Chapter 94: Embracing Muscle, Toward the Future End

She was once a Hero.

She fought tirelessly, throwing herself into battle to protect humanity.

Simply because… she was kind.

Because she wanted to be the strength of those in need.

After enduring countless hardships, she and her companions defeated the Demon King.

But that girl… was made a slave.

The very people who once cried out for her help no longer needed saving.

They forgot what she had done for them—forgot that she had saved them—and humanity trampled her.

She reached out her hand to those in need.

Yet when she was the one crying for help, everyone turned their backs and laughed.

It hurt.

It was agonizing.

No one came to save her.

The kindness she had scattered throughout the world came back to her as pitch-black malice.

—What had her life been for?

—Why had she fought so desperately?

"I’ll never trust humanity again."

And so, the girl became the Demon King.

"…Karl-san."

A world of pitch black stretched around her.

The space Ilyu had been cast into was one where she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t see—cold and utterly void.

It existed for no other reason than to torment her with infinite emptiness.

She couldn’t die. She couldn’t speak to anyone, couldn’t see anything, couldn’t even breathe. She would live on, forever.

There was no way to endure that kind of suffering.

"I… I…"

"You were scared, weren’t you. It’s okay now."

Just as she fell into utter despair—into a living, endless hell—someone took hold of the hand she’d reached out.

"I’m glad… you finally asked for help."

How long had he waited for that hand?

How many years had he longed for someone to reach out?

"If you’ll have me… I’ll lend you my strength, Ilyu."

At the very last moment—just before Yury was cast into the abyss—it was Karl who reached out and saved her, even though he was the one she’d once rejected.

Yury wondered: What should I do now?

The soft-hearted Karl was standing in front of her, shielding her.

His back was full of openings. If she struck now—with magic or with force—she could kill him with ease.

She was the Demon King. She would do anything for the sake of the demons. She had to.

And so, Yury knew. She had to tear open that hero’s back with her magic.

"Why are you helping me? I’m not your ally anymore, am I?"

The Demon King asked in a trembling voice.

Before she could strike him down, the question burst out of her.

She didn’t understand. There was no reason for her to be saved.

Back when she truly wanted someone to come for her, no matter how long she waited, no one did.

So why—now, when she was sure no one would ever save her—was that hand being extended?

"Ilyu. A Hero saves everyone who asks for help. Not just their allies—what kind of stingy hero would that be?"

Karl said it without hesitation.

In that smile, Ilyu saw the faces of her former comrades.

"Weren’t you like that too? You were the one who came before me—the great Hero, Yury."

Even if the man before her was weaker than her past allies—

That heart of his, that spirit that wanted to protect others, had been passed down through all of humanity.

And the person standing before her now… was undeniably one of those ‘companions’ she had once fought beside as a Hero.

"…Fool. That one must be defeated. She is humanity’s enemy—the root of all evil."

"I don’t see it that way. All I see is a kind girl who’s gone through too much and had a breakdown."

There were still kind humans out there.

She had realized that long ago.

"I’ll ask again, Ilyu. Will you agree to a peace?"

"You fool! You think that talk will work now? All that’s left is to seal her away and wipe out the demons!"

"But if you truly no longer want to fight… then I swear I’ll protect you with everything I’ve got."

"…"

And yet—Yury just couldn’t accept it.

There were only a handful of kind humans. The vast majority were cruel, repulsive, and monstrous.

Talk would never solve anything.

"I’ll never abandon someone who reaches out to me."

It was that very weakness in Yury’s heart that had triggered this war.

"…I see. I really was panicking, wasn’t I?"

And with that… the torment on Yury’s face melted away.

Her trauma at the hands of humanity. Her hatred toward those who had trampled her.

The fear of suffering, the dread of annihilation, the bitterness of humiliation—

All of it had twisted together until Yury could no longer think clearly.

“…I see. If only I’d taken Karl’s hand back then, maybe everything would have…”

The grudge between demons and humanity ran deep.

All of her companions had been fervent advocates for the destruction of mankind.

And yet, the man standing before her—Karl—had come here genuinely hoping to stop the war.

If that wasn’t true, there’s no way he’d still be shielding Ilyu now, even after all this.

If Yury had trusted him… if she had firmly convinced her allies… perhaps the war never would have happened.

It was Yury herself—who had lent her support, taken command, and pulled the trigger on this war.

