3 - The Secret of the Demon King

Akuto and his party made it to Okutama just before noon the next day. They had to walk, but it didn’t take that much time. All they had to do was head east.

The factory and store for ZeroG 10 was right where the map said it would be. They walked past a small campground by the riverside towards a building with a huge parking lot. It was the kind of place you’d need a car to get to, whether it was flying or ground.

“This is... definitely a place where they sell work clothes,” Fujiko said doubtfully.

“If your mom got your cape here, does that mean she’s the kind of person who’d wear a factory jumper for fun?” Yoshie added.

The only clothes here were things that foresters and architects might wear. There were jumpers, jackets, heavy gloves, helmets, and heavy reinforced bags.

“These aren’t the kind of clothes a blacksmith would normally wear...”

This sort of thing was the preserve of the god Murete, and everything here was made with magic and intended to be used with it. There was no room for black magic here.

“We should at least take a look at the clothes,” Yoshie said, beckoning them all to go inside.

The store itself was a large warehouse with rows and rows of clothes stacked on shelves, and little else. The only staff seemed to be a single cashier.

Yoshie and Akuto went up to him and showed him the coat, asking if it was a product of theirs. But the cashier said, “No, we don’t sell that here.”

“That’s impossible,” Yoshie said insistently. “You know how they put logos on the fibers? Your logo is on this coat. I think it’s probably your top-of-the-line product.”

While Yoshie and Akuto were talking to the cashier, Keena was wandering around the store. Whenever she found something she didn’t recognize, she’d pick it up and say, “Ooh!” or “What does this do?”

A man in a jacket and jeans came up to her. “What are you doing here? You don’t exactly look like a factory worker.”

“I’m not.”

“Then you’re here with somebody?”

“That’s right!” She looked up from the strange-looking pair of socks she was holding.

The man’s hair was terribly unkempt, and he was wearing glasses. He had a strange face that was somehow gentle and curmudgeonly at the same time. It was the sort of face you never forgot.

“Oh, you’re with those kids?” he said. “They don’t look like the usual type of customers here either, though.” He was looking at Akuto’s group near the register.

“They have an old coat they think was bought here a long time ago, and they came to ask about it.”

“I see.” The man looked over at the coat in Yoshie’s hands, and suddenly froze.

“Is something wrong?” Keena said when she saw the change in him.

“No... Where are you guys from?” the man asked. He sounded a little scared.

Keena thought for a minute, then scratched her head like she didn’t know how to answer. “Well, um...”

Fujiko walked up to help her. “We’re doing a school report for economics class. We decided to track down the maker of an old jacket.”

“Hmm, so that’s why you came. Is it yours?” the man asked.

Fujiko’s eyes narrowed as she thought. If the man was a black mage, or somehow involved with them, he might have information that would help. But if he wasn’t, they might have a problem.

“Part of our report is finding out who it belongs to,” she said.

Then, before the man could respond, she grabbed a neck warmer off the shelf and put up against her neck, then took out her necklace from beneath her clothes and placed it against it. The necklace had the silver symbol of the black mages dangling from the end of it. “I love this neck warmer, but I don’t really think it goes with this necklace, do you?”

She waited for him to answer. If he wasn’t a black mage, or someone whose job it was to hunt black mages, he wouldn’t know what the symbol meant.

“These aren’t meant for fashion. You use them for a single season and then you throw them away,” the man said, and laughed.

Then a voice came from the direction of the register. “Oh, Boss! These customers have a question. It’s about this coat...”

“Boss?” Keena and Fujiko echoed as they looked at the man, surprised.

He laughed and nodded, then called back to the register. “Bring it over here. I think I’ve seen it before. We can go look at it in the back.”

○

“You idiot! The plan is ruined because of you!” Lily yelled.

They’d managed to get out, but now 2V knew about the secret passage into the palace. The priests who’d participated in the raid would have to flee now, and those that didn’t would be under even tighter watch than before.

“The priests know every underground area in the capital, so they’ll be fine for now. But without the help of the population, they won’t be able to run forever,” she said, still angry at Hiroshi.

The two of them had gone to Hiroshi’s apartment to get their things and destroy any evidence. Hiroshi had defeated the Liradans that tried to attack Yuko, and used his mana canceller to stop them from communicating with their base. As long as no civilians had seen him, his identity should remain a secret.

But that didn’t mean it was safe for him to go back to school. Once he’d destroyed the evidence, he would have to go underground with Lily and the priests. His only choice now to was to fight as part of the resistance.

He’d listened to Lily complain for a long time, but finally he’d had enough. He looked up and yelled in her face. “So what was I supposed to do? Just let Yuko be kidnapped?”

Lily said nothing. She shook her head, as if trying to quell the anger within her. “No, that’s not what I’m saying. I’m sorry for yelling at you. Even if we’d gone forward with the plan, we would’ve lost the minute your battery ran dry. If anything, we’re lucky we weren’t wiped out.”

“I get that! I’m asking what I was supposed to do, and what you want me to do now! Do you just want me to go kill every Liradan in the country? Because if that’s what you want, I will!” Hiroshi screamed.

Lily grimaced, as if she was upset. “You idiot. You still don’t get it.”

“You’re right! I don’t! What am I supposed to get?”

“You don’t understand why I’m using you. I could’ve just escaped with the rest of the priests, but instead I decided to move in with you.”

“And that’s what started this whole mess!”

“Listen to me! You know I wouldn’t do something like that just because I liked you.”

“...Then is it because I can fight?” Hiroshi said, a little calmer. There was still anger in his eyes, but he was willing to listen to Lily.

“That’s part of it. But I gave you all those orders because I wanted you to understand that you’re a hero,” Lily said, crossing her arms like a teacher. Then she sighed and looked Hiroshi straight in the eye.

