Tamashiro Naofumi POV 

  

  

  

  

The fall of the Artesia Empire caused a lot of things to change. 

The largest and strongest empire in the world had fallen to the hands of the Demon Lord Army. 

But the fall of the Empire had also taken a toll on the Demon Lord Army. 

It was an all-out battle and the Demon Lord’s Army charged toward the Empire without thinking about how many they would lose. 

They are not willing to back down and push through to conquer the world. 

It was an all-or-nothing attack. 

Unfortunately, the demon lord's army was more prepared than the Empire so the one who eventually fell into defeat was the Artesia Empire. 

The biggest loss was the death of the strongest adventurer, the Guild master of Artesia Empire Capital. 

  

  

Orga Les Versi, the old man who took care of us when we got summoned into this world was also one of the casualties. 

He fought against one of the Demon Lord Generals and fell. 

Some of the nobles of the Empire who should be the ones protecting the Empire have turned their tails and were the first ones to run away. 

Those who decided to stay and fight fell into the hands of the Demon Lords Army. 

If only the other nobles decided to fight, this result might have been avoided. 

Some may say that they were smart, and some may say that their decision was cowardly. 

Ultimately, the ones who chose to stay died, and the ones who escaped survived. 

Who can blame them? 

They were presented with an option. 

To choose their pride and die for the Empire or to throw it away and live on. 

  

  

People had fled toward the Great Nation Alliance or to the Marchial Kingdom for refuge. 

As we were in Marchial at that time, we stayed there. 

The demon had settled in the Empire and made it their post. 

The Demon Lord occupied the Empire's capital and used the castle as his new home. 

  

  

The hero, Hano Ryuusei the one person who should be the one to defeat the Demon Lord could not do a thing. 

How can a party of several people take on an army of strong individuals led by an existence that is even more powerful than the hero himself? 

The answer, they could not. 

But, the people needed somebody to blame. 

They pointed those pent-up feelings toward the hero. 

They blamed the situation on the hero’s incompetence. 

"He should have defeated the Demon Lord." 

"The Hero should have protected the empire." 

"The Hero should do something about the situation." 

Those were the words that came out of their mouths. 

But because he was unable to do all these things, it destroyed the entirety of the Artesia Empire. 

  

  

People were also desperate. 

They wanted their homes back. 

They want to get back what they left behind when they fled. 

They want to have revenge on the Demon Lord's army who took the lives of the people they love. 

They wanted to end the terror that the Demon Lord brought throughout the lands. 

And the only one they could count on to do that was the Hero. 

There was no one else other than the Hero who can carry all the blame and all of their wish. 

  

  

The remaining force of the Empire together with the Marchial Kingdom, the Elves, and the Great Nation Alliance joined together in an attempt to fight back. 

They gathered all their forces in the hopes to defeat or at the very least driving away the forces of the Demon Lord's army back to the demon territory. 

They are being led by the king of the Marchial Kingdom and the Hero. 

  

  

Using magic such as teleport and communication-type spells they managed to gather forces. 

The force needed to fight against the demon lord was gathered in Triana, the country south of the fallen Artesia Empire. 

The preparation took about a month. 

The Demon Lord’s army knows that the Hero and the alliance of the nations are preparing to take them out. 

Thus, the Demon Lord’s army also gathered to take a stand. 

  

  

There are small battles that take place all over the place. 

Each side is trying to take away the other’s advantages. 

And without saying, people die in those encounters. 

Death is like a daily view. 

All of this happened in this month-long preparation for the final battle that would decide the fate of the world. 

  

  

A plan was formulated. 

The hero’s party and other elite people secretly formed a unit to sneak inside the fallen empire to fight and defeat the demon lord. 

It was an elite group of people composed of individuals who are on the level of at least an S-rank adventurer, together with chosen individuals who can increase the success rate of the mission. 

The people who joined that covert mission are people we've met before. 

Ryuusei, Chiho, Mizuko, Eiko, Levethy, Argent, Lavi, Shino, Yokuami, Minato, Yoshitte, Niko, and several other exemptional people whom we’ve met during the three years we’ve been in this world. 

  

  

The mission was kept secret just fine. 

No betrayal or any unforeseen event happened during their secret mission. 

They ensured that they were prepared and had planned well. 

All things worked out just as planned. 

It all came down to the final step. 

It all came down to actually executing the plan and ultimately defeating the demon lord. 

The elite group secretly marched to the den of enemies in an attempt to defeat the demon lord. 