“…Because of my obsession… they’re all dead now, aren’t they.”

She looked around.

Her eyes settled on the beloved demonfolk who now lay lifeless, unable to speak.

“I was the one… who brought them unhappiness.”

“…Hey, Ilyu?”

Wide-eyed, tears began to spill from her face. At last, Ilyu had realized it.

It was her own children—born and raised by her—that had been slaughtered by humans.

The demons who had bonded with her, shared in her life, created families together… were all gone.

“I killed them… I was the one who killed them.”

Driven by vengeance, paralyzed by fear, robbed of reason—that was the truth of it.

The saint who had once been kinder than anyone had finally been saved… and with that, came clarity.

“Uwaaah… aaAAAHH!? So then it’s my fault? They’re all dead because of me!?”

“Ilyu!?”

And in that moment—she was no longer the Demon King.

She had become once again… the gentle-hearted saint.

“What have I done? Why? Why did this happen—?”

Whose fault was that scream meant to blame?

Ilyu should never have come back to her senses.

She had been able to fight only because she’d gone mad—because her kind heart had been burned away by madness.

It was that very madness that let her kill her enemies.

Calling it "a struggle for survival" was just a convenient excuse. What she’d really done was feed her desire for revenge—and now that she’d admitted it to herself, there was nothing left to drive her forward.

“…I see. So Karl couldn’t kill my body… so he killed my heart instead.”

“Wh-what’s wrong, Ilyu? Why are you suddenly screaming like that…?”

Karl blinked in confusion, unable to comprehend what had just happened—while Aldebaran, who had more or less guessed what was going on, let out a long, heavy sigh.

The soft-hearted Karl had tried to save the Demon King Yury… only to choose the cruelest method possible.

“…It’s true. This woman is no longer an enemy of humanity.”

“Uuh… uu… uvohh…”

Around Ilyu, the corpses of her beloved demon kin lay sprawled in a way that almost looked as if they were protecting her.

And in that scene… what must have been going through the mind of the saint brought back to sanity?

She screamed and vomited blood until her stomach was empty, sobbing uncontrollably.

“Because I hated them! Because it hurt!”

The saint shut her eyes and clutched the cold hand of a tiny goblin, shouting through her grief.

“Of course I hated them after everything they did! Of course I wanted to kill them!”

Her body was soaked in blood. Her golden hair clotted and blackened with dried gore.

“But… if I had just endured it… these children wouldn’t be dead.”

And the girl, powerless now, collapsed onto the body of her precious family… and cried.

—

“…This is unbearable to watch.”

Perhaps unable to stand it any longer,

a noble young lady slowly approached Ilyu.

“Irine…?”

“May I have a moment of your time?”

Her expression was difficult to place.

Not merely pity—it was something gentler, a calm and transparent gaze, as though softly guiding her.

“…Ilyu-san. No… Saint Yury.”

“Ah… uh…?”

And then, the noblewoman smiled at her.

Calling her by the name she once held in her truest form.

“It must’ve been so painful, hasn’t it? Now tell me—what do you want to do from here on?”

“Do…?”

“Do you still want to kill humans? Or do you just want to disappear and live quietly in hiding?”

The saint looked blankly at her.

She no longer had grand ambitions, no vision, no destination.

Only regret and sorrow now swirled within Yury.

“…I want to die.”

“…”

“I don’t want to be sealed again. But…”

It was already gone—her will to live, her reason for continuing on.

“I just want to die… like a normal person. I don’t want to be chained to this world alone forever.”

The saint, her face void of life,

whispered this through tears and blood.

“I see. Then, let me lift the curse that dwells within you.”

“…”

And Irine said it as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

She would erase the Curse of the Dragon King—the very curse that had tormented Ilyu for centuries.

"...Wait. How exactly do you plan to break it, when even I couldn’t?"

"Hehe, well, just watch and see."

"Right now, I’m the greatest curse-breaker in the world. In fact, I’m pretty confident I’m the finest practitioner in all of human history."

At those words, Yury scowled, visibly irritated.

If it could have been undone, she would’ve done it herself long ago. For a modern-day magician who didn’t even understand curse magic to spout such things—it was laughable.

"Well, you know how spirit users are. We’re a bit outrageous. I imagine you’ve noticed that already."

