“—!?”
When I woke up, I found myself in a familiar landscape. A black room, and there’s only one place I can think of.
It seems I have finally been called to the Black Throne Chamber.
“It’s been a while, Kuroha Mao… I will grant you the Sixth Blessing.”
The small Demon King, Mia Elroad, who seems out of place on the massive throne, quickly cut to the chase. It appears there will be no small talk this time. Her face, reflecting a child’s ever-changing emotions of joy, anger, sadness, and pleasure, is now completely expressionless.
“…Why now?”
It wouldn’t hurt to ask for a reason.
“For the final trial.”
Alongside my surprise at her straightforward answer, a sense of urgency wells up. This is not the time to focus on anything other than the trial.
“As a god, I have many secrets, but I always try not to lie. So this time too, I won’t lie. I will tell you everything you need to know.”
With that, Mia maintains her unchanged expression and speaks.
“The reason I didn’t grant you the Sixth Blessing immediately after defeating Chaosgrim is that it would have been troublesome if you could use it at that point.”
“What do you mean?”
“Rather than explaining that, it would be clearer if you received the blessing first.”
Feeling her attitude as if to say, ‘Please, go ahead,’ I find myself nodding. There’s no reason to refuse in the flow of this conversation, and I have no intention of resisting for no reason.
However, there’s a certain indescribable sense of intimidation coming from Mia at the moment.
“…Is the proof really safe like this?”
Amid the strange tension, I untied the chains and icy restraints lurking in the shadows and took out the still-beating heart of Chaosgrim.
“Yeah, it’s fine. There’s no problem at all.”
Normally, she would give me a cheerful smile, but Mia’s expression doesn’t change at all.
The ritual to present the proof goes without a hitch.
Particles of blue light flow from the heart, and when they disappear, the heart offering also vanishes—huh? It doesn’t disappear?
“That heart isn’t the ‘Core of Pride,’ you see.”
“Since the core is contained within the heart, even if the core disappears, the main body remains intact.”
“That’s right.”
As she speaks, the heart pulsates strongly.
From its appearance, while the blue lines indicating the ‘Core of Pride’ have disappeared, the only change seems to be that. The red-black mass of flesh throbbed resiliently, as if to say it wouldn’t die so easily.
Feeling a sense of fear, I quickly re-sealed it and sank it back into the shadows.
“So, the power of the Sixth Blessing is… Is it healing after all?”
The attribute I can acquire is water. The only healing ability I possess is ‘Physical Compensation,’ and Chaosgrim, similarly, used the power of the Pride Gem to seal its own wounds and even replace lost parts. If I were to predict the ability of the Sixth Blessing, there’s only this.
“Yeah, with this, I can heal your arms and legs right now.”
However, it won’t be to perfection, she added as a note.
But, just becoming capable of normal movement was already enough.
“If only I could have received it a bit earlier…”
I would have been able to chase after Fiona.
It’s already too late to chase. The emergency carriage that carries me has already arrived at Spada.
“That’s why.”
“…What do you mean?”
“I didn’t grant you the blessing because it would be troublesome if you chased after that witch.”
For a moment, I didn’t understand what Mia was saying.
“I once told you that the monsters in the trials occur naturally and are unrelated to my will as a god. That was true, not a lie. All six monsters you’ve defeated up to now were met purely by the flow of nature. However, the last trial is different.”
No, perhaps I just didn’t want to understand.
“You probably already have an idea. I don’t think you’re that stupid.”
A cold sweat began to bead on my forehead. Even in a dream, this uncomfortable feeling felt more real than before.
“The last trial was a bit of a setup by me. By not granting the blessing, you couldn’t chase after the witch… And what do you think happened where she went?”
“You intentionally had Lily kill Fiona.”
“Their killing each other was their own choice. I merely ensured that you, the unwanted variable, wouldn’t interfere. Truly, ‘love’ is something that drives people mad, no matter the era. Sadly, it’s an unpreventable aspect of human nature.”
“Don’t mess with me!”
“I’m not messing with you. Their love is real. It’s something pure, free from any intentions or the will of a god. Rather, it’s you who should prepare yourself.”
