Luna Artorius looks down at me as I sit down.

"Are you telling lies to save your life at this moment?"

"If you want to believe it's a lie, believe it."

-Swishing

I summon Tiamat and exert divine power.

Anger, the material for using Tiamat.

Of course, there is no reason not to be angry when I got my throat cut in a strict place like Ellen's mother.

Divine power heals my wrist.

I staggered up and backed away from her.

"If you want to live by killing me and being hated by your daughter for the rest of your life, go ahead."

"...."

Luna Artorius just looked at me quietly with a ridiculous sound that was too ridiculous to be called a threat.

"Elen probably doesn't know you're a demon king."

"Yeah, I don't know. I don't want to know, and I can't accept it."

"Yeah, even if you really like my daughter... you can't be connected...."

"It's not good to interfere too much in your child's affairs."

I don't know what to say.

It's not the time to have this conversation.

I was so reckless because my life was at stake and I couldn't really compete with her.

I don't know, it's less unfair to spit out everything I think of even if I die.

"We'll take care of our own business."

I glare at Luna Artorius with Tiamat.

"So get out of here, Mom."

"Mom?"

How does it feel to hear the word "mom" from a demon king as a hero's parent?

I don't know, but it was clear that she was in a strange mood, unable to laugh or cry.

But that was also temporary, and Luna Artorius' expression cooled down.

"Who's your mother? I've recognized you...."

"I'm a person who has a case. It's rude to call someone's mother an old lady. I don't know what will happen in front of people. And I can't call her mother-in-law yet. So what do you call her as a mother?"

"...."

Luna Artorius' expression becomes complicated again.

I can feel that she is suffering mentally in real time, even though she cannot be defeated by force or sword.

What the hell is this bastard saying?

Why do I have to listen to this kind of story from a demon king?

I was thinking that.

How can I do this?

Can I just crush it and retreat?

"And I heard for the first time today that Eleris lying there is an ancient archdemon or something. Then, if you argue, Eleris will be my distant ancestor."

Assuming that it is a fact, Eleris would be my ancestor. "Mom, what will you do if I crush your son-in-law like a dog?"

"Why do I have to hear such words!"

"No, I'm just answering your question honestly!"

"This, this is just ridiculous...!"

She's like Elen, who explodes when she can't stand it anymore.

"I don't care about the issue of good and evil. I don't care about what I'm trying to do or what I want."

"You're trying to kill me because of your daughter."

"I like him. You may not believe it, but that's the truth."

"Choose, Mom. Will you kill me here and be hated by your daughter for the rest of your life?"

"For now, just back off."

Luna Artorius was still in a daze, being threatened by me beyond the hierarchy of power.

If this person tries to kill me, I can't stop him.

The sound of a distant battle was getting closer, but if everyone in that place tried to kill this person, would it be possible?

I don't know.

But Luna Artorius regained her composure and looked at me quietly.

She was seriously considering my words about liking Elen.

Beyond whether it was true or false, if it was true, she would have to think about what to do.

In the end, she extended the hand holding the sword.

Her eyes showed a deep sadness.

"Your heart... shouldn't it be a lie?"

"..."

"If what you say is true... then... my daughter will have a more unhappy future... why... do you love my daughter... there's no reason to do so..."

I could feel the heavy sadness in her eyes.

"I can't accept you either."

"My daughter, who has been deceived by you until now, can't accept you either."

A hero and a demon king.

The fact that I like Elen can only lead to our future unhappiness.

If Elen and I have to fight each other later, it will surely end up that way.

So Luna Artorius said that if my liking for Elen was true, it was better to stop everything here.

I didn't make that decision.

She asked for my opinion.

I could feel that her heart to kill me had already been broken.

Yeah.

Elen's mother found out.

Let's not delay the tragedy any longer.

"I have nothing to say."

"...What?"

"Now that you know, there's no point in hiding anything. Elen may not understand, but... it's hard to accept..."

