Chapter 81

After that, do I really need to explain what happened?

With the old king, who opposed the war, gone, the Demon King was able to prepare for war without much hindrance.

There were some disturbances, but the sword he swung toward the silence soon brought more silence.

And he sharpened the sword of war to annihilate humanity. He personally supervised the training of his army, sparred with the other kings under his command to improve their skills, and inspected weapons and supplies.

After completing all that, he quietly faced the direction of the Empire and swung his sword. He swung his sword until he collapsed from exhaustion, howling like a beast.

“…Pathetic.”

That was my assessment. Holding onto the dead and crying won’t bring anything back. Death only has meaning when you gain something from it.

Like the Dragon King’s Heart I’ve now taken out. The Dragon King’s Heart, emitting a truly beautiful light, made me invincible.

Flames, steel, lightning, frost, magic—none could harm me. The sublime power accumulated by the old king. The only one who could harm me was the Demon King, who could cut through even concepts. I even tested it out.

This power will surely help me feel ‘something.’

A massive power incomparable to the small fragments the old king had given. With this power, I could enjoy all the pleasures of the world. If that happens, I might even find the ‘something’ I’ve been searching for.

“You, blinded by greed, who killed your own king. The Demon King is calling for you.”

“You’re giving me quite a long nickname instead of my name.”

“There’s no name to call a beast that knows no gratitude. Did you think you could kill the one who gave you that name and still be called by it?”

“My apologies. The throne, the Dragon King’s Heart, and even the name he gave me are all mine now.”

“That foolish greed will one day strangle you. What you desire will never be within your grasp.”

It was a vicious curse.

The man cursing me was called the King of Specters, but in simple terms, he was just a corpse denied death.

A moving corpse, shrouded in ominous armor, merely existing. Such a moving puppet held no interest for me.

That’s why I couldn’t tolerate such a puppet speaking to me like that.

“…By the way, I have a question.”

So, I decided to tease him a bit.

“Can you call a king without subjects a king? Even after losing all your people, you shamelessly continue to live. Aren’t you ashamed? If it were me, I’d have just killed myself.”

Of course, that was a lie. I’d survive even if all the other dragons died.

“Ah, but you can’t do that, can you? How did it feel? After losing all your people, trying to kill yourself but being unable to die, that miserable feeling…”

“Maintain the dignity of a queen. Such transparent provocation is too frivolous for a queen’s mouth.”

“No matter what I say, I’m still the queen. As long as this heart shines within me.”

“…So, that heart is lending you its power?”

“Yes. I took it myself…”

“Even in love, there must be limits. You’re no different from the Demon King, just the method differs. Love has blinded you, wise yet foolish dragon.”

It was nonsense, so I ignored it.

“Queen. Though I have no talent for seeing the future, let me make one prophecy.”

“If you’re going to spout nonsense…”

“You will die more miserably than anyone in this world.”

“……Shut up. Before I kill you.”

“I wish you would.”

It was all so annoying.

If I had known it would be like this, fighting the old king would’ve been more fun. There were only two beings who could fight me on equal terms.

A corpse spouting boring sermons, and a Demon King swayed by the incomprehensible trash called love.

They were all equally pathetic.

Years later, the Demon King, having completed all preparations, invaded the Empire.

The Empire, along with its allied forces and tributary states, resisted, but it was like hitting a rock with an egg.

With each swing of the Demon King’s sword, mountains split, villages turned into pools of blood, and castle walls were torn apart like paper.

It was boring. I didn’t kill the old king just to fight these things. I killed the old king to feel something more, to experience that unknown something I’ve been yearning for.

No one gave me as much fun as fighting the old king.

The so-called Prince of the Flame-Wielding Humans attacked me. But his flames couldn’t harm me.

The blue-haired girl who wielded lightning also attacked. But her lightning couldn’t harm me either.

The girl in charge of the Empire’s strategy attacked as well. Her swordsmanship and magic left minor scratches on my scales, but that was it.

The blonde girl, skilled in wielding various weapons, also came at me to kill me. Her mastery of countless weapons was impressive, but that was all.

“…Disappointing. I didn’t kill the old king for this.”

I didn’t even feel they were worth killing. So, I just took their stuff and sent them away. Of course, I felt no pleasure in it.

I didn’t want to fight. Everything was so bothersome, I just wanted to throw it all away and take a nap. But if I did that, the Demon King would surely kill me. I’d die without feeling any pain, my head cut off. I’d die miserably and coldly, without feeling that something I’ve been searching for.

I didn’t want that. So, I followed his orders. I didn’t want to die meaninglessly.

It was the story of a very ordinary, boring day when I spread my wings to destroy one of the Empire’s fortresses under the Demon King’s command.

I saw the person on the border between boyhood and youth. He was trying to bury the humans I had killed. It piqued my interest, just a little.

In a situation where his own life might be in danger, he was making graves for others. It seemed he didn’t realize that his foolish actions were digging his own grave.

So, I immediately descended to check his face.

He was beautiful. Far more beautiful than me. A mix of a peerless beauty and a modestly handsome man, combining the best traits of both sexes.

“I’ll ask.”

He showed no fear, alternating his gaze between me and the corpses, then asked in a cold voice.

“Did you do this?”

“If I say yes, what changes?”

“Right.”

He slowly approached me.

“From now on, I’ll consider you an enemy.”

“How amusing. I don’t mind that kind of bravado at all. So, what’s your weapon? Wind? Frost? Poison? Light?”

“……A pitiful skill.”

No matter how much he boasted, I could see through it.

The trembling muscles beneath his skin, for instance.

He must be trembling with fear, yet putting on a brave front because he wants to live.

If so, it was my creed to shatter that hope. I’d let him hit me with an attack that wouldn’t hurt or itch, then thoroughly crush his hope.

“Please, take out your weapon…”

“I already have.”

“Huh? What’s that…”

My brain screamed.

A sensation I’d never felt before violently stimulated my entire body.

He had struck my jaw and temple simultaneously.

Putting aside the lack of hesitation in hitting a lady, I didn’t expect a simple strike to damage me.

“…I see.”

After being hit once, I understood the principle.

This sensation, as if my brain was still ringing.

“Vibrations. You strike a lady’s jaw and temple with a hand imbued with strong vibrations. I guess there’s no chivalry against demons?”

“That incredibly tough body. You must be the Dragon Queen my friends spoke of. Killing you here would be best.”

“I’m impressed. A human managed to damage me. Truly moving. And I’m happy. The old king’s death wasn’t in vain.”

“From what my friends have said, you’re a unique being who ignores most attacks. But my attacks seem to work. So, it’s best if I deal with you.”

I was just happy that the king’s death, sacrificed for my pleasure, wasn’t in vain.

By the way, what was that ecstatic sensation? Apart from the damage, that sharp stimulus I felt the moment I was hit.

“Hey, let’s talk a bit…”

“Shut up.”

He slashed my nose with his hand blade, then drove his knee into my ribs.

“I want to ask you something…”

“I want to bury you. In the ground.”

He grabbed my neck and punched my lower abdomen.

My entire body’s blood boiled. My stopped heart seemed to beat again. Something sharp and nameless spread throughout my body.

So.

This is pain.

This is hurt.

“Hey, could you at least tell me about yourself?”

“Raul Berze. That’s the name of the person who will kill you. That’s all you need to know.”

He said that and punched my abdomen and right chest again.

Something broke and snapped, spreading hot, sharp pain. My whole body seemed to scream, and that scream was almost a cheer.

My lower abdomen grew hot, and something sticky flowed down between my legs.

“Ah…”

I could sense it.

This is love. The love the old king spoke of. It must be.