Chapter 101
“But the king wanted Kururu-sama to grow strong enough to defeat the Demon King. Though Kururu-sama was still very young, the king made them endure grueling, harsh training nearly every day. Despite being inexperienced in battle... Kururu-sama was made to stand before monsters whose levels were far higher, even with guards nearby.”
David could still vividly recall those days. When he joined the fighting as one of Kururu-sama's guards, Kururu-sama was so terrified they couldn't move a muscle.
Against a high-level opponent, Kururu-sama wasn't the only one who would freeze with fear. But even when the enemy was a Green Slime, said to be the weakest of all, Kururu-sama never showed any willingness to fight of their own accord.
“Do you understand how terrifying and painful those days were...?”
Kururu-sama was far too kindhearted. Even when facing monsters, Kururu-sama feared taking a life—and feared that their own life might be taken, too.
“I know... Kururu-sama cried almost every day. Day after day, Kururu-sama trembled with fear, and whenever they tried to go outside, they would scream, knowing they would be taken back to the battlefield... And still, the king refused to stop trying to make Kururu-sama stronger.”
David still remembered how, before long, Kururu-sama began to fear not only the monsters, but also David, the one who would take them to the battlefield. Kururu-sama looked utterly despairing.
“After living that way for so long... Kururu-sama stopped smiling. As if accepting that it was their fate, Kururu-sama began spending their days resigned to fighting. Their mind... had broken.”
Takako and Tina grimaced at David's words.
“That's strange. At least when we met Kururu, I didn't think Kururu's mind was broken.”
“Y-yes. Kururu certainly placed a great deal of importance on defeating the Demon King, but I can't say Kururu seemed mentally broken...!”
At least when they first met, Kururu had seemed perfectly normal. Kururu was sincere, seeking to defeat the Demon King and bring peace to the world—at the very least, Kururu seemed to be fighting for the people.
But when David heard them, he shook his head from side to side as if they hadn't understood a thing.
“That is... the king's doing. When the king saw that Kururu-sama's mind had broken, he became concerned that, despite being royalty, Kururu-sama lacked social skills, and mended Kururu-sama's mind. No... perhaps it's more accurate to say he made it so Kururu-sama wouldn't feel pain?”
“What do you mean? More importantly, wasn't Kururu already aiming to defeat the Demon King? Kururu must have been prepared to fight, at least to some extent. I can't imagine that would be enough to break their mind.”
“Kururu-sama never wished to defeat the Demon King of their own accord. Kururu-sama had always hated fighting.”
“...Huh? Then why?”
Kagami looked confused by the contradiction. Kururu had told him they'd been training to become stronger so they could defeat the Demon King. But that contradicted the fact that Kururu had hated fighting so much that their mind had broken.
“The king has the power to brainwash others. He possesses a Skill of that kind.”
Kururu had become emotionless. In the end, Kururu stopped reacting to anything at all and simply acted like a puppet under someone else's control. That may have achieved the king's goal, but it wasn't what he intended.
“Kururu-sama... was brainwashed to restore their broken mind, and made to believe that defeating the Demon King had always been their own goal. That's how Kururu-sama became the person they are today.”
Even if Kururu had accepted the idea of defeating the Demon King, it would have been a problem for the royal family if Kururu remained unsociable, without expression or speech. For that reason, the king tried to reset Kururu's mind through brainwashing.
And the result was the Kururu they knew now.
“The king... hasn't only done this to Kururu-sama. He's found talented adventurers who had no desire to defeat the Demon King, brainwashed them, and made them believe that defeating him had been their goal all along.”
The king had implanted a will that went against their true wishes, making them act as if it were their own. Everyone there shuddered at the knowledge that the king had committed such an inhumane act.
“No... How can something like that be allowed?!”
Unable to bear it any longer, Alice cried out, her face contorted with anguish.
Seeing her, David averted his gaze, his expression pained. Of course it couldn't be allowed. But unable to defy the accepted wisdom that demons had to be defeated, David had turned a blind eye to the king's actions, believing they had to defeat the Demon King and restore peace to the world as soon as possible.
“When the king ordered me to go to Kagami-sama, I was astonished to see that Kururu-sama had been freed from the king's brainwashing. Kururu-sama no longer wished to defeat the Demon King... and had begun smiling as before. At the same time, I realized that you were the ones who had made Kururu-sama smile again.”
David had always felt that something about it was wrong. No matter how necessary it might be to defeat the Demon King, one should never manipulate another person's heart.
“That's why I made up my mind. Even if it meant defying the king's will, I would protect the life Kururu-sama holds dear at all costs! And yet... I failed to protect it again.”
His pent-up feelings finally burst, and David defied the king's wishes and took action. Some time later, he realized that the belief that demons had to be defeated was wrong, too.
“Please... Kagami-dono. If this continues, Kururu-sama will surely... be made to see the demons, and Alice-sama, not as allies but as enemies. Kururu-sama will become nothing but someone who fights demons. If that happens, Kururu-sama surely won't smile as kindly as they do now. And even if they do, it will be... another kind of smile...!”
At that moment, David pleaded with Kagami, his face twisted with desperation. He had failed to protect anything, and bitterly regretted realizing the truth and acting too late. Even so, he couldn't give up on what he held dear.
“What are you going to do, Kagami-san...? If this goes on...!”
Seeing Alice murmur anxiously, Kagami rested a hand on her head and smiled.
“That's obvious, isn't it? Don't look so worried.”
His expression immediately grew resolute. Then he gave David a light pat on the shoulder—
“I don't need you to ask. I'll save them. They're people who understand us now... They're our friends.”
He murmured so softly his voice nearly faded away.
At that moment, David felt a chill run down his spine.
The Kagami who had patted his shoulder wore the coldest, most furious expression David had ever seen.
Every cell in David's body was sounding the alarm: “Don't get involved with this man.” It was a feeling he'd never experienced before.
No matter who he faced, David had never backed down or shown weakness. Even when it came to the king, if he believed something was wrong, he would defy him, as he had this time.
But what he felt now was an overwhelming pressure that robbed him of the will to defy Kagami.
'What if this man were an enemy?' The moment he considered it, David couldn't stop the trembling he'd been holding back.
“...Then all the more reason we have to make a ceasefire agreement.”
“W-what do you mean?”
David was confused by Kagami's unyielding resolve, even though he'd just explained the king's intentions. Then Kagami turned around—
“That won't solve anything. It's the way this world works... that's making things happen this way. Unless we destroy it, the same thing will happen again and again... That's why...”
Kagami murmured with a look of resolve. He tossed the luggage he'd been carrying to David. The next instant, a gust of wind erupted around them, strong enough to make them stagger.
“Wha—?!”
The sudden gust made everyone squeeze their eyes shut. When they opened them again a short while later, Kagami was gone.
“...We have to go after him! That idiot... off on his own again!”
“Kagami-san definitely hasn't thought this through! He's probably rushing off recklessly because he wants to save Kururu-san as soon as possible!”
“...Kagami-san.”
Worried that Kagami might once again recklessly go off on his own, Takako, Tina, and Alice hurried toward the royal capital, where they assumed he had gone.