Ch.192 Long Time No See
The Demon King’s throne room.
A hazy silhouette coalesced on the desolate throne—
the Demon King, resurrected after dying to Equality.
He roared in fury:
“That damn lich!”
His plan to capture both the Adversary and the King of the Dead
had failed because of the lich.
He’d never imagined undead allied with demons would betray him.
“Traitor! I’ll burn your soul in eternal flames!”
Still fuming, he was approached by a beautiful woman.
“What troubles you, my lord?”
She bowed gracefully, eyes lowered.
The enraged Demon King glared at her—
“Succubus Queen… the lich betrayed and attacked me.”
She lifted her head.
“The lich serving the King of the Dead?”
Roy commanded all undead—
a lich under his thrall might rebel.
“No! A lich allied with us!”
“What?”
Seeing her confusion, the Demon King snarled:
“How dare such betrayal exist?!”
The Queen soothed him gently:
“Compose yourself.”
“Hmph… A pity. Such a pity.”
Capturing the Adversary would’ve granted the Demon King
all his divine artifacts: Equality, Arbiter’s Armor,
the Goddess’s Wedding Ring, and Levi’s Dagger.
An opportunity to strike while Hans was powerless might never come again.
“Your Highness—if you mark their location on a map, I’ll send my minions to find them.”
The Queen of Succubi excelled at tracking—
all sleepers entered her domain.
Though weak in combat, no one could evade her search.
Not even the Demon King.
“Good. I’ll mark it on my map.”
The King and Queen headed to the study.
***
Auros, who’d slain the demons guarding the Gates of Hell, was transporting imperial troops to the Gates from the capital.
Even as a dragon, moving thousands of soldiers and supplies in one go was impossible.
After several trips, he asked Leah:
“I’m glad Aria’s regained some spirit.”
The girl was less lively than before—
but at least she’d left her bed.
Leah nodded grimly—
sympathizing with Aria’s pain.
“Yes. She’ll slowly brighten up.”
“Good. She must.”
Auros gazed somberly at the Gates of Hell.
“The Demon King… is preparing to emerge?”
“Yes…”
Leah had seen demon deployments during her last crossing and heard reports of the Demon King ambushing the Hero Party—
likely to reclaim Hans’ divine artifacts.
“And the Adversary?”
Leah reassured him:
“My comrades rescued him. He’s still trapped in his mindscape, though.”
“At least that’s good.
If the Demon King had stolen those divine powers… there’d be no hope.”
Transcendent divine power must never fall to the Demon King.
“That… Demon King grew incredibly strong.”
Auros’s eye widened between his wrinkles.
“I know. When they dimension-shift here, they face fewer constraints.”
“Oh…”
Leah was awed.
‘Are dragons just that perceptive?’
She wondered how he knew—but dared not ask.
To her, Auros, a Dragon Lord, was an intimidating figure.
“Hehe… Curious how I know?”
Auros chuckled softly.
“Nothing special. Just as demons attack us, we’ve invaded Hell to strike them.”
Leah gasped in shock.
“So… we’ve launched campaigns into Hell before?”
Auros nodded.
“Long ago—when I’d just become an Elder Dragon.”
Dragons live ~10,000 years—
So ‘just become an Elder Dragon’ means… before recorded history?
“You’re full of questions. But the world’s truths aren’t limited to what you know.”
He gently patted her head.
“Remember—sometimes ignorance is bliss.”
***
“So what now?”
Selena lay on my bed at home,
spinning my office chair.
‘Is she stalling for time?’
Subjectively, years had passed in her mindscape.
If nothing changed, the God of Death’s seal would never break.
‘Is she hoping delay reveals a solution?’
I’d seen no clear path—but perhaps Roy or Selena knew something.
Anxiously, I awaited her choice.
—Creak… creak…
After several chair rotations, Selena spoke uncertainly:
“Hmm… I don’t know. Your words make sense…but my church’s teachings feel right too.”
Her conflicted face resembled a child asked to choose between loving parents.
“So… you can’t decide?”
“Yeah…”
“You know we can’t stay like this forever.”
She closed her eyes wearily.
“I know… but I’m truly lost. Did my church really kill my family? If so, how did they know I’d gain this power? There’s so little evidence…”
Seeing her doubt, I pressed my case:
“Maybe the God of Death orchestrated it. Gifts here are divine blessings, right? Infinite Regression—dying to rewind—sounds like the God of Death’s blessing.”
“That’s possible…but maybe our god granted it to ensure the church’s victory.”
“And that ending is what you saw in the game.”
She bristled.
“But how can you be sure? I’m not even in that game! So it’s not perfect either!”
‘Oops—I struck a nerve.’
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“Hmph… Fine. You trust that game. But I don’t—I’ve lived by the church’s teachings, and the Papacy wronged me deeply.”
She turned away carefully.
“I just… can’t believe our god is evil.
He’s always saved and cared for me.”
Her words sobered me—
I knew her painful past.
“I was truly happy to hear I was ‘chosen.’ To serve the church that raised me…When I learned to read the Prophecy Scroll, I thanked god sincerely—
it meant I wasn’t just a vessel, but someone with purpose.”
She buried her face in her hands.
“But… seeing your world and that game…
I’m shaken. I don’t know what’s real anymore. Part of me just wants to forget and stay here.”
She rose and gazed out the window.
“I’ve never seen a city like this—
our world has no such tall buildings…”
My apartment overlooked a bustling district—
the view was stunning.
Watching her, I struggled to shift her thinking.
‘How do I convince her not to end the world?’
Even recalling Icira’s advice, I drew a blank.
I closed my eyes, reflecting on Selena.
Then—a memory surfaced.
‘Ah! That promise!’
Trivial, yet…
perhaps it could sway her heart.
‘One chance. I must be strategic.’
“Selena… I think I can change your mind.”
She flinched slightly.
“Did you find proof the God of Death is evil?”
My voice was firm:
“No. I didn’t.”
She showed no reaction.
“Then I won’t change my mind. Not until I’m certain about one side or the other.”
Hearing her regret, I turned her to face me.
“Then… trust me.”
She looked incredulous.
“You?”
“Yes. Trust me—not the God of Death or the game. Just me.”
She scoffed.
“You’re an idiot.”
“Huh?”
“I do trust you…
but what if you’ve been fooled by that game?”
I hadn’t expected easy compliance.
“Then… can you reconstruct this world to a place of my choosing?”
This room was Selena’s recreation from my memories—
not my real room.
If she could reshape locations…
“Suddenly?”
She seemed puzzled—but nodded.
“Sure. Where do you want to go?”
To maximize impact, I asked:
“Can I reconstruct it exactly as I imagine?”
She pondered briefly.
“Freely… like I can?”
“Yes. Freely.”
She stepped closer, smiling faintly—
as if challenging me to show my move.
“Really? Then do it.”
She took my hand, grinning.
“Imagine the world you desire—
it’ll become real.”
“Oh? That’s simple!”
I’d expected complexity—but this was easy.
‘What trick is she planning?’
I closed my eyes, recalling a memory with her.
‘Of course—it has to be there.’
As I envisioned the place…
“Ah?”
Selena gasped.
Before us stretched a dark sky, a vast beach, a harbor dotted with ships.
Above, constellations glittered brilliantly.
“Long time no see.”
This was Nook’s lighthouse—
where we’d had our first real date.
I picked up a Spatial Bag hidden in the lighthouse corner—
prepared earlier for this reconstruction.
“Care for a glass of wine?”
Time to revisit our true memories—together.
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