Chapter 80: Leap of Death

It had been hundreds of years since Yury was captured by humans.

Those years were a hellish blur of humiliation and despair.

『Ohh……』

And yet, she survived.

Clinging to the belief that the end would come someday, she endured the pain.

『How… how beautiful she is.』

But—far sooner than she’d ever imagined—that hell would come to an end.

It happened roughly 400 years after Yury had been imprisoned.

『Yury, will you marry me?』

『……What?』

He was a descendant of the noble family that had passed down custody of Yury for generations.

One of those descendants… fell in love with her.

『To think someone as beautiful as you has been treated like this… It’s unforgivable.』

To put it bluntly, the man was an imbecile.

He had no grasp of noble decorum, squandered the wealth extorted from the people, and lived every day in idle pleasure—the textbook example of a useless aristocrat.

『Ahh, Yury… you’re so beautiful.』

As he repeatedly forced himself on her, somewhere along the way, he became infatuated.

It seemed that the sight of the saintly woman enduring disgrace stirred some twisted thrill in him.

『You mustn’t!! Please, calm down—she’s a demon!!』

『That’s absurd. She clearly looks human to me.』

The man decided—without even telling his parents—that he would make Yury his wife.

Time and again, he came to the prison where she was confined, trying to take her away.

『Nooo—!!』

『That won’t work either!? Damn it, how the hell is this seal set up!?』

But the magic circle that bound Yury wouldn’t allow it.

Whenever someone tried to forcibly remove her from the underground cell, it would unleash unbearable pain.

『See? I told you—freeing that woman is impossible.』

『Grgh… But still… there must be a way…』

Watching the man’s obsession unfold, the nun gave a twisted smile.

『Yes, that’s right.』

Yury looked up at the man with pleading eyes.

『Dice crystal, powdered lilygrass, boiled yellow-ash, mana-conductive vines, and raven broth. If you have all that, the seal will break…?』

『Yes.』

She had spent 400 years in that magic circle. Naturally, she had analyzed its structure long ago.

How many times had she envisioned the steps to break it?

『If you set me free, I’ll accept your proposal. I’ll devote my entire life to you.』

『I’m so happy, Yury!』

She had the man gather the materials needed to dissolve the seal.

Then, on a night when no one was watching—during one of their trysts—she put the plan into motion.

『O darkness, O veil, let thy curtain rise.』

A gentle light enveloped Yury.

And with a resounding crack, the magic circle that had tormented her for centuries finally shattered.

『Now—freedom, to the imprisoned saint────』

---

『────Yury?』

That day.

The noble family that had tormented Yury for over 400 years was wiped out.

『Yury, what is this…?』

『Fufu. Just to be sure, I made sure this entire household was exterminated.』

Yury wasn’t the only one imprisoned in that manor.

Deep underground, numerous demons—creatures whose very possession was supposed to be illegal—had been confined.

『Now there’ll be no one left to come after us.』

Once free, Yury went from cell to cell, releasing those demons. Then, together with them, she slaughtered every last noble and burned the estate to the ground.

The imprisoned demons all obeyed Yury without question. They recognized her as their ruler and swore loyalty to her.

Why?

『Look at this, dear. This goblin was one of my children, born fifty years ago.』

『Ugh…』

『He’s grown so strong. His mother is proud. Oh, and this one here was the one who mated with me twenty years ago…』

Because the demons were her blood.

Forced to breed with demons for years as a cruel amusement, Yury had birthed many half-demon offspring.

At first, they were abhorrent to her. But as their bodies intertwined again and again, a strange sense of kinship began to grow.

By the time her hatred toward humanity had fully taken root, she had come to feel deep affection for the very monsters she once despised.

『Just look at these adorable eyes.』

『Vwoooooh……』

By that point, Yury was no longer sane.

Watching her fawn over the goblins with maternal warmth, the man was consumed by terror.

He realized—he had unleashed something truly monstrous.

『Say, darling. Where shall we go now? A romantic little getaway, just the two of us.』

『Yu—Yury…』

『Oh! My children can come along too, right? They’re very, very important to me.』

Yury smiled at the man who had set her free.

No matter how much she hated humans, this man was different.

He had shown her love for the first time in centuries. Yury had intended to devote her life to him.

『Let’s build a happy family together—with everyone.』

…However.

Unfortunately, the man who freed Yury was not nearly strong enough to handle her truth.

『Aaaaaaahh!! S-someone help me!!』

『Huh?』

Overwhelmed by fear, the man bolted.

He had mistaken Yury for a fragile maiden. Mistaken her for a beautiful, noble, obedient puppet.

But Yury—the saint who had been imprisoned for centuries—

『……Hmph.』

—was a monster, steeped in hatred for humanity.

