Chapter 65 – Her.

Don’t forget me
Ellie’s last words to me run through her head. On top of that, Rachel’s grave voice pierced mercilessly.

“It was her last words. Don’t forget. It’s paradoxical. It wasn’t Luca who was losing her memories, but herself.”

Rachel continued to tell the story. I blankly looked into her eyes.

“Of course… It’s true that her mental power was stronger than I thought. Even while all the memories were crumbling, at least one thought of wanting to meet you seemed to be stuck in my head. So, I started moving much faster than I thought. “

“…”

“Laurenheim. Vaimletter. Erendel. Mayler. And even the capital of the empire. She unconsciously started looking for places where you might be. And coincidentally, it was also a strategic move for the demon lord’s army. Former warrior Eliminating the party members greatly weakened the Empire’s power. Of course, we helped a lot.”

“…”

“I’m curious. What did she think as she visited those places? Did she think she was finding the lover she longed for? It’s time to face her.”

“Now.”

I opened my mouth slowly. Then he looked directly at Rachel and said.

“Is this all going your way?”

“Of course. It was as I intended from beginning to end.”

“Why did you do this?”

“There’s only one reason, right? Just like there’s only one reason you’re here.”

“…Plural?”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

She looked up at me with her back straight. Even cold ridicule was felt in her eyes, which were devoid of any emotion.

“Did you think that you would be able to avoid the karma after committing such atrocities in the land of demons? After ravaging our land and taking the lives of many people for no reason. Did you think that you could just get away as if nothing happened? ?”

“I just…”

“You can’t make excuses saying you did as you were told. Because you’re not a soldier. You weren’t given orders, and you weren’t paid like a mercenary for that. I just killed you. To prove your strength. The hero in the prophecy. You killed it because you wanted to become one.”

“I thought they threatened our people.”

“On what grounds? Because of that old-fashioned prophecy that you don’t even believe in? Just because you believed in the words of a knight you met for the first time? Or just because of your natural prejudice? ..”

“So.”

I abruptly cut off her tongue. Before she knew it, heat flowed from her clenched fists.

“So…You want to say you did all this?”

“Yes.”

“Everything from start to finish?”

“To be precise, it was when Lian stopped your time. Then why do you think I just left you in front of the Demon Castle? Because I believed they were only human beings.”

“I can’t believe I was able to open my eyes every night…”

“It’s thanks to me. It wasn’t until the night when magic power was at its strongest that I was able to make precise manipulations. That way, your vengeful spirit grew little by little. But suddenly, I became afraid that you might just despair. So again, I have prepared a device.”

Device. As soon as I heard that insanely indifferent word, a hot breath came out. I even felt her gasping for breath as I approached her with a single step.

“I hope that’s…”

“Yes. Elise. She was the starting point for revenge and the end of everything. For me, it was the best card.”

I took another step closer to Rachel. But she didn’t move and looked straight at me.

“She endured as much as I wanted and met her end, which served as an opportunity for revenge. No matter how incompetent she was, there would have been no man who would not decide to take revenge after seeing her lover who died so nobly.”

“…!”

“So when the seal was broken, you acted as I intended. You left straight for the land of humans without looking back at the Demon King. I might have had a chance.”

At the mention of Ellie’s name, something snapped in her head. Before I knew it, I was approaching Rachel’s eyes.

“But you didn’t. You went straight to avenge your comrades. Rick. Bobby. Leo. Castrated the last deterrent that might have saved the empire. And now…”

“Shut up.”

“Now I have to slit her head as the last demon king.”

“Shut up damn it!”

Eventually, I lost my temper and grabbed Rachel by the collar and pushed her roughly against the wall. Beside her, I could feel her old man and her child wince and step back behind her, but I didn’t care, I just glared at her.

“Don’t talk nonsense. Ellie became the demon king? She couldn’t be. She couldn’t be.”

“It’s no use denying it, Mr. Luca. The one over there right now is definitely Eli. You also witnessed the sight of Eli using magic at that time. As the saintess said, not everyone can use magic that tears apart space. A thousand years Except for a genius wizard who might or might not be born once a year.”

“Shut up your mouth!”

I punched the wall with all my might. A hole the size of a fist was punched with a thump. Rachel looked at the hole in the wall that hadn’t even been incontinent around it, and she spat out uninspired.

“…No matter how strong Ellie is, she will surely kneel in front of this power of yours. You really must be the hero of the prophecy, Mr. Luca.”

“I told you to shut up.”

“You really must decapitate her. That is your destiny.”

“Fuck the dog!”

I clasped her by the collar with both hands and let out a scream-like scream. Fuck. The gnome’s destiny destiny destiny! I denied the truth in front of me, and I went crazy on my own, making my heart beat like crazy. You’ve already taken everything from me once, left nothing behind and treated me like a dog, and then you’re trying to bring me despair again? Don’t be crazy Don’t give a damn!

