Chapter 45: The Deal

Kazuya swept me into a princess carry and dashed toward the door at the back.

“Now, now, where do you think you’re going, Lord Kazuya?”

With those words, Ashler blocked Kazuya’s path.

As the two faced off, Roy came slashing in.

“I won’t let you get in Kazuya’s way! We’re your opponents!”

Ashler nimbly dodged Roy’s attack and sneered.

“Hahaha, how amusing. I thought you people were at least aware you’re no match for me.”

“We know that! But even so! You’re letting Kazuya through. If you beat us, chase him all you like—if you can beat us!”

Ashler froze.

Then, trembling with rage, he glared at Roy.

“You damn insects! Gettin’ all cocky just ‘cause I went easy on you! Fine, you want a fight? You’ve got one—I’ll finish this fast!”

Gone was the composed tone from earlier, replaced by coarse, furious barking.

All the better for us. This was our chance.

Without hesitation, Kazuya bolted through the door deeper into the chamber.

◇◆◇

“Kazuya, we have to trust Roy and the others!”

“I know!!”

Carried in his arms, I could see Kazuya’s face clearly.

He was clenching his teeth.

He was probably overwhelmed with regret—ashamed that he’d forced Roy and the others to take on such a burden. If only he were stronger, they wouldn’t have to...

From the outside, it might seem like nothing more than Kazuya’s pride talking. But I know he truly believes that—and that belief is what made him this strong in the first place. Always pushing for more strength, more power.

So there was only one thing I could say to him.

I gently wiped away Kazuya’s tears with my fingers.

“We’d better hurry up and beat the Demon King, and prove them right.”

Kazuya gave a wide grin at that.

“Yeah! Let’s go!”

Really, what a handful he is.

---

Kazuya kicked open the grand doors at the end of the hall.

A solemn atmosphere pressed down around us—the air was thick with oppressive power. No doubt, someone powerful was here.

At the far end of the room, seated upon a throne, was a single demon.

The Demon King.

With three horns atop his head and a black cloak draped over his shoulders, he radiated a fearsome aura. His sharp eyes pierced through us, the air around him crackling with pressure. There was no mistaking it—he was the Demon King.

“I am the Demon King, Debidangalm. Welcome, Kazuya. I’ve been expecting you.”

“Shut up, Demon King!! I’ll never forgive you! For the sake of humanity—and for us—I will defeat you!”

Kazuya declared boldly.

Yeah, that’s all well and good... but how long is he planning to keep holding me like this?

“Calm yourself. I have no intention of fighting you.”

“And now you want to back out?! Is that fear I hear?!”

“No, no. Hmph... I’ve taken a liking to you, Kazuya—your strength, in particular. It would be a shame to waste it. That’s why I propose a deal. It’s not a bad offer, I assure you. Something simple: just like Nevaska and Kalif, swear your eternal loyalty to me, and I’ll extend your lifespan. By a thousand years. Work well, and I may grant you even more. Think about it.”

What!?

Is he mocking us? He knows we’re close to Nevaska and Kalif, and still he dares to offer us that kind of deal?

There’s no way we’re listening to this nonsense!

“Don’t bother! Miki, you don’t need to listen to this!”

“I know. I won’t.”

“Still, hear me out. No matter how deeply you love one another, a human’s lifespan is short—fleeting. Don’t you agree, Miki? The peak of a human’s life is around twenty, after which it’s all downhill. That’s just the way of your kind. Now imagine, Miki—thirty years from now, you’ll be caring for an aged, frail Kazuya. Can that truly be called the love you envision? Don’t you wish to talk and laugh together as you do now, in youth? And soon after, you won’t even be able to share that time. Doesn’t that seem unbearably lonely? Don’t you wish you could change it?”

I mustn’t listen—but I understand all too well what the Demon King is saying.

I’ve thought about it, over and over. And tried to push it away.

But in just a few decades, Kazuya won’t be able to hold me like this... or embrace me so strongly.

We won’t grow old together. I’ll remain young, while he...

No matter what we do, in a hundred years, Kazuya... will be gone.

I mustn’t think about it. But once I do, despair consumes me, and everything goes dark.

I instinctively cling to Kazuya, holding him tightly.

──Don’t leave me alone.

“Miki! Don’t listen to him! Stay with me!”

“Kazuya, imagine it. The day will come when you alone grow old, unable to keep up with Miki. And not just that—your stride will shorten, your movements will slow, and Miki will have to accommodate you. Because you aged, she will suffer. Can you really accept that!?”

This pain must be weighing on Kazuya too. The thought of not being able to move like he does now, of me having to care for him, of becoming a burden to me—he’d never stand for it.

We said nothing.

The silence said it all.