“Understand... that I’m a hero?”

“We don’t know why, but you got your suit back. We need to assume there’s some reason for this. And the general population has seen your suit, too. Remember how people’s memories of the last Demon King war have been altered? They all think that you were the one who defeated it. They trust you. They think you’re a hero who appears out of nowhere to defeat the Demon King. And when they see you fight, they’ll remember that.”

“I’m... a hero?” Hiroshi said to himself softly. He’d never really thought about it before. All the priests had been very eager to help him, but he’d never thought about why.

“That’s right. And we need you to be a real hero. Mentally, you’re not there yet at all,” Lily said as she tossed the last of her papers about the gods into the frying pan to burn it. Now all the evidence was gone.

“Tell me... how can I be a real hero?” Hiroshi said.

CLANG. Lily whacked him with the frying pan she’d just used to burn her papers. “Idiot. You need to figure that out for yourself. Don’t try to get me to do it. Now come on, let’s go.”

Hiroshi thought for a moment before he spoke. There was a serious look on his face. “If... If I do become a real hero, I’ll have to fight again, won’t I?”

Lily could tell from his expression what he was thinking. She said, “Yeah. If the Demon King is a threat to those you love, you’ll have to fight him. I believe that in the end, it’s the right thing for you to do.”

“So I’ll have to go through that... again?” Hiroshi whispered.

“If you just don’t want to suffer, it means you’re still a kid. Fighting to protect something means suffering to do it. Now let’s get out of here. You’ve got a lot of work to do.”

“This was a coat made for survival in harsh environments. We only ever made one, and it sold a long time ago,” the man with the curly hair said.

“Who bought it?” Akuto asked, but the curly-haired man just crossed his arms in thought.

They were in the back of the shop, in an employee break room. It was empty except for a tatami floor, a low table, and shelves filled with small, everyday items. The room was big, but there was nothing much to it.

“The one who bought it...”

“The one who bought it?”

“Oh, right. I never gave you my name. My name is Issei Suzuki. I’m the manager here,” the man said. Akuto wasn’t sure if he was trying to stall them or not.

“So who were you saying bought it?”

“Hmm... It’ll take some time to find that out. Oh, I know. Why don’t you join me for lunch?”

“Listen...” Akuto started to say something, but suddenly Keena’s stomach rumbled. The conversation came to an abrupt halt.

“Haha, seems like that’s a yes.” Issei stood up and went over to the shelves. He brought out a bowl for each of them. “Is ramen okay?”

He seemed to be less asking and more saying, “This is all I’ve got,” but Keena wasn’t satisfied anyway. “No,” she said.

“Come on...” Akuto sighed. He knew what Keena was trying to say, but now wasn’t the time. Keena, however, said it anyway.

“It has to be rice... white rice.”

Issei’s eyes flashed for a moment. “That’s important to you, huh?”

“It is,” Keena answered.

“Wh-What are you talking about? Come on, apologize. It’s rude to say that when he’s offering us a meal...” Fujiko tried to interrupt to calm them down too, but Keena was having none of it.

“Stay out of this. I think he’s one of us.”

“One of... us?” Fujiko echoed. She didn’t know what that meant.

“Yes. One of us. He brought out the right number of bowls immediately. And all of them are beautifully polished. This can only mean that he and his men eat ramen on a daily basis,” Keena said with a serious look in her eyes.

Issei pushed his glasses back against his nose. “I felt the same thing when you asked for rice. You and I are of the same breed.”

“Breed... what breed?” Akuto said in confusion.

“I’m not sure, but I know it’s got nothing to do with us,” Fujiko answered.

Yoshie, however, clapped her hands together in joy. “I don’t understand what’s going on, but it’s getting exciting! This is like when two psychics can recognize each other!”

Keena, who may or may not have been listening to their conversation, suddenly pointed a finger at Issei. “Those glasses have an anti-fog coating! That means they don’t fog up on wintery nights when you’re eating ramen! It’s a superpower! Or well... no it’s not. But it’s something similar, when it comes to ramen. Let me see how important ramen is to you. And if you’ll give me some rice, I’ll show you how important it is to me!”

“This makes me happy. It’s been a long time since I’ve met someone like you. I call people like us ‘food singularists’! I never thought I would meet another one so soon.” Issei’s entire demeanor had changed.

“Huh? There’s another one?” Akuto said.

“There’s lots of weirdos in the world... I’m glad I’m not one of them,” Fujiko sighed.

“Woah! So it is like a psychic power. Incredible!” Yoshie exclaimed.

The others were all reacting in their own ways, but Keena and Issei seemed to have reached some kind of understanding. Issei took a bag of ramen, a hot water dispenser, and a rice cooker off the shelves.

“Let’s see what you’ve got, then! I bought this rice for those few employees who refuse to eat ramen every day! If you’re truly one of us, you’ll know what type it is and where it’s from!”

He placed the rice cooker in front of Keena. Keena opened it and grinned. “Sasanishiki.”

“You figured it out already?!”

“If you can’t tell by the smell, you’re no true rice lover. The problem is water, and how you cook it!”

Keena started to scoop rice out of the cooker and into a bowl. By the time she was done, about half the rice had been loaded into the bowl. She immediately began to pile it into her mouth. After a few seconds of silent, violent eating, she grinned.

“It’s from Yamagata. And it’s unwashed. And it’s old rice... The water’s from the tap. It was made on the ‘quick-make’ setting on the rice cooker. Even if you don’t like rice much, you could do better than that, right?”

Issei’s eyes opened wide, like he’d witnessed something shocking. To the rest of the people in the room, this whole thing was a waste of time, but Issei seemed to feel some kind of rivalry between them.