"Oh, I know it well. A far more powerful spirit user—an ancient ancestor of yours—couldn’t break it either."

"…My apologies for that."

Irine offered a quiet apology, then added gently,

"But now, I think I can manage."

"If you really can, be my guest."

"Oh, I most certainly can."

With that, the young noblewoman slowly shifted her gaze to the Demon King’s shoulder.

"Not with my power alone. I’ll be borrowing the strength of the spirits who’ve been with you all along."

"Spirits?"

"Yes."

What Irine saw—

were small spirits that had clung to Ilyu, their eyes filled with concern.

"They’ve been with you this whole time, lending you their strength. Like lingering souls."

"This whole time?"

"I’d say there are seven of them, give or take."

“…What?”

Ilyu gasped in disbelief, breath catching in her throat.

"Even when you were falling into darkness, even when you were bent on revenge against humanity—these spirits never left your side."

"That’s impossible. No way. I betrayed everyone."

"They must have been terribly worried about you. They must have loved you very deeply."

And now, those spirits—who were like guardian spirits to Yury—had finally reached out to spirit-user Irine.

All for the sake of their master, Saint Yury.

"They said, 'If this is what she wishes, then please release her.'"

"Wait… don’t tell me—"

"They don’t believe you betrayed them. Quite the opposite. They understand… that they were the ones who betrayed you."

Those seven souls—

surely, no—undoubtedly—

"Everyone… are you really there?"

"Yes. They’re right here, smiling on your shoulder."

—They were the souls of the companions she had once fought beside.

One of the spirits suddenly started speaking to me.

It told me—it’s time to release Yury.

That spirit had an unusually dense magical aura for a stray, and I’d been wondering who or what it was... but apparently, it was actually one of Yury’s former companions—souls of the old heroes.

From what they told me, they’d been quite furious with humanity, and they’d seriously been lending their strength to help Yury wipe humans out. That’s why they hadn’t shown themselves to me until now.

I mean, yeah... if I saw what happened to a former comrade, I’d be pissed too.

“If you free Yury... our souls will be saved as well.”

That’s what the spirit said. Upon hearing that Yury wished for death, they made their offer. According to them, there was indeed a way to lift the curse.

The only catch: it required an enormous amount of magical power.

Apparently, I’d lose the ability to ever use magic again... but honestly, I could live with that.

“Then, please. If it's what everyone says, then I can believe it.”

“I shall take care of it.”

With that, I said confidently that I’d do it, and the spirits began to explain the method in detail.

Hmm... so the chant is a song? And I’ll need the cooperation of Yury herself, Aldebaran, the hero Kichou, Sakura, and Inon too, huh?

I see. So it doesn’t have to be just me reciting the spell.

If we combine everyone’s magic, I can avoid burning out my own entirely.

“H-Hey, Ilyu…”

“Karl-san, thank you. In the very end... it feels like you pulled me back.”

While I was getting the full rundown, Karl nervously approached Ilyu.

He had a lingering fear.

“Once the curse is broken... will you, I mean, is there a chance—?”

“I’ll probably die. It’s only because I have a dragon’s body that I’ve lasted 400 years. If I turn back into a human now, my body will fall apart.”

“...!!”

“Transformation curses, even if they make you look young, revert you to your true age once dispelled. What’s going to be lying here... is the corpse of a 400-year-old grandma.”

Yet despite saying that, there was no trace of sorrow on Yury’s face.

If anything, she looked like someone finally reaching the end of a long-awaited dream.

“At last... I can go back. At last, I’ll be free—”

For someone who had lived through an unimaginably long stretch of time, her deepest wish had always been death.

Seeing that expression, Karl couldn’t bring himself to say “Don’t die.”

“Hey... can I ask one last selfish favor?”

“What is it, Saint?”

“When I die... please lay my body to rest with the other demons. They stayed with me till the end. They’re my family.”

“Yeah... I’ll make sure of it.”

Aldebaran didn’t want to drag her down to hell just for the sake of it. If Yury could find peace in death, then that was for the best.

And besides, if she truly dies, then there’s no risk left. Even if some dimensional rift opens far in the future, the Demon Lord’s return will be impossible.

“Thank you... everyone. For traveling with someone like me.”

“...Yeah. You were strong, Ilyu.”

“Seriously, I never wanna fight again.”

“Lev-san, Rey-san... I’m truly sorry.”