And, without getting detected they managed to reach the demon lord. 

  

  

In stories, this final battle-like event, the hero would bring about a miracle and force the mission to succeed. 

The hero will bring out all he had and eventually when all hope is lost, he will turn the tables with the power of love or friendship. 

He will reign successfully and show his victorious figure. 

He will forcefully bring out a miracle to finish the job. 

He will end up raising his hands and bringing about a happy ending. 

It was the classic story of good winning over evil. 

But... this was not some story. 

This was reality, and not all things will work out as we want. 

The hero, Hano Ryuusei was not able to defeat the demon lord. 

It was a failure. 

  

  

They were defeated in battle. 

Some managed to escape and come back and report their failure. 

The higher-ups wanted to hide this information to prevent the people to lose all their hope. 

Who would want to hear the news of the hero getting defeated by the demon lord? 

Who would want to hear that the last hope they are clinging to is now gone? 

The final hope of humanity is no more. 

If people were to know about this it will surely erase all of the remaining morale that they have. 

  

  

A huge part of this mission being a failure was due to the Hero, Hano Ryuusei. 

He did not have the resolve to put everything in line to defeat the demon lord. 

Maybe... It was because of some internal struggles in the group? 

Maybe... It was because the hero did not have the resolve to accomplish this mission? 

Maybe... It was because the hero was not ready to take on the demon lord. 

Maybe... It was because the hero was not strong enough to win the battle. 

Maybe... It was all of those reasons. 

  

  

Ultimately, according to the reports it was mainly because of the hero's blunder. 

They place too much hope on the shoulder of the hero. 

They did not have a plan if the hero was actually defeated by the demon lord. 

To them, Hano Ryuusei winning against the demon lord was the only way to stop the demon lord. 

  

  

And that blunder made everything crumble down and fail. 

Hano Ryuusei was unsuccessful to defeat the demon lord. 

In the end, those who participated in that mission were forced a withdraw leaving behind the hero’s party and some members of the mission. 

They wanted people to report what happened to the higher-ups. 

That mission had failed. 

If they did not manage to return and report what happened, it will only end up in the worst possible situation. 

For them to escape, most of the elite group stayed behind and stall the enemy who was preventing them to escape. 

  

  

The result of the mission being a failure, made the situation look even more so dire. 

The last thing the higher-ups wanted was to reveal this to the masses and the soldiers as it will reduce their morale to the ground. 

Unfortunately, the demon lord wanted all of us to see that he defeated the hero. 

On that day, the whole world was enveloped by dark clouds. 

The entirety of the land looks so lifeless. 

The wind blew as if bringing a heavy atmosphere all over the place. 

And the absence of the sun seems to signify the absence of hope. 

  

  

All of a sudden an ominous-sounding voice reverberated throughout the lands. 

It echoed from within everyone's mind. 

Loud enough to make sure that it was loud and clear so that everyone would understand every word he says. 

"LOOK UP IN THE SKY" <Demon Lord> 

The voice said. 

As the voice echoed in our heads, images flashed in the sky, like a movie house projection enabling us to see what he wanted to show us. 

  

  

In that projection were the figures of people. 

The people who were defeated by the demon lord. 

It was the figure of the Hero and his allies who tried to defeat the demon lord but failed. 

Their defeated figures are being shown in the sky for all the people of the world to see. 

The heroes, his party members, and the other powerful individual who joined the secret operation to kill the demon lord were flashed in the sky. 

Their figures are hanging on crucifixes. 

They are still alive but they looked battered, and don’t have any power to fight. 

  

  

Their faces showed the look of shame, defeat, sadness, and despair. 

Those emotions translated to the people who were looking at them in the sky. 

I am sure that the purpose of this action was to instigate this exact reaction in the people. 

It was for "us" who were still clinging to the slightest hope we could see. 

And as we do, he will personally show this sight to us, to put off that remaining hope. 

It was effective. 

Everyone felt hopeless. 

  

  

This site only pushed Kazue to the limits. 

Like I said before, emotional was not a word that would describe Kazue. 

That sight in the sky. 

The image of those people whom we know. 

It forced Kazue to show a desperate look on her face. 

It was the first time and the only time I saw her so shocked and so much in disarray. 

Even after seeing the result of the demon lord's assault from a month ago, Kazue still managed to hold on and keep her composure to some degree. 

This time around, it was as if all the piled-up feelings within her exploded and made her like this. 

