The sound of ice clinking in a glass echoed from my hand.
My room, which Amelia, Suella, Memoria, and I shared.
I was in the living room.
The lights were on, but I was the only one here.
I had brought a chair from the living room to the window and was staring down at the familiar Tokyo cityscape, as if I owned staring at it.
The time was just before midnight.
The whiskey bottle I had pulled out for a nightcap, intending to drink it, was opened, but it was nearly full.
I had only taken one sip of my cigarette, and the rest had turned to ash on the ashtray I had placed by the window.
Even though this might be a time when every second counts, I thought to myself, how carefree I am.
All I could do was rest my body and maintain a perfect mental state, and if that’s what I was told to do, then I had no choice but to follow it.
I was forbidden from even entering a Dungeon, let alone engaging in excessive training or any tiring activities. All I could do was have a nightcap to induce sleep.
“……”
But even with a grand excuse, the alcohol didn’t taste any better. I drank the contents of the glass, which tasted a little bland, and fell into thought.
If it were a time when I could just stare without thinking, it would have been nice to induce sleep.
Unfortunately, I don’t have the calm mindset to spend time idly without thinking.
“Have I done everything I need to do?”
However, all I could think about was whether there were any flaws in the preparations I had made or any loopholes in the plan, a testament to my strong corporate slave mentality, which made me smile wryly.
The corners of my mouth twitched upwards. I thought that doing this was a waste of time, and a few days later, I would be crossing the continent again, to the battlefield at that. The fact that I could remain calm thinking about it meant my senses were quite skewed.
Back then, I would have been so nervous my heart would have jumped out of my chest, wishing for tomorrow not to come due to anxiety, and curled up in bed.
But how about now?
My heart wasn’t pounding at all; it was calm. My gaze had been fixed on the Tokyo cityscape for a while, and I was comparing it in my head to the cityscape of the otherworld.
“I’ll have one more drink and then go to bed.”
“If so, please allow me to join you for that last drink, Master.”
Japan, which was peaceful, and the otherworld, which was somewhat less safe but still peaceful.
I reached for the whiskey bottle I had placed on the floor, as if to stop myself from falling into philosophical thoughts about the difference between the two, but before I could, the bottle was suddenly lifted, and the spout was offered to me.
“Himik, aren’t you asleep?”
“What? If you’re awake alone, Master, I can’t possibly sleep. Suella and Memoria have already gone to rest.”
I silently offered my glass, received a drink, and then placed the glass, now filled with amber liquid again, by the window. Taking back the bottle, I then aimed the spout toward Himik.
“Then, please join me for a drink.”
“Ah, with pleasure.”
Himik conjured a chair with magic and arranged it so her wings wouldn’t hit it, then sat beside me. We lightly clinked our glasses and toasted. I took a sip of the whiskey. The unique taste and aroma of alcohol spread in my mouth, and I swallowed down a slight warmth. Himik, on the other hand, seemed to be looking at the whiskey with a curious expression, not drinking it.
“Is this your first time with whiskey?”
“Ah, I’ve never seen it in my world.”
Her world – was she referring to Isal, where the sun ruled? A world where heroes fought demon lords, a world of fairy tales that actually existed. I had visited once, and the events of that time, for better or worse, were a memory I would never forget.
“Speaking of which, Himik, you’re from Isal, aren’t you?”
“To be precise, I’m from the Heavenly Realm.”
After gazing at her glass for a while, Himik found the sight of a fallen angel looking at alcohol with confusion slightly amusing, and with a slight smile on her lips, she decided to ask me a question that had occurred to her.
“Then, are you knowledgeable about heroes?”
“We angels were entrusted with the role of mediating the world. Heroes are those who also play a role in mediation, so I have considerable knowledge.”
Perhaps it was because we were heading to where Amelia, who was bound by the Demon Lord’s soul, and Carter, who might be the hero, were.
“Then what is the relationship between the hero and the Demon Lord in this world?”
“That’s sudden, Master.”
Himik, who had been about to bring her glass to her lips, blinked at my abrupt question and shifted her gaze from her glass to me.
