‘I could read Eldakrad’s memory.’
‘Could it be that Berna was actually Bernoa?’
‘Had she shortened her name?’
‘What a despicable woman.’
Bernoa wished for a lord who would love her.
She rationalized that the one who didn’t love her wasn’t the lord but someone else entirely.
As she fell into corruption as a demon, that thought only deepened.
Becoming a demon meant Eldakrad would reject her even more.
Amidst all this, Ashtar managed to recover Eldakrad’s corpse.
Eldakrad, a seasoned war veteran, had retreated swiftly.
Judging by the fact that only a few dozen survived, they must have perished trying to recover his body.
Bernoa’s reason for being here was clear.
She intended to replace the Demon King after his death and came to Eldakrad’s tomb to do so.
But that’s not the issue.
What Eldakrad saw in his memory was unmistakably a response to the Demon King.
However, the Demon King he saw differed from the one I encountered.
Here, I considered a possibility.
‘Do those who see the Demon King perceive a different existence based on who they are?’
The Demon King Eldakrad saw outside was a deep, dark abyss.
In Eldakrad’s memory, Bernoa saw the Demon King as Eldakrad himself.
That Demon King must have shown love to Bernoa.
Thus, she deemed the real Eldakrad an impostor.
The Demon King I encountered, however, was utterly ordinary.
He had a humanoid form and resembled me.
‘What’s clear is that everyone sees a different Demon King.’
‘So, by what criteria is this form determined?’
‘Could it be based on what one desperately wishes for?’
‘Eldakrad wouldn’t have desired darkness, would he?’
‘Or perhaps that abyss was the true form of the Demon King, and Eldakrad, being outside, wasn’t directly influenced. Bernoa, dragged to Seto and thrown before the Demon King during her corruption, might have seen the Demon King as her lord.’
‘I might have also expected at least a Demon King who could speak.’
‘If so, what did Pector or Clanis see?’
‘Let’s assume it’s what one desperately wishes for.’
‘It’s too late, but I’m left with one last question.’
‘If only the Holy Sword can cut through that abyss, how does my defeating the Demon King get interpreted?’
‘Did I truly kill the Demon King?’
No matter how many times I think about it, my questions remain unanswered.
In the end, I shoved the unresolved thread into a corner of my heart and opened my eyes.
***
Eldakrad was still looking at me.
His skeletal face was hidden beneath a helmet, but the blue flame visible through his eyes seemed to pierce through my soul, locking onto mine.
“Brother, are you okay?”
Ignoring Noelle’s words, I continued to stare at Eldakrad.
“Eldakrad, are you asking me to avenge you?”
Eldakrad said nothing.
The unwavering gaze from within his helmet reflected affirmation.
“I’m not like you. I’m not from Ashtar’s bloodline. I’m not even that noble, and I carry the power of the very demons that killed you. How could someone like me avenge you?”
“The Four Heavenly Kings are indeed my enemies.”
“But vengeance isn’t the point here.”
“If you think about it, I have a complicated existence.”
“I’m a wizard from the Land of Ruin, Noah, wearing Olivia’s shell.”
“How much of Olivia’s soul, the descendant of Ashtar, remains within me is anyone’s guess.”
“Even so, he said no more to me.”
“With what seemed like an almost rigid hand, he pointed somewhere and then collapsed in a heap of bones.”
“Brother? Are you okay?”
“It’s over.”
“Hah… It’s finally over.”
Noelle slumped to the ground, seemingly drained.
Eldakrad’s final gesture lingered in my mind.
When I looked in the direction he had pointed, I saw a small chest.
“This is…”
Opening it, I found items that seemed to have belonged to Eldakrad during his life: a spellbook, a diary, and other miscellaneous items.
“Is it okay to rummage through a dead person’s belongings like this?”
‘That’s the purpose anyway.’
“This was the goal, wasn’t it? Besides, it feels like Eldakrad wanted me to read this.”
The resentment of the dead is something to be feared.
Eldakrad, by the time he passed his memories to me, should have already been dead.
In other words, Eldakrad had risen temporarily from death by sheer will to protect his descendants and pass on his will.
Perhaps you’d call it a miracle.
And honestly, I find it unsettling, so I can’t just ignore it.
“Wait, is this a book?”
There were two books.
One was written in the Empire’s common language.
The other was penned in the script of a minority group from the Land of Ruin.
It turned out to be a genealogy.
It contained the genealogy of Ashtar from Eldakrad’s era and also the genealogy of the people living in the Land of Ruin, also known as the Land of the Godslayer.
When I confirmed it, I felt deflated.
“So, whether it’s Noah or Olivia, it doesn’t matter.”
There weren’t many tribes in the Land of Ruin.
Naturally, some families were interlinked.
And yet…
One name from the minority genealogy appeared in Ashtar’s genealogy as well.
“Noelle, what was the name of our great-grandmother?”
“Hilda, wasn’t it?”
“Eldakrad’s mother. Olivia’s great-grandmother was also Hilda.”
That’s right.
Eldakrad’s mother was not only Noah and Noelle’s great-grandmother but also Olivia’s great-grandmother.
I handed the genealogy to Noelle.
“What the hell… It’s true.”
“Mana Swords can only be wielded by bloodlines. I thought I manifested Sword Magic using the power of the soul tied to Noah’s identity.”
But that wasn’t it.
Strangely, everything was connected.
“So, what will you do now?”
“The family connection feels tragic. So, does that make Eldakrad our relative?”
This complicates things.
“Will you seek revenge?”
“I’ll have to take down the Four Heavenly Kings regardless.”
No matter what, I defeated the Demon King.