『So, you’re going to lie to me too.』

Eventually, the man failed to escape. Yury caught him.

Surrounded by the very demons secretly bred in that estate, he was torn apart.

『Ahh…』

Sipping the blood of the man she had once intended to love, Yury let out a sigh.

Disappointment clouded her gaze.

『Humans really are trash.』

And so—

After centuries in chains, the Demon Queen was once again unleashed upon the world.

---

"And when I finally stepped outside again after so long, I found that the demon race was already on the brink of extinction."

"……"

"While I was imprisoned, the demons rose up again and again—only to be crushed each time by humanity's heroes."

After Yury was resurrected.

She searched for the lands where demons still lived, hoping to shelter them.

But the so-called demon territory had long since ceased to exist. The majority of the demon race had already been wiped out by humans.

"Demons and humans are enemies. If I wandered the human world with those children, it was only a matter of time before we were hunted down."

Yury pondered how she could protect the demons she called her children and husband.

Most of her allies were goblins—feeble members of the demon race. As for the larger, combat-capable types like the kong-saru or trolls, there were only a few.

Even a moderately strong adventuring party could likely wipe them all out.

"But then, I realized something."

At that time, she was spotted by a group of adventurers while traveling with a band of goblins.

"Adventurers of this era are unbelievably weak."

Fearing they’d be slaughtered, she poured all her energy into casting support buffs and put up a desperate fight.

In the end, the adventurers were so helpless that even the frail goblins overwhelmed and beat them to death.

"If I protect them while they fight, we can destroy humanity."

Thinking that it might actually be possible, Yury devoted herself over the next few years to expanding her numbers.

She found ways to accept even large monsters into her ranks, and diligently gave birth to more children.

She even arranged for demons to breed among themselves, and before long, her army had grown into a fearsome horde.

"And finally. Finally, I had assembled a force capable of annihilating mankind, but────"

While hiding deep in a quiet forest, she spent several more years building up her troops.

Just when she was ready to begin her invasion, convinced that humanity’s time had come—

『Is this... the presence of a Hero?』

────The goddess, sensing the crisis humanity faced, brought forth a new Hero into the world.

---

"This is a war for survival, Karl."

Yury glared at Karl, hostility blazing in her eyes.

"We don’t want to die. We don’t want to be sealed away again. We never want to go through that kind of torment ever again."

"……"

"That’s why we fight. For my freedom, for the lives of all demons, and to take revenge on humanity."

Even as Karl had her by the collar, the nun wore a dark, mocking smile.

In her eyes, the message was clear: I no longer expect anything from humans.

"Tell me, Karl. Am I evil?"

"……That’s—"

"After being humiliated like that, is it a sin deserving annihilation to want revenge?"

Karl’s hand slipped away from Yury’s collar.

His expression clouded with uncertainty.

He looked as if he wanted to say something—yet no words came. He fell silent.

"You’re wrong, Ilyu. Not all humans are heartless monsters…"

"……Oh?"

"Sure, there are bad ones. But not only that… There are kind ones too, people who would accept you—"

Karl tried to persuade Yury, squeezing out each word like an excuse.

But flimsy words like those couldn’t possibly reach her heart.

"At the very least, for four hundred years, I never met such a kind human."

"……Still! At least here, now—there are! I want to help you, Ilyu! And my comrades here too—"

"Then what about Maika, standing right there?"

"That… that’s a special case!!"

In the chaos, Maika was casually lumped in with the rotten nobles.

"Hold on, Karl, that one I can’t ignore────"

"And what about Lev and Rey? How do they feel?"

"……"

"I heard the story. About how your parents died. Do you truly believe you can accept me and forgive me?"

At those words, the young martial artist’s shoulders gave a visible shudder.

────That’s right. Lev’s parents—her family—had been killed by a horde of demons.

"So it was you… You killed my father… and my mother…"

"Yes. I remember them well."

There was something pitiable in Yury’s story.

But for Lev, who had lost her beloved family, the hatred ran far deeper than any sympathy.

"Why…? Why would you—someone who was once human—kill my father and mother!?"

"I’m a demon now. Humans are just food to us."

"……You…!!"

"For his age, your father was impressively fit. Made for quite a satisfying meal."

"You b—!!"

Even “rage” didn’t begin to cover it.

Seeing the very demon who had taken her family, Lev pounded against the divine barrier left behind by the dead goddess, screaming with all her soul.

"Give them back!! My father, my mother—Cain!! Give them back!!"

"…Fufu. If that’s how you feel, then come and kill me."

"I will…!! I’ll kill you!!"

"L-Lev…"

To say she lost herself would be putting it mildly.

Usually so quiet, she now screamed with raw emotion—so much so, it hurt to watch.

"Did you see that, Karl?"

