Splash!
Even if you know the depths of the water, how can you understand the depths of the human heart?
As Lee Soo-hyun was considering the Black Cloud as the next target for the hunt to connect Drake and the Sage…
“Why… why would you do this…?”
The Demon King of All Knowledge, Black Cloud, was gasping while slumped against a wall, his limbs severed.
Sharp Trump cards were lodged in him like blades.
He gritted his teeth, staring at the sorceress in front of him.
How on earth could she absorb and use the powers of other demon kings?
He should have realized it when she mimicked the Head’s appearance to speak.
Even with all the weapons he could muster, he had lost.
Even the power to strip away his opponent’s abilities had been futile.
“Oh my, fortunately, you’re still hanging on~! Must be because you’re a Celestial Demon and half-dragon, huh?”
“Shut up… Magic Hat…”
The woman with white hair that had subdued Black Cloud was grinning as she brushed dust off the magician’s hat that had fallen to the ground.
“As I said before, I’m not Magic Hat, I’m Blanc. Please don’t call me by my alias from my hero days.”
Reflected in the moonlight shining through the stained glass, the white-haired demon king smiled sweetly.
She picked up the Holy Sword that Black Cloud had dropped and examined it curiously.
A wooden sword inscribed with “Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter.”
A matching replica appeared in Blanc’s other hand.
“Why… did you spare me? You should have just killed me…”
With just his breath hanging on, Black Cloud writhed in pain.
He wondered why she hadn’t simply killed him.
If her intention was to steal his powers, she should have cut off his air supply, right?
Even though Blanc already knew about the existence and strength of the Hero of Conviction, Licht, she had pushed other demon kings to their demise.
The Demon King of All Knowledge had died, overestimating his own knowledge, while the Demon King of Might had met with failure due to his excessive arrogance.
“Then my grand plan would have no one to listen to!”
With a refreshingly bright expression, Blanc answered Black Cloud’s question.
Wiping the bloodstains from her cheeks while looking at a broken mirror, her ponytail had come undone.
“Finally, I have a chance to be loved by my lord…”
Her white hair fell just slightly shorter than her waist.
Looking at her reflection in the cracked mirror, she hummed a tune.
“Sigh, you and I are connected, after all… Licht…”
Black Cloud felt a chill as he watched her.
What kind of connection did she have with the Hero of Conviction to prioritize him over prophecies?
Sticking her tongue out in excitement, Blanc wore a blissful expression unlike any other.
“You don’t get it, do you, Black Cloud? What kind of ending awaits us in the future!”
“As foretold… we’ll all die at the hands of the Hero of Affection…”
Prophecy.
It signified that the Demon King of All Knowledge, the Head, had seen the future.
The future where the Hero of Affection would emerge and annihilate the demon kings of the Hero Church.
“I won’t be able to save those killed by the Demon God…”
Black Cloud continued, spitting blood.
The reason he set fire to Sprout Village and destroyed the Wizard Tower where the Sages lived was all driven by this.
The Grand Sword Master and the Sage.
A human man wielding water magic and a spring dragon.
And, the chosen hero and childhood friend, an elf, of the Holy Sword.
They were the companions of the Hero of Affection that the Demon King of All Knowledge had seen in the future.
“Save your precious people? Why would I do that?”
After all, a hero was like the will of the gods to save the world.
By trying to defy fate, he only ended up repeating that very fate.
Thus, the judgment was made: “Even if I kill them, another hero might appear and disrupt the future.”
“You’re really foolish, aren’t you? Did you really believe that?”
“What did you say?”
Originally, the goal had been to incapacitate the hero from the prophecy and have Magic Hat resurrect the Demon God to save those they cherished.
“It was a lie from the start. Fool.”
Blanc laughed heartily, mocking her opponent.
She laughed so much that she had to wipe away the tears at the corners of her eyes.
“I never cared about prophecies in the first place, you see!”
Then she reached out her hand, and a card appeared.
Unlike a normal card, it depicted a K along with an image of the Black Knight.
“Isn’t this twist fun? Don’t you think?”
Clad in dark knight armor, Blanc smiled slightly as she spoke.
With her powers, she couldn’t revive the dead; her limit was to create paper dolls that looked like them.
Her act of assisting the demon kings of the Hero Church was purely a lie.
“Weren’t you also a chosen hero?”
“I don’t care if my first love dies or not. I’ve found a man more charming than anyone else!”
Twisting her body in joy, Blanc clasped her cheeks with her hands and spoke in an excited voice.
“Sigh… Licht, the first person to kill me…”
Black Cloud felt puzzled as he heard that.
“The first person to kill me?” Isn’t that strange when I think about it?
Sure, the Demon King of All Knowledge is a reincarnator, but according to what I know, the other demon kings didn’t possess such abilities.