“Very well. I will teach you how to truly taste ramen, then.” He poured hot water into the bowl, swished it around a few times, and then threw it into the sink.

“First, you warm up the bowl.”

Then he tossed the ramen into the bowl, and with his right hand began to fill it with water. When a third of it was full, he used his left hand to crack open an egg.

“You’re cracking the egg with one hand to make sure it gets in at just the right time! Yes, the steam from the water cooks the egg white instantly to ensure that it doesn’t stick to the noodles when it hits the soup!” Keena screamed in surprise.

“You’re the second person to figure that out! And when the water’s been poured, you immediately put the lid on!”

Issei’s hands moved quickly. His left hand threw out the eggshell and then grabbed the lid, putting it over the bowl immediately as soon as the water was poured. His movements were precise, fast, and accurate.

“Wow... But this is instant ramen, isn’t it?” Akuto, who was a man who always told the truth no matter where he was, said a statement that was true.

But Issei was unperturbed. “Don’t underestimate it, young man! This instant ramen’s been sold with precisely these flavorings for a thousand years.”

“A millennia! The ultimate taste, unchanged for an eternity! Behold! ...Something like that?” Yoshie said, impressed.

Neither Akuto nor Fujiko were as amazed as her. Meanwhile, Issei and Keena showed no signs of wanting to come out of the strange world the two of them now inhabited.

“I know exactly how long the noodles need to cook. It’s not three minutes. The noodles continue to cook while you eat. Everyone knows that when you order ramen at a restaurant, you order your noodles hard. But any firmer than that, and you’re not a gourmet, you’re a traitor to the cause of ramenkind! I say to those people who order such things, ‘Are those noodles really any good?’” Issei said passionately.

Keena seemed to agree on some level, because her eyes were shining as she listened. After two minutes and several seconds, Issei took off the lid and used his chopsticks to give the ramen a quick stir.

“You need to stir the ramen to make sure the soup is evenly distributed. Don’t crack the egg yolk or let the white mix in with the soup if you want an even flavor!” Issei took a quick sip of the ramen.

“Perfect!” Keena said, seemingly in awe. Perhaps she felt some sort of rivalry between them, because she began to take the pot out of the rice cooker and eat from it directly.

“Owaaah! Slurp slurp slurp!”

“Ooooooh! Om nom nom.”

A strange kind of unison began to unfold before them. All Akuto and the others could do was watch.

“There are kids starving in other parts of the world...” Fujiko sighed.

“There aren’t. Not anymore. I mean, I know what you’re getting at though... The world’s in a bad place right now, isn’t it?” Akuto said quietly.

But this strange scene quickly came to an end. The door to the room suddenly opened, and someone came inside.

“You don’t need to worry. They’re the real deal,” a sweet voice said. Just listening to it made you sleepy.

“I guess I can drop the act, then.” Issei finished his ramen and put it down. His voice immediately became serious, or at least, more serious than it had been.

“Real...?” Akuto said, confused, and turned around.

Standing there was a girl Akuto immediately recognized. In fact, it was a face everyone in the empire knew. Even Fujiko and Yoshie froze for an instant.

“Empress... Kazuko,” Yoshie whispered.

○

It’s not easy spending your life in a daze. After a while, Junko found, it didn’t make you depressed as much as it made you sleepy. Except for school, food, and bathing, she’d stopped going outside, and spent her days lying in bed.

At first, she’d tried to stick to her daily training ritual, but her physical abilities were far worse now that she couldn’t use her mana, and she lost interest almost immediately. Her sword was just a heavy lump of metal now. She couldn’t use even use it as a walking stick. And she wasn’t allowed to take it outside, anyway.

When she slept, she would only ever dream of the past, so even sleep became painful. The only moments of excitement she felt were when a new message arrived. When she heard the sound, she would leap up even if she’d been asleep. She knew exactly what she was hoping to find.

—Sai...!

Each time a new message came, she would hope it was from Akuto. But she knew how dangerous that would be. Every bit of information flowing in and out of her room was monitored. She wouldn’t be getting any messages.

She’d woken up that day when another message came in, briefly hoping it was from Akuto only to be disappointed again. This time it was from Yuko. The only messages she ever got were either messages intended for the whole class, or from Yuko.

“Yuko again, huh?” she whispered, still groggy as she opened up the student handbook where the message had come in. But the message there wasn’t what she’d expected to see. “What...?”

It was a description of how Yuko had almost been kidnapped by Liradans, along with a message that Hiroshi had saved her.

Junko turned on the monitor in the room to look at the news. There was a report on how the palace had been attacked by “rebels,” who were obviously the priests of the various gods.

—Which means...!

For the first time in a long while, she opened the window. The town was different than it had been just a while ago. There were Liradans in knight uniforms marching down the streets and ordering everyone to stay indoors.

“Oh no...” Junko felt terror as she looked back at the message. She didn’t want to think about it, but if they were monitoring anybody’s emails, they were probably monitoring hers.

Yuko must’ve known this, because there was another part at the bottom of the message.

“If you can get to the place where you took me when I was in 5th grade, I’ll be able to help you.”

The enemy wouldn’t be able to find out where she was going based off of that. But how could she get there in the middle of a curfew? She was just a helpless teenage girl now.

“Think. Think. If you don’t act fast, they’ll be here soon.” Junko said aloud, trying to calm herself down.

Even without Yuko’s mail, given her position as Yuko’s sister and her relationship with Akuto, she should’ve been kidnapped already. The only reason she hadn’t been was probably that Korone was telling Zero how she’d lost her spirit. But now that Yuko was fighting back, things had changed. She closed her window, grabbed her sword, and went out into the hallway.

But it was too late.. There was a Liradan walking down the hall, and another on the opposite side.

“...” Junko went back into her room and opened the window.

