After Defeating the Demon King, My Engagement Was Broken Off

"Rome—no, Lady Romelia. I can't go on with you any longer. I am breaking off our engagement. Once we return to the kingdom, we will go our separate ways."

Prince Henri said this just after we had defeated the Demon King Zergis, when the cheers of joy had barely died down.

Whether he could have chosen a worse time—or perhaps that was exactly why—Prince Henri had Saint Elizabeth of the Salvation Church, the Sage Ekaterina of the Forest of No Return, and Roki, a master swordswoman from the East, standing beside him, all three staring at me.

I was a little exasperated. Even though we had defeated the Demon King, we were right in the heart of enemy territory. This was no place for a leisurely conversation.

Fortunately—or unfortunately—we had a little time to spare. In that case, it was probably best to talk. Leaving resentment between us might prove dangerous.

"However, Your Highness, whether we part ways or not, now that we have finally defeated the Demon King, aren't we simply going back to the royal capital?"

Ten years ago, the army of Zergis, who called himself the Demon King, invaded our Axis Continent.

Claiming to be descendants of dragons, they declared war on the nations of humanity, insisting that they alone were worthy of ruling the continent, and began their invasion.

Seven years after Zergis appeared, countless countries had fallen to the overwhelmingly powerful Demon King's army, and the flames of war reached our Lionell Kingdom.

Fearing that the kingdom would be destroyed, Prince Henri set out alone on a journey to defeat the Demon King after turning fifteen and completing his coming-of-age ceremony. As the prince's fiancée, I shook off my parents' restraining hands and followed him on his journey.

After three long years of travel, crossing numerous mountains and sailing across the sea, we set foot on Gordia, the Demon Continent ruled by demonfolk. At last, we defeated the Demon King.

With that, the Demon King's army would collapse.

Having achieved our long-cherished goal of defeating the Demon King, all that remained was to return triumphantly to our kingdom and its capital.

"Yes, but I have no intention of returning to the royal capital with you. Once we return to the kingdom, we will be welcomed as heroes. That isn't why we fought, but we have endured enough hardship to earn that welcome. But, Rome, you didn't do anything, did you?"

"That's right. You couldn't fight; you just followed the prince around."

"Exactly. You were nothing but a burden, constantly nagging us from the rear to do this or that. I was sick of it."

"I don't care whether you're a count's daughter or whatever, but do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused the prince all this time?"

The prince's words set off the other three, and they immediately began pouring out their complaints as well.

About half of it was true. Until we reached this place, my duties had mainly involved negotiations, securing supplies, and checking and securing our route. I had nothing like the power of those four, who fought gloriously on the battlefield.

From the prince's point of view, they were the heroes, while my work was that of a supporting player.

Besides, I had realized that they disliked me, since I had constantly scolded them during our journey.

"Are we really allowed to break off our engagement on our own?"

Royal marriages were formed on the basis of political and military balance. The wishes of the parties involved were taken into consideration to some extent, of course, but that did not mean they could make such a decision on their own.

I was about to point that out when Saint Elizabeth spoke up in a tone that was anything but saintly.

"Hah! Our parents decided on that engagement on their own, didn't they? And the prince isn't the same person he used to be. He's a hero who defeated the Demon King! Can't you see that some dull count's daughter from back home is no match for him? At least have the decency to step aside now."

The saint said something, but I did not respond. I simply kept my eyes on the prince.

"Will you tell the king about this yourself, Your Highness?"

"U-uh, yes. Of course. Once we return, I'll explain everything directly to the senior ministers and the people of the kingdom as well."

I nodded readily at the prince's words.

To be honest, the emotional distance between the prince and me had been growing since partway through our journey.

It had become especially obvious when Saint Elizabeth joined us, and by the time Ekaterina and Roki became our companions, it had become unmistakable.

The passion I had felt when I left home was gone, but I still had a reason to follow him.

"Even though we have defeated the Demon King, his invading army still remains in our kingdom. There are also many animals and monsters that have been driven feral by the Demon King's magic. Shouldn't I accompany you in subjugating them?"

I had continued this journey for one reason alone: to save the people whose villages had been burned, who had been murdered, and who had been enslaved.

"Huh? You, who are completely useless?"

"We don't need a pack mule anymore. How many times do we have to tell you?"

"What could you possibly do?"

The three of them badgered me, but I kept my eyes on the prince and waited for his answer.

"Don't worry. The four of us can manage on our own. We even defeated the Demon King, after all. Demonfolk and monsters aren't anything to fear."

He proudly boasted about defeating the Demon King, but would things really go so smoothly?

I added silently.