Seeing the faces of the people who were close to her being projected in the sky caused Kazue who is a strong-willed person to break down. 

Everyone had their limits and it seemed Kazue had reached hers this time around. 

Her face became pale as she looked up at the sky. 

She was looking at the face of her friends. 

Sakata Chiho, Muto Eiko, Haga Mizuko, and many many more were being hanged on a crucifix waiting for their fate. 

  

  

And as if to put a nail in the coffin, the ominous voice of the demon lord announced. 

“HUMANITY, FEEL DESPAIR, THE HEROES WHOM YOU BELIEVE TO BE YOUR LAST HOPE WILL SOON DIE BY MY HANDS. ENJOY THE FIGURES OF THESE PATHETIC PEOPLE YOU ALL CALL “HEROES”. THE PEOPLE WHOM YOU PLACED ALL OF YOUR REMAINING HOPE TO LOSE THEIR LIFE AT THE HAND OF THE DEMON LORDS ARMY. IN 3 DAYS I WILL END THEIR MISERABLE LIVES AND I WILL SHOW YOU THE MOST GRUESOME DEATHS YOU CAN IMAGINE AND SHOW IT IN THE SKY FOR ALL OF YOU TO SEE. STRUGGLE ALL YOU WANT. IN THE END, THE DEMON LORD'S ARMY WILL CONQUER THE WORLD. MAY YOUR PITIFUL GOD MAY HELP YOU.” 

The projection had stayed in the sky for days, 

It was as if the demon lord did not want people to forget. 

No, he wanted to emphasize to the whole world that everything was under the palm of his hands. 

That it will all be over once the heroes are executed. 

He was so sure that no one will be able to stop him from doing so. 

He did this to show this fact. 

It was to show that “we” lost and there is no longer a need for us to cling to hope. 

He did not allow us to do so. 

That is why he did not remove the projections of the heroes in the sky. 

  

  

The soldiers, the adventurers, and those people who are still hoping that the reign of the demon lord will end lost the only remaining hope they had. 

It was so effective that even Kazue had reacted to the way he intended. 

Her face was pale. 

Her eyes opened wide. 

A look of disbelief was painted on her face. 

Her whole body was shaking. 

She was blankly looking at the sky and was calling for the names of the people amongst those people whom she knew. 

  

  

This was the only time I saw Kazue disoriented and confused and she was not sure what to do. 

For the first time in the long three years I've been with her, it was the first time I have seen her in that state. 

We had seen some of our friends die or lose someone they love during the aftermath of the demon lord’s first attack. 

During that time something within Kazue broke. 

If nothing was done, she will continue to lose more of those people whom she holds dear to her heart. 

Not to mention, amongst them are three of the closest friends Kazue had. 

Sakata Chiho, Muto Eiko, and Haga Mizuko. 

All of this happened because of the hero, Hano Ryuusei. 

He was unable to finish the job he was supposed to do. 

That is why she is in this state right now. 

  

  

Kazue wanted to be alone and so we left her be. 

Rio and I were with her all this time, we knew it was best for us to just leave her alone for now. 

In all honesty, even I wanted time to be alone. 

I too had close relationships with some of those people being projected in the sky. 

It was the first time we saw her show such despair. 

It was not just her, I… NO… everyone was feeling the same. 

  

. 

. 

. 

  

  

In hope of saving humanity's last hope. 

Another all-out attack was pushed through. 

It was in desperation to save the Hero and those individuals whose image is being projected in the dark sky. 

But they were in vain. 

  

  

More people died in an attempt to save them. 

And even worse the battle was almost one-sided. 

The demon lord's army even showed how the battle went in the sky in real time. 

Showing the most gruesome death you can witness during a war. 

The people who tried were defiled in more than one way. 

This only made our will to fight to plummet even more. 

All we could do was close our eyes but the "voice" of those people dying on the battlefield echoed in our minds. 

The more days passed the more we became desperate. 

We are given 3 days to try and save the heroes. 

But as the demon lord was aware of our objectives the people trying to save the heroes could not pass through the demon lord's army’s line of defense. 

  

  

The third day comes. 

It was the day of the execution. 

All of the sudden. 

The images in the sky disappeared. 

The dark clouds in the sky dissipated. 

The light of the sun shined over us once again. 

It was as if the light of hope shined once again. 

Everyone was confused. 

  

  

The next thing we knew the Hero, as well as the people and elite individuals, escaped. 

People asked. 

