There's No Point Running Away (5)

The fact that powerful people were periodically being created meant that others besides Kagami had reached this place—that a way had been prepared to bring them here.

At first, Kagami thought the system was arranging for a descendant of the Demon King to become the new Demon King, thereby creating the conditions for someone to return here. But he abandoned that idea when he realized there had never been a precedent of anyone defeating the Demon King. Even if a new Demon King were born, the history of someone having defeated the previous one should still remain.

But there was no doubt that someone else had visited this place before.

Because the Dark Dragon’s existence remained 【recorded on the surface】.

Surely, someone who had visited this place in the past still remembered the Dark Dragon’s existence even after their memories were erased. No—in all likelihood, they had been deliberately made to retain only that information.

To bring them back here, they were made to retain only the memory of having met the Dark Dragon, a small clue to follow.

That was why, although there were people who claimed to have seen the Dark Dragon, no one remembered where it was or how they had met it. That was Kagami’s interpretation.

If so, another way to reach this place would be needed. And for that, the Demon King was indispensable. In other words—

'The Demon King has been killed over and over again, countless times.'

Kagami’s thoughts had led him to that conclusion.

'This time, the Demon King was too strong. You might say the flaw in this system is that I cannot choose the next Demon King to be placed in the world and can only reset things... But the wait was worthwhile. At last, someone has appeared who overcame the challenge.'

It was not only those who wished to turn back whose memories were erased. Everyone’s memories were erased. Then, once those memories were gone, memories of a new world... memories of a new Demon King’s existence were etched into them.

The Demon King they had defeated was not brought back to life. Kagami instantly understood that this was probably why the Dark Dragon had called it a reset rather than a revival.

And it was a truth far too cruel to bear.

A Demon King who existed only to be defeated. Demons who existed only to be oppressed. Humans who kept fighting in pursuit of a peace that had never existed.

“A reset...? Impossible! Then what will happen to Alice-sama, the Demon King-sama’s daughter? If her father’s existence is erased, she won’t even know who her parent was!”

Unable to believe the truth that had suddenly been thrust upon him, Kagami too hurled the question that had come to mind at the same time at the Dark Dragon, his face a mixture of confusion and shock.

'There is no need to worry. A reset can never cause confusion.'

“How can you say that for certain? Are you going to rewrite our memories to suit yourselves, too?”

'No.'

“Then... what is going to happen?!”

'Along with the Demon King’s reset, all demons and monsters are redeployed. The only ones who remain in this world... are humans.'

The moment Menou heard those words, Menou’s face turned deathly pale, and Menou’s body began to tremble. Only then did Menou realize why Kagami had been so distraught.

Faced with such overwhelming injustice, Menou could not remain calm either. Menou even began to doubt Menou’s own existence.

“Does that mean... we demons were deliberately created by this system of resets? Are my memories, too... fakes created by a reset?”

'Not necessarily. It is true that all demons who exist immediately after a reset are created by this world’s system... But after the reset, aside from their nature, they live their own lives just like humans. The last reset took place thirty years ago... If you were born after that, I would not say you were created by the world’s system.'

Hearing that, Menou managed to calm Menou’s racing heart a little. Menou had been born twenty-eight years ago. Menou could just barely feel relieved that Menou’s existence had not been created by someone’s will.

“Was that system also created by God?”

At that moment, Kagami murmured softly, just loud enough for the Dark Dragon to hear.

'Yes.'

And the Dark Dragon answered plainly.

'That is why I said “you,” not “you all.” Unfortunately, only humans can have their wishes granted. And only humans can proceed to the next stage.'

At that moment, Kagami’s face was expressionless.

Still expressionless, Kagami bowed his head and compared the questions that had plagued him throughout his life, one by one, against the truth of this world.

“Why do you go to such lengths... to pursue powerful humans?”

'Only those who reach the next stage can learn that. We will never tell you ourselves.'

“...I see. Then let me ask something else. What is the history behind monsters appearing on the surface? Was that history fabricated, too?”

And whenever a question came to mind, Kagami put it into words and kept asking the Dark Dragon.

'No. That is true history. But its nature is quite different.'

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

'Do you not understand? The function of this world is to create the strong. This world is an environment well suited to producing them.'

Kagami did not understand the true meaning behind those words. But at the very least, they explained the systems that had always puzzled him in this world: how defeating monsters yielded money, and how defeating monsters stronger than himself made him stronger.

In the end, it was just as Kagami had imagined. Everything was in place to make people grow stronger, as though they were following a prepared path. And becoming stronger was the most efficient way to live.

Kagami also remembered the words Estellera had spoken about two months ago.

'There is no precedent for someone who has climbed this far choosing another path.'

The Dark Dragon had said that the last person to reach this place had come thirty years ago. Looking back now, perhaps Estellera had started a war against humanity to spur it into action, because no one had appeared to defeat the Demon King, no matter how long they waited.

Thinking about it that way, Estellera had said things here and there that could be interpreted as such. Even though Estellera had claimed to destroy humanity, Estellera had not tried to kill the people right in front of her. In the end, it must have been for the same reason.

'If you fear this, go back and get stronger.' That was what Estellera meant.

'Now, our conversation is over. ...Truly powerful one. Choose: will you turn back once more and find peace... or proceed to the next stage?'

“I’m not choosing.”

Kagami answered the Dark Dragon’s question immediately.

'What...? You refuse to choose?'

“I won’t let the demons disappear. The memories inside me... my memories of Menou, the old Demon King, and Alice—I won’t let you erase them.”

“K-Kagami-dono...”

Menou had known Kagami would say that, but still felt profoundly relieved and happy, and couldn’t help but respect Kagami. Kagami’s expression held such anger that Menou felt all of that from the bottom of Menou’s heart.

At first glance, Kagami looked expressionless. But Kagami’s anger was so plain that there could be no mistaking it.

And Menou couldn’t help but respect Kagami for being so angry on their behalf.

'Why...? You are beings who have been reborn over and over through resets, after all. What is there to hesitate over?'

“I’m not hesitating. You just don’t understand. You never really tried to understand them, did you? You figured they’d just be reborn in the next reset... Demons laugh, too, just like us.”

'Laugh...? What are you talking about?'

“Whenever they find something new, they want to learn about it. They’re more honest and considerate than us humans... and kind, too. There’s even that strange demon who stays up all night among humans, teaching the dealers, and another demon who tried to train me. They’re no different from us... There are even some I care about more than humans.”

'In other words... what are you saying?'

With Kagami still keeping his head bowed and speaking so vaguely about his conclusion, the Dark Dragon finally lost patience and hurled those words at him in an intimidating tone.

But the very next moment, though the Dark Dragon had meant to intimidate Kagami, the Dark Dragon itself felt a chill of fear.

Before the Dark Dragon knew it, the being before it was staring straight at it, radiating such unconcealed killing intent that even the Dark Dragon, an absolute being, felt fear.

Then Kagami suddenly tossed the backpack he had been carrying onto the ground, turned back toward the Dark Dragon, and—

“A system like that... I’m going to smash it to pieces.”

Kagami declared.