Long ago, when Sylvia was 'Alyssa'.
In the battle that had become a daily routine, Alyssa once again encountered the demon who had killed her adoptive parents. Just as Alyssa recognized the demon at a glance, the demon also recognized Alyssa. He licked his lips and rolled his eyes, sticking out his tongue viciously.
“The only prey I’ve ever missed. The feeling of tearing your parents apart was truly unparalleled...”
“Shut up.”
That day, Alyssa realized for the first time that her magic could be so cruel. Originally, she was the type of person who would not intentionally damage the corpses of her opponents in battle unless she was using large-scale magic. Rather, she was the one who would nag her colleagues who played with their corpses whenever they had the chance, saying that the demons and monsters were cheap.
Alyssa, waking up, let out a bewildered voice at the unfamiliar power swirling within her.
“This is definitely...”
Darkness?
"...Why?"
A single tear ran down her dirty cheek. Alyssa sat there helplessly under the red sky of Kelvetia, muttering blankly with her eyes blank.
“Why, why...?”
What did I do wrong?
"I..."
Did I do something wrong?
The image of the youngest of her colleagues, the wizard who always respectfully called her 'Lady Alyssa' and followed her like a teacher, pushing her into the magic circle with a distorted face was vivid as if engraved with a knife. And the image of the other colleagues who coldly turned away from me behind his back was also vivid.
"Ah..."
Alyssa buried her face in her hands and moaned like an animal. But she was not even given the leisure to chew over and reflect on what had happened to her.
"Human being?"
“How did he get here?”
“Kill her. Kill her.”
“Revenge!”
Alyssa desperately slaughtered the demons that were rushing in after smelling her, and as she repeated the process, she instinctively realized.
'Ah.'
The power of darkness is a power that comes from the murderous intent and malice of humans. Every time Alyssa killed a demon, every time she cut off a monster's foot, the darkness she possessed grew bigger and more sophisticated. Especially in difficult fights, when she was enraged and attacked her opponent, this tendency became even stronger. And the moment she realized this, Alyssa despaired.
'I can't get rid of it.'
As long as humans exist in this world, their malice and murderous intent will never disappear. As long as the malice and murderous intent of humans do not disappear completely, the birth of monsters and demons cannot be prevented.
“What on earth am I for...”
Realizing that she could not erase Kelvetia from this world, Alyssa desperately devoted herself to studying darkness. Because of that, she cried out loud at the misery of her life, which was ultimately abandoned by her colleagues.
Could darkness, demons, and monsters be completely eradicated from this land?
Alyssa's research on 'darkness' began with such a question. Darkness is an ability similar to the 'magic' that demons and monsters use, and it is also their source. So, if 'darkness' could be eliminated, wouldn't it be possible to eliminate demons and monsters as well?
Alyssa tried to find out the cause of darkness and how to deal with it through various experiments in hopes of that. However, the research was not easy. It was too vague to figure out where darkness came from and how it worked.
"...By the way, is your research going well? You’ve been so busy with it lately that you haven’t been able to meet me often."
"Well? Maybe just doing what we've been doing so far will be enough?"
"What? You're saying there's still half left."
"There's only half left. Do you see what I can't do?"
Despite her confident response to Leo, Alyssa felt like she was just going around in circles, unable to figure out the other half. One night, as she was pressing her temples.
“Huh? You...”
"...By the way, is your research going well? You’ve been so busy with it lately that you haven’t been able to meet me often."
"Well? Maybe just doing what we've been doing so far will be enough?"
"What? You're saying there's still half left."
"There's only half left. Do you see what I can't do?"
Despite her confident response to Leo, Alyssa felt like she was just going around in circles, unable to figure out the other half. One night, as she was pressing her temples.
“Huh? You...”
In the battle that had become a daily routine, Alyssa once again encountered the demon who had killed her adoptive parents. Just as Alyssa recognized the demon at a glance, the demon also recognized Alyssa. He licked his lips and rolled his eyes, sticking out his tongue viciously.
“The only prey I’ve ever missed. The feeling of tearing your parents apart was truly unparalleled...”
“Shut up.”
That day, Alyssa realized for the first time that her magic could be so cruel. Originally, she was the type of person who would not intentionally damage the corpses of her opponents in battle unless she was using large-scale magic. Rather, she was the one who would nag her colleagues who played with their corpses whenever they had the chance, saying that the demons and monsters were cheap.
On that day, all the basic morals she had kept as a human seemed to have been erased from her mind. This bastard killed her parents first. This bastard insulted and mocked her parents who passed away first. Why...shouldn’t she act like that bastard?
