That time I got reincarnated as the Monster King

Shizu lay weakly upon her bed, her breaths shallow, her strength visibly waning. The modest hut was silent but for the rustle of wind through the wooden slats, and the occasional chirp of birds perched in the rafters. I sat beside her on a simple wooden chair, listening to her fading voice.

"Arceus… thank you," Shizu whispered.

Her eyes, dulled by fatigue yet burning with regret, gazed through me rather than at me. "I nearly… killed someone I cared about again. With my own hands…"

I said nothing. My gaze dropped to the floor, heavy with the weight of her confession. She turned her head toward me, her expression soft despite the pain.

"Hey, Arceus… would you mind listening?"

I nodded silently, and she smiled faintly, grateful.

"I want people to know my story… and to know that I lived," she murmured.

"I understand," I replied softly, though my heart ached.

She began to recount her tale. Her voice was unsteady, her recollections scattered. Yet it didn't matter—I'd already seen fragments of her memories before. This was her truth, and she deserved to speak it.

"I was summoned to this world… and almost immediately, Ifrit possessed me," she said, eyes tracing the ceiling above. "In my madness, I killed a friend—Pirino."

Silence followed, heavy and absolute.

"After Pirino died, I stayed by the Demon Lord's side… his most trusted aide."

Her voice trembled. "But then… I met the Hero."

"The Hero?" I asked quietly.

She nodded. "Yes… a real one."

She paused before continuing, her mind slipping back into the past.

"There was a battle. The Demon Lord abandoned his castle, left me behind to cover his retreat. I don't know if it was Ifrit's will or my own choice that made me stay. I still don't."

I remained still as her memories spilled forth.

"I thought I'd be struck down. But instead… she spoke to me. The Hero. She asked me why I was still alive, what I was doing there. She believed me, despite knowing I was a Majin."

Her tone softened. "She told me… 'It's all right now.' And somehow, just like that… my emotions returned."

She glanced toward the table beside her bed. A porcelain mask rested upon it.

"She gave me that mask. Said it would help suppress Ifrit's presence, enhance my magical resistance."

I picked up the mask gently and laid it on her chest. She held it like a cherished relic.

"Traveling with her… I discovered this world. Learned magic. Through the mask, I even learned to control some of Ifrit's power."

She smiled faintly.

"By fighting… by helping others…"

"That's how you came to be known as the Conqueror of Flames," I said.

A flicker of light entered her eyes. "Yes. Those were the happiest days of my life."

Her smile wavered.

"But then… she vanished. Without a word."

Her fingers curled over the edge of the mask.

"Why did she leave me? Why…?"

She turned her head slightly, watching a patch of sky through the roof's small opening.

"I decided to grow stronger. I wanted to help people. To protect others from suffering like I had."

Shizu let out a shaky breath. "I trained for decades. Impressive, right?"

"It is," I said, smiling faintly.

"They called me a champion. But… I wasn't young anymore. It became harder to suppress Ifrit's will. A single misstep, and he could break free."

She clenched the mask more tightly.

"I was scared. I didn't want to hurt someone I loved again…"

Her voice cracked, but she continued.

"So I retired. I became an instructor."

"A teacher?" I asked, surprised.

"Yes. At a school in the Kingdom of Ingrassia."

She chuckled lightly. "A school for children summoned from other worlds."

"There were others like us?" I murmured.

"More than I ever expected," she said. "It was a joyful time. Peaceful."

Her eyes lit up with a memory. "The laughter of those children… their bright eyes… I still hear them."

Her gaze grew distant.

"Many of them moved on… but one became the Grandmaster."

"The leader of all the guilds?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yes. I felt like… there was nothing left to teach. But… as my life neared its end, Ifrit's hold grew stronger again."

A deep sigh left her lips.

"There was only one thing I couldn't forget. The one thread I hadn't cut."

"What was it?" I asked.

"The man who summoned me."

I felt my expression harden slightly. "You sought revenge?"

Her answer was slow. "I… don't know. Perhaps I only wanted to ask him something."

She smiled wistfully.

"I met companions on that journey. Kaval, Eren, Gido… kind people, even if a little trouble-prone."

"They were good people," I agreed.

"I had fun again. But now…"

She paused. Her voice dropped to a whisper.

"Arceus-san… what's your real name?"

"I told you already—Arceus."

"No… your real name," she insisted.

"…Arceus Velgriath. My true name from before, and even now."

"I see… I'm Shizue. Izawa Shizue."

"Shizue-san… you should rest," I urged.

She shook her head weakly.

"Arceus-san… I want to ask one last favor."

"Anything," I said.

She looked at me with pleading eyes.

"Please… unite me."

My breath caught.

"You want to…"

"Just like Ifrit was within you… I saw it. That union. That balance. It made me… happy."

Her eyes dimmed with finality.

"I don't want to be absorbed by this world. I dislike it… and yet, I cannot hate it. Just like that man…"

Tears threatened to fall from her tired eyes.

"So please… let me rest inside you."

I was silent for a moment. Then I gently nodded.

"I understand."

"What was his name?" I asked.

"Leon Cromwell. One of the most powerful Demon Lords in this world."

"And what did you want to learn from him?"

"That I… a mere human… existed. That I mattered. And maybe… if the children could be saved… returned to their world…"

I gripped her hand tightly.

"I promise you, on my name—Arceus Velgriath, the Monster King of Unity—I will make sure Leon Cromwell hears your wish."

"Thank… you…"

Her voice faded into a final exhale.

Her hair turned silver-white, her skin pale as snow.

"Shizu… my destined one," I whispered. "Rest peacefully within me. I will guard your dreams… so you may smile forevermore."

My eyes began to glow, irises transforming into violet stars outlined in gold—the mark of the Divine Eye of Synesis. Magic surged through me, engulfing Shizu in warm, radiant light. Her body dissolved gently, her soul merging into mine—not into the void, but into a realm of dreams.

---

In the world of her soul, she found herself in a field of soft light. Ahead of her, two familiar silhouettes stood—her Hero, and a friend lost long ago.

"There you are! Don't leave me behind again!" she cried.

They smiled, pointing toward a nearby path bathed in light.

As they faded, Shizu turned and saw her old home—a quiet old Japanese wooden house. Her mother sat on the front step, waiting.

Tears filled her eyes. She ran, her body shifting into the form of her childhood self.

"Mom!" she cried again and again, as her mother opened her arms.

They embraced beneath the sunlit sky of a dream that would never end.