Chapter 19: The coming fire

The existence called ‘Devil,’ as you can tell from the name, is not a very welcome entity wherever you go.

Ominous, evil, vicious… The things you feel from the name are just an overflowing will of malice, and that is not a lie, but real.

The devil is cunning.

It gently tempts and lures people.

The devil calls for destruction.

It cannot leave those it has tempted and lured alone.

Depending on the devil’s nature, it leads those it has lured to destruction.

Whether it is the destruction of an individual or the destruction of a larger number.

And at the same time… the devil is strong.

Beings that are the opposite of gods.

That is the devil.

A superior species with truly transcendent strength.

Of course, like the myths and legends of the world, there is some flesh to it.

It is true that demons are evil and their actions are terrible, but that doesn’t mean that they are targeting the human world on their own will, as is known to the world, or that they are looking for an opportunity and sneakily taking advantage of people’s weaknesses to get what they want.

The demons who live in places called hell, the underworld, etc. are not particularly interested in human races.

Rather, it is not that the demons are interested in them, but that human races are interested in the demons.

Unless someone calls them for a contract or something, the demons don’t pay any attention to such places.

However, if they do appear in response to the call… they usually commit evil deeds.

The ones who called them in the first place were also called for such reasons.

They ask for something in return or something.

Anyway, it is true that they are dangerous and scary, so no matter where you go, things related to the demons are not treated so well.

It wasn’t intentional, and it was just a coincidence, but the attention that was poured on the student at the academy who called the demon was naturally not so good.

However, there were no major problems.

The demon summoned by the student had never committed any particularly evil acts, and the land of the empire where the academy was located had never been particularly damaged by demons.

So although they were viewed somewhat negatively as demons, no major problems occurred.

As befitting the name of the academy, they also showed an attitude of trying to gather more information about the existence of demons.

Well, there wasn’t much meaningful information to be gained from the somewhat unique demon, Sargatania.

However, in this case that had become a matter of many issues, the one who stood most firmly on the side of the summoned demon was none other than the summoner.

Since he hadn’t even tried to summon the demon, he could have just given up… but he didn’t.

Even though he was a demon, he didn’t seem like a bad guy, and if he were to release the summoning here, he would be harmed as a demon…

The demon didn’t understand such things.

She was a demon of struggle.

She had been a being who had fought and fought endlessly on her own since birth.

A being who had lived an endlessly lonely life, where everyone in the world was her enemy from the moment she was born.

As a demon, she never got hurt by such loneliness.

However, apart from that… the appearance of the first being who took her side in her long, struggling demon life since birth was enough of a shock to make her heart flutter.

[… Hey, weakling, why did you… choose such a difficult path? It would have been easier if you had just kicked out the demon and called out someone else.]

“That? Well… I did what my heart told me to do. My heart told me not to let you go?”

A petty joke.

“And… you and I, what should I say, seemed to be no different. I had a feeling that I didn’t want to let you go.”

And a different kind of sincerity.

A poor, parentless student at the academy.

If demons are lonely, then he was lonely too.

That’s why… he didn’t want to let go of his first ‘side.’

Even if the other person was a demon…

In the first place, that kind of feeling was because the summoned demon wasn’t that evil, nor did it seem like it would lead people to destruction.

[Heh heh heh… It’s no different… How arrogant of a weakling to say that…]

That kind of thing was simply impossible for a demon.

She had been fighting alone, endlessly.

The only things that existed in the world were herself or her enemies.

The world of the demon that was her was that simple.

However, the being that summoned her was a being that expanded her world.

For the first time in her life, she had encountered a being that was on her side.

For the first time, she had met someone who said they wanted her.

For the first time in her life, she felt that they needed each other.

[But I like it. You said something I really liked, you weakling!]

That’s why she decided to be a little more honest.

Hiding something didn’t suit the demon that she was.

Just confronting it head-on without any pretense.

That was the way of the fighting demon called Sargatania.

“Huh? What are you saying?”

[I’ll acknowledge you! I’m saying that you’re a suitable summoner for this Sargatania-sama! Consider it an honor, weakling!]

“Huh! Even without your acknowledgment, you’re already my contractee~?”

[What?! You rascal! You’re being so arrogant when I finally acknowledged you!]

That time was good.

It was a time when she could experience a world she had never experienced before, a time when she could take steps she had never walked before.

She saw and experienced things she would never experience in hell, and made connections she could never make in hell.

That did not change even when things suddenly became extreme and her contractor, who was at a crossroads of killing the demon or being expelled from the academy, chose her instead of the academy and ended up being expelled together and living a wandering life.

In her long time, only that time gave her happiness.

Her body, which no matter how hot the hellfire could penetrate, was lightly pierced by the warmth of a worthless person and wrapped around her heart.

Her existence, which had not been broken by any powerful attack, collapsed at the mere smile of a human who gently held her hand and smiled.

It was a time that did not suit the demon of struggle.

That was why it was more beautiful than any other time.

She remembers.

In a nameless field.

In that place where thornless roses bloomed profusely, the moment when she lay down with her contractor and shared her name.

Sharing a name was a promise of eternity, he had said.

She had hoped too.

That this moment, this happiness would last forever…

But that didn’t happen.

Her happiness, as if it were nothing, had simply crumbled in an instant, as if it were nothing.

[…Hmm. Oh, right…I dozed off for a moment.]

Sargatania, who had dozed off for a moment while sitting on a gigantic throne made by artistically piling up bones, opened her eyes.

[I dozed off for a moment because it was more boring than I thought…Tsk.]

Around her, who was sitting peacefully, the gigantic body of the god that had appeared in the burning holy kingdom was torn apart and lying on the floor like a piece of trash.

[Well…what a filthy creature that escaped, how could it be so great…]

The god who had escaped to Earth while preserving as much of his power as possible in his own world and sought a new opportunity met his end like that.

Gods were not immortal beings.

There was no way that a god like that could defeat the monster called Sargatania.

She was not only a great destroyer who had taken revenge on the demon lords, but had also destroyed countless hells with her own hands.

Crack! Crack…!!

She reached out and grabbed the wings that were rolling nearby, burning them to ashes.

[Make a bigger fire. This isn’t enough.]

Just like the name he gave me. Redder and more gorgeous than the rose I received that day!

[A fire that would make even me admire…]

As the power of the holy relic that had been protecting the Holy Nation crumbled, the time when the disaster of the Holy Nation would be visible to the outside world was approaching…

“Wow, the gelato is delicious.”

The contractor she was looking for didn’t even know about her existence.

“There are so many gelato shops! Wow, isn’t it more amazing than ice cream?”

The threat had probably disappeared into mutual destruction, and since he would have to worry about rebuilding his house once he returned home, Ryu Si-on was planning to enjoy everything he could before he left.

“Should we try pizza next? I think we can just go into any neighborhood and order something delicious. A country that gets upset if you break their pasta is different after all?”

As expected from a country confident in their cooking, the food was really tasty.

He was going on a culinary tour peacefully without even knowing who was looking for him…!

“Still, I’d rather have an Americano than an espresso. Oh, by the way, while I’m here, should I go see my teacher for the first time in forever?”

When will he be able to sense that a disaster is coming?!

***

Sargatania transformed into a human!

She looked incredibly healthy!