Using <Illusion Mimicry Lynel> and <Concealed Magic Power Najila> to stay out of sight, we quickly followed them.
When we arrived at the arena, the demon soldier threw Igareth there.
“Guh…!” (Igareth)
A sword was thrust into the ground right in front of the boy’s eyes.
By the same demon soldier.
“Use it. If you’re a Hero too, then die in a fight.” (Demon soldier A)
Igareth immediately grabbed the sword and tried to pull it out. But the sword was stuck in the ground and wouldn’t budge. The demon soldier kicked the boy in the stomach with all his might, sending him flying several meters backwards.
“Gh…! Gah…!” (Igareth)
The boy screamed in agony as his body was slammed on the ground.
“My name is Davidra. And I will avenge my child who was killed by the Hero Jerga. Atone for his crime with your body, boy!” (Demon soldier A → Davidra)
Davidra clenched his fist and punched the boy in the face with all his might. If he wanted to, he could have killed him with a single blow, but he went easy on him, as if to taunt him.
“Ah… Ahh…” (Igareth)
Igareth backed away, crawling on the ground, with blood dripping from his face, and frightened.
“Stand up. You know what the Hero Jerga did as well. The pain of my child doesn’t compare to this.” (Davidra)
“S… Stay away…!” (Igareth)
Igareth’s voice trembled. Without paying attention to it, Davidra walked straight to him.
“UWAAAAAAHHH…!!” (Igareth)
Igareth stuck his hand out in front of him. A drop of water oozed from the ring he was wearing. It was holy water. Using it as a source of magic power, he unleashed the <Holy Flame Cypher> spell.
“Well.” (Davidra)
Davidra easily extinguished the holy flame attack with anti-magic.
“It appears I didn’t need to go easy on you.” (Davidra)
Davidra glared daggers at the boy.
With a look of fear on his face, the boy backed away, staggered on his feet, and without looking aside, he ran away.
But then, he hit his face against something and fell on the spot.
He looked up, and saw another demon soldier standing there.
“Now we can’t have a Hero run away… CAN WE!?” (Demon soldier C)
The soldier kicked Igareth as hard as he could.
“GAH…!” (Ighareth)
He groaned and rolled across the stone paving.
As he crawled on his knees, he desperately looked for a way out.
However, demons appeared one after another from the passageways, and surrounded him.
A total of twenty-four demons.
Even if he used his trump card, the holy water, it was unlikely that a child like him would manage to escape.
“How unseemly of you to flee. Let me carve into your body how you humans made a game of hunting demons on the run.” (Davidra)
The moment Ihgareth stood back up, he was kicked in the solar plexus.
“GYAH…!” (Igareth)
And he rolled on the ground.
He staggered to his feet, was kicked again, and rolled on the ground. After several repeats, Igareth’s body was stained with bruises and blood.
All the demons were looking at him with cold, hate-filled eyes.
“…Somebody…help…” (Igareth)
“How do you think your king silenced the demons who pleaded for their lives as you do?” (Davidra)
Davidra stomped on the boy’s head.
“…Help…” (Igareth)
“He burned a newborn demon at the stake, calling it a purge. Then he used him to bait and kill hundreds of demon soldiers. You filthy humans…! YOU KILLED THEM ALL…!!! AND NOW YOU DARE TO SHAMELESSLY BEG FOR HELP…!!?” (Davidra)
Davidra stepped on the boy’s fingers with all his might.
The sound of his shattering bones echoed, and Igareth let out an unspeakable scream.
“…Some…body…help…it hurts…” Igareth muttered while shedding tears.
His voice was so faint that even the surrounding demons couldn’t hear him.
Igareth was separated from the Demon King Subjugation Battalion of Gairadite during the war, and came to Delsgade alone.
He was hoping to rely on the Demon King of Tyranny, his only ally in Dilhade, for help.
However, by this time, I was on my way to reincarnate.
And no one was going to help him.
No matter how hard he prayed, he was going to die here.
Killed in cold blood by my subordinate.
This past was already set in stone, two thousand years ago.
“…Anos…” (Misha)
Misha was looking at the boy sadly.
It wasn’t hard to imagine how she was feeling, as someone born in a peaceful era.
“Even if I saved him, it would only amount to a fleeting dream.” (Anos)
He was the seventh heir to the throne of Azesion. I couldn’t even imagine how much the past would be altered if I saved him. The butterfly effect here may or may not affect the past of Shin, Reno, Misa and the others, which we were trying to probe.
Either way, if the past were to suffer any drastic change, the divine order would undo it. Even if I saved him here and now, it would be reduced to nothing more than a dream lasting for as long as the <Time Reversal Levalon> spell was active.
It would be all risk and no gain.
In the Mythical Age, this sort of thing was the norm, and his life ended here a long time ago.
“Know the pain of being burned alive.” (Davidra)
Davidra summoned a black flame in his hand, and shot it at the boy.
“…Help me… Please! Help me…!!” Igareth implored, as if praying.
But no matter how much he prayed, miracles never happened.
“GREAT… DEMON KIIIING…!!” (Igareth)
A rumbling noise resounded, and a corner of the arena burst into flames. Davidra’s lips twisted in madness.
But then, the next moment, his eyes widened and he couldn’t hide his astonishment.
His <Demon Flame Gresde> was extinguished by anti-magic, and a short demon boy stood before Davidra.
“Even if I saved him, it wouldn’t change anything. But…” I muttered while glaring at Davidra, and at his subordinates around him.
It’s not like I didn’t understand how they felt.
Nonetheless—
“This boy already died tragically once. I would be lying to myself if I didn’t save him, at least in this dream.” (Anos)
I was such a fool.
This may not change anything.
And it may not serve to fulfill my original goal.
But even so, I wasn’t the sort of individual who would just sit by and look the other way.
