Berta came to right as the zombie dragon escaped the battlefield. She shook her head, still dizzy from suffering a concussion, and groaned. She’d apparently passed out. Even if she’d been keeping her true form hidden while working with the exploration team, she’d been negligent in allowing that to happen.
“What...?”
She didn’t understand what was going on. She wasn’t asking anyone in particular, but someone turned to her.
“Berta...”
It was Majima Takahiro, the leader of the group she was accompanying. He was covered in wounds to the point where it was likely taking him everything he had just to sit up. All his other companions were also in a horrible state.
Lily had taken so much damage that she wasn’t able to hide her true nature as a slime. Lobivia’s face was a mess from the blood pouring from her brow combined with the flood of tears from her eyes. Shiran remained lying down like a corpse, her consciousness still gone. Ayame lay weakly on her belly with what looked like a broken leg.
Something horrible had to have happened. However, Berta wasn’t able to remember what had gone on right before she’d passed out.
“Where...?”
Just as she raised her voice, she realized the group was in the palm of a zombie dragon—a monster who was supposed to be her king’s pawn. What exactly had happened while she was unconscious? She was just getting more and more confused.
“Right after we escaped the fabricated world, Nakajima Kojirou attacked us,” Majima Takahiro explained.
“Attacked...?”
Berta searched her memories. She couldn’t remember anything beyond being released from that world and gathering in one place. However, in that instant, she vaguely recalled seeing an intense light. That had likely been an attack from the Sword of Light. That was how she’d lost consciousness and how the others had suffered such severe wounds in the battle that had followed.
But how did that explain getting away like this? How had they ended up riding the zombie dragon? The moment that thought came to mind, Majima Takahiro answered her, his face pale.
“Kudou forced his way into the battle.”
“What...?”
“He’s staying behind in our stead.”
“You mean...my king is fighting the Sword of Light?”
The moment she understood this, her hazy consciousness became clear. Indescribable chills ran down her spine. No matter how powerful her king’s army was, he was too poorly matched against the Sword of Light.
“My king...!”
His life was in danger. The instant she thought this, Berta unveiled the true form she’d been ordered to keep hidden. The figure of a human girl grew out of the wolf’s waist. This rendered her defenseless for a moment, so she hadn’t been able to use this form on the spot during the battle. Now, there were no enemies nearby. When she thought of how this was because her king was fighting, her heartbeat became a fevered gallop.
“W-Wait... Berta!”
It was evident that she was about to jump off. Majima Takahiro called out to her while she was in the middle of transforming.
“Don’t stop me!”
“Even if you go, you’ll just die! At the very least, let us go with—”
In the middle of speaking, he bent forward and his knees buckled. Losing his balance, he used both hands to stop himself from falling. Lily tried to run over to him in a fluster, but her movements were dull from having to drag her body along. None of them were in any shape to move about.
“Berta...”
Nevertheless, he looked up at Berta desperately. As she was now, Berta understood that these were the eyes of someone looking at a cherished companion. That was why he couldn’t stand back and watch a friend run off to her death.
“Majima Takahiro...”
Berta hesitated. This was proof that she also saw them as companions. That said, it wasn’t enough to stop her. Berta’s king was far too great an existence to her. However, just then...
“Wait,” a third voice said, coldly bringing Berta to a complete stop. After all, this voice was the mouthpiece of the only being that was capable of stopping her. “You aren’t permitted to go to our king’s side. That is our king’s command.”
The one to speak was a boy with an inorganic expression that didn’t match his virile face. To be precise, it was an imitation of said boy.
“Anton?!”
It was one of Anton’s spawns, copying the form of Juumonji Tatsuya.
“When did you get here...?” Majima Takahiro asked.
“I’ve been here from the beginning,” Anton answered.
As servants of the same king, it would’ve been a simple matter for her to have placed a spawn atop the zombie dragon beforehand. Either way, there was something more important to discuss.
“O-Our king’s command?!” Berta exclaimed, clearly shaken. Shackled by a collar, this was one thing she couldn’t ignore. “That can’t be...! He’s in danger of dying! Have him withdraw that command immediately!”
“It’s useless. He’ll never withdraw it.”
Anton’s expression didn’t change even when faced with Berta’s desperate pleading. In truth, the Lord of Darkness’s immaterial collar conveyed this to her too. She couldn’t understand. She knew her king was keeping her at a distance and sometimes gave irrational directives, but now wasn’t the time for that. His life was in danger.
Even if she’d learned so much by accompanying Majima Takahiro, that didn’t mean her king had lost any value in her eyes. Her king was heading toward his demise in the pits of despair. At the very least, she wished for him to find salvation in the end. And yet, she hadn’t been able to get that across to him. He wouldn’t understand.
Even though she’d started to feel like he was coming to accept her, now it all felt so far away. At this rate, he would end up eternally beyond her reach. That in itself was so hard for her to endure, and yet, Anton kept speaking.
“Our king does not wish for you to come to him.”
There was no emotion in her voice. She was like a talking machine. This was the perfect servant that their king wished for. This was what Berta had wished to become, but couldn’t. However, it was precisely because she was made to realize this that she clenched her teeth.
“Nevertheless, I’m going.”
“Berta...”
“I have to go.”
She was a failure. She hadn’t been able to become a perfect pawn. So, there was no way she was going to obediently back down here. The compelling force of her collar was already inflicting pain on her. It was as if it was reinforcing the fact that she was a failure as her king’s pawn. But even so...
“Anton!” Berta pleaded.
Anton and Berta—the Demon King’s oldest servants stared at each other. There was no emotion in Anton’s eyes. It was impossible to convince her. That was supposed to be the case.
“So it has come to this,” Anton said, suddenly closing her eyes. “How foolish. I simply can’t understand.”
From the perspective of a loyal and emotionless pawn, her opinion was only a matter of course. But Berta remained bewildered. She sensed that there was more to Anton’s words.
“Yes. I simply cannot understand. But there is one thing I know,” she said, opening her robotic eyes once more. “Berta. You should stay here.”
“Anton...?”
Berta wasn’t so thickheaded that she would miss the change in nuance. Being told she wasn’t permitted to go and saying she should stay were different things.
“It’s about time you realized it already,” Anton continued dispassionately. “No. I’m sure you’ve already realized. From the very beginning, you were simply in the wrong place. Being by our king’s side isn’t suitable for you.”
Her words were cruel. This was a complete denial of her existence as her king’s servant. She should’ve been angered by this. And yet, Berta couldn’t refute her words. Anton was right, after all.
She had realized this. Was she unsuitable for her king, or was he unsuitable for her? It was all a matter of perspective. And if her king was the one who was unsuitable for her...it would mean she’d been in the wrong place this whole time. Anton plainly spoke the truth she didn’t want to accept.
“You made a mistake. But that also means there’s somewhere else you truly belong,” Anton said, directing her gaze to Majima Takahiro’s group. “You should be with those who accept you. You should be with suitable companions in a different place from us. Surely, with them...” Anton stopped for a moment as if looking for the right words. “With them, you’ll find happiness.”