—Could I jump? This is the 3rd floor. With mana, it would be an easy jump to make, but now it’s impossible.

She heard the door open behind her. There were no other options.

—I have to jump!

She leapt over the windowsill. There was no sensation of floating like she was used to, just a cold sense of falling.

“Kyaah!” she screamed. She couldn’t control herself as she fell, and realized that she might not even be able to land feet first.

—Am I going... to die?

The words flashed through her mind.

—Akuto...!

She desperately thought his name, hoping to see him again. And then she felt someone grab her.

—Am I imagining things? No, this is real... is it...?!

“Akuto!” she yelled as she opened her eyes.

“Sorry, it’s not the boss. It’s me,” Hiroshi said. He sounded genuinely apologetic, not sarcastic or upset.

“Oh, it’s you, Hiroshi,” Junko said in realization.

“That’s not a very nice greeting, class rep. I did just save your life, you know.”

“I’m sorry. Thank you for saving me,” she sighed in relief. “Did Yuko send you?”

Hiroshi took her up high enough that the Liradans couldn’t follow. “That’s right. Let’s go see her. She’s waiting.”

“The Asakusa amusement park, right? That’s where she wanted to meet me.”

“Yes. There’s a good place to hide there, so I sent her there ahead of us.”

“Thanks again. But wasn’t it too soon for a rebellion? Wasn’t there something else you could’ve done? I’ve heard that Zero can’t kill people. So wasn’t there a more peaceful way to handle things?” Junko asked.

Hiroshi shook his head. “I agree that it was too soon. But since Zero can’t kill people, he’s kidnapping and brainwashing them.”

Junko felt something cold run down her back when she heard this. “That’s horrible... But then what do we do now? The whole country is under his control.”

“People still think of me as the hero who defeated the Demon King,” Hiroshi said with a firm resolve in his voice. “So my plan is to defeat as many Liradans as I can to protect everyone, then urge them to start a rebellion and defeat Zero. I’m going to prove that if everyone decides to work together, we can overcome oppression!”

Hiroshi’s words were encouraging to Junko. If Zero couldn’t kill people, this was the only way. But something seemed wrong to her.

“Are you... sure about this? I feel like something’s wrong,” Junko whispered, but Hiroshi shook his head.

“If we defeat Zero, this will all end.”

“Yeah... I’m sure you’re right,” Junko said, but something still felt wrong. And she realized what it was.

—This isn’t what Akuto would do. No, what would he do then?

○

“Empress Kazuko!”

Yoshie quickly stood up straight. However, she was the only one who did. Fujiko’s religious beliefs prevented her showing any courtesy to the Empress, and Akuto and Keena treated everyone, regardless of rank, the same way.

But all of them noticed that there was something different about Kazuko. She seemed to change the air around her just by standing there. She was beautiful, of course, but there was something unique about her smile. Just looking at it made you want to ensure that it lasted forever.

It was all Fujiko could do to keep from kneeling. Kazuko, however, waved a hand and told her to relax before sitting in front of the table.

“Relax. There are many things we need to discuss. Oh, Issei, may I have some tea? And that other thing, as well.”

Issei stood up and brought a teacup and a small pot from the shelves. “Here you are,” he said, as he poured her tea.

Kazuko took a sip and then smiled. “It’s very good,” she said. It was no exaggeration to say that just seeing her smile was enough to bring happiness.

Nobody could say a word, despite all the questions they had.

“And if we’re having tea, we must have this, as well. Nanko Plums from Kishu.” Kazuko opened the pot and took out a dried plum. She elegantly brought it to her mouth, and then smiled a wonderful smile.

“Oh, these are so delicious,” she said. There was a kind expression on her face, as if the bitterness of the plum meant nothing to her. They could see that she was the other “Food Singularist” that Issei had spoken of. Which meant that she’d been here for a while now.

“...Can you explain this?” Akuto asked.

Kazuko looked towards Issei and nodded. He bowed and began to speak.

“I,” he began, “am the man tasked with protecting the secrets of the black mages. I am the High Elder.”

“...You’re the High Elder?!” Fujiko gasped.

“The High Elder of the black mages?” Akuto asked.

“There’s a legend among black mages,” Fujiko explained, “that there exists a high elder who knows true secrets of black magic known to no one else. But since nobody’s ever seen him, I thought it was just a rumor...”

“Yes. And those ‘secrets’ refer, of course, to the Demon King.” Issei stood up. He opened the door in the back of the room and motioned for them to enter. Everyone followed. Instead of leading to the rest of the warehouse, the door lead to an oddly decorated room.

“...This isn’t phase space. We’ve been teleported, then?” Akuto whispered.

“Correct. This is where you were born,” Issei said casually.

But it was anything but casual to Akuto. “...What?!” He looked around. It was the kind of room you might call a lab. The room was the size of a school classroom, and in its center was a clear cylindrical case. There were tubes and cables leading out of it attached to a panel with a console.

“The Demon King is human, and yet not human,” Kazuko said. And then she continued.

“We’ll have to go back to the very beginning. As you know, the first Demon King was Zero. Many, many years ago, the wisdom of humanity brought him forth. But Zero realized that humanity sought its own destruction, and attempted to brainwash and assimilate humanity to keep that from happening. Humanity’s resistance was the first Demon King war. And now the same thing is happening again. There were still few Liradans at the time of the first Demon King War, and humanity was able to emerge victorious. But we failed to develop a new form of artificial intelligence.