"……"

"Anyone would struggle to hold back their desire for revenge. So in the end—"

…Staring into the eyes of the hate-filled girl, Yury grinned.

"—we have no choice but to kill each other, don’t we?"

With that, she cut down Karl’s attempt at persuasion completely.

"…Let me ask you one thing, Demon King."

Then, the man who had also lost his parents slowly opened his mouth.

"What is it, Rey?"

"…It’s impressive, really. You fooled us completely. You blended into our group so well, not showing a hint of hostility until the very moment you struck."

"…Kusu."
A faint chuckle.

"But answer me this."

Unlike Lev, Rey the Silent Blade remained calm.

Though inside, his blood must have been boiling.

He spoke with icy composure—and merciless clarity. Having already classified Yury as the enemy, he continued the conversation without hesitation.

"────Why did the Demon King herself go out of her way to sing ‘I am the DEMON☆King’…?"

"Let’s set that aside for now. Anyway, Karl."

Yury deflected Rey’s question smoothly.

"You're right—there are kind humans. But there are also people who are downright demonic."

"…Even so—"

"These kinds of talks always go nowhere. Neither side can yield, and the emotions are too much to contain. When that happens, there's only one outcome left—war."

The Demon King Yury gripped a cross in her hand and thrust it at Karl, whose face had gone pale.

"My revenge is finally about to begin. I have to make humanity pay for everything they’ve done to me."

"…Do you really have to take revenge on all humans? Wouldn’t it be enough to just destroy the nobles who actually wronged you?"

"Yes. The vile noble bloodline that tormented me and the other demons—I’ve already executed every last one of them."

Even so, Karl didn’t give up on dialogue.

Because he knew full well how tragic things would get if he didn’t convince her here and now.

"Then maybe now you can—"

"But the current royal family… No. My revenge against this country, which ignored my suffering even knowing I was imprisoned, still isn't over."

Crack—a deep fissure split across the floor of the cathedral.

Was it caused by her anger spilling out as pure magical energy? That raw mana was starting to warp the physical world.

"Do you understand? The target of my revenge is this nation itself."

"…Ilyu."

"This country that we Heroes gave everything to protect four hundred years ago. And yet that same nation repaid me—one of its supposed saviors—with chains and betrayal. They used me until I was no longer useful and tossed me aside!!"

The nun’s face twisted in fury. Sadness, humiliation, despair—it all surged to the surface.

And honestly, she wasn’t wrong. Anyone who had endured what she had would harbor hatred, would crave revenge.

…That said, if there’s one thing to call out—

"Our next target is the capital. Together, we’ll finally exact our revenge on the royal family. They are the ones who remain—our last, living enemies."

"U-Um, actually—"

"As long as those people are alive, my heart can never rest. After 400 years, they’ll finally pay the price—"

"The royal family back then, the Petofi line, was overthrown in a coup, you know? The current royal family is the Sepharl line."

"…Hoe?"

Yeah.

The royal family that had once oppressed Yury was already gone—wiped out through various political upheavals.

Apparently, the coup happened around the time of that big demon war a century ago… but honestly, I forget the details.

"Wait… Overthrown? What?"

"There was a war about a hundred years ago. That’s when the Sepharl family replaced them. So, um—"

"Wait, then… what happened to the old royal family?"

"Uhh… I think they were demoted to common nobility… and then their bloodline died out?"

"Right, right. They were cut off so no one could prop them up in a future coup."

"…Hae?"

The country hadn’t changed in name, but a hundred years ago, they’d overhauled their laws and institutions. It was practically a different nation now.

…So does that mean Yury still considers this place a valid target for revenge?

"I—I was holed up in the mountains. I didn’t know… That had happened?"

"We talked about it at the entrance, didn’t we? There's even a statue of Lord Sepharl, the founder of the current royal line."

"…I wasn’t listening."

Yeah, Yury clearly had no idea.

Well, after living in hiding for so long, it’s not surprising she lost touch with world affairs.

"You should at least know who your enemies are."

"I would have, if not for the statue of me right at the entrance!!"

…Ah, right. There was a statue of the Hero Yury, smiling gently.

But so what?

"That statue looked a lot like me! It freaked me out!!"

"Now that you mention it… it did kinda resemble you."

"I was too busy panicking, thinking about how to explain myself if someone recognized me! I couldn’t pay attention to the other stuff—like the other dumb hero statues!!"

I try to recall the statue by the entrance.

The hairstyle, the face—yeah, it looked exactly like Ilyu.

"Well, I thought it resembled you, but all nuns kind of dress the same, don’t they?"

"I honestly didn’t think much of it."

"…Was it that similar? Hey, Ilyu, can you stand next to it real quick?"

"Eh—wait—no! I’m not doing that!!"