“Oh, you wouldn’t understand, would you, Black Cloud?”
Shaking her head, Blanc wore a sympathetic expression.
“You’re just a mere paper doll chosen to hunt down the Demon God.”
From the start, four heroes had been selected to capture the Demon God.
Among them was Blanc, a sorceress from another world chosen by the Emotion God, Pantoze.
“If I had gathered all the powers from the outset, I could have challenged the god just like that kid!”
Imagining the horrific form of a giant spider with multiple limbs and a human head, she felt disgusted.
“So… you betrayed us and sided with him?”
“No! Why would we need to resurrect lowly creatures mimicking the God of Light and the God of Darkness?”
Just before the Demon God was to die, his frantic struggle had led the heroes to witness their loved ones dying in another world.
The Demon King of All Knowledge was forced to watch as his beloved daughter perished in his world.
“The Demon God is of no benefit to me even if I resurrect him!”
However, for one person alone – the true hero, Magic Hat – the situation was different.
He felt ecstasy witnessing the woman he had once loved die before his eyes.
To him, a loved one was replaceable.
Now, he even took on the form of a woman for the sake of Licht.
“My daughter… so then…”
“Ah, you mean that White Lily? She’s from a different world, after all!”
Recalling that in this world, White Lily had become Dennis’s lover, Blanc spoke as if it were amusing.
The name and appearance were similar, but she wasn’t truly Black Cloud’s daughter.
“……”
If she had been summoned as a hero, not by her father Black Cloud, but by White Lily, then it might have been a possible world line.
Upon hearing this, Black Cloud sealed his lips tight.
The girl who confronted him during the war hadn’t recognized him,
And soon, White Lily introduced herself as the Celestial Demon, confirming his suspicion.
Black Cloud had allowed his daughter to live as an ordinary girl, far from martial arts, so…
“That’s why I desire the Grand Route.”
Finishing her story, Blanc spread her arms wide.
Then, she shifted from the appearance of a knight back to that of a sorceress.
“Absorbing and using the abilities of other demon kings… It’s still not completely doable…”
Instantly, she demonstrated transforming into a bespectacled gentleman holding a gun,
Followed by a purple-haired man with knuckles.
Total omniscience.
The ability to infinitely add to or steal strength.
The power to do anything, total omnipotence.
When a demon king dies, powers vanish, allowing her to use deceit.
That’s how she could mimic abilities that were completely contrary to hers.
“I will also receive love from my lord, just like the Nameless Saintess.”
Taking slow steps towards Black Cloud, her gaze was colder than anyone else’s.
With his limbs gone, he couldn’t resist as she approached him.
“Because Licht and I are the same ‘Successors’!”
Pulling out Black Cloud’s heart, Blanc grinned with a creepy smile.
*
How do you defeat a demon king named Black Cloud?
“Su-hyun… So you’re looking for information on the demon king?”
“Yeah, after all, the problem can only be solved by capturing all the demon kings of the Hero Church.”
I was poring over books in the Academy library, searching for information.
To marry Pina, I had to catch not only Black Cloud but also Magic Hat.
“And I also need to free Pina’s mother from the cards.”
From what I heard, if I captured only Magic Hat, Queen Bellin would safely return.
When a demon king dies, their power is released. That’s a given.
“…It’s also because of me…”
Pina quickly turned the pages before sitting next to me, focusing.
With the sweet scent of roses accompanying her soft voice, she knew that I had to connect Drake and the Sage because of her.
“So, are you just going to read books with your cute girlfriend next to you?”
She playfully teased, blowing air into my ear as she read.
Seeing my red face, she chuckled softly.
“Pina, this is also for the purpose of marrying you.”
“…What?”
I quickly countered with my thoughts.
While it wasn’t a formal proposal yet, hearing her thoughts was important too.
“If we catch all the demon kings of the Hero Church, the king will permit our marriage.”
“…..”
She was taken aback by my words.
With her golden eyes blinking rapidly and her cheeks reddening, her wolf ears drooped adorably.
“Th- That means… we… will get married…?”
Pina stammered, struggling to continue her sentence.
I placed my hand over hers. She flinched and her small, soft hand moved.
“Yes, that’s probably it. There’s no one but you for me.”
“Hehe… So you had this plan, huh? Pervert…”
To prevent Pina’s identity from being exposed, I had cast a spell in the library to conceal us.
Instead of answering, she pressed her lips against my cheek.
It was the best she could do as someone still shy. I watched with a warm heart.
[Failed to achieve the Grand Route.]
Suddenly, a crimson status window appeared right before my eyes.
[Penalty for failure: Magic Hat’s Demon Transformation (魔神化) will be applied.]
…What?