How were they able to escape? 

What just happened, why all of a sudden? 

How would such a miracle happen? 

  

  

In the execution area... 

The crucifixes were under the power of the demon lord. 

It sealed all of their abilities, Stat, Skills, Equipment, and titles effect. 

But out of nowhere the effects of the crucifix faded, thus they were able to escape. 

Even they did not know the reason why it happened. 

All they knew was at one point in time the seal that prevents them from using their abilities, Stat, Skills, Equipment, and titles effect suddenly faded. 

No one had such leisure to investigate and know what just happened, they need to escape. 

They all used this opportunity to escape and return. 

  

  

With that turn of events, the hero and the others were able to escape. 

Once again humanity was able to cling to hope. 

They can now fight back again. 

And for some reason, the demons didn't know what to do. 

Thus, we took the initiative and push back. 

It seems that after that unexpected event, all things had been going for our side. 

  

  

As soon as the heroes returned, our side initiated a counterattack. 

Our first destination is the Empire capital. 

All of us were willing to go to war. 

This was our only chance. 

All who can fight charged toward the demon lord's army who used the empire's capital as their base. 

Led by the heroes and those individuals who were once captured by the demon lord we pushed forward. 

Even I joined the fight. 

Humans and demons fought in that great war. 

This time around it was an all-out war. 

It seems that the demon lord army was trying their best to keep us at bay and away from the empire's capital. 

  

  

  

Another question arose, the demon lord’s presence could not be seen anywhere on the battlefield. 

At first, we thought that it was a trap, but seeing how the demon acted desperately we became certain. 

All of the doubt fades the further we push through their defenses. 

[The demon lord will not appear.] 

With that in mind, we continued to push forward and it was the right thing to do. 

With the heroes on our side leading the charge, we pushed them back. 

With the demon lord's absence on their side, they were forced to fall back. 

The balance was tilted toward our advantage. 

Soon our army asserts its dominance in this battle. 

The demon lord’s army was forced to withdraw their forces back to the demon lord’s territory with most of their fighting force gone. 

  

  

This time, we are not unrelated to the matter. 

All participated in the war. 

If we let this momentum pass we might not have a second chance. 

And so everyone worked together to make sure we reclaim the lands the demon lord's army invaded. 

But during this push, Kazue’s presence could not be found anywhere. 

I did not notice this at that time. 

I assumed that she also joined the charge as we all did. 

I did not have the time to confirm whether she was there or not. 

But according to my experience, with Kazue's personality, she would join the war in one way or another. 

The last time I last saw her back then was during the time we all watch and listened to the demon lord’s announcement to kill the heroes 3 days ago. 

  

  

Thus we successfully reclaimed the Empire capital. 

The land was devastated. 

We arrived at the lands where the former capital of Artesia was. 

There we found the dead bodies. 

Humans are hanged in the plaza. 

They made sure that they were all stripped of honor as they defiled the bodies in many ways more than one. 

They were treated like banners; their dead body was displayed like trophies. 

This was even more so for the remains of the high-ranking and powerful individuals who fought the demon lord’s army during their first attack. 

The Emperor. 

The Empress. 

The Imperial Magician. 

The former Guild Master of the Empire's Capital. 

The high-ranking nobles. 

The powerful individual who fought off the demon lord's army. 

All of their remains were displayed in the plaza. 

  

  

The demon lord’s army probably did this to increase the morale of the demon lord’s army. 

The bodies of the innocent people who were unable to escape were piled into a mountain of corpses in the plaza to rot away. 

It was a truly ugly sight. 

The death we saw during the war in Riles 3 years ago did not compare to the death this war made. 

The sight here is much crueler. 

  

  

8 days. 

It has been 8 days since the sudden turn of the event happened. 

By this time we already conquered back the once-prosperous Empire of Artesia. 

It was an ugly battle. 

As anyone would expect, the dead piled up beyond compare. 

This war will soon be called "The Second Great Demon Lord War". 

And it will be recorded as one of the shortest yet bloodiest great battles that ever happened in this world's history. 

A war that will be credited to the Hero, who led the charge. 

  

  

We continued to reclaim what was left in the former capital of Artesia. 

The leveled building that was once the Adventurer’s guild and Scale Atelier. 

The beautiful houses that once stood were not left untouched. 

The once prosperous city that was once the center of the whole continent. 

Every city and every village in the Empire of Artesia was destroyed during this war. 

  

  

We reached the Empire Capital's castle. 

