Volume 6, Chapter 18: Onwards
One day, a major earthquake shook a portion of the world.
Some videos on the various video-hosting sites only had the images of dark clouds, but those with strong souls saw [Demons] in the images.
Because there were those that could see and those that couldn’t, this didn’t seem like some typical fake video. It seemed like the “monsters” from fairy tales or legends were overwhelming and filling up the sky.
In it was a huge monster the size of a mountain blowing away the clouds, then a beautiful [Voice] could be heard after that. Needless to say, the world’s religions and governments were rather confused.
That young girl’s voice that claimed to lead the army of [Demons], had declared that she would return to this world one day and eat all the G.o.ds and the humans, and those with stronger souls felt a terrible fear.
Still, the humans had hope yet.
That there was an [Existence] that had fought against the Demons and repelled them.
Although the people at the centers of power smelled a threat, they only comprised about 0.01% of the global population, and most of the other people didn’t feel threatened.
The Demon’s ‘words’ had planted darkness in the world, but it was still only slight.
Still, the Demons had planted something within the hearts of people. After all, everyone, and not merely some people could see proof.
There was the image of an [Angel] floating in the blue skies above.
Could it really be called an angel? A girl wearing a dress that was black as the night, with shimmering golden hair and golden wings.
Most of the images weren’t understood, but that figure, who was only clearly shown in a single frame a cameraman had captured, had taken the world by storm, creating a global fan club for her sheer beauty.
Surely, she had to be the [Archangel] that had repelled the Demons.
And so, in this way the [World] learned that there were powerful beings that were not human.
Even if it was impossible right now, with darkness returning to this world the spirits would also return.
However…… It was neither fear of Demons nor her words that had done it, but rather, the single picture of a pretty angel.
＊＊＊
My attendants also followed me into the dimensional cracks and knelt before me.
“Yurushia-sama, Rinne-sama, will it be alright?”
“Hmm? But you guys were in the sky too. Where were all of you?”
“That’s not a problem. Because there was the possibility that we would be seen by the humans, we landed quickly and blended into the crowd.”
“…………”
Eehh~…… Then… was I the only one who foolishly exposed myself to the humans……? I wanted to be hidden too if you all were hiding.
When I looked into that other dimension again, it already looked slightly different from the one that I knew.
Was it because the s.p.a.ce where [True G.o.d Tokyo] resided had been had unraveled? But j.a.panese bicycles, flowerpots, signboards, etc., drifted about like satellites in orbit.
There were also slightly disturbing things like skeletons inside minicars, but it can’t be helped, even if did care about them.
Most of all, there was ‘air’ here that shouldn’t have existed in the other dimension.
It was about as thin as when climbing a mountain, and we were fine because we didn’t need to breathe, but being exposed to vacuum suddenly was bad for the body…… No, if this much air was sucked in, the earth’s atmosphere might have been drained considerably.
“…… Perhaps, this is the effect of [Otherworld Summoning].”
“Yuuki-kun?”
For some reason Yuuki-kun was here. He would be fine for now since there was air, but he wouldn’t be able to return to earth now, you know? Well, that’s alright too.
“…… Why did you bring him?”
“It was Onzada’s wish.”
On Yuuki-kun’s back was Onzada-kun, whose stomach had been wrapped round and round with saran wrap, his face anemic from shock.
“…… Onzada-kun.”
“…… Yuu, is it over……Yuzu?”
“Yes…… it’s over. Why did you come here?”
“……How harsh. To the last… I wanted to see with my own eyes, Rinne’s master…… I asked him to bring me here……”
“[Yes. It was a warrior’s wish. I brought him to a place where he could see the fight.]”
As I glanced at my shoulder, Rinne told me that very naturally.
…… Eh, what is this, am I the strange one? He’s going to die, so he needs to be treated by the adults at the hospital. Then, since the battle was over, Yuuki-kun was brought here too?
I don’t understand the minds of men at all……
“Yuuki-kun…… what about your recovery magic?”
“Recovery magic is a magic that raises the physical strength and forcibly stimulates the natural healing response. It doesn’t work on wounds that can’t be cured naturally. …… My recovery magic won’t help. We need healing magic.”
“Is it really that terrible……?”
Perhaps, Onzada-kun is not long for this world. Feeling the depth of Onzada-kun’s injuries, he’d probably chosen to come to me for his last moments.
My healing magic could cure him, but Onzada-kun had lost too much blood and his soul had been diminished, so he would likely become a vampire, and if I helped him Onzada-kun’s soul would become mine by [Contract], so when his life was over I would get his soul.
Matsuri really screwed the pooch at the end…… But if the price of saving his soul was to blow away hers, I didn’t feel the need to be merciful.
Well, in that state, it would probably be better for her to reincarnate as a mitochondria.
