“You buried our future—a future where these countless years of conflict could have finally come to an end.”
The devil told me everything. He told me how the Demon Lord had wanted peace. He told me how the Church had been prepared for it.
“Everything was proceeding smoothly. All this violence, all these clashes over faith, all would have been resolved in a matter of time, and we would be able to step forward into a new tomorrow. That was how it should have been.”
He told me my sins. He told me my failure.
“It all would have been over, if not for your meddling.”
“You’re lying!” I frantically shouted back at him.
But his words didn’t sound like they were just made up to throw me off. I could hear the feelings he was straining to keep down. There was real, heartfelt grief and mourning in his voice.
“However much the extremists among the Seven High Cardinals called for the Hero’s assassination, the moderate faction would always have been there to oppose them. But that bride was dispatched to your side because there were those among humanity who knew the truth as well. They knew, and they despised you for it. Hero Elcyon... You have misused your power.”
Maybe I never should’ve listened to the devil in the first place. Master always told me I shouldn’t pay any attention to what demons tried to say. But this man, this devil, was—
“Human...”
Human malice like I’d never felt before was taking shape around him and rushing out over me.
“Tell me, O pitiful lost lamb. What did our Lord say to you?”
“No...”
My chest felt tight. I didn’t want to remember. But the devil’s words slid right into me anyway.
“Did our Lord not make an appeal to you—a call for peace?”
I let out a hiss.
“You need not answer. It’s plain to see upon your face.”
“No, you’re wrong! I—!”
Demons are the enemy! Their words are poison! I need money to support everyone, so I need to kill them—
“You are no Hero,” he said again. “You are nothing but a self-serving assassin, blinded by greed, who doomed the world to ruin.”
Thick gray clouds were blocking out the sky. When I looked up at him, I saw the wings of a destroying angel coming down from heaven to deliver judgment. All around me, familiar faces were being trampled by monsters or stabbed by the mob of devil-touched. I’d seen them laugh and joke around bonfires, but now they sank into pools of blood, face after face after face twisted in a pain I never could’ve imagined back then. I knew them all—they were the mercenaries of Arshelm.
“All of this is your fault. You killed them.”
I killed the Demon Lord, I killed my friends, I killed...
“Alicia...?”
Alicia was staring at me.
Those were the words of a devil. There was no reason to trust any of it. That was what I wanted to say. That was what I knew. But the scenery from that day came flashing back through my mind.
I’d snuck into that ancient castle all on my own, I’d seen the terrifying monster waiting there alone for me, and I’d—
“Ngh...”
No. No, I—! It had been shaped like a human. It had. But on the inside, it had been a monster. I’d known just from looking. I’d known it didn’t belong to the same world as us. I’d known it saw humans the way we saw cattle—no, the way we saw insects. We’d been nothing but insects compared to that thing, that monster, and—
“In his role as ruler over demons of every kind, our Lord always adopted human form. That was no ploy to catch you off your guard. Surely you understood just how stark the divide in power was between you and him—how clearly he had no need for such trickery?”
“No— I—!”
I needed to survive! I...had no choice...?
“So long as you have realized your sins, no more need be said.”
“Ah—”
I couldn’t find the strength to argue back. All around, everyone was fighting desperately. They were trusting their backs to demons who’d been their enemies. They were banding together to survive—to protect their wounded comrades.
“Ali...cia...?”
I was scared. I was terrified she’d reject me. But if Alicia—if the person I wanted to defend—could still have told me I was right, then it would’ve been okay. Even if she’d just given me excuses—said it was all a mistake, I hadn’t known any better—that would’ve been enough. As long as she’d still been on my side, I could’ve kept on fighting.
But...
I looked back, and my breath caught in my throat. I could see the pain on her face. I could feel how bad she was hurting.
“Regretting your choices?”
That’s why I was too slow to react.
“Rest in peace, O pitiful lamb.”
The pain felt like a punishment straight from the Gods.