“No way, this can’t be happening…!”
I had rushed home from work, eager to play my favorite game, [Chry Knights], only to be struck dumb with disbelief.
As a lonely 29-year-old, I lived for games, using them to escape my solitude. Without family, friends, or a lover, I’d come home from work and play this game non-stop until the early hours.
I was riding high, finally diving into the climactic final battle…
“Demon Lord Diana is just too damn tragic!”
This game was a heroic fantasy where Ares, a prince of a fallen kingdom, defeats Diana, the Demon Lord—aka the “Black Moon Queen”—who seeks to destroy humanity.
Up until the climax, it was a classic good-versus-evil story, enjoyable enough, but then Diana’s heartbreaking past was revealed.
“I understand how you feel… but for the sake of justice, I have to defeat you!”
Despite his hesitation, the protagonist Ares ultimately ran his holy sword through Demon Lord Diana. I couldn’t help but interject.
“If you understand, then don’t kill her! You’re the world’s ruler now… you could make peace with Diana. At least talk it out…”
Demon Lord Diana was originally a kind-hearted girl who had fallen to darkness.
I’ve always empathized with tragic villain characters, and Demon Lord Diana’s story—being abused by her father—hit way too close to home, dealing a critical hit to my heart.
Diana was originally a princess of the human nation, the Celestia Empire.
But when she was seven, she and her mother were attacked by assassins, and she watched her mother die before her eyes.
That alone was incredibly sad, and my tear ducts were already on the verge of collapse.
My own mother disappeared because of my old man’s violence when I was young, so I really understood Diana’s feelings.
The mastermind behind the assassination was never caught, but rumors pointed to a high-ranking official within the Empire.
Diana’s mother, Luna, was a Dark Elf princess from a Mazoku tribe conquered by her father, the Emperor, and the Dark Elves apparently tried to use her as a figurehead for their rebellion.
After that, Diana was used as a tool of war by her father, who sought to conquer the world.
The Emperor had always planned to use Diana as a weapon, as Dark Elf royalty possessed immense Magical Power.
The Emperor outwardly acted as if he loved Diana, and she stood on the battlefield, hoping to earn her father’s love.
However, when Diana turned 14, the Emperor suddenly betrayed her and tried to have her killed.
“You’re no longer needed. The Empire has already subjugated all nations.”
The Emperor had quelled the age of war and was hailed as a hero who brought peace.
But there was no place for Diana in that peace.
Diana had become too powerful, and because she possessed Mazoku blood, she was feared and ostracized by her father and half-brothers.
“If you care for your father, then take your own life.”
“What’s with that look? Perhaps I should have killed you along with your mother back then.”
It was then that Diana learned the mastermind behind the assassination seven years prior was her own father, which came as a huge shock to her.
I was just as shocked.
This toxic Emperor was just like my deadbeat dad.
After my mother disappeared, my old man would come home drunk and beat me. I was terrified of setting him off, so I did everything I could to keep him happy.
So when he died in a drunk driving accident, I was honestly relieved.
In the end, my old man was the kind of person who didn’t have an ounce of love for his child.
Diana’s father—Emperor Alvaise—was several times worse than my old man, I think.
This man killed Diana’s mother to quell the Dark Elf rebellion and used young Diana as a tool.
“I will never forgive Emperor Alvaise and the people of the Empire for what they did to my mother…!”
Barely escaping with her life, Diana hated not only her father but the Celestia Empire and humanity itself.
I really understood Diana’s feelings.
If that’s the kind of father you had, it’s no wonder you’d lose all hope in humanity.
Diana’s four half-brothers also relentlessly bullied their sister and even tried to participate in her execution, which is beyond unforgivable.
Two years later, Diana became the queen of the Dark Elves, leading other Mazoku and monsters in a great war to destroy the Empire—no, humanity itself.
The kingdom of the protagonist, Prince Ares, was a small nation that followed the Celestia Empire, and unfortunately, it was the first to be destroyed.
And so, Prince Ares rose up, vowing to defeat Demon Lord Diana.
“You did it, Prince Ares! Now we can rebuild our kingdom!”
“Our fallen comrades will be avenged!”
“Ah! Now true peace will come to the world. Are you watching over us from heaven, Father, Mother!?”
Prince Ares and his companions cheered and celebrated in a moving finale.
But I couldn’t feel any emotion at all.
Because in the end, Demon Lord Diana sheds a tear and whispers, “Mother…” as she dies.
“Is the scenario writer a demon!?”
At the end of the staff roll, a still image of Diana and her mother hugging and smiling was displayed.
I guess it’s supposed to imply that she returned to her happy childhood and found happiness in heaven…
A-Are we supposed to be moved by this? No, this is just too bleak.
I took a huge hit to my mental state and went to bed in a daze.
☆☆☆
When I woke up, I was staring at a ceiling with lavish carvings.
Huh? I was supposed to be sleeping in my bed in my tiny apartment… Where am I?
“Aeh…!”
