Chapter 120: Let Kraft Bear This Heavy Honor
Having left the suffocating dead-zone of the Godfall Land, even the stars, which he had never paid much attention to before, seemed gentler.
Serie's steps were light, her golden hair dancing in the moonlight. She was excitedly discussing their next adventure with him.
In the far north, there was an ancient magical ruin, which might contain knowledge that even the elves had never seen before. But now, it was a dangerous place, the very heart of the demon territory. The demons had even established a true nation there, and had chosen a king to rule them.
Serie just found the whole thing... interesting.
A little sense of crisis was good for the world. But it had to be within reason. She hated a one-sided war, like the one before, when the demons had been crushing the allied army. If he hadn't stepped in, they might have actually won. And that was something she would have never allowed.
Rhodes listened to her with a smile, and then asked about their old companions.
"By the way, have you heard anything from the others?"
"I have," she said, "though I haven't seen them. I did go to Norne's coronation, but I only watched from a distance."
So the elven miss had been there. He remembered Norne complaining that on such a joyous occasion, only Somme had been there. He had just been grumbling, of course, the way old friends do, but he would have been happy if he had known that she had been there as well.
But it seemed she didn't know about Eirik.
The joy of their reunion was beginning to fade, replaced by a sense of responsibility. He had to tell her. "Serie, there's something I need to tell you about Eirik."
She stopped and turned to him, a puzzled look in her eyes. "Eirik? Now that you mention it, I haven't heard anything about him in over a decade. He used to be quite the talk of the town."
Thirty years ago, there had been two humans, traveling the continent together, teaching magic. Norne had spoken of his dream to found the first human nation, and had come to be known as the Holy King. Eirik, for his part, had selflessly taught his magic to others, and had earned the title of 'Sage'. Someone had once tried to call him the 'Great Sage', but he had refused. He knew that that title belonged to Rhodes alone. He was just borrowing his knowledge, carrying on his will.
They had been quite famous in their day; even Serie had heard of them. But then, fifteen years ago, all news of Eirik had ceased. She had assumed he was with Norne, helping to build the new nation. But it seemed that was not the case.
"Have you ever heard the name 'Asmodeus, the first Demon King'?"
She nodded. His name was well known. Any race that wasn't completely cut off from the rest of the world had heard of him. For some, the mere mention of his name was enough to stop a crying child.
"Don't tell me..." she said, a look of disbelief on her face. Eirik had disappeared fifteen years ago, and Asmodeus had appeared fifteen years ago. It was too much of a coincidence.
"Yes," he said, confirming her suspicion. "Eirik is the first Demon King, Asmodeus."
He then told her everything, all that he had learned from Norne, about how he had been corrupted.
She was silent.
She was not insensitive to human emotions, but the long span of an elf's life often made her view them with a detached objectivity, a kind of cold, impartial indifference.
She tilted her head, as if processing the information, her face a blank mask.
"So," she said, her voice calm, "he's the Demon King now, a threat to the world?"
"You could say that," he said, trying to defend his old friend. "But he's also a victim. The goddess's power... it twisted and corrupted him."
"Then what do you intend to do?" she asked directly. "Find him and... kill him?"
She knew there was no hope for him. The goddess's corruption... unless you could stop it at the very beginning, it was too late.
He gave her a long, hard look and shook his head. "No. That is a decision for Norne to make."
"Norne? Why?"
"Because he was his best friend. We were all his companions, but this... I want it to be his choice." He paused, then added, "And even if he makes the same choice as you, I will have Kraft be the one to carry it out."
"Kraft?" she frowned. "Can he do it?" Kraft was a strong warrior, one of the best among the elves. But Eirik, with the goddess's power, had become unimaginably powerful. Otherwise, he would have never been able to 'convince' so many demons to follow him.
"It will be fine. I will decipher the teleportation circle the demons used. And when Kraft reaches the Demon King's castle, I will be there to help."
"Oh?" The elven miss was intrigued. "And how will you do that? It sounds interesting."
"That's a secret for now."
"Hmph," she said, a little annoyed that he wouldn't tell her. But she didn't press the matter. Instead, she seemed to remember something, and a rare flicker of something like pity crossed her face. "But isn't that a little cruel? For Kraft?"
A young man, corrupted and twisted into a Demon King... to have him be brought to an end by the very elf he had once looked up to as a hero... it was a cruel fate, for both of them.
"It's a necessary sacrifice. And he still owes me a promise. This will cancel it out. And besides," his gaze sharpened, "to give Eirik his peace... that is not a burden I will push onto anyone else."
A look of understanding crossed her face. "So you have no intention of enjoying the honor of saving the world again."
To kill the first Demon King, to save the world from his threat... it was a great honor indeed.
"I have no need for it," he said calmly.
She didn't try to persuade him further, but her next words sent a chill down his spine.
(End of Chapter)
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