Chapter 71 - What a Happy Ending This Is
"You slept quite soundly."
"I was dreaming."
"Dreaming?"
"A long, nostalgic dream."
It was the dream of the first time I realized my regret after being captured by Louis. Since that day, I have remained in a state of regret. I could no longer act like a guardian. My days passed by in a daze. I would stay in my room, or fly through the sky. When I was with him, we would cuddle side by side, or I would let him do as he pleased while sitting on his lap.
I lacked both the spirit and the strength to break through this current reality, which was gentle only to me. And the voice screaming that I wanted to love him, accept everything, and affirm it all, outweighed my sense of guilt.
So I did nothing, simply breathing and living.
He noticed my abnormality as well, but when he realized I stubbornly kept my heart closed, he became even gentler with me. That was all. He would never force me to speak, because I, Elenoa, would dislike that.
Since I had been with him until late last night, my body was exhausted. To hide the red marks remaining on my neck and legs, I continued to wear the black one-piece dress of the Demon Queen.
"I told you it was fine to sleep. You came all this way for no reason; there is nothing interesting here."
"It's just a feeling."
Yes, just a feeling. I felt like I had to come here, so I rubbed my sleepy eyes and stayed in the throne room, a place I usually did not visit.
His hand, which stroked my hair as he chuckled, was slightly cold, and I wanted to cling to it and sleep more. I hoped for a happy dream next time. But if it were too happy, that would be troubling as well.
Even after the defeat of Hero Hasumi, the number of challengers visiting the Demon Lord's Castle did not change. However, their nature had clearly changed.
It seemed that the Hero Hasumi Party, whom we had let go that day, had leaked information.
The Hero's Parties of the present day, some twenty years later, were clearly composed of personnel designed to counter mages.
Mages are weak in hand-to-hand combat. It takes time to cast spells, and if their chanting is sealed, they can do nothing. Therefore, intending to exploit that gap, they equipped those skilled at inducing status abnormalities with bows for long-range combat, made martial artists their main force, and added a few balanced types.
Because groups with such sweet, cloying ideas—like mixing boiled honey with maple syrup and hardening it with starch syrup!—never ceased to appear, one corner of the Demon Lord's Castle was inevitably bloody.
He did not need to chant, and as long as hand-to-hand attacks or arrows did not hit, they were of no consequence.
No matter what commands were tried, battles where words like "MISS!" or "No Damage!" danced were completely loss events. Unfortunately, such text was visible only within my crystal.
Since these guys this time could not possibly match Louis anyway.
Thinking that coming here had not been enjoyable after all, I tried to lean against him and sleep again, when—
"Elenoa-san!"
My name was called.
When I directed my gaze, which had been focused only on him, toward the front, the current Hero stood beyond the widely opened doors.
With medium-length black hair and well-featured looks, he was attractive enough to catch the eye of any woman. His armor, fitting for a Hero, was likely made of holy iron.
He was a harem-type Hero, surrounded by beauties and pretty girls of various colorful types.
A flat-chested loli with red hair!
A big-breasted cleric with blue hair!
A female samurai with black hair!
Their appearances were clearly difficult to dismiss as mere mobs, and one could tell they undoubtedly possessed protagonist attributes.
Such types were not, strictly speaking, a first for me. Since the period of my regret, the world seemed to have opened up, and 'protagonist-type' individuals began to appear blatantly. Of course, these were people I had never seen in the game 'The Demon Lord and the Hourglass'.
This abnormality was surely due to someone's will.
From someone who looked down on us from beyond my understanding.
By the way, why was I called by this Hero now?
"Who?"
Did the Hero Hasumi Party leak even my name? As I wondered vaguely, it was Louis who answered.
"It seems they know you. They claim you saved them. Are they acquaintances?"
"...I do not know."
I had no memory of helping anyone. Mistaken identity... or rather, mistaken fairy.
"Then that is good. Since they are strong enough to have defeated Bis, we must ensure they are finished off."
"Bis-kun was? Is he alright?"
"At his own request, I sent him to my bedroom. Shall we have his injuries treated later?"
"Yes."
I had mistakenly used the wrong first-person pronoun for the 'Demon Lord' just now. I knew that my presence made him let his guard down, but it seemed he was also surprised that Bis-kun had lost. I could see a slight disturbance in him. I found such careless moments cute. A smile inadvertently slipped out, and I felt a sulky atmosphere from above.
Nevertheless, it seemed matters had progressed considerably while I was sleeping.
Bis-kun, who had never lost to anyone other than Louis until now, had somehow... I sighed deeply.
It was rare for me to feel anxious these days.
After all, even if this Hero was stronger than Bis-kun, they were surely weaker than me. One must not underestimate the abilities of the Demon Queen. I was simply not allowed to step forward often by the Demon Lord-sama, but in reality, I could fight. After all, I possessed movements trained by the previous Demon Lord, Bis-kun, and could wield magic trained by the Demon Lord-sama. Although I had never killed anyone.
Anyway, well, if they could defeat Bis-kun, that meant they were on the level of the second or third Demon Lord-class entities. Although Bis-kun was already on par with a final boss, among us, who were viewed affectionately as a family in the Demon Lord's Castle, he was the weakest.