“Prepare myself…”
“Take a good look at reality, with that left eye of yours.”
In an instant, my vision darkened—no, only the left half. The figure of Mia sitting on the throne continued to be reflected in front of me, but… what is this? In the darkness, a faint red glow appeared.
However, I soon caught sight of a figure beyond that dim red light.
“…Fiona!?”
My left eye was indeed seeing Fiona. I instinctively closed my right eye and focused on what I could see with my left.
Without a doubt, it was Fiona.
Her peaceful sleeping face with no blemishes, and her beautifully white naked body. Both were so familiar to me now that they appeared almost unrecognizable.
But Fiona was not sleeping on a bed, she was submerged in a red… is this liquid?
That’s right; like a specimen soaked in formalin, Fiona’s entire body was engulfed in a round container filled with glowing red liquid.
What is this? What has happened to Fiona—before I could understand, my view shifted involuntarily.
As my gaze slowly moved to the right, there was another identical container of the same red liquid.
“Sarah!”
Inside, just like Fiona, was Sariel.
Once again, my gaze moved. This time to the left.
“No way… Why is Nel here too…”
Nel too was naked and trapped in the container.
I couldn’t make sense of it. Why are the three of them in such a situation? No, who did this?
“…Lily.”
I already knew the answer.
Even though I understood, the one controlling this vision, namely Lily, forced me to face reality.
When Lily turned around, a huge mirror was placed behind her. A large full-length mirror that reflected her in every detail.
In it, Lily appeared, naked with red butterfly wings.
She seemed to be saying something. With a smile on her face, she directed her beaming smile toward the mirror, no, toward me.
Lily showed such a dazzling smile that I couldn’t help but see… a distinctly red light twinkling in her chest.
“Damn it, why, Lily—!?”
At that moment, my vision was obliterated.
This time, it completely turned dark, and when I opened my eyes again, my sight was showing the Black Throne Chamber with both eyes.
“How was it? The battle surrounding you should now have reached a conclusion.”
Mia asked without a hint of interest in my agitation, her expression unchanged and impertinently inquiring.
A conclusion, huh? Is that what that was—that mess of a battle?
“…Why?”
“What is that question directed towards? If you’re asking why you saw the fairy’s viewpoint, it’s because her left eye is your original eye, and your current eye is mine, so a degree of interference is possible. Or are you worried about the safety of those submerged in ether? If they’re in there, they’re definitely alive, and the device seems to be functioning normally, so they will continue to sleep without aging. I think you Japanese would understand if I called it ‘cold sleep.’ And did you want to ask a fundamental question of why this happened? If so, I can only say that it’s because that fairy won.”
The fallen angel, the princess, the witch—none of them could surpass her. However, I would acknowledge on behalf of their honor that it was a fierce battle where either side could have won. All three of them are powerful enough to be on the brink of human strength. To have defeated such formidable opponents alone… truly, she is worthy to be Iris’ daughter.
“That’s enough.”
Why has it come to this? Such reasoning is irrelevant.
What I should be asking now isn’t this.
What I must inquire now is not this at all.
“Demon King Mia Elroad, what do you intend to make me do?”
“A trial. From the moment we first met until now, that hasn’t changed.”
Hasn’t changed, she says. Is this the same?
“‘Wrath’ Raspun, ‘Greed’ Greedg, ‘Sloth’ Slowsgil, ‘Lust’ Last Rose, ‘Gluttony’ Gluttony Oct, and revised, ‘Chaos’ Chaosgrim… although they were all dangerous, you’ve managed to overcome these trials well, Kuroha Mao.”
Hollow praise. Well done, and you’ve managed to survive, I think so myself.
But it’s still too early to be praised.
“Yeah, so I truly hope you can defeat the last remaining ‘Envy’ Envy Ray.”
“The final trial has already begun, hasn’t it?”
“What is there to hesitate about? You already know both the enemy’s identity and their location.”
The red point of light indicated the location of the evidence of the trial, just like before.
“And to prevent you from hesitating, I’ve even provided you with a reason.”
A reason. That’s not just for the trial, it’s for some other reason.
“Iris’ daughter, fairy Lily… you already have enough reason to kill her.”
