170-Traces of dreams for soldiers




 A short distance southwest of Mid-Hayes, there was a small hill with a panoramic view of the city.
 At the top of it, at the best vantage point, there was a sort of bizarre sight.

 There are swords. There are spears. There were bows, axes and staffs.
 There were many weapons propped up on the hilltop, crammed together.

 All of them are grave markers.
 Ever since I became the Demon King and led the army, all the men who died in the war are enshrined in this graveyard.

 They are all dead, and can no longer be resurrected or reborn.

There was no such thing as magic in the Age of Magic.

 Misha mutters.

'I visited it once, two thousand years later, and I guess it was cleared away. There were traces of something that looked like it had been moved by magic.'

 She looks down and thinks about something.

''........There is a palace in Midhays that is dedicated to the fallen of the war. It was built a thousand years ago, since the age of magic.

 I see.
 That's probably where they were sent.

"These swords and spears are not magic tools. "These swords and spears are not magic tools, for they could not hold a tombstone in the open.

 We don't use magic to repair them because that's the way it's done with the dead. When a weapon is left to decay, it is still there.
 The older a weapon is, the more magical power it has. It is said that by making a gravestone with a weapon that has no magic power, the dead will someday come back to life. Of course, whether this is true or not is not certain.

 In order for the fallen to come back to life, a long period of time must pass. A much longer time than the world has been created and is now. Now, no one can prove it yet.

 Common sense dictates that those whose roots have perished will not rise. But there is no way to confirm that this method is impossible.

 Or perhaps it was a salvation that the founder of the demon race had found.

There was.

 Misha pointed to the back of the cemetery.
 Quite far away, she could see an old mansion.

 If it's true to those letters carved on the wall, that's where Eldmead should be.
 But we can't head there right away.

''Do you have a moment?''

 With that alone, Misha nodded his head in a way that I'm not sure if he knew what I was thinking.
 I stepped out loosely and walked in front of the numerous grave markers.

 I've come here, and I can't just walk by.

Do you understand, Misha?

 She stands beside me, gazing at the tombstone as well.

'I couldn't protect this many of them,'

 I knelt there.

 They died for peace.
 They were lured by my dreams and fought to their doom.
 The more loyal of my men, the more they have gone before me.

 I failed to protect them.
 I wasn't strong enough.

 I had to be strong.
 I had to win peace. To overturn the inexcusable. To end the tragedy.

 To respond to the thoughts of those who died in the middle of their lives.
 Even if you call me a tyrant, even if you call me a tyrant, even if you call me a brutalist, for the sake of a peaceful future that will surely come someday, I reigned in this land as the Demon King.

 Still, no matter how much power and magic I have acquired, the lives of those who have already perished will not return.

There is good news for all of us.

 I bow my head to ask for forgiveness and tell my men, who are now gone.

We have peace. You should be proud. We have won.

 Is it really a victory?
 The only thing that can be said to the fallen is, "You have done well.

"You have done well to fulfill your vows.

 The tombstone must be in this place.
 Together they swore an oath, and on this hill their souls rest.

 We have placed their grave markers in a good spot so that one day when peace comes, they can look out over the city of Midhays.

 It was supposed to stay here, as it was, but it doesn't work out the way you want it to.
 After 2,000 years, nothing stays the same.

I'm sorry. I failed to fulfill my vow.

 If I was stronger, strong enough to hold everything in the world in a light grip, I could have saved their lives.

The White Flower.

 Misha used the magic of to place a single flower on each of the grave markers.
 She kneels down next to me.

"Look up.

 Misha whispered ladylike.

'Surely I don't want to see the Demon King turn over.

 Hearing those words, I slowly looked up.

'Guys, I want to see your face, my dear.

 Misha's words gently caress my ears.
 As if they were caressing my heart.

'The face of a demon king living in a time of peace. For that they risked their lives to fight.

What makes you think that?

 Misha turned his evil eye to the gravestone.

''I feel like everyone's thoughts are still here.

The thought of a dead man?

 Curtly Misha nodded.

'My heart is still here.'

 It sounds unassuming, yet so soft.

'I'm with Anos.'

 Misha's evil eye looked into the depths of her mind. After the battle with the Spelled King's men, the demon's eyes may have become more and more visible.

 Even I can't see what I can't see.

"I couldn't bring these people back to the age of peace.

 Misha quietly shook her head from side to side.

'They were saved by the Demon King, and they wanted to save him. I think they wished for a time when my lord didn't have to behave in tyranny.

 Her blue eyes peered at me intently.

"Misha.

"Hm.

What do these people want?

 He pondered, then Misha said.

'Smile for them.'

 I thought that was a surprising line.

"In front of the dead?

'They wanted to know how you laugh, my lord. They wanted to know the true face of the Demon King who never fought.

 It's not like we hadn't laughed in two thousand years ago, though.

 It's not as if they didn't know how to laugh.
 I used to invite clowns and traveling entertainers to the Demon King's Castle and throw them a party.

 But maybe they thought that was what I wanted to do.
 It was impossible for me to know at the time, but I'm sure I've never laughed like I did after my reincarnation.

"I was a poor king, unable to take into account the feelings of his men.

 I give them a straight face and say.

'With your help, I could only go to a time of peace.'

 It reminds me of the days of magic.
 Boring classes, degenerate magical formulas, descendants who don't even recognize me as a demon king.

