126 The next one is...

A long time ago, the world was in turmoil.

There were conflicts between humans and subhumans, but it was not uncommon for humans to fight each other and subhumans to fight each other.

As the population of a race increases, food and territory are needed.

Therefore, they needed some reason to be hostile.

Humans disliked subhumans simply because some parts of them were similar to those of animals.

The subhumans despised and hated those who had different parts from their own.

Among them, there was a clan called the Unicorns.

At least I did not know what kind of beast I was, I had never seen one.

It must be because no one knew that the name of the family did not include the name of a beast.

There had been clans with horns like goats and deer in the past, but the number of horned people was very small among subhumans, and the minority was a perfect target for exclusion.

It is easy to imagine that the unicorn tribe with only one horn would be surrounded by enemies.

That's why our ancestors chose to flee to the frontier and live in seclusion.

They educated their descendants to be very careful not to be discovered by humans or other sub-humans and to control reproduction so that the tribe would not grow too large.

But the passage of time has degraded everything.

By the time I was born, the threat of humans and sub-humans had diminished, and the number of our clan had grown much more than our ancestors had regulated.

Our clan had grown into a larger village and a larger hunting ground.

I was a bit of a tomboy and always worried my mother, but my father laughed and rejoiced that I would have a good partner in the future.

One day, I was on a long trip when I met a man.

His name was Grest, and he was a humble knight in the service of the human kingdom.

When I first met him, Grest was mortally wounded.

Wounded in a nearby war, he narrowly escaped the enemy but got lost in the forest.

He was attacked by a wild beast, and though he fought it off, the beast never failed to sniff out Grest, who was covered in blood.

He spent many sleepless days wandering in the forest and became very weak.

When I saw the human for the first time, I thought he looked almost exactly the same as us.

Sure, they didn't have horns or tails, but there were others in my family who had lost theirs to beasts.

So I rescued Grest, brought him to the village with my father, and cared for him.

The villagers were surprised at first, but they soon gathered food for the dying Grest, and nursed and cared for him through the night.

Thanks to their efforts, Grest quickly recovered and was able to walk on his own feet.

Greste was so grateful that he thanked her over and over again and left the village.

Although we could not communicate, our feelings were certainly conveyed to him.

Greste's gratitude was genuine, and there was no lie in the tears he shed at the kindness of the villagers.

But a few weeks later, the village was burned to the ground.

The man who burned down the village was a man named Taves.

When Taves, the leader of the Knights, learned of Grest's return, he explained the matter to Wafroi, the king.

Wafroi was the king of a powerful kingdom, and he was showing off his power.

Wafroi was showing off his power as a powerful king of a powerful kingdom, when he heard about a very rare subhuman.

"The one-horned subhuman, who is not in the form of any beast, is a demon who brings bad luck to us humans. It is the duty of all powerful people to extinguish their blood.

He killed my friends, my acquaintances, my family.

They went out in front of the humans to let me go when I was less injured.

They said they had entrusted their future to me, that the survivors would be able to rebuild the village.

I ran as fast as I could, but I ran into a pursuer.

I recognized the face of my pursuer immediately, it was Greste.

Greste's face was completely exhausted, and just seeing his face made me feel as if my heart was somewhat saved.

I'm sure that Grest was just forced to lead us to the village, and his heart must have been as damaged as ours.

More pursuers were closing in behind us.

"Kill me, I know it's hard for you. It may be hard for you, but I will not be killed willingly by these savages.

Even if he didn't understand the words, he was sure that his feelings would be understood.

Greste pondered for a moment and then drew his sword.

But the sword didn't take my life, instead it smashed my horn clean off from the base.

He gave me his own helmet and cloak, hid my horn marks and tail, and protected me as a human being.

It was a desperate measure, but it saved me.

When they saw that I had no horns, they lost interest.

After I had gotten past my pursuers, Grest let me go.

When things cooled down, I returned to the village and found no one alive.

All the bodies had been cut from the neck up.

The humans had taken the horned heads of the unicorns as trophies.

So when they saw me without horns, they must have judged that I had no value as a trophy and did not pursue me.

