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Lina was in a pitch-dark forest.

The place she had reached, fleeing from screams and cries, was a black forest where branches and pitch-black darkness intertwined.

No matter how much she wandered, she couldn’t find any chirping birds or wild animals. It was as silent as death. Nothing alive existed in the forest.

In the forest, Lina was safe. There was no one left to torment her. Moreover, she could forget. The longer she stayed in the forest, the more she could forget—her terrible memories, the harsh reality, and perhaps even her happy memories….

This place was Lina’s sanctuary. A place where no one but her could set foot.

However, in that place, Lina was lonely. She walked endlessly through the dense forest but never encountered anyone. Days passed as she walked until exhaustion and fell asleep. Now, she couldn’t tell how much time had passed.

“It’s cold….”

Her body was freezing. Perhaps it was because not a single ray of sunlight reached the forest. In this warmth-less forest, she tried to find a way to warm herself.

“Ah….”

Then, she spotted a coat hanging on a tree. It was something she had never seen while wandering the forest. It was as if it had been waiting for her to find it.

Lina, as if entranced, grabbed the coat. It was an unremarkable coat, but it felt familiar. Upon closer inspection, it carried a nostalgic scent.

-If you like it, you can take it.

A kind man’s voice.

That’s right…. This was a gift from him. A gift he had given her with a nonchalant attitude. But Lina was genuinely happy. She could feel his gentle consideration for her.

But something strange happened.

She couldn’t recall his face. Not just his face—no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t even remember his name. All that remained was a faint memory of his voice.

Feeling down, Lina put on the coat. Even as she felt its texture and scent, she couldn’t remember who he was.

Lina slumped down on the spot. For some reason, she felt like crying. But no tears came. Her tears had dried up long ago. That day, overwhelmed by uncontrollable sorrow, she had poured them all out. And then, she abandoned her humanity and became the Demon Lord.

Uuu….

Then, a wind blew from somewhere. The forest where she was began to sway, emitting a mournful cry.

Someone had invaded her sanctuary.

—

“Isaac! Behind you!”

“?!”

Isaac, momentarily distracted, didn’t see the thorny vines flying toward him from behind. But before he could react, the vines were sliced mid-air.

“Instead of warning me, couldn’t you have just blocked it for me?”

“Isaac, I’m not a swordsman like you. I can’t handle sudden attacks like that.”

“Magic is all show.”

The man with a rapier, Isaac, teased Alisa. Taciturn and cynical, he was a reliable ally to Alonso.

Isaac and Alonso had first met on the battlefield. Alonso, a wandering swordsman with only a single sword, had joined soldiers under attack by monstrous beasts to save them. But he wasn’t the only one who joined. Isaac, appearing out of nowhere, began slaughtering the beasts with his sword.

Alonso could only watch in awe. Isaac dodged enemy attacks with minimal movement, avoiding direct confrontations while finding openings. In an instant, he would close in and pierce their hearts.

The shock of Isaac’s ghostly swordsmanship was short-lived, as Alonso soon felt a chill. Isaac’s swordsmanship was eerily similar to his own.

The two couldn’t have been trained in the same school. Alonso wasn’t someone who learned swordsmanship—he created it. He wielded a unique style born from battlefield experience, constantly refining it through countless trials to achieve his ideal form.

Yet, Isaac’s swordsmanship was a perfect replica of Alonso’s. No, it was the ideal swordsmanship Alonso had always envisioned.

It was only natural that Alonso immediately took Isaac as his comrade.

Before meeting Isaac, Alonso had believed himself to be a genius with the sword. He was confident that no one could surpass him in swordsmanship. But after meeting Isaac, Alonso painfully realized how modest his talent truly was.

Isaac didn’t just wield one style of swordsmanship—he mastered many. It was clearly the mark of experience. The scars covering his body told the story of a far more arduous path than Alonso had ever walked.

-Isaac, watching your swordsmanship, I feel like I understand how I should wield my sword. It’s as if the fog in my mind is clearing. If it’s alright with you, could I take you as my master?

