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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Luna’s eyes trembled, reflecting the fear that had taken root within them.
I knew it was a cruel ordeal for Luna, who had yet to mature mentally.
But Luna wasn’t just an ordinary person, she was the Hero.
She had to make a choice.
“Luna, draw your Holy Sword. Eliminate that Demon Lord.”
“M-Mister…! I-I can’t… How can I stab someone with a sword…!”
Someone.
Did she really think that?
Even after seeing what she had seen?
“Look at her. Thousands of needles are piercing her body, yet she’s still alive. Does that look like a person to you?”
Rust was nothing more than a creature made of demonic energy.
A wicked being who would slaughter humans if left alive.
A demon disguised in human form.
That was what a Demon Lord was.
I decided to tell Luna the truth.
“If you don’t eliminate her with your Holy Sword here, she will resurrect. And then she’ll slaughter your family, just like the Demon Lord of Greed did. It’s a predetermined future. The reason why you, as the Hero, are always accompanied by the presence of a Demon Lord… That is your reality.”
“D-Demon Lord… And the reason you called me the Hero…”
“I don’t lie, Luna.”
The puzzle pieces were falling into place.
Even without completing the entire puzzle, the outline of the picture was emerging, making it possible to guess what the complete picture would be.
No matter how naive Luna was, she would understand what this puzzle pointed towards.
I said to Luna firmly,
“You are the Hero. That is an undeniable truth.”
“N-No way… I-I’m the Hero…? M-Mister, you’re lying… I can’t be the Hero…”
Denying it wouldn’t change reality.
“I told you. You are the Hero.”
“H-How can I believe that…!! How can you suddenly tell someone who’s been farming in a village their whole life that they’re the Hero…!!”
“Didn’t I tell you? I don’t lie, Luna.”
“U-Ugh…”
Was her head spinning?
Luna looked dazed, but whether she accepted it or not wasn’t important right now.
‘I need to pierce Lust’s heart with the Holy Sword before she dies from the needles.’
I couldn’t let her resurrect.
We didn’t have time.
So I couldn’t give Luna time to gather her thoughts, as much as I wanted to.
“You are the one who must kill the Demon Lord, Luna. Draw your Holy Sword quickly.”
“B-But… I-I understand that I have to kill the Demon Lord… b-but how do I draw the Holy Sword…? It only appeared when she tried to rewind time.”
“I don’t know for sure either, but maybe it’ll appear if you call it. Try calling it in your heart.”
Nod-
Luna nodded at my words.
Then, she closed her eyes for a moment and focused.
Just as the blood dripping from my eye reached my mouth, leaving a metallic taste…
Luna’s chest started to glow, and a bright light filled the dungeon.
A sword began to materialize in the air.
‘…Is that the Holy Sword? It seems to possess holy power, but…’
There was an ominous aura surrounding it.
Meanwhile, Rust, upon seeing the Holy Sword appear before her, started screaming in agony.
It seemed she sensed her own demise.
“H-Holy Sword…?! W-Why does that little chick have the H-Holy Sword…!! N-No… T-This can’t be…!!”
“It won’t change anything even if you struggle. Die in agony, Rust.”
The Holy Sword was a blade that eradicated evil.
If it pierced the heart of a Demon Lord, it would completely erase them from existence, preventing them from resurrecting.
Not even a speck of dust would remain.
‘That’s what the previous Hero’s records stated…’
Estia, as the Saintess, could handle the final purification.
We just needed to prevent Rust from taking her own life.
I moved behind Luna and grabbed her arm, intending to control her movements.
“It’ll be difficult for you since it’s your first time. I’ll help you.”
“M-Mister… I-I’m scared… C-Can’t we just not do this…?”
“If you stop because you’re scared, that Demon Lord will slaughter innocent people.”
Endure the weight.
Nurture your responsibility.
Until you become a true Hero.
I’ll share the burden with you for now.
I grabbed Luna’s arm and guided it towards the Holy Sword, making her grasp the hilt.
“U-Ugh… Ah…”
As soon as her hand touched the Holy Sword and the tip pointed towards Rust, Luna trembled, her arm shaking with fear.
The tremor transferred to me, making my entire body shake.
I said to Luna, trying to reassure her,
“Calm down, Luna. Just close your eyes and I’ll take care of it.”
“U-Ugh…”
Even if she whimpered, we couldn’t stop.
The moment we entered this dungeon the outcome was already decided.
So I couldn’t give Luna any time to process her emotions, as much as it pained me.
I guided Luna towards Rust, manipulating her movements.
Rust, in her battered state, screamed at us,
“Y-You-!! You rotten bastards-!! Do you really think you can eliminate me, the Queen of the Night-?! If I’m eliminated, the other Demon Lords will notice and take action-!! They’ll massacre humans-!! Are you okay with that-?!”
“I’m okay.”
“Wh-What-!? B-Brother, are you crazy-?? You’re saying it’s okay for humans to die-??!”
“No.”
It was inevitable that humans would die, we could only strive to minimize the casualties.
The ending was predetermined, we could only do our best in the process.
I guided Luna’s hand, positioning the tip of the Holy Sword against Rust’s throat.
“I’d love to inflict more pain, but the children are watching, so I’ll refrain. So, deliver this message.”
To the Demon Lord of Envy.
Tell him that the Hero’s party will come for him and that they will kill him.
