NOVEL WEB Chapter 43
In the Night Heart Trilogy, the Demon King is cheating.
“I mean, using the powers gained as a Hero and covering the world with the powers of the Demon King that contradict them.”
Bite! I bit my lower lip. Can’t it just be one or the other, either the Hero or the Demon King? Why can I use powers that I had before falling into corruption?
“It doesn’t make sense. Isn’t it that your favorite hair color and eye color…?”
In the case of the Magic Hat, it has powers that overlay ‘falsehoods’. It looked like it was trying to imitate our Saintess, but its powers aren’t perfect.
“Aha! I’ve realized why you’ve been so cold, my lord!”
“I’m not your lord in the first place.”
I raised my sword again. Then the Magic Hat grinned with a creepy smile. Why is it looking at me like that, with such a clingy gaze?
“If you’re in love, then it’s normal to fight sometimes, right? That’s how it is, isn’t it, my lord!”
“Absolutely not. Get lost.”
Cold sweat trickled down my spine. There’s a magician woman with long white hair closing in on me. She pulled out some cards and flung them.
10 of Hearts.
Jack of Hearts.
Ace of Hearts.
“My lord… I’ll teach you again, one by one…!!”
It was like she was deliberately throwing only heart-shaped cards. The Demon King, with a smirk as if she were sending a love letter, was hard to bear.
Chills. Such blatant actions and advances towards the player.
“Was she always this kind of character?”
I dodged the cards flying at me with a Void Slash. Each hit could be dangerous since each symbol had a special power.
“Just as I thought..! Your swordsmanship hasn’t rusted at all! Though it’s quite different from what I remember!”
“Please, shut up. Just.”
There’s also the Empress of the Empire over there.
It was a pattern I had sketched, written, and memorized several times in my notebook, but seeing it in reality made me uneasy.
Her name is Bellin Grancia. Rufus’s mother.
The mature woman with black hair and wolf ears was waiting quietly for the Magic Hat’s command, adorned with a red heart symbol.
“…She seems to be the biggest problem here.”
When I was trying to clear Black Heart, I had a nausea feeling about the pattern that involved using the Queen of Hearts card.
If the player forces in damage they can’t really absorb,
“It’s too bad I can’t send out the Queen of Hearts, my lord!”
I filled my full health using her like a minion. If Licht was the original, he would have stacked even more damage rather than healing.
“Licht… what about that person?”
“Don’t worry. I won’t hurt your mother.”
“Did you know?”
But back then it was just a game, and this is reality. No matter how much the Demon King must be dealt with, I’m currently on the Crown Prince ally route.
I should be saving that person too.
“It’s strange not to know. Mr. Mardol.”
“Oh, I see… Then from the start….”
Licht’s golden eyes widened as he looked at me. Did he think I wouldn’t notice he’s royalty? Isn’t he wearing ridiculously shiny armor right now?
“Uh, are you concerned about this person? Because she’s a woman?”
“You know quite well. Crazy bastard.”
“I’m a girl! I’m your lord! Don’t call me ‘bastard’! Hmph!”
I pondered while watching the white-haired magician puff up her cheeks in a sulk. Anyway, I had to buy time for the Hero party to escape.
“I’m jealous. Then I’ll recollect her.”
“Yeah, good job.”
As the magician reverted the cards back to her with a flutter, her voice raised unnecessarily high upon hearing my words.
“Ah, ah… Aha… I’ve been praised by my lord… praised….”
Is she really going crazy? She was obsessed with fun in the sequel. The Magic Hat, holding her cheeks with both hands in a blissful pose, looked really unwell.
“Ha. My lord, what shall I do next?”
Breathing hot breaths, she appeared overly excited.
Is she under some sort of status ailment? It shouldn’t be; Demon Kings are generally immune. I just couldn’t grasp the situation.
“Can’t you just bite your tongue and die?”
Not missing that opportunity, I swung the Void Slash once more. The pressure soared, crashing into the Demon King of Truth. But this time it didn’t connect.
“I don’t want to!! This time I’m going to live with you for a hundred years, okay… Hehe…”
The Magic Hat blocked my sword with one hand. Showing an expression of disappointment as the sensation faded, she licked her tongue in a twisted frenzy.
“It’s been a while since I tasted your swordsmanship… It’s truly wonderful..♡”
Seeing the lustful look on her face gave me a weird feeling all over.