-……Alonso. Did my swordsmanship seem perfect to you?

-Of course. Without a doubt, Isaac, your swordsmanship is the pinnacle of what I’ve always sought.

-Then I cannot be your master.

-Why?

-An ideal is just an ideal. There is no perfect swordsmanship in this world.

Isaac muttered as if recalling a distant memory.

-If you truly wish to master perfect swordsmanship, you must first accept that perfect swordsmanship doesn’t exist. The moment you understand that paradox, you can become the most ideal swordsman…… or so my master who taught me swordsmanship once said.

-Good heavens…. Are you saying there’s someone else who wields swordsmanship like yours?

-Yes. This isn’t a swordsmanship I developed on my own. I have a master who taught me this.

-Then can you introduce me to your master?

-I’d like to, but that might be difficult. She’s still…. not in a state where she can meet you.

-Huh? What do you mean, not in a state to meet me?

-…It’s complicated. Anyway, the swordsmanship I wield has been passed down for a very long time. The one who taught me… she also had a master, and that master had a master too.

-A master’s master…. Then the first master who passed down this swordsmanship must have been truly remarkable.

-Yes. He was remarkable.

Isaac stared at Alonso and murmured.

-He was… the strongest swordsman in human history.

-The strongest swordsman in human history…. I’d like to be called that someday too.

-Alonso, you will. Without a doubt.

Those words meant so much. Alonso was overjoyed that someone of Isaac’s caliber acknowledged him.

Without Isaac’s help, reaching the Demon Lord’s Castle would have been far more difficult. If Isaac hadn’t supported him, hadn’t watched his back, he would never have made it.

Isaac was Alonso’s master and irreplaceable friend. That’s why Alonso was troubled by what Isaac had said the previous night.

-Alonso. Could you hold off on killing the Demon Lord?

-What??

-If the Demon Lord no longer intends to resist…… No…. Never mind. Forget I said that.

Isaac stopped there and fell silent. He was a man of few words, rarely voicing his opinions. This was the first time he had brought up such a topic with Alonso. As a result, Alonso couldn’t focus on the battle.

“I see it now.”

Alisa illuminated the area with light magic. A thin shadow appeared amidst the black thorny vines.

Alonso swallowed hard. Though he had always fought on the front lines, this was the first time he had seen the Demon Lord in person. The Demon Lord had hidden herself, only summoning armies of monstrous beasts from her nests.

The Demon Lord was a woman. A young woman with hair as white as an old man’s. Her slender arms and legs, her small shoulders—it was a far cry from the image of the Demon Lord he had imagined. Could this fragile-looking woman really be the Demon Lord…?

She was crouched within the thornbush, clad only in a pitch-black coat.

“Don’t let your guard down, Lord Alonso. Don’t be fooled by the Demon Lord’s wretched appearance.”

“Right….”

Alisa was correct. No matter how she looked, the Demon Lord was still the Demon Lord. Letting his guard down was out of the question.

There were no armies of monstrous beasts left to protect the Demon Lord. Now, there was nothing left to shield her. Only the Demon Lord remained.

Alonso glanced at Isaac’s face, but he seemed calm despite facing the Demon Lord. Maybe it was just his imagination.

“Isaac. I’ll….”

“The right side. You want me to take it?”

“…Yes.”

Isaac adjusted his grip on his rapier. Seeing this, Alonso felt reassured and drew his sword.

As if knowing they would attack, the thorny vines around the Demon Lord began to rise. These were different from the vines they had cut through earlier—much thicker, with sharper thorns.

Though the sight was terrifying, Alonso felt no fear.

“Let’s go.”

—

While Alisa supported them with light magic, Alonso and Isaac swung their swords. The relentless onslaught of thorny vines was a significant challenge.

