Chapter 223 – [Hero] Luella
“From here on out, it’s practically the Demon Castle.”
Ertina said so.
A village directly adjacent to the Demon Castle.
City… Too small to say
“I thought it would be quite big.”
As Seria muttered, it was a really insignificant rural village.
There are no tight guards, no military bases or anything unusual like that.
No, the person itself is invisible before that.
“Is it originally an empty village?”
“… It wasn’t, but everyone seems to have been bitten.”
Are you saying that the villagers were evacuated separately for fear of harm?
I didn’t like the way they pretended to be so meticulous when they started a war just because they were bored.
“The Demon King is such a being. There is no consistent pattern of behavior. At that time, I just live as I want to do…”
A being who is faithful to his desire.
That’s really…
My gaze reached Jeren.
“Hmm?”
He looked at me to see if he noticed his gaze.
“… I can believe that.”
His words that he would not become the Demon King.
I don’t fully trust him, but I still wanted to get a definite answer.
“Of course.”
Seria and Arin stood on either side of him.
Seeing as if they were protecting him, I looked at them for a moment and then looked away.
For a moment, very briefly, I met eyes with Yuni, who was standing next to them in an awkward position, but I immediately looked away.
Now she and I are strangers.
Just being a member of the same party.
“…”
I couldn’t see what kind of expression Yuni was making, but I decided not to care any more.
“What would you like to do?”
“… Let’s go right away.”
I don’t know what I’m going to do now, but I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep comfortably there with the demon castle right in front of me.
“Is it so. Rather…”
“… It is not a problem that can be solved by worrying more.”
I haven’t been able to find a suitable solution yet.
However, it was not a problem that would come out of worrying so easily in the first place, and I did not intend to waste time until I found the answer.
“Are you really okay? If you go without any preparation, the same ending as before…”
“Then is there any good way?”
Seria kept her mouth shut at my question.
“I know what you are worried about. But… I don’t think it’s a problem that can be solved by worrying more.”
“Is it persimmon?”
At Arin’s words, I nodded.
“… It feels right.”
“I am not sure, but… I don’t know. Now that even the most certain thing has been shaken, I can’t say anything.”
I think I was shocked to hear that there is no goddess, but she looks more normal than I thought.
Is it because Jeren comforted her?
Aside from the fact that her complexion was a bit dark, her condition didn’t look too strange.
Uni is…
“… Do you have something to say?”
She shook her head.
“Then let’s go.”
We stepped into the village.
The Demon Castle was in the center of the village.
I don’t know if it was there from the beginning, or if it just popped up one day.
But it was hard to believe that such a gloomy castle had ever existed.
“The last name is the same, but… The location is different. It’s probably just the location that changes each time.”
Seeing Ertina say that, she is probably closer to the latter.
“I remember the internal structure, so if it didn’t change, I could go straight to the center…”
When she stopped talking, I followed her gaze and looked straight ahead.
The road to the Demon King.
Opposite us stood Ruella.
“… Louella.”
“What are you doing now?”
Ertina fired at her.
“This is an order from the demon king himself, whom you love so much, do you intend to reject it?”
“… No.”
She murmured in a somber tone.
“If the Demon King wants it, I can’t help it either.”
It was definitely a more relaxed attitude than before.
But if you really didn’t intend to stop us, you wouldn’t be standing in the middle of the road like this.
I put my hand on the handle of the sword in case something goes wrong.
“I want to ask.”
Saying that, Luella looked at me.
“Is there a way?”
“… How?”
“How to break free.”
There is no specific way.
In fact, even now, the thought that it may be futile springs up every moment.
What the hell are you going to do without a way?
It keeps thinking like that.
Of course, common sense makes sense.
If you go in without any countermeasures, there is no way you will succeed.
But… Still, I felt I had to go.
“No.”
“Then I can’t send you.”
“… Why?”
When I asked, slightly frowning her, she hardened her expression.
“… I don’t want to see the demon lord die meaninglessly.”
“Luella, you…”
“Ertina, didn’t you try to obey the Demon King at one time too? Do not disturb.”
Could this be her last loyalty?
Her loyalty seemed mixed with a lot of other emotions, but at least it was clear that she didn’t want the demon king to die in vain.
“If the hero is defeated again and a new demon king appears, what on earth is the demon king living for?”
“…”
“Show me. That you deserve to face the Demon King.”
It is unnecessary.
There is no reason to fight her in a place like this.
But…
“Everyone please step back.”
I stopped them preparing for battle.
“… What?”
“You don’t have to fight alone!”
“The time to deal with something like that…”
They were flustered and helped one by one.
That’s right.
There is no need for me to deal with her now, and there is no reason for her to watch her match alone.
“… Are you ignoring me?”
“No, I want you to understand.”
“What did you say?”
Louella frowned.
“Your wish is that you don’t want the demon king to die in vain, right?”
At my words, Ertina looked at me with surprised eyes, as if she felt something in her.
Ruella also was silent for a moment, as if she had felt something from my words.
And as a warrior, I answered her wishes.
“That wind, I will listen.”
“… Haha.”
Louella laughed weakly.
“For the first time… You look like a warrior.”