Only the red murderous intent dominated her mind, and when she came to her senses, Alyssa was covered in blood and breathing heavily. Blood dripped from the staff in her hand. At her feet, the corpses of demons were lying so badly that it was hard to even look at them.
Her colleagues, who had been watching her with bated breath, belatedly approached her, hesitating as if they were on guard against a wild beast.
“Oh, Alyssa. Are you okay...?”
"...Ah."
Her senses belatedly returned to her at the voice of her colleague, Harold. Alyssa hurriedly smiled and wiped the blood off her face with her sleeve.
“Of course it’s okay. The fight seems to be over. Should we go back now?”
Her colleagues, who had been watching her with bated breath, belatedly approached her, hesitating as if they were on guard against a wild beast.
“Oh, Alyssa. Are you okay...?”
"...Ah."
Her senses belatedly returned to her at the voice of her colleague, Harold. Alyssa hurriedly smiled and wiped the blood off her face with her sleeve.
“Of course it’s okay. The fight seems to be over. Should we go back now?”
“Uh, yeah...”
The comrades exchanged unfamiliar glances and nodded awkwardly. However, Alyssa was too embarrassed by what she had done to see their reactions and hurried back to the camp. Perhaps due to the aftermath of the battle that day, Alyssa had an unusually bloody nightmare that night. And the next morning.
"...Uh?"
The comrades exchanged unfamiliar glances and nodded awkwardly. However, Alyssa was too embarrassed by what she had done to see their reactions and hurried back to the camp. Perhaps due to the aftermath of the battle that day, Alyssa had an unusually bloody nightmare that night. And the next morning.
"...Uh?"
Alyssa, waking up, let out a bewildered voice at the unfamiliar power swirling within her.
“This is definitely...”
Darkness?
Alyssa was delighted to find a black shadow circling her hand. The events of yesterday were quickly washed away from her mind. She didn’t know exactly why she could suddenly control darkness. She could only guess that the battle with the demons the day before had given her a chance to change something. But whatever the reason, Alyssa was overjoyed. She ran to Harold’s barracks to tell him that she had finally laid the foundation to cut off her lingering ill-fated relationship with the demons.
“Harold! This is...!”
Alyssa burst into Harold's barracks with a big smile on her face, then paused. She tilted her head in wonder at the sight inside the barracks.
“You’re all gathered here? You all look so pale, but you all stayed up all night playing poker together?”
The place where Alyssa had come was clearly Harold's personal barracks. However, all of her colleagues were gathered in Harold's barracks at this moment. They all looked bewildered by Alyssa's early morning visit to the barracks. From the moment Alyssa set foot in the barracks, an odd silence flowed. The one who broke the silence was Harold, who had an awkward smile on his face.
“Ah... It just so happened. More importantly, what’s going on, Alyssa?”
Harold surreptitiously covered the paper on the table with his body and changed the subject. However, Alyssa, who was preoccupied with the fact that she had learned how to handle darkness, did not doubt it much and smiled brightly.
“It’s even better that everyone is here now. I had something to talk about.”
“What do you want to talk about? What...”
“Congratulations! It seems like I finally figured out how to deal with the darkness.”
As she spoke those words, Alyssa showed herself handling the darkness. The faces of her colleagues who saw the shadows swirling around in her hands turned even paler. They exchanged glances as if they had silently decided something.
“Oh, yeah. Congratulations.”
“That’s great, Alyssa.”
“By the way, what about Leo? I need to tell Leo too.”
Alyssa looked around, speaking quickly in an excited tone. Harold stopped her.
“That guy said he was going to get you a birthday present because it’s your birthday in a few days, but he’s been gone for a while.”
“Oh, really? I told you that it’s dangerous to go alone.”
“Do you think he’ll be a kid forever? That kid’s swordsmanship has gotten a lot better.”
“Oh, Mr. Harold. Even though you were complaining every day, you were still worried about Leo?”
Alyssa chuckled and poked Harold in the ribs. He didn't answer her, but just laughed exaggeratedly and put his arm around Alyssa's shoulder.
“Rather than just saying congratulations like this, we should celebrate properly! How can we not drink alcohol on such a happy day?”
“That’s right, that’s right!”
“Hey! Do you have any alcohol left? Bring me a drink!”
Harold surrounded Alyssa with some colleagues, pretending to congratulate her and motioning to those behind her. Those who recognized his signal quickly mixed something in their glasses with stern faces and handed them over. Harold handed it to Alyssa with a natural expression and picked up another glass himself. He raised his voice deliberately to make a fuss.