“…”

“My parents died in the war. Just like those comrades of yours lying there. You don’t need to apologize.”

While I was still listening to the instructions, one by one, everyone said their farewells to Ilyu.

As a companion she had traveled with, and as a formidable foe they had risked their lives fighting—

“O ancient Saint, your regret shall not be forgotten. I swear, I’ll make sure no one like you ever suffers again.”

“...Thank you. Even though you weren’t chosen as a Hero, you were incredibly strong.”

“Heh. One does not need to be chosen by a goddess to be a Hero. As long as you believe yourself to be one, then you are. That is why I am a Hero.”

“You’re right. In fact, you may have been the truest example of what a Hero should be—of any I’ve known.”

Aldebaran looked genuinely pleased at those words.

Well... yeah. She was the most heroic of the bunch, if you ask me.

“...Karl-san. I couldn’t bring myself to trust you—but you still believed in me, even to the end.”

“You’re really going, huh, Ilyu...”

And then—

Ilyu turned to face Karl once more.

“I kinda wish I’d spent a little more time goofing off and traveling with you.”

“Yeah. Being with you all felt like turning back the clock for me. I had fun.”

“At least I got to share a drink with you at the end... That one glass before the fight turned out to be our farewell toast.”

“...I should’ve savored it more. It was delicious. Actually... was that a really expensive bottle?”

“Damn right it was! I went all out with my adventurer’s savings and got a damn fine one.”

A single tear rolled down from Karl’s eye—clear and silent.

“You’re really gonna die, huh.”

“...Yes. I wish I could get them back, but... you can keep those panties now. As a memento.”

“Ugh... Ilyuuuuu...!”

Karl clutched the panties to his chest and broke into loud, unashamed sobs—right in front of her.

Yury made a bit of a face.

“Well then. Everyone—are we ready?”

“...Yes. At long last, I can rest.”

Eventually—

Lady Irine stood, signaling that the final moment had come.

“Are you prepared, Miss Ilyu?”

“Yes. Long ago.”

With solemn grace, Irine asked the question as if she were an angel come to guide the departed.

“...So, conversing with the dead—that’s the true nature of a spirit-caller’s art?”

“Indeed. Although if the soul hasn’t transformed into a spirit, there’s no way to speak with it.”

“In that case, if I become a spirit, I’ll come possess you. It sounds like more fun if we can chat.”

“That does sound rather delightful.”

They bantered lightly—almost playfully—as they exchanged smiles.

“Very well then... let us send her off.”

Irine took the lead, and the sacred chant began.

““────Let us sing for your sake.””

““────Let us open the path before you.””

Radiant light shimmered, wrapping around the body of the war-torn nun.

Her blood-stained, tattered form began to shine—bathed in pure white.

““────Your pain, and your virtue, we hold as one and the same.””

““────Your sins shall be judged. But your virtue has granted us peace.””

““And if we may, by that virtue of yours—””

Though few understood the words, all present joined their voices to Irine’s song.

But they knew—beyond doubt—that the warmth of that light was what would save Ilyu.

“Ah... I’m disappearing—”

““We pray your journey be a blessed one.””

And so, the Demon King vanished into mist.

All that remained was her tattered nun’s robe—Yury had disappeared from this world.

“It’s over... right?”

“So it would seem.”

At the same time, the spirits that had been possessing her dissolved into shimmering particles of light.

They must have returned to the atmosphere.

“...Obliteration, huh. I see—so to break the curse of an undying Yury, they had to erase her existence itself.”

“Wait—then she’s... gone? Like, really gone? So she can’t... reincarnate or anything?”

“Unlikely. But surely that’s better than being trapped in eternal life.”

“...Yeah, I guess... but still.”

Karl looked unsatisfied. I couldn’t blame him—I felt the same.

Even so, it was the spirits—those who cherished Ilyu more than anyone—who came begging for our help.

Surely, this was the happiest ending they could give her.

“All right. With the Demon King destroyed, humanity has triumphed. Let’s raise our victory cry!”

“Ah—ooh!!”

“This cry belongs to everyone here. Without a single one of us, this ending would never have been reached.”

“...Yes, you're right.”

Once she confirmed Ilyu’s disappearance, Aldebaran raised her staff to the sky.

And then, in a solemn voice, she declared:

“This is... our victory!!”