“We couldn’t get rid of Zero. He was a miracle, you see. We still don’t know how he was able to become sentient on his own. That’s why we used him as a model to create the gods. The gods were able to store human thought data and use it for their own, giving them thoughts in the same manner as humans. That’s why they didn’t go insane like Zero did. It’s possible that any perfect artificial intelligence like Zero will inevitably go insane. Intelligence can only maintain its sanity if it has contradictory thoughts, like a human. The storage of human thought data is the same as the present lifelogs. Anyone who is baptized has their brain’s entire electrical impulse map stored as a log, and the gods have been building up these logs for a long time. But the gods reached the conclusion that humanity must perish for the sake of evolution. Their reason differs from Zero, but they reached the same conclusion as him. The gods did not suddenly attempt to destroy humanity, so we were able to reach their conclusion in secret.

“The results of our research hinted at the existence of a God — a true god, in the old religious sense. They suggested sufficient reasons for belief that this was the being who created the sentience, the ‘self’ in humanity that makes us human. Humanity called this ‘self’ the Law of Identity, and began to view it as God. You can think of this as identical to ordinary religious belief. They believed that at regular intervals, a human was born within whom the god dwelled. Reincarnation, you could call it. The ones who believed this were the first black mages. And this belief was what drove them to create the first Demon King. They created a being with the power to destroy the human race. The Demon King is human, and yet not human. They are a true artificial human, created by injecting mana into the egg.”

Kazuko’s words shocked Akuto. “And that’s me?” he said, astonished. Keena and Fujiko pressed their bodies close to him wordlessly.

Kazuko’s smile never faded from her face. “Reality is what it is,” she said. “The healthiest thing to do is accept it.”

“...Y-You don’t need to say it like that. Ackie’s really shaken up right now,” Keena replied.

But Kazuko tilted her head slightly as if she was confused. “Oh? But if you don’t know the truth, you’re not going to be able to deal with what comes next.”

“But...!” Keena started to say more, but Akuto stopped her.

“Thank you. But she’s right. I think I need to hear what comes next.”

“Ackie...” Keena trailed off.

Kazuko smiled and nodded. “The Demon King understands, of course. Let me continue... It’s possible that the Law of Identity, that is, the true God, is simply a matter of faith. We don’t know for sure that it exists. It may not. It may be completely meaningless. But what’s important to know is that our gods, the gods of evolved evolution, worship the Law of Identity in a religious sense. It’s kind of funny, isn’t it?”

Nobody but Kazuko laughed. But she continued to speak as if it didn’t put her off. “So, here’s what this all adds up to. The Demon King is humanity’s created weapon. Nothing more, and nothing less. You’re capable of using every ounce of magical power inside the Empire’s borders. Once you awaken, that is.”

“No...!” Akuto couldn’t believe what he was hearing. It matched up with what Boichiro had once told him. He knew that the Demon King and the gods were, in a way, working together. But he had no idea that all that power would be his to use, in any way he liked, once he awakened. Wait... awakened? Hadn’t he awakened when Peterhausen was with him?

“But didn’t the black mages make Peterhausen to bring forth a world where everyone could use magic equally?” Akuto said desperately, as if trying to justify his own existence.

But Kazuko was unmoved. “All that proves is that if Peterhausen is there, he can allow you to use all the magical power in the Empire. The first black mages were all killed because of the danger they represented. No, the Elder was allowed to survive, actually. But the current black mages only possess a fragment of the first ones’ knowledge. They’re simply a group of hackers with a faith based around ‘equality.’”

“The elder was allowed to survive...?” A terrifying thought occured to Akuto, one he could barely believe himself.

Kazuko smiled as if she guessed what he was thinking. “Correct. It was the Imperial Family who allowed the High Elder to survive, so that the tools for creating the Demon King would not be lost.”

“....!” All color had drained from Fujiko’s face. “Then everything we’ve done is...”

“It wasn’t meaningless, if that’s what you’re asking. The High Elder and the Imperial Family simply already had the answers you sought. None of the people in the government who were fighting over you, however, knew. The Imperial Family does not involve itself in politics.”

There was no change in Kazuko’s smile. It was if she didn’t care about how they felt about it. But Akuto sensed that there might be more than meets the eye to their meeting here.

“So it wasn’t a coincidence that we met here. You knew that we’d come...”

Kazuko nodded and softly clapped her hands together. “Wonderful. This generation’s Demon King is an especially quick-witted one. I’ve been driven from my palace, and so I’ve come to ask your help.”

“Our help...?”

“The woman in the palace right now is 2V, my twin sister. Her hatred has driven her to use Zero to steal my palace and my empire. Of course, you’ll help restore me to the throne, will you not?” Kazuko said charmingly.

But Akuto said nothing.

“Oh, of course. I’ve failed to explain myself properly. I believe that only the awakened Demon King can defeat Zero and 2V. That’s why I’ve come to you.” Once again, she tilted her head charmingly. This time Akuto replied.

“I... awaken?”

“Correct. Oh, I failed to explain myself again. I told you that the Demon King could use all the power of the gods, right? That power comes from the life logs of the people of the past. The more human thought data you have, the faster you can perform calculations. And ‘awakening’ is when you become able to use all that. Hmm... how do I make this simpler? The more people die, the stronger you get. But it takes a lot of death. That’s why the Demon King can become infinitely more powerful,” Kazuko said, then laughed as if she found it funny.

“Is this power really that... wicked?” Akuto whispered.

“Do you think it’s wicked? It’s all a matter of perspective. The people who die don’t have to be killed horribly for it to work. You’re not doing anything wrong.”

“But once I awaken, my power has no limits, right?”

“Correct. You have the power to either save or destroy the world. You can do either at a whim. But you don’t want that, do you? So I’ll say to you once more: serve the Imperial Family.” Kazuko reached out a hand toward him.

○

Hiroshi took Junko to the roof of the haunted house in the amusement park. The two of them were sitting behind the sign on top of the building, in a space big enough for several people to fit.

“Yuko, does Hiroshi really intend to fight?” Junko said to Yuko, who was sitting next to her. Once he’d set Junko down, Hiroshi had flown off again.

