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A night had passed, and after eating a delicious breakfast prepared by Alice, Alice and I were carefreely playing with each other.
[……Ohh.]
[Whoa there, a level up huh. Fufufu, I’ll be catching up with you soon~~]
The pointer of the roulette that Alice turned stopped at 4, and when she moved 4 places, it seemed like she arrived on a level-up square, and Alice brightly smiled.
Currently, Alice and I are playing a game that I’ve seen before in my world…… It was that so-called Sugoroku.
(Note: Sugoroku is something like Snakes-and-Ladder, just with no snakes and ladders.)
[Even so, this looks really well-made, isn’t it……? “Hero Sugoroku” was it?]
[Yes, the snake-and-ladder game itself was handed down from Kaito-san’s world, but the one that was spread far and wide was the Hero Sugoroku. Nowadays, this has become a staple item that most children have played at least once.]
It seems that this Hero Sugoroku seems to be a reenactment of the First Hero’s journey, and the game isn’t only about advancing your pieces and defeating the Demon King…… A Sugoroku that aims to make Neun-san faint.
Each piece has a level, which is raised by stopping at a level-up square. There are level judgments on monsters and other squares along the way, and if your level is low, you will be sent back, which is quite fun.
Moreover, it was a bit small, but this game was equipped with a magic crystal that is used to create intricate effects, such as roars of monsters and several light effects here and there.
It’s a great game that both adults and children can enjoy.
[However, seeing it turned into a toy like this makes me realize how respected Neun-san was in the eyes of the public.]
[Of course, she’s the Hero of this world after all. Defeated the Demon King with only a few people and brought peace for the whole world…… She’s the epitome of a Hero.]
[……That reminds me, Neun-san’s party, as I recall, was described in the book as a magician, a spearman…… and an all-around thief but…… There wasn’t much detail about them huh.]
The book, which was previously recommended by Kuro listed the name of Neun-san…… The First Hero, Hikari, but the other party members listed their professions: magician, spearman and thief, but not their names.
I thought it was deliberately written that way because of some reason but…… Since Alice most probably knows about it, I decided to ask her about it.
[……Ahhh, that’s just a political measure. It’s relatively widely known…… but one of the members of the First Hero’s party is the current King Hydra…… So it was kind of a tacit agreement not to mention it, in consideration of the power relations between the countries.]
[Heehhh…… If I remember correctly, King Hydra was a mermaid, right?]
[Yes, Laguna Dia Hydra…… She was the party’s spearman.]
[……It was also written in the book about how she “cleaved a raging river in half”……]
[That’s a historical fact. That’s how powerful she is.]
As expected of a party member of the First Hero. She must have been quite a great person.
[……What about the other members?]
[Let me think~~ The Elven Magician, called the “Miracle of the Forest”, the current Elven Elder, Fors-san…… and she, whose true identity is unknown, “The Mysterious Genius and Beautiful Thief”, Hapti-chan!]
[……Eh? Alice accompanied the First Hero’s party on her journey?]
[Come now, what are you talking about? I don’t have anything to do with the Mysterious Genius and Beautiful Thief Hapti-chan~~]
No, it’s definitely her…… Perhaps, she had disguised herself and infiltrated their group as a member. It’s certainly not surprising that Alice would be able to pull off something like that.
[……Hey, Alice.]
[Yes?]
[I’ve always wondered…… Even though the Six Kings couldn’t carelessly make their move at that time, if it’s you…… Wouldn’t you be able to deal with the Demon King and lay down the groundwork in the Human Realm?]
[……Well, I won’t deny that I could do that. It would be difficult for me to establish a treaty of friendship with the three worlds just like Hikari-san did though…… There were plenty of ways for me to deal with the Demon King’s army. As for disguising it as Humanity’s victory, well, it’s also possible.]
[……………]
[“Then, why didn’t you do it……?” What I’m about to tell you from here on out, please don’t tell it to anyone else.]
[Alright.]
From now on, she will start talking about things that I…… no, most of the people in this world don’t know. And Alice is telling me upfront, that what she was about to say is a secret.
[……At that time, us, the Six Kings, couldn’t…… no, didn’t touch the Demon King, and there were two reasons for this. The first one, as Kaito-san knows, is our lack of connection with the Human Realm.]
[……………………]
[And the other reason is that…… Because the top of the Demon Realm, “Kuro-san was hesitant to do it”.]
[……Kuro was?]
[……The Demon King, you see…… She’s Kuro-san’s “family”.]
[Wha!?]