I remembered the names of all the villagers, so I kept waiting, hoping that I might meet someone I knew.

But no one came back, no matter how long I waited.

I left the site of the village, feeling that I had reached the limit of my strength.

I kept worrying about what to do, but I had never experienced anything like this before, and the only thing I could think of was to turn to someone I knew.

Someone I knew was still alive, Greste.

I scraped the broken corner with a stone and carefully hid it.

He bit the rope and cut off the tail, knowing it would be a problem if it was found.

He wrapped his head in bandages and checked his reflection in the lake.

I laughed dryly as I realized that I was a human being, just like the one who had slaughtered us.

Later, I visited the kingdom of Wafroi.

There were an astonishing number of humans in the city.

Not knowing the human language, I pretended to be mute and wandered around as a beggar.

Even so, many people were kind to me.

They gave me food and sometimes blankets on cold days.

They were no different from us, and I was even confused as to whether we had really been killed by these humans.

Learning a few simple words, I finally found a home for Grest.

He had a wife and children, and a happy home.

I thought I would check on him for a while and call on him when he was alone, so I watched him from outside the window.

Then I noticed that Greste's young child was carrying something.

The child mischievously took something that was on display in the house, and Greste smiled and chided her for it.

It was supposed to be a smiling scene, but my heart quickly went cold.

It was a skull, a unicorn's skull, my mother's skull.

That scar in the corner, you can't mistake it.

The heads that were taken were given as memorials to those who had done the most.

Maybe Greste didn't know it was my mother's head.

But did he not think anything of it when faced with a head with a face similar to mine?

Why is she still laughing at the corpse of the family she destroyed with her own hands?

Humans and subhumans are different, I fully realized at that time.

I stood there in the forest, disappointed.

There is nothing to seek in this world, no reason to continue living in such a world.

I couldn't muster the energy to do what I needed to do to survive.

So, soon after, I became weak and was on the verge of death.

There are beasts around me that are trying to attack me.

The beast would eat my bones, and I would not be humiliated like that.

I wanted to die and I accepted it.

"Well, well, my dying demon child. You're lucky to be alive, or unlucky in your opinion.

Next thing I know, I'm lying in bed with Yugra by my side.

They were only trying to prolong my life, but my body was still weak.

Yugra assured me that if I continued like this, I would die before too long.

I wished I could die like this, but Yugra whispered sweet words to me.

"You've despaired of life, and now you're willing to die. But death is not the only way to end despair. You can do it while you're still alive.　If you have nothing left to lose in life, why don't you take my offer?

I have nothing more to lose, I thought to myself.

So I accepted Yugra's invitation and became the Demon King.

Yugra gave me the power of Annihilation, saying, "Because you need it.

He also gave me language, magic, and knowledge.

But even with all those powers, I was still me.

My despair for the world hadn't changed one bit.

The other Demon Lords had some quarrels, but they showed no intention of getting used to each other.

Then I was released from Yugra, unchanged.

I asked Yugra one last question, how can I end my despair?

"All you have to do is be honest with yourself. But being too honest can be a problem, too. If you want a clue, trace your path again.

Yugra didn't take it seriously.

But I followed his advice and went to the site of the village.

It was an empty, burned-out village, no different from the one I had visited before.

The only thing that had changed was that I had become the Demon Lord.

So I used the power without really thinking about it.

I used necromancy to reanimate the corpses of the villagers who had already been torn apart by the beast, and created the undead.

To my slight surprise, even the heads that were supposed to have been taken were distorted and recreated with earth and stone.

The souls must have vaguely remembered their own forms.

But they would never return to normal, and the miracle of raising the dead is not easy to perform.

He knew this because he had been exposed to resurrection magic.

The people around me were already dead, and forcing their souls back into their corpses and manipulating them was no different than humans humiliating their heads.

When I was about to disarm it, words suddenly leaked out of my mouth.

"Are you sure you want to do this?

Perhaps inspired by Yugra and the Kuro, I was surprised at the words I had spoken.

The undead didn't answer, but could there be an end to this?

I have been given the power, the power to let the dead stay in this world and give them a chance.