 What a ridiculous, boring, peaceful day where no one died.

 If I could, I would have let them see that, too.

"Thank you.

 With those words, he thanked his subordinates for their help and labor.
 I don't know if I'm laughing well, but forgive me for this.

 Standing up, I stare at the mansion at the back of the cemetery.

'I will not let it go to waste.'

 If Avos Dilhevia is left alone, warfare will once again break out in Dilheid. If that happens, many will lose their lives.

 We can't let that happen again.

Come on. Let's go.

"Hm.

 <Using the magic of , I hid my appearance and magic power and walked with Misha to the cemetery hall.

 The door was covered with a locked ward (Digits).

Hmm. I see. <It's a mechanism that allows the intrusion to be detected if the door is unlocked with a "unlock di" or other means.

 The simplicity and weakness of the magic effects that are linked together make it hard to notice.
 But thanks to the words on the wall, it was easy to spot them.

 As per the advice, I use the Rotting Death (Igurum) spell on the door.
 With a click, the door is unlocked.

 I put my hand on the door and slowly open it.
 The inside is dimly lit. Like the outside, the interior looks quite old.

 The furnishings were covered in dust, and many of the items were scratched.
 Going deeper into the room, there is a stone staircase that leads to the basement.

 There is nothing else, and we go down the stairs.
 There was a lamp attached to the stone wall, which dimly illuminated the area.

 Shibaiba-ka-ka," he said, laughing.

'-I'm afraid of that one. It only took a second. Hey, Zeke,

 It's a pleasant man's voice.
 If you go a little further, the headless demon race, the Cutthroat King Erdmead, was there.

''Even though he's wounded, he's the right hand of the Demon King Anos, as expected of him, to cut down a god so easily. The gods are no match for you, not the Demon King, but his men!

 Even though he doesn't have a mouth, Eldmead is speaking with an unusually high level of intensity and passion from where his voice is coming from.

 The man beside him, who is countering it, is a man with brown skin and gold eyes, his hair pulled back all the way. ''You met him once in two thousand years. You are the Cutthroat King's chief of staff, Zeke.

''Then how strong is Demon King Anos? No matter how powerful the enemy is, I still don't know what his depths are! No. Is there a bottom? Totally awesome! What do you think is so great about it, huh, Zeke?

I don't know. So, Lord. What do you plan to do next?

 Zeke replied appropriately and asked that question.

'The Heavenly Father is still in Ahartheln.

Wouldn't it take longer to recover without your body?

That's right. That god is dying. But you said it was all planned. And that my going to see the Demon Lord's right hand was just as planned.

 Zeke raises his eyebrows and ponders.

'The bottom line is that the alliance is still going on.

The Dark Lord is right, gods are a mysterious race. Wouldn't it be better if we didn't get too deep into their affairs?

"Kaka, that's why it's good to be mysterious. The bottomless minnow can't be an enemy of Demon King Anos, hmm? Why don't we leave the role of being beaten up to the Scarlet Monument King?

 After looking at him as if he wanted to say something for a moment, Zeke spoke up.

''Ha.''

''But even the order that gives birth to order, the Heavenly Father God Knowthalia, is inferior to the Demon King as an enemy. Because he underestimates the Demon King of Tyranny as insignificant. Do you think that an opponent who underestimates his enemies can win the battle?

No.

That's right, he won't win. He won't win. The Demon King of Tyranny always exceeds our imagination. As soon as we fall into the cliché of thinking that we can win by doing this or that, we've already lost. This Cutthroat King is different. I know that the Demon King will always win!

 High-pitched Erdmeade raises his voice.
 As if to praise me.

''Even so, it's too good to just disappear. As long as we can put aside our pride and realize that we are the enemy of the Demon King, the power of God is immense.''

 In the middle of Eldmead's emphatic speech, Zeke interrupts with a word.

'There is talk of God being order itself. Isn't that what binds Nausgaria?

If that's the case, why don't you take over as the one who controls that order?

 Zeke gives him a quizzical look.

'How?'

''It's obvious. This Cutthroat King will obtain the Heavenly Father's power. I'm also preparing a magic formula for that purpose.

"...something like that?

 'Cuckoo,' laughed Erdmeade, laughing away.

'Of course not! You're the only one who can get away with it. Magic development is not my field. But the tyrannical demon king can easily complete the magic formula he's studied all the way through, can't he?

 A hint of exhaustion comes over Zeke's face.
 Wherever you talk, you're going to end up talking about me.

No, no, I'm not tired of this, Zeke. "The Demon King of Tyranny" is not a reference to Anos.

What do you mean?

'A son of God and a great spirit. It is the plan of Nausgaria to give birth to Avos Dilhevia, the demon king of tyranny.

 As if in a huff, Zeke's expression turned grim.

'You want to take advantage of the brave canon's plan?'

That's right.

"...So you're saying that you're going to take over Nowsgaria with the help of Avos Dilhevia, who was born in Nowsgaria's plans?

'It depends. You have to make a choice to have the most enemies of Demon King Anos. That bothers me more than anything else.

 Cackle, Erdmead laughs.

''Perhaps it's time for the heroes to make contact with the Mother Great Spirit and the Demon King's right arm. How will the three of them decide what to do now that there is no Demon King? Kaka, it's quite a sight to see.