Arifureta : King Of Demons

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==============

The day a conference of representatives from various nations and races was held in the Demon Kingdom Garland.

On the same day, the truth of the world was revealed by the princess of the Heiligh Kingdom. It was said that the evil god, who had secretly ruled the world after replacing Ehit, whose true name had been stolen by the machinations of another evil god aiming to conquer the world, had finally bared its fangs. It was also said that the recent declaration of the Apostles of God as heretics was a ploy by this evil god. This truth spread rapidly throughout the capital. No one would call the Apostles of God traitors anymore. Furthermore, the existence of the "Goddess of Fertility," who appeared to defeat the evil god, barely managed to mend the broken spirits of the human race.

Now, following the Goddess's instructions, everyone was bustling about, preparing for the upcoming battle. No one noticed the presence of the Demonfolk general who stood behind her.

However, not everyone was able to look forward...

As the sun set in the western sky, night fell over the royal capital. Amidst the various voices of people echoing throughout the city, a young girl lay wrapped in a futon in a room in the royal palace.

"...Eri."

The girl—Suzu—unconsciously whispered the name of her best friend, alone in the room.

After descending God Mountain, it was none other than Liliana who offered a helping hand to those who had nowhere to go. She protected them by secretly sheltering them in the royal palace. Originally, the plan was to evacuate them outside the capital in anticipation of the Demonfolk attack, but given the current situation, it was deemed more dangerous to send them out, so she enlisted the cooperation of her father, King Eliheid. Now, due to the influence of Liliana and Aiko, their suspicion of being heretics had been cleared, allowing them to go out into the city without worry.

However, despite the situation, Suzu had remained cooped up in her room since that day, not taking a single step outside.

"Was I just a convenient tool for Eri...?"

She recalled Eri's monologue from that day. Eri had stayed by her side simply because it made it easier to interact with Kouki. That was all. There was no trust of a friend from the beginning. Suzu, having been so blatantly told this, had since withdrawn to her room, barely eating, and repeatedly questioning herself.

Memories of Eri filled her mind. Before she knew it, they had always been together. Countless times they had played at Suzu's house, walked home together after school, and simply chatted aimlessly at the park. Eri liked to read, and always seemed to be a step behind everyone else... and then... then...

"...Huh?"

Suzu suddenly realized. She knew Eri was quiet. She knew Eri liked books. She knew Eri's favorite foods... What else?

"I've been with Eri all this time, but..."

Suzu was usually the one to start conversations, and Eri often listened to Suzu's stories and nodded in agreement. Because of this, she rarely asked Eri anything about herself. It wasn't that she wasn't curious. She wanted to visit Eri's house. What kind of people were Eri's family? She had thought about asking. But she felt that Eri somehow avoided those topics, so she didn't push it. Why? Because she was afraid. She didn't want to ask things the other person didn't want to talk about and be disliked. She was afraid of being alone.

"I... I don't know anything about Eri. I can't call myself her best friend like this."

So what should she do? It was clear. She would get to know her from now on. And...

"—She was going to make it, but..."

Eri's expression back then. A sudden shift from her previous crazed demeanor to one of listlessness. What was Eri thinking behind that face...?

"...I have to talk to her properly. This time, without running away, face to face!"

What Eri said that day was undoubtedly true. However, Suzu felt there was more to it. She felt that Eri was wavering about something. She didn't know what it was, but nothing would change by staying cooped up in her room.

Suzu jumped out of bed and picked up the hand mirror on her desk.

"Ugh, my hair's a mess, and the dark circles under my eyes are terrible."

A few hours ago, Kaori and Shizuku had visited to check on her, and they were quite worried. And rightly so, with a face like this. Suzu, repulsed by her own appearance, slapped her cheeks hard to re-energize herself.

"Alright! First, I'll take a bath, eat something... I'm gonna do it! Just you wait, Eri!"

Slamming the door open, Suzu dashed out. The desperate atmosphere from before was nowhere to be found in her shouts of "Waaaahhh!!" as she ran.

"Hey! What's all this commotion so late at night?!"

"S-Sorry!!"

...Perhaps she had gotten a little too energetic.

At the same time, on the royal palace terrace, Kouki sighed alone, looking down at the illuminated capital.

"I..."

Kouki had already heard from Kaori and Shizuku what had happened on God Mountain and the truth of this world. The god Ehit, whom Kouki had blindly believed to be righteous, was actually an evil god who saw humanity as mere pawns on a game board. And Ishtar and the other members of the Holy Church would readily kill even their fellow humans for Ehit's sake.

