—

–

「It’s about time I go as well.」

「You did well enough to hang on until now, Flounder.」

「Haha, even I am surprised about this tenacity of mine. But it’s better that I leave soon before something even stronger keeps me here. — I hope Merea will wonder me by surviving.」

「It should all right if it’s Merea. Don’t worry in terms of strength. The question is whether there is a will to live in him. After you have disappeared, he will have to get over it or he will die in this world.」

「It’s Fine. Merea is serious about living here. He was dead once, I wonder if that made his will to live.」

「- You’re right.」

「One thing, do tell me.」

「What?」

「I wonder if, Heavenly Dragon Clautice, is friends with Merea.」

「Now, I can’t really answer that. It’s a secret between Merea and me.」

「Haha, That’s a good enough answer.」

At the peak of the Lindholm sacred mountain the wind was blowing because of the current season.

And the Heavenly Dragon had lowered its body to the corner of the Sacred Mountain and had a conversation with the spirit whose limbs had begun to disappear.

「Maybe things will go against the way you want them to be because you help them. However, there is still hope. — We were watching Merea. But, its unlikely that I’ll to be able to watch him anymore.」

「Then I just have to watch.」

「Watch, if Merea is in agony like I was, please help him.」

「I also like Merea. I can hear a lot of interesting things from another world from Merea. Personality… well… It’s one that I don’t hate. –My feelings are directed in a good way, you’ll have to see. You have become the person he will try to reach in his lifetime.」

「I will cherish that.」

The legs of Flounder were almost gone.

「-You’re going.」

「You’re right. It’s the last time — I talk with someone」

「The other spirits are?」

「I think they passed on perhaps in a different location. There are no signs. That’s the same to consider for everyone. It’s embarrassing to have left everything to be done by Merea.」

「You guys are strangely stubborn.」

「It’s because our hero has a strong will.」

「It’s a strange irony.」

The arms of Flounder disappeared, only his face and body remained.

The usual smile was reflected in Flounder’s face.

It was a gentle smile, one that seemed to have a bit of trouble, and reflected a bit of sadness somewhere, a strange smile.

「Please say to Merea that I said 『I’m sorry to leave you behind.』.」

「I’ll do just that.」

「『Thank you』had been written already. The moment Merea awakes he will see it, those words.」

「Really.」

「Oh, tell him after that about the 『Demon Lord Hunt』, or not, I already explained it if you don’t want to talk about it. But because it’s a story that no matter how many times you hear it isn’t enough, I think it’s better to explain it」

「I know.」

「It’s likely that Merea will be labeled as a Demon Lord. I wonder, is there a specialized technique in the hands of a Demon Lord in the stories you heard?」

「Oh. It’s the same type of your evil eyes. Yours are still better because they are a superior technique, But it will be told to the Demon Lord that yours, [Technique God’s Evil Eyes], are now gone. It is a force that can help a war, the other side will be vulnerable. It’s that kind of story.」

「That’s all I want you to do.」

「In order to get a stronger force, a strong person, a Demon Lord can be convenient. Because nations rashly use the power to crush those who oppose it, the characteristic that they’re bad gets stronger. They will be crushed even if they’re only different.」

「Really… Such a convenient word. It looks like everything but that has been hidden. There isn’t a such a meaning to the word. If you know it, you can’t say it.」

「Let’s say that if what you want really happens. This is an era of factions. I do not remember if it was always like this, the factions were changed many times. But my memory was always like that. If you win you get away with everything. It’s an era where power is placed on top and you can’t complain that the leader is stupid if he is strong — or they can be foolish and create a sweet country.」

「A foolishly sweet country huh…」

「If I can say, an attitude that is not stuck by pride is a noble one.」

「–Yeah.」

At that moment Clautice and Flounder had the name of a certain country in mind.

「If the demon lords were to stop having to run away, I’m sure it would be because of that country.」

「If there is an escape. And, if that escape isn’t immediately destroyed. If such a place is to be taken in the hands of the faction who wants power, they would certainly obtain the whereabouts of the Demon Lords.」

「Well, if such a country were to possibly obtain the whereabouts, make sure to tell Merea.」

「Do not say that. If you are thinking about the countries which I was the head of, it is not the kind of country it was when I left anymore. It’s not even funny.」

「Haha, that’s right.」

Flounder’s form began to shake, his face and body had begun to turn into particles in the air like a fog, and his words became distorted.