This is just yandere.
Today, I missed our wolf-eared Saintess. What the heck happened in the prequel that so many characters have changed this much?
“…Are you really insane?”
“I’m crazy for love. Or maybe am I crazy for you…?”
If our Saintess had such a personality, she might be able to accept it, but still, having the Demon King obsessing over me was terrifying.
As the Magic Hat drew closer, my head spun.
Think. What can I do right now? I need the Holy Sword to confront the Demon King. Right now, I don’t have any items I used in the game…
“Licht, should I use Shine Strike?”
“Ah, Kainel.”
There he was, the blonde Hero. I proposed to him.
“…Can I borrow the Holy Sword for a bit?”
Honestly, it’s a method I really don’t want to use, but I have no other options. I need to protect the people here.
“What? Licht… you won’t be able to use it!”
“…Perhaps I can.”
It’s a reckless act famous among players, risking their lives for it.
Corruption Route glitch.
That was the only option left for me.
*
Once, I saw a strangely titled post in the game community.
[Title: (Spoilers ahead) Is the light Hero Kainel, known as that guy next door…?]
As I clicked the post,
[…Now it’s really just me left.]
A video started playing.
[Huh… What kind of light ‘Hero’ is this? That damn Kainel…]
Underneath the darkened night sky, I saw Kainel crying, hugging the cold, lifeless body of the red-haired magician.
[If I had been just a bit stronger.. Could I have saved you? Ariel..]
The light hero lamenting for not being able to protect his childhood friend, Ariel.
[You were meant to marry her, so why is it…?]
‘Maybe if Ariel got a game over somewhere in the middle, this route gets triggered?’
Leaning back in my chair, I sorted my thoughts. I mean, I pushed through to a marriage ceremony without seeing any of this.
[…]
At that moment, black mist swirled around Kainel, and pitch darkness enveloped the Hero.
[From the beginning, rather than this world… ]
With demon horns and wings sprouting, he transformed into the light Demon King.
[I should’ve protected you, Ariel. I’m sorry….]
He made a vow to his deceased lover that he would never return, reaching his hand toward the moonlit sky, shrouding everything in darkness.
“Crazy, our little dog is now a Demon King? There was a setting since Night Heart that said Heroes and Demon Kings are the same, but…”
As the video ended, I scrolled down to see other threads discussing the light Demon King Kainel fervently.
[(Long post) Speculations on conditions to become a Demon King..jpg]
[Isn’t this the performance of the light Demon King? Aren’t we nerfing this?]
[‘Corruption Route’ pops up in the load screen. This probably is the official name?]
‘Corruption Route.’
First identified in Black Heart, it’s an added route.
Through the cross-verification of many users’ findings, the conclusion was:
[Conclusion: You must lose a loved one to become a Demon King. Confirmed in other routes as well.]
There’s only one condition to witness that.
The loss of a loved one.
It didn’t matter if it was a friend, family, or lover.
*
“Give it to me. I have to try it to know.”
“Alright… Licht.”
I immediately received the Holy Sword from Kainel. As soon as I held the hilt, the sword trembled violently, rejecting me.
‘Just as I thought, if you’re not chosen, even the equipment won’t let you use it.’
If you’ve played the game as a playable character named Kainel, it might be different. But for me, being Licht the Black Knight, even on an ally route, it seems impossible.
Using the power of the light Hero is off the table.
“Licht, stop it.”
I lightly grasped the Holy Sword and opened my palm. Blood dripped down.
“Tusks, your hand is bleeding! Why are you suddenly doing this with Kainel’s sword?!”
“Licht… what exactly are you trying to do? Why all of a sudden…?”
The blade was stained red. Even if it worked, I’m not the rightful owner, so I’d be weak. I wondered if it was truly ever going to be possible.
“From now on, no matter what happens, please don’t attack me.”
A short sigh escaped from behind the helmet. The people behind me all bore trauma from the Demon King.
‘Honestly, I wouldn’t mind if nothing happened at all…’
I just hoped they wouldn’t try to kill me witnessing my sudden corruption.
“Sleep in darkness.”
Kainel’s incantation that activated the Holy Sword was the complete opposite of mine.
As soon as I shouted that, I felt an intense rejection from my body. Gulp I threw up black blood from within.
“Licht?!”
“Tusks! Are you okay?!”
“Don’t tell me….”