“It’s not sudden from my perspective, but from my original knowledge, monsters were always evil beings that destroyed the world. They’re slaughtering all humans, withering plants, polluting springs, and corrupting stars. That’s what a demon lord is: a symbol of destruction. But since joining this company, I’ve interacted with members of the Demon Lord’s Army. Of course, I’ve seen the President too. From that, I realized my common sense wasn’t reliable.”
From my perspective, although the Demon Lord’s Army had a different common sense than mine and differed in my perception, they still possessed intellect, emotions, and reason. They were by no means incompatible beings.
“It’s a cliché, but I wondered why the conflict between the Demon Lord’s Army and the other kingdom couldn’t be resolved through discussion. According to Suella, they initially tried to resolve it through discussion, but the human side killed the Demon Lord’s relatives, and it turned into a quagmire. I don’t plan to take her word for it, but from my limited experience with the existence and status of heroes in Isal, I can’t say for sure that her story is false.”
I explained the sequence of events that led to my initial question. I didn’t want an answer that the hero and the Demon Lord were enemies. It was a question I hadn’t been able to ask Suella, Memoria, or even the instructor. It was a question I could only ask Himik, who was on the hero’s side and now stood closer to the Demon Lord’s Army.
“Perhaps that’s why. Why do humans hate and oppose the Demon Lord, or rather, those belonging to the Demon Lord’s Army, so much?”
“I see, Master. You want to know the circumstances that led to the current relationship between the hero and the Demon Lord?”
“I suppose that’s it.”
The hero and the Demon Lord are enemies. It’s a common trope and a story that’s often told. But when it comes to the circumstances that led to it, it’s usually the Demon Lord who’s at fault. However, since being in this company, I’ve repeatedly witnessed aspects of humans that differ from my instincts, but I’ve never seen them as a disaster that would destroy the world. Perhaps I just haven’t seen it. This doubt arose suddenly, but once I asked, I became curious about the answer.
“The cause is fear, I suppose. And that fear exacerbates and leads to exclusion. It’s a common tale among humans. There’s no complex story like you might be imagining.”
“Fear?”
“Ah, something humans don’t possess. Immensely superior magic power and lifespan. If they see even a hint of ferocity, humans become afraid. Over the years, this fear has warped, and it’s become natural for humans to consider anything belonging to the demon race as evil. That’s where the boundary was created. It’s simply a matter of whether it can be tolerated or not. That’s how the great divide between light and darkness was born. The demon race didn’t do anything in particular. They just existed, and that was unacceptable. That’s all there is to it.”
Himik calmly explained the circumstances that led to the current relationship as if teaching common knowledge.
“And so, after many years, the boundary was completed, but this caused trouble for the gods.”
“Gods? You mean, like, God?”
“Ah, I don’t know if you know this, but in our world, faith in a deity is power itself to the deity. To solidify their existence and maintain their power, faith from living creatures like humans is indispensable. And initially, what was a single, great faith split into two. The Sun God grew anxious that his brother, the Moon God, might surpass him in power. In fact, at one point, he did.”
Himik asked if I knew why, but I wracked my brain and couldn’t come up with an answer. I replied that I didn’t know.
“It was because of the Demon Lord.”
“The Demon Lord?”
The Demon Lord, one of the pieces of my doubt, appeared here.
“With the boundary created and faith dispersed, the quality of prayers to the gods diminished. However, the demon race was the least affected. This was because the Demon Lord united them. They had lifespans many times longer than humans and possessed great power. They solidified their foundation over a long period. But humans were different. Due to their short lifespans, conflict was constant, and although they were numerous, their faith was unstable. There were long-lived races, but they were fewer compared to the demon race. The quality of faith varied. Some humans also believed in the Moon God, so the difference in numbers couldn’t be overcome.”
As Himik swirled the glass in her hand, she spoke of the gradually changing world. She spoke as if reading from a textbook, without any particular emotion.
“The Sun God, fearing his diminishing power, must have been anxious that his position would be threatened if things continued this way. The Moon God, however, had no such ambitions. He merely sought to protect those who believed in him. And the hero was a being born from the Sun God’s suspicion.”