“Hey, Yurushia-sama, what are you going to do~?”
“Nn?”
Nea who couldn’t read the mood at all even though we were having serious conversations asked me as she held the exhausted Geas to her chest.
“This is Benjamin.”
“…… It’s Behemoth.”
I guess it’s somewhat suitable.
“This is Behemoth, but it seems that he’s degenerated to the level of a Greater Demon as a sort of reaction to the explosive growth?”
“Yeah~……”
Geas, who had released all of the magic power he had and shrunk down, now looked like a teddy bear.
Taking a spare soul from Nea and splitting it up, he looked a baby, as he gnawed boisterously on the soul with his short hands and feet.
Ara? He’s surprisingly cute. …… Even though on the inside was a grandpa. …… Perhaps.
“He doesn’t seem to have any resistance against eating souls……?”
As I muttered so, the Teddy Bear (Geas) tilted its head slightly, its round eyes the color of obsidian.
“[Gau?]”
“As expected…… it has no memories?”
As I looked into its bear face with surprise, Rinne told me the answer.
“[Yurushia, you maintaining the memories of when you were human is a rarity. They usually have a certain amount of personality from their past lives, but Geas’ state is normal. He might possibly be able to remember bit by bit.]”
“Heeh……”
Was he reincarnated like a normal Demon? That must mean that I’m a pretty rare species…… When we’d first met, Rinne must have been interested.
My own memory was hazy to me, but it seems that for Geas it’s even more vague, and he doesn’t even remember being human.
That means that Demons adapt easily, and don’t all have bad backstories.
Either way, Geas right now is just a teddy bear that’s a little strong. …… But the eyes that were looking at me were kind. Maybe it’s because it’s Yuzu’s grandfather.
Putting that aside, back to Onzada-kun.
“Hey, Onzada-kun.”
“…… What?”
“Put simply…… You’re going to die.”
“…… Haha, I guess that’s so.”
He was laughing. What…… I guess this is the feeling of regret over this state of affairs? However, I had to give him the choice, as a Demon.
Now choose…… Onzada-kun.
“Did you know that you were saving a [Demon]?”
“Yeah……”
“You don’t regret saving a Demon……?”
“Of course not.”
Onzada-kun spoke without hesitation in a quiet voice.
“Then I will give Onzada-kun your options. Would you like to die beautifully as a [Human Being]? Or would you rather live a greedy, dirty life as a [Demon]……?”
“…………”
Onzada-kun’s face turned serious as he quieted down.
This was a proposal for a new [Contract]. Because Onzada-kun had helped me, I could extend the terms of the contract with far better conditions than before. I can even throw in free detergent for three months! (TL note: a stereotypical renting perk in j.a.pan)
If he died as he was as a [Human], then the contract upon his soul would be lifted and he would die peacefully.
But on the earth, where souls were saturated, it would be difficult for him to reincarnate, and he would melt away into the world and be reborn anew with a different personality.
If he reincarnated as a Demon, then his soul would be bound to me forever. His memories of being human would also disappear.
However, Onzada-kun’s ‘personality’ would remain.
Which would be better……? Onzada-kun must decide for himself.
“…… Hey, Yuzu……”
“What is it?”
“…You…… do you have a lot of enemies…?”
“Well. I am a Demon, so my enemies are naturally plentiful.”
“Is that so……”
I waited for Onzada-kun’s words as he mulled it over.
“I…… well, when I was a kid…… I wanted to be an ally of justice……”
“Yes……I know.”
“I wanted to defeat things like…… Evil spirits…… But it turns out that the bad guys aren’t so bad, either……”
“…… That’s rather philosophical.”
“Can even Demons…… still become an ally of justice……?”
“Onzada-kun……”
I didn’t want to say anything, but I just had to say this.
“Demons are free.”
“…… I see”
Onzada-kun closed his eyes…… and then quietly opened his mouth.
“It was…… a promise from when I was a child. As an ally of justice…… I will protect you.”
“……Yes.”
And so, the ‘re-contract’ was complete.
As he said that “I will protect you”, a new [Contract] was formed.
Yuuki-kun, who was watching, didn’t say anything even though he looked like he wanted to.
“[Yurushia]”
“Nn?”
Rinne who was watching from my shoulder spoke out quietly.
“[Onzada’s soul is already at the limit. Unlike Geas, who was strong from the beginning, in any other dimension like the Demon World, the soul would likely scatter even if he became a Demon unless you prepared a vessel.]”
“”……Eh?””
Both and I and Onzada-kun’s faces scrunched up.
Wa-wait, the nice atmosphere was ruined. A vessel? How in the world would I get such a thing in this different dimension!?
“…… well, err, how about this?”
