Running Away From The Hero! (Remake)

28. Ah, is that so? (7)

“Ah, did you really?”

What’s going on?

I received a clear report that the Demon Lord’s forces had moved to the north. The shuttle confirmed it as well.

The Demon Lord is in the north.

I don’t know if he went to the north, where battles are difficult in winter due to the gathering of heroes, or if he’s building up his forces there, but the Demon Lord has fled to the north.

All the information points in that direction.

But right in front of me was the Demon Lord.

“I finally found you, Commander.”

“How?”

This was something I couldn’t have imagined.

Even if you believe in an unreliable source, wasn’t the informant supposed to be a god?

Even if he’s as incompetent as it gets, with the power to perceive everything in the world, how could he have missed this?

“I was lucky.”

That’s a lie.

Even if you were a hero blessed by the god of luck, you wouldn’t be able to escape the gods’ surveillance.

It was a cunning plan, not luck, that deceived the gods.

“How did you fool the gods?”

“I didn’t deceive the gods. The gods have been constantly watching the existence known as the Demon Lord.”

It meant that they already knew that the gods were watching them. Well, it was an obvious statement. People who have lived in this world for some time should be aware that the gods are watching the world.

The previous demon lords probably didn’t think about it because they lacked reason.

“You were being watched by the gods all the time, not just at this moment?”

“Indeed, Commander! They don’t even listen to casual remarks.”

The situation right now is too dire to be dismissed as an aside.

The Demon Lord’s forces, or rather the monsters, which were far too few to be called forces, were enough to defend this place against the knights and soldiers.

The power of the remaining heroes and their companions was quite considerable.

However, dealing with this guy would be another story.

Even the most talented people on the mainland couldn’t stop him, let alone this group of people who aren’t heroes.

Especially here, you can’t escape from riding a drake like you can on the mainland. It’s not because you can’t control it, but because there aren’t any drakes to begin with, due to the Demon Lord’s nature of corrupting other species.

Ah, what should I call this? A great paradox?

“The God of Nature says that the heroes are fighting the Demon Lord right now! But why are you here?”

Shuttle’s voice trembled next to mine.

He had been quiet for a while, but it seemed like he was praying to the god during that time.

“It’s quite simple. The heroes really are fighting the Demon Lord. That is true. I’m just not the Demon Lord they’re fighting.”

Ah, what kind of nonsense is this?

“Are there two demon lords?”

“There could be more than that.”

He didn’t seem to want to give any more information.

However, what I could gather was that there might be more than one demon lord.

Whether his words were true or false, he was right here in front of me, and that was a fact.

“How is that possible?”

“It’s quite simple. I just gave a fragment of evil to one of the dragons that came to find me. The fact that I can use the power of evil is because the evil of the world is gathered in that fragment.”

What he meant was that there could be as many Demon Lords as there were Fragments of Evil.

Last time, there were as many fragments as the number of dragons I had, which was seven. Since I had one of them, at worst, there could be six Demon Lords?

Compared to hundreds of heroes, that might seem like a small number, but one of them could destroy the world. And there were six potential destroyers.

…Am I really in trouble this time?

“I can’t believe that a dragon became a demon lord. It was beyond my imagination.”

“I was also surprised. I had heard that there were dragons who got tired of eternal life and went on a rampage, but I never imagined that there would be a dragon who would willingly join the ranks of evil gods.

As individuals, dragons can easily destroy an entire land. Even ordinary goblins can gain the combat power to fight a well-trained soldier when they join the ranks of the evil gods. So if dragons, known as the strongest race on the surface, were involved, how much stronger would they become?

That’s why it’s a rule that dragons stay hidden in the dragon’s nest and don’t come out into the world when they’re associated with evil gods.

Why, in my lifetime, did a dragon worse than a demon willingly come out of the dragon’s nest to serve an evil god?

They say it’s a rule that unprecedented events should not happen in my lifetime!

“Is there anything else you want to ask?”

“Well, I have a lot of questions.”

“Please, go ahead. I will answer everything to the best of my ability.”

Huh… Did I get them all?

I had a little too much leisure.

Well, it’s a good thing for me.

“Ah, if you’re just buying time until the people around you arrive, it’s best to give up. I’ve already completed the barrier, so there’s no way anyone can enter.”

“Barrier?”

“Didn’t you learn about it from the god? Whenever your enemies speak, pretend to listen while preparing to strike from behind. I’m sure you were trying to prepare something while I was talking. I also prepared this powerful barrier around this area.”

Upon my suggestion to contact the god, Shuttle began to pray.

“Narahn, please…”

And soon, Shuttle’s face turned deathly pale.

Damn! Was that really true?

“There are not many beings that can break this barrier. Beings capable of opposing evil, at least someone on the level of the strongest heroes of the Nature Order, will be necessary.”

Warriors at the level of the Nature Order… that’s quite a lot.

“At least ten of them, right?”

“Pardon?”

“I said that beings with the strength of a Nature Order warrior are not that common.”

“Is that so?”

My words seemed to momentarily puzzle the demon lord, but he quickly regained his composure.

“But for humans, the demons on the mainland are their enemies. Even if the demons of the mainland were to come over to defeat me, humans wouldn’t trust them. They might even take the opportunity to invade the mainland themselves.”

That’s right. Humans won’t easily trust even their fellow humans, let alone the demons of the mainland. Even if an organization brainwashed them and convinced them that demons from the mainland were coming to save me, humans would probably still consider the demons as enemies and attack them.