As I gazed at the Hero with eyes that had lost interest, the Hero spoke with a good-natured, bitter smile, saying something like, "As expected, you do not remember."
"It is I. The fairy you saved on a full moon night long ago."
"A fairy...?"
"Why is a fairy here? I have forbidden my subordinates from harming fairies. What is your motive?"
That was right. There was a rule, unusual within the Demon Realm, that one must not torment, kill, harm, or stalk fairies. Louis had spread this throughout the Demon Realm himself, and it was said that his own voice had reached even the remotest corners, making excuses like "I didn't know" impossible. Still, there were naturally those who did not obey. However, in the central part of the Demon Realm, directly governed by Louis, they dared not commit such outrages, so it became a safe zone where fairies could fly freely. And the majority of those who had hidden and broken the rules at the edges of the Demon Realm were 'purged' by his hand. This was becoming a story of the past, through the journey with Hero Hasumi.
In short, fairies had no reason to hate the Demon Lord.
I sometimes conversed with my fairy companions, and most of the words I received from them were words of gratitude, such as "Thanks to the Demon Lord, it is easier to live than before." The lower the rank, the lower the intelligence—meaning their words contained no lies. Since they said so, the current Demon Realm should be a good place for fairies.
And yet, why do you seek to defeat Louis?
"You must have abducted Elenoa-san...!"
Oh, I see. Because I was abducted. That was unavoidable... was it?
"Do you understand?"
"Um... I really don't know. Who are you?"
I genuinely did not know who he was. I had no memory of his face at all.
The Hero's companions blamed me with desperate expressions.
"He has been searching for you all this time!? What is the meaning of those words!"
"You, who disregarded our master's feelings... are worthy of ten thousand deaths."
"Nii-ni, bullying is not allowed!"
"...Are they acquaintances?"
"Complete strangers."
If I knew they were compatriots, I might feel some sympathy, but regarding the harem members, this was our first meeting. We had been talking calmly, so I wished third parties would not interrupt with a quarrelsome attitude.
—Well, whatever.
This irritation would vanish soon enough. By the Demon Lord's hand, their trajectories, time, and bonds would all go into the trash bin.
I unwound Louis's arm from around my waist and got off his lap. Then he also rose from his heavy seat. Just making the Demon Lord stand from his throne meant this Hero was sufficiently strong.
But in the end, that was all.
Perhaps, if I asked based on the bond between fairies, this Hero alone might be spared. However, there was no reason to let the other humans return alive. Therefore, I could say nothing. If I stopped him here, I felt it would deny what he had 'worked hard' for until now.
And again, he would become stained with blood.
I had grown accustomed to even such things.
"Elenoa."
A large hand rested on my blank mind.
"I will finish this in five minutes. If it is painful, cover your ears and eyes."
"Yes."
His blonde hair swayed smoothly. As I watched his back as he elegantly descended the stairs, clicking his leather shoes, I lowered my eyes.
—And so, the Demon Lord and the Fairy spent their semi-eternal time peacefully.
"What a happy ending this is."
I murmured in a voice no one could hear.
If such an ending were to have a title, it might be something like 'Happy End: With the Demon Lord'.
Spending my life with a Demon Lord who picks a fight with humanity just for my sake is an ending that would appeal to yandere fans. I had a feeling its wonderful sense of incomplete satisfaction would appeal to hardcore enthusiasts.
"...Sleepy."
Well, I will sleep a bit more. Fairies live by instinct, so there is no need to worry.
After all, I could not hear the Hero's voice calling "Elenoa" from afar at all.
Really? Is this fine? —Shut up.
I know it is not good. Then what should I do? If I just get used to this, I can be happy without worrying about anything.
The human-like emotions that stubbornly appealed within me were a hindrance.
While thinking that I should return to my room, I borrowed the throne and used the armrest as a pillow. I watched over Louis, who was still playing without reaching the point of killing. The clashing of swords was intense, but it did not serve as an alarm clock.
"Elenoa!"
Over there, the Hero called to me sorrowfully. He tried to come toward me without paying any attention to Louis, but that behavior only irritated Louis's nerves. The Demon Lord's magic was ruthlessly sharp, steadily shaving away the opponent's will. As a result of the Hero repeatedly stepping back, the distance between us had not advanced even ten steps.
Because the Demon Lord cherished me, other men must not cherish me. This was a natural thing.
Judging by the Hero's state, it was likely not a lie that he had been searching for me. It was probably not a falsehood that he knew me either. But I am sorry, I do not know you.
"Step aside, Demon Lord...!"
Golden wings grew from the Hero's back, and his emotional agitation was visible.
My meddlesome compatriot who had come hoping for my liberation. His body was already covered in blood, with an ice stake protruding from his right shoulder. It must hurt. Even though it hurts terribly. You came all this way for someone like me.
Thump. My heart throbbed with a cold pain.
"Louis, wait."
"Yes?"
Before I knew it, I had stopped Louis, who had been toying with the Hero's Party.
"Let me do it."