“It’s a lie. It’s all lies!”

“What’s the lie? That she’s alive? That she’s become a demon king? Or that you should decapitate her?”

“Shut the fuck up!”

“Isn’t the basis too clear to think it’s a lie? The fact that she borrowed the name of the demon lord and was able to cast spells, and the fact that the demon lord ripped up space and trampled on human territory, accurately tracked down your traces. Also, all of these are things that can’t be explained unless Ellie became the Demon King, aren’t they?”

“Shut up Rachel. I’m warning you…”

“Or is she just mad at herself for her helplessness? That she couldn’t save her after all, and ruined the fate of others with her own hands? Is that mad at her?”

“If I said one more word…”

“Or. Do you regret everything you’ve done so far?”

“Shut up the dog!!!”

I grabbed her by the collar and screamed at her like I was going to kill her. Now, the heat reached the top of her head, and even her reason was blurred. The urge to blow up this little cob and harpoon all the brains inside her vibrated deep in her bones.

“…Finally now. Are you regretting everything?”

But then, the surprisingly calm voice of Rachel penetrated my ears. I looked at her while her whole body trembled. Although there was a hint of red in her eyes at first glance, she still looked the same as usual. She is a detective girl who has always followed me. An unidentified demon. No matter what request she asked, she would eventually do it, and she would get embarrassed and angry when called by her last name. She was still Rachel.

“…”

Are all the things Rachel has shown so far hypocrisy? It’s all just a strategy to deceive and cheat me? I thought of her as a colleague I could count on for a while. Still, I thought I might still be able to trust one person in this world. Even that was all lies?

“Ha…”

In an instant, the strength in her whole body was released, and she felt as if her knees were about to break. Why are you so cruel to me Why do you force sacrifice and suffering only on me while showing mercy and miracles to others?

Why. Your incompetence and ugliness. Are you trying to overwrite me?

“…”

Sweat was dripping from the hand holding Rachel’s collar. When she lowered her gaze, her scarred, ugly hands trembled thinly as they shed tears. I managed to spit out a single word through my throat, where everything was mixed up and clogged.

“Why.”

“…”

“Why are you telling me all this?”

The barely squeezed voice was pathetic and sad even for me to hear. The sound of a wounded dog whimpering echoed softly but distinctly.

“Why are you telling me all of this now? You could just pretend you didn’t know and wait for me to cut Ellie’s head. Isn’t that way more stupid and ridiculous? Do you?”

“…”

“If you tell me now, it’s obvious that I will run away.

Rachel didn’t answer. I didn’t look up and check her expression, I just continued to speak.

“It was the same at Mayler. Why did you ask me why I had to go back? It wasn’t even before Leo was taken care of at that time. If I really went back after listening to you, how would you ask such a question?”

“…”

“It’s the same in the capital. You kept holding on to me and making me hesitate to get revenge on Leo. Why did you do that? It was an unnecessary action. Why did you take such a risk?”

“…”

“Why? Why did you do such useless things? If revenge was so important, why did you do it? Why?”

“That’s you.”

At that moment, her mouth opened and the answer came out slowly. I raised her head and faced her.

“Why did you do that?”

For the first time, there was emotion in Rachel’s voice. A weak but evidently lingering emotion dripped from the inside of his voice. She blinked once, long, then opened her mouth again.

“Why did you do that? You killed so many people without guilt in Erendel. Why did you apologize to Professor Heide? Why didn’t you torture me to make me open up?”

“Because it had nothing to do with the people I was seeking vengeance on.”

“Really? Then in Myler? Why did you run to save Bella and me, who had nothing to do with revenge?”

“That…”

“And why did you fight against the Minotaur? It might have cost you your life. If all I needed was to take me with you and run away with you. It was just, that’s what I wanted you to do. But why did you do that?”

Her words accurately penetrated the anguish that had been tormenting me for so long. Plural. Fate. Warrior. Ellie. She couldn’t figure out why she wandered aimlessly instead of following the path she had once set. In the end, I spit out the emotions I felt.

“Because I didn’t want to.”

“What does that mean?”

“I just didn’t want to.”

“So why? Why in the world. You’re a monster. You’re a monster who sliced ​​people up without emotion, pulled out the eyes of your former colleagues, and never got agitated. But why do you keep acting like a human being? You can’t even laugh or cry properly. Why are you imitating people? Why do you keep acting like you have feelings…!”

For a moment, her voice stopped as if something was blocking her. Rachel closed and opened her eyes again, and let out her words with her sighs.

“…Are you saying you’re sorry for me?”