““Oooohh!!””

And just like that—

My long, yet somehow fleeting, journey to defeat the Demon King came to an end.

What comes next is more of an epilogue.

With Ilyu—their trump card—gone, the demon forces scattered.

Most likely, they’ll now live on as wild monsters. And when they appear, they'll probably be treated as targets for subjugation quests, with adventurers dispatched across the land.

During one such discussion, Lord Garius expressed his desire to continue relying on our strength for future subjugations as well.

Also, the achievements of myself and my sister Ilya in this war ended up contributing to the standing of House Welmund.

It was officially recorded that we had acted under the command of our father, Count Welmund. And thanks to his swift mobilization of the army when the request came, our house was rewarded—the title was elevated to Marquis.

A pay raise? That, I’m happy about. Apparently, there was also an offer to expand our lands—but Father turned that down.

We don’t have enough hands, and it would’ve been too much to manage. He decided it wasn’t worth neglecting our current town’s administration.

“Our rank went up, but our power and influence stay the same. That’s just about the right balance for us.”

Father showed no interest in political power. As soon as the war ended, he distributed the rewards to the soldiers and promptly returned to our territory.

Leaving Ilya and me behind in the royal capital.

“There’s never been a better time for marriage prospects. While you’re in high demand, find yourself a good fiancée. Our title’s gone up too, so no need to worry about matching noble status. Take your pick.”

“I’ll be back in three months.” That’s what Father said, leaving Sarah behind as our minder—and flashing us a sly grin as he departed.

Basically, we have three months to find a fiancée and make connections with influential nobles.

Ughhh. I mean, sure—age-wise, I probably do need to start thinking about finding someone soon.

But man... I really don’t wanna get married.

“Hmm, so you're Silent Blade Rey.”

“Yeah.”

After the war, Rey came forward and revealed his identity without hiding anything.

He told Garius that he was a wanted criminal.

“I understand the situation… I see, so even the villain tribe was driven by demonic influence.”

“Yeah.”

“…How lamentable. Which means, in the end, the royal family bears responsibility.”

It was a tense moment, as Rey risked being executed on the spot. But Lord Garius showed no signs of trying to arrest him.

Apparently, as I later found out, the matter had already been settled behind the scenes. It was actually Lord Garius who brought up the issue after realizing who Rey really was.

Upon returning to Ressal, Rey was granted a pardon in recognition of his contributions—so as not to trouble Sayori further.

“Karl. I hope you'll come visit Ressal again sometime.”

“Of course. I'll drop by whenever I can.”

And so, Lev and Rey returned home together, looking content. Given Rey’s criminal record, the two of them couldn't be officially granted noble titles.

But neither seemed the least bit dissatisfied, smiling as they made their way back to their homeland.

“Yeah, I’ll be waiting. …Hey, Karl, close your eyes for a second.”

“Huh?”

Lev kissed Karl as they parted ways, which naturally led to a bit of a scene.

“Fufufu, Aaaahahahahaha!!”

Next was Sakura. She was granted a noble title in her own right and was officially appointed by the kingdom as the overseer of Lewin. From now on, it wouldn’t be “Sakura of the Tendou family,” but “The Tendou family of Sakura.”

In other words, Sakura had risen high enough to oust her estranged father from the house. The way she boasted about it to me with a villain-like cackle left a strong impression.

…Come to think of it, maybe she really is a villain.

“Now that I have land and soldiers guaranteed by the kingdom, the region is ours. I can finally kick those rotten gangsters out of my territory.”

“…”

As head of the Tendou family, she’s now in charge of managing the entire city. Her right-hand man, Master, will continue to serve her faithfully.

Also, she was quite shocked by how safe and peaceful our Welmund lands were. She even expressed interest in sending over exchange students to learn from us.

Our Welmund family and the Tendou family had little connection before, but it looks like we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other from now on.

“Help me, Irine!!”

“…”

Both our house and the Tendou house have risen greatly in status, but there’s no question the one who climbed the highest was her.

The current Hero and master of fire magic—Aldebaran.

“That dress suits you beautifully.”

“Those girls stuffed me into a room for three hours like a dress-up doll, trying on everything to see what looked best!”

“Well, if we left it to your own tastes, things would get… you know, a bit questionable.”