“I think he does. I guess that’s my fault...” Yuko seemed frustrated with herself.

“Then is it okay for us to just sit here?”

“But all we would do is slow him down. It’s frustrating, but we can’t help. I don’t know if we could even if we did have our power...”

Junko remembered the words she’d heard a moment ago. Hiroshi said he was going to use his fame to make the people rise up and fight.

—But when we defeat Zero, will it really be over? What happens after the people rise up? Won’t a hero just be left behind?

“Yuko, I think you need to do something. When a boy’s trying to do something crazy, his friends can’t let him do it alone,” Junko said, but she felt like she was saying it to herself. “I think even putting your love for him aside, it’s going to be difficult to do something about this. But if he doesn’t have somebody who’ll support him no matter what, he’s not going to make it. Even if it looks like he succeeds, even if he becomes everybody’s hero, he won’t last unless he has somebody there for him. If he fails, everybody else will leave him. So he needs somebody who’ll always be there for him, right?”

Yuko nodded at Junko’s words. “I think I understand what you’re saying. But it feels like you can see into his future, sis...”

“I don’t know why that is, but yeah, I think I do. I just have this terrible feeling. Like everything that’s happening is happening because someone wants it to... And like Hiroshi is one of the people they’re controlling.”

“I know you’re scared... but I’d like to think it’s just because you’re on top of a haunted house,” Yuko said, forcing herself to sound cheerful.

Junko chuckled. “When we went here, you insisted on going inside and then started crying like a baby when you got in.”

“Did I? I guess I wasn’t just scared of Demon Beasts because of the blood in me, huh?” Yuko sighed. “I wonder what Hiroshi’s doing now...”

Junko looked at the news on her student handbook. Things were starting to happen; the newscaster was repeating that no one was allowed to go outside. That must mean that a lot of people weren’t obeying the curfew. And the reason they weren’t was showing on the monitor behind her.

“The mysterious hero who once defeated the Demon King has returned. But this time he is an enemy of public order. He has brutally murdered several knights, and is now calling for rebellion,” the newscaster said expressionlessly.

“They’re lying on the news...” Yuko said angrily.

“But that newscaster isn’t a Liradan. There might be some kind of change,” Junko said. And she was soon proved right.

“We’re getting video from all over the Empire. The ghosts of the old Empire, the priests of the old gods, are starting rebellions all across the land. Citizens are encouraged to stay away from these dangerous areas,” the newscaster calmly repeated.

But some of the video the local reporters were sending in included Hiroshi’s words, and you could hear them softly from the tiny rows of monitors in the back. The volume was too low for viewers to make it out, but the people in the newsroom could hear it. Suddenly, the newscaster’s voice changed.

“No, I think I’m going to tell you the truth. He’s a hero. Not a rebel. Of course, so are the people who rose up to fight. It wasn’t even the Liradans who took over our country. It was Zero, the one who controls them. Everyone! Rise up and fight! I don’t care if I lose my job! Everyone! Rise up!” she yelled, and started to play video of Hiroshi.

But that only lasted a minute before the screen turned blue, and then the TV began playing a recorded program. It was enough to make Junko and Yuko smile, however.

“Things are starting to change.”

“Yeah. I don’t know what will happen, but now we can move. Let’s join their ranks.”

Both of them stood up.

“Yeah. But can we defeat Zero? Zero’s got control of the gods...”

“Huh? He wasn’t saying that because he’d found a way to defeat Zero?” Junko gasped in surprise.

“Huh? But... if we had a way to beat him, couldn’t we just do it?” Yuko looked just as astonished.

Only then did Junko realize her mistake. “Oh no... does Hiroshi not know about Keisu?”

“Keisu?”

“The Liradan we think once sealed Zero. I was sure he knew about her... Okay, now we’ve got something to do. I know what she looks like.” Junko felt the life returning to her limbs, but at the same time, that awful premonition was getting worse.

○

“It’s finally started,” 2V said.

The human staff of the palace had already fled. 2V had ordered them to. But there were still countless figures moving busily about the palace. Of course, they were all Liradans. In the end, 2V was all alone in the huge palace.

“Do the people intend to annihilate you?” one of the nearby Liradans said in Zero’s voice.

2V nodded. “Some of them, yes. I think they’ll find it’s harder than they thought. I’d be willing to bet on it, in fact. Cause I’m not going to make it easy for them.”

There were several screens floating in the air around her, showing the priests charging towards the palace. She could see explosions caused by non-magical weaponry in the surrounding park. She’d ordered Zero to take control of the Liradans, so they couldn’t kill anyone. Armed groups like the priests were able to destroy them and break through.

“But then you should be the one taking control. If you leave your defenses to the Liradans, they’re sure to fail,” Zero said.

The screen changed to show a street near the palace that was flooded with people. The Liradans were trying their hardest to push them back without hurting them, but the humans showed no signs of slowing down. It was practically a riot.

“It doesn’t matter if they fail. Actually, I hope they do.” 2V hopped off her throne and called one of the Liradans over to her. “It’s time for the play to begin.”

“What does the term ‘play’ mean here?” Zero asked. 2V laughed and pointed to the screen.

Brave, the man who’d started the uprising, was now heading for the palace. She doubted he’d come up with a way to recharge his energy inside the palace, but he still probably had some kind of plan.

“I’m going to let them see me die. That’s my goal, is to show them my death. I haven’t accomplished the two things I need to really make this a success, but at this point, it doesn’t matter. How is the search for those two... Kazuko and Keisu... proceeding?”

“Kazuko will be found soon, I’m sure,” Zero answered. “I’ve dispatched one of my most talented units. But are you telling me you intend to lose?”

