"Haa... haa..."
Damn those bastards. To think they'd bring down the entire castle just to kill me. And where the hell did they get all that? Magic circles, magic tools... How much money did they throw at this?
Ha! But they'll never dream I'm still alive.
...No, honestly, can I even call this living?
He pressed his hand against the hole in his stomach.
But it was too big. He was barely holding back his spilling guts, but after that reckless warp spell, his mana was nearly depleted, and his body was in shambles.
"Cough!"
He spat blood from his other hand.
Not from the ones he'd killed.
His own red blood.
To think I'd end up this wounded. Guess I'm human after all.
Still, there was hope.
"...Hero?"
Lush, wavy black hair came into view.
"Heh heh, it's only been a few days. Demon King?"
The Demon King he'd knocked out and hidden away during their final battle.
"What in the world..."
With his last ounce of strength, he'd teleported not anywhere else, but to this hideout. If they'd planned enough to collapse that castle, everyone except him must have joined in.
...No, that woman probably hadn't even participated, let alone known about it. Yet for some reason, the one he'd thought of was the Demon King.
"It's exactly as it looks. Cough... the ramblings of a hero stupidly betrayed."
Another spurt of blood, and strength drained from his body. Maybe it was because he'd reached his goal of seeing the Demon King. Humans unconsciously let go once they achieve their purpose, or so they say.
But that wasn't important now.
"How could you, who defeated me, end up this wounded?"
"I'd love to explain it all... heh heh, ack! ...Looks like I don't have time."
The Demon King, flustered yet composed, gently held his body and laid his head on her lap as a pillow.
"Heh, to think I'd get a lap pillow from the Demon King... Softer than I expected."
"...Before Demon King, I am still a woman."
"Right, you're a woman too. And a stunningly beautiful one..."
His vision blurred. For some reason, it seemed like tears were flowing from the Demon King's eyes.
She wouldn't shed tears for the enemy she'd fought to the death with, the one who'd knocked her out and hidden her here.
"Do you know why I hid you away?"
"...I think I do now."
"Exactly. If I ever got betrayed... I needed someone to avenge me in my place."
"If you foresaw the betrayal, why not flee or strike first?"
"Even so... even so, they were guys I'd fought alongside for years. Right up to the very, very end... I wanted to believe in them?"
The faces of those damn bastards flashed in his mind.
Archmage. Warrior. Dwarf Paladin. Saintess. Elf Archer. Beastkin Martial Artist. And Spirit User. ...Ah, that one died midway through the war. Must've lost too much blood; his head wasn't right anymore.
...Goddamn it.
"But I was the idiot."
His voice began to crack.
With mana depleted and guts slowly spilling out, it felt that way.
"Demon King... Sorry to ask this of you when I'm like this... but avenge me in my place. You can do it, right? ...Honestly, the Demon Army only stalled because of me alone?"
"That's right. Because of you alone. Truth be told, the others were nothing. Only... you were the monster."
Monster.
Yes, he was a monster.
"Genius" wasn't enough to describe him. Despite being human, he possessed overwhelming talent and innate mana, becoming the kingdom's strongest before even turning twenty.
With the Demon Army rising, he stood in their way and became the Hero.
As the Hero, he was revered by the people.
But he was uneasy.
Because he knew his own talent and power well.
Because he knew how much they feared him, even as they revered him.
So he'd prepared several hideouts, backup plans, and as a last resort, knocked out the Demon King and hidden her here.
Something those ragtag party members—who couldn't even handle the Four Heavenly Kings alone, let alone the Demon King—would never suspect.
"One thing... before I die... Can I ask something I'm curious about?"
He spoke, but wasn't sure if his voice came out properly.
"...What is it?"
Good, she heard. But his ears must already be failing; her voice sounded terribly sad.
"What's your name?"
"My name... my name, is it."
"Quickly... tell me... Consciousness is fading..."
"...I'm sorry, Hero."
"..."
"I cannot grant your request."
I see. Well, fair enough.
No way she'd give her name to the Hero who'd fought her to the brink of death and kidnapped her.
As that thought crossed his mind, his vision brightened.
It felt like unidentified light poured from the Demon King.
'What...?'
As he wondered silently, her voice echoed as if she'd heard.
"Demons have three forbidden spells. One is the Reincarnation Spell. Originally meant to revert oneself to infancy using a fellow demon's life force as sacrifice to cheat death... but I will use it on you. With my own power as the sacrifice. The success rate is low, and there may be unknown side effects, but even so..."
'Demons... forbidden... reincarnation... sacrifice... side effects? No idea what she's saying.'
He thought she was speaking, but his ears rang, words incomprehensible.
Whatever.
I'm dying anyway.
With that, he quietly breathed his last.