Oddly enough... 

A black dome was covering one area within the former castle. 

It was the place where we are summoned coming from our former world. 

The dome enveloped the area where we, the heroes were summoned once upon a time. 

It was the throne room. 

The black dome kept anything and everything from interfering from the outside. 

No one knows what was inside. 

The hero and other strong individuals tried to force it open by attacking the dome. 

But the dome did not receive even a single scratch and any kind of effect at all. 

  

  

When Rio saw this, she fell to her knees with wide eyes. 

She was looking at the dome while muttering something. 

It translates to me that she had an idea what this dome was. 

Thus, I asked. 

“Rio, what's wrong?” <Naofumi> 

“It’s Kazue… she’s in there…” <Rio> 

“What?!” <Naofumi> 

  

  

For some reason, Rio thinks that Kazue was inside this dome. 

“How can you tell?” <Naofumi> 

I ask as I could not believe that to be the case. 

“I’ve seen this before… this is one of her skills… She said to keep it a secret even from you. She said it was her "Ace on the sleeves". Her secret technique… I remember her calling it… the “Rite of Equinox”. But… why is it here?” <Rio> 

[I could tell, Rio was not lying. She had no reason to lie in such a situation.] 

[If this is true, then why is she here? No… How was she able to come here?] 

  

  

At that time, I had no idea. 

No one thought that the one who created a chance for us to turn everything around was actually because of Kazue. 

“RIO-SAN?! DID I JUST HEAR YOU RIGHT? IS KAZUE IN THERE? WHY? HOW?!” 

A person who seemed to have heard the exchanges of words from me in Rio butted in. 

It was Sakata Chiho. 

  

  

Rio weakly stood up and tried to touch the dome. 

He pressed her two hands against the dome and started screaming for her name. 

Sakata Chiho did not ask for another word and also did the same. 

“Damn it.” <Naofumi> 

I also joined and did the same. 

“KAZUE!!!” <Naofumi> 

Hearing this more voices called out her name. 

“KAZUE!!!” <Hano> 

“KAZUE!!!” <Former Classmates> 

“KAZUE!!!” <Adventurer> 

“KAZUE!!!” <Soldier> 

  

  

  

Those who knew the owner of the name being yelled, they all called for her name. 

Our classmates are there. 

The adventurers and soldiers who we have encountered during our adventurers are here right now. 

We all called for her who we believe to be on the other side of the black dome. 

  

  

Then, it was as if our voices reached the other side. 

The dome started to have cracks. 

Little by little cracks appeared and the dome started to crumble down. 

And... 

-crash- 

  

  

The dome crumbled like broken glass. 

The pieces of the dome faded as glowing pieces of dust were carried by the wind. 

It was a beautiful sight to look at. 

  

  

Watching this beautiful spectacle prepared us for a happy reunion with the girl who should be on the other side. 

What we expect to be a happy reunion turns out to be something that no one expected. 

What was beyond that dome was a floor that died red. 

  

  

The mood turned 180 degrees, as what welcomed us was a lying body of a headless being. 

Blood poured out of its neck to the ground. 

Blood has already dried out from that decapitated neck of the body. 

It painted the floor wet with red blood. 

  

  

“What… is this.” <Naofumi> 

Further back was more bodies of what looked to be demons. 

“This is… one of the demon lord generals…” <Ryuusei> 

Ryuusei muttered in an exasperated voice. 

“Look, There too…” <Eiko> 

“I was wondering why these guys did not appear in the battlefield… but to think they are behind that dome as well…” <Mizuko> 

“Look! That demon is General Ywain.” <Eiko> 

“That one is Alex.” <Mizuko> 

“And that one is Xavier…” <Chiho> 

“what the hell is happening here?” <Ryuusei> 

  

  

The dead bodies inside the dome are the bodies of demon generals who are deemed to be the strongest fighting force of the demon lord's army. 

The hero as well as the individuals who fought against them could testify to how powerful they were in battle. 

Ywain, Alex, Xavier, and the headless man we first saw on the ground,  Magnus. 

These are the names of the four heavenly kings of the demon lord army who were inside the dome, dead. 

  

  

“What the hell.” <Naofumi> 

Everyone was confused. 

We walked further into the dark-lit room. 

We saw a man on the throne, a broken piece of a blade was pierced through his heart. 

And a broken sword was pierced into his right eye and through his head. 

Both are fatal attacks that appear to be the cause of his death. 