The words Alice told me were truly shocking. The Demon King is part of Kuro’s family? Then, does that mean the Demon King defied Kuro and challenged her to a fight?
No, somehow, looking at the expression on Alice’s face…… I have a feeling that isn’t the case.
[……To be honest, we completely never expected for that Demon King to invade the Human Realm. She wasn’t the kind of child who would do such a thing. For us…… For the other members of the Six Kings other than Kuro-san, the Demon King was someone like a sister. She had a kind heart and cared for others, and looked up to Kuro-san as if she were her real mother.]
[……Is…… that so.]
[That’s why, I thought there was something very big going on…… The members of the Six Kings also had disagreements on how to handle that situation.]
[…………………]
[I won’t say their names, but they said “We could just hit her head and take her back home.”, “……No…… I’m sure…… there must be…… a reason.”, “However, wouldn’t it be bad to not do anything after what she has done?”, “Then, shouldn’t we investigate the cause of why she did this first?”, or something like that.]
[Somehow, I think I know who was the one speaking which lines.]
[Well, “No, if she’s going to cause chaos in the world, wouldn’t it be better if we just kill her?”…… or so the Phantasmal King, who can’t read the mood, said. The Phantasmal King is the worst, isn’t she!?]
[You’re the Phantasmal King, idiot!!!]
It should have been a very serious story, but Alice jokingly inserted a self-deprecating joke in the middle of the story, and while I was astounded, I waited for her next words.
[……Well, finally, the Hero…… Hikari-san appeared, and we settled on a decision where we will wait and see what would happen.]
[……You mean all of you “other than Alice”, right?]
[Yes, that’s right…… I had one of my clones secretly accompany Hikari-san on her journey. If I had decided that Hikari-san couldn’t deal with the Demon King, I would immediately make my move…… Well, in the end, Hikari-san defeated her.]
[……She’s alive. I’d like it if you don’t ask the details but…… She has repented her sins, and is still atoning for them now.]
[……I see.]
I wasn’t able to say any more words than that.
When I heard the story from Lilia-san, I thought that the Demon King was quite a miserable person, and that it was really great that she was defeated by the Hero but…… It doesn’t seem to be that simple.
Especially for Kuro, who is one of the people concerned with it…… I wonder how she feels about that? I don’t know, but I know that this isn’t a topic that I should just carelessly step into.
As I’ve been thinking about this, Alice smiles at me with a gentle expression on her face.
[Well, Kaito-san doesn’t have to worry about it. This was something that happened a thousand years ago, and it’s all over already…… Oh, you’re out of tea. I’ll go brew some.]
[Thanks.]
Certainly, it is as Alice said…… This was just something that happened a thousand years ago, and if the parties involved have already settled it, I don’t think it’s not something I should be involved in.
Dear Mom, Dad- Alice told me a few more things about the Hero and the Demon King. Alice told me that it was already over and done with but…… I wonder why? Somehow- I felt like there’s a tug in my heart.
Staring at the pot of tea, Alice remembered a bit of the past.
“Please cut it out already, Kuro-san! Indeed, that child may not have killed anyone. But still, it isn’t just the fault of those idiots who took advantage of her and took the opportunity to invade! If she couldn’t control their actions, then it is all her fault!”
“That might be so…… but……”
“I don’t know what her reasons are but…… If she went mad like that, it would be our benevolence to personally deal with her ourselves.”
“……Shalltear.”
“……I know. For now, we’ll see what happens until that Hero confronts her. Even then, if I decided that there’s nothing that Hero can do about her…… I will kill everyone of them. That should be fine, right?”
“……Unnn. Sorry.”
“……I just want to say one thing. Even if she survives…… Once she comes to her senses, the flames of regret would burn her heart…… There will never be a future where that child will receive salvation.”
“…………………”
Recalling her past conversations, Alice poured the tea into the prepared cups…… before quietly muttering to no one.
[……That child will suffer forever. Then, we should just leave her alone…… is what I thought before.]
Looking at her reflection in the fluid poured into the cup, Alice slightly smiles.
[……I can’t help but think now that if it’s Kaito-san, he should be able to do something about it. To that child who is still being burned by her sins…… He will definitely reach out his hand…… or something like that. Well, I guess that is a bit too convenient to expect, isn’t it?]
Thinking of her lover’s kind face, Alice turned her gaze to the window and looked at the distant landscape.
[……I just spun the roulette a while ago. Kaito-san will definitely make his move now…… Most probably because it concerns Kuro-san…… Now then, Fear-san? Do you have the courage…… to take Kaito-san’s hand?]
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