Though she achieved a Cinderella story—rising from commoner to major noble thanks to her heroic deeds—Aldebaran now found herself overwhelmed by noble life.

Having lived freely as a commoner, the minute-by-minute scheduling of a noble’s life was clearly taking a toll on her.

“So? All dressed up like that—who are you going to meet?”

“Mmgh!”

At my jab, the Crimson Hero’s face flushed bright red.

Apparently, Aldebaran had recently been proposed to by her childhood friend, Kichou.

Well, it was always obvious Kichou was head-over-heels for Aldebaran. When he heard that she had someone she liked, he apparently made a preemptive move before she could confess to anyone else.

Immediately after, the McCune family sent a formal marriage request—making things even more complicated. That perverted older brother of hers actually proposed to Aldebaran himself.

“It’s just a marriage of convenience. That foolish father refuses to acknowledge her, so I’m going to marry her and bring Al back into the McCune family.”

He said that with such a smug grin that it set off a massive argument between Kichou and Aldebaran’s real brother, Inon. Aldebaran was apparently thrown into a total panic.

As for her surrogate father, the middle-aged spear-wielder Razikka? He just laughed his head off while watching the chaos unfold.

“You’re quite the popular one.”

“Give me a break!!”

Now pursued by two suitors, Aldebaran has been keeping her distance from both of them, buying time while she figures out what to do.

Because of that relationship, she often comes to hang out in my room when I'm free.

"You’re one to talk. I hear you get marriage proposals every day. If you know a way to turn them down cleanly, I’d love to hear it."

"There’s no such method, you know."

Yeah.

Aldebaran's cute little love triangle isn’t exactly someone else’s problem.

Ilya and I both get marriage proposals like we’re under siege.

"So how do you turn them down?"

"It’s not like I’m actually rejecting them. I’m just putting them off, that’s all."

I’m a noble lady with royal favor, terrifying magical power, and a history as one of the Hero’s companions.

On top of that, I’m rather good-looking. So I end up receiving an absurd number of love letters—some from people dead serious, others just taking a shot in the dark.

"I’m surprised they’re satisfied with that. At your age, Irine, don’t they pressure you to make a decision?"

"Oh, I just tell them I’ll only marry a man who can beat me in a contest of strength. Strangely enough, no one’s passed so far."

"…"

"And once they hear that, they all agree to go train and come back later."

In front of all the guys who sent me letters, I put on a sweet act and told them:

'During my travels, I realized I really prefer strong men. At the very least, I’d like someone who can beat me in an arm-wrestling match.'

'Very well, then allow me! You may not think so, but my family comes from a long line of swordsmen—'

And then, without even needing to use any body-enhancing magic, I cut them down one after another with my muscles. I’m glad I kept training.

Apparently, it’s too embarrassing to lose to a girl in a strength contest, because they all left saying, "I’ll train and come back for a rematch."

Now then… will there ever be muscles strong enough to defeat me?

"So, you’re not planning to get married, are you?"

"Oh no, if someone actually beats me, I’ll seriously consider it."

That’s not a lie.

If they can keep up with my training regimen, sure—I’d want to marry someone like that. With all the options I have, I’d like to pick the best possible partner.

"But if you haven’t found a fiancé after three months, they might not let you go back home."

"Ugh…"

"For now, how about you find the least worst option? I heard from Inon that even he doesn’t think he can beat you."

"Well, I don’t think I’d lose to muscles that weak."

"You’re talking about the strongest swordsman in the country…"

Strongest in the country, huh.

If you ask me, Rey’s stronger in one-on-one fights, and Karl’s got the edge when it comes to fighting demons.

"…Ah, yes. That’s it."

"What is?"

While I was stressing over finding a marriage partner, a brilliant idea suddenly popped into my head.

"Karl-san, Karl-san."

"Hm?"

When inspiration strikes, you have to act on it.

I immediately headed for Karl’s room.

"Karl-san, today’s your day off, right?"

"Yeah, what’s up all of a sudden? Oh, no one else is here, so you can speak normally."

"Ah, cool. Well, I’ve got a favor to ask."

Karl, who was a big help in our recent mission, had just been promoted to captain of the newly formed Royal Capital Knights.

As a specialist in hunting demons, he leads the charge and takes out rogue demonkin.

He was even granted a noble title—definitely one of the kingdom’s big success stories.