This time, a wave of clear emotion came rushing in. Rachel widened her eyes as if surprised herself, then lowered her head. Then she lifted her hand a little and grabbed my hand that was holding my collar.

“You were a beast, Mr. Luca. Until you killed my husband and hardened in his will, you were a beast and a monster. The worst monster that took Lian from me and knows no mercy. Until then, I thought it looked good.”

Rachel paused and closed her eyes again. But she quickly opened her eyes and continued her words.

“When Ellie resisted, she liked that she had a good card. She thought of her revenge plan while she was suffering, and waited for her right moment and signed her contract. She said how happy she was that day. I don’t know.”

“…”

“But after the barrier was lifted, seeing Ellie suffer, I began to feel a little bit offended. Unlike the other party members, at least she wasn’t a beast. A good country girl who would have aged normally if she hadn’t come to this land. I knew that, so I even felt sympathy.”

I felt a slight warmth in the fragile hand placed on top of mine. I stared into her piercing eyes.

“But those feelings were for Eli-san, not for you. From then on, I followed the plan thoroughly. I unlocked the seal, gave her all my strength, and poured out my personality and existence as a demon king, leaving them in my head. I vaporized the human named Ellie who was there. And I followed you and enjoyed the sweetness of revenge. Do you remember the question you asked me when you took the saint’s vocal chords?”

I asked why he was helping me. Then you answered I thought it would be fun. At the time, I thought it was just a joke.

But that wasn’t it.

“I really enjoyed it then. It’s ridiculous. Stealing the voice of an enemy and manipulating people while pretending to be her. Until then, I really enjoyed it. Little by little, you radiated human energy from you, but your reality was not what I expected. I thought it was different, but I still enjoyed it. But…”

Again, Rachel’s eyes closed. Very long this time.

“However…”

…

“…”

Rachel continued her speech, but she closed her eyes again and took a long, deep breath. Are the feelings that I never wanted to show come rushing in like a tidal wave?

“…The moment you came back to save me, everything started to fall apart.”

Suddenly, I felt like I was hearing the huge shout of the Minotaur. That day, his roar that shook the whole earth made a crack in my heart that had been hardened for a long time.

And maybe even in the heart of a girl who has been planning revenge for a long time.

“That wasn’t in the plan. Of course I thought you’d just walk away, ’cause you’re just a mad vendetta. But you came back to save me… Me and Bella. Too human.” It made me angry for the same reason, but at the same time…”

Rachel’s lips closed as she looked down to form a single word in the air. From her trembling lips, a feeling of self-denial escaped little by little. I looked at her and slowly opened her mouth.

“Then why did you do that?”

“…What?”

“Why did you go to save Bella, who had nothing to do with revenge?”

“That…”

Rachel looked up at me with her eyes raised, her lips pursed. However, the moment our eyes met, my eyes blurred and a wave of emotions surged.

“It’s because I’ve been with humans too long.”

She ended up not looking straight at me and turned her eyes away. She couldn’t bear to turn her head away, so she just turned her eyes to the side and tried to erase me from sight.

“Or, when Eli’s personality was erased, a part of it came into me on its own. It must be because of that.”

But I stared at her unmoved. I didn’t have a mirror to look at myself in, so I couldn’t tell what expression I was making. I just looked at her with the emotions she was quietly as she was.

“…I know it too.”

Very slowly, Rachel’s lips parted and her wet voice leaked out. Something was about to spill out of his wet eyes.

“I know…”

Rachel closed her eyes. Then, she slipped her words from her lips as if in her confessional.

“I know you’ve been taking out your anger on the wrong people…”

“…”

Tears welled up between her closed eyelids and slowly flowed down. Hot tears flowed down his cold cheeks to the tip of his chin, leaving a clear trail. I looked at her in despair and lowered my head.

“That didn’t work.”

“What?”

“That’s not right. To you… Not to you.”

I was still holding her by the collar. And she, too, was still putting her hand on mine.

“Come to think of it… You didn’t even kill Lian. You… Didn’t do all of that because you really wanted to…”

He didn’t even know what to do with her hands. In an instant, she, the source of all evil who had planned all of this, had returned to the Rachel I knew. Unlike me, she knows how to feel guilty, and is a kind demon girl who cares for people.

And that fact made me so angry.

“It would have been so easy if you were trash like Rick, Bobby, and Leo.”

“Stop.”

“Why…Why did you confuse me by being mixed up among such rubbish? Why did you stand out among them with the name of a warrior?”

“Stop.”

“Seeing you reach out to others even when you’re hurt, suffering, and grieving, and being comforted there even though you tried not to show it…”

“Stop it, Rachel.”

“…Unbeknownst to me, I was starting to wish you would quit now. I wanted you to quit now, and return to her before it was too late.”

