CH-161.2

 Chapter 161.2

Tears instantly spilled out from his eyes.

And who could blame him? With no one to rely on, he must've been stressed out the whole time.

Igareth came running to me and hugged me tight.

"Great Demon King… During our retreat to Azesion, the third unit of the Subjugation Battalion was attacked by a giant monster, and was annihilated in the process of helping me escape…! I made it all the way here on my own…" (Igareth)

"You did well making it here." (Anos)

I lightly stroked Igareth's back.

Though he had tears in his eyes, he bravely held his emotions back without raising his voice.

It was impressive for a child.

"That giant monster you mentioned, was it a demon?" (Anos)

Igareth replied with a sorrowful expression.

"…I don't know. It was a large beast with four legs, sharp horns and claws, hard scales and wings that allowed it to fly, and it breathed fire from its mouth…It seemed to be attacking not only the human troops, but also the demon troops. After devouring countless humans and demons, it went underground and disappeared…" (Igareth)

It devoured humans and demons alike, so it had to be—-

"A dragon, then." (Anos)

"'Dragon'? Is this the name of that monster…?" (Igareth)

"Probably. It's a rare species that appears only seldomly. I thought they had long since perished from lack of food." (Anos) 

I didn't think there would still be one dragon alive.

That being said, now wasn't the time to ponder that question.

"Igareth, I've come from two thousand years in the future. By crossing time." (Anos)

"…By crossing… time…? Is such a thing possible…?" (Igareth)

"Those demons earlier said that I had died and reincarnated, right? That was the truth. I reincarnated two thousand years later, and traveled through time to come here." (Anos)

Igareth looked at me with a blank expression.

"You don't believe me?" (Anos)

"…I'm not very knowledgeable about such concepts. But… I believe you. I trust the words of my lifesaver…" (Igareth)

Two thousand years ago, when I rescued Igareth from captivity and abuse, he said something similar.

He was an upright human child with no hatred for demons.

He was a symbol of hope. The hope that demons and humans could indeed walk side by side.

"Good answer. You were in quite a bind back there. In the actual timeline, you should be dead by now. Because I couldn't save you." (Anos)

He bit his own lip hard.

"Since it would be complicated to explain the concept of time, I'll just sum it up for you. You're not completely saved yet. In order to save you, I need to kill you once with the Abolisher of Reason here, and reincarnate you." (Anos)

I was going to use the power of the Abolisher of Reason to create a new life that wasn't originally born in this time period. In doing so, Igareth would become a unique existence in regard to the order of time from two thousand years ago to the present day.

Simply put, the alteration of Igareth's past would be imperceptible to the gods of time, and it would remain valid.

Which meant that the boy would live.

"Aren't you afraid?" (Anos)

Igareth looked me straight in the eye and nodded.

"Is there anything I can do?" (Igareth)

"What do you mean?" (Anos)

"I wish to thank you. I was taught that repaying your benefactor is the proper thing to do as a hero." (Igareth)

His educator must've been a very upstanding character.

I wish I could've met them.

"In that case, when you're reborn, I want you to spread a rumor. A rumor that will last for two thousand years, about the Demon King of Tyranny Avos Dilhevia." (Anos)

I touched Igareth's head with my fingertip.

"It's a slightly complicated one. So I'm going to use ｢Thought Communication Leaks｣ to engrave the details into your memory." (Anos)

I drew a magic circle and told Igareth the content of the rumor.

Since the Abolisher of Reason would turn him into a special being, any rumor he spread wouldn't fade from existence, but would keep going even to the present day.

Although, it was up to Igareth to make sure the rumor worked.

"…I solemnly swear to fulfill my promise to you…" (Igareth)

"Igareth. Proud little hero." I declared while holding up the Abolisher of Reason.

"In two thousand years, we'll live in an era of peace, but by no means will it be devoid of any tragedies. If you wish to repay your debt to the Demon King of Tyranny for saving you, then save a different Demon King plagued with a sad destiny." (Anos)

"…By my courage and my faith, I, Igareth, swear to live up to the expectations of the Great Demon King…!" (Igareth)

He looked full of determination.

"We'll meet again." (Anos)

When I swung down the Abolisher of Reason on him, the boy turned into particles of light, which disappeared as if blown by the wind.

At that same moment, the dark longsword in my hand returned to its original shadow form.

"Hmm. Looks like there's no more magic power left in Delsgade." (Anos)

I had just built a wall that divided the world into four parts using a three-dimensional magic circle. If possible, I would've kept using the Abolisher of Reason, but it seemed that once was the usage limit.

Venuzdonoa's shadow faded, and eventually disappeared.

"Anos." Misha called my name.

She was staring at the wall of the tower.

Right where the shadow of the Abolisher of Reason was being projected earlier.

"Look." (Misha)

The glow of the particles of dark light had faded, and the wall surface was now clearly visible.

There were letters engraved on it.

To my dear Demon King.

Let's meet again in two thousand years.

This time, all three of us.

I think… I know… I'm sure.

That I will fall for you all over again.