Cyrillote’s vision was completely filled with Crescent’s face.
That was the only thing that mattered to him at that mont.
Because it was the last thing he wanted to see before he died.
Crescent, you probably don’t even realize how precious your childhood was.
Maybe not as much as to your parents, but to Cyrillote, too, she had beco a precious existence.
At first, he had rejected the very idea of Crescent’s birth.
It was already unsettling that the Demon King had lost his mories and fallen in love with a human, but to even have a child with one?
The shock was imnse.
He felt betrayed by the Demon King.
The entire Demon Realm had longed for his return, had waited for him with bated breath, and yet the Demon King had spent that ti indulging in love with a re human?
It was sorrowful.
His Majesty was supposed to be the highest, most exalted being by their side, and yet he had created a worthless human child…
What kind of creature had he brought into this world?
A human child? Then it was bound to be an ugly, misshapen thing, like a lump of carelessly kneaded dough.
It was sure to be hideous.
Convinced of this, Cyrillote finally laid eyes on the newborn Crescent.
And he was struck by a shock greater than any he had ever known.
Even greater than the mont he had first learned of the Demon King’s destruction five hundred years ago.
Was there really sothing more beautiful than His Majesty the Demon King…?
It was an event so catastrophic that it shook the very foundation of what he had believed for over a thousand years.
There could be nothing more awe-inspiring than the Demon King.
It should not be.
The reason he loved and served the Demon King with every fiber of his being was because His Majesty was the greatest and most beautiful demon in existence.
And yet, when he thought about it, Crescent was the Demon King’s only bloodline.
She was born carrying His Majesty’s very blood, so perhaps, despite being human, it was possible for her to surpass even her father.
He couldn’t accept it, but Cyrillote had no choice but to reach that conclusion. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to make sense of Crescent’s existence.
And yet, His Majesty ordered Crescent’s death?
He had hoped that, given enough ti, the Demon King would change his mind.
After all, he and Lloyd were one and the sa—so wouldn’t it be better to just resign himself and live peacefully?
But in the end, the Demon King was still the Demon King.
No matter what, he could not tolerate a human child, even if she was his own flesh and blood.
Cyrillote had never imagined that His Majesty would go that far, but indeed, the Demon King was a true demon, one who stood above all others.
To the extent that he would even try to kill his own daughter.
“What kind of bullshit is that?”
At that mont, Crescent’s eyes widened as she shouted.
She didn’t even need to check where her sword had pierced.
There was no need to see it for herself. She didn’t want to.
“You’re seriously insane. Every ti you open your mouth, I have no idea what the hell you’re saying.”
First, he ca to kill her, saying she must not be erased. Now he was saying she didn’t need to worry about him anymore?
And what was that about being glad that she was the last thing he got to see?
Cyrillote gave a faint smile.
“How could you not know? I would never kill you.”
“What?”
Then what the hell had all this been for?
Frustration flared within Crescent.
“Hey, try saying sothing I can actually understand, you Demon-King-crazed bastard. You ca here to kill to please that Demon King bastard, didn’t you?”
How could it be anything else?
He had absolutely tried to kill her.
That was how it had to be.
“There’s not much ti left, so let’s stop fighting now.”
Cyrillote spoke in a voice that sounded as if he had finally let sothing go.
All the while, Crescent’s holy sword continued to burn brightly. She could feel his demonic energy growing weaker.
She had delivered a fatal wound to the third-ranked demon in the hierarchy.
If it had been anyone other than Cyrillote, she would have felt sothing entirely different.
Imnse satisfaction. A thrilling sense of triumph.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
“Crescent.”
His voice made her eyes waver just slightly.
His life was slipping away.
Was this bastard really going to die?
At the tip of her blade?
“I could never betray His Majesty the Demon King… just as I could never kill you.”
“…”
“But I still had to follow His Majesty’s orders. Which ant… there was no other way but for to fight you and die here. Ha…”
Cyrillote let out a hollow laugh.
Perhaps he had always known it would co to this.
He had reached the end of the road.
All this ti, he had protected Crescent by eliminating the demons sent to carry out the Demon King’s orders. But now, there was no way to avoid it any longer.
Cyrillote laughed, and sothing inside Crescent burned with fury.
“You’re laughing? Right now?”
“At first, I planned to just put up a half-hearted fight and die by your hand. But I overlooked one thing—I had no idea you were this strong. Strong enough to catch off guard.”
He had been ambushed at an unexpected mont.
Even though he had been using his power over ti, he hadn’t even realized when the attack had landed.
Crescent was stronger than he had known. And she was still growing stronger.
His decision to die on purpose now seed pointless.
He had lost to her. Completely.
“I was arrogant. It’s not that I died for you—it’s that you killed . Congratulations.”
“Hey.”
At that mont, Cyrillote grabbed her wrist.
Crescent flinched in surprise and tried to yank herself free, but she couldn’t. His grip was terrifyingly strong.
“…I’m sorry.”
The words made everything in Crescent’s world freeze.
What?
Did he just say… sorry?
And now, of all tis?
At this final mont, when they would never see each other again?
Crescent violently wrenched her wrist away and grabbed him by the collar, shoving him back. Her sword was flung sowhere into the distance.
“What the hell are you sorry for? What exactly?”
For turning my father into the Demon King?
For not killing the Demon King instead of ?
For failing to defy the Demon King’s orders in the end?
For dragging the Demon King out of hiding and unleashing hell upon the human world?
There were too many things he should be apologizing for. And yet, no apology would ever be enough.
“…For deceiving you.”
Above all else, he was sorry for lying to Crescent.
Her grip on his collar tightened.
“You know, right? Even if you gave your life, it wouldn’t be enough to atone for what you’ve done to .”
“Then I’ll make it up to you with my next life, too.”
“…Are you kidding ?”
“I’m not. This is the most serious I’ve ever been.”
“Then go say that to the Demon King, the one you’re actually the most serious about.”
Her hands were shaking.
Her voice, too, trembled ever so slightly.
She knew full well that he would never get the chance to go back to the Demon King now.
Cyrillote was going to die.
He had to know that, and yet he kept grinning like an idiot…!
“…Crescent.”
His voice dropped lower.
Was this really the end of her revenge?
Then why did it feel like there was an empty hole in her chest?
His body was fading. The demonic energy that had been sustaining him was almost entirely gone.
“From now on, never lose to anyone. You are the most beautiful thing in this world.”
“…”
His voice was growing distant.
Her grip on his collar loosened. What she had been holding onto was disappearing.
Cyrillote never took his eyes off Crescent, even in his final monts.
He had once thought that if he were ever to perish from this world, the last thing he would set his eyes upon would be His Majesty the Demon King.
The one he loved most.
But now that the mont was upon him, it wasn’t the Demon King he was looking at.
Could such deep, unwavering devotion really change?
A laugh escaped him.
And at last, he felt regret.
He should have killed the Demon King for Crescent.
It was a futile, aningless regret now, but still…
At least, he had succeeded in one thing he had planned.
By killing the Duke of Ti, Crescent would inherit his title and power.
Just as Prima had taken the position by slaying the previous Duke of Dinsions.
This was the greatest, strongest gift he could give her.
Reviews
All reviews (0)