I looked at my past memories as usual.
Memories of rolling around in the back alley, killing humans and drinking their blood.
But there was no headache or nausea like before.
Well, of course.
I’ve already shown all the personal traumas I could show.
Memories of losing my emotions, the first time I killed someone, and the first time I had to kill my friend.
Those memories have already been chewed over by the fragment.
Time spent as a monster is different from humans; I haven’t really been in this world for long.
Now that I’ve pulled out all the painful memories, what will be shown next?
I ask the fragment I’ve swallowed.
In the unconscious space cloaked in black, I was observing the fragment, which was once part of the Demon King.
And the fragment…
“······.”
Showed me a memory of something.
A woman with silver hair lying in a dark basement, surrounded by black shadowy figures.
‘That…’
It’s not my memory.
It’s an unfamiliar place, a strange landscape.
Are those the higher-ups of the Demon King’s army surrounding her?
‘Why are they all together?’
There were both unfamiliar and familiar faces.
Those I read in Seir’s memories and the silver-haired woman.
That must be Iria, not me, but Iria before I possessed her body.
“Forgotten monster. And one who resembles my master.”
The being that seemed to be the leader of the Demon King’s army speaks to the unconscious Iria.
A sinister aura blooms with a purple spell, warping the surrounding space.
Then he fed something to Iria.
I don’t know what it is.
I can only tell it’s something unusual. It resembles the fragment of the Demon King but is distinctly different in density.
“If you ever wake up, become a new leader.”
With those words, the fragment’s vision of memory ended.
What kind of relationship did Iria have with the Demon King’s army? Why is the fragment showing me this memory? More importantly, what are ‘I’ and ‘Iria’ in this world?
There were too many unknowns. My head hurt just like usual.
I wanted to see this memory a little longer, but when I came to my senses, I was already awake in bed.
“······.”
Is it already morning? If so, it’s quite the unpleasant morning.
The discomforting sunlight was seeping through the window, stabbing at me. My hair, once wet, was now drenched in cold sweat.
My head felt like it was going to explode.
The memory from just moments ago must be the one engraved within Iria’s body. But why and how the fragment showed it to me was a mystery.
But that wasn’t the important part.
The fragment pulled out information I didn’t know from this flesh. Perhaps I could uncover even more.
Questions lodged in my mind might find answers. I turned toward the remaining two fragments.
Will eating them reveal something? Will the doubts that have settled in my mind for so long finally be resolved?
As I thought that, I grabbed a fragment to pop it in my mouth but stopped.
“Ah.”
Today was the day I was to meet Sertia. Eating it and falling asleep would mess up my plans.
Everything has its priorities.
I felt a rush of impatience for a moment, but it quickly calmed. Maintaining my composure is the advantage of being a monster.
I decided to get ready to go out.
Yet, even while drying my hair and changing clothes, the fragments of the Demon King wouldn’t leave my sight.
As if my body craved the fragment.
Has my constitution changed in the meantime? I found myself holding the fragment without realizing it.
“Hmm.”
In the end, I had no choice but to stuff the fragment in my pocket.
It might come in handy during intense combat.
*
Since the moment I fell into this world, I’ve had a question.
I am a separate existence that has possessed Iria in an unknown world.
I am not a being of this world, but an alien presence.
So what was Iria before I possessed her?
Am I a creature that exists by taking someone’s body? If so, where is the consciousness of the captured Iria?
Who is Iria, and where do I stand in this world? Who pulled me into Iria’s body?
I thought a lot. I pondered over it alone since I couldn’t speak of it to others.
Yet the information in my hands was always insufficient. As soon as I learned one thing, more questions would sprout.
There has always been more unknown than known.
Can I reach the truth in this world?
I am a monster living to die, but it feels terrible to die without uncovering anything.
I decided not to die during my meeting with her.
The place I promised to meet Albert was in front of the Academy’s headmaster’s office.
Today was an official holiday at the Academy, but Albert was still on campus.
He was simply waiting in front of Sertia’s room.
“You’ve arrived.”
I nodded.
After adjusting his glasses, Albert turned to walk somewhere, leaving only the invitation to follow.
“······.”
I walked after him.
I don’t know how long we walked. Time feels different for me, but it seemed quite a long time.
Many landscapes changed, and what was once morning was now approaching lunchtime.
Are we outside the Empire? I rarely go outside the Empire, so I wasn’t sure where we were.
“Is this the right way?”
“That’s correct. Sertia wishes to see you in the underground.”
Zing! I shot a glance at Albert.
Calling the monster of the back alley while inviting me to an external space other than the headmaster’s office is too obvious, don’t you think?
Albert walked ahead, unfazed by my gaze. Since he didn’t respond, I decided to read his memories.
Humans with a large amount of mana resist reading memories, but this is a quiet path with no witnesses.
As long as I use magic, I can read even Albert’s memories.
I slowly met his eyes. I pulled out last night’s memories.
He had a conversation with a woman with black hair. Probably Sertia.
I listened to their conversation.
The resistance from the mana was strong, but I could at least hear their voices.
‘······ indeed.’
As I am wary of Sertia, is she cautious of me as well?
Only part of my thought was correct. At least it seemed she wasn’t plotting my assassination, so I walked quietly.
Regardless of what her intentions were, I still needed to head that way.
She might know something I don’t.
I don’t know how much time passed.
“This way.”
“We’ve come quite a distance, haven’t we?”
“He tends to be quite capricious. Former Headmaster Sertia is in the underground.”
“······.”
We arrived at the place where Sertia is located.
It looked like a well-made underground facility. The interior was filled with countless magical books.
Is this Sertia’s private library? As a member of the Hero Party, she must have acquired a lot of treasures.
Thinking vaguely like that, I was about to go down the stairs.
“Is it that room?”
I pointed to a door with my finger and asked Albert.
He didn’t bother to answer. Silence can sometimes be an affirmative response. If he didn’t deny it, it meant it was true.
And even without opening the door, I could feel it. It was a near instinctual threat.
It felt like there was no attempt to hide the immense and overwhelming power beyond the entrance.
With such blatant killing intent, I didn’t feel like going in.
The terrifying hatred and killing intent were directed at me.
Does Albert not feel it? The fact that another monster beyond that door is furious.
The senses humans can detect are extremely limited. Someone once said humans are an inferior species, and they might have been right.
“Are you not coming?”
Albert, who had gone down the stairs first, turned to ask me.
I don’t want to, but I have to go.
“I don’t need you to say it. I’ll go.”
After taking a deep breath, I opened the door.
A massive wave of mana surged forth.
“Why are you here in the Empire?”
The woman with black hair, presumed to be Sertia, shot a question at me as soon as she saw me.
Before I could grasp the impression of her, the question came flying in fast.
Albert, beside me, looked visibly surprised as well.
For some reason, Sertia utterly despises me.
“Surely you’re not suggesting you’ve forgotten me?”
Her fierce red eyes were fixed on me.
And then…
“Demon King, Echidna.”
An unfamiliar name emerged.
