With eyes as deep as the abyss fixed upon me, how should I answer this question?
The deliberation was brief.
“I came from the future.”
“…The future?”
No matter how wary I was of the Demon King and tried to hide the fact that I was from the future, there were things that needed to be concealed only as the situation demanded.
The Throne Lord’s mad decision to annihilate his own kind for the sake of the world instead gave me infinite trust in him.
At my answer, the Lord’s expression hardened.
‘What is this?’
Did I say something I shouldn’t have?
“…Can you explain your circumstances?”
“Not for free.”
“What do you want?”
“I’d like the Heavenly Palace to open diplomatic relations, starting with the Kingdom of Lumin.”
“That’s quite a trivial request.”
“It’s not trivial at all.”
The Kingdom of Lumin holds several frontlines against the Demon Army.
That meant a huge amount of supplies was needed.
On the other hand, the Prasion Kingdom and the Holy Nation, the Luminous Kingdom, both had superior technology or richer lands, giving them much greater advantages than the Kingdom of Lumin.
“The desperate are always the first to reach out.”
“Now that you mention it, winter is coming soon. So be it.”
After receiving the Lord’s clear answer, I spoke.
“To start with, I killed the Demon King in the future.”
With those words, I calmly began a deep conversation with the Lord about the current situation I was experiencing and what would unfold in this world.
At times, the Lord was shocked, at times furious, and sometimes he stared at me with a grave gaze as he focused on my story.
That gaze was so intense that it bordered on madness—it made me cautious, wondering if I had said anything wrong.
After all, while it was true I was stronger than the dragons, facing the authority of this ancient dragon in front of me would be a headache on many levels.
So I kept my guard up, secretly preparing for any unforeseen situation as I finished telling the Lord everything.
He let out a sigh and closed his eyes.
“I see. So that’s how it was.”
He murmured with an air of enlightenment, so I asked quietly.
“Is there any information you need to tell me after hearing my story?”
At my question, the Lord, who had been silently listening, curled his lips playfully.
“Not for free.”
“What do you want?”
The Lord answered with action.
He slowly stood up, golden light swirling around him, and soon, before me stood an enormous elder, so tall I had to look up to see him.
“I want to leave the Heavenly Palace and follow you.”
I looked at him in shock.
“You wish to leave the Heavenly Palace? But isn’t that impossible because of the Sacred Contract of Genesis?”
“You’re here, aren’t you?”
At his words, I felt a chill run down my spine.
This man, could it be…?
“You’d relinquish your status as Guardian and forfeit your Name of the Dragon? Truly?”
“Yes.”
“No. No, no, that’s far too extreme a decision, no matter what.”
The Lord was practically forcing his life onto me.
Hearing such words with those clear, untainted eyes sent chills through me.
Suddenly, the phrase Ryuk once said—‘Clear-Eyed Mad Dragon’—flashed through my mind.
Could he have been talking about the Lord?
“From the moment I began seeking the extinction of the dragons, I was already too far gone.”
But despite my protests, the Lord stroked his long beard, which reached down to his belly, and spoke with a gentle laugh.
“It would be better for me to lay down my life and work for the future of my kin. You are one of the rare Heroes who would stand against not just the Demon King’s Army, but the Demon King himself. I’m sure you’ll know where best to use my life.”
I had nothing to refute.
In a situation where even a cat’s paw would be helpful, having the Lord’s full support would mean a great deal to me.
“Let me think for a moment, so please be quiet.”
“As much as you like.”
Even so, it was not a choice I could accept easily.
I am a Hero.
Owen, the Hero who wielded the Holy Sword to protect everyone.
‘Kill the Demon King, Owen.’
‘Please kill the Demon King.’
‘Tear the Demon King to pieces.’
Contrary to my vow to protect everyone, my comrades who passed through my life left their heavy burdens on my shoulders as they departed before me.
Every word they uttered to save me, just before their last breath, weighed down upon my flesh and heart.
I, who had been foolish, was forced to face reality and painfully realized that sometimes someone must be sacrificed for the peace of the world.
‘So what?’
But had I given up my ideals just because I faced reality, I would have fallen before my comrades ever did.
‘What kind of Hero do you dream of being?’
Suddenly, I recalled Ryuk’s question.
How did I answer him then?
Regrettably, I couldn’t remember.
But if I had aspired to the highest ideals, then surely I must have wished for a peace where everyone could live with a smile.
A Hero must always aim for that.
‘It has always been the idealist, not the realist, who has protected the peace of the world.’
Some might call that arrogance, others might call it the stance of a saint beyond reach.
Yet, even so, the idealist never stops moving forward, steadfast in their own beliefs.
‘Of course, I failed.’
While I succeeded in killing the Demon King, I could not uphold the ideals of a Hero.
So I asked myself again.
No matter how many times I renew my resolve, is it truly possible to achieve this time what I failed at once before?
Instead of answering that doubt, I gave a mocking laugh.
‘Why do you even hesitate?’
This is not a matter of ‘Can I do it?’ but rather, ‘Do I want to?’
And my choice is clearly the latter.
If I hadn’t intended to do so from the start, I would never have thought to turn the former heads of the Demon King’s Army into allies.
If anything, I would have killed anyone who showed the slightest possibility, leaving no chance behind.
But I didn’t.
Because that’s not my way.
“I’ve made my decision.”
“What is it?”
“No need to tell you. Keep it to yourself.”
“…Hmm?”
Perhaps he hadn’t expected me to refuse— the Lord looked genuinely surprised.
“Why? I thought it would be a rather attractive offer for you.”
“It’s nothing much. I just don’t want to leave that possibility open.”
“Possibility?”
“If the situation gets even a little worse, there’s a chance I’d throw away your life without hesitation.”