I turned all the corpses of the unicorns into undead and headed for the kingdom of Wafroy.

The reaction of the humans was quite remarkable.

All humans reacted simply with fear or hostility.

The first time they faced the undead, who regenerated over and over again, they died one by one and created new undead.

After burning and destroying a village, Taves was surrounded by the undead of knights and devoured alive.

Wafroi, who called the unicorns demons and ordered them to be eradicated, was surrounded by the undead of the unicorn tribe and eradicated when he tried to escape with his family.

While the remaining humans of the kingdom were being overrun by the undead one by one, I was reunited with them for the third time.

It was Grest, who was trying to protect his wife and child from the undead.

When Grest found me and realized that I was the cause of this situation, he threw down his sword and begged me.

"I will give you my life, but only my wife and child. It may be unforgivable, considering what I did to your family. But I saved you then, so save what little life you have left.

I sent the undead around Grest and the others back.

I then handed Grest the sword he had thrown away again and said.

You saved me by making me less subhuman. Then I'll save you by making you less human. Whether you live after that is up to you.

He stared at the undead around him, his teeth quivering, and told his remaining wife and children, "It will be all right," before killing himself.

I pondered for a moment, Grest had certainly committed a crime, but he had shown good faith.

The direct cause of his death was already dead, so I was about to leave.

But then Greste's wife murmured something that put him out of his misery.

"I wish I'd died then, you monster.

In the end, I made Greste undead as promised and ordered him not to attack the other undead.

Grest then devoured his wife and child, and the kingdom of Wafroy fell.

The undead of the clan were returned to their villages and released.

"Those who wish to stay may do so.

All the undead demanded to be released from necromancy, even my father and mother's undead did not communicate with me in any way.

I thought I was helping them to get rid of their grudge, but I'm sure the torment of being called back by necromancy was even more bitter.

Still, he got his revenge.

But nothing remains, nothing has changed, nothing has been born.

Nothing, nothing.

I wanted to die again.

Even with all this power, I couldn't end my despair.

"Oh, are you going to die after all?

Just then, Yugra reappeared.

Yugra said he was just passing by, but he was probably watching the commotion I had caused.

Yugra laughed and said.

'But unfortunately, the resurrection spell is still on your soul. If you die now, you'll come back.

I regretted that I had thought that I had nothing to lose.

Yugra had taken death, the end, from me.

I begged Yugra to kill me.

You can't give death to someone who's lost it, just as you can't bring back someone who's lost life. You can't give death to someone who has lost death.　I'm sorry, I don't feel like I can do that because I haven't studied it at all.

Yugra, Kuro, and the other Demon Lords didn't have a way to completely kill me as a Demon Lord.

I had to live in this desperate world forever.

I searched and searched for a way to die, but I got nothing.

Still, I wanted to die, I wanted to die, but I couldn't.

In desperation, I decided to give up everything.

All I wanted was to die.

That's when "purple" told me that if I became a threat to humans, there might be someone who could destroy you.

I did not hesitate to begin my invasion of the humans, even though it was a transparent attempt to take advantage of my desire to die.

I thought that with the cruelty of humans, there might be a small chance of that happening.

I thought that if someone like Yugra held a grudge against me, he would create the means to destroy me.

By that time, I was surrounded by three of the same undead.

Grest, the saved.

Taveth, the destroyer.

Wafroi, the one who commanded.

I could not allow myself to live on.

So I decided to keep the three symbols that had turned my life into despair until I died.

I'm sorry I'm dying, but I'm in your way, so I'll see you later.

In the end, I was still inferior to the Kuro and Purple as a threat to humans, and my invasion was stopped by Yugra. 　

Even in the resurrected world, there was no way for me to die.

In response to Scarlet's invitation, I resumed my previous imitation: .......

Aha, this is not how I want to die.

Somebody, please.

Please let me die.

◇

The Blue Demon King is glaring at me with hatred.

The blue demon king is glaring at me with hatred, perhaps because I brought up the subject of my past and the scene from that time is popping up in his mind.