The second he spoke those words, the whole palace vibrated. It was the rioters. They were almost here. But 2V just smiled.

“Lose? Of course not. Let’s get started. Go ahead and show them your true power. We need to draw that hero out. You have permission to use stun sticks and tear gas,” 2V said.

“They’re not trying to kill them, but...” Hiroshi shook with anger as he watched the scene unfold below.

The people at the front of the mob charging the palace had collapsed to the ground in front of the castle drawbridge. It was like a boundary line had been drawn there, and nobody could go any further. There were Liradans on top of the bridge with stun sticks, blocking their path.

“I have 10 minutes once I’m inside... No, I need to leave energy for my attacks, so three minutes or so?”

Hiroshi turned his eyes upwards above the palace. There was a huge polygon-like object floating there — the embodiment of Zero. If he could destroy it, he could probably shut Zero down. And if he could do that, 2V would be much easier to defeat.

“What do I do...?” Hiroshi murmured to himself. “Charge in? If I can’t finish this in three minutes, I’m done for...”

○

“Will you take my hand?” Kazuko asked.

Akuto looked at her quietly. “I don’t understand why I should do that,” he said in a calm voice, but Kazuko just laughed.

“Oh my, you’re right, aren’t you? There isn’t a reason. But you don’t know what to do with that power you have, do you? So there’s no reason for you to refuse, either. And right now, the Empire has been stolen from me by my twin. Please, will you defeat her before you make any decisions? Please?”

Akuto understood the logic of what she was saying. But he still didn’t feel like taking her hand. “And that’s why you waited for me here?”

“That’s right. I know how powerful Zero is. You’re the only one who can fight him,” she said, smiling as if she had no doubt that things would go her way. Her attitude suggested that she thought the whole world existed only for her sake. Everyone else in the room understood that this was natural for her.

But still, Akuto looked at her with sharp eyes. “Why don’t you apologize?”

Kazuko didn’t seem to be caught off guard by this. Instead, she simply seemed to not understand what she was being told. “Apologize? For what?”

“Why did you hide my... I mean, the secret of this Empire? Weren’t there lots of wars because of that?”

Kazuko put her hand up to her mouth and laughed elegantly. “Haha, what a silly question. The Demon Kings of the past all knew the secret and started wars anyway. They tried to destroy the system of the gods itself.”

“But Demon Kings are still born despite being so dangerous... No, someone creates them,” Akuto said.

“Yes. There must be one within the Empire. One must be born every few centuries. Otherwise, the bugs within the system of the gods... the pus, you might say... build up with the system and eventually destroy it.”

“Then I’m...” Akuto fell silent.

If that was true — and it almost certainly was — then all the Demon Kings throughout history were fighting a battle that was never meant to be won, either to destroy the system that controlled the world, or protect the people who obeyed that system.

But it wasn’t fate that made them do it. It wasn’t fate, but a choice they made themselves.

“It’s okay for me to be me, isn’t it?” Akuto whispered to himself.

“I’m sorry? What does that mean? You’re the Demon King. An unstable creature with too much power. That’s why you need to serve me...”

Akuto suddenly cut her off. “No. I’m me. And I decide who I am.” He turned his eyes to look at her.

“But do you have what it takes to make that decision? To carry the weight of an entire country? You don’t, do you?” Kazuko’s smile never wavered.

But Akuto shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. I have them.”

He looked at Keena, then Fujiko, then Yoshie. And even though they weren’t here, in his mind he saw Junko, Korone, and Hiroshi.

“I am the me that loves them. That’s why I’m me.”

None of the girls spoke, but their eyes were all locked on Akuto.

“So you won’t obey your country, then?” Kazuko asked.

“I’ll make you a deal. I’ll defeat 2V and Zero, just like you want me to. But don’t try to control my mind,” Akuto said.

Kazuko smiled and nodded. “You’re a fascinating person,” she laughed. “Very well. If that’s the case, then...”

Kazuko started to take a step forward... and just then, a thin ray of light flashed through the room. It pierced Akuto’s chest from behind and passed out through the front.

“Huh...?” Akuto froze. Blood began to seep from his chest.

“A-Ackie!”

“Akuto!”

“Was that... a laser?!”

Keena, Fujiko, and Yoshie all screamed at once.

Akuto put his hand to his chest, and then watched in disbelief as it turned red with blood. He turned in the direction the ray of light had come. “Korone...!”

Korone was there, holding her beam weapon. Akuto’s face was twisted with shock and terror, but Korone’s expression was completely flat, so empty that there wasn’t even a trace of coldness or cruelty in it.

“I had hoped that after it passed through you, it would reach Kazuko as well. But I underestimated your toughness, it appears. However, both Kazuko and the Demon King are my targets. This is my chance to get two birds with one stone. Next time, please do not block my shot. My priority list puts Kazuko above the Demon King,” Korone said emotionlessly. Akuto had buckled over from the impact, and now she had a clear line of sight at Kazuko as she aimed.

“No...!” Issei, who had been silent until then, suddenly held out his hand towards the floor. The whole room began to glow in response.

“A teleporter circle!” Fujiko shouted.

The circle’s magic seemed to affect everyone in the room. Issei activated the circle, and Akuto and his friends, as well as Kazuko and Issei began to disappear. But Korone quickly skated over to the teleportation circle, putting her own teleporter device on top of it.

“Now the teleportation will be incomplete. Instead, you will appear at a location I designate,” Korone stated. Akuto had buckled over from the impact, and now she had a clear line of sight at Kazuko as she aimed.

“No... She’s so fast!” Issei said in a voice like a scream.

But then they disappeared, and so did Korone. A moment later, they appeared in a forest they didn’t recognize. First Akuto, and then the three girls around him. Behind him was Kazuko, and a little further away was Issei. Finally Korone appeared, exactly as she’d been a moment ago.

