[19th Round] Truth vs. Truth
Should I report this?
I couldn’t just directly say, “the Hero’s drying your daughter out under the sun,” since I only learned about it because of Shadow A’s ability as an honorary teacher.
This was a privilege that the final boss, the Demon Lord, shouldn’t have.
But there was another way I could bring it to their attention.
I could casually say, “I would like to see your daughter.”
Shakespeare would then contact her and notice what was happening.
“Hey! Where’s your…”
“Good Hero, I apologize, but could you wait a minute?”
A floating hologram appeared in front of Shakespeare’s face.
The screen showed the Princess of Darkness being pinned to the ground by Hero Richel’s foot.
Judging by the angle of view, it was a shot from the skies.
It couldn’t be.
“You even have a satellite?”
I didn’t think I would see satellites in Fantasy.
“The Evening Sun. This is a masterpiece that I invented 187 years ago. Since then, I have constantly launched them into space, building a surveillance network throughout the Western Continent.
“Holy shit.”
“They were originally designed to block out the sun, causing an artificial solar eclipse. However, I soon realized that there were other uses for this. Let’s take a look.
PIP!
Connoisseur Shakespeare controlled the hologram with his fingertip as he concentrated the power of his G-rank Yin-Yang skill on his staff, which he held in his right hand.
It didn’t remain on his weapon, however. Instead, it disappeared somewhere.
No, it didn’t disappear.
I looked up.
My view was blocked by the dome’s ceiling, so I couldn’t see the sky, but I felt a huge accumulation of energy above us.
It was very far away but within my perception.
“Oh…”
I understood what Shakespeare was trying to do. His next words immediately confirmed my assumption, too.
“My staff is connected to the Evening Sun. For the average wizard, this is but a tool that enhances and focuses magic, but to me, it’s a transmitter that allows me to bombard my target regardless of distance.”
He had absolute strength.
Immediately after that…
BJJJ!
A rainbow beam of light fell upon Richel’s head.
Was it because of the Divine Shield?
It didn’t make sense.
His attacks were supposed to always be successful, which meant the Hero’s survival was out of the question.
Even my current body, the “incarnation of the Demon Lord,” wouldn’t survive such an attack, let alone a child who blindly relied on divinity.
“But he didn’t die…”
Even after a short wait, there was no sign of the world’s destruction.
Shakespeare loosened his grip over the staff. “He didn’t die because I had no intention of killing him. The Great Hero has come to visit for the first time in 2,000 years. I shouldn’t make a fool of myself in front of you. Haha.”
“You really know everything.”
Without the Hero, the world would collapse, and everything would regress to the moment the Hero was summoned.
I looked at the hologram.
Richel and the Princess of Darkness had swapped places.
The Princess of Darkness, who could now freely act thanks to an artificial solar eclipse, seized the Hero, who had no fight left in him.
FSHH!
A rope of bright red vampire blood wrapped around him.
“Hurry, Rapaveli!”
However, Hero Richel couldn’t accept his loss.
He summoned a companion he had been deliberately hiding until the last moment.
“Your Grace! I will save you!”
Mercenary A ran out of the forest with Lanuvel.
“Sir Hero?! Why are you fighting the Princess of Darkness?!” She asked, clearly puzzled by the sudden turn of events. She had been searching the forest for food, like berries and mushrooms, along with Mercenary A. She had no idea what was happening.
Hero Richel replied. “The Princess of Darkness is under the Demon Lord’s control!”
Huh? What the hell was he talking about?
I wasn’t even manipulating Alex, let alone the Princess of Darkness, whom I didn’t get in touch with at all.
He was using such a blatant lie!
The dastardly Hero just made up an excuse to hide his atrocities in front of Lanuvel…
“Princess! Come to your senses!”
Naturally, Lanuvel was stupid enough to immediately believe him …
“Don’t worry about it, Good Hero. This is the Western Continent. There is no place out of my reach here,” Said Shakespeare as he observed the situation with me.
And in support of his words…
“Protect the princess!”
“Don’t move! Lower your weapons and raise your hands!”
“You’re surrounded!”
“Surrender now!”
The Eternal Night Empire’s army had completely encircled the Hero and his dummies.
But this wasn’t the same helpless group that had attempted to apprehend their ship before.
The vampires before them were colossal and were clad in black armor from head to toe.
I wouldn’t call it armor, though. They were more like some form of a special forces unit with flak jackets and helmets.
It sounded strange, considering Fantasy’s setting, but I couldn’t describe their gear any better.
They even had something that looked like a pistol in their right hand and a rectangular translucent shield in their left hand, covering their entire body.
I was too far away to check their stats, but I was certain their skills were outstanding.
“Monsters…”
“They’re too strong!”
The Hero’s Party was no match for them, even more so when considering the fact that the vampires were armed to the teeth, and the Hero and his members could only rely on their skills.
The reason the dummies were able to hold out even for a few seconds was only because of Shakespeare’s kindness.
“They are also souls trapped in this world. They’re simply being exploited by the Hero, which is why I don’t want to kill them.”
“You still don’t like violence, huh.”