Incidentally, the fact that Hajime had deliberately forsaken the possibility of returning was kept confidential among those who were present. While Hajime himself felt no regret about that choice, there was a definite risk that his current classmates would spiral out of control if they heard about it. Even though their suspicions had been cleared, they had almost been executed. Coupled with the crisis of this world, it was easy to imagine that they wished to return home as quickly as possible.

Knowing the truth of the world, the old Kouki might have been enraged by the facts. Or perhaps he might have lashed out at Hajime for knowing and keeping silent. However, what Kouki felt after hearing the story was simply regret for his past actions.

"Because I so easily said I'd fight... because I blindly believed Ishtar's words..."

In conclusion, not all of Kouki's choices were wrong. If Kouki and the others had refused to participate in the war at that time, Ishtar would undoubtedly have captured them as fools who defied the divine authority, despite being chosen by God. In that sense, Kouki's choice could even be considered the best. Kouki's mistake was believing everything Ishtar said without any doubt. And, without consulting his classmates, he proclaimed his own thoughts as the unanimous opinion of the class.

"Nagumo almost died... I put my classmates in danger... And Eri too..."

Until now, Kouki had never regretted his actions. If someone was in trouble, he would help them unconditionally. If someone disrupted order, he would caution them. He believed there could be no mistake in acting for someone else's sake. That value system... Kouki's very way of being, had completely collapsed. Now, thinking calmly, he scoffed at his own awkwardness.

'I'll protect everyone!' *

—Didn't Nagumo fall into the abyss?'I'll defeat the Demonfolk!' *

—Didn't you completely fail?'I'll save the world and everyone!!' *

—You don't have the power or the resolve for that...

His past words and actions now filled him with nothing but disgust. He said he would protect them, but why did he accept Nagumo's death as inevitable? Why did he so easily speak of war without the resolve to kill? Why could he blindly believe Ishtar's words without any basis? Considering the situation, it was like believing a kidnapper's words without question.

And Eri too. Why did Eri betray them...? He was shocked when Shizuku told him the reason. To get him... just for that, Eri betrayed humanity. It made no sense. He couldn't understand why Eri was so fixated on him. However, it was clear that he was part of the cause. Perhaps he had unknowingly done something to Eri. When he pressed Shizuku for answers, it seemed that various problems had been occurring behind the scenes of his "help," and Shizuku had been discreetly following up on them. At this point, he could only laugh at his own foolishness.

He extended his hand presumptuously...

He thought he had saved them presumptuously...

He basked in a sense of righteousness presumptuously...

"I was never right about anything...!"

He clutched his head and crouched down on the spot. He wanted to scream. He wanted to wail. Yet, he gritted his teeth, knowing he had no right to. How much time had passed since then? He could still hear the voices of many people in the city. Everyone was acting for the future. The Kouki of a little while ago would have lent a hand without a second thought, but now, a pessimistic thought emerged: perhaps things would go better without him.

"Haha, maybe I should just run away somewhere far... somewhere no one is..."

Such a weak thought inadvertently escaped Kouki's lips. The situation worsened because he was there. So, if the source of the problem disappeared from here, wouldn't no one be bothered? With a dry laugh, Kouki, muttering weakness, vaguely looked down from the terrace at the ground below when a pair of figures caught his eye.

"!---That person...!"

The moment he caught sight of one of the two figures, Kouki instinctively grabbed the railing and jumped off the terrace. No specific thought had occurred to him. It was a completely unconscious act. Yet, faster than he could think, his body moved towards that person. He landed safely and immediately rushed towards them. The other person seemed to have noticed him. They looked at Kouki with a puzzled expression.

"Uh, um...!"

Kouki, who had run all the way to them, tried to speak, but having jumped out without thinking, the words wouldn't come out smoothly.

"......Haa."

The young man had been waiting for Kouki to speak, but judging that Kouki was stammering and getting nowhere, he let out a sigh. Kouki's shoulders flinched, but the young man didn't seem to mind and spoke to the red-haired man beside him.

"Go on ahead."

"But... no, understood."

The man hesitated for a moment but then glanced at Kouki and disappeared into the night city, leaving the young man behind. After confirming that, the young man slowly met Kouki's gaze.

"...So? What do you want from me, you brat?"

The young man—Aldias—muttered languidly.

The next morning. In the royal palace dining hall, Kaori and Shizuku were eating breakfast across from each other.

"So, Nagumo-kun has been dedicating himself to artifact production since yesterday."

"Yeah, Shea and Tio also seem to be doing various things with their respective races."

"Just a little while ago, the whole country was in chaos, but is this also thanks to the 'Goddess of Fertility'?"

