Chapter 47: Kenta Maya
“I was summoned to Lindor when I was seventeen, just like you, Nara-kun.”
I began recounting my past to Nara-kun.
“The reason for the long-overdue Otherworld Summoning was that an incredibly powerful king from the Demon Tribe appeared and started invading the Human Tribe’s world to conquer it.”
“Um, that Demon King…?”
Nara-kun glanced briefly at Meileen.
“Yes. He’s my father.”
“I knew it…”
“Until then, the Demon Tribe mainly focused on Exclusive Defense. Well, they had no choice since they were outnumbered by humans, but someone appeared who turned that situation upside down, prompting an urgent summoning. However, I wasn’t informed of those circumstances at the time.”
“What did they say to you?”
“I think it was something like, ‘An Evil Demon Tribe is trying to conquer the Human Tribe, so lend us your strength.’ At first, I was furious about being forcibly abducted to another world, but I also felt that if the people in this world were in trouble, I should help them. After all, I thought being summoned to another world was like being a hero in a game.”
“Oh, I thought the same thing!”
“Right? But the demons in this world weren’t what I had imagined.”
“Yeah…”
Nara-kun’s expression turned serious, as if he understood my feelings.
“At first, I had to deal with demons that looked quite different from humans. I swung the sword techniques I had learned with enthusiasm. And then…”
“And then?”
“…they spoke. The demons said, ‘Help me.'”
“…That’s harsh.”
“When I heard that, I was already bringing my sword down. I couldn’t stop myself. And… I heard the death throes of that demon up close.”
“…How did you stay sane?”
“Do you think I was sane?”
I shot back at Nara-kun’s question, and he fell silent.
“…I’m sorry. There’s no way you could have been sane.”
“I think you experienced something similar, Nara-kun, but I was tormented by guilt. Whenever I slept, the sensation of cutting down that demon and its dying screams would haunt my dreams. Honestly, I couldn’t sleep for days.”
“But… the demons won’t wait…”
“Exactly. I had already killed several demons. I was completely labeled as an enemy by them. Day after day, I fought demons, defeated them, and couldn’t sleep… Those days of wearing down my spirit continued… until I finally became numb to the idea of killing humans.”
“!?”
I could see Nara-kun gasp at my words.
“That… you were pushed that far?”
“Yeah. So, I went to the Demon Tribe Nation to learn magic. I wanted to defeat my enemies more efficiently.”
“Oh, I remember hearing something like that.”
Hmm.
It seemed my actions had been known worldwide.
I had been under surveillance since then.
“In the Human Tribe’s countries, no matter how much I wanted to learn magic, there was no one who could properly wield it. So, I decided to learn from those in the Demon Tribe Nation who were rebelling against the royal family.”
“Are there really people like that…?”
“There are. No country in any world is completely united. When one side rises, another falls. And those who fall envy and resent those who rise. That resentment grows larger and eventually becomes a significant darkness within the nation.”
“…That’s kind of scary.”
“That’s just how it is. For all we know, the world we came from is the same. But the rebellion in this world is genuinely armed rebellion. That’s why the people from the Underworld were incredibly skilled in magic.”
“I see. I heard that Maya-san went to learn magic in the Demon Tribe Nation, so you learned from those kinds of people.”
“Yeah. And after I learned magic, my heart grew colder. Magic is, in a sense, long-range bombardment. I truly lost any hesitation about casting magic to kill people.”
“…”
Nara-kun looked at me with a sad expression.
But you know, I had no choice but to become that way to survive.
“After learning the basics and applications of magic, I secretly snuck into the Demon Tribe Nation’s library and rummaged through various texts, acquiring different kinds of magic. I then infiltrated the royal castle of the Demon Tribe Nation with those rebellious demons. And it was then that I met…”
“I was being pursued by an assassin sent by my father.”
Meileen, who had been quietly listening to my story, joined the conversation.
“Wait… Meileen-san, your father tried to kill you?”
“Yes. I opposed my father’s ambition for world domination by the Demon Tribe. After all, as Kenta just mentioned, the Demon Tribe is overwhelmingly outnumbered. Don’t you think it’s impossible to dominate the Human Tribe, which has populations many times greater than the Demon Tribe?”
“Well, that’s true.”
“So, I had been advising my father against his actions. However… that must have touched a nerve with him. He sent assassins after me.”
“Seriously…?”
“Indeed. I was cornered by the assassins, and just when I thought it was all over, Kenta appeared.”
Meileen looked at me with glistening eyes.
By the way, Leon had fallen sound asleep in Meileen’s embrace, perhaps due to the adult conversation that had begun.
However, while Meileen felt that moment was fateful, the truth was quite different.
“At that time, I was just helping out by chance. A beautiful woman being chased and a suspicious-looking army in pursuit. It was obvious which side I would support.”
“Yeah. I’d help the girl too.”
Nara-kun agreed with my opinion, but Meileen shook her head vigorously.
