“…The end.”
The end.
The moment Evan heard that word, he thought there couldn’t possibly be a power more fitting for the Demon King.
“Then is the god of the Demon Realm the god of the end?”
“I wouldn’t know.”
“…Even though it’s a god that bestowed powers upon you?”
“Yeah. My god has never responded to me.”
Lucia answered his question with a somewhat bitter expression.
At this point, she had no reason to lie, so Evan nodded and opened his mouth.
“Well, gods are usually a bit unpredictable. Just look at my god.”
Evan’s words were sincere.
It was only natural.
It was that damned lizard that had cursed him with such a fate.
“…If the people of the Holy Kingdom heard that, they’d probably jump in shock. An Apostle spouting words close to blasphemy.”
“So that bothers you?”
“Of course not. I’m closer to disliking gods myself.”
Lucia chuckled lightly and turned her attention back to the book.
“Anyway… there’s absolutely no known information about my weapon. The history regarding the Demon Realm is all manipulated or erased by that guy…”
“True. Books about the Demon Realm are nearly impossible to find even in Lorencia.”
There are very few books about the Demon Realm.
The perception that common people can’t enter it while the demon races are alive makes it difficult to record, and because it’s said that no gods exist in the Demon Realm, not a single myth has been passed down either.
Thus, all the existing books about the Demon Realm only recorded external facts, like wars instigated by the Demon King or demons.
“Wait, didn’t I hear that there’s a library in the Demon Realm? Wasn’t there any usable information there?”
“Our myths are just stories about past Demon Kings, not the real gods. But… this information has a good chance of being distorted by the Apostle of Fiction, so I wouldn’t trust it.”
In that case, Evan could understand Lucia’s reaction as well.
Unlike the myths, which the Apostle of Fiction may have barely touched, the actual history had been twisted a lot by the Power of Fiction.
“That said, take a look at the last part regarding the divine artifacts.”
As Lucia suggested, Evan turned the page to look at the last section about the divine artifacts.
“If anyone ever discovers this record, they should gather all divine artifacts and head to the heart of Silvestra. That will prove all the truths that have existed until now…”
“Based on the content, it seems like the Apostle of Fiction is hiding something in Silvestra.”
“So what you’re saying is that we should gather all divine artifacts and head to Silvestra?”
“To know the truth, that is what we must do.”
While it was true that they needed to step up to find the truth, Evan hesitated before speaking.
It was certainly no easy task.
Just retrieving the Trident of Atlan had once placed him on the brink of life and death.
And besides…
He couldn’t shake off the thought that all of this might be a trap.
Wasn’t it?
To hide the truth, he who twisted history using powers was now revealing a way to know it all.
It was only natural not to trust it.
“Lucia, Silvestra is where the most dangerous monsters in the world gather. Even if we collect all the divine artifacts, dying there would make knowing the truth meaningless.”
“That won’t happen.”
Lucia spoke with a confident voice.
“You saw it too, didn’t you? The power of Akada, who obtained the Trident of Atlan.”
Commanding all the sea monsters and delivering a fatal blow that pierced through the head of a monster.
If all the divine artifacts were similar to that, then there was indeed a chance to break through Silvestra.
However, that was just a possibility, not certainty.
Evan wanted to approach it in the most stable manner, so he shook his head and spoke.
“Even so, I think it’s dangerous. Rank 1 monsters will be attacking us along the way; can we handle that?”
“Are you afraid?”
“…Not exactly.”
“Then isn’t there enough reason to go? The monsters that come out there can’t possibly be stronger than the powerful creature we faced in Cordelia.”
Lucia’s words were not wrong.
No matter how strong Rank 1 monsters are, they could never compare to the powerful creature they had caught in Cordelia.
Evan pondered for a moment before responding.
“…You’ve persuaded me. Fine, let’s go for it. We’ll collect the divine artifacts and head to Silvestra to find out all the truths.”