"Ahaha, that was surprising, wasn't it? I never thought Sensei would become the leader of the alliance..."

The speech that suddenly took place in the capital yesterday. For the two of them, who had witnessed the interaction with Schupass, they had an idea of what it was, but they never imagined that Aiko would take on the role of unifying all the races of Tortus. However, its influence was immense, and the humans, who had been looking down, began to find hope in Aiko's words.

"...But it didn't reach everyone in the class, did it?" Kaori muttered, a shadow falling over her expression.

The speech by Aiko and the others had naturally reached the classmates in the royal palace. However, with a few exceptions, most of the students remained cooped up in their rooms. For the past three days, most of them had spent their time in their rooms from morning till night, except for essential activities like eating. If they lost this battle, not only the inhabitants of this world but also their own lives would be in danger. To increase their chances of survival, cooperating in the battle would be the best option for them.

However, they were merely children with no resolve to fight. They had only ever followed Kouki's instructions, so they couldn't possibly decide things based on logic.

"...It seems only Shizuku, Ryutaro, and I are going to Hajime-kun's place."

"Yes, that's right."

Last night, Hajime had contacted them through Kaori's telepathy stone. The message was about confirming their fighting strength. There wasn't much time until the decisive battle. If they had the will to fight, they would be incorporated into the forces; if not, they wouldn't be counted on from the start. Spending time producing artifacts for those who wouldn't fight would be nothing but a waste. For that reason, Kaori and Shizuku had gone around to all their classmates' rooms yesterday and told them to gather in the dining hall in the morning if they intended to participate. Only Ryutaro showed his intention to join then and there. Everyone else either showed clear refusal or equivocated. The fact that no one else was present spoke for itself.

"It can't be helped. It's only dangerous to force them. When Ryutaro comes, let's head straight there."

"Yeah... but what happened to Ryutaro-kun? The promised time has already passed..."

"Hmph, that idiot. He's not still sleeping, is he?"

She thought it was highly unlikely at such a crucial time, but she sighed at her inability to say for sure. Just as the two were thinking of going to his room to pick him up directly, the dining hall door opened with a bang. The two, thinking Ryutaro had arrived, turned to the door.

"You're a bit late... are you?"

"......Suzu-chan?"

However, what appeared was a small girl, the complete opposite of Ryutaro's large build. It was Suzu, whom they had thought would never appear here.

"Kaorin! Shizushizu! Sorry to keep you waiting!"

"Suzu!? Why are you here!?"

"Why? Shizushizu told us to gather, didn't she?"

"Th-That's true, but..."

"But, Suzu-chan..."

"It's okay!!"

The betrayal of Eri, whom she thought was her best friend. It had left a deep wound in Suzu's heart, leaving her so heartbroken that they thought she might die if left alone. They believed it would take a long time for her to regain her energetic self, or perhaps that they might never see her smile again.

"I worried a lot. I cried a lot. But I decided for myself. I'll face Eri properly again, this time without running away!"

"...I see."

They were surprised, but if she said so, it must be alright. The crisis hadn't passed, but the mood in the class lightened a bit as Suzu, the class mood-maker, returned to her usual self.

"Alright, Kaorin! Let's go punch Eri together!!"

"Eh!? Punch her!?"

"Really, you're not messing around. Suzu, you haven't eaten yet, have you? Hurry up and eat."

"Okay~!"

That exchange brought back memories of their peaceful past, and they felt the tension unconsciously leave their shoulders. However, a presence quickly appeared to dampen the mood.

"Kaori!! Shizuku!! Are you there!?"

With a bang, as if kicking down the dining hall door, Ryutaro, whom Kaori and Shizuku had been waiting for, appeared. The sudden sound echoing through the dining hall made all three of them jump, but when they realized the cause was Ryutaro, they sighed in relief.

"You're late, Ryutaro. The meeting time passed ages ago—"

"Kouki's gone!!"

"!? What did you say!?"

Shizuku had been about to reprimand Ryutaro for his blatant tardiness, but at his interrupting news, everyone's eyes widened.

"What do you mean, 'gone'!?"

"I don't know! Last night, he went out to get some fresh air and hasn't come back since!?"

"You left Kouki alone!?"

"S-Sorry. I waited in the room for a while, but I fell asleep..."

Ryutaro should have known the danger of leaving Kouki alone in his current mental state. However, Kouki himself had asked to be left alone, and Ryutaro had apparently agreed on the condition that he wouldn't leave the royal palace. He had intended to go look for him if he was too late in returning, but he had fallen asleep midway.

