Chapter 15
To feel a sense of liberation, one must inevitably be bound by something.
If you don't feel liberated when freed from something, it means there's something else truly binding you.
When I was freed from the Hero's party after the Demon King's death, I didn't feel the same way I do now.
Back then, I thought it was because of Bel Zuma.
A new entity had appeared to bind me, so I couldn't feel liberated yet.
But that wasn't it.
The thing that truly bound me was still gripping my heart.
Karin.
I harshly pushed her away, essentially sending her to prison with my own hands, but what I feel now isn't guilt but a refreshing sense of liberation.
For the past three years.
No, for the past seven years, something that had been constantly tormenting me by my side has finally been cut away.
"...Ha, hahaha."
Laughter burst out.
I feel like I could laugh calmly even if I were to go back to that moment when Karin announced our engagement was off.
As I savored this sense of liberation, tasting it for the first time in my life, I sensed a familiar mana approaching from outside the door.
"Has the Holy Saint run away this time?"
I threw out those words before the door opened, and the hand reaching for the doorknob hesitated.
Soon after, the door opened, and Leius entered without even saying "excuse me," smirking as if embarrassed.
"No, I just came hoping you'd keep me company for a drink."
Were we close enough to drink together?
Well, who cares—I'd gladly drink even with the Demon King if it's someone who sent Karin to prison.
"Come in. Though you've already entered. I'll warn you in advance, I'm quite strong when it comes to alcohol."
"Huh, unexpectedly confident, aren't you?"
To be precise, I can never get drunk unless I want to.
Because there are many poisonous magical beasts and plants in the demon realm, a spell that decomposes toxins is always active in my body.
I poured the alcohol Leius brought into a glass and took a sip. It was stronger than I expected.
His eyes widened in surprise as he watched me casually down such strong liquor.
"You drink quite well."
Not noticing this trick, Leius gulped down his drink, not wanting to lose to me.
Perhaps due to a knight's unique detoxification ability, Leius seemed unfazed even after drinking an amount that would have made a normal person's vision blur.
After emptying about half the bottle, the atmosphere of the gathering began to mellow, and Leius's face turned red as if he were drunk.
"By the way, where is Karin now?"
"Worried about your fiancée rotting in a damp underground cell?"
The underground prison in the capital is famously neglected on purpose, typically used to confine major criminals.
It's a place where a foul stench torments the inmates without a moment's respite, and rats lurk in every corner, their eyes glinting as they eye the prisoners.
...Well, they'll probably get her out soon.
If a noble lady like Karin were put in such a place, she'd fall ill and die before long.
It's a place made for people to die, so they likely planned to just discipline her briefly before releasing her.
As I was thinking this, Leius spoke to me in a slurred voice.
"...You're quite kind, aren't you?"
"Kind? Spare me the sarcasm."
"It's not sarcasm. I know things too. I know about the Hero. Right now, no one would say anything even if you killed her. You're really kind."
When the Hero's name came from his lips, I almost dropped my glass for a moment.
I glanced up slightly, and in his eyes as he gazed at the wine in his glass, I could sense something like sadness, and also something like satisfaction.
"Did His Majesty tell you?"
"Mmm. And then he urged me. Not to let the Hero and his former lovers escape."
"Was there no mention of me?"
"...Do you want to hear it?"
"No."
I can guess what kind of things were said.
Since it couldn't have been pleasant, I didn't want to ruin the mood of the gathering.
"His Majesty seems to trust you quite a bit."
"Why do you think so?"
"Normally, wouldn't people think you'd run away if they told you such things? Isn't it because he knows you won't run away that he told you?"
"Is that really the case?"
"...Pardon?"
"Actually, I asked first. A figure that looked like the Hero appeared, and I asked what was going on."
"...How?"
"From the moment I saw that hooded figure passing through the main gate from afar, I had a bad feeling. I knew at a glance. That's the Hero."
So a knight of that caliber can recognize him somehow even with his appearance hidden by a hood.
Perhaps clearly recognizing the other person's existence is the condition for this perception change to activate.
"It wasn't exactly a trusting look."
"...Then did you come to me to suggest staging a rebellion together, like Karin?"
"Did that young lady say such things? She's bolder than she looks. Would you join me if I suggested it?"
"I'd rather not."
"I thought so. I know you're that kind of person."
It's a complex feeling to have someone I've only met face-to-face a few times know me better than someone I've been with since childhood.
"...Actually, I did come to make a request. You met a certain maid before meeting His Majesty, didn't you?"
"Yes, I did, but..."
"That maid was caught communicating with the outside by me. Normally, I should kill her immediately, but..."
"......"
"Isn't it too meaningless for a young lady to die for a country that's going to fall anyway?"
Leius seemed to have no doubt that this country would soon fall.
That was indeed the case, and at this point, there was nothing he could do to prevent it.
"...A noble should be accompanied by at least one attendant when traveling."
"......"
"I'll formally request His Majesty if I can borrow a maid for a while."
Understanding his desire to spare an innocent life, I couldn't bring myself to refuse his request.
