Chapter 15 The Instructor, Understands

The Instructor, Understands

“The Demon King skills are a power that makes the impossible possible.”

“Impossible to possible…?”

In the midst of the life-draining ceremony of my birth as the new Demon King, Arisu answers with a nonchalant expression.

“In exchange for losing the future, right?”

There is only Arisu in this room.

All attacks from my power should be directed at her, but she doesn’t move an inch.

Ah, she’s on a completely different level from me.

I realized this not by words but by experience.

“Is this also a kind of awakening…?”

With a startled expression, Alice says something strange.

Before I knew it, the life-draining ceremony had calmed down.

“Oh, are you full already?”

“Probably… I think it stabilized somehow….”

I lightly clench and unclench my hand.

I feel strangely fulfilled.

Now I understand what Arisu said earlier.

The vessel of my soul has been completely destroyed and rebuilt.

Dark magic fills the vessel.

I’ve definitely transcended the human realm.

I have taken the first step towards becoming something nonhuman.

There is no turning back now, and I have no intention of doing so.

“Fufu, you look different. How does it feel to be a complete demon king?”

“…Not bad.”

Now I can see the flow of magic.

This place is overflowing with magic.

Ah, I used to use this instinctively.

How incomplete and clumsy it was.

As I am intoxicated by my new sharp senses, I ponder.

“If I become a demon king, will the humans know right away?”

“Unless you tell them, no one will know. You’re still human at heart. Even Danna-sama didn’t know what I was, right?”

That’s true.

“But in the wilderness? The Demon King had an overwhelming presence; even the newborn Demon King I fought before, and the Iron Rat clearly wanted to kill me. According to human common sense, a Demon King is an unconditional enemy of humans.”

I ask, remembering various things.

“Of course, Danna-sama. When a creature that was originally hostile to humans becomes a Demon King, it’s natural for it to be hostile.”

Arisu answers casually.

When she says it like that, it makes sense.

“There must be a lot of people who have become Demon Kings without anyone knowing about it, right?”

I asked something unbelievable.

“Aren’t you one too, Danna-sama?”

Her argument is very convincing.

Arisu looks up at the sky and thinks for a moment.

“Danna-sama, you need some knowledge.”

“Knowledge?”

“Knowledge of Hero skills and Demon King skills.”

“I have questions about how you know, but if you do, please teach me. I beg you, Arisu-sensei.”

“Arisu-sensei?”

She looks at me with wide eyes.

“When you ask someone for teachings, shouldn’t you call them ‘Sensei’?”

“Sen…sei… It sounds nice! All right! Arisu-sensei will teach you!”

She suddenly became energetic….

“All right, then teach me, Sensei! What is my Demon King skill [Omnipresent Harmony]?”

“What is that…? I don’t know….”

This woman…!

“Well, both hero skills and demon king skills are tied to each person’s soul. They differ from person to person, so you need to deepen your own understanding.”

“Is that so…? Eh? Then was that contract earlier a scam…?”

“Well, well, Danna-sama, you lack basic knowledge. I’ll teach you the basics first.”

She holds her finger up, her nostrils slightly flaring as she clearly enjoys teaching.

Well, teaching is fun.

It’s better to be honest about what you don’t understand.

“By the way, your understanding of Hero skills is that it’s just a powerful skill, right?”

“Well, yeah. Isn’t it?”

“That’s not entirely wrong, but it doesn’t capture the essence.”

Arisu runs her finger through the air.

“The Hero skills are the power to see the future. It’s a power that allows us to move forward.”

The word [future] appears. It’s written in a magical civilization script, of course.

I’m glad I studied.

“On the contrary, the Demon King skills are the power to see into the past. It’s the power of reproduction or regeneration.”

The word [past] appears.

I nod deeply.

“I see, I don’t understand.”

I understand that I don’t understand.

It is the knowledge of my own ignorance.

Seeing me like this, Arisu chuckles lightly.

“Well, this is the magical civilization’s way of thinking, so it’s a bit conceptual. What you should know is what kind of phenomena each skill can cause. Both the Hero skills and the Demon King skills require a considerable amount of magic and sacrifice to be used by ordinary people.”

“Sacrifice…?”

“It varies from person to person, so it’s hard to say for sure. However, the sacrifice for hero skills is often time. In other words, the more you use it, the faster you age.”

This is shocking.

…Come to think of it, I noticed that since Sieg got the Hero skill, his physique has improved quite a bit. Could that be due to the rapid aging?

And then I realized something.

“Then… could it be the Demon King skill…?”

Arisu grins widely.

“Yes! Exactly! It makes you younger!”

“Is that a disadvantage…?”

Some women would probably be overjoyed to use it.

“It might not be a big deal for long-lived species. But for a young thing like Danna-sama, overuse could turn you into a fetus… It’s a significant weakness compared to heroic abilities.”

“Wait, that’s terrible! I can hardly use it then!”

I hold my head in despair.

It’s frustrating that even though I’ve acquired this power, it’s so difficult to know when to use it….

Is there a way around this…?

“The story goes on from there. Do you remember what I said when you asked me, ‘If you had the Demon King skill, would you become a Demon King’?”

I recall.

“—Just having it isn’t enough to become a Demon King?”

“Correct! Full points!”

“I don’t need that.”

“You’re harsh, Danna-sama… In simple terms, just having the skill doesn’t make you complete.”

“Complete!?!?”

Something that powerful is incomplete!?

“What else would you call a being that has to pay a price for using its power? Isn’t that the very definition of incomplete?”

“Grr….”

I’m speechless.

“However, naturally occurring demon kings don’t require sacrifice. Do you understand why?”

“…Because they were born that way?”

I answer after thinking for a moment.

Arisu claps her hands in delight.

“Wonderful! That’s correct! You need the perfect soul vessel to wield the power! And indeed, humans can achieve that through cultivation. We call it reaching the pinnacle.”

“Pinnacle…?”

“By killing Demon King and Hero skill users and absorbing their power to fill your own vessel. That’s the peak. We call those who reach that state ‘Complete Demon King’ and ‘True Hero’.”

I remember Arisu calling me that earlier.

“Ah.”

I realized something.

The reason why Sieg became obsessed with killing demon kings after killing the Iron Rat is this!

I don’t know how, but Sieg figured it out!

If he knows it, there’s no way he wouldn’t pursue it!

To become a true hero! And to monopolize that power, I became an obstacle!

I sigh at the realization of this harsh truth.

I was cast out for this….

“So a complete demon king like Danna-sama doesn’t need any sacrifices. Your vessel has already been transformed.”

“…So Arisu’s Demon King ability earlier….”

The moment the contract was formed, Arisu’s power flowed into my vessel.

No way.

“Yes! Yes! It’s my Demon King skill! To forcibly raise a recognized partner’s vessel to the peak, but it's limited to one person!”

I ignore Arisu’s cheerful expression and think of something else.

Ah, I see… The reason why Arisu was sealed here without being killed is becoming clearer.

Frankly, she’s too dangerous.

A being capable of creating Complete Demon Kings.

And yet too precious to kill.

Humans, past and present, are the same….