"So, I rushed around searching everywhere, but I couldn't find him at all."

"Why didn't you tell us immediately!?"

"My bad! I thought I'd find him right away... Really, my bad!!"

"Let's hurry and look for him!"

"I'll help too!"

They could reflect later. For now, finding Kouki's whereabouts was paramount. Urged on by Kaori and Suzu, Shizuku and Ryutaro also changed their mindset. Just as everyone immediately dashed out of the dining hall, intending to split up and search for Kouki—

"Oh? Everyone, why are you in such a hurry?"

The very cause of Shizuku and the others' panic suddenly appeared before them as if nothing had happened.

"Kouki!?"

"Kouki-kun!?"

"Eh!? What!? What's wrong, everyone!?"

Everyone, who had been momentarily dumbfounded by Kouki's sudden appearance, despite him supposedly being missing, quickly snapped back to reality and rushed him all at once.

"What do you mean 'what's wrong'!? You left last night and didn't come back, so we've been looking for you all this time!?"

"Huh? I came back properly last night, though? And in the morning, Ryutaro was still asleep, so I thought it'd be bad to wake him and left a note on the desk, but..."

"......Eh?"

Ryutaro, who had rushed at Kouki as if to grab him, was dumbfounded. Kouki, who had a question mark floating above his head and explained as if he didn't understand, made Ryutaro's eyes go wide. He then replayed Kouki's words repeatedly in his mind. As the situation gradually sank in, an unpleasant sweat broke out all over his body.

"...Ryutaro?"

At the emotionless voice from behind him, Ryutaro turned around like a doll whose oil had run out, and Shizuku's absolute zero gaze pierced him. Suzu, who was behind her, also stared at Ryutaro with narrowed eyes, though not as intensely as Shizuku, and even the usually kind Kaori gave a wry smile.

"...So, it was all your hasty judgment, Ryutaro."

"S-Sorry."

At Shizuku's pointing out Ryutaro hung his head and apologized. Knowing him, he probably panicked after falling asleep while waiting for Kouki and, seeing Kouki's absence from the room, rushed out without properly checking.

"M-More importantly, where were you!? I was searching all over the royal palace!?"

"Ah, I was just going around to everyone's... to my classmates' rooms."

"Huh? Your classmates' rooms, you...?"

Ryutaro was speechless at Kouki's words. The memory of his classmates harshly insulting Kouki was still fresh. If he showed himself to them now, there was no telling what they would say. That's why he had decided that Kouki shouldn't approach them, and Ryutaro himself hadn't searched the classmates' living quarters. Shizuku, who had been listening, felt a bad premonition upon hearing that Kouki had gone to his classmates.

"Kouki? You don't mean to say..."

Did he once again blurt out something about protecting everyone without any basis? Shizuku was about to continue but, sensing what she was thinking, he immediately shook his head in denial. Then, with a serious expression, he looked at the four of them—

"Ryutaro, Shizuku, Kaori, Suzu... I'm truly sorry for everything until now."

He bowed deeply and offered his apology. Everyone stood dumbfounded, their mouths agape at the sight.

"K-Kouki-kun? Could it be, going around to everyone's rooms was...?"

"Yes, I bowed to all my classmates."

Looking closely at Kouki's face, who had said that, his cheeks seemed slightly swollen. Perhaps someone in the class had raised a hand against him. Kouki, noticing their gaze, placed a hand on his cheek and casually said, "This is better than nothing."

"Of course, they won't forgive me for just that. No matter how much I apologize, what I've done won't be undone... No, that's wrong. I shouldn't be forgiven that easily."

No matter how much he repented for his past actions. No matter how many apologies he offered. The sins he committed would not disappear. That's why he had to continue bearing that karma.

"I'm not worthy of being called a hero. I don't know what I can do in this battle. Perhaps I might cause trouble for everyone again."

Giving up here would probably be the easiest. There were countless people much stronger and more trusted than him. Even if he alone disappeared, the world would continue to turn. Kouki Amanogawa might not be a special existence to the world. A naive child struggling might not change the outcome at all.

"But I don't want to run away from here. If I run away here, I'll keep running away forever. You might think it's too late. You might think it's convenient. Even so, please... please let me fight alongside you!!"

At Kouki, who had bowed his head again, the four exchanged silent glances and then, after a while, nodded firmly.

"Hmph!"

"Ouch!? R-Ryutaro?"

Against Kouki, who continued to bow his head, Ryutaro suddenly raised his arm and brought his fist down on the back of Kouki's head. As Kouki's eyes went wide from the sudden impact, Ryutaro grinned.

