Having escaped from the vengeful spirit that was gradually killing him, the Demon King seemed to have regained his vitality as if he had never been ill.
Everything had returned to its peak state.
However, among the higher echelons of Edina, silence prevailed.
Only a very few knew what had transpired.
Liana de Grantz had deceived the Demon King on her own.
But this time, all his close aides had conspired together to deceive him.
Although their intention was to save the Demon King, they had not asked for his consent.
As a result, they couldn't help but hold their breath and be on their guard while trying to save him.
It was a situation that warranted anger. Not only had they deceived him once, but now all of his closest aides had joined forces to deceive him again.
Everyone was afraid because they didn't know how the Demon King's anger would manifest.
Harriet, Olivia, Airi, Charlotte, and the Council of Elders.
They were all afraid, unsure of what Reinhardt would say about the matter.
But.
The Demon King didn't say anything.
No anger.
No sadness.
No hatred.
No resentment.
Not a single word.
The Demon King spent the entire day sitting on the highest spire of Edina, without saying a word.
No one knew what he was thinking or what he was feeling.
Instead, that very fact made everyone even more afraid.
What could the Demon King be thinking?
Reinhardt didn't even open his mouth to address the matter.
Everyone nervously watched the Demon King's every move, holding their breath.
—---
The tall spire of Edina.
The castle was built atop a cliff, and the highest spire was a place frequently visited by the Demon King.
From there, one could see the entire panorama of Edina.
"Reinhardt..."
"Yes?"
"Have this. You haven't eaten anything today, have you?"
Reinhardt looked at the sandwich Harriet had brought.
"Thank you."
The Demon King took the sandwich and bit into it.
It wasn't that he was starving.
Nor was he ignoring the others.
Nor was he holding a grudge against anyone.
He just sat on the top of the spire all day.
He spent the day looking down at Edina from the top of the spire, lost in thought.
He didn't ignore anyone who tried to speak to him.
Since Charlotte was in charge of all state affairs, there was nothing for Reinhardt to do directly in Edina.
So even if he spent the day like this, Edina would still run smoothly on its own.
Harriet was restless, unable to sit next to Reinhardt or leave his side.
Reinhardt hadn't blamed or scolded anyone after finding out what had happened.
He just sat there.
Everyone felt guilty and fearful of his actions.
"Blockhead."
"...Yes?"
Reinhardt, who had been silent for a while, looked up at Harriet.
Harriet felt a sudden fear in the face of Reinhardt's gaze.
What was he going to say now?
What kind of anger, rebuke, or consequence would they face for deceiving him?
As Harriet felt her heart tighten, afraid to hear Reinhardt's words but also wanting to hear them, he said:
"I tried it last time. It was pretty good, that dream manipulation thing."
"Ah...? Oh, yes."
Reinhardt brought up something completely different.
"I'm talking about Airi's ability to control dreams. Is it possible to replicate it with magic?"
"Huh? Why all of a sudden?"
"Well, I thought I was going crazy, but when Airi watched over me while I was sleeping, I felt a little better."
It was a completely strange idea.
"Suppose we create an artifact that emits something like magical dream waves, or an aura. Then, wouldn't it be possible for everyone living within a certain area to have pleasant dreams?"
"Uh... Uhm?"
Harriet thought that Reinhardt would discuss ‘that’ matter, but this was not the right situation for such a conversation.
However, he was talking about something entirely different, perhaps even trivial, without even mentioning the matter at hand.
The Demon King acted as if he had completely forgotten about the matter concerning Ellen Artorius.
Of course, venting and being angry about what had already happened would be pointless, but Ellen could not be insignificant to Reinhardt.
Yet, out of nowhere, he was discussing artifacts related to dreams.
Harriet could not understand what Reinhardt was thinking at the moment.
"If we could gradually plant such artifacts throughout Edina, wouldn't they help with people's trauma treatment?"
"Uh, uhm... That might be true."
"I'm not saying we must make them, but let's consider the possibility if we can."
Reinhardt muttered while chewing on a sandwich.
Everyone had proceeded with this matter knowing full well that Reinhardt would be furious.
But people felt the most terrifying reprimand was no reprimand at all, as they couldn't tell what he was thinking since he wasn't showing any anger.
In that tense atmosphere, someone eventually had to step forward.
A week after the incident.
"Your Majesty."
Eleris climbed the tower where Reinhardt was killing time.
"Oh, you're here?"
Reinhardt nodded slightly and shifted his gaze back to the cityscape of Lazak.
Eleris silently stared at Reinhardt's expression, which showed no signs of anger, sadness, or relief.
Unable to determine how to begin speaking to the silent Demon King, Eleris hesitated.
"Your Majesty, regarding the incident last time..."
"Ah, that."
Reinhardt looked at Eleris.
"What about it?"
His response seemed dismissive, causing Eleris to freeze.
It was unclear whether he was indifferent, naive, or suppressing his emotions. Eleris did not know what to say but had to find the right words.
"Are you... all right, Your Majesty?"
Asking someone who clearly wasn't all right if they were fine felt dreadful, but Eleris had no choice but to speak up.
The suppressed emotions might explode at any moment.
Eleris did not know what to do in that case.
"Hmm..."
The Demon King quietly gazed down at the scenery of Lazak.
"You once said something like that, didn't you?"