Even if Lanuvel and Mercenary A died, the world wouldn’t crumble.
Shakespeare laughed. “Haha… It’s simply my nature.”
The situation was quickly resolved.
With his hands and feet bound by a special rope and not with the blood of the Princess of Darkness, Richel had been neutralized.
His Divine Shield might seem versatile, but it was useless against binds.
“There you have it.”
“If the Good Hero doesn’t mind, I plan to leave them as prisoners of the empire, at least until this divided world is destroyed.”
“Do what you want.”
As his MAX-Class caring senior, I would keep looking after my junior, but I didn’t have to save him.
I would simply observe.
And I would respect the judgment of the local that caught him and decided to take him into custody.
Was this the end of Richel’s journey?
As a hero with 100 years of experience, I doubted that.
As I expected…
“Sir Hero! I’ll help you!”
Lanuvel activated her magic.
“What?!”
Shakespeare’s calm expression changed dramatically.
It was understandable. White light enveloped the Hero Richel and Mercenary A and soon disappeared, after all.
Spatial movement.
Shakespeare had foreseen such an event and even created a special rope to prevent it from happening.
However, Lanuvel’s magic ignored those restrictions.
“Her magic surpassed my invention, created with the power of Truth. This is my failure.”
As long as the perfect harmony of Yin and Yang wasn’t broken, the Connoisseur was guaranteed unconditional success.
Yet, he failed for some reason.
“What happened to Lanuvel?”
“She seems to have lost her life for sacrificing her level to activate powerful magic.”
Lanuvel’s corpse, whose level dropped to zero, disappeared like a monster as she turned all her experience into magic.
The conclusion Shakespeare and I came to was that it was an irreversible death.
“It’s a familiar concept.”
She guided heroes, but she would always find a way to die if she didn’t like the adventure.
It was nothing out of the ordinary for me.
I even asked my cowardly wife about her personality, but she didn’t know anything about her.
Lanuvel played an important role in summoning heroes, but she wasn’t much different from other companions otherwise.
Until her death, all she would do was interfere with the Hero.
But Shakespeare had different thoughts on this matter.
“Lanuvel. In the ancient language, it means ‘Truth.’ I used to think it was just a name, but now, seeing how it cancels out my Truth, I’m beginning to think a little differently. Another Connoisseur. Or, just like the Great Hero, she’s not bound by the rules of this world. Her existence can only be explained in such a way.”
“Perhaps.”
“I would’ve liked to meet and talk with Lanuvel personally, but I have lost that chance…”
Shakespeare seemed extremely disappointed.
I had a solution for his predicament, however.
“There’s a way to do it. If you give me all the information I need, I’ll give it to you in another world, where Lanuvel is still alive.”
“Oh!”
“It’s a good idea, wouldn’t you say so?”
“Yes! This might be even better than we can imagine! Although it requires borrowing the Hero’s power, it is an indirect success in inter-dimensional travel and time travel, which has been impossible for 2,000 years!”
I tilted my head to one side.
“What can be done with it, though?”
I could only return a few years back, not to a distant past.
Even history couldn’t be changed.
“Assume the day of the Hero’s summon is your starting point, and you spend 100 years here, learning and understanding all the blueprints and knowledge I have accumulated and passed on to you throughout that time. What will happen then?”
“Oh! I see!”
“Haha! It seems you understand the point I’m trying to convey. It is exactly as you think! Another Shakespeare will receive the information accumulated over 100 years, eliminating the need to invent the same thing every time. You can move research 100 years ahead in an instant! It’s a revolution!”
His explanation made me understand why he was so happy.
It was a very interesting idea.
In theory, we could cause endless development.
▶ Worry: I’m scared to even wonder if the result of that will still be the Fantasy World…
‘Of course, Trainee Teacher! Well, perhaps?’
“In accordance with that, let’s first start by creating a system that will allow me to control that flying ship at any time and any number of times.”
“Haha! It won’t be a problem.”
I decided to leave my junior and Mercenary A alone, who, thanks to Lanuvel’s magic, found themselves on the Central Continent.
There were more important things to do now, after all.
One month, three months, one year, three years…
The Fantasy experience of the MAX-Class Demon Lord quickly accumulated.
But this couldn’t last forever.
While researching what other uses Wi-Fi had, a change occurred.
“He decided to take action?”
Hero Richel led many companions to storm the Demon Lord’s castle.
I would just ignore them, but …
“For Sir Riel.”
“For the Hero.”
“For my master.”
“For my owner.”
“For you.”
There were many of them, and the variety of their jobs were impressive.
“Tsk. I have to go.”
I had a feeling that the Four Celestial Lords I appointed as the Demon Lord’s castle guards wouldn’t last long.
I guessed this was where the research for this round would end.
“Haha! Here you go!”
The Shakespeare connoisseur intuitively understood that the end of this world would soon come.
He handed me his latest masterpiece.
“I like this design.”
I especially liked its texture.
“Lord of Demons and Hope, show this to the other me.”
“What is it called?” I asked, climbing onto the Flying Ship Orgat.
“This is Mollanfon A.” He replied.
It was an excellent name, one I couldn’t even imagine coming up with.
