第１１３掘：勇者と魔王のお話 (Part2)
"Alright, let's put it simply: the Demon race are actually former humans, aren't they?"
Yuki's answer plunges the conference room into a heavy silence. It is only natural; the very idea that the Demon race originated from our own kind is a staggering revelation.
"As expected of you. That is correct. I do not know the cause, but they are born through sudden mutation. The nation centered around the Demon King, Last, is where they have gathered."
"Sudden mutation?"
"Have you never heard of it, Seraria? Reports of demons suddenly appearing in towns or villages, regardless of the location?"
"That has happened, yes. But I assumed they were demons who had been lying in wait."
"That is where you are mistaken. Based on my research, I believe that when one reaches a certain age and exceeds a specific threshold of magical power, their species changes into that of a Demon."
"Wait a moment. If what Zargis is saying is true..."
"Exactly. Children who had barely reached maturity were branded as monsters, hunted down, killed, and their families slaughtered along with them. That is the foundation of the Demon race. Most likely, the first person to become a Demon King simply unleashed that accumulated resentment upon the various nations alongside their companions. Having a high level of magical power means they also possess the skills to utilize it—abilities far too potent for a child. If they grow up, they become soldiers capable of defeating a thousand men. As for those children who survived... I was born and raised in Last, so I cannot fully grasp the sentiment, but I imagine it must be beyond anything you can conceive."
Seraria is speechless. Naturally, I and everyone else here are the same.
"Well, if you are asking if I hate you all, I do not. That is a story from long ago; I do not dwell on such ancient history. But in the end, we are the ones being driven out. We were told by the 13th Demon King to live quietly atop the mountains where crops barely grow, hoping for coexistence with humanity. Yet, you send incomprehensible subjugation armies, raid our farming villages, and trample our fields. We were merely trying to protect the land we live on."
"Seraria, what has the territory of the four great powers looked like over the last few hundred years?" Yuki asks her.
Without lifting her head, Seraria answers the question.
"Under the guise of 'liberating' the lands where the Demon King resides, large-scale crusades have been carried out repeatedly. Just as Yuki predicted, the four great powers have been expanding their territories by carving out the regions said to be the Demon King's domain."
"In other words, from a historical perspective, Zargis's argument holds true."
"I suppose I cannot ask why you didn't seek peace," Seraria says.
As she looks at Zargis, he shrugs with a troubled expression.
"Exactly as you think. Even if we spoke of peace, we would be ignored or simply killed. It seems the current Demon King was a pacifist who tried desperately, but from my perspective, there is nothing more to be done. You have decided that we are absolute evil, and we must secure land to survive. If negotiation is impossible, we have no choice but to take it, and you have no choice but to treat us as enemies to be struck down. This is simply the flow of things."
Zargis speaks as if it were a natural occurrence, not even bothering to condemn us. Yet, he seems somewhat sorrowful.
"Roschur, Gartz, Litea—what do you think?" Yuki asks the kings of each nation for their judgment on this matter.
"W-well, that is... I am at a loss..."
"We only ever received reports that demons appeared and were disposed of, after all."
"The same for me. After a demon is disposed of, only a magic stone remains; the body does not."
It seems the kings had been making their judgments based solely on reports and the evidence of magic stones, never suspecting that they had been taking the lives of children. It was the same when I was a Saint. I remember there were not many cases—only about three in total.
"Hmm. It is likely that scouts have been sent, so how about this: to verify whether Zargis's claims are true, if you encounter a demon that appears to be a child, why not protect them under the guise of 'taking them into custody'?"
"Indeed. That would be for the best."
"Gartz will follow that plan as well."
"Litea has no objections. If that is the truth, then we have been making a grave mistake."
The kings of the various nations seem to have accepted my husband's proposal.
"Ho, you believe it so easily? I expected to be ignored and dismissed as spouting nonsense."
"Zargis doesn't seem to have much of a head for those kinds of social nuances."
"No, I am purely a man of research."
"As Zargis said, if the Demon race is merely a mutation and peace is possible, there is no longer a need to fight. It would reduce the budget required for national defense; it is convenient in many ways. Until now, it was a war for survival where neither side could back down, but if we understand the circumstances, there are ways to handle it."
"I see, so that is it. But do you think it will go well?"
"Well, it's probably impossible, isn't it? The weight of what has happened until now is too heavy. But if we don't do something, it will lead to an all-out war, won't it?"
"That is true. Ah, I see. Is that why there is that strange story from long ago about the Hero who cornered the Demon King but did not kill him?"
At Zargis's mention of that old tale, I remember it too. The story of how, in the distant past, a Hero descended upon this continent, united the nations trembling in fear of the Demon King, defeated the monsters, and cornered the Demon King in the central mountains.
There had always been a question: why did the Hero not deliver the finishing blow to the cornered Demon King? There are various theories. Some say the Hero was so severely injured that he could not continue. Others say the national power had declined, making further pursuit impossible. And then there is the theory considered the most ridiculous of all:
"Wishing for a day when we can coexist. Let us both do our best."
The story goes that the Hero was kind and reached out even to the Demon race. The details of that final part are hazy, but the name of that Hero remains to this day.
The Hero from another world, Touya Yashiro.
The first visitor from another world in recorded history, just like my husband.
Here, the story of the Demon King also becomes intertwined. After all, the Hero and the Demon King are inseparable.