「When Merea is labelled as a Demon Lord, When such a time of trouble arrives — Tell him to survive in the east of the continent and aim to enter [Remius Kingdom], I’ll leave for you to tell him that there is the core form of 『Sweetness』. If it’s you doing so, I’m sure it will help Merea.」

Clautice checked that the name of the country that Flounder said was the same that of the one on his mind, and nodded for him to be at peace of mind.

「That’s… the hometown of Lei Lace.」

「… Yeah.」

「- Did he ask?」

「What?」

「What has become of that kingdom right now.」

「-Yeah. It’s the same as it was with me, I also had predicted that Merea would ask that. Clautice remembered the Remius Kingdom the same way I did, that place is likely to have the thing Merea wants.」

「Indeed. They went in to a good direction after I left.」

「And, where the hometown of Lei Lace was, now, is the country that the Remius King reigns. I told him just what he most likely needed to know. It’s a strange thing to have half-hearted regrets remaining.」

「–Really.」

「Not that I should be interfering with the current era. After all — I’ll leave that to those that are currently living.」

Suddenly, Flounder’s face that was fluctuating looked up to the sky.

Clautice soon did the same

「Even so, Lei Lace has gone ahead. For the wife to go first, but I will soon follow.」

Flounder’s face wasn’t visible, but Flounder certainly shot a smile towards the sky.

「Because Lei Lace did not have a calm personality despite her appearance.」

「Fufu, yeah.」

Clautice also, was looking towards the sky, and shot a smile which couldn’t be held in.

「–」

Silence

The wind died down.

– It feels like the world had stopped.

That is — when partings had to be done.

「I’ll soon go to where she is.」

「… oh.」

The eyes of Heavenly Dragon Clautice had a tinge of sadness.

「Then at last. I will go to the [Heavenly Sea of Souls]」

「Oh. — Soul trapped in regret, now is the time to unlock the spell that has kept you here. — Farewell, spirits of the past.」

That day, in a place that Merea was unaware, the spirits who were at the Lindholm sacred mountain had ascended in to the sky and cut off their regrets.

Merea would know that they were gone after a few hours.

◆◆◆

Merea was dazed in the stone hut that stood on the sacred mountain, the voice of the Heavenly Dragon echoed to the inside of the stone hut.

When he went out of the hut, Merea heard about Flounder from Heavenly Dragon Clautice.

「-」

He was speechless.

However, a smile floated in the face of Merea, one that was very similar to the strange smile of Flounder’s.

To Heavenly Dragon Clautice, the face of Merea which floated the smile seemed to overlap with Flounder’s.

「… I knew. The time I was with Flounder amount to barely ten years. The long time I spent growing up with them. … I… because of everyone… had realized that… –」

One tear fell from Merea’s eyes, then drop from drop they began to fall like an overflowing torrent.

「– I’ll make everyone’s graves now. After that I’ll begin my descent to the lower part of the mountain.」

「A tomb.」

「Because everyone was a spirit of the past. They were probably forgotten. But as the proof that they indeed lived as proud heroes, I want to stand on that world. They were betrayed, they failed too, still, I want for them to become heroes, they were the hero for me who wanted salvation.I think they’re amazing.」

「-Yeah, that’s right.」

「So, to prove that they were indeed a hero, I will leave here a mark. Their feelings that never weathered.」

「you will go down to the lower part of the mountain, to do what?」

「I’ll go find it.」

「Now the world is in enveloped in the dark colors of war. There is no such thing as universal values. Therefore, the universal hero that we originally looked at in Flounder, no longer exists. 」

「I know. Flounder also said so. So I think that I would be the hero for the things that I want to protect. It was their fundamental spirit. So now is a hero for Flounder. They wanted it to live in me. A hero to fulfill their hope, I will be standing here.」

「– I see. If it’s like that I’ll keep praying that you become a hero for the living.」

「Yeah, thank you Clautice.」

「While I was saying I also put a bit of irony -」

「The irony of Clautice would be to have good thoughts for me?」

「Haha, As always you are quite a bit cute huh. … Oh well there is too much to like about you. — I even have a bit of affection after this long. That’s it. — Well, the clouds have been rising. I suppose it’s time I go.」

「Yup.」

The sky as they looked up from the peak of the sacred mountain, was as if the clouds were calling.

「-Then bye.」

「Yeah, see you later.」

「Yeah.」

Heavenly Dragon Clautice disappeared into the sky.

Merea was the only person remaining at the peak of Lindholm Sacred Mountain.

That day [Merea ⋅ Mea] – was finally alone.

Final: 【The Spirits and the Demon Lord】

Start: 【The 22 Demon Lords】