At the end of the night, after eating the delicious breakfast Alice had made for us, me and Alice were playing lightly.

'....Oops.
'Oops, that's a level up. Hmmm, I'll catch up with you~

　The eye of the roulette that Alice turned shows four, and when she moved four of the pieces, it seemed to be a level-up square, and Alice smiled brightly.
　What Alice and I are currently playing is a familiar one in my world...so-called Sugoroku.

But it's very well done, this........was it 'The Heroic Sugoroku'?
Yes, the backgammon itself came from Kite's world, but this brave backgammon has spread widely. Nowadays, it's a standard item that most kids play at least once.

　This heroic backgammon seems to be a recreation of the original hero's journey, and if you advance the pieces and defeat the demon king, the game goes up... it's a backgammon that would make Noyn-san fainting.
　Each piece has a level, and it rises when it stops at a level-up square. There are level judgments on monsters and other squares along the way, and if your level is low, you can get back to your level, which is quite fun.

　The game also has some nice graphics with small magical crystals, and you can hear the sounds of demons and light up the game with some clever tricks.
　It's a great game for kids and adults alike.

However, seeing it turned into a toy like this makes me realize once again how much respect Noin-san has for me.
That's because she's the hero of this world. Defeating the Demon King with a few people and bringing peace to the world she's an easy to understand hero.
...I didn't see much detail in it.

　In the book Kuro recommended me to buy before, Noin-san.......Hikari the hero was listed, but the other party members were written by occupation: wizard, spearman, and bandit, and their names were not listed.
　

''Oh, that's a political procedure. It's rather widely known, but since one of the original hero's party members is the current King Hydra, it's like an unspoken agreement not to mention it in consideration of the power relations between nations. It is.
Well you're a mermaid, aren't you?
Yes, Laguna Deer Hydra you are a spearman.

It's historical. It's that powerful.

　As expected of a first-generation heroic party member. He must be quite an amazing person.

''........What about the other members?''
''Let's see.
"...what?　Aris, did you accompany the first brave man on his journey?
Now, what's that all about?　I don't have anything to do with the mysterious genius beauty bandit Hapti-chan~

　 It's certainly not surprising that Alice would be able to do something like that.

........Hey, Alice.
Yes?
''I've always wondered... even though it was difficult for the Sixth King to move at that time, wouldn't you have been able to take care of the Demon King and then put a root cause in the human world?
''........Well, I won't deny it. It would have been difficult to conclude a treaty of friendship with the three worlds like Hikari-san, but there were plenty of ways to just get rid of the Demon King's army. You could even disguise it as if the human race had won, well, I suppose you could have done that.
....
'Then why didn't you do it you can't tell anyone else what happens from here on out.
Okay.

　I'm going to tell you the truth that I ... well, most of the world doesn't know. And that is, please keep it a secret, and after preambleing that, Alice begins to speak.

''........There were two reasons why we, the Sixth King, couldn't.......no, we didn't touch the Demon King at that time. One, as you know, Kite, is the lack of pipes to the human world.
....
And the other one ... because our head, 'Mr. Black,' was hesitant to do so-and-so.
...Black?
'.........the Demon King is, you know.......Black-san's 'family'.
What?

　The words Alice told him were truly shocking. The Demon King is Black's family?　So you're saying that the Demon King defected to Black and challenged him to a fight?
　No, somehow, looking at Alice's expression.........I don't think so.

''........Honestly, it was completely unexpected for us that the Demon King invaded the human world. He wasn't the kind of child who would do such a thing. To us........even to the six kings other than Kuro-san, the Demon King was like a sisterhood figure. She had a kind heart that cared for others, and she looked up to Kuro-san like a real mother.
Well ... yeah ... yeah.
That's why I thought there was something very big going on... and the Sixth King's discussions with each other were divided on how to handle it.
....
'I'm not going to name names, but I'm going to say, 'You could beat him up and bring him back, but ... no ... I'm sure ... there's a reason ...' But after all that, is it really so embarrassing to take no steps at all? 'Then shouldn't we first look for the cause?' It was like...
I think I kind of know what they said.
Well, 'No, if you're going to cause chaos in the world, why don't you just kill him? ........I heard there was also a Phantom King who didn't read the air, though. The Phantom King is the worst!
You, you!

　If I thought it was very serious, I waited for Alice, who jokingly threw in some self-deprecating jokes in the middle of the conversation, to continue, somewhat dumbfounded by the words that followed.


You mean, "other than Alice"?
''Yes, that's right.......I secretly had my alter ego accompany Hikari-san on her journey. If Hikari-san decides that she can't handle the Demon King well, to take immediate action... well, Hikari-san defeated him in the end.
...and the Demon King...
He's alive. Don't ask me for details if you can, but I'm repenting of my sins and I'm still atoning for them.
I see.

　No more words came out of my mouth.
　When Lilia-san told me about it, I thought the Demon King was somewhat of a pathetic guy and that he was happy to be defeated by a brave man, but.......apparently, it's not that simple.
　I wonder how Kuro, who is also a party to this, feels about it.　I don't know, but I understand that it's not a topic I'm comfortable stepping into.

　Alice smiles with a gentle expression towards me as I'm thinking about such things.

''Well, there's nothing for you to worry about, Kite. This was a thousand years ago, and it's already over........oops, you're out of tea. I'll go make you a cup of tea.
Thank you.

　Indeed, Alice is right - this is already a thousand years old, and if it's been resolved by the parties involved, it's not something I should be involved in.

　Dear Mom, Dad - Alice told me a little more about the heroes and the Demon King. Alice told me that it's all over now and that's what I told her, but... why is that?　There was something a little - something that stuck in her mind.







　While staring at the pot of tea, Alice remembered a bit of the past.

'Enough of this, Black-san!　It's true that the kid may not have killed anyone. Still, those idiots who took advantage and attacked him aren't!　If you can't control it, it's her fault!
"Maybe, but... but...
'I don't know what the circumstances are but if he's gone mad, it's a mercy to take care of him.
"....Chartier.
''........I understand. For now, I'll wait and see how things go until that brave man confronts that girl. Even then, if I decide that there's nothing I can do I'll kill them all. That's all right?''
'....Yeah. Sorry.
"....I'll tell you one thing. Even if he survives if he comes to his senses, the fires of regret will continue to burn his heart and he will never have a future of salvation.
....

　Recalling past conversations, Alice poured the tea into the cup she had prepared.....and muttered quietly to herself, not to anyone.

''.........that child will suffer forever.

　While reflecting her own face in the liquid poured into the cup, Alice smiles slightly.

You can't help but think that Kaito-san might be able to do that. It's a little too convenient to expect that she will reach out to that child who is still being burned by her own sin.........

　Thinking of her lover's kind face, Alice turned her gaze to the window and looked at the distant landscape.

''........I turned the roulette just a moment ago. 　Do you have the courage...to take Kite's hand?