The Demon King’s words had struck deep. We were hesitating.

It was proof enough.

“With a thousand years... surely, you could live without regret. Well? It’s not such a terrible offer, is it?”

A thousand years.

With that much time, even if the goodbye still hurt, we could share a full, fulfilling lifetime.

If we became demons... if we pledged our lives to the Demon King... we could be together for a thousand years.

Now, at last, I understood why Nevaska and Kalif swore their loyalty.

This temptation is irresistible.

---

My heart had completely tilted toward the Demon King.

A thousand years with the one I love meant more to me than the thousands that might follow alone.

That’s why—I was going to share these feelings with Kazuya. Like Kalif did, surely Kazuya would understand.

We could become demons together and live a thousand years. Swearing lifelong loyalty wasn’t such a big deal to me.

“Kazuya... I...”

“──No.”

Kazuya muttered quietly.

“No. No! Absolutely not!”

“Why...?”

The words slipped out before I realized.

Because what he said sounded like a flat rejection of the idea.

“Miki, don’t fall for the Demon King’s silver tongue. We came all this way to defeat him.”

Why? Doesn’t Kazuya want to live longer?

Doesn’t he want to stay with me?

“Miki, don’t be fooled! Think about it—how can a demon even extend someone’s lifespan? That kind of magic doesn’t exist, right? And then why, even after Kalif supposedly had his life extended, was he still stuck in that old body?”

I couldn’t follow what Kazuya was saying.

Fooled? By what? The idea of extending life?

…It’s true. No spell—whether normal, grand, ancient, or even primal magic—has ever been known to extend lifespan. Not one.

And I’d never heard of any power that could do it either.

So then, how could Demon King Debidangalm claim he could? How could he possibly extend a human’s life?

And another thing—races with long lifespans like dwarves, demons, and elves grow at the same pace as humans until they reach adulthood. After that, they maintain that peak physical state for centuries, only aging at the very end.

Yet Kalif, despite supposedly having a longer lifespan, remained in a middle-aged body.

Until now, I accepted it as natural—maybe his life was just extended after he got old. But is that really all there is to it?

Could it be that this “life extension” the Demon King offers has some darker truth behind it?

“And another thing—he gave Kalif 500 years, but offered me a thousand. Can we really believe that? Can the Demon King truly extend a human’s life by 500 years, let alone a thousand? I don’t buy it.”

Still… even if it was just 100 years more...

That would be better than nothing. I couldn’t help but think that.

“Demon King Debidangalm! I refuse your offer! I will not become a demon!”

Ah... he said it. He refused. In the end, it’s Kazuya’s decision. But still...

I clutched his clothes tightly.

A small act of resistance. A silent plea.

“Oh? I see. But Miki doesn’t seem to agree. Are you really fine with that?”

At those words, Kazuya looked at me.

He looked down at me—and the arms holding me grew stronger.

“Sorry, Miki. I can’t trust the Demon King. I can’t stand the thought of making you give your life to him. ──And when this is all over, let’s go out into the world and search for a way to extend our lives. That’s all I can do. I’m sorry.”

──This man... he’s a true hero, through and through.

That’s what I thought.

I was ready to fall for the Demon King’s sweet words without hesitation. I have no destiny to fulfill, I’m not a hero. My heart is weak.

But Kazuya is different. The Demon King is his enemy—something to defeat. He won’t believe his words. That unwavering conviction—only someone with a truly strong heart could stand firm like that.

He doesn’t want me to give up my life for the Demon King. That’s the depth of his love for me.

For a human, a thousand years is an unimaginable amount of time. Beyond comprehension.

Even if Kazuya could live for a thousand years, I would still go on living for thousands more after that.

For Kazuya, that’s an overwhelming, endless span of time.

So the weight of time is different for him than it is for me.

And yet, I realized—this difference in time perception between me as an elf and him as a human couldn’t be brushed off so easily.

Because no matter how many thousands of years I may live, an hour is still an hour. Kazuya and I walk through time at the same pace.

Even if we later look back and say, “It went by in a flash,” it wasn’t a flash while we were living it.

Not even a year has passed since I reunited with Kazuya. But the time we’ve spent together has been rich and full.

In all my 400 years, I’ve never experienced time so fulfilling.

That’s why—I think I’ve started to understand the true value and weight of time.

And Kazuya said we’d search together for a way to extend life. No matter what the outcome, isn’t that enough?

──I couldn’t say anything more.

All I could do was trust him.

And stay by his side.

“Kazuya... I’m the one who should apologize. You really are a hero. I’ll be fine. Fight the way you believe in!”

“Yeah! I love you, Miki!”

“I love you too, Kazuya.”

Kazuya turned back to face the Demon King Debidangalm once more—and smiled, boldly.