Demon Lord Castle – Top Floor – Demon Lord’s Chamber
Bathram navigated the labyrinthine halls of the Demon Lord Castle without hesitation, ascending and descending stairs, and choosing from numerous branching paths. Perhaps it was because he was so familiar with the place, but I certainly wouldn’t want to live in a place like this. If I were to live with Kurinka, I’d prefer a cozier home.
Of course, we would share a room, with a small fireplace and a table in the living area, creating a relaxing space. A room like the ones in the hotels of the Kingdom of Avangarde feels a bit unsettling.
“We’ve arrived,” he announced.
As I was lost in such thoughts, we stepped into a vast hall. In the distance, I spotted someone seated on a throne beyond a red carpet that stretched out before us. From afar, I couldn’t see them clearly, but I recognized the figure standing beside them. Even without a clear view, I knew who it was.
“Hey, Lua and Kurinka. You made it, come closer.”
The voice belonged to a man who seemed out of place in his pitch-black armor, lighthearted and cheerful. I recalled that day when I wondered why I could hear Eeks-san’s voice from within that armor. But there was no doubt that the person inside was indeed Eeks-san. He waved a hand, as if we were meeting casually in the town. He hadn’t changed at all since those days when he was well-liked throughout the village.
However, the figure before us was a Funeral Knight of the Demon Lord Army, so I approached cautiously, determined not to let my guard down. I had to be ready for an attack at any moment.
“Eeks-san!”
Shin, who had leaped from my bag, dashed straight toward the Demon Lord. He flitted around the Demon Lord’s head, but it seemed as if the Demon Lord couldn’t see him at all.
“Eeks-san…”
“You finally made it here. Took you longer than I expected. You’re not the type to struggle against the local monsters, are you? From the looks of it, Bathram’s plan didn’t work at all, did it?”
“Embarrassingly, this girl is beyond my control. Now, it’s up to you. I’ll be watching over the Demon Lord’s side.”
With that, Bathram stood beside the throne. There was no mistaking that the figure slumped over with their head resting on their hand, draped in a black cloak, was the Demon Lord. They looked somewhat pained, but I couldn’t tell for sure. Their long hair cascaded down, obscuring their face, but their skin was a gray similar to Juo’s.
This was different from the Demon Lord I had imagined; that was my first impression. For someone who commanded the Twelve Demon Generals, they seemed rather ordinary. The black cloak gave off an air of authority, but otherwise, there was nothing terrifying about them. In fact, they seemed almost weak.
“Is that person the Demon Lord?”
“Indeed. This person is the seeker who will lead the world to ruin, the Demon Lord. Show some respect, ha ha ha!”
“Eeks-san! Why are you cooperating with someone like that? You used to be so kind!”
“Lua, are you having fun right now?”
“I am! What’s wrong with that?”
“I see. I find it boring. I want to destroy everything.”
“W-What do you mean…?”
“What do you think it means?”
【Funeral Knight Eeks has appeared! HP 7200】
I knew this would happen. I had hoped to avoid a fight, but this person was serious. He was grinning, but it was always like that. Behind that smile, there was something unspoken, something lonely. I had sensed it since that time.
I thought I wouldn’t learn anything with such items, but it was better than doing nothing. Eeks-san showed no signs of caution as I pointed the Detect Ring at him; instead, he seemed to invite it.
【Eeks Level: 521 Class: Funeral Knight HP: 7200】
“What do you think? Am I strong?”
“…You’re strong.”
“Well, I hit the Level Cap long ago.”
“Really?”
“It’s not just me; most of those who are riding high on their S-rank status have hit a wall. It’s obvious—where are you going to find monsters that break through the hundreds in levels and keep growing?”
“I see…”
【Funeral Knight Eeks attacks!】
Suddenly, Eeks-san lunged at me with his sword, and a sharp metallic sound rang out. After a brief stalemate, he retreated with a backstep.
“Lua, is being an Adventurer fun?”
“It is! Why are you doing this, Eeks-san?”