The Lord frowned as if unconvinced.
“That’s exactly why I wanted to follow you.”
“No. Maybe other Heroes would, but I mustn’t.”
I am a Hero who must pursue ideals.
A Hero who must act to save every life.
Even if I failed.
Even if I lost everyone and was left alone in the end.
This alone, I could never give up.
The moment I gave it up, I’d become someone who gives up something every time a crisis arises.
That may be what it is to be human, but it is not what it is to be a Hero.
It was because I pursued ideals as a Hero that I was able to defeat the Demon King, not because I sought reality.
“…It wasn’t an escape from reality?”
“Seeking and escaping do not mean the same thing.”
At my immediate answer, the Lord let out a long groan and eventually slumped down onto the floor.
“I was thinking I’d just hand over my position to some decent fellow and retire quietly, but you’re much more troublesome than you look.”
“Of course I’m troublesome—I’m the Hero who killed the Demon King. Did you think you could just take it easy with me?”
The Lord burst into hearty laughter, ‘Pahaha!’
He seemed much more jovial than his dignified appearance would suggest.
“You said you’d take Thrall, right? What do you plan to do with that child?”
“I’ll train him so he can become strong.”
“Oh? But you’re not a mage, are you?”
“Did you only half-listen when I said I came from the future?”
“…Aha…”
The Lord nodded, understanding my words.
“Was that child strong in the future?”
Meeting Thrall’s gaze, who was looking up at me from the side, I grinned.
“He was so strong I never wanted to face him again.”
Having finished all that needed to be done, I left the Heavenly Palace with Thrall.
I was a bit concerned that after having refuted the dragons’ Perfect Logic, Thrall might once again be bound by the Sacred Contract of Genesis, but he was able to leave just fine.
It seemed that the gods who had been watching my situation through the Temple of All Gods had made an exception for Thrall.
As we walked out of the Heavenly Palace together, Thrall finally broke the silence and murmured,
“Really… I managed to come out alive.”
I sensed the anxiety in his tone and asked in return,
“That’s good, isn’t it? It means you still have a future ahead of you.”
“…The Lord said he intended to turn me into a Mad Dragon King.”
“He did. The Lord mentioned as much.”
But it didn’t seem like that was what Thrall truly wanted to talk about, seeing his hesitant demeanor.
I waited patiently for his question, and eventually he asked cautiously,
“In the future you came from, what kind of dragon was I?”
“Why are you suddenly curious about that?”
“You said you needed my strength, didn’t you? And you want to make me stronger.”
“That’s right.”
“So I can’t help but care. What kind of dragon was I in the future?”
After a moment’s thought, I answered.
“You were very strong. Strong enough to be called the greatest of all Mad Dragon Kings.”
“…Do you only need someone with that much strength?”
“Power is always better in abundance, as long as you can handle it yourself.”
I stopped walking, placed my hands on Thrall’s shoulders, and answered.
“But I absolutely can’t accept you becoming a Mad Dragon King for that.”
“…If I do become a Mad Dragon King, what will you do?”
“That will never happen.”
I cut off that question with certainty.
The possibility of the return of the Dragon King of Destruction… I didn’t even want to imagine such a dreadful outcome.
“I’ll make sure it never happens, and you shouldn’t even think about it.”
At my resolute reply, Thrall nodded slowly with a serious expression.
I patted his head and said,
“When we get home, let’s eat a delicious meal first.”
“…Yes.”
“And, the fact that I came from the future is a secret known only to you, me, and the Lord. Understood?”
Thrall nodded.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Hm.”
Deaurus Lumin, the current king of the Kingdom of Lumin, was putting all his effort into handling the endless royal business that arrived daily.
Amidst the ceaselessly updating matters and the multitude of political issues arising from them, he was plagued with headaches.
“Your Majesty, an elf envoy has arrived from the Ellesion Great Forest!”
Deaurus frowned at the administrator’s sudden announcement.
“…I haven’t heard any news that they’d be coming for diplomatic talks.”
“They said to apologize for the sudden visit on behalf of the elves.”
“Normally, a visit without prior arrangement would be refused in the middle, so why has the report reached me directly?”
“Th-the thing is, there are reports that the Elf King himself has come among the diplomats…”
As the administrator was giving his report, another voice suddenly rang out from behind.
“Y-your Majesty! There’s trouble!”
Clank, clank—running toward them was one of the knights who guarded the palace gates.
Deaurus scowled and asked,
“…What is it now?”
“T-the capital’s sky… An island has appeared in the sky!”
“What?”
“What do you mean? An island?!”
The administrator, startled by the report, asked again, and the knight shouted once more.
“It’s true! There’s an island! An island floating in the air!”
“…Wait, a floating island?”
At that moment, the administrator’s expression stiffened and he shouted at the knight.
“Did you hear any kind of loud cry from the island?!”
“A-cry? I didn’t hear any….”
Krrrrrrrrrrr!
At that instant, a massive roar echoed throughout the entire capital, including the palace, freezing everyone’s expressions.
Deaurus asked,
“Administrator, can you explain the situation?”
The administrator, face pale, swallowed hard and said,
“I-it seems… that the ‘Nest of the Immovable Dragon’ has appeared above our heads.”
An unexpected visit from the elves, and now the dragon’s nest as well?
With no clear reason for these sudden events, Deaurus found one person’s face coming to mind.
The man who, not long ago, had suddenly appeared and become the Special Task Force Captain, then departed on a diplomatic mission to the Elf Kingdom.
‘What in the world has that man been up to?’
Others might dismiss it as baseless speculation, but for this Special Task Force Captain, whose very existence was strange, it was a conclusion with surprisingly high probability.