“Come on, let’s have a toast! To our genius archmage!”
“Celebrating the coming era of peace for mankind!”
"Cheers!"
When Harold spoke first, the rest of the colleagues also cheered him on, cheering him on. Alyssa was a little taken aback by the sudden handing over of a glass, but she smiled and drank, not disliking such a noisy celebration. That gesture was the last thing she could do of her own volition before falling into Kelvetia.
“Harold! This is...!”
Alyssa burst into Harold's barracks with a big smile on her face, then paused. She tilted her head in wonder at the sight inside the barracks.
“You’re all gathered here? You all look so pale, but you all stayed up all night playing poker together?”
The place where Alyssa had come was clearly Harold's personal barracks. However, all of her colleagues were gathered in Harold's barracks at this moment. They all looked bewildered by Alyssa's early morning visit to the barracks. From the moment Alyssa set foot in the barracks, an odd silence flowed. The one who broke the silence was Harold, who had an awkward smile on his face.
“Ah... It just so happened. More importantly, what’s going on, Alyssa?”
Harold surreptitiously covered the paper on the table with his body and changed the subject. However, Alyssa, who was preoccupied with the fact that she had learned how to handle darkness, did not doubt it much and smiled brightly.
“It’s even better that everyone is here now. I had something to talk about.”
“What do you want to talk about? What...”
“Congratulations! It seems like I finally figured out how to deal with the darkness.”
As she spoke those words, Alyssa showed herself handling the darkness. The faces of her colleagues who saw the shadows swirling around in her hands turned even paler. They exchanged glances as if they had silently decided something.
“Oh, yeah. Congratulations.”
“That’s great, Alyssa.”
“By the way, what about Leo? I need to tell Leo too.”
Alyssa looked around, speaking quickly in an excited tone. Harold stopped her.
“That guy said he was going to get you a birthday present because it’s your birthday in a few days, but he’s been gone for a while.”
“Oh, really? I told you that it’s dangerous to go alone.”
“Do you think he’ll be a kid forever? That kid’s swordsmanship has gotten a lot better.”
“Oh, Mr. Harold. Even though you were complaining every day, you were still worried about Leo?”
Alyssa chuckled and poked Harold in the ribs. He didn't answer her, but just laughed exaggeratedly and put his arm around Alyssa's shoulder.
“Rather than just saying congratulations like this, we should celebrate properly! How can we not drink alcohol on such a happy day?”
“That’s right, that’s right!”
“Hey! Do you have any alcohol left? Bring me a drink!”
Harold surrounded Alyssa with some colleagues, pretending to congratulate her and motioning to those behind her. Those who recognized his signal quickly mixed something in their glasses with stern faces and handed them over. Harold handed it to Alyssa with a natural expression and picked up another glass himself. He raised his voice deliberately to make a fuss.
“Come on, let’s have a toast! To our genius archmage!”
“Celebrating the coming era of peace for mankind!”
"Cheers!"
When Harold spoke first, the rest of the colleagues also cheered him on, cheering him on. Alyssa was a little taken aback by the sudden handing over of a glass, but she smiled and drank, not disliking such a noisy celebration. That gesture was the last thing she could do of her own volition before falling into Kelvetia.
***
"...Why?"
A single tear ran down her dirty cheek. Alyssa sat there helplessly under the red sky of Kelvetia, muttering blankly with her eyes blank.
“Why, why...?”
What did I do wrong?
"I..."
Did I do something wrong?
Alyssa, unable to accept reality, forced her frozen brain to move and squeeze out memories.
"...I’m sorry, Alyssa."
"...I’m sorry, Alyssa."
The image of the youngest of her colleagues, the wizard who always respectfully called her 'Lady Alyssa' and followed her like a teacher, pushing her into the magic circle with a distorted face was vivid as if engraved with a knife. And the image of the other colleagues who coldly turned away from me behind his back was also vivid.
"Ah..."
Alyssa buried her face in her hands and moaned like an animal. But she was not even given the leisure to chew over and reflect on what had happened to her.
"Human being?"
“How did he get here?”
“Kill her. Kill her.”
“Revenge!”
Alyssa desperately slaughtered the demons that were rushing in after smelling her, and as she repeated the process, she instinctively realized.
'Ah.'
The power of darkness is a power that comes from the murderous intent and malice of humans. Every time Alyssa killed a demon, every time she cut off a monster's foot, the darkness she possessed grew bigger and more sophisticated. Especially in difficult fights, when she was enraged and attacked her opponent, this tendency became even stronger. And the moment she realized this, Alyssa despaired.