“Are you telling me to kill Lily!?”
“Your lover is captured. Memories you tried to protect, even cutting ties with your past. And the precious friend you just reconciled with. What do you think? With all of that, you should have resolved yourself to kill her—thinking that, I delayed granting you the Sixth Blessing.”
“Miaaa!!!”
How long has it been since I felt such a level of anger that my vision turned bright red?
I raised my fist in disrespect and charged at my own god—Ancient Demon King Mia Elroad.
“—Gah!”
However, my violent act was instantly stopped.
Black tentacles erupted from the floor, ceiling, and walls all at once, no, the same jet-black chains as my ‘Magical Hand’ shot out. The chains launched from all directions predicted every movement and evasion I could make, exceeding them, and ensnared me without permitting any resistance.
Bound by the black chains around my hands, feet, body, and neck, I was helpless to stop my movements. Damn, I couldn’t even budge.
“Do you remember when we first met? I told you one of the conditions for you to gain the Demon King’s blessing.”
There’s no way I could forget. That was the source of my will, stronger than the desire for revenge against the Crusaders or the deep despair that could break my spirit.
“I wanted to… protect everyone.”
“That’s right, that’s your wish. Conquest, domination, revenge, faith, justice… none of those, you chose protection. Setting aside good and evil or right and wrong, that’s certainly one of the conditions I established.”
That was all that I was taught back then. A condition to obtain the Demon King’s blessing, just one of them.
“I’ll tell you the second condition—”
As Mia beckoned with her small hand, the chains binding me started to rattle and move.
Feeling an intense constriction all over my body that forced a groan from my lips, I was pulled forward to stand before the throne where the Demon King sat.
If I stretched out my hand, I could reach, and the youthful and androgynous beauty right before me, with a doll-like cold expression, stared directly at me and said.
“—That you have someone who loves you.”
The second condition to obtain the Demon King’s blessing was something exceptionally commonplace.
“Love is the strongest of all emotions. Even a god cannot grant that ultimate emotion. The most I can do is confuse you with a trivial pleasure. It’s a tiresome magic that can’t compare to real love.”
With an expression as if devoid of human emotion, Mia spoke about love.
“Therefore, even if I took an interest, I cannot create someone to love you. The one who truly came to love you, just like the monsters of the trial, was merely a coincidence. Or rather, if we want to speak deterministically, it could be called a necessity. In any case, the one who genuinely loved you was there at that time.”
“That’s Lily, isn’t it?”
“It was a fervent kind of love that even I, who was always scolded for being dull, could understand.”
I didn’t realize that I was especially stupid.
“Lily loves you. And you love Lily as well, don’t you? That marvelous bond you two built—if it weren’t, the last trial wouldn’t reach completion.”
“Y-You were planning to use Lily from the beginning, weren’t you!?”
“That was merely a discussion of possibilities. At that point, only one person had the qualifications, but it could have been a witch, a fallen angel, or a princess. If there’s real love there, then the last trial can be established.”
“Don’t mess with me! What do you think human feelings are—nnngh!?”
The chains silenced any further words I had. Even understanding it was futile and that my resistance was ugly, I bit into the chains until I felt as if all my teeth would break.
“That should be enough understanding.”
What understanding? Would I ever accept something like that?
“The last trial requires you to sacrifice the life of the one you love.”
Mia cruelly and unyieldingly revealed the truth.
“The ‘Envy’ Envy Ray resides in Lily’s heart.”
This was her plan from the start—to make me do this, to grant me the blessing for such a purpose. Has she been watching over my, no, our battle all this time for this?
“Now, Kuroha Mao, face the final trial.”
This is the Demon King.
“Defeat the strongest enemy possessing the power of love—”
This is the trial to become the Demon King.
After overcoming six dreadful trials, I have arrived here. It’s already impossible to retreat; I am now forced to make the worst choice.
“—Offer Lily’s heart.”
January 6, 2017
Happy New Year. I look forward to your continued support of “Black Demon King” this year.
And so, Chapter 30 concludes here. With the new year beginning, I would like Chrono to tackle the final trial first. Please stay tuned.