“No, it was fate. Just when I thought my life was about to end, Kenta happened to pass by. What else can you call this coincidence but fate?”
“Ah… Ahem. Well, anyway, that was when I first met Meileen. She was the princess of the Demon Tribe Nation, but she believed that her father’s invasion of the Human Tribe was an outrageous act. She asked me to defeat the Demon King.”
“…Your own father, right?”
Meileen let out a laugh through her nose at Nara-kun, who was still clinging to the common sense of the original world.
“Can you call someone who sends assassins after my life ‘father’? Someone who doesn’t listen to me at all and sends assassins just because I annoy him? At that moment, when I was almost killed by the assassins, my father became my enemy.”
“Is that so…?”
Nara-kun’s face twisted in fear at Meileen’s calm words.
“Well, anyway, I gained the strongest guide in the Demon Tribe Nation, the princess. I went straight to the king and took him down.”
“…Up to this point, it’s a perfect hero’s tale.”
I understood Nara-kun’s confusion.
It was a situation that could easily be the climax of a story, where I had defeated the king of the Demon Tribe Nation, who was plotting to dominate the Human Tribe. So why had I become the enemy of the world now?
It’s a mystery.
“After defeating the king of the Demon Tribe Nation, I handed the Sacred Staff, the symbol of the Demon King, to Meileen and returned to Lindor. Upon my return, I was welcomed with open arms. They thought the long-held wish of the Human Tribe had finally been achieved. When I heard that, the first thing that came to mind was Meileen.”
“Kenta…”
“If the Human Tribe were to invade the Demon Tribe Nation while it was in chaos, Meileen, who would likely ascend to the throne as queen, would be in danger. So, I desperately tried to stop the king of Lindor, arguing that we should reconcile with the Demon Tribe Nation. We shouldn’t go to war anymore. Then…”
I paused, and Nara-kun gulped.
“One day, I realized I had been drugged. When I woke up, I was tied up in the square in front of the Lindor royal castle.”
“!!”
Nara-kun’s eyes widened, and Meileen bit her lip in frustration.
“I had no idea what was happening. I had defeated the king of the Demon Tribe Nation, who was a threat to the Human Tribe. I had saved this country and its people. And then the people of Lindor said that by defeating the king of the Demon Tribe Nation, they could activate the magic circle again, this time for sending back instead of summoning, with enough Magic Power. But that was all a lie.”
“Wait… so, does that mean you really can’t go back?”
“I’m sorry, Nara-kun, but that’s how it is.”
At my words, Nara-kun’s shoulders slumped in disappointment.
“I was on the verge of execution. Just as I woke up, I heard the executioner reading out my charges. High Treason. And apparently, someone saw me with Meileen, so I was also charged with Espionage.”
“What!? That’s all just a baseless accusation!!”
Nara-kun stood up in outrage at the treatment I had received.
“Yeah. So, when the crowd heard the charges against me, they all started hurling insults. I got pelted with stones like crazy.”
“What!?”
Nara-kun was left speechless by the further blow.
“Seeing that, I thought, ‘Ah, all the people in this world are just scum.'”
“…”
“I started thinking that I didn’t care what happened to this world anymore, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to die in a place like this. So, I blew away everything within a few hundred meters around me and made my escape. Then, somehow, I ended up on the Wanted list.”
As I said this, Nara-kun gave a wry smile.
“Well… considering what Maya-san did, I guess being Wanted is no surprise. But hearing the reason, it just sounds unreasonable.”
“Right?”
“And Maya-san doesn’t care about this world, does she?”
“She doesn’t.”
“I can’t imagine someone like that ruling over a country in this world. So, I was taught a lie…”
Nara-kun looked somewhat sad as he said that…
Ah, I see.
“Well, I think the only one lying is the king. The princess, raised so freely, wouldn’t know anything about it.”
“…I see. So Eva is different…”
Seeing Nara-kun like that made me a bit worried.
“Hey. This guy’s a bit naive.”
“Huh!? What are you talking about!? Are you saying all that we’ve discussed so far is a lie!?”
“No, that’s not it. It’s just that the princess doesn’t know anything. Don’t just take my word for it so easily.”
“Oh… right. That makes sense.”
“Well, why not check it out for yourself? I can take you to Admos.”
After I said that, Nara-kun thought for a moment before looking at me and saying,
“Can I ask you to do that?”
“Sure. But remember, you’re being indirectly told to kill me, even if it means stabbing yourself. If you come back unscathed, what will they think? If they don’t return, your life will be in danger. So, go quietly, meet her quietly, and if possible, sneak back here quietly.”
Nara-kun nodded immediately at that suggestion.
Does he realize?
By agreeing to come back here, he must already think of this place as home.
In any case, it seems I’ve successfully drawn Nara-kun into this.
This is a huge gain.
After that, we began discussing how to sneak into the Royal Castle and reach the room where the princess was.
While we were planning, something else was on my mind.
Come to think of it, Nara-kun hadn’t mentioned the other Summoner at all. What about that person?