“Suspicion? What do you mean?”
“A simple way to unite people, or rather, emotions, is to create a common enemy.”
Himik showed a hint of disappointment, though not to the point of calling her own creator’s actions foolish. And from the preceding story, I inferred why the hero was born.
“…A hero is a banner, then?”
When I voiced this answer, Himik nodded as if to say, “That’s correct.”
“Originally, it was merely a difference in ideology. But midway, it became a conflict instigated by the gods. Despite being gods who managed the same world, the Sun God, fearing the other’s growing power, intervened to diminish it. Conveniently, the preparations for this were already in place.”
The Demon Lord was like a thread binding various races together. And the hero was merely a banner to decide where to cut that thread. Beings inconvenient to humans were also inconvenient to the Sun God. A convergence of interests. Was that all it took to ignite the long-standing war between heroes and demon lords?
“The result, as you know, Master. The Sun God obtained one world, established his position as the sole deity, and by making the Moon God an evil deity, he solidified his faith.”
“…I can only sympathize with the hero, but are there any humans who know this story?”
“Probably not. Perhaps it’s recorded in some very old ancient texts, but only those like myself, top-tier angels, would know. Even long-lived elves wouldn’t know.”
“What? Does that mean this is something I shouldn’t really be hearing?”
“It is, but you asked knowing that, didn’t you? The secrets of history are usually like that.”
“……”
I’ve done it now. They say regret comes too late, and curiosity killed the cat. I’ve just obtained incredibly sensitive information with a simple, honest question. How many people in the Demon Lord’s Army know this information? If it’s known, they’ll have to eliminate me, won’t they? I felt a sense of guilt for my own carelessness, trying to suppress the headache.
“Master, are you alright?”
“Ah, I was just lamenting my own foolishness. Forgive me, Himik, please keep this story a secret.”
“? I understand. If you say so, I will.”
“Thank you.”
I was grateful to Himik, who didn’t pry into my feelings, and realized that since we had talked for so long, the date had already passed. I decided it was time to sleep and chugged the remaining alcohol. Praying that I wouldn’t speak of the story I had just heard, the liquour I drank heated my stomach.
“And with that, I should probably get some sleep. Thank you for keeping me company.”
“Mhm, I’m glad I could talk with you alone, Master.”
Given the content of our conversation, it was a relief that there was no sensuality involved, and Himik seemed to enjoy the atmosphere.
“Oh, and I forgot to drink this.”
Himik then looked at the whiskey that remained beside me and, like me, began to gulp it down.
“Ah, you don’t have to force yourself…”
I tried to stop her lightly, but before I could finish, Himik drained the glass of whiskey. At that moment, it suddenly occurred to me. Had Himik ever drunk alcohol since we met? She had always been the one serving, so had I ever seen her drink so heartily? The thought crossed my mind, but I figured that as a top-tier angel, she wouldn’t get drunk on alcohol, but then—
“Oh, hey!”
I rushed to catch Himik as she suddenly collapsed sideways.
“Zzzz—”
“She’s asleep.”
Looking at her profile, her face seemed so happy.
“Honestly.”
Her face was gently flushed.
“Masteeer~”
Seeing her in a state so unlike the person who had been speaking so earnestly just moments before, I suddenly felt my shoulders relax. Gently, I picked her up and carried her to her bedroom.
“Good night, Himik.”
Although the ending was anticlimactic, I thought that thanks to this, I could fall into a deep sleep without much worry. As I was about to leave Himik’s bedroom, I took one last look at her sleeping form and thought so.
A word for today: Sometimes, it’s good to shift your schedule.
That’s all for this time.
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*The first volume of the books has been decided to be published by Hayakawa Bunko JA. It was released on October 18, 2018. The ebook version was also released on October 31 of the same year. The second volume will be released on December 19. The content has been revised and expanded from the version posted on Shōsetsuka ni Narō, and an unpublished interlude has been included. Please also check out the new book!
Additionally, a comic adaptation has been decided for Kodansha’s “Young Magazine The Third.”