“I wasn’t having fun.”
“Not having fun…?”
“Yeah, it wasn’t interesting at all.”
【Funeral Knight Eeks’s Dark Smasher!】
As Eeks-san thrust his sword horizontally at me, multiple black orbs wrapped in purple flames were unleashed. They weren’t particularly fast, but their erratic movements reminded me of the undead.
【Lua deftly dodged!】
“If you help someone, they’ll be grateful. You’ll even receive a reward. Lua, isn’t that what you find fun? For a kid like you, it must be a blast to satisfy your desire for recognition.”
“Desire for recognition…?”
“I was happy at first. After all, the more I did, the more results I got, and I was thanked and rewarded. That motivated me; even someone like me could be of help to someone.”
“If that’s the case…”
【Funeral Knight Eeks’s Bad Slasher!】
In the middle of our conversation, Eeks-san unleashed a slash reminiscent of my Sonic Ripper. It was quite fast; if it were just about speed, it might have almost caught up to my Sonic Ripper. I dodged to the left, pondering where the slash would end up, but I heard no sound of destruction. I thought it had enough power to destroy a castle wall, but it seemed I was mistaken.
The wall was gone, erased in the exact shape of that slash.
“That person is amazing, that person is a hero, and if you leave it to that person, everything will be fine. The more you do, the more those fools expect from you. And that weighs heavily on you. Once that happens, you can’t afford to fail; you have to do everything perfectly. One day, I finally messed up.”
“What did you…?”
“I was tasked with rescuing comrades trapped in a dungeon. But when I got there, they were dead. Yet the one who requested it berated me, saying a hero should have arrived sooner. In the end, I was called a murderer.”
“That’s not Eeks-san’s fault! Not at all!”
“Don’t tell me not to worry? If you were in the same position, could you have done any better?”
【Funeral Knight Eeks’s Slasher Waltz!】
This time, he attacked with a spinning, dancing motion, incorporating half-turns as he slashed at me. This rhythmic movement was undoubtedly a skill. While dodging, I was astonished by the precision of each individual skill. Moreover, I felt that same sense of fatigue I had experienced when I fought him before. I was losing strength to that sword, even as Eeks-san’s movements grew faster. I knew I had to end this quickly, but I understood that it was dangerous.
“When someone prominent messes up, the rumors spread quickly, of course with embellishments. Since then, even the smallest mistakes have been unforgivable for me. If I’m late in killing a bounty, they say I could have done it sooner and saved more lives. I’ve even been fed false information by those who envied me. When I’m in a party, it’s the worst; any injuries my comrades suffer become my responsibility.”
As I endured Eeks-san’s relentless assault, I found myself speechless. I couldn’t find the words. I had no idea that Eeks-san had been suffering so much. The kind Eeks-san who had come to the village had gone through such painful experiences.
【Funeral Knight Eeks’s Bad Slasher Waltz!】
“I’m tired, Lua.”
Along with his dance-like movements, the previous black slashes began to fly wildly. Eeks-san had known from the start. He understood that I was fighting while protecting Kurinka behind me. And he had seen that I hadn’t made a single move this entire time, recognizing my naivety.
“When you stand out and mess up, the rumors spread quickly, of course with embellishments. Since then, even the smallest mistakes have been unforgivable for me. If I’m late in killing a bounty, they say I could have done it sooner and saved more lives. I’ve even been fed false information by those who envied me. When I’m in a party, it’s the worst; any injuries my comrades suffer become my responsibility.”
Eeks-san’s relentless assault left me with no words. I had no idea that he had been suffering so much. The kind Eeks-san who had come to the village had endured such painful experiences.
“I’m tired, Lua.”
The dance-like movements, combined with the dark slashes, began to overwhelm me. Eeks-san had known from the start. He understood that I was fighting while protecting Kurinka behind me. And he had seen that I hadn’t made a single move this entire time, recognizing my naivety.