What does it matter what you know about my past?　Do you feel sorry for me?　Then let me die!

I don't pity you. Even if you tell me your story, I'm not capable of understanding the despair and pain you've experienced.

The blue demon king who has lived for so many years without being able to get death even if he wanted to, there's no way you can simply say that you can understand the darkness in his heart.

It is impossible to say that we can easily understand the darkness in his heart. Even if our compatriots can understand his psychological situation, they cannot fully understand the weight of it.

He taught me how to make the Blue Demon King die, and even gave me his name.

That's the same as telling me to kill the Blue Demon Lord.

But still...

"Then--

I don't want to kill you.

The only thing I can't do, and don't want to do, is kill the Blue Demon King and get it over with.

...... What, you don't want to kill poor me, it's not pity after all.

"No, I don't know what this is. No, I don't know what this is. I've never had this feeling before, so I can't really describe it. But I suppose I owe you an explanation.

Until I came to this place, my only priority was to capture the Blue Demon King and stop his invasion.

So when the time comes, I don't know what to say. .......

I'm not like my countrymen, I can't sway them with words.

But I can understand the Blue Demon Lord's feelings in some ways.

I was kidnapped by a demon as a child and raised to be a force against humans. The demon that raised me was my only guide, and I lived my life honestly. But one day that demon died, without a trace. I lost sight of the value of my life. Still, I was trying to find value in my life until now. At that time, I was ...... more or less like you.

When my father, Beguragyud, was destroyed by Lakra, I was unable to find any value in my life until now.

Even so, I felt that everything would end if I decided that my life was worthless, and I was desperately trying to regain its value.

One day, his plan had a better result than he had hoped for. I can say that I got my revenge on the person I wanted to get revenge on. I've succeeded in making my life worth living.

What's that, you're not proud of ......!

But I hadn't thought about anything beyond that. So I decided that enough was enough, and I was going to accept it even when I was dying.

......

"But then something small changed that. Do you know what that was?

I don't know!

It was greed, I was happy to prove my worth. But I thought that beyond that, beyond living, I could further increase my value. I refused to accept death because I didn't want to be beaten, because I knew I could do better.

Oh, my dear, I have never had such a desire.

Yeah, that's why. That's why I don't want to kill you. I don't want to kill you because you've never had any greed in your life, but you despair of the world and wish for death.

Wishing for death is not greed, it's just an escape to give up and end it all.

I'm not saying that it's completely wrong to be hopeless and despairing and to choose death.

There may be some hearts that are saved by choosing death, but it is too early for the Blue Demon King.

The time you've lived is much longer than mine, but the time you've wished to live must be shorter than mine.

"You tried to end despair when you became a demon lord, but all you did was create revenge and misery. You haven't tried to find hope.

"What hope is there in this world?　What hope is there in a world full of despair?

At least I have hope. I believe my life has a future. So I don't want someone who denies all hope in front of me to die knowing nothing but despair.

Yes, this is indignation.

I've met many people, including my own people, and experienced many things.

And I've found a new purpose in life.

I don't want to have my potential crushed by being told that I can't do what I could have done when I was raised by a demon and couldn't live as a decent human being.

You don't know that!

"I don't know that!" "So I want you to find it, your desire, your hope. Why don't you give yourself that time?　Give yourself the time to wish for death, to find a way not to wish for it. I don't want you to die with nothing but despair in your heart. This is my ego, I just can't allow you to die the way I personally want you to.

"You want me to live just to satisfy you?　Don't be silly!

"I'm not kidding, this is about protecting my way of life. This is about protecting my way of life. It's about believing there's hope for a man like me. So I'll do everything I can to help you. If you still can't find hope, I'll return your name to .......

I've been suffering through the despair of this world for hundreds of years, and what do you think you'll gain in a few decades or so by helping me?　How can I trust you in the first place?

The way to believe is simple.

Then tell me!

Turn me into your demon tribe.

"What?

I've heard it from other Demon Lords. The Demon Lord can give instructions and orders to the demons born in his Demon Realm. And he can give even more powerful orders to the demons he creates.

The unique class of demons that have grown out of spontaneous generation can rebel, as the Purple Demon King did.