Then, he glanced at Ertina for a while.
“Is that you too?”
“… No.”
“Is it so.”
After a short conversation with Ertina, she looked at me again.
Louella’s arm splits, and a black staff is held in her hand.
“Then I’ll look forward to it.”
As her staff aimed at me, I lunged at her.
Cooong!
Immediately, an intangible shockwave hits my body.
But expected.
I braced myself so I wouldn’t fall, and with all my strength, I broke it.
Clink!
“You have improved a lot. It was also faster.”
This time something snatched my leg as she leaped towards her.
Is it the black vine I saw then?
As I momentarily lost my position and stumbled, she fired another shockwave.
Thud!
I fell this time.
“Eric!”
“… Do not come.”
I stopped Yuni from jumping in with one hand.
“Why…”
“Because I have to.”
I replied to her looking at me with her helpless expression.
“Why do you and everyone else want to buy and suffer?”
The man standing behind Yuni asked as if he didn’t understand.
Jeren. That man must have a way of thinking that I can’t understand.
You, who live only for your own desires, will never know.
“Because I am a warrior.”
After answering that, I got up from my seat again and jumped at Luella.
“… They are real idiots.”
He seemed to be muttering that behind me.
“I don’t understand.”
If he understands this, he will be taking one step on the same path as me.
But he… Because it’s against me
Probably not.
“Is it just this? Then you can enter the demon castle… !”
Divine power in the sword… No, I don’t know what to call it now, but I put on the power of her that I’ve become accustomed to and cut through her and all of her shields that surround her.
Cooong!
Cut the shockwaves that flew towards me,
Burn the vines that hold me with fire,
Tuong!
It slashed her shields protecting her.
“Oh…”
I cut the flustered Ruella.
There were no more worries.
Couduk!
My sword stopped somewhere on her body.
“Huh… It’s fast.”
But Luella was unconcerned.
This must be because she knows that she will not die.
No, but didn’t it take a man to restore her body?
A living human to replace her blood and flesh…
No way!
“Anyway, except for you and that man… I do not need it.”
I have to draw the sword again… !
As I forcefully draw her sword, she points her own staff at them.
Louella’s arm stopped, she was cut by water, and melted with heat, but to no avail.
To kill her… It’s not enough for her to stop her.
“Show me.”
Ruella says so and she slowly activates her magic.
After activating, it is late.
They try to delay it as much as possible, but it will be meaningless anyway.
Another way is needed to prevent this.
Other way.
A way to completely incapacitate her… !
“Huh… !”
One of the three screamed.
It shouldn’t be too late.
Don’t think, act!
Flash!
At that moment, the patterns of Luella and I shone at the same time.
“Uh, what… ?”
Luella couldn’t hold her words any longer and fell to the floor.
“Ugh… ! Strength…”
Another flower that shouldn’t have bloomed on my arm for a while.
The flower, shining pink, forcibly squeezed open the non-existent passage between Luella and me.
And I was able to borrow her power.
Shall we attack Luella with this?
It could be, but I didn’t want to.
Instead, I poured all of her borrowed power into the sky.
Kugu Palace!
Waves of black power soared into the sky.
“What, what did you do…”
At first it was Luella who didn’t understand and was bewildered, but soon understood what I was about to do and her face hardened.
“All, you…”
Borrowing Luella’s power meant using her power instead.
I planned to drain all of Louella’s magical powers.
“Ugh…”
She barely tried to block it by aiming her staff, but the magic didn’t work properly, probably because I kept stealing her power.
“Huh…”
She stared at me, barely holding on to the collapse of her upper body.
“… Did you know? That I will die after I use up all my mana?”
Is it.
I didn’t know that.
It might not be strange considering that he restored his body with black magic.
I’ve heard that her body is stored separately, but does that mean that even the magic power that sustains it is exhausted?
Even at this moment, her power continues to drain.
“Should I quit?”
If I don’t stop, she will perish.
I asked her one last time.
As a matter of fact, the proof Luella wanted was over.
If she wants it, I have no desire to do more here.
But she looked at me for a moment and then shook her head.
“… That’s Okay.”
She aloofly decided to meet her own end.
“I’ve done everything I could… I don’t want to see the Demon King go first…”
Her gaze briefly turned to someone behind me.
“Not being able to see the back story…”
Jump!
Her skin cracked.
“It’s a bit unfortunate.”
Blah blah!
And finally, at some point, the power to soar into the sky like a lie disappeared.
At the same time, her body was completely dismembered.
“…”
She said she was a little sad, but there was no such emotion on Luella’s face.
As if she wanted it to be like this, she had a calm face.
“… Lord, you’re dead… ?”
Seria asked in a trembling voice.
Louella didn’t open her mouth anymore.
Also, not a single ray of strength remained in her body.
She emptied everything out.
Perhaps even the power of her body that contains her soul… Entire.
“Luella…”
I heard Ertina’s voice behind me.
“Whoa…”
There were no more marks of her on my arm.
I knew it was temporary from the beginning, so it’s natural, but…
My eyesight fluctuates.
I guess it’s a little bit overkill.
Watching them running, I closed my eyes for a moment.