“Everything became too much, and I was exhausted when the kingdom handed me a mission. I couldn’t refuse; doing so would make me a laughingstock. That mission… do you know what it was?”
“I can’t possibly know…”
“To massacre everyone in Ikana Village.”
I was left speechless. In that fleeting moment of vulnerability, Eeks-san seized the opportunity.
【Lua takes 2301 damage! HP 39659/41960】
A black slash grazed my side and flew away. This wasn’t about power; it felt as if the very space had been carved away. It was akin to Vandalsia’s magic, a skill tainted by the darkness of the Funeral Knight. It devoured everything, causing it to vanish. It denied everything that existed.
That was precisely Eeks-san’s heart. If everything could just disappear, such deep feelings were conveyed in that single strike.
“Bad Slayer. It’s a strange name when you think about it, but it suits me perfectly now. This one rejects everything. Even your well-trained body was no exception.”
【Funeral Knight Eeks’s Bad Slayer absorbs all energy!】
“Ugh… Lua-chan…”
“Kurinka!”
I had been careless; I wasn’t the only one affected by the Bad Slayer’s influence. This meant that the longer the battle dragged on, the more danger Kurinka would be in. I had to defeat Eeks-san quickly. But for some reason, I couldn’t do it. I knew it myself, and Eeks-san could see that too. That’s why he wore that defiant smile.
“I’ll state this clearly, Rua. As long as you continue being an Adventurer, you will inevitably feel the same despair I do. You will come to hate this world. It’s absurd, but that’s how you’ll think.”
“That’s… that’s not true!”
“Is it not? What are you fighting for? To gain wealth and fame? Or to protect something precious?”
Of course, I should answer that it was to protect something precious, but strangely, I couldn’t say it. Perhaps I had unconsciously given up. It felt futile to even try to explain myself to him.
“This world isn’t worth protecting, Rua. Come on, let’s destroy it together.”
【Bad End of the Funeral Knight Eeks!】
Before me, black spots appeared, gradually growing larger until they overlapped, engulfing everything in darkness. The Demon Lord, Bathram, the castle walls—everything was swallowed by the black.
◆ Ikana Village ◆
Flames flickered, engulfing the wooden houses. In an instant, that beautiful village was laid to waste. Yes, I realized I was standing here.
“Why…?”
This wasn’t an illusion like the one in Mist Village. The smell of burning, the bright flames—this was Ikana Village after everything had ended. A desolate ruin with no one left. No familiar faces in sight.
No, that wasn’t right. There was one person. A shadow standing amidst the flames. I could vaguely recognize that silhouette, and in this moment, I realized how hazy my memories of that day had been. The one responsible for the village’s destruction was right there.
“Eeks… san.”
Eeks-san stood there, bloodied sword in hand, dazed. Slowly, he turned his head towards me. His black eyes held no light, staring at me like a corpse, his dry lips parting.
“Is there still a survivor?”
My entire body froze, unable to move. This had to be a lie; I had just been fighting the Funeral Knight Eeks-san moments ago. Yet here he was.
“I’m sorry, Rua… but I’ll kill you quickly, so you won’t suffer.”
“Eeks-san! That can’t be true!?”
“I did it… Everything, I did it.”
“That’s a lie!”
My words passed right through Eeks-san. He raised his bloodied sword.
“It can’t be helped; this is my mission… I have no choice. I’m sorry… I have to do this…”
Was it all a mistake in my memory? The scene I witnessed that day was merely a vague recollection from my childhood. Everything I had believed until now might have been wrong. The One-Winged Demon never existed; it was a fantasy created by my younger self. Because if it weren’t, I couldn’t possibly accept this truth.
That Eeks-san had killed my father, my mother, and the villagers. That he had done it under orders from the Kingdom of Avangarde.
“No, this isn’t right… It’s not true!”
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”
I was being consumed by this truth, my body completely frozen. Everything felt meaningless because all my efforts until now had been in vain. The Eeks-san I loved had come to the village to kill us.
