Chapter 296: This Is the End (4)

The surroundings were a sea of blood. We slumped onto the ground and wiped the sweat flowing down our foreheads. No matter where I looked, there were only corpses, and the screams of the wounded continued endlessly. The dismembered corpses of demons were rolling around on the ground. Where I was sitting, a large demon was lying spread-eagle. This guy, who was unusually large, I had killed by smashing its head twice with my mace.

"Father...! Are you okay?"

"Cough... Yes, James. It is a relief that you are safe."

In one corner, Albus and James were having a father-son conversation. Albus was slumped in place, coughing. He had scratches on his face and his armor was slightly crumpled, but he did not seem to have any fatal wounds. James was also beaten to a pulp, but he was walking around perfectly fine, seemingly just covered in other people's blood.

He knelt in front of Albus and spoke.

"Father! Just as you said, I cut down one hundred followers of the Church of Love, and I cut down an additional ten demons. Will you permit my marriage to Mila now?"

"...Let us talk about it after we return."

It was a tear-jerking love story no matter when I looked at it. Elsi nodded her head next to me and spoke.

"Mila is lucky. Since she got such a good man."

"You are happy because you got a man like me too, right Elsi?"

"I love it."

Elsi naturally hugged me. Eve leaned her head against my back and let out a deep sigh. AA was staring blankly into the empty air with her sword stuck in the ground. The war was over, but no one could think of moving. Only James, who was facing his marriage with Mila, was bursting with energy and jumping around.

For a long time, we hugged each other just like that. My priest's robe was damp. I could feel the clothes drenched in blood drying up. The soldiers stood up one by one and began to clear the corpses of their dead comrades. There was no joy of a winner on their faces filled with grief. I clicked my tongue and stroked my mace. AA spoke.

"Shall we go? It is getting late. It is cold once the sun sets."

I grabbed the hand AA held out and stood up from my seat. Eve, who had been leaning blankly against me, flopped down onto a demon corpse. She stroked her head and stood up after me. I grabbed her hand and pulled her up. Elsi, who had been clinging to me, was dragged along as I stood up. On the path going in the opposite direction of the soldiers, AA spoke.

"In the end, we did not find out anything about Evangeline."

"We should be satisfied with having stopped a massive conspiracy."

"I could have done better..."

AA stroked her sword as she said that. She was right. It was an issue that could have ended without anyone dying. It was my fault for not considering the possibility that Sibanne would have prepared a contingency plan. AA spoke.

"I should have been a little more careful. I should have killed her right away."

"Who would have known she would use such cheap magic? It is not your fault. It is okay. Sir Hero."

"Thank you. Sir Priest."

Of course, a mistake that had not been caught was not my fault until it was spoken out loud. I felt my mind become at peace as I shifted the blame to AA. My heart was still pounding, but my body did not move actively, perhaps because I had used up all my energy. Eve spoke.

"Husband. Your eyes are glowing."

"Cool, right?"

"How did you do it?"

"I don't know either."

I made a half-hearted excuse to Eve and checked the status window.

Remaining Time : 1 minute

It seemed this sparkling eye time would also end soon. I blinked my eyes and clicked my tongue. I wanted to see it in a mirror once. In the end, I could not see it. While walking, Elsi pointed at my face and spoke.

"Cleric. The light on your face disappeared."

"Saying it like that makes it sound like I died, Elsi."

"Is that so?"

At the same time the buff effect disappeared, an even greater fatigue crashed over me. Overwhelmed by a heavy fatigue that felt like dozens of sacks of rice were placed on my shoulders, I forcibly straightened my back and gritted my teeth. AA asked at the sight of me.

"Are you tired?"

"A little. I am quite sleepy. I should head back to the barracks and sleep right away today."

"Then I will report in your stead, so please go to sleep first. You went through a lot today."

"No. We should go together."

I declined AA's tempting proposal and started walking again. It felt even heavier, perhaps because Elsi was clinging to my side. However, Elsi looked tired, and since she was humming while sticking close to me, I decided to just leave her be.

****

A chain was fastened around Sieri's neck. It was a mana suppression chain created for efficient restraint. Since there was no precedent of capturing a demon alive, the mages were also struggling with how to imprison Sieri. Soya was still clinging next to Sieri, consoling her.

"It is okay. Ms. Sieri. This, this is, um, you must have been hit by some kind of curse. The misunderstandings will be cleared up once the priest arrives..."

"...It is not a misunderstanding. I am a demon. Ms. Soya. You do not need to defend me."

There was no hope on Sieri's face. She was looking outside the barracks with the feeling of writing a will. Soldiers with brutal expressions and mages were aiming their staffs and spears at her. She was just praying for this moment to pass quickly. Since one is always most anxious right before a storm hits, she tightened her chest in preparation for the upcoming trial. Lucius would probably not recognize her. He would flinch in surprise as soon as he saw her and demand a situation explanation, and a mage would explain the whole story. What kind of expression would Lucius make after hearing the story? Would he be flustered? Contemptuous? Either way, Sieri's heart ached.