  

  

“Demon Lord.” <Ryuusei> 

Ryuusei muttered as he gazed blankly in surprise. 

He could not believe what he was looking at. 

It was the dead body of the demon lord sitting on the throne. 

The anger on the demon lord's face still lingered even after his death.  

Now, more questions need to be answered. 

What we expect to be the figure of a familiar girl welcoming us beyond the dome could not be seen. 

  

  

“What happened here…” <Voice A> 

“Someone killed the demon lord.” <Voice B> 

“Yeah, but who…?" <Voice C> 

"The only person who can kill the demon lord is the Hero. Just who did…” <Voice D> 

  

  

I looked around. 

I saw Rio standing at the edge of the throne room. 

“Rio?” <Naofumi> 

I called out her name. 

She looked... weird. 

For some reason, looking at her made me have a cold sweat. 

  

  

Then... 

Rio grabbed her head with both hands disheveling her hair and then dropped down to the floor with her face contorted in ways I've never seen her do before. 

Then she wailed in agony. 

  

  

Her voice itself sends chills down my spine. 

I've known her for a while and I've never heard her wail in such a manner before. 

As I was concerned for her, I ran to where she was. 

"RI-o...???" <Naofumi> 

  

  

But before I even made it next to her I notice a familiar object curled in the ground from not so far away which gravitated my eyes. 

At first look, it looked like a ball of fur, dyed red. 

I came closer to it just to confirm that my eye was not playing on me. 

To me, this large ball of fur seems very familiar. 

I could tell what it was from miles away. 

“H…h…ha…yate…?" <Naofumi> 

The one curled in the corner was one of Kazue’s familiar, Hayate. 

He was bloodied and not breathing. 

  

  

My heart started pounding like crazy. 

[What the hell.] 

My eyes were shaking… 

[What the HELL?!!!] 

I tried to confirm if I was seeing things. 

I touched the cold body of Hayate not expecting that it would only make me feel worse. 

The blood was already dry… 

Meaning, he had been dead for a while. 

  

  

I move over his body and saw something 

Right under him was another ball of fur. 

It was smaller but I could still perceive what it was. 

It was another wolf, it was Kaori. 

Unfortunately, she has also lost her life. 

The two of them were covered with deep and fatal wounds. 

  

  

“No, No, No!” <Naofumi> 

I ran toward Rio and in front of her was a large ball of fur lying next to a girl. 

Rio was still wailing in agony. 

The large ball of fur had lost one of his hind legs and his tail was cut off as well. 

The wolf bled all over its body. 

A sword and ax pierced deeply into his body. 

It was quite obvious from the way it curled on the girl that he was trying to protect her with his body. 

  

  

Meanwhile, the girl was also covered with dried blood. 

It was visible that she went through a hard-fought battle as she was covered with wounds and bruises. 

Her clothes were torn all over. 

There was almost no inch of her body not covered with blood or bruise. 

You can also see that her hands were still over the body of the large wolf as if petting him. 

She must have been petting the wolf up to the moment she took her last breath. 

  

  

The girl was resting on her back on the edge of the room. 

It was as if she was only resting. 

But there is no way that would be the case. 

In the same way just like the demon lord, a piece of a blade was pierced through her chest. 

And, just like her familiars, she was no longer breathing. 

She was pale white and she was cold. 

Meaning she had been dead for a while. 

But for some reason… there was a satisfied smile on her face. 

  

  

**************** 

  

  

It has been 2 years since “The Second Great Demon Lord War ended”. 

Without the existence of the demon lord, things had become peaceful. 

The last members of the demon lord’s army who once terrorized the world were all defeated or executed. 

  

  

The world was at peace and everyone is trying to stand up on their feet once again. 

This was true peace. 

The fallen empire of Artesia is starting to get on its feet once again. 

Under the leadership of the third princess of the Empire, Levethy Pau Artesia, the empire slowly got its former glory. 

She had been doing her best to recover what was lost during the war. 

The capital was being rebuilt and smiles is starting to return on the faces of the people living there. 

  

  

In the past 2 years, many things had happened. 

The people of the land purged every last corner of the world of the demon lord’s influence. 

It was led by the Hero, Hano Ryuusei. 

Despite losing Kazue, the girls of his harem were able to relieve her of the loss of a single girl. 

He had been enjoying his life with them. 

And I could not help but blame everything on him. 

  

  

The masses did not know that the one who gave them this peace was not the hero. 

