Book 9: Chapter 39: Gift

Book 9: Chapter 39: Gift

This place is

It was a pitchblack space.

I didnt have an inkling about whats in here other than Halt-samas hand that I had been gripping.

Wait a bit. Lumiere.

Halt-sama chanted something.

It wasnt elvish, nor was it the ancient language of runes.

Still, it was an incantation that I heard before.

If I wasnt mistaken

Our surroundings became bright while I was mulling about when I heard that spell.

The ceiling and walls were faintly glowing.

Ah, I remember now.

The Demon King

A huge chair stood in front of us.

It was the throne of Demon King Velt.

In short, this was

The demon kings castle.

No need to worry, Tina. There are no monsters nor demons here.

I turned into battle mode, so Halt-sama reassured me.

The demon king had already been annihilated a century ago, and he didnt have a successor yet.

Regardless, this place was smack in the middle of the Demon Continent, the place teeming with countless monsters.

Even if he told me not to worry, theres no way I could let down my guard.

Indeed, there was no hint of a monsters presence, but

Eh?

W-What?

I-Is it true that there are no monsters here?

There were a few, but the number was extremely low.

At any rate, it seemed that not a single demon could be found inside this demon kings castle.

I tried extending the scope of my magic detection to cover the entire demon continent, but I only managed to find just a smattering of monster herds.

W-what on earth happened here!?

The demon continent had a place where magical ley lines protrude out of the earth, flooding the atmosphere with mana.

It was for this reason that the monsters ratio of spontaneous generation was extremely high.

This demon castle stood right in the middle of it.

Thats why it was quite unimaginable that not a single monster could be found here.

Even if there was no demon king at present, this continent should still be teeming with monsters, originally.

I go here regularly to destroy the monsters. I marked the throne room with a teleportation circle so I can go right away to defeat the demon king if it appears.

Even if the situation turned for the worst, and no hope was in sight, I wanted to be with Halt-sama until the end.

And so, I would never leave his side if he wanted to go somewhere dangerous.

...Got it. Ill take you with me from now on. Of course, I will definitely protect you, Tina.

It seemed that he noticed I wouldnt back down.

Yes. Its a promise, alright? You absolutely promise, right!?

Yes. I promise.

Halt-sama was previously the Guardian Hero.

I was sure that he would become stronger because he had to protect me.

No matter what happened, he would definitely find a way to survive with me.

By the way, did you take me all the way here to let me know that youre preparing to defeat the demon king?

Halt-sama had been doing everything to humor me today, starting last night.

I said a lot of things, so it seemed like we quarreled for a bit, but I dont think he took me here for that reason.

I got scolded by Tina for a bit, butSee, this is also one of the places in our memories, right?

He was right.

This was the place where I had the saddest memory of Halt-sama.

However, as miserable as it was, this was also the place where I started to harbor hope for our future.

So, let me say this again.

This was the place where Haruto-sama bid me farewell.

It was right here,

I had been bawling my eyes out after Haruto-sama disappeared, and it was also here that he returned to me.

He did vanish again right after that, but he promised me that he would return one day.

And he did.

Im back, Tina.

Welcome back, Haruto-sama.

So unfair.

I couldnt stop the tears streaming down my face.

Halt-sama hugged me tightly.

I also embraced him with all I got.

I would never be separated from you again.

From here on, for the rest of my life

I would forever stay by his side.

I wanted to give this to Tina here.

Halt-sama showed me a magical tool set with a red gemstone.

It was an object that Haruto-sama gave me when he left a hundred years ago.

It was also the magical tool that had been broken by Halt-samas magic.