This battle was more grueling than fighting the armies of monstrous beasts. The endless barrage of vines, especially the venomous thorns, was overwhelming. The vines struck like venomous snakes, targeting their bodies. No matter how much they cut and dodged, blocking all the vines was impossible. If not for Alisa’s healing, the two might have fallen long ago.

Isaac, in particular, fought valiantly. With ghostly skill, he sliced through the vines. His speed surpassed his usual limits. Severed vines piled up at his feet in an instant. Alonso realized this was Isaac’s full power.

But they couldn’t keep fighting like this forever. Alisa’s magic power was running low. If they continued this war of attrition, they would lose. They couldn’t afford to drag this out any longer.

Then it happened.

“Lord Alonso! Aim for the roots! The roots!”

Alisa, breathing heavily, pointed to the base where the Demon Lord was crouched. The roots of the thorny vines were concentrated there, exuding a dark, ominous energy. If they destroyed the roots, the vines’ attacks would cease.

“Isaac! Cover me!”

Alonso shouted as he charged toward the roots. He didn’t hear a response, but he could feel Isaac diligently cutting down the vines targeting him.

Alonso stepped on the flying vines and leaped. His target was the roots. He adjusted his grip on his sword and thrust toward the dark energy. Or at least, he tried to.

“Don’t… do it….”

“?!”

“Don’t take anything more from me….”

The Demon Lord blocked Alonso. The frail woman spread her arms to stop him. For a brief moment, Alonso hesitated.

‘Damn it….’

Alonso resigned himself. He noticed the vines flying toward him, but it was too late to dodge.

Thud!

A horrifying sound of flesh being pierced echoed. Hot blood splattered on his face. But no matter how long he waited, Alonso felt no pain.

He couldn’t.

“Isaac?!”

It was Isaac who had blocked the vines flying toward Alonso. The sharp vines had turned into massive thorns, piercing through Isaac’s body. He had thrown himself to save Alonso.

“Damn it…!”

Alonso gritted his teeth. He quickly adjusted his grip on his sword and gathered magic power. The sword, imbued with light magic, began to glow brightly.

Alonso swung the radiant blade toward the roots where the dark energy was concentrated.

-Groooooo!

The vines, sliced by the light, roared like a beast. Writhing in agony, they turned brown from the tips and soon withered away.

The thorny vines that had plagued them were dying. It meant they had won the battle.

“You did great, Lord Alonso! Ah, the way you wielded the light was so….”

“Never mind that! Isaac is…!”

Alonso hurriedly checked on Isaac. But Isaac hadn’t collapsed.

“……”

He just stood there, as if in a daze, staring at something.

The Demon Lord.

Like the wound on the roots, a hole had been torn through her chest.

“I don’t want this… I don’t want this anymore….”

The Demon Lord, with no means left to resist, cried endlessly. She wept like a child who had lost her parents. Alonso couldn’t help but feel pity.

“I don’t want to be alone…. Sob…. Roti…. Miki…. Dad….”

Black tears streamed from her eyes. Watching this, Isaac’s lips twitched as if he wanted to say something. But the next moment…

Whoosh.

“?!”

Flames suddenly erupted around them. The dried thornbush began to burn. The fierce flames forced Alonso and Alisa to retreat.

“This is….”

“The dark magic is dissipating, trying to take us with it. But it’s just a last-ditch effort. Let’s get out of here.”

Alisa was right. If they hurried, they could escape.

But the situation was dangerous. The flames had spread to the thornbush covering the castle. In an instant, the fire surged, threatening to engulf the Demon Lord.

Watching this, Alisa shouted.

“Serves you right, Demon Lord! Dying alone is the fitting end for you! Go to hell! Stay there forever…….”

Thud.

A dull sound echoed. Alisa’s body slumped weakly.

Someone had driven a fist into her abdomen.

“Isaac…?”

It was Isaac, his body pierced by the thorny vines, coldly staring at the fallen Alisa.

“What… are you doing?”

“I’m sorry, Alonso….”

Isaac wiped the blood from his mouth and spoke.

“There’s something I’ve been hiding from you until now.”

 

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