CH 126

“Well then, Let’s read the {Records Of The Hero’s Story}!” 

“Yeah!”

With a renewed spirit, I led Tia to the table. There, I found the {Records Of The Hero’s Story} and as usual, I picked up the book and opened it.

“N-No! Don’t read it, Ed!”

“!? What’s with you all of a sudden?”

“You cannot breach a maiden’s privacy like this! Ed no ecchi!”

“Haa…?”

When I was reading….about Reil’s life when she was a young maiden, all of a sudden Tia took the book out of my hand. In front of my bewildered face, Tia was snorting, her ears twitching.

“What is it, You didn’t care about it when it was Rebecca…”

“Did you say something?”

“No? Nothing?”

Tia stared at me, and I hurriedly turned away and whistled. After a few moments of awkwardness, Tia finally put the book back on the table.

“Yes, you can read it from here.”

“–What the hell was written…”

“No! You have to hear this from the person herself! If you try to sneak and read it behind my back, I’ll scribble ‘Incarnation Of Eros” on your back, okay?”

“Ugh, I don’t want that. … Okay, I’ll not read the previous pages.”

Trembling at the incredibly terrible penalty of being socially obliterated, I looked at the part of the book which I had been given the permission to read. It was just after we had defeated the Demon King, and it was also the last section of this book.

–The Final Chapter: Peace and War in the 007th world {Records Of The Hero’s Story}

The hero Riel and her party defeated the Demon King, but the two companions who had fought with her had died in the fierce battle against the Demon King. The people of the world mourned for them, and together with the Saint Reil, they were recognized as Saints of the Arlene cult, and their names and figures were passed down from generation to generation.

The loss of their common enemy, the Demon King, combined with the large armies that they organized to defeat him, led to several wars, but under the command of the Hero Riel, the followers of the Arlene faith united. The scale of the wars was suppressed by their efforts to maintain security, and for the next 50 years, the world was able to enjoy a degree of peace and tranquility, while keeping tensions hidden behind the scenes.

When peace was finally won through the shedding of a great deal of blood, people desired the blood of others so that they will break it themselves. It is said that in his later years, Riel sarcastically remarked, “The Demon King I know is much better than this,” but she never told whether it was true or not.

“This girl…”

After reading the contents, I had an indescribable look of reluctance on my face. I see, if the human side was too enthusiastic, after defeating the Demon King, there would be a surplus of military power and war would ensue…. But then again, it would be better to have strong reinforcements to defeat the Demon King. However, it’s not right to secretly manipulate the army after defeating the Demon King.

“I can think of things to reflect on right away, but I’m not sure how to reflect on them.”

“Well, this is what it is, isn’t it? It’s the choice of those who live in that world, so it’s arrogant to think that we’re responsible for it, isn’t it? ”

“It’s not exactly satisfying, but yeah, I guess so…”

We were strangers to that world, and it would be presumptuous of us to take responsibility for the state of the world after we left. But, keeping in mind that there will be such things in the future, it might be a good idea to leave a little advice before we leave.

“Well then, all that’s left to do is to ….the new ability, yes! Hey Ed, you said earlier that your banishing skills are the power of the Demon King, right? Why would a power so similar to that be available to me?”

“……….. yeah why is that?”

I turned my head to look at Tia, who asked me why she could use something similar to my banishment skills . I couldn’t think of any reason why Tia……. would be able to use something close to the Demon King’s power that I’ve regained through my banishment skills 

To wield the power of the Demon King, you need his soul. If that was the case, it would not be possible to lend the power to anyone else, and since there was only one soul, in effect, no one but me could use it.

Then why was Tia able to use it? The most likely possibility is ……

“….No No No No No, That’s not right, I don’t know.”

“Hmm? Did you come up with something?”

“Hmm, it’s not like I thought of something, or rather, I had a flash of an absolutely impossible possibility…”

“What? Tell me?”

“To use the power of the Demon King, you need the soul of the Demon King. The soul of a person cannot mix with the soul of the Demon King in living state. The only time there’s a chance of mixing is when the soul leaves the body and when it inhabits a new body, that is, when it dies and when it’s born. And since we’re both alive, that means the only inevitable possibility is if a new life is born between me and Tia. ….”

“……!? Ed no ecchi!”

“Guha!”

Tia’s fist, her face bright red, exploded at the tip of my nose. I felt sparks coming out of my eyes, but even so, Tia’s fist didn’t stop.

“Idiot! Pervert! Pervert! Don’t tell me you did something weird while I was sleeping!?”

“Ow, ow, ow! No, no, no, no! That’s not true! This is the only possibility I can think of, but I noticed a contradiction in it since I haven’t done anything, so it made me realize it must be something else!”

“…Really? If it’s a lie, I’ll get really angry, you know?”

“I swear! I swear!”

Tia’s fist, which was beating me, lost its momentum, and finally, peace returned to my face.

“…… I get it, I believe you. No, I know Ed would never do such a thing, but I can actually use your powers, so ….what does that really mean?”

“I don’t know. I’m sure there are still plenty of things I don’t understand even though I’ve regained a little bit of my memory as the Demon King. It might be different if I could regain all my powers and memories.”

“I see. … So I guess our course of action from here on out will be to defeat the Demon King and recover your power and memories in every world we go to?”

“Yeah, That’s what we’re going to do for now. Of course, if we come up with a better idea during the course of the trip, we will consider changing course. In short, we will maintain a high degree of flexibility and respond flexibly in light of the situation at hand.”

“….? Is that any different than just doing whatever comes to mind?”

“No, it’s not! Mainly in terms of coolness or persuasiveness!”

“………………….., I guess so.”

Tia, who had placed her hand on the crystal ball and made it glow, walked straight to the new door. I hurriedly followed her back, but somehow I felt Tia’s attitude was cold.

“W-What’s with the cold attitude? Did I say something weird?

“Nothing!! I just thought… fufu, Ed is Ed after all.”

“…Is that a compliment ? Or are you making fun of me?

“I’m making fun of you”

(T/N: “エドにしてるのよ” this is the sentence I don’t really get why he says that in the next line. If anyone of you know please comment. Thank you)

“A verb?! A new word with my name attached to it is suddenly being created?!”

“You’re a Demon King, you should be able to handle that much. Come on, let’s get out of here.”

“Wait! At least let me take care of my master’s sword! Hey, Tia-san! Take it out, please!”

“Oh, well, there’s nothing I can do about it. …… Here you go”

“Oh, thanks!”

Receiving the [Dawnbreaker] that she took out from the [Single Bank], I repaired it properly in the forge, which I haven’t used much yet. But still, it was the Master’s sword. I was able to slay the Demon King without a hitch, and the blade didn’t even chip.

“Okay, okay, okay. I’ll finish it soon, so please wait a moment.”

“I’m the one who rushed you, but there’s no need to rush. I don’t mind watching you do it.”

Tia, whose expression changed from time to time, now gazed at my work, as if she was in a good mood. I really don’t understand the female mind. Well, I don’t mind if she’s in a good mood.

I was used to taking care of swords, but rough maintenance is a disgrace to a swordsman’s reputation. Listening to Tia humming in a good mood, I polished the [Dawnbreaker] and after confirming that its blade had regained its dawn glow, I walked through the door to a new world with Tia.