And the Four Heavenly Kings are now causing havoc.
This Is a Sort of Responsibility.
***
“A hero may never defeat the Demon King in their lifetime, but I can’t leave the Four Heavenly Kings unchecked, even if just for peace of mind.”
“I can’t kill them, but I’ll beat them to the point where they’re powerless.”
“You’re not such an honest person yourself, Brother. You’ve always used the world to your advantage.”
“For now, I’m also Olivia.”
“That doesn’t mean the part of you that was Noah has disappeared.”
“You’re right. But the current me, who was once Noah and is now Olivia, is in a slightly different situation.”
I told Noelle about that day.
How I first met Olivia and why Noah’s soul ended up in Olivia’s body.
To be precise, since I’ve spent years in this body with Olivia, I am Olivia, and Olivia is Noah.
It was Noah’s original form that fought against the Demon King.
I explained everything, especially the details of the battle with the Demon King.
“Fine. So you’re Olivia. Hah, whatever. You were never the type to care about such things anyway.”
“Now it’s your turn. Are you really not interested in the hero?”
‘There’s no way she’s that clueless, is there?’
“Hah. Listen, Olivia. Whether I like the hero or not isn’t the issue here.”
“Then what is it? Are you saying you want the best man, like how the hero chases after women?”
“How many of our people from the Land of Ruin are left?”
“Well…”
“How many are left?”
“At most, there’s only Noelle, isn’t there?”
“That’s right. Now, it’s just Noelle.”
“But is there any reason to bring that up now?”
“When you were Noah, you killed them all, didn’t you?”
“At the time, that was the best I could do.”
I had no choice back then.
The isolated minority groups had foolishly thought to revive the gods after all those years.
I had to stop them, even if it meant wiping them out.
Reviving a god? I’d rather face the Demon King.
Though I thought a few might have survived…
“Best? Sure. And now, this is my best. I’m the only one left of our people.”
“Uh?”
“Or what? Do you want us to go extinct entirely? Are you planning to give birth yourself after living decades as a man, Sister?”
“Well, that’s…”
“No, it’s impossible.”
Physiologically impossible.
“Even if that were the case, there’s hardly any of Eldakrad’s bloodline left. If the bloodline has to branch out, the hero would be a better choice.”
“Is that really what you’re thinking?”
“Yes.”
It seems suspicious no matter how I look at it.
“But no, it’s not happening. No matter how great the hero’s lineage might be, or how exceptional his chosen body is. Most of all…”
“What? Is there another reason?”
Of course, there is.
This isn’t just about the two of us.
“The hero doesn’t like girls with a body like yours.”
“What!?”
Noelle was horrified.
It’s nothing to be so surprised about.
It’s shockingly true.
The hero likes women with large chests.
Even if they’re unattractive, as long as they’re well-endowed, he’ll consider them.
Next, he considers curves and hips.
And after that… legs.
“I’m not teasing; it’s true. The hero is more depraved than you think. Someone with your flat chest has no chance with him.”
I glanced Noelle up and down and let out a chuckle.
Remarkably, my younger sister is slender.
Not bad, but her small chest disqualifies her as a marriage candidate for the hero.
“Wow, you’re a woman now, and you’re saying things like that? Growing those lumps gave you some female pride or something?”
Not pride, exactly, but I can sense your inferiority complex.
“It’s not like I’m trying to impress you or that I even like the hero. Why would I boast about something like this? Anyway, let’s settle this.”
Noelle has an unnecessarily high sense of pride.
That’s probably why she left home in the first place.
I plan to use that against her.
“Confess to him. If the hero rejects you, give up.”
“What?”
“Why not? Are you afraid?”
Judging by her reaction, it seems like she’s never tried to approach the hero before.
That makes it even better.
‘What would that idiot hero do if Noelle confessed to him?’
“Are you scared?”
I smirked, the kind of dirty, underhanded grin no noblewoman should ever wear.
“Fine. I’ll show you. I’ll make the hero, who chases after women, fall for me. At the very least, I can control him like a slave, right?”
“…That’s…”
“Controlling the hero like a slave?”
“Wait, that doesn’t sound so bad, actually.”
“Receiving his seed wouldn’t be a problem, right?”
Before addressing that…
The real question is whether the hero would even think of you that way.
***
Noah: “Hey. A flat chest isn’t womanly.”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
Noah: “A large chest is necessary to feed a child with milk. A flat chest can’t do that. It means you’re less capable as a woman. That’s why I like women with large chests.”
‘What a lunatic.’
At the time, I brushed it off as nonsense.
But looking back, maybe he was onto something.
When I look at my sister now, I wonder…
‘How would Noelle raise a child?’
“Let’s head back.”
Suddenly, I found myself looking at her with pity.
“What’s with that look?”
“Nothing. I’m just tired.”
“Hey!”
“Maybe a little pity isn’t so bad this time.”
“Anyway, hang in there, Noelle.”
***
After a long argument, Noelle and I finally emerged from the tomb.
I was so exhausted I nearly collapsed.
Outside the tomb, knights and a mage squad were waiting. Among them were Syria and Kise.
“Lady Olivia? Are you all right?”
“Are you okay, Lady Olivia?”
Syria and Kise supported me.
Behind them stood the lord of Ashtar, Olivia’s father.
Judging by the siege weapons they brought, they must have planned to destroy the tomb.
“A powerful dark energy emanated from the tomb. What happened inside?”
I suppose I’ll have to tell them.
This is something the lord, Eldakrad’s son, should know.
“Father, we encountered Bernoa, no, the Fallen Saintess Berna, who betrayed Grandfather.”
At my words, Father’s eyes flashed.