252 The Curse Named Kindness

Resuming daily updates.

Refer to entry 244 for those seeing it for the first time in a week.

"Shiro. Seems you've been causing quite a bit of trouble lately?"

First, the demon lord’s interrogation.

The voice, so unlike the usual playful tone of the Demon King, carried a dark, heavy weight.

No—this is surely the true voice of the Demon King.

Before merging with my fragment, before corruption.

Indeed, that explains why Balto would be afraid.

Few could remain unshaken before the current Demon King.

No need to tremble, unless you've made your resolve with great determination.

If there's someone who isn't afraid, it'd be one of them.

I am not the one who needs to tremble.

Do not answer the Demon King's question. Open the eyes.

The Demon King grimaced for a single instant. That was all.

She endured the terror before her eyes.

What are you thinking, now?

A voice as cold as the ground beneath.

No reply will go unpunished.

The intent was unmistakable.

“Hidden matters.”

I sidestepped the Demon King’s pressure with ease, pointing at the black figure and saying so.

The Demon King’s focus shifted accordingly.

“What do you mean?”

The black figure stood frozen, arms crossed, forehead furrowed.

Hesitating. Deciding whether to speak.

“By this point, concealing it would be betrayal.”

The black figure exhaled deeply, as if surrendering.

“Let me cut to the conclusion. The degradation of souls cycling through this world has worsened.”

No—don’t jump straight to the conclusion.

Who’d understand that without context?

“How severe?”

I did!

Huh?

Did the Demon King really think that fast?

Or is it—?

Does the mind sharpen abruptly when entering Syrilis Mode?

“Signs of soul degradation are already appearing in some regions.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?!”

“What good would talking do?”

The two fall silent, the air thick with weight.

Ah… uncomfortable.

Can I go back now?

Can’t I?

Is that right?

“Answer honestly. If I were to act as Demon King, could I complete the recovery of MA energy?”

“Impossible.”

The black responds instantly.

Sitting, head lowered, the Demon King trembles.

The resolve it took to become a Demon King—how great it must have been—cannot be known.

But this was the first time the Demon King, who had long obeyed the goddess’s decree and observed the world in silence, had acted against the goddess’s will.

For a Demon King who revered the goddess above all else, that was no small decision.

Especially knowing that becoming a Demon King would almost certainly result in death.

There, I will show the path.

"Destroy the system."

To the two trapped in an impossible dead end, my proposal will sound like a dream.

Therefore, they will surely grasp it.

"What do you mean?"

"The energy sustaining the system accounts for approximately ninety percent of total MA energy. If we can source just ten percent from elsewhere, dismantling the system will allow us to meet the MA energy requirement."

Simple.

That system built by that D—by that corrupt heretic.

Such a system is not conquered through direct assault.

There must be a back route.

Given D’s nature, the back route lies in the unorthodox, the dishonorable, the path no one else would take.

"Is that even possible?"

"Shiro-chan, can you do it?"

Two sets of eyes.

One skeptical, one hopeful.

"Possible. The ones isolated by Black were sacrificed for this preparation."

Actually, not true.

But since it's not entirely incorrect, saying it this way should prompt Black to overanalyze and misunderstand as intended.

"Which is why such actions..."

See?

"All preliminary work will be completed by me. Next, securing the remaining ten percent. Ideally, supplement any unforeseen shortfall to reach fifteen percent of MA energy."

How to achieve that?

Initiate a war. A war on a scale unseen in the past.

Expand the plan currently being pursued by the Demon King.

And one more thing.

"Scale up the war. And eliminate the Hero."

Black twitches slightly in response.

Yes, Black opposes killing the Hero.

But this point is non-negotiable.

"Initiate the cessation of the Hero System prior to system collapse. Energy recovery from the Hero System is expected to yield approximately three percent."

Three percent may sound negligible, but in actual energy terms, the amount is substantial.

Securing that output is essential.

Moreover, eliminating the Hero increases the Demon King's survival probability.

The Hero exists to defeat the Demon King.

This is a rule that overrides disparities in power.

The Demon King will inevitably be defeated by the Hero.

Even if the Hero of this generation is repelled, the next, and the one after that.

With each generation, the Demon King's odds of victory diminish.

Not due to stats or skills—this is how the system is programmed.

Even so, the current Demon King cannot be imagined as losing to the Hero of this age.

Unlikely, but precautions must still be taken.

"Must we truly sacrifice so much to achieve this?"

"Originally, it was the negligence of the Black Administrator."

My words twist the Black's expression.

A despicable fellow, I am.

Indeed, if the Black had managed properly, this situation would not have arisen.

But the Black could not have done such a thing.

Like the Demon King, a pitiful man who prioritized the Goddess's kindness.

It is that kindness which has brought this world to the brink of collapse.

What irony.

It borders on the absurd.

Therefore, I will destroy it all.

No lies.

If the system is sacrificed, the world's energy will be replenished.

However, destroying the system means erasing all skills and stats within this world.

It amounts to forcibly reclaiming what is rooted in the soul.

Thus, those with many skills and high stats will suffer significant strain on their souls during retrieval.

Like the previous instructor.

No falsehoods.

Destroying the system will save the world.

However, the cost will be mass death among those who dwell in the world.

Simply remaining silent about it.