However, demons can only be created with the consent of the other party, and that is where the power of the contract comes into play.

That's why the Demon Lord can exercise absolute command over the demons.

I'm sure you're not going to get a chance to use it since you've accepted to serve them for the rest of your life. The Purple Demon King said, "I don't think you'll have a chance to use it.

"Are you insane?

"Sane, all you have to do is order me not to betray you. I'll give you me as a bargaining chip to stop the invasion.

"...... You're insane, all I have to do is order you to tell me your name and it's over.

You can use that order eventually, but first you have to make me believe in you.

The Blue Demon King stared at me and fell silent.

The time is almost up, and I have already signaled my people with the lightning spell I cast the first time.

If he could see the signal, he should have arrived by now.

If so, my people will take the lead in these negotiations, and when they do .......

I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one who has a problem with this. And with the reanimation spell on top of that, you can't mess with that.

I'm not going to do anything like that. I'm more worried about you failing.

You're right.

I guess he's willing to negotiate for now.

The Blue Demon King's restraints are released, and he wobbles slightly, but doesn't seem to do anything immediately.

After a while, he walks over to you.

He takes off the glove of his right hand and holds it out to you, palm up.

Give me your right hand.

......

He does as he is told and holds out his right hand in the same manner.

The Blue Demon King grabbed my right hand, as if slightly annoyed, and made me turn my palm down.

"You point it at me!　And take my hand!

"Oh, oh.

The blue demon king is on the left.

The Blue Demon King creates a thin needle with ice magic on his left, looks at my face and says.

"I'm going to stab you.

"Where?

"Where?" "Your hand, of course!

Then he swings the needle vertically down to the hand he is still shaking.

The needle goes through both of your hands.

It hurts, but not that much.

When the Blue Demon King pulls out the needle, blood flows from both of their right hands.

The Blue Demon King's blood feels slightly cooler, but it's unmistakably human temperature.

It's a strange sensation to have our blood mixed with each other's.

As I looked at my right hand, the Blue Demon Lord's right hand began to glow blue.

I tell you, do you accept the blood of the Blue Demon Lord and make your body a permanent subordinate?

"Oh.

"Then tell me thy name, and I will give thee my word of allegiance.

"My name is Ecdysius Saruf. I leave my time in your hands, Blue Demon Lord.

At the moment of my declaration, a huge amount of magic power flows from the Blue Demon Lord's right hand into my right hand.

The same magic power as the magic power of the demon world, the unique magic power of the Blue Demon King, is circulating around my body.

My body is hot, my skin, my flesh, my bones, my flesh and blood all seem to have heat.

My body is being melted.

My body was melted and now it's being forcibly rebuilt.

This is what it must feel like to be treated like that, and it is.

I can feel the magic power like a sludgy liquid overflowing from the bottom of my body.

The pain all over my body would make an ordinary person faint at this point, but after a certain point, it stops.

"Huh, huh, ...... is over?

The mutation of the body is still to come, but the interference with the soul is over.

You can't see the details of the change in your appearance without looking in the mirror, at best your skin has become slightly darker.

On the inside, ...... I don't know much either.

But his whole body is very heavy, and once he falls asleep, he is likely to stay asleep for a long time.

"Now you can give me orders?

...... Yes, you can.

Then tell me what you want me to do.

This is not a relief.

As the Blue Demon King himself said earlier, if you get the name out of the order, then all is lost.

The Blue Demon King might use that name to break the resurrection spell, or he might even use it as a further order to strike me down with my own people.

It's a pity that I couldn't give the Blue Demon King a chance, but I'm sure my brethren will be able to deal with me if I betray them alone.

I was easily outdone by Lakra in locating this place, and I'm sure he'll be happy to lead me on if I'm the one who became a demon.

The blue demon king stared at me and slowly opened his mouth.

I'm not sure what to say, but I'm going to try.

...... No, I guess I'm not good enough.

I'm sorry, compatriot.

I'm sorry, compadre, and I hope you never have to speak it.

......

What do you say?

...... Could you be a little more forceful?