"What do you mean, Your Majesty?"
"You hoped that Ellen and I wouldn't have a sad relationship. That's what you said."
"Ah..."
Eleris recalled when the Demon King had said that.
In Darkland, Eleris had traveled with Ellen and Reinhardt under a pseudonym.
After finding out that Ellen was Ragan Artorius's sister, Eleris had spoken as if foreseeing a sinister fate.
The son of the Demon King and the sister of the Hero.
Eleris had sensed that their relationship would never reach a happy ending.
As time passed, the Demon King's son became the Demon King, and the Hero's sister became the Hero.
It had already become a sorrowful relationship.
Beyond sadness, it had turned into a cruel one.
"I suppose, it was meant to be this way."
"Excuse me...?"
"Regardless of the reason or cause, someone intended it."
Reinhardt simply gazed down at the city of Lazak.
"It seems it was destined to be like this."
Eleris could not understand the Demon King's words.
"No matter how hard I struggle or resist, it seems it was destined to be like this."
The hero, who feared fighting the Demon King, was burdened with humanity's hatred.
In the end, they had no choice but to fight.
"So, there's no use blaming anyone. That's what I believe."
They could not escape this world where a predetermined outcome was forced upon them.
The Demon King truly did not blame anyone.
Eleris could not understand what he was trying to say.
The logic was something only the Demon King himself could understand.
These days, the Demon King was not gazing at the city of Lazak.
[Preview has been activated.]
He was simply replaying the scene revealed by the message over and over again.
The scene of him losing his life to Ellen.
And Ellen, blankly staring down at him.
Ellen, who stood there silently with empty eyes, gazing down at Reinhardt.
In the end.
Holding the Void Sword with both hands, reversed, she thrust it into her own chest.
And then, she slowly died, kneeling in front of the fallen Demon King.
Over and over.
Over and over.
He would only replay this scene.
"So, anyway, I'm not particularly angry. Tell everyone not to worry."
Reinhardt said with a faint smile.
I think the future shown to me by the preview is like the last evil that I must face.
Ellen kills me and then takes her own life.
I don't know when or under what circumstances.
But if things continue like this, one day, I will fight Ellen and be killed by her hand.
And then, Ellen will take her own life.
That was the last future given to me.
I cannot know what remains beyond the scene I saw. Whether Edina is destroyed, humanity is destroyed, or both survive.
Whether it's before or after the Gate incident is finished.
I don't know.
In the end, my path is somehow fixed.
I won't be able to take back what has been given to Ellen by defeating them. This time, Ellen won't cooperate.
Even if I can take it back, the situation will become twisted, and a future where I fight Ellen in a different way will come.
So I accept it.
The fixed future.
I must fight Ellen.
If I don't kill her, I will die, and if I die, Ellen will die too.
I cannot know if the Ellen I saw was possessed by resentment and lost her sense of self. I don't even know if Ellen is in control of that body.
Regardless, no matter how I try to avoid it, the future will come to me.
That's why I wasn't really angry.
Exposed to so much evil, I only felt a sense of emptiness mixed with resignation, thinking that it would end up like this.
Can I change this future?
The preview is not showing me this to make me despair.
It's showing me this to challenge me to change it if I can.
Of course, at this point, it feels like it's showing me this just to witness my despair.
It's not difficult to change the future I see now.
Now, either I die or Ellen dies.
Only one of these events needs to occur for that future to disappear.
Moreover, giving up one's own life is such an easy thing to do; that future cannot be deemed absolute.
It's not an absolute future, but rather a future that can easily be changed.
However, since I won't choose those easy ways, that future is inevitably approaching.
If this future is truly inevitable and only meant to mock me, then the one who showed me this future shouldn't have done so.
Showing it to me suggests that I should struggle again when such a situation arises.
The moment a future is known, it ceases to approach.
Just as several futures I've seen have not come to pass in reality.
In this case, it's simple.
If I'm weak, both Ellen and I will die.
So, I just have to be stronger than Ellen.
That's the simple truth it shows me.
Everyone must be curious as to why I don't get angry and why I don't blame anyone.
However, only I can understand the reason for my behavior, and I couldn't possibly explain this feeling to others.
"Did you call for me, Your Greatness?"
At the pinnacle of Lazak Castle, I heard the voice of Antirianus, who answered my summons.
It was Antirianus who suggested that Ellen should bear the grudge I carried.
Always.
Offering choices that seem to be for my sake, but are not at all - that insane old man.
"Are you angry with me?"
"It doesn't really matter."
I spoke without looking at Antirianus.
"I thought for sure you would try to kill me."
"What good would that do?"
I'm not saying I'm not angry. Antirianus is a special case.
I can feel the heat of my anger.
But what would it mean to be angry?
Would killing Antirianus make any difference?
I tried to prevent the Gate incident, but it happened anyway.
With the world in this state, it's not like what I want can easily come true.
It's better that it can't be easily achieved.
At least, there's a possibility, isn't there?
Even the task of reclaiming Ellen.
It might be possible, right?
No matter how slim the chance.
No matter how close to impossible it seems.
I don't think all possibilities are closed.
So, I do what I can.
"I'm about to make you an offer that's hard to refuse."
"Heh heh... That sounds interesting."
Antirianus, seemingly amused, began to listen carefully to what I had to say.