I tried to sit up to get a better look, but my head felt strangely heavy, and I couldn’t muster any strength in my limbs.
On top of that, a high-pitched voice escaped my lips.
W-What is this? What happened to me?
“Agya!?”
Panicked, I tried to call for help, but it only came out as a meaningless cry.
For some reason, I couldn’t move my mouth properly.
Could it be that I’ve contracted some kind of dangerous disease?
To check my condition, I raised my right hand and saw a surprisingly small, soft hand.
W-What? C-Could this be a baby’s hand?
The shock froze my mind for a few seconds.
Have I become a baby? That’s impossible…?
But this small, mochi-like hand is definitely not my hand from before.
As I was in a state of utter confusion, my entire body suddenly felt like it was being burned by fire.
“Ogyaaaaaaaah!”
I couldn’t help but scream in agony.
Some unknown, magma-like torrent was raging inside me.
“What’s wrong, Luke!?”
The door to the room burst open, and a girl who looked to be about 16 or 17 years old in a dress rushed in, looking panicked.
I was stunned when I saw her.
Eh, Demon Lord Diana?
The girl, who was so beautiful she looked like a fairy, looked exactly like Demon Lord Diana from [Chry Knights].
But her skin color was different. This girl had tan skin, while Diana had snow-white skin.
Also, this girl was wearing a dog collar. It’s too bizarre to be fashion, it’s like she’s a slave or something?
“Oh, there, there. Do you want your milk?”
The girl picked me up.
Even amidst the excruciating pain that felt like it was crushing my mind, I felt an indescribable sense of security.
“Ah, hot!? Could it be… a Magical Runaway! At one year old!?”
Magical Runaway? What is this girl talking about…?
However, I could tell from the girl’s expression that my body was abnormally hot.
“C-C-Calm down! L-Let’s see, if I remember Mother’s teachings correctly… if I make him think it’s a song and get him to use magic!”
The girl was panicking and running around, but eventually, she seemed to steel herself and spoke to me.
“Okay, Luke? You need to sing a song to make the pain go away. Let’s sing a fun song together with Mother, okay?”
“Fae…?”
The girl forced a smile and tried to soothe me.
Mother? Is this girl my mother, who I’ve somehow become as a baby…?
It’s too good to be true that such a beautiful girl is my mother, but that’s not the point right now.
“‘Oh, chaotic Magical Power, dwell in my hand. Blade of magic, manifest, [Dark Edge].’ Now, try chanting it in your head?”
Hmm, that…? It’s a spell I’ve heard somewhere before.
Even as I was feverish, I realized.
T-That’s right. Isn’t this the same incantation as the lowest-ranked magic, [Dark Edge], that appeared in the game Chry Knights?
“Please, Luke! At this rate, you’re going to die! Follow after Mother and sing it in your head!”
The girl pleaded desperately.
That’s how I knew she was seriously trying to help me.
The girl once again spun the incantation of [Dark Edge] from her lips.
While soothing me, she was trying to make me believe it was a fun song.
If I remember correctly, in the setting of Chry Knights, most children with too much Magical Power die before the age of six, right?
Because of a phenomenon called Magical Runaway, where body temperature rises rapidly due to Magical Power…
Could it be that I’ve been reincarnated into the world of Chry Knights?
It was a familiar development in the isekai manga and anime I occasionally read, but I couldn’t believe it was happening to me.
“U, uaa (song)…?”
“Y-Yes, that’s right, Luke, good boy! It’s a fun song. Let’s sing together?”
When I uttered clumsy words to try and communicate, the girl was overjoyed.
“…Luke, do your best! Not just Mother, but your newborn sister Diana is cheering you on too!”
While encouraging me, the girl made me raise my hand into the void.
Eh, Diana, you say?
A girl who looks exactly like Demon Lord Diana is named Diana? It’s too much of a coincidence… C-Could it be?
No, right now, the first priority is to overcome this predicament.
In the game’s setting, Magical Runaway can be suppressed by using magic to consume Magical Power. Therefore, it’s a trial that only true geniuses who can use magic from a young age can overcome.
As the girl says, if I chant the spell of [Dark Edge] in my head, I should be able to activate the magic without chanting.
C-Calm down, me, I can definitely do it.
“…O, chaotic Magical Power, dwell in my hand. Magic blade, manifest, [Dark Edge].”
At that moment, I felt something like gears clicking into place in my head.
I feel the magma-like heat that burns my body from the inside converging on my right hand and being released.
“Agya!?”
A small, dark-colored blade extended from my right hand, which I had raised into the void.
There’s no mistaking it.
It’s exactly the same effect as the [Dark Edge] I’ve seen several times in the game Chry Knights.
“Y-You did it, Luke! To actually be able to use [Dark Edge]… You’re a genius!”
The girl—my mother—embraced me lovingly.
The heat inside me that had been tormenting me flowed out from my right hand and gradually disappeared.
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★ Afterword
It would be encouraging,
I would be happy if you could follow me!