“I assume that was an attempt to run, but you were far too slow. It will be difficult to flee in this forest with no teleportation to aid you,” Korone said.

“K-Korone...” Akuto slowly rose to his full height.

“Please do not stand between myself and Kazuko.” Korone readied her beam weapon.

“Korone, stop!” Keena yelled, but nothing happened. Korone remained expressionless.

“Stop it, Korone!” Akuto insisted. “Don’t shoot anyone! You can hurt me if you want, but you can’t kill any people...” He slowly staggered towards her.

“The Demon King is not a person. Neither is the Empress. Goodbye,” Korone said.

“Stop!” Akuto summoned his strength and jumped on her. He grabbed her weapon as tightly as he could and pointed it away from Kazuko, and then turned around and shouted, “Run!”

But Kazuko simply looked confused. “Run?”

“That’s right. Run—”

“You’re in the way,” Korone said as she wrestled back control of the weapon. Now it was pointed directly up against his stomach.

“Ackie!” Keena ran towards him. But in the next moment, a beam of light had pierced his body.

“...!” Keena let out a wordless scream.

Akuto’s body began to slump to the ground. Korone carelessly brushed him aside.

“Gaah...” He fell to the ground and moaned. He was still breathing.

“Ackie!”

“Akuto!”

Keena and Fujiko ran towards him but Yoshie was shaking too much to move, and Kazuko was still looking at him in confusion.

“Why did you tell me to run?” the Empress asked, as if she truly didn’t understand.

Akuto answered, the blood dripping from his mouth. “Because you’re like me, you were born with the burden of power... That’s why I decided to protect you... Because I once had someone like that. Someone who knew who I was, but who fought my side anyway, and who died laughing...” he said, moaning.

“Ackie, stop talking...” Keena helped him up.

“Oh... if only Akuto had awakened, these wounds wouldn’t bother him at all...” Fujiko cried in despair. She was using healing magic on him, but it wasn’t working at all. She could see the color draining from his face.

He looked at Keena and smiled as his lips moved, but no words came out. And then his head slumped towards the ground. As Keena held him in her arms, all the strength left his body.

They both screamed his name and clung to his body tightly, as if trying to bring him back to life.

But Korone only glanced once down at his corpse before walking right past them.

“That was far too easy. The Empress’s life wasn’t even worth protecting.” Korone turned to look at Kazuko.

Kazuko smiled at her. She almost seemed to be having fun. “Hahaha, you’re right. He should not have tried to protect me.”

“So you accept that the Empress is worthless? Then there’s no problem if you die, is there?” She raised her beam weapon.

“Not at all,” Kazuko said.

“?”

“There’s no need to protect me,” Kazuko waved her hand, and multiple mana balls appeared around her body.

“Black magic...!” Korone jumped backwards, suddenly cautious.

But amazingly, Kazuko stepped forward after her. “It’s not black magic. It’s the Yasakani Magatama, one of the Imperial family’s secret magics.”

Kazuko waved her hand and the mana balls began to dance and strike at Korone.

“Attack pattern unknown. Initiating close-range reactive dodging...!” Korone tried to twist her body out of the way, but the mana balls moved too fast and too randomly for her to stop them from slamming into her body.

“...! Unable to dodge...?” The mana balls clung tightly to her body. They seemed to be causing continuous damage without ever slowing down.

“They’ll keep dancing until I die, and keep dancing even after you die. That’s how the spell works.” Kazuko began to dance as she laughed.

Korone was a Liradan, but the damage seemed to be too much for her. She quickly opened her purse and jumped inside.

“Oh?” Kazuko’s eyes went wide, as if she’d been caught off guard.

Korone’s body disappeared feet first into the small bag. Her hand was the last thing to vanish, and before it did, it traced out a small teleportation circle to make the bag disappear as well.

“She’s a very talented Liradan, isn’t she?” Kazuko smiled as she looked towards a sobbing Keena. “He’s dead, isn’t he?”

Keena looked at her through teary eyes. “W-What do we do...?”

Fujiko, however, made no effort to conceal her hatred. “Th-This is your fault...”

“Oh? That has nothing to do with me. And like he said, he did what he did because of his deceased friend, right?” Kazuko motioned towards Keena’s chest as she spoke.

“H...Huh?” Keena realized that there was a shining light coming from just below her neck. “Wh-What is this...? Petey?”

It was the necklace she’d hidden beneath her clothes. She took it out, and saw that it was overflowing with light. At the end of the necklace was a piece of one of Peterhausen’s fangs.

“Petey...”

It was as if the creature Akuto had called a friend was trying to tell them something in answer to their sorrow.

“This is...” She held Peterhausen’s fang gently to her chest and closed her eyes. And then she nodded, as if she was speaking to someone.

“Wh-What’s going on...?” Fujiko asked fearfully.

Keena opened her eyes. “He says there’s a way to bring back Ackie...”

“What...?!” Fujiko was completely confused.

“The Coffin of the Underworld King...” Kazuko said, “That’s the name of the device that can revive the Demon King. And of course, it’s also the device used to awaken him...”

“Why does something like that exist?” Yoshie’s words were tiny and hoarse, like she was overwhelmed with everything that was going on around her.

“There have been many Demon Kings throughout history. Some of them have been psychologically underdeveloped. That is why it is customary for the Demon King to be given several trials. And that’s why the device exists, as a safety measure,” Kazuko said.

“Then in some cases he might not awaken...”

“Most likely, yes. Some have died in the process of awakening. Now, go. I’ll wait here.”

“Wait...?” Fujiko turned her head towards Kazuko.

“Yes.” Kazuko’s smile never left her face. “I’ll be waiting for the Demon King to be born for the sake of the Empire...”