But…

“What I said was that heroes at the level of a hero among humans are not that common.”

“Is that so?”

The demon lord’s face showed a brief moment of confusion at my words, but then he maintained his expressionless demeanor.

“But in my time, beings with the strength of a hero were not common. At the very least, they had to be at the level of the Empire’s Sword Saint to be on par with me.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. The heroes of the Nature Order are not inferior even when compared to the Sword Saint. If there are several such beings, then the world might already be in the hands of humans.”

So, he believes that heroes at the level of a hero are not that common.

But reality always surpasses imagination.

I bet there will be at least ten beings with hero-level combat abilities in that strange organization that’s making a fuss about kidnapping me.

The problem is, I don’t know my exact location right now…

I’d rather be kidnapped than lose my life! So, please rescue me, whoever you are, or at least give me a way to escape!

T: Please, just come out when I need you!

“It’s fine that you challenged me, but it’s true that beings with that level of strength are not common. Now, please give up.”

Even though I was speaking seriously, it seemed that he still believed I was lying.

He’ll realize the truth when he has to fight the Empire later.

“Now, I’ll ask you something.”

Did my inner cry reach them? The demon lord continued to give me opportunities, like those third-rate villains in stories who give the heroes chances to escape.

“What do you want to ask?”

This is an opportunity. I need to act like I know everything as much as possible and buy some time. If I know the answer, I’ll talk about it as much as possible, and if I don’t, I’ll pretend to know as much as possible.

Alright, let’s ask anything. Show them my skills in spinning words, learned from the evil organization and the royal palace!

“Why are you there, O Demon Lord?”

“Huh?”

But in response to the next question, I involuntarily blurted out, “Huh?”

I’m done for. It’s no different from saying I don’t know.

“Of course…”

However, my companion Shuttle seemed to know something. Or at least, he looked at me with an expression that seemed to say he thought of me as the demon lord.

“Not me?”

“Is that so?”

Why are you answering like that? Your expression clearly shows you don’t believe me, Shuttle!

“I also know that you’re not the instructor.”

Look, even the demon lord acknowledges that I’m not an evil spirit.

…But is it effective?

“That means…”

This time, I gave Shuttle a scrutinizing look. Could it be that the saint of the Nature Order was a fake, and the evil spirit hidden in the world was this guy?

The idea that the saint was actually the villain and the plot twist would be quite an interesting story!

“There’s no way that’s true!”

Shuttle jumped around as if feeling unjustly accused, but I didn’t buy it.

The only two people here are me and Shuttle. I’m not an evil spirit, so the remaining option is you, Shuttle!

“I never thought you would be that guy…”

“I, as a follower of the god of nature, couldn’t possibly be something like an evil spirit!”

“Well, it could be a setting where the evil spirit lost its memory in a previous life.”

“That’s not the setting!”

Hah! You know, there’s a saying that strong denial is a sign of strong affirmation.

With such a strong denial, it makes me even more suspicious!

“There are only two people here, me and Shuttle.

Firstly, I’m not an evil spirit, so the only person left is you, Shuttle!”

“Could you really be that guy…”

“As a devout follower of the god of nature, I couldn’t possibly be something like an evil spirit!”

“Well, it could be a setting where the evil spirit lost its memory in a previous life.”

“That’s not the setting!”

Hah! You know, there’s a saying that strong denial is a sign of strong affirmation.

With such a strong denial, it makes me even more suspicious!

“Come on, reveal your true identity, evil spirit!”

– Yup.

Then, a voice echoed in my mind.

And at the same time,

“That person is not an evil spirit either.”

“That’s right. I’m a faithful follower who believes in the god of nature! I’m definitely not an evil spirit!”

I couldn’t hear what the demon lord and Shuttle were saying anymore.

The voice I had heard earlier was more shocking than anything else.

– Was it you who just spoke?

I managed to speak with a trembling voice.

The guy who hadn’t said a word since the last outburst suddenly decided to speak at a time like this!

– Yup.

– No, there’s a time for jokes and a time when it’s not!

– It sounds like a joke?

– Why are you so scared…

“Come on, say it with high tension like usual! Something like ‘Tada! Actually, I’m an evil spirit!’ or ‘Hahaha! Gotcha, master?’ Please!”

“Actually, the evil spirit I mentioned is the one that the instructor has.”

The demon lord pointed at the crowbar in my hand with her finger.

“At first, I thought the evil fragment the instructor had was powerful. It was a fragment of evil gathered from dragons. I thought that since they were the strongest race and were devoted to their desires, they would gather strong evil. But over time, as I sensed the instructor’s evil aura, I realized it wasn’t the same.”

“So…”

“Yes. That is the aura of an evil spirit, originally the god of this world who sealed their own evil and fell into corruption. And that evil spirit’s soul is attached to the object the instructor is holding.”

“I see…”

Shuttle looked at the crowbar with trembling eyes. Although it’s natural to trust the demon lord, he seems to trust her a bit too much. He should be more suspicious!

– And the owner is not even saying anything.

Well, you seem real, though.

– Yeah, you said it’s real?

– Why are you saying this now?

– I’ve been saying it all along, haven’t I? I kept saying I’m a goddess, didn’t I?

Who would believe that? You need to explain it more clearly for people to believe!

– Master.

The crowbar called me in a voice that was very different from usual, low and cold.

– Huh?

– I was going to say that, but you told me not to, right? It’s related to evil, so I was going to tell you! I was worried, you know! I was going to say it considering all the affection we’ve had! But you rejected it, Master!

– Ah…

Is that so?