Volume 1 - CH 2.1

“―― Come on, kill me――”

In the midst of the wilderness world where I was suddenly summoned, the woman said so with a smile on her face.

To which my response was……

“Eh– Ah– Umm…… Eh….. ?”

“Kill me” ? I mean, where am I ? Who are you ? I was at a loss for words due to the countless questions that were stuck in my head.

Seeing me like this, the woman giggled.

“Oh, did I confuse you ? Then let’s do some walking and talking. This is…… a bit of a bleak place, you see.”

The woman walks away somewhat happily after saying that. Naturally, I was lost. Should I go with such an incomprehensible person? But it’s true that there’s nothing else I can do…… No, but still…..

I pondered this question for some time, until finally I was rushed off my feet.

“Here, Kyouya, hurry up. You’re about to be left behind, aren’t you ?”

“Ah, yes……”

I nodded reflexively, but…… when did I tell her my name ?

Anyway, it was no use being rushed like this. I followed behind the woman while keeping my distance.

“Umu Umu, that’s good. I like obedient children !”

After all, the woman seemed to be in a very good mood. It seems that the woman is not going to be eclipsed anytime soon.

If so, I would try to get some information out of her, …… but then I realized I was in trouble.

“Ah, Umm, Errrr……”

I don’t know the name of this beautiful woman. Is it normal to speak to her as ‘you are’ or something like that? But she seems kind of noble, and I wonder if she would be offended if I didn’t add something like “Something something-sama”…..?

As I was wondering these questions, the woman laughed again, as if she had read my mind.

“Hmm, oh, I see. I’m sorry about this. It is inconvenient for you to not call me by name. It’s been so long, I’d forgotten. But there were so many names to choose from….. Dureganoire, Delmidres, Lanush-Emashuna…… hmmm, which one is better……”

After some hesitation, the woman mentioned a name.

“Well, here we go. “Feriores Fio Niesherg” — I give you special permission to call me “Felice” !”

The woman……, aka Felice, was still in a good mood. What on earth is she enjoying so much ?

“So, Kyouya. I’m sure you have something you want to ask me, don’t you ? In that case, don’t hesitate to ask ! Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on !”

“Um……… so…… This is another world….. It’s a place like that, isn’t it?”

I was in such a hurry that I couldn’t help but ask a stupid question. But Felice answered cheerfully.

“Hmmm, you are a very bright boy to notice that ! Yes, this is a different place from your world ! The name is ……, well, it’s called many things too. The ‘Roots of the Abyss,’ ‘Land of the Faraway,’ ‘Shore of Chaos,’…… Yes yes, the Goddesses called it the 《Abandoned World》.”

At any rate, I could see that it was a bad place.

“Ku-ku-ku. Yes, that’s right. This is the land where it all ends. Everything that can be called life has been destroyed. Only this primordial wilderness continues forever.”

“Um, how did that happen…… ?”

Then Felice laughed like it was nothing.

“It’s a given. I am the one who destroyed it. I annihilated human beings, beasts, demons, and everything that lived. ――After all, I am the Demon King.”

The moment I heard that, a chill ran down my spine.

This beautiful person made the world this way ? To be honest, I don’t really feel it when someone says something like that. The beautiful smile in front of me showed no hostility or malice at all. But at the same time, it didn’t look like she was joking.

The demon king who destroyed the world……Why on earth would she do that ? …… I can’t even ask what I’m thinking right now. I’m sure that no one else would. For example, if there was a mass murderer smiling in front of people, how many people would ask, “Why did you kill those people?” I wonder if I could ask. I don’t have the courage to do so.

So instead, I asked another question.

“Th- Then why does the Demon King…… want me ?”

Why in the world would a demon king who could turn the entire world into a wilderness need to call a mere kid like me ?

And the answer was truly bizarre.

“Mm ? I told you that earlier. ――You’re going to kill me.”

“Ah…… That, were you serious……?”

“Ha-ha-ha! No one would make a joke like that! You say the funniest things!”

I think there are more of them than those who say, in all seriousness, “I am the Demon King who destroyed the world”.”

“I wish I could take care of things myself, but unfortunately I am constrained by the “roots”. It’s a shameful thing to say, but I can’t even commit suicide.”

“Roots……?”

When I tilted my head at the unfamiliar word, Felice put her hand on her chin and said, “Hmmm, how can I explain it …….”

“The soul, the spiritual core, the origin, the spirit….. is the root that forms the being. I have it, you have it. My soul, in particular, was created artificially as a demon king. Therefore, it has many restrictions and cannot die alone.”

Perhaps it was my imagination, but I thought there was a hint of sadness in her voice.

“That’s why I need your help.”

“Bu- But I can’t fight, right ?”

Even if this woman is a self-proclaimed Demon King. I don’t think she can be killed simply by strangling her.

“Ha-ha-ha, don’t worry about that. I will personally train you to the level where you can kill me !”

No, you want to train me to kill …… yourself ? It doesn’t seem like a very sane idea.

At that moment, Felice suddenly stopped in her tracks.

“Look, here we are. Our castle !”

I was told with a smug look on her face, but what I found there was a huge rock. It didn’t look like a castle from any angle.

I wonder if this woman is a lunatic……?

Just then, Felice placed her hand gently on the large rock. ――The next moment, a door-like pattern appeared on the rock surface, and in the blink of an eye, it became a gateway into reality. And beyond the door that opened――

“Ama- Amazing…..”

A seven-colored shining crown, a treasured sword clad in holy light, and a grimoire emitting a disastrous aura next to armor inscribed with intricate spells. The floor is covered with dazzling gold coins, and large diamonds lie here and there like pebbles.