And now, Maika has joined the knight order as his strategist. The two childhood friends are currently holding down the kingdom’s defenses together.

"You know how I’ve been telling people I’ll only get engaged to someone who can beat me in a strength contest?"

"Yeah, I’ve heard."

"So, like, in the off chance that no one out there can actually beat my muscles..."

"Uh-huh?"

"Can I just go ahead and name you as my 'fiancé' for now?"

"...Wha—!?"

Karl’s a noble, ridiculously strong, and a respectable name to toss around—this would tidy everything up nicely.

That idea had just popped into my head a moment ago.

"I get it, I get it. If someone shows up who’s actually a good match for me, I’ll call it off right away."

"That’s still a problem for me!"

"I heard you’re getting marriage proposals too and it’s stressing you out, right? If we pretend we’re engaged, the matchmaking requests will stop for both of us. Win-win, yeah?"

"But… what if Maika hears about this? Me, engaged to you?"

"Of course I’ll explain everything to her."

Karl and Maika are basically guaranteed to end up married.

So as long as Maika knows the situation, it won’t interfere with Karl’s love life.

No real downside. I just want him to lend me his name.

"Hmm... well, if you really do explain it clearly to Maika, I guess that could work? I have been having trouble with proposals, honestly."

"Right? So, I’ll count on you then."

"…By the way, Irine. Wanna arm wrestle me real quick?"

"Oi."

...Don’t tell me this idiot’s still harboring weird feelings for me.

"No, no, it’s not like that. Talking about engagement just reminded me—I’m honestly curious. Can my muscles even beat yours?"

"Hmm. Now that you mention it, we’ve never had a pure strength contest before."

Oh, that’s all it was. Karl just wanted a muscle showdown.

I get that. I’ve got the same childish urge to compare my muscles with others and prove mine are better.

"Heh heh... I may not look it, but I’ve been training hard. Ever since joining the knight order, I’ve really been pushing myself physically."

"I’m looking forward to it. Honestly, the only one I’ve met who can match my strength is Master Rey."

Karl and I faced each other, rolled up our sleeves, placed our elbows on the table, and locked hands.

"Alright, bring it on, Karl."

"I’ll wipe that smug look off your face, Irine!"

Then, with everything we had, we pushed against each other in a full-force arm wrestling match.

"Uooohhh!!"

"Nrghhh!!"

—

—

—

It’s not budging.

This guy… no way. When did he get this strong!?

"Grhh… grrhh…!"

"Ffuh… nuhh…!"

Still, Karl seemed to be in just as much pain.

He was clearly giving it everything he had, yet he couldn’t overpower me.

“Guhhhh!!”

“O-ooohhh—!!”

A bead of sweat trickled down my forehead.

As expected of the current Hero. A man who could overwhelm demons all on his own.

That strength wasn’t just for show.

—

—

And then—

"ORAAAAAAAH!!"

"AaaaAAAHHH—!"

Even though our strength was evenly matched, Karl had the edge in stamina—probably thanks to his constant travels.

After several minutes of struggling, I finally ran out of gas and lost to Karl.

"...No way. I… lost…?"

"Yes! Hell yes! Yessssss!!"

Karl was uncomfortably ecstatic, while I sat there in stunned silence.

No way. Me, losing!?

Grgh… grghhhhhhh!

"I’m not done yet. I still haven’t used my body-enhancement magic."

"Yeah, if you pulled that out, I wouldn’t stand a chance. But… looks like, in raw muscle alone, I win this round, Irine."

"Fuhh… funnnnnnghh…"

Dammit, this sucks. I can’t believe this guy!

When the hell did he get strong enough to match me!?

"Well then, I can accept this whole 'engagement' thing with pride, Irine. Damn, this feels good."

"Y-you weren’t even that buff before! Since when did you turn into such a musclehead!?"

"Ever since I joined the knight order, I’ve been training like hell. My goal was to beat you, after all."

"...Well yeah, your body is insanely trained now, no doubt about it."

So while I was stuck dealing with marriage proposals and all those meet-and-greet parties, he was busy doing hardcore training.

Muscles respond to effort. His gains are undeniable.

Looks like I’ve got no choice but to match that level of intensity in my own workouts.

"…So? Now that I’m your fiancé, what exactly do you want me to do?"

"You don’t have to do anything, dear. Just kindly inform any future suitors that you’re engaged to me, and that will suffice."