She had never wanted a life like this. She just wanted to live happily with Lucius, but it broke her heart because it felt like the world would not even grant her that much. When she twitched her body, the people reacted sharply as if she had touched a powder keg.

"Do not move!"

"Ah, yes..."

Sieri deeply bowed her head at their shout and apologized again. Fearing she might cause a magic misfire, a startled Soya cast a barrier and tightly held her hand. Sieri looked back toward the battlefield. The military was returning in the distance.

****

The atmosphere was strange. As soon as I returned, people looked at me with faces that had a lot to say. What is it? Are they preparing for racial discrimination? Those gazes looked like people anxious to deliver some heavy news, which made me feel very unpleasant. Being sensitive due to fatigue, I frowned and spoke.

"Do you have something to say?"

"Ah, well, um... please fill out the report first, and... we will let you know."

It meant that this was a serious problem that would cause issues in writing the report if I heard it first. I clicked my tongue as soon as I heard that. Just what the hell happened for them to act like this? AA spoke.

"Since we were together anyway. I will write it in your stead."

"No. Let's write it together."

If AA wrote it alone, there was a high possibility that fucking misunderstandings would arise in the statement of facts. In particular, I needed to properly explain the part where Cutlass took me away while calling me the Demon King to avoid any annoying misunderstandings. Together with AA, Eve, and Elsi, I briefly scribbled down the contents of the statement. We cross-checked with each other to make absolutely sure there were no discrepancies, and then included it in the contents of the report being submitted by Albus Lionel.

Eve stretched her body as soon as she came out of the barracks and spoke.

"Ah, Husband. Let's hurry up and go to sleep. I am tired."

"That is right. I think we should all go sleep together. Come too, Hero. Our bed is wide."

"...I will sleep separately."

"...Do you want to go ahead first? I will go listen to the matter they wanted to report earlier and come back."

At those words, Eve let out an "Ah" sound and spoke.

"Shall we go together?"

"Me too. I will go together."

"You must be tired, so get some rest. It probably isn't anything that important anyway."

Did a problem arise in the territory? Even without showing it, I felt a little anxious. Eve spoke.

"I am doing this because I feel anxious about something too."

I couldn't help it since she said it like that. We parted ways with AA and went back to look for that group of soldiers to ask.

"So, what was the story you were trying to deliver earlier?"

"Could you come this way? We thought it would be faster for you to see it for yourself rather than having us explain it in words..."

What is it? Just what happened? Eve, Elsi, and I followed the soldier deep inside the barracks. From our surroundings, stories like 'A demon appeared' or 'Chaos erupted in the barracks' could be heard. Eve whispered.

"Seems like they caught some weird bastard?"

"Yeah. But why did they single us out to call us?"

****

She saw Lucius walking over from afar. Sieri's face turned deathly pale, and she was trembling in fear. She was already terrified of the future. Soya held her hand tightly and began to reassure her.

"Ms. Sieri. It is okay. Yes? There is no way My Lord would treat you harshly. Yes?"

"B-But... Still... I am a demon..."

"I am telling you it is okay. Please calm down. Yes?"

Sieri was scared of Lucius's first words. She was scared that he would look at her and ask who she was. Lucius was engaging in chatter with Eve and Elsi with a face that knew nothing. What kind of expressions would they make? Wouldn't they be disappointed? Wouldn't Elsi get angry again?

Sieri tightly closed her eyes.

****

Just what the hell was going on for them to make a person come and go without even explaining anything? With a puzzled face, I simply followed as they led. Both Eve and Elsi frowned while blinking their eyes with faces overcome by drowsiness. Our atmosphere was gloomy despite not having even heard any dark news yet.

In a situation right before a murder scene would unfold, a soldier pointed at someone bound in chains and spoke.

"T-This way."

****

Lucius was staring. Sieri shivered violently while turning her head away. She was terrified of what he would possibly say. Following the soldier's finger, Lucius stared at Sieri and opened his mouth.

"Sieri?"

"Hiccup..."

Sieri trembled just from having her name called, and then looked back at Lucius with a dazed expression. He had recognized her right away. With a bewildered face, Lucius looked at the mages surrounding Sieri and spoke.

"Why is Sieri acting like this here? She is my wife. Hurry up and release her restraints."

"High Priest. It seems your judgment is clouded right now, but that woman is a demon. You have been deceived by a demon, High Priest..."

"How you judge our Sieri is your freedom, but release her restraints first. I cannot stand to see my woman bound up like this."

The mage frowned and faced Lucius.