"You're being uncharacteristically considerate! You're late, you idiot!"

"Ryutaro..."

"Honestly. Well, I guess you've grown a little?"

"Shizuku..."

"Hehe, let's do our best, we who were both down in the dumps!"

"Suzu..."

"Kouki-kun, let's all go back to our original world together."

"Kaori......! Ah!"

Kouki nodded forcefully, feeling something welling up in his chest. Everyone smiled at Kouki, who had finally returned, when Shizuku suddenly noticed something.

"Hm? Hehe. Kouki, it seems your feelings were conveyed a little?"

"Eh?"

"Over there." Kouki looked in the direction Shizuku pointed, and his eyes widened. At the corner of the corridor, in Kouki's line of sight, were Nagayama and the others, peeking out, observing them. They were flustered when Kouki and the others noticed them, but as if resigned, they came out in a line with Nagayama at the front. It was Nagayama's party and members of the Aichan Fan Club. Kouki's body stiffened at their appearance. The members present were comparatively not that harsh towards Kouki, but still, fear lodged itself in Kouki's eyes. Nagayama, representing them, spoke.

"Amanogawa...... I'm sorry!!"

"......Eh?"

He might be told words of resentment. However, that was something he had to bear. Kouki, who had been prepared to accept whatever was said to him, was confronted with a sight: everyone, starting with Nagayama, bowing their heads to him.

"W-Wait a minute!? Why is everyone apologizing!? It's all—"

"No, we're just as much to blame. We pushed everything onto you. Nobody wanted to take responsibility, so leaving it to someone else was the easiest."

"That was just me acting on my own, though...!"

"That's not it. We could have spoken our minds anytime we wanted. But we didn't. That's a problem even before whether our opinions would have been accepted or not."

Kouki tried to hastily deny Nagayama's words, but Endou interrupted him. Indeed, Kouki had involved the class in his decisions without listening to anyone else, and that put them in danger. But the others could have also expressed their will to Kouki, or to someone else. However, if they voiced an opinion and it was adopted, it would put some responsibility on them. Everyone had unconsciously avoided that. If they didn't act, Kouki would lead the way. They just had to silently follow. What an easy, lazy, and foolish choice that was.

"So, it's not just Amanogawa who's to blame. We just left it to you, then got disappointed, truly selfish of us, right? I'm sorry. We won't make you bear it all alone anymore. This time, we'll fight together too."

They must have discussed it beforehand. Endou and the other party members nodded firmly at Nagayama's words. Then, Sonobe, who had been waiting behind, stepped forward in front of Kouki.

"We're still scared to go to the front lines... but I think we can at least do rear support. You might think it's pathetic, but we all discussed it and decided. So..."

—This time, let's all do our best together.

"---! Ah... Ah!!"

At those words, Kouki felt the haze in his chest clear. He never thought their relationship could return to what it once was. Still, he had bowed his head to each classmate, intending to at least bear the responsibility. He knew he couldn't be forgiven. He deserved to be resented. Yet, Kaori and the others, Nagayama and the others, still hadn't abandoned him. They were offering a helping hand.

(I'm not some grand hero. I don't have that kind of power or resolve... But even without power, I'm blessed with such good friends.)

Trying to bear everything alone, without the help of such reliable friends, he truly hadn't seen the big picture until now. And then, he remembered last night.

(I still haven't given a satisfactory answer to that person's question. But still... still, I...)

The current Kouki didn't possess the convenient power to save the world. He might indeed harbor the potential befitting the hero's true calling. However, that was a matter for the future; the current Kouki was merely a child with a little power.

But Kouki decided to fight. Some might think, why now? It might be impossible to regain their trust. Still, he absolutely didn't want to run away. No matter how unsightly, pathetic, or disgraceful... he decided to keep struggling.

(I finally understand. I've been made to realize. I truly couldn't do anything alone. I was just a child who thought he was doing everything by himself. It makes sense why I was called a brat.)

His first failure. No, to be precise, a failure he had finally come to realize. He had simply been conceited. Believing he was right. That he couldn't make mistakes. That wasn't true. It couldn't have been. There was no human who didn't make mistakes. If there was, they were just a child who mistakenly thought they could do everything by themselves. People grow by stumbling, facing setbacks, suffering, and being supported by various people.

"...Everyone."

All eyes focused on Kouki's murmur.

"...I'll start over from scratch. To be able to laugh with everyone again. To be able to proudly say I'm everyone's comrade...!"

He had finally reached the starting line in the true sense of the word. From here, he would take small steps forward. This time, with everyone. The morning sun shone upon them, as if to bless Kouki's new beginning.

============

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