His kindness was merely a ploy to lower our guard. He had stayed in the village for a long time, earning the villagers’ trust before finally taking action.
“Yes, I intended to do this from the very beginning…”
Eeks-san was saying that. My memories had been wrong. What had Eeks-san done that day?
“Ah, that…”
What had Eeks-san been doing that day?
“It’s useless to run… I’ll kill you quickly, so just be quiet…”
――――Run, Rua!
“This completes my mission…”
――――Hurry and run!
“With this…”
――――Don’t worry about me!
No.
“Now, surrender.”
“That’s not right!!!”
【Rua unleashed the Sonic Ripper!】
◆ Demon Lord Castle, Top Floor, King’s Chamber ◆
Eeks-san, who had been looming before me, split apart and vanished like sand. At the same time, the burning village peeled away like a painted backdrop, revealing the real Eeks-san clad in pitch-black armor behind it.
“Lua-chan! Lua-chan!”
It was Kurinka, who had been hugging me from behind all along. Yes, this was reality. Everything had been an illusion created by Eeks-san. But why? Why was I crying? Tears flowed uncontrollably, and I felt an overwhelming urge to collapse in despair.
“K-Kurinka… I’m okay…”
“Yeah, yeah… You suddenly stopped and wouldn’t respond no matter how much I called…”
“…I never expected you to break the Bad End on your own.”
He bit his thumb, and for the first time, Eeks-san’s composure cracked. The Bad End had shown me that scene.
“That skill of his, digging up the trauma he carries and ending it in the worst way… It’s unbelievable… Rua, honestly, I thought this would hit you the hardest. I believed you were still that crying child from back then. No matter how strong you became, you were still a child at heart… I thought that.”
“Eeks-san… I didn’t become strong all by myself. If I had received my current skills right after leaving the Abyss Cave, I might have died.”
“Then why? Why can you push yourself this far? Is this world really that great?”
“Because I have memories of you protecting me.”
“W-What are you saying…?”
“Thanks to everyone who supported me, I was able to meet you, Eeks-san.”
“…!”
The hand holding the Bad Slayer slackened, the blade dropping to the floor. Eeks-san staggered back, pressing his hand to his head, muttering as if trying to shake something off.
“The first person to help me was Kurinka. Then I met Gantetsu-san, who taught me what it meant to be an Adventurer. I learned the joy of fighting in a party with Ai, Mai, and Mi. After that, there was Seigel-san and Lord Hast from the Wizard Kingdom… In the Kingdom of Kashiram, Hans-san reforged this Disballade for me. Each of these events protected me. They may seem trivial, but they are irreplaceable experiences for me. So… if I were to say…”
I pulled Kurinka close and stood proudly beside her, showing off to Eeks-san. There was nothing embarrassing about this; this was who I was now.
“My memories were protected by everyone. By the people in this world that Eeks-san despises.”
I felt triumphant as I faced the gritting teeth of Eeks-san.
“What are you… spouting such naive nonsense for…? I can’t be wrong!”
【Funeral Knight Eeks unleashed the Bad Slasher!】
“You’re wrong!”
【Rua unleashed the Sonic Ripper!】
The black slash that was supposed to consume everything was met by the bluish-white slash of the Sonic Ripper, intertwining and enveloping it. As if to clear Eeks-san’s dark emotions, it eventually canceled out and vanished without a trace.
“W-What is this… Gah!”
【Rua’s attack!
Dealt 6104 damage to Funeral Knight Eeks! HP 1096/7200】
Eeks-san, taken aback, fell easily to my fist. As I struck him in the solar plexus, his black armor shattered, and he quietly sank to his knees on the floor.
“My… defeat…”
Eeks-san collapsed, his body bent at an angle, and the pitch-black color I had seen in the illusion was no longer in his eyes. There was a sense of resignation, yet also a feeling of liberation.
“Rua… you’ve grown strong… truly…”
The cruel Funeral Knight was nowhere to be found. The Eeks-san who had shared words with me by the riverside, who had gently patted my head, was right there.