Karl gently tugged her hand, guiding her toward the barrier’s edge, and Yury instinctively yanked her hand away.

"Okay, okay, I won’t force you. I just thought maybe, if you calmed down, we could—"

"How am I supposed to calm down!?"

…Looks like Karl was trying to steer the conversation off-track to help her cool down.

"How dare you! You were trying to trick me into stepping outside the barrier, weren’t you!?"

"Eh!? No—I mean, maybe? Wait—"

"As I thought! Humans are liars!! Cowards!! Schemers!!"

"Sorry, I really wasn’t thinking that far ahead… Actually, if you’ve got your full power back, aren’t you stronger than us now? Would stepping outside really be a problem?"

"Too bad!! Even at my peak, my powers were all about exorcising the undead!! I can’t do anything to humans! Irine or Rey could beat me easy, thank you very much!!"

"……"

……

"Wait—did I just say something I really shouldn’t have?"

"Yeah."

"I slipped again… Truly, humans are so devious!"

"Wasn’t that one your own fault?"

…So that's how it is. Ilyu has always been Ilyu, huh.

No wonder she got tricked so easily by that cardinal back then and ended up captured.

"I’m not saying another word!! Hmph!!"

“…Isn’t there some way we can reach a compromise?”

“There’s no need for that. My mind is made up. Humans are the worst!!”

Looking at her, it’s obvious Ilyu is the type who’s always been kind-hearted—and probably got hurt and betrayed over and over because of it.

…She’s not someone we can persuade with just words anymore.

“…That said, I do have emotions, you know. If I’m being honest, I don’t want to fight and kill you all.”

“Ilyu?”

“Karl-san, you’re no longer a Hero. …Please, if you can, run. Get away—far away, to somewhere off this continent.”

Still facing away, Ilyu muttered this to Karl with her back turned.

“There are descendants of old acquaintances among your group. I’d really rather not see you die. If you’re willing to hand over this continent to us demons, I have no intention of pursuing some grand scheme to conquer the entire world.”

“Th-that’s…”

“This is a port city, right? Why not borrow a ship and relocate to a faraway continent, Karl-san?”

There was genuine emotion in those words.

No, truthfully—from the start, Ilyu had never shown the slightest hint of trying to deceive anyone.

Maybe it’s not even a “maybe”—when she was with us, Ilyu probably never lied at all──

“I’m not strong myself, you know.”

“…”

“But still, back then, they called me the ‘greatest support sorceress in history.’ With my buffs, even my comrades could fight at a level where they could kill a Hero.”

There wasn’t a single lie in that statement either.

Ilyu really was the top-class support sorceress.

“You, having lost your Hero’s power, won’t be able to do anything but die.”

“Maybe so…”

“There’s no need to waste your life. Remember your companions’ faces when you were prepared to die just now. Can you still say you want to die?”

The way Ilyu said that to Karl—she truly looked like a saint.

No—she really was a true, kind-hearted saint.

It was humanity who betrayed her, and turned her into a Demon King.

“…Well then, I’ll be going. To the place where my true comrades, the demons, await.”

“Ilyu? Wh-what are you—”

“In this era, it probably can’t be replicated anymore, but in my time, we had teleportation magic, you know? Like this.”

The moment Yury lightly waved her cross, a massive magic circle began to glow beneath her feet.

…A magic circle larger than anything I’ve ever seen.

“Goodbye, Karl-san. I truly hope you make the wise choice.”

“Wait! Ilyu!!”

“And to Rey-san, Lev-san… I’m sorry.”

A single tear rolled down her cheek as the nun began to be enveloped in light.

“…Wait. Before you go, just tell me one thing.”

“What is it, Rey-san?”

Hearing that emotionally confused apology, Rey asked Yury one last question.

“Why did you say ‘I’m the Demon☆King’...?”

“I told you already! Let’s just drop that!”

Apparently, that particular line really bothered Silent Blade Rey.

“I mean… there’s literally no upside to saying that, right?”

“Bro, no. Now’s not the time for that question.”

“Ugh! That airheaded part of you is exactly like that person…!!”

“That person?”

“Forget it. I’m not answering that. I’m not saying anything more────kyaah!?”

Maybe Rey’s airheaded comment threw her off balance.

“Ah—”

The Demon King stepped on the hem of her own robe and fell flat on her face.

“Auw-auw…”

“Ilyu! Watch ou────”

And just like that, the cross she’d thrown flew right back—smacking her dead in the face.

The nun’s face was crushed into something straight out of a gore scene, and blood gushed out like a fountain.

“Wait, wha—”

“Oh…”

Even so, the teleportation spell still completed without fail.

Thus, Her Demon Majesty performed a perfect death leap-death-ru-la to return to her allies—dying in the process.