"Oh? Back to the formal speech pattern, huh?"

"I’ll be making a public announcement on my side, so please, don’t concern yourself. …Hmph."

"Heh… hahahaha, I see. You switch back when you’re mad, huh?"

I’m not mad or anything. Just trying to cover up the sting of defeat in my chest, that’s all.

"Well, if you ever want a rematch, just let me know. I’ll take you on anytime."

"…Of course. I’ll be coming for you soon enough."

"Hah, seriously, you’ve got it rough, Irine."

Ughhh. Dammit, Karl. When did he get this ripped?

Starting today, I’m revamping my entire training regimen. I’ve got extra time now that I won’t be dealing with suitors, so I’ll go even harder—

—

Wait. Wasn’t someone just there?

—

"I see, I see. So Karl finally managed to beat Irine in arm wrestling, huh?"

"…Huh? Maika? Since when were you standing there!?"

.......

"So you're engaged. Huh, I see. So you're engaged to Irine now."

"Ah, um, Maika-san, if I could just explain real quick—"

"Good for you, Karl. Looks like your dream finally came true, huh? I was wondering why you'd been training like a madman lately, and now I get it. So that’s what you were aiming for…"

"Okay, hold up a sec, Maika!"

Maika’s eyes lost their light as she quietly nodded to herself again and again.

Ah. This is bad. Really bad.

"Ugh… ngh… YOU TRAITOR!! I don’t care about you anymore, Karl!!"

“Wait—hold on a minute!!”

—

Right after that, Maika bolted out of the room at full speed.

And without little Lev around to help chase her, there was no way we could catch up to her once she was in full escape mode.

In the end, we spent several days tracking her down and explaining everything—which is a whole other story.

"────Alright, the head's off!"

And then—

The nun who should have vanished suddenly woke up.

"Alright! We took down the Dragon King!!"

"Nobody's hurt, right? …Hey, Yury, what's wrong?"

Stunned—

She stared at the scene before her.

Was this a dream? A vision before death?

Because right in front of her were the faces of comrades she once trusted and fought beside.

"Hey, someone check on Yury. She’s not responding when I talk to her."

"Hmm? Maybe she's been hit with some kind of hypnosis? Let me see."

The magic swordsman leaned in to examine Yury’s face while the healer placed a hand on her forehead and began to chant.

Eventually, the nun realized it wasn’t a dream—she could feel the pain racing through her body.

"Ah, my right hand…"

That’s when it hit her—one of the dragon’s scales, flung in desperation before its death, had injured her arm.

"What the hell was that?"

"A dying gasp, probably."

…Upon closer inspection, the wound bore a faint, nearly invisible curse.

A subtle curse, one so weak and slow-acting it could go unnoticed for years.

“…That’s strange, Yury’s perfectly fine. Healthy as can be."

"Still, she’s acting kind of weird, isn’t she?"

She could erase it.

The Yury of now could erase the curse with ease.

So that’s what Irine meant when she said ‘I can erase curses.’

By using time magic to transfer herself back to just before the curse was received—

"Ugh, ah…"

"Whoa, Yury!?"

Tears began to fall as the nun suddenly burst into sobs.

Her confused party members rushed to embrace her, trying to comfort her and calm her down.

"I'm sorry… I’m okay now. Really."

"Yury, seriously, what happened? You're acting way too strange. Did you get hit with a weird spell or something?"

"No… It’s just that… it felt like I had a dream."

Eventually, as she stopped crying, Ilyu gave a fragile smile.

Then, surrounded by her concerned comrades, she softly said—

"It felt like I had a long, painful, agonizing… but just a little gentle dream."

"A daydream, maybe? …Well, take it easy. You should rest for today."

"Yes. There’s a lot to do starting tomorrow."

Yes—

Here and now, in this time.

There’s still a chance to undo the grudge between humans and demons.

"Let’s stop this war. As soon as possible."

"Hm? Yeah… you’re right."

"So first thing’s first, I guess—let’s launch a coup. Time to kill the king."

"…HUH!? Yury!?"

────That might have been… a world that could have existed.

Yury, who had deliberately chosen to become a demon, devoured the Demon King and seized his throne, forging a peace treaty with humanity.

And from there, humans and demons signed accords, coexisted, and continued to prosper together.

Such a world… may have existed somewhere.