Grasping Luna’s trembling hand that held the Holy Sword…
“U-Ugh… M-Mister… I-I can’t… d-do this…”
“Stay still. Keep your eyes closed.”
I plunged the Holy Sword into Rust’s heart.
Plunge-
A scream ripped through the dungeon, and Rust’s body began to fade.
It was a sign of her demise.
“A-Ah…!!! How could I…!!! I finally reached the rank of Demon Lord…!! Ah, ah…”
“I don’t care about your past, selling your body. Shut up and disappear.”
“H-Hmph… It’s a shame… With that much life force, brother… You could have reached the top ranks among the Demon Lords…”
Shut up.
Stop talking with that voice.
But… I wanted to hear more.
I wanted to hear it a little longer, since I would never hear it again.
It was a contradictory emotion.
‘Damn it…’
And so, the Demon Lord of Lust’s form faded away, scattering into ashes on the ground.
The thousands of needles that had pierced her also vanished as she disappeared.
This was the best outcome I could achieve, even at the cost of my left eye.
As soon as Rust’s presence disappeared completely, Luna collapsed to the ground, trembling.
Thud-
“U-Uwaah… Ah… M-Mister… T-The feeling in my h-hand… It’s still there… U-Ugh..!!”
Cough, cough-
Luna gagged, her face contorted in pain.
I also struggled when I first killed a monster.
I thought I’d never get used to it, but I adapted quite easily.
“U-Ugh… I-It… plunged in… Ugh… I-I hate it… I-I never want to do that again…”
“…Still.”
You endured it well.
Luna.
I gently stroked her head.
It must have been a heavy burden for Luna, who wasn’t fully developed yet, but she persevered without breaking down.
I rarely gave praise, but today, I wanted to shower her with it.
“You did well, Luna. There will be more of this in the future, so next time, do it with your own hands.”
“Y-You’re saying… I-I have to do this with my own hands…? J-Just thinking about it… makes me want to puke… Ugh..!!”
Luna gagged again.
As I watched her, I felt a presence behind me.
It was Hare.
“M-Mister… Is your eye… okay…?”
She looked at my left eye with worry in her eyes.
I could no longer see with it, but it was worth it since I was able to eliminate the Demon Lord.
Hare started crying as she looked at my covered left eye.
Drip, drip-
“M-Mister… Sob… Y-Your eye… Wh-Why did it become like that…? Sob…”
“It’s okay because it served its purpose, Hare.”
“I-If we… w-were stronger… M-Maybe you wouldn’t have… h-had to do that…?”
“…”
I didn’t respond to her words.
If the Hero’s party had been capable enough, I wouldn’t have had to sacrifice myself.
It was the truth.
‘If the children had grown properly, I wouldn’t have had to resort to this method.’
However, the children faced a Demon Lord without any injuries.
This experience would definitely be valuable for their growth in the future.
The more they experienced, the stronger they would become as adventurers.
I patted Hare’s head as she sobbed.
“Sniff… I’m sorry… I-I’m sorry for being a burden… I-It’s because we’re weak…”
“…It’s okay. It won’t be a problem. Saten, you’re okay too, come here.”
Saten stared at me with an emotionless expression.
I had no idea what she was thinking, but…
She didn’t seem willing to approach me.
‘I wonder what she’s thinking…’
As for my eye…
I was prepared for it, so the impact wasn’t that great.
It would just be a little inconvenient in daily life and battles.
‘…For now, we need to wrap things up.’
In order to return home we needed to finish this.
Leaving behind Luna, who was gagging on the ground…
I walked towards Estia, who was still unaware of her surroundings.
It was time for her, the Saintess, to complete the final step.
“Estia.”
“He, hehe…?”
“…You’re not in any condition to move, so I’ll carry you.”
Heave-ho-
I scooped Estia up and carried her to the spot where the Demon Lord of Lust had been.
There was a pile of ashes, emanating a foul demonic aura.
‘…It said that if left alone, another Demon Lord could be born from it after thousands of years.’
The previous Hero, worried about the birth of new Demon Lords, purified the ashes with the Saintess’s power.
However, he failed to defeat the last remaining Demon Lord, leading to the birth of new Demon Lords.
So it was considered a failure.
‘The previous Hero’s journal said that it was purified with the Saintess’s power…’
…Was this the only way?
I placed Estia, who was drooling, in front of the ashes.
Then, I poured some ordinary holy water on the ashes, as an experiment.
“It doesn’t seem to disappear with ordinary holy water.”
There was a burning smell, but the ashes remained.
So I had to borrow Estia’s power.
“Estia.”
“He, hee, hehe…?”
“…Spit on these ashes. If you do, I’ll give you holy water when we get home.”
“Holy water…? Good…”
Ptooey-
Perhaps she understood my words because Estia drooled all over the ashes.
It was a disrespectful act towards the dead, but it made me feel a little better.
As I watched the ashes disappear with a sizzling sound…
I said to the children,
“…That concludes our dungeon tour. So…”
Let’s go home now.
It’s time to eat.
Luna, traumatized by the feeling of piercing a living being…
Hare, crying while looking at my eye…
Saten, staring at me with an emotionless expression…
And Estia, still lost in her holy water-induced haze…
With the Hero’s party, who had faced their first Demon Lord, I headed towards our home.
Even so…
‘I was prepared for injuries as an adventurer, but…’
It still took some getting used to.
The loss of my left eye… it was something I couldn’t easily adapt to.
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Hated that demon lord