'I can't get rid of it.'
As long as humans exist in this world, their malice and murderous intent will never disappear. As long as the malice and murderous intent of humans do not disappear completely, the birth of monsters and demons cannot be prevented.
“What on earth am I for...”
Realizing that she could not erase Kelvetia from this world, Alyssa desperately devoted herself to studying darkness. Because of that, she cried out loud at the misery of her life, which was ultimately abandoned by her colleagues.
After that day, Alyssa became even more immersed in darkness, and eventually beheaded Basis and ascended to the throne of the Demon King.
***
Sylvia's eyelashes fluttered as she recalled the bad memories. She closed her eyes tightly and tried to catch her breath.
'It's all in the past. It's okay.'
Yes, all of this was just old memories, like dried bloodstains on the wallpaper. Now, all she had to think about was how to protect Randall from David.
'I need to let you know that neither the darkness nor the demons can be destroyed.'
As long as humans are not destroyed, the demons cannot be destroyed. Furthermore, the magic power in Kelvetia was extremely unstable. Even if Randall and the expeditionary force went on an expedition, it meant that they would not be able to use their well-trained magic or sword skills as usual.
'It's all in the past. It's okay.'
Yes, all of this was just old memories, like dried bloodstains on the wallpaper. Now, all she had to think about was how to protect Randall from David.
'I need to let you know that neither the darkness nor the demons can be destroyed.'
As long as humans are not destroyed, the demons cannot be destroyed. Furthermore, the magic power in Kelvetia was extremely unstable. Even if Randall and the expeditionary force went on an expedition, it meant that they would not be able to use their well-trained magic or sword skills as usual.
The magic circle that Alyssa's companions had created could move from the human world to Kelvetia, but it could not move in the opposite direction. Even if they tried to cross over through the twist after conquering Kelvetia, it would be absurd for such a large army to move through a short and fluid twist. There was only an entrance and no exit.
However, David seemed to care how much was sacrificed to achieve his goal. He hid the exact facts and only told the people that 'the magic circle that connects to Kelvetia has been discovered.' As a result, the people were insisting on conquering Kelvetia with Randall at the forefront without knowing anything.
It was something that had to be stopped at all costs, but the problem was...
“...There is no evidence to prove that, nor is there a way to explain it.”
Sylvia bit her lip in helplessness. All she knew was the memories of 'Archmage Alyssa' and the knowledge she had gained through repeated reincarnations. There was currently no clear information about the instability of Kelvetia, and David was holding the information related to the moving magic circle.
Sylvia bit her lip in helplessness. All she knew was the memories of 'Archmage Alyssa' and the knowledge she had gained through repeated reincarnations. There was currently no clear information about the instability of Kelvetia, and David was holding the information related to the moving magic circle.
All Sylvia could offer was her own words. However, she knew very well how powerless 'words' were.
'I'm lucky I'm not treated like a crazy person.'
Even if she showed off her magical skills in front of people, that alone wouldn't be enough to prove that she was once the Demon Lord 'Alyssa'. Even if people believed that she was the reincarnation of 'Alyssa', there was a high possibility that they would try to harm her, saying that she might turn into a demon at any time.
'Besides, it won't be easy to change people's perception of David.'
The biggest problem was David's existence. Before meeting Sylvia, he had built up an image of a 'normal Crown Prince' among people. And recently, he had even returned victorious from the southern conquest. If he were to raise the status of the kingdom and restore peace to humanity, no one would stop him from starting a war with a good chance of success...
'I'm lucky I'm not treated like a crazy person.'
Even if she showed off her magical skills in front of people, that alone wouldn't be enough to prove that she was once the Demon Lord 'Alyssa'. Even if people believed that she was the reincarnation of 'Alyssa', there was a high possibility that they would try to harm her, saying that she might turn into a demon at any time.
'Besides, it won't be easy to change people's perception of David.'
The biggest problem was David's existence. Before meeting Sylvia, he had built up an image of a 'normal Crown Prince' among people. And recently, he had even returned victorious from the southern conquest. If he were to raise the status of the kingdom and restore peace to humanity, no one would stop him from starting a war with a good chance of success...
At that moment, a person's face suddenly appeared in Sylvia's mind.
'...No.'
There is one person. She hurriedly went to the desk, sat down, and opened the paper. She scribbled the letters correctly with a quill pen.
'...No.'
There is one person. She hurriedly went to the desk, sat down, and opened the paper. She scribbled the letters correctly with a quill pen.
<It's me, Father.>
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