Swish, the backlash is really severe. I could barely take another breath. There wasn’t a spot on my face that wasn’t bleeding. Luckily, wearing a helmet was a blessing right now.
“My lord!! What are you doing!!!”
As Magic Hat shouted upon seeing the pool of blood I spilt on the ground, I couldn’t believe I was doing this just to win against her. A black mist swirled around me.
“Ah, it’s working. Dammit.”
It seems our Saintess was probably not okay. I coated my blood to trigger the glitch.
I became like Kainel in the Corruption Route and turned into a Demon King. The black armor of a Black Knight was superimposed over the Academy attire.
‘Loss of a loved one. Is this what the sage didn’t ask about to prevent?’
I hated spoilers. I was really scared that I might get killed in a future glimpse.
“…”
Running and running, as a result, this is what happened. I was left without words from despair. At least they said if I keep the lovelines intact at the Grand Hertz Academy, I could save them.
Why is this happening during a past timeline? At least I shouldn’t be doing this if I wanted to use it in the future.
Could it be that by intervening, I changed the future?
The Nameless Saintess.
When it was confirmed that she was lost, it made me hate myself.
“My lord! So you are the light Demon King…! No wonder!!”
Magic Hat was celebrating joyfully, looking at me. Meanwhile, some of us were in a wretched state wishing to die. Looking at that made me feel sick.
“I’m neither the Hero nor the Demon King. Magic Hat.”
Could it be that the Demon King of Truth made a move on the Saintess beforehand? I have to catch that wretch no matter the cost even if it costs me my life.
“…I’m just the Black Knight.”
I held up my sword. Now, it spewed black mist reminiscent of a Holy Sword, now twisted into a pitch-black sword.
“Everyone, run away and cast the transmission magic to Professor Dennis. I’ll be nullifying the Magic Hat’s powers from here on.”
I prepped my words with concern for everyone’s safety. But the response I got back wasn’t a normal answer or fleeing footsteps, but a trembling voice.
“…Licht, you were the Demon King.”
“Tusks….”
“Licht, you…!”
The Hero party also couldn’t hide their shock looking at me. If they’re seeing me like this, it seems the ally route has come to an end. I sighed deeply within my helmet.
“Kainel, remember that the Demon King possesses powers counter to its name. Keep that in mind. There will be a time it will be useful.”
“What…? Licht, is that what you should be saying right now? Explain immediately….”
If that’s the case, I should give it my all as a farewell. I owe you all far too much in reality.
“Ariel, fix your personality a bit.”
“Tusks… Is that really you? It must be you… right?”
The elven magician with red twin tails seemed awkwardly staring at me, as if I was no longer herself.
“Mardol. Keep the promise I spoke about earlier, regarding the Nameless Saintess.”
“…Got it. But…”
She might still be alive, so it makes sense to do this. In the end, the term Black Knight means sacrificing for a loved one.
That moment.
─Crack!
The glass knight grabbed my hand. I could see sorrowful golden wolf eyes from within the helmet.
“…Let’s fight together, Licht.”
I was still overpowered by Mardol’s power. How strong is he that my steps toward the Demon King were halted?
“Alright, Licht. Let’s say you’ve had a late case of Chuunibyou.”
“I believe in you, Tusks. If you were really the Demon King, you wouldn’t have tried to heal Kain!”
Kainel and Ariel didn’t seem to care about my transformation into a Demon King and recited lines from the ally route as if they had made their resolves.
“…Haha.”
How kind can they be. It seems the game I enjoyed so much back in my school days is true enough. I felt a slight tear come to my eye.
But they’re simply too insufficient to fight. It had just been narrowly avoided moments ago.
“I had fun these past days. Thanks.”
“Dark Dimension.”
That phrase marked the start of the combat as I drove the Holy Sword into the ground, isolating the Hero party. The entire world was smeared in pitch blackness.
“My lord, did you just use your powers? For me…? I’m so happy!!”
In that darkness, only the two of us, the Demon King, stood. Having moved to a completely different space, it wouldn’t affect Kainel’s side.
‘Powers that cover the world in darkness.’
Commonly known as spatial rejection. Now, it’ll truly be one-on-one. No one should come to interfere with me anymore.
“…I did it for the one I like. Just in case.”
“Uh, um? Am I now a new competitor…?”
“Well, I don’t want to tell you.”
This statement ignited the battle, and soon the two Demon Kings clashed.