After all, it was just a bit dangerous; it wasn’t impossible.
He decided to take up the challenge once.
“Then our next destination is…”
Lucia briefly took out a map, swept her gaze across it, and pointed to a region next to Cordelia.
“The land of iron, Terra.”
*
The two of them, having decided on their destination, left the Forbidden Library.
Fortunately, thanks to Optatum’s permission, they were allowed to take the books with them.
“Are we leaving?”
As they exited the Forbidden Library, Akada approached them.
“Yeah. We have a next destination, so we should go there.”
“Is that so…”
Akada smiled regretfully and then spoke up.
“Once again, I must express my gratitude. Thank you for fighting alongside me.”
“As I said before, we have things to gain too, so there’s no need to bow and thank us like that.”
“You shared important information with me. Thanks to that, I was able to step back onto the battlefield.”
After saying that, Akada placed a hand on his chest.
“As a sign of my gratitude… if you call on me, I promise to respond at any time.”
“You really don’t have to go that far, but I’ll gladly accept your goodwill.”
Evan smiled and extended his hand to Akada.
“I’ll see you again.”
After shaking hands with Akada and returning his smile, he said, “Alright. Then let me only open the way to your destination.”
After a short farewell, he swung the trident to draw a circle.
Then a portal appeared, leading upward.
“This portal connects to where you came from. If you go through it, you can return to where you were.”
“Thank you.”
Evan and Lucia stood under the portal and waved at Akada.
“It was enjoyable in Cordelia, Akada.”
“Now then, I must be off.”
With those words, the two jumped into the portal.
*
Immediately after coming out of the portal.
After swimming up just a bit, the beach they had visited before came into view.
“I can’t help but feel every time that this ability is truly convenient.”
Evan swam with Lucia to the beach and sat down on the sandy shore.
“Are we not calling for a carriage? I thought we’d head straight to Terra.”
“…? It seems like you wanted to stay here a bit before heading to Cordelia, so I thought we promised to take a little break here.”
“Ah…”
Lucia paused, seemingly realizing this fact late.
‘He remembered.’
It had been quite some time since they stayed in Cordelia, and it was a promise she had almost forgotten.
Evan remembering that promise made Lucia’s cheeks slightly flush with happiness.
“That’s right… then shall we rest for just a bit…?”
Lucia moved closer to Evan and sat down on the beach.
The sea shining in emerald, just like when they left.
Just sitting and gazing at the beautiful scenery of the sea brought a sense of peace to her heart.
“By the way, Evan, have you been to the sea often?”
“…I remember going several times with my family when I was young. However, after embarking on my journey, I’ve only seen it from afar. I barely had time for that.”
Evan’s mention of his journey made Lucia realize he was talking about the journey to capture him, causing her to lower her head.
“…I’m sorry.”
“The apology you owe me isn’t for that. This wrong is on the gods or the Apostle of Fiction who designated you as a villain, not on you.”
His words were relatively gentle.
Still, Lucia felt her heart tighten at them.
She knew all too well that it was because of her that Evan’s life had been ruined.
However, no matter how much of it could be blamed on the Apostle of Fiction…
She couldn’t deny that it was her fault that she had killed his comrades.
‘What if I hadn’t killed Evan’s comrades back then…?’
Would his life have been this ruined?
Lucia’s answer to that question was ‘no.’
Evan was a person with a very kind nature.
He helps those in need without showing signs of fatigue and cherishes even a single life.
Thinking of the first appearance he had shown her…
It was easy to see just how much Evan was broken back then.
Even in that state…
Even when he could have easily given in to hatred…
Her gratitude towards him for speaking to her like this made her feel grateful and terribly guilty, causing her heart to ache.
“…Still, I’m sorry.”
She wasn’t looking for forgiveness.
However, the feeling of regret was so immense that no matter how many times she expressed her apologies, it lingered on in her heart.
So, Lucia kept apologizing to Evan.
