---

I opened my eyes in a darkness where I couldn’t see an inch ahead.

Who I am and why I woke up here are things I can’t quite remember.

‘Certainly, I stabbed the Undying Legion Commander…’

His heart was pierced. Ezetus’s spearhead accurately penetrated the Lich’s life vessel.

However, I couldn’t stop the Ascendant ritual.

It felt like I was caught in a massive pillar of light, and when I opened my eyes, here I was.

The Undying Legion Commander chose to give up becoming an Arch Lich and instead sought to merge with his physical form.

In the final moment, I felt the intertwining of his consciousness and mine.

‘Is that why my memories are so hazy…?’

At that moment, a memory flickered before my eyes like a fleeting illusion.

A gigantic tree whose branches stretched toward the sky, touching the clouds, the World Tree.

Beneath it lay the lush green Linia Great Forest. It was the homeland of the High Elves.

There stood a man.

He was a man who had to watch the destruction of the peaceful forest and the capture of his kin with his own eyes.

‘I can’t forgive! Those human bastards, I can never forgive them…!’

He held the corpse of his beloved, shedding tears of blood, filled with hatred for humans.

The Ionia Kingdom, now destroyed.

That place was notorious as a hunting ground for elves, being right next to the Linia Great Forest.

It was also famous for its rare magical creatures, plants, and minerals, but the most sought-after of all was the elven slaves.

Even though the slave trade was illegal, the overwhelming demand led elven hunters to incessantly invade the Linia Great Forest.

The cold corpse of his beloved.

An utterly powerless Senate.

A strong will that I could no longer pass this miserable life onto my kin and sister.

If I could erase the human race from this land completely, I wouldn’t care how much blood would stain my hands.

Even if it meant shaking hands with the devil. Yes… even if I ally with the Demon King….

Thus, the prince of High Elves from the Linia Great Forest became a fallen black mage.

It was a pitiful and sympathetic life, but….

‘This is not my life.’

During the Great War against the Demon King’s Army, the prince of the elves that Titania remembered was already gone.

The black mage, once burning with the conviction to protect his kin and take revenge on humans, had now turned into a mad lich, obsessed only with seeking ever greater power.

Regardless of the reasons, the sins of destroying a kingdom and resurrecting the dead as undead to desecrate their rest could never be forgiven.

I swung my arm as if to shake off the illusions before my eyes.

And I turned my head to the side.

What lay before me was not the lush greenery of the Linia Great Forest, but a battlefield where swords gleamed and blood sprayed across the desolate earth.

A bloody battlefield filled with screams and cries.

‘This is my life.’

A man who was blunt, stubborn, and awkward in human relationships, who knew nothing but wielding his spear quietly.

An idiot’s life where he could only vent the deep-seated anger in his heart by swinging his spear….

At that moment, a vision of a girl smiling brightly appeared before me.

Against the backdrop of an ordinary village, a blonde girl radiated warmth with a sunny smile.

Ella.

She was the hidden illegitimate child of the Ionia royal family, sacrificed as a vessel for the summoning magic that opened dimensional gates.

In my childhood, I misinterpreted that she simply abandoned me to follow a mercenary band.

‘I promised to take you to the capital someday.’

Though it may be too late, I will definitely fulfill that promise.

Next, the image of a girl in priestly robes with a compassionate smile came to mind.

A priestess with pure white robes, contrasting with her deep, dark black hair like night.

Charlotte.

Even though everything stemmed from misunderstandings, I was saved by her words that it wasn’t all my fault.

In the end, she left my side as the saint of the hero party….

‘I wanted to grant your wish with my own hands.’

Charlotte’s wish to create a world where there was no need to fear monsters.

Once the remnants of the Demon King’s Army were subdued, such a future wouldn’t be too far away.

Then many people appeared before me.

Elizabeth, Marian, Gwen, Osnia, Schurz, Saladin, Batar, Titania….

My students.

‘I’m sorry.’

A life stained by war. All I could teach them was war.

Before any titles or ranks like princess or prince, they were my students.

I failed to consider their worries and fears as an adult.

For them, who faced confusion and had so much to learn, there might have been something else I should have taught.

Though I, too, was an inexperienced and clumsy teacher, given the opportunity, I wanted to teach them something more important than just wielding swords.

Once I organized my memories, everything became clear.

Who I am and what I need to do going forward.

I walked through the darkness where I couldn’t see an inch ahead.

If my memories are correct, this abyss of nothingness is indeed the inner prison where I have locked ‘that’ away.

Soon, ‘that’ revealed itself before me.

[Isn’t it a little late, Faceless Hero?]

In this world of nothingness, despite everything, there was a massive being seated, looking down at me.

It was not about the physical size. Even having lost its body and only its soul remaining, I could feel an immeasurable flow of tremendous power emanating from that existence.

While I felt an overwhelming pressure as if I would be crushed by the torrent of that power, I slowly opened my mouth.

“Demon King….”

[Isn’t it truly amusing? Looking back, the one that eventually reached me is not a hero of humanity but merely a pitiful half-warrior turned demon.]

The Demon King spoke no false words.

People in the world prattle on about seven heroes, but I never once thought of myself as a hero.

A hero is someone who protects. So it is only natural I cannot be called a hero, having never succeeded in protecting what truly mattered to me. I was just a blood-soaked warrior walking the edge of a blade.

Until now, that was enough.

But it was no longer so.

“I have delayed my conclusion with you for too long.”