Her hand squeezed mine slightly. She couldn’t bear to grab it as hard as she could with her palms, so she scraped a little bit of her skin with her blunt fingernails.

I wanted to shake off her hand. But on top of that, a single hot tear fell.

“I wanted you to quit before it was too late…Before the guilt I felt outweighed my vengeance…You too…Eventually…”

“Stop…”

“I was just… Just a normal boy…”

“…”

Tears continued to flow down her eyes now. I am Rachel No, seeing the demons crying for the first time, he opened his mouth in vain. But I couldn’t breathe any more. It felt as if something heavy was gripping her chest tightly.

Why do you shed tears right in front of me regretting starting revenge? If I had treated her ruthlessly from beginning to end, I would have shattered that little skull.

“…I’m sorry Luca-san.”

Eventually, one word came out of her mouth. Then, unconsciously, I swallowed her breath and spat out her words like hers.

“Don’t do it.”

“Sorry…”

“Stop.”

“I’m sorry…I’m sorry Luca-san…”

“To me…”

…

“Don’t tell me you’re sorry…”

In the end, the hand that gripped Rachel’s collar was released. She tried to hold my hand in hers, slipped in her tears and let go, then clenched her little fists and cried for a long time.

I stared blankly at him, then quietly grabbed my sword. As always, a familiar touch permeated my palms, but I didn’t feel relieved. Suddenly, memories from the past flashed through my mind.

Everything was simple until just now. All I had to do was vent my anger at Leo and cut his throat. No, it was easier with Barbie. At the time, I didn’t know Ellie was alive. No, it was much easier with Rick. No, it was easier when I first entered the demon territory. No, before that…

My heart, which was complicatedly entangled, kept thinking of the past. Everything was simple back then. Everything was easy back then. In those memories, there was sometimes Rachel. The culprit of everything. A true demon who tormented Ellie. I coldly burned my anger and grabbed my sword. Yes, it’s all because of you it’s all because of you

…

No.

The real culprit is different.

What started all of this, and what caused Ellie pain.

That Rachel started to avenge her.

In the end, it’s all because of one person.

My brain gets complicated again. The inexperienced young man in Laurenheim has complex emotions that he cannot handle. The truth that can no longer be dealt with simply, the twisted fate is right in front of you.

“…No.”

In the end, I denied everything and drew my sword.

“All. It’s a lie.”

“Luka-san…”

“Ellie is dead.”

I pointed the tip of my sword at Rachel’s neck. I could feel the soft flesh being crushed by the sharp blade.

“It’s all your tricks, right? To stop me from killing the demon lord. You’re playing tricks to give me a moment of hesitation. Isn’t that right, demons?”

“…”

“I won’t be swayed by lies like that anymore. Did you think you could fool me? Did you really think you could fool me with such a flimsy lie?”

“If only it was. How nice it would have been.”

Rachel said and thrust her neck toward the blade of her blade. I flinched and bit back the sword, but at the same time tears fell from her eyes, drops of blood soaked the blade.

“How nice it would have been if everything had ended by cutting my head…”

I saw my blade quiver for the first time. I didn’t even hesitate to cut someone’s throat, but this time I felt a strange trembling. For the first time ever, the feeling of killing was transmitted to my fingertips.

“…I don’t want to hear it.”

I looked at Rachel with cold eyes.

“I’ll prove it. That everything you said was a lie. I’ll cut off the devil’s head and bring it in front of you. If you put the devil’s head in front of you, you won’t be able to lie like that anymore.”

“…”

“And I’ll cut your throat. It won’t be over soon. I’ll make you suffer as much as you fooled me for years.”

“Come on.”

The blood that flowed from his neck mixed with the tears and fell to the floor. Rachel finally couldn’t make eye contact with me and kept her head down, she whispered.

“It might not be…It’s too late.”

“Sounds like this until the end…”

I gritted my teeth and looked at the crying girl in front of me. The tip of the sword was still stuck in his neck, but he couldn’t move. In the end, I put my sword away and quickly turned around and walked away.

It is a lie. It’s all lies. I can’t do this. The world can’t do this to me.

With every step I took, I denied my own destiny. Thud. Thud. Every time the floor rumbled, my heart beat together and my head heated up. No. It’s all lies.

“I’m sorry, Luca-san…”

Ha…

Again, that word clung to my shadow like a ghost. I closed my ears, locked my heart, and grabbed the doorknob to open it.

“Actually…Actually, at some point I…”

Just before closing the door, her voice leaked through the crack in the door. But I didn’t want to hear it, so I deliberately closed the door roughly. But my ears picked up her words and spread them thickly in my heart. I gritted my teeth and gripped my sword tightly to erase her voice. And started running towards the destiny that lies ahead of me. Towards the last remaining truth.