The Hero Elysia Frentz has defeated the last Demon King, and it has already been hundreds of years. The world cannot be said to be completely peaceful, but at least there are no signs of the Demon King’s resurrection. Finally, the world was saved, and people began to revere Hero Elysia even more. Naturally, her fame only grew over time instead of being forgotten.

Of course, from time to time, conspiracy theorists would bring up her numerous lovers, accusing her of debauchery, but they were an extremely small minority and had faded away without much attention.

In truth, it was only natural that the Demon King did not resurrect. The Demon King had never truly died; they were still alive. Of course, now, there were few who even knew this secret of the world.

“Is it too much to expect a cup of tea for a long-awaited guest?”

“Hmph. To expect hospitality from this one? How ridiculous.”

Regardless of what the host thought, the guest rummaged through the cupboard without hesitation and poured herself a cup of tea, elegantly sipping from the teacup.

“Honestly, you’re acting like you own the place every time, so there’s no need to play host!”

The brazen behavior made Olivier snap! The scream, imbued with the power of a Dragon, could easily make an ordinary person lose consciousness, but fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—the woman pouring the tea didn’t flinch at all.

“Now, only you and I truly remember her—this Demon King… No, how amusing it is to think of the two of us calling each other ‘this one’ and ‘that one.’ Anyway, it’s just you and me; there’s nothing new about it.”

That’s understandable since the woman pouring tea was none other than the Demon King herself, who had supposedly been defeated hundreds of years ago. Now that she had fully regained her strength, she could easily brush off a Dragon’s aura.

“By the way, do you still consider yourself the guardian dragon of the Empire? Even the imperial family has forgotten the content of that contract.”

“…Well, it’s enough to pass the time.”

And then, as if she couldn’t ignore the nagging feeling anymore, Olivier whispered her true thoughts.

One way or another, this was undeniably an Empire filled with traces of Elysia. To say it didn’t bother her would be a blatant lie.

“Anyway, I can overlook that, but it’s quite amusing that you, the Demon King, have turned into a gentle lamb. Who would have imagined? The Demon King is alive, not seeking to dominate the continent, but quietly living in hiding.”

Hastily changing the subject, fearing she might show an embarrassing side if she talked any more, the Demon King didn’t press further.

“Well, for about a hundred years, there were still some forces trying to smear her name, so she occasionally went out, but nowadays, those guys have vanished too.”

“…Were they missing without a trace… your doing?”

“They were inconsequential, but they were good for a bit of fun,”

“Answer me seriously!”

Olivier’s forcefulness was now far more intense than when she had been screaming at the Demon King while pouring tea.

The teacup the Demon King had put down, along with the furniture and items in the house, were all trembling under the overflow of Olivier’s magical energy.

No matter how much she acted like a gentle lamb due to Zeno and her sister, at her core, she was still the Demon King. Perhaps, at this very moment, the world might tremble once again under the Demon King’s terror.

That meant she had to block the Demon King. Although only a Hero could defeat the Demon King, if she showed her full strength, she could at least hold back the Demon King.

This wasn’t about viewing the Demon King as a world enemy and opposing her.

As a friend. As now the last remaining true friend, she would prevent her comrade from straying down the wrong path.

Even if they often bickered when they met, Olivier genuinely considered her a friend.

However, whether or not the Demon King knew Olivier’s feelings, she faced the pressure with a smirk and spoke.

“Just a joke, a joke.”

“What…?”

With the carefree gesture of the Demon King waving her hand and her comment, Olivier inadvertently let out a stunned sound.

But after a brief silence, realizing the situation, Olivier’s face turned bright red as she shouted again.

“You… you bad girl! You don’t even know what I’ve been feeling!”

“I know. It’s not that bad. This much should suffice for you to think about it for another three hundred years.”

“Gah…!”

“Do you think I would forget the promise made with the two of you?”

No matter how much she was called a Hero, being human meant she couldn’t escape that cycle.

Zeno, who was embarking on a long journey due to the end of her lifespan, and Elysia, who could live eternally by taking the body of the Demon King, ultimately gave herself over completely, committing to the blessings of reincarnation with her sister; that last promise they shared.