[Indeed. To make me act like a desperate woman. You are the only man who has made me wait this long, Faceless Hero.]

That’s when I noticed something collapsed beneath the Demon King’s throne.

A skeleton sprawled on the floor below the throne; it was surely the shabby remains of the Undying Legion Commander.

[Ah, that? Don’t mind it. I merely did not wish for anything to interfere with our reunion.]

“But he was once your subordinate.”

[Do you think this parasite is the only one that clung to my power? A mere slave that succumbs to power without loyalty or conviction is not my subordinate. But there is a more important discussion to have now, isn’t there?]

I slowly nodded.

And I spoke as I took each step up the stairs towards the throne.

“You suggested that I become the Demon King.”

[You possess the qualifications. Your flesh is already half-demon, isn’t it? If you desire it, you can take my power at any time.]

“But back then, I would surely cease to be myself. I would become nothing more than a slaughtering machine, burning the world.”

[That’s the essence of the Demon King’s nature. I may have lost the clarity of that nature due to the power of the Ascendant and the ennui of long years, but if a new Demon King is born, he will undoubtedly be overwhelmed by that raw essence. He won’t even feel the need to resist it.]

The Demon King added with a cold smile.

[So, you’re the one who sealed my soul deep in the mental realm. If you vanish, the Dragon Legion Commander will become the new Demon King, and since you have no confidence to become the Demon King and abandon humanity, you created a mental cushion called ‘serene reflection’ or whatever it’s called.]

“I believed it was the best option at that time.”

I had already climbed all the way up the steps to the throne.

The Demon King now looked up at me while leaning on his throne.

[Does that mean you no longer believe so?]

“Like it or not, you and I are one. I can’t escape you for the rest of my life.”

[That’s nice. This is a perfectly good opportunity, then.]

The Demon King slowly raised his arm.

[You must be aware of it too. The billions of souls offered as sacrifices for the Ascendant ritual. Those souls accumulated by the Undying Legion Commander are now in your hands. Now, use them to take me completely.]

A porcelain-like white finger gently caressed my cheek.

[Once that happens, the matter of ascension will become trivial. You will be able to ascend to the true divine seat. Don’t you resent those celestial beings who have toyed with your life until now? Go and question them for their sins. By doing so, you will be reborn as the greatest warrior god of all.]

“….”

I quietly closed my eyes.

My spirit remained in this mental realm, but my body was still in the midst of the Ascendant ritual.

Even now, I felt the torrent of billions of souls swirling around me.

Among them were faces I recognized.

Comrades who fought alongside me.

And the princess of the fallen nation, Daisy, whom I ended myself.

The souls of all those who had fallen in countless battlefields.

They were all unjustly sacrificed in the last war and now deserved to rest.

In the heart of this Ascendant ritual, I harbored only one wish.

The Demon King’s expression hardened as he caught on to what I intended.

[Do you truly mean it? You would willingly throw away the chance to become a god? You intend to turn back into a mere mortal, casting aside this immense power!]

“This power was never mine to begin with.”

[Think it over again. You could become more magnificent than the emperor of that pathetic Empire. Are you so afraid that once you ascend to the divine seat you won’t be able to interfere in the human world? Just send an avatar. Then you wouldn’t have to separate from those you love, and if you wish, they wouldn’t even have to know you became a god. Just close your eyes and accept it. What could possibly be the problem!]

I quietly murmured.

“I have never once wished to become a god.”

Yeah. What I’ve always wanted was just one thing.

To be happy as an ordinary human.

That’s what I’ve been wielding my spear for.

If it’s power acquired through someone’s sacrifice, then I don’t need that kind of power.

If I wished for such power, I would ultimately be no different from the Undying Legion Commander.

I raised both hands to my chest and spread them wide as if to release something.

The darkness-filled mental realm began to crack like a shattered mirror, and pure white light began to seep through the cracks.

The Demon King received the pouring light head-on and said.

[You truly mean it.]

“….”

[To think the end of this long wait would lead to such a conclusion. How foolish. Such foolishness and stupidity somehow make it seem more like you.]

After a long silence, I cautiously spoke.

“Actually, I feel grateful to you.”

[What?]

“If it weren’t for you, I would have ultimately died at the end of that fight against you. You didn’t do it for my sake, but… it’s true that you saved my life in the end. Thank you, Demon King.”

The Demon King chuckled softly.

[Is this what they call unrequited love? It’s my first time experiencing it, and it’s quite shocking.]

“What?”

[Yes, go ahead. Go on and trample on the innocent devotion of the woman who has been waiting for you, and do as you please with your childhood friend and find happiness.]

“What nonsense are you….”

I tore my gaze away from the Demon King and quietly closed my eyes in the crumbling world around me.

Right at this moment, I was briefly holding power like that of a god.

Things that should not originally exist in this world began to return to their places through the dimensional gate left open by the Undying Legion Commander, vanishing alongside billions of souls, even the Demon King’s soul following that flow.

Right now, it would surely be possible to disperse the demonic power remaining within me—

“Ugh…!?”

At that moment, something soft touched my lips.

As I opened my eyes in surprise, I realized the Demon King was kissing me on the lips.

The Demon King slowly pulled away, licking his lower lip and giving me a seductive smile.

[If you’re going to discard it anyway, I’ll take this with me.]

I momentarily made a dumbfounded expression before realizing that this was the Demon King’s own farewell.

As the surroundings filled with bright light, I returned to the original world where I was meant to be.

---