――What awaited us beyond the door was literally a mountain of gold, silver, and treasure.

“The《Hall of All Treasures》 – my treasure house. Here are the hidden treasures of the 3,000 worlds I have destroyed. Everything you need is here. Knowledge, treasure, medicines, and spells….. I will now train you by every means possible. To the point where you can kill me.”

Felice then picks up a ring that had fallen carelessly.

“In the meantime, here. Put this on. It’s a ring that increases your growth rate. And this necklace is also good. You can get the blessing of the evil god. Oh, this is a secret potion that gives you the power of a hermit just by drinking it. It tastes like crap, but don’t complain, okay ? Ku-ku-ku, this is starting to get fun !”

Felice begins to collect fallen items in a good mood. “This one is good, too! Oh, and this too !” She is completely engrossed. I’m sure all you have here is a top-notch treasure trove…… Is it my imagination or does it seem that the value of the items is somehow diminished due to how they are being treated ?

Anyway, Felice had her hands full trying to find items for me. With nothing left to do, I decided to wander around the treasury.

(I mean, how big is this place ……?)

There are four doors in the room the size of a baseball field. The room beyond that is also filled with treasures, and there are doors leading to the next room on all sides. The list goes on and on. I wonder how many treasures are stored in these rooms.

While I was killing time, something caught my eye.

――A sword. It is a very plain sword, with no ornamentation on the hilt or scabbard. Compared to other swords made of pure gold or shining with light, it could be called a piece of junk. It has no self-assertion, and just sits there quietly, buried among the other treasures. Why is it there, even though it is……? I can’t help but be curious about it.

I hesitantly approached the sword and reached for its hilt――.

“――Don’t do it. That’s the 《Ancient Branch of Disaster》….. It is a living demon sword. It is a crystallization of the cursed evil that devours the soul itself. Even I have used it only three times. With what you are now, a single touch will devour every last piece of you.”

I have no idea when she caught up with me, but Felice whispered something terrifying in my ear. I appreciate the help, but…… don’t leave such a dangerous thing there in the first place.

“But you may be quite a man of talent, if you are attracted to this……. Depending on how hard you work, in 300,000 years you may be able to hold this in your hands.”

“Well, aren’t you happy?” She was talking like that, but I didn’t miss a word.

“Heh, three hundred thousand years…… Eh ?! 300,000 years ?”

Was that a mishearing? No, it must be so……. It’s obvious, but…… I asked just to be sure.

“Um, um….. Do you know how long humans live……?”

“Haha, don’t worry. I am well aware of your short life span. As I recall, you only live…… 1,000 years ?”

“….. At most, a tenth of that.”

“Mmm, is that so ? Haha, don’t sweat the small details !”

I don’t think it’s a small detail at all.

“Anyway, don’t worry. Even the flow of time is dead here. It’s about one ten-thousandth of what it was in your world. Rest assured that I will train you to the fullest in this time of stagnation! Incidentally, if you die, I can bring you back to life, and if you go insane, I can fix you up. Everything will be fine !”

Nope, and that’s the reason why it sounds like it’s full of problems.

“But…… I don’t have a lot of time.”

After muttering, Felice smiled greatly again.

“In any case, you must be tired today. I’ve prepared a room for you over there, and we can rest together ! There’s a magic round table with endless feasts and a magic cauldron of hot water that gushes out all by itself ! Today is your welcome party !”

Thus begun my life in another world.

But to be honest, I was full of anxiety at first. Of course, I had no experience with swords or magic. Even my athletic skills are below average. Even if someone says, “I’ll train you,” I don’t have the confidence to go through with the training.

…… But fortunately or unfortunately, this was not the case. The first thing I was assigned to do was to “simply walk”.

According to Felice, “A human being can become a master of any martial art if he or she can move his or her body as he or she pleases, without a single millimeter of deviation.” And to achieve this, Felice says, one must learn “how to move one’s body properly”.

Therefore, training was never physically demanding. For example, I was required to do very routine activities such as “grabbing something,” “standing up and walking,” “chewing food,” and so on. However, Felice was always by his side, constantly monitoring him to see if there was any discrepancy between his intentions and his actions. Apparently, Felice has linked her consciousness to mine through some kind of “Sympathy magic” or something like that. In other words, I am being monitored from the inside, although she seems like a terrifying demon instructor…… but the actual teaching is not that harsh.

Regardless of how much I screw up, Felice never yells at me. What did I do wrong ? How should I be aware of it next time ? She would carefully teach me that every time. Thanks to Felice, I gradually began to understand the correct way to move my body. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that I realized how much I had been divergent in my body movements from what I had imagined. And as my understanding progressed little by little, the difficulty level of the training also increased. A simple walk turned into a run, or actually using swords and spears.

At this point, the training schedule is like “The training”, but the objective remains not to train the body, but to precisely control the body. Yes, what I want to know is simple. How far can I move ? And how far can I move myself ?

No matter how fast I move, how caught off-guard I am, or how exhausted I am, I always move as intended, with no more than 0.01 millimeter error. I just keep on doing that, and I keep on ingraining that in my body and mind.

And then I realized that it had been 100 years since I started…… training.

“Mmm, I think you’re starting to get the hang of it.”

“Eh……? Ah, Is that right….. ?”

One day, I was suddenly told that I had passed the test. I should probably be happy about it, but…… honestly, I didn’t feel it at all. After all, the only benefits that can be felt are that “I don’t fall down on bad footholds anymore,” or “I can pick beans accurately with my chopsticks,” and that’s about it.