I had not accompanied His Highness solely because I was in love with him. That had certainly been part of it at first, but I believed that even if I were tormented by anxiety sharp enough to feel as though it were cutting into me, enduring it rather than becoming a burden was the duty of a fiancée.

But on the night I learned that the prince would set out on his journey, I received a miracle from heaven while praying for him in a church, accompanied by a solemn voice from above.

The miracle was called 'Grace.' It brought good fortune and peak condition to my nearby companions, while bringing misfortune and poor condition to those who opposed them.

It had no effect whatsoever on me, but the prince and the others were constantly benefiting from 'Grace.'

At first, they were surprised that they felt so healthy, but after a few days it became normal to them, and they stopped paying attention to it.

But the effects of 'Grace' were nothing to underestimate.

The prince and the others had already grown accustomed to being in peak condition. Their enemies, however, could not adjust to the sudden decline in their physical condition, causing one mistake after another and preventing them from displaying their true abilities. Meanwhile, the prince and the others continued to perform at their best, gaining momentum and ultimately seizing control of each battle.

Overwhelmed by that momentum, even the Demon King's veteran generals, officers, and finally the Demon King Zergis himself were unable to resist.

But I had told no one about 'Grace.'

Given what 'Grace' could do, I could not tell anyone about it. More importantly, when I received the power, the voice from heaven had emphasized that I would lose it if I told anyone about it.

"Understood. If that is your decision, then once we return to the kingdom, we will break off our engagement. But first, we need to escape from here."

This was the very heart of the Demon Continent, teeming with demonfolk. We had managed to defeat the Demon King, but all of that would be meaningless unless we could escape. This was no time for a tearful breakup scene.

"Your Highness, cut off the Demon King's head. We need to take it back as proof that we defeated him."

"Huh? Oh, right."

Elizabeth showed her disgust at the idea of taking back his head, but bringing home the head of a defeated enemy was only natural.

The prince cut off the Demon King's head, covered in scales and lined with enormous fangs.

Even as nothing but a head, it possessed a majesty worthy of a dragon's descendant. It was strange, though, that he had called himself the Demon King rather than the Dragon King despite claiming to be descended from dragons. There must have been some reason for it.

While the prince was cutting off the head, I rummaged through the room where the Demon King had been, stuffing documents from his desk and everyday items he appeared to have used into bags one after another.

"Why are you looting things? This is hardly the time for that!"

Elizabeth complained, but this was exactly the time to do it.

"You should all help too. Oh, Ekaterina, take the staff the Demon King was using."

Zergis had used magic frequently, as befitted the Demon King, and possessed a massive staff. It was a grotesque thing that looked as if it had been made by piecing bones together, but its design was one of a kind.

I also stuffed in anything else that was not too bulky, such as stone-like objects and strange tools.

"Why would you take things like this?"

"Of course, to make it clear that we defeated the Demon King."

As I spoke, I began rummaging through the Demon King's corpse as well. I took the crown that had fallen off during the battle, the rings on his gnarled fingers, and his necklace.

"This head alone should be enough proof that we defeated him, shouldn't it?"

Prince Henri spoke up, but I shook my head.

"No, it won't. The people of our kingdom don't know what the Demon King looked like. How will you prove that this is really his head?"

"There is no need for proof. I would never lie, would I?"

The prince knew nothing of doubting others—and nothing of being doubted.

"The people of the kingdom will believe your word. But we need to make the Demon King's death known, both at home and abroad."

Simply defeating the Demon King was not enough. We had to announce his death not only to our own people, but also to the powerful nations abroad and the Demon King's army invading the Axis Continent. Otherwise, it was meaningless.

Displaying his head would certainly be effective, but not every demon had met the Demon King personally. High-ranking generals would know his face, but most soldiers had only seen him from a distance. They could not determine whether the head was genuine.

Documents and letters bearing the Demon King's signature would be useful, and his personal belongings would make our claim more convincing.

While searching the Demon King's corpse, I noticed a small pouch hanging from his neck. Inside it was a small signet seal.

This was lucky. It probably was not the seal used on official documents, but the fact that he carried it with him at all times meant it was likely used on urgent orders and letters—a simplified seal for processing the vast number of documents he handled. It ranked below his official seal, but it would have been used more frequently, meaning more people would have seen it.

I took the signet seal as well, completing the looting.

"Now let's get out of here."

Once I was satisfied, the other four finally turned their attention to me, as if to say, At last.

We certainly had no time to dawdle, but fortunately, we had a little time.

Carrying our luggage, we made our way through the strange building. It truly was a bizarre place.

We did not encounter a single soldier guarding the Demon King as we moved toward the entrance.

This was not the castle where the Demon King lived. We were inside a temple built by Zergis.

Apparently, the Demon King occasionally withdrew into this temple. Once he entered, he sometimes did not emerge for days, and no one could approach him during that time.