Rather it was a random girl. 

All the fame and glory were given to the hero who was the one who led the people and reclaim the lands. 

I know, he too was not happy about this. 

But for some reason or another, it was decided that all the glory should be given to Hano instead of some random A-rank adventurer. 

As they did not have any explanation or idea of how would a typical A-rank adventurer defeat a demon lord that even the SS-rank adventurer failed to defeat? 

No one would believe it. 

It might give people the idea that the demon lord is still alive. 

After all only the person who has the job class "Hero" can kill the demon lord. 

To avoid any doubt in the heart of the people. 

It was decided to proclaim that Hano managed to kill the demon lord himself. 

Thus, they fabricated a lie-telling tale that the Hero managed to kill the Demon Lord. 

  

  

Most people knew Hano Ryuusei. 

He was the Hero. 

But only a few knew about Kazue. 

This is partly because she did not want "attention". 

She was not easy to befriend in the first place. 

Only a few know her name. 

For those who knew the truth, she was the real hero. 

But… no one praises her name. 

No one found this weird at all. 

  

  

As promised, after the defeat of the demon lord we can now go back to our world. 

How funny it was that after that 3 years, in such a dangerous world only 1 person in the class had died. 

Of the ones who returned 10, each of them lost someone or something that should have prevented them to return home. 

17 stayed. 

Including me and Rio. 

  

  

I and Rio have gone in separate ways. 

Although neither of us chose to return to our original world. 

We both could not accept the fact that Kazue is now gone. 

Before we went on separate ways, we tried our best to stay together in her memories and it only ended up hurting both of us. 

It became apparent that there was a space between us that could not be filled. 

That space was Kazue. 

Without Kazue, we could not push ourselves to stay together. 

Every moment reminds both of us that something was amiss. 

The memories we shared with her had dug deep into our hearts that being together only reminded us how empty it was without her. 

  

  

I missed everything about her. 

I miss times she would stop Rio and me from bickering when we end up arguing for a long time. 

That calming voice of hers has the power to stop our argument with a single word. 

I miss eating the tasteless food she cooks for us during our adventures. 

I miss watching her daily training on swordplay during dusk while waiting for that food to be cooked. 

I miss the times petting her familiars relaxing under the trees and listening to the rustling leaves in the forest. 

I miss how funny it was when she tries to translate what Isamu, Kaori, and Hayate were trying to say while mimicking and acting how cute they said it. 

I miss her voice muttering “Uwah” whenever I do something stupid. 

I miss that sinister look on her face when thinking of a new thing to do. 

I missed watching her nightly routine of praying before going to sleep. 

  

  

These past 2 years made me realize what I lost. 

I lost my sisters and best friends. 

All my life I never had anyone that I care so much about other than my real family. 

No, I can even say that the bonds I had with Rio and Kazue were as deep if not deeper than that of my real blood-related family. 

I was everyone’s passing friend... 

But these two girls became irreplaceable individuals in my life. 

They were my... family. 

And I ended up losing them both. 

Kazue died, and Rio parted ways. 

… 

I wanted to be with them longer. 

  

  

Today was the anniversary of the day the demon lord was defeated. 

A festival is being held at the plaza. 

People are carrying white flowers to pay respect to those who died during the war. 

  

  

I was there, in front of Kazue and her familiar’s tombstone. 

As one of the closest people who had been with her all this year in this parallel world, I was one of those people who really remorse her death. 

I could not help but hate the hero despite knowing he did his best. 

Maybe I wanted to blame someone too. 

I was also blaming myself. 

I was not able to be of help when she needed it the most. 

If only I was strong enough to fight against them at that time. 

I could have joined her in her fight with the Demon Lord. 

I could have helped her… 

I was unable to fulfill the reason why I stayed with her in the first place. 

"I..." < Naofumi> 

  

  

I was there in front of the tombstone with Rio whom I did not meet for a long time. 

Many people visited her grave. 

Some of them were our former classmates who stayed and those people who knew her from this world. 

They somehow moved on. 

Aside from Me, Rio, and maybe Sakata Chiho who was once her childhood friend. 

All of them had moved on. 

  

  

On that day. 

On my way home 

I saw 2 faces that I only saw several times before. 

I was not particularly close with them but Kazue knew them well. 

We encountered them many times during our travels and because of that, I am quite familiar with their faces. 

The two of them were S-rank adventurers. 

They are popular for being key persons who contributed to the war against the Demon Lord and his army 2 years ago. 