I don't know if he used a command, but my body doesn't respond.

I was expecting a reflexive movement of the body, a forceful action on the mind.

Why are you talking back to me?

No, I'm doing my best. ...... And I told you to give me orders.

I did!

But I can't seem to get any compulsion to do anything about it.

...... That's enough!

The Blue Demon King let go of her hand and turned away.

No, it's not good.

A promise is a promise, you should follow the proper procedure.

Halfway is not good. Can you give me a proper order?

I told you I'm doing it!　I'm telling you, I'm doing it! - You're not enforcing the order because you really want to do it!　That's why I said no more!

What's that supposed to mean?

You're saying that I've conveyed my sincere desire to make an effort.

If that's good enough for you, then .......

"Well, I guess I deserve to be believed.

Ekduik Sarf, crawl on the ground!

Oh, no!

Suddenly, my body is sucked into the ground, and there is so much pressure that my whole body is sinking into the ground.

It's as if you can't move. Is this the power of the demon king's command? .......

But why all of a sudden, oh, you actually gave me an unexpected command to prove your compulsion?

It's so powerful, you can untie me now.

Keep doing that for a while!

I wondered if I had offended him in some way, the human mind is a difficult thing.

.

I'm not sure what you mean, but that modulation was definitely a demonization ritual.

I'm not sure what to make of this.

I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what's going on.

I know that Exoik is very good at manipulating magic, but I don't think he knows enough to interfere with the contract magic when he becomes a demon.

No, it's possible if he gets the knowledge from the people of the planet Yugra?

But right after that, Exoik was knocked down to the ground.

I'm pretty sure that was the demon king's way of ordering the demons around. ...... Did the negotiations fail?

What should we do? Should we go back? No, but we need to know more about the situation.

I'm not sure what to make of this.

If we get close enough to hear the sound, there's a chance that Exoik will detect us again, so we'll have to wait and see.

"Guh!

You'll find a knife in your shins when you look at the pain in your right leg.

It's a throwing knife that you can buy anywhere, and you've been attacked!

If you've already been captured, you'll have to abandon this body--

"Uh-uh?

I'm not sure what to do.

It's ...... Oh no, it's poison.

If you have a small body, the poison will spread quickly, and your body will quickly lose its functions and fall to the ground.

The only things that are relatively safe are the ability to think, hear, and smell, and the sense of touch is ...... a little better.

You can't build magic, some kind of paralyzing poison.

Your muscles are so relaxed that you can't even breathe properly.

"Well, your friend was right!

A woman's figure appears in my field of vision, is this some kind of disguise magic used by the dark forces?

I'm not sure if she's a member of any country's dark forces, but she looks more like an adventurer to me.

And the knife ornaments he's wearing, they look like they belong to the royal family of Taze. .......

I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one who's had it.

I was wary that a knife with a little more value would have some effect, but I was caught off guard by a knife that could be bought with a child's allowance.

As was the case with the Archbishop of Ucka, I should break this habit of pride when I see something of low quality.

The woman walked up to me, turned me on my back, and forced me to open my mouth.

I think it was the back right tooth.　But I don't know how to get it out. ...... Well, you can just pull the tooth out!

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

It was fortunate that the poison had numbed most of my sense of pain, but it was still quite painful.

It's a good thing that you're not the only one who has a problem with this.　It's a good thing I'm not the only one who knows how to search for things.

She hummed as she examined my clothes and took my belongings one by one.

This woman, who seemed to have a vocation as a peddler, examined every inch of my clothes.

She even retrieved an emergency magic stone that I had hidden by sewing the top of my clothes together.

There's too many of them. Wouldn't it be faster to just strip her naked?

I agree with that, but can you please not do it in front of me?

A new male voice, this one was familiar.

I couldn't move my head, but somehow I could move my eyes slowly.

I looked at the man I'd met in Taze, the star people of Yuggra.

The man spoke to me with an expression that I could clearly tell was a fake smile.

"Hello, Raheit, are you happy to see me again?

The man's eyes were far more dull than they had been when we had first met, and they were filled with an uncanny madness that seemed to see right through us.