It was the perfect opportunity to assassinate him.

Moreover, Zergis had only begun secluding himself here yesterday. Even if we were unlucky, it would take several days before anyone noticed his death. If we were lucky, no one might discover it for a week.

If we escaped the Demon Continent during that time, we could shake off any pursuers.

Everything was thanks to the Demon King's strange behavior. I had assumed he was performing some sinister ritual deep within the temple and offering prayers to an evil god, but this place looked nothing like a religious facility. If anything, it was more like...

As I pondered, Prince Henri and Roki, who had been running ahead, stopped at a corner of the temple and signaled a warning. When I strained my ears, I heard footsteps from beyond the corner.

Enemy soldiers!

My heart began pounding at the presence of the enemy. A patrol? They had not been there when we came in. The soldiers did not come any farther inside, however, and began to turn around.

I sighed in relief at having managed to let them pass, but for some reason, the prince and Roki drew their blades and nodded to each other.

Wait.

I tried to stop them, but I was too late. The two of them leaped out and attacked the patrol.

Although they were elite guards protecting the Demon King, they had never expected to find enemies and were off guard. The prince and Roki were both undeniably first-rate swordsmen, and their swordsmanship was even beautiful to watch. They cut down the two-man patrol and killed them instantly without a sound.

"W-wait! Why did you kill them?!"

I could not help reproaching them.

"What? We defeated them, didn't we?"

The prince and Roki looked at me in puzzlement as they wiped the blood from their blades.

The patrol had not even noticed us. We had avoided them successfully, and, if necessary, Ekaterina could even have used magic. So why had they killed them? Now our presence would be exposed.

The other soldiers would soon notice that the patrol had failed to return. They would search for them, see the corpses, and realize that intruders were present. Naturally, they would immediately check on the Demon King's safety. Once that happened, the Demon King's death would be discovered and we would be surrounded.

Why couldn't they understand that?

The prince was no different, but Roki in particular tried to solve everything with her sword.

Whenever she saw an enemy, she would cut them down first and think afterward.

That might be a talent on a battlefield that demanded instantaneous decisions, but there were times when the act of cutting someone down itself created a problem. In those situations, that way of thinking was disastrous.

But complaining about it now would change nothing. We had to leave this place as quickly as possible.

"Hurry, we need to get out of here—"

I was about to say we should run, but it was already too late. I heard a cry that sounded like a bird, and a reptilian-faced demon spotted us, shouted, and called for reinforcements.

At a glance, there were more than ten soldiers.

They leveled their spears and charged at us as a group.

"Leave this to me!"

Suddenly, Ekaterina the mage raised her staff and stepped forward. A ball of light formed at the tip of her staff and began shining fiercely.

Please, anything but an explosive spell!

I tried to stop her, but I was too late, and my plea was drowned out by a deafening explosion.

Ekaterina, known as the Sage of the Forest of No Return, possessed immense magical power and wielded powerful spells.

The blast was tremendous, sending ten soldiers flying at once. The boom must have carried all the way to the horizon.

"Easy♪"

She swung her staff around as if dancing.

"Never mind that. Hurry up and cast Colorless Magic!"

Ekaterina was adept at powerful magic, but the most important spell in her arsenal was not scorching fire magic or lightning magic crackling with electricity.

It was the invisibility spell that wrapped the body in magical power and made it invisible to those nearby.

"Why?"

"Why? Just look over there and you'll understand!"

In the direction I pointed, hundreds of the Demon King's soldiers were approaching us from outside the temple. They had heard the sound of the explosion and come running.

Ekaterina had mastered numerous spells and possessed an enormous reserve of magical power. However, having secluded herself in the forest, she had no experience in actual combat and often chose the wrong spell.

It should have been obvious with even a moment's thought that making such a tremendous noise would draw not only the temple guards but also the soldiers in the surrounding area. Why couldn't she spare even that moment to think?

"Now that we've been discovered, there's no helping it. I'll cut down those enemies. Come on, demonfolk! I, the man who defeated the Demon King, will be your opponent!"

The prince threw off his cloak, raised his sword, and let his glittering armor reflect the sunlight.

He looked as divine as a hero from mythology, but what was the point of standing out after infiltrating enemy territory to assassinate someone?

Besides, if we had not revealed ourselves, they might have suspected that demonfolk opposed to the Demon King had assassinated him. Now they would realize that humans were responsible as well.

I quickly draped his cloak over him from behind, but it was probably too late. Then I gave Ekaterina an order.

"Cast the spell, quickly. We need to get out of here, Your Highness."

Even so, the prince still wanted to fight. After forcibly persuading him to flee, we escaped the area.