Both of them had black hair. 

One of them is wearing a “Miko” outfit while the other one was wearing black “Lolita” clothing. 

The Ice Queen, Luna Nightfall, and the Shadow Lord Stella Nightfall. 

  

  

“Tamashiro Naofumi.” <Luna> 

The little girl wearing Miko Clothes called out my name. 

I was kinda surprised after all, I did not expect her to know my name, not to mention my full name. 

But she still called my name. 

At that moment, time seemed to have frozen. 

At first, I thought that somehow one of them activated a skill. 

But no, it was not. 

It was something more complicated than a skill. 

It was plain and simple, she simply stopped time. 

  

  

“Would you want to save Mizusawa Kazue?” <Luna> 

I glared at them, no way in hell would happen. 

I thought they were only mocking me for some reason. 

Thus, I tried to ignore them. 

  

  

“Don’t you want to save Mizusawa Kazue?” <Luna> 

She asked once again. 

“If you’re trying to tick me off, then fuck off, I don’t care even if you are an S-rank Adventurer, but I can’t ignore this if you’re trying to joke around.” <Naofumi> 

“fufu, what a sharp tongue you have there.” <Stella> 

As if annoyed that I was unable to understand what they are trying to say. 

Luna took a deep breath. 

“Stella…” <Luna> 

She said… 

-sigh- 

Stella snapped her fingers. 

  

  

Out of nowhere Information started to enter my mind. 

“What the? What the hell is this?” <Naofumi> 

“Oh, it’s nothing I only inserted information in your brain so we would not waste time explaining every small thing.” <Stella> 

Stella said in an uninterested voice. 

  

  

I held my head as information was getting drilled into my head. 

The information that these two are Goddesses. 

The fact that the two of them had powers to allow me to save “her”. 

Luna-sama, The goddess of Spacetime. 

Stella-sama, The goddess of Soulcycle. 

They are beings who can give me that opportunity… 

  

  

“I’LL DO IT.” <Naofumi> 

I kneel at their feet to beg. 

I did not bother to know what it would take. 

I am even willing to offer my soul to the devil just to have a chance to save "Her". 

Even if it's a demon, god, or whatsoever, I am willing to do what it takes. 

All I wanted was a chance to save her. 

For that, I am willing to do anything. 

  

  

I am even willing to deny this future that is going to be bright. 

This world where the demon lord was already defeated. 

A world that can only lead to happiness. 

But this is not the world I want. 

I want a world where she was also there. 

A world where the three of us are smiling together. 

The moments that I am with those two were my entire world. 

I want that world… 

I am willing to disregard this world, a world born by her blood. 

She did not deserve to be left behind while we get to move on. 

  

  

The smiles of the people at this time are only possible because of her. 

Her sacrifice saved people who were suffering the same pain she had during the times of war. 

If someone deserved this smile, it should be her, Mizusawa Kazue. 

All of this was only possible because of her. 

  

  

Is this world worth it? 

All of them are starting to find their peace. 

But she was not able to do that, because she is dead. 

Sure, we managed to save the world but what is this world’s worth without her? 

Is it alright for me to deny the result of her sacrifice? 

A world that is already saved. 

Just because “I” wanted it? 

Is it right to throw away this bright future ahead? 

  

  

The answer… 

I looked straight at Luna. 

  

  

“As you wish… but before that … we should talk, my Kindred. I shall explain some things before you do what you want to do…” <Luna> 

  

. 

. 

. 

  

***************** 

  

  

I opened my eyes. 

I found myself sleeping atop a branch of a tree. 

I am now on my way toward the forest of life. 

“Dream… humf, no that was not a dream… right now I am trying to save her. To do that I need to do things. Luna-sama I will not waste this opportunity you gave me.” <Naofumi> 

"I can't believe it, I did come back to the past..." <Naofumi> 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

Author Note: 

Aa~ At last, I'm done with Naofumi's past. 

Well, I am not really into a "Dark" story but I wanted Naofumi to be as "Edge Lord" as possible. 

  

  

Be at ease! 

I only made this storyline to strengthen Naofumi's purpose in the story. 

As you may all know, this story will not follow this future as it is. 

The future may or may not happen as many factors had already changed! 

Well, you may also use this peak in the future as a "guide" as to what is going to happen from now on. 

  

  

The next chapter will be about Shino, the Skilless Thief. 

Then some more detours, I am planning to continue on Kazue's POV in chapter 65.