Leius stood up from his seat and bowed deeply in gratitude. I also stood up and bowed just as deeply in response.
"By the way, is that official still alive then?"
"Hmm?"
"The official that Karin's family had influence over. Is he perhaps still alive too?"
"No, I killed him. He was persistently advising me to buy Hero Coins. He was so annoying that I ended up buying one because of him."
"Ah, I see."
Then he deserved to die.
I deeply empathized and drank with him.
*****
The definition of "world" changes depending on the range of perception of the person.
Those who don't know about the universe might perceive only the world spread out under that blue sky as the world.
Those well-versed in astronomy recognize that the land they were born on is just a small part of a vast world.
They recognize that the true world is an infinite space that can't even be fathomed by mere human knowledge, and define this as the world.
The world is a frame that confines humans.
Just as livestock born and raised in a barn all their lives can't imagine the world outside the barn, humans can't imagine the world beyond their world.
Outside the world that humans can't observe.
In a space where countless worlds split by innumerable choices are observed and judged, two goddesses stood.
One was Bel Zuma.
The evil goddess who tests human goodness.
The other was Bel Ara.
She, the goddess who had presided over the night of this world and Bel Zuma's older sister, seemed dissatisfied with this situation.
"...That's cheating."
"Are you complaining again?"
"Don't make it sound like I'm just grumbling. That human was cheating."
In the era before the current civilization was established, gods could interfere with this world more easily.
There were no restrictions on the power that gods could bestow upon humans, and heroes who received divine power engaged in fierce struggles that could change the terrain.
As many people died from the continuous wars and their aftermath, and the world was on the brink of destruction, the Earth Mother Goddess became angry and placed restrictions on the human world.
"The humans of Irmun can never exceed human limitations under any circumstances."
Restrictions were placed on all humans.
Humans could never become stronger than a certain level, and this was true even with divine power.
That's why the Goddess of Night couldn't give more power to the Demon King or replenish his power.
However, that human.
Kim Yeomjin was an exception to these restrictions placed on all humans because he wasn't a human of this world, Irmun.
That's why he could become as strong as he wanted, and if he lacked power, it could be replenished as much as needed.
"Was there a rule that said you can't choose a human from another world as your champion? If you're jealous, you could have brought someone from outside like I did."
"I didn't want to stoop to your level. Besides, what was that anyway! His power was completely depleted, but it was immediately replenished!"
The reason Kim Yeomjin, who hadn't even trained properly, was able to keep winning until now wasn't because he had some talent he didn't know about.
It was because Bel Zuma replenished his power whenever it was lacking, or when he was in mortal danger.
Originally, this kind of thing wasn't possible.
There's a limit to how much power can be given at once, and if you replenish it from the side, the restrictions would activate and kill them.
However, Kim Yeomjin, who was free from the restrictions, was the only exception to this rule, and this became the factor that determined victory and defeat.
"This is what strategy is all about. Don't worry. Even if I take over the world, I won't do things like killing the demon race that you like."
"...That's unexpected. I thought you hated those children."
The demon race, for whom survival of the fittest is the only truth and law, were beings that Bel Zuma disliked...
That's what she had thought until now, but after experiencing various things, her thoughts have changed recently.
"Recently, I've started to think that flowers blooming in a wasteland might be more beautiful than those in a field."
"What nonsense are you spouting now?"
"Hmph. A loli-bodied sister like you wouldn't understand this mature mindset— Ow!! Don't hit my breasts!"
"...Don't ever say such things again. So why did your thoughts change?"
"There was a kind demon child talking with the child I favor. There are many kind children among the demons too! I want to see more diverse kind children!"
"Well..."
"But the demon realm is too desolate, and it's too far from the human realm, and there are too many bad children, so I'm going to thin them out a bit first."
"Thin them out? What on earth are you—"
"Hmm... Like this?"
She waved her hand.
To ordinary human eyes, it would have looked like just that, but the goddess's eyes saw something different.
On this day, the demons guarding the coastline and those in the demon realm's mainland would never forget this day for the rest of their lives.
Two continents separated by the Sea God's Stomach.
The ends of these two continents, which originally would never have met, touched on this day.
It's not that the continents moved, nor did a new land suddenly emerge to connect them.
As if it had always been that way, the two continents became one and...
"Our homeland...!!!"
Because it would be troublesome to manage if the continent was too large, a significant portion of the demon realm, along with its inhabitants, vanished from this world without anyone knowing.
On this day, unbeknownst to anyone, the two continents became one.
Or rather, they almost did.
"You crazy bitch!!!"
"Kyaaah!!"
A powerful nipple twister aimed at the breast.
The Night Goddess's physical attack barely prevented this outrageous act, but this wasn't the end of everything.
"Hmm... Was suddenly merging them a bit too much?"
"Of course it was!! What were you thinking?!"
"Then I'll do it after Elang settles in! The demon realm mainland is on hold until then!"
"What?!"
"I don't intend to favor only that child, but it's pitiful if things happen one after another suddenly!"
Due to the goddess's whim, the world’s integration was postponed until one human settled in.
Unaware of this, Elang finished his preparations to leave and visited King Germis.