Drifting about in the vicinity, I saw one of the Kero-chan dolls from the drugstore, as Onzada-kun’s face turned blue, and shook his head. Eei, it’s totally not my selfish desire or anything.
“Yurushia-sama, will you use this?”
“Eh, what?”
Fannie who was holding open the tear in the dimensions came, rustling around in her skirt as she looked for something.
Onzada-san’s gaze was attracted to Fannie, the cute maid who was turning over her skirts, and so she hit his face with a *bachin*. …… Fannie, your garter stockings…
“Onzada died!?”
“Died?”
As Yuuki-kun’s panicked voice rang out, I answered quickly. Males……
“It was, ah, here it is.”
“This is……”
It was my rabbit stuffed toy, which Fannie, as Fontaine, had previously destroyed, that had been meticulously restored by her with her hair and magic power.
She still kept it……
That rabbit stuffed toy that I’d gotten from my father on my third birthday was a cartoonish looking one, with a round head and teardrop-shaped body with cylindrical limbs, a lovely disproportionate rabbit.
“Good, then let’s start.”
“Yes~”
“……Eh, wai-”
Onzada-kun was going to say something to me as I summarily decided it, but I didn’t hear anything. I felt like I heard “You Demon”, but please stop making strange damaging rumors.
Besides, there was the intent of a [Devil] along with the material infused with a [Archdemon]‘s magic power, so isn’t it quite a suitable [Vessel]? Hooray, Onzada-kun.
“I, by the name of [Demon Lady Yurushia], designate this soul as a Demon. Dedicate yourself to me eternally, and possess this vessel……”
“Waitaminut-”
A dying person should just go quietly. As Onzada-kun’s body disappeared and slowly morphed into the soul of a Demon, I forcibly packed him into the rabbit stuffed toy.
“Onzada-kun, I will give you a ‘race name’ as a Demon.”
Well, uhm…… Rabbit Demon……
“Be born … Demon [Laplace]…”
A Demon that can see time. I imagined the rabbit from “[Through the Looking Gla.s.s]”.
I wonder if it might match up with Onzada-kun’s ability to read attacks…….
After a little while, the rabbit stuffed toy Onzada-kun got up, and after looking around, it started nodding at me.
Thanks to the high-level contract that was established, I felt the power of a Greater Demon.
The memories…… it might be the same situation as Geas. Amidst the vague memories, it still recognizes me.
The memories are sure to return over time, too. If it increased its power, it might even become human-shaped.
I will be waiting…… Onzada-kun.
“[………]”
“Nn~?”
Onzada-kun suddenly pointed towards something and began to run.
I thought that he’d found something in the wreckage, and then he ran back.
“……Onzada-kun.”
It was holding a bottle of sake and a gla.s.s.
“[Gaugau]”
“[…… (*glug glug*)]”
Geas, who saw it, came up to Onzada-kun, and both the bear and the rabbit started drinking like two middle-aged salarymen.
It’s so surreal…… Ah, well.
“Is it really that great…… that stuff”
“It’s nice. …… Anyways, what will Yuuki-kun do? Are you returning to your hometown?”
As I looked over at Yuuki-kun, I asked him nastily.
“Well, I’ve just gotten married, so……”
“Misa isn’t done with you yet, that girl.”
“It’s too late for that now, isn’t it!”
Yuuki-kun’s face looked disappointed even though he was laughing. …… Well, didn’t you agree yourself to come with me?
“Why don’t I avenge you instead?”
“……I’ve brought you something else as well. It’s the information of the different world [Tess] that I have.”
“Heeeh……”
“In it, I’ve recording as much as I know of the [Hero’s Secret Art] and all the coordinates I have. However, there are some parts that I can’t remember, so it’s not entirely complete.”
“Is it alright to send a [Demon] to your hometown?”
“I trust you, somewhat.”
Somewhat…… huh.
“I understand…… Thanks for this, then.”
“But be careful. Although you are stronger than them, the scary part of the [Heroes from Another World] isn’t their strength.”
“…………”
As he left that message, Yuuki-kun parted with us to restore the dimensional cracks from the earth side. We could completely close this if we restored the rip from both here and the other side.
It means that I would say goodbye to this world.
…… Now.
I don’t know how to get to the Holy Kingdom yet. But, I think there will be some clues in the world of Yuuki-kun which summons from other worlds.
And also…… how would the [Heroes] who betrayed Yuuki-kun taste like……?
Fufufu……
“Well then everyone, shall we go?”
Author’s Notes:
At last, this book has come to an end.
I’m sorry for keeping you waiting.
The atmosphere seems to have changed a lot, but I think that it’ll be as per usual from the next book.
Before the next book begins, I’d like to talk about one more setting for my own interest. It’s a commentary on Demons.