Of course, it wasn’t necessarily a vow spoken aloud. Being siblings and sisters, they had no need to put forth a promise, as both of them had sent countless endless trust toward the Demon King.

She only promised herself to repay that trust.

That she would never harm their lives carelessly. Even if such a situation arose, she would think it through over and over.

So that the day they returned under the blessings of reincarnation, she could meet them openly.

“Well, but it isn’t only a joke; I have indeed acted in many ways. Do you know the name Kaytin?”

“A hundred years ago, and if it’s Kaytin… could it be the ‘Great Historian’ Kaytin?”

“Oh? It seems you’ve done your research. If you know the name, it seems he was quite a figure.”

An unknown person who suddenly appeared like a comet and unveiled the previously unknown or forgotten histories of the Empire, especially the history of Hero Elysia, the historian.

Numerous historians recognized the veracity of Kaytin’s claims through cross-verification, and thus he earned the title of “The Great Historian.”

“So that Kaytin… was you?”

“Ho ho… Eventually, the eyes of other scholars looking at me came close to worship. When I subtly mentioned the smear campaign against me to those scholars, they unexpectedly became heretics and vanished without a trace.”

Olivier sighed as if she had a headache, pressing one hand against her forehead.

Of course, it was a relief that she hadn’t harmed any lives carelessly, but what a ridiculous situation this was! To think her last remaining friend was such a person made her feel utterly pathetic.

“I enjoyed chatting after such a long time. Now, I must take my leave. Oh, and it would be better to change the tea leaves. They’re not to my taste.”

Then, just as she came with a swift exit, the Demon King hurriedly departed.

Olivier felt a sense of despair once more at her audacity.

“Hey, you! You should at least clean up the mess you made before leaving!”

She felt angry once again at the sight of her house in disarray.

*

“Hmm… Looking lively like that, you could easily last a thousand years.”

Unlike the Demon King, who had been abandoned by the world and could not even receive the blessing of reincarnation, no matter how long their lifespan, Dragons could not escape death.

However, lifespans for Dragons are somewhat different from those of other races. A Dragon’s body grows stronger over time, and thus, death from the physical aging of their body becomes even more distant.

Yet, in the end, Dragons do die. Though their bodies may be resilient, their souls are eventually worn away by the winds of time. A weathered, crumbling soul.

Neither joy, nor sorrow, nor fear. A Dragon, unable to feel any emotions, finally meets death. Forgotten even by themselves, alone; lonely.

This is why the Demon King sometimes visits Olivier’s house, to shine her face just once in a while. To spend a little more time with the only friend who can recall the past.

Today, seeing Olivier in an embarrassing situation might just have added a hundred years to her lifespan.

“Well then, Hero. You keep me waiting too long. No matter how much I live eternally, that doesn’t mean I can’t feel emotions.”

The Demon King placed her hand on her chest and felt the beating of her heart as she closed her eyes.

Of course, even now, if she closed her eyes, her appearance, voice, and touch would vividly emerge as if it were yesterday, but it still wasn’t as good as facing her directly.

Therefore, she would endlessly endure while waiting for her to return again someday under the blessings of reincarnation.

On the other hand, the thought of that day inevitably coming brought her joy.

However, a bit of loneliness was also unavoidable.

*

In a certain rural village, in the dead of night, one house remained lit with no lights turned off.

Inside the house, a laboring mother was screaming in pain, the midwife was bustling about, and beyond the door stood a man anxiously biting his nails, waiting.

As soon as the amniotic fluid broke, he had immediately brought the midwife, but despite the time passing, no news had come. It was only natural for a husband to worry excessively.

Knowing well that his presence in the room wouldn’t be of any help, he kept heating water in a basin, bringing it over again and again.

He thought about it multiple times—what if something went wrong?—but soon slapped his own cheek hard, dismissing such thoughts, leaving both his cheeks already red and swollen.

“Wahhhh!!!”

And finally, he heard the loud crying he had been waiting for. As boisterous as the cries were, they had severely troubled their mother. Only then did a smile that could not be expressed in words appear on the man’s face.

However, just as he was about to rush into the room, he froze, hand reaching for the doorknob.

“Wahhhh!!!”

Amidst the earlier cries, a new sound of an infant’s cry emerged.

With a face twice as bright as before, the man swung the door wide open and rushed inside.