I'm scared.

I've been deceiving her all this time, and the longer I delay, the greater the price I'll have to pay. Elen will naturally feel betrayed and may not accept me. "Are you willing to risk the danger of being killed by my daughter or even by me, just to avoid being killed by me?"

"Yes."

Her expression hardened again at my words.

"That would be a relief for you, wouldn't it?"

"...You're a strange person."

I couldn't help but laugh at her words.

"I've heard that a lot from Elen."

Strange person.

That was always the word that came to mind.

She stared at me silently, as if trying to read my thoughts from my eyes.

"I love my daughter, but because of that, I can't let you, who will undoubtedly make my daughter unhappy...I don't know why I should spare you."

But the blackness of the moonlight in her hand disappeared.

It seemed like she had read a grim fate rather than my emotions.

"But...if killing you will make my daughter unhappy...rather than receiving an indelible scar from a parent's hand...it's better to leave it to her own choice..."

She gently touched my cheek with her hand that had just tried to kill me.

"As always, the affairs of the world are the affairs of the world, and the affairs of my daughter who has left for the world are the affairs of my daughter...should I just leave it alone..."

Although it was the hand of someone who had tried to kill me just a moment ago.

It was warm enough to make me feel sad.

After holding my cheek for a while, she took a few steps back.

She reached out to the sky. The moon, which had been swollen, returned to its original size.

What kind of power is that?

I couldn't tell, and I probably never will.

"Archdemon...no, Reinhardt."

"Yes."

She called me by my name.

"I know it's a meaningless thing to say, but..."

She stared at me.

"Don't make my daughter sad."

Luna Artorius, who had tried to kill me because I was a threat to her daughter's unhappiness, ultimately couldn't kill me because I was related to her daughter's unhappiness.

"I'll try."

"...You seem to know that it's impossible too."

I don't know if Elen will accept my confession.

But I decided to do it.

As she had been doing all along, she took a step forward without saying anything.

-Swoosh

And just like she had been doing all along, she disappeared into the moonlight without a trace.

It was like she had never been here from the beginning.

It felt like I had been fooled by an illusion all along.

Luna Artorius was gone.

Only then could I focus on what I really needed to pay attention to.

"Eleris!"

"...I'm here."

Eleris struggled to get up and leaned on me.

"I'm glad you're safe, but...what the hell is going on..."

"Yeah..."

It's something like being chased away by a mother-in-law who tried to kill me with the words "I like your daughter."

It was such an absurd situation that both Eleris and I couldn't help but feel dizzy.

-Kuquaquaclang!

The sound of battle was raging in the distance.

It was so intense that it was natural not to notice the anomaly that occurred here.

And again.

"Reinhardt!" "Harrison called out my name and ran towards me with the Duke from afar. 'The moon suddenly got bigger...who is that person?' Harrison and the Duke couldn't hide their confusion as they alternated between looking at me and Eleris, who I was supporting. They didn't know who Eleris was and were debating whether to explain that she was an injured person they found nearby. Just then, a loud sound interrupted us and we looked up at the sky, which was already dark. The moon had previously grown several times larger and emitted a cool moonlight in all directions, but now something else was happening. It was as if someone intentionally distorted or forcibly tore apart a section of the night sky. A huge, dark crack appeared in the middle of the night sky, revealing a strange and eerie sight as if a glass window of the night sky had shattered and revealed the abyss inside. The Duke, Harrison, Eleris, and I all stared blankly at the second meteorological phenomenon that had suddenly occurred. The huge crack in the night sky was just the beginning. Hundreds of beams of light were falling from the abyss. We all knew that it wasn't burning light or flashes, but meteor showers that were burning from friction with the air. It was a meteor shower. 'A meteor shower...?' The Duke muttered in a daze. None of us could have imagined whether this magic existed in reality or not. There was only one person who could use this magic, as if telling us all to die. It must have been a magic spell cast by Lord Druin."