Chapter 86

Let's organize this.

First, Reinhart and the others are the people of Rustu—most likely the "ancient race" in "Last Brave"—who have been fighting against the Demon King for ages.

They know that my childhood friend, Lukas Kamill, is the future hero.

And the reason they have contacted me this time is because I am the childhood friend of the future hero.

Various questions come to mind, but for now, let's put them aside. The "facts" we know so far are about this much.

"Let me explain in order,"

Sieg continued calmly.

"The Demon King has been sealed many times by the hands of successive heroes. However, no hero has been able to finish him off, and he has been resurrected many times."

This is a story that has been told in "Last Brave" as well. The Demon King, who repeatedly seals and revives, and the heroes who appear every time the Demon King shows signs of revival. The Demon King is the same being—what would be the same person in human terms—but there was no setting that the young man chosen as the hero was the reincarnation of a past hero.

"Currently, the Demon King is on the verge of revival."

Sieg glanced at me as if gauging my reaction. Although it was something I had known for years, I thought it would be a bit odd for just a childhood friend of the hero to show no reaction, so I let my gaze wander as if I were flustered.

My slightly theatrical reaction did not seem to bother Sieg, as he continued without changing his expression.

"This time, the hero who will seal the Demon King is your childhood friend, Lukas Kamill. The crest that appeared in his eye one day is proof of this."

The day the golden crest appeared in my childhood friend's left eye.

I recalled the day he regained his memories from his past life, the beginning of everything.

"The people of Rustu have special powers to combat the Demon King. We have always helped the heroes with these powers. Of course, we will not hesitate to assist the hero this time as well."

It seems that the people of Rustu are indeed the ancient race, as in "Last Brave." The heroine in "Last Brave" also had a special power similar to the hero's and was often useful to the party members.

A moment of silence fell. Perhaps feeling the awkwardness of the silence, Leon spoke up with concern.

"Sorry, Laura-sensei, this must be confusing all of a sudden."

"No, I had a feeling something was off with the sudden increase in monster strength, so I actually find this explanation quite convincing."

I laughed out loud to lighten the heavy atmosphere. Reinhart, who had been silent until then, chuckled and said, "You've got some guts, sensei."

However, one thing that still nagged at me. Was Iris's arrival at the castle as a royal apprentice alchemist all planned? There were many things I wanted to ask about the people of Rustu, but most of all:

"But why are you telling me all this?"

"...The hero can oppose the revived Demon King, but he has no means to oppose the Demon King before his revival. The Demon King's revival is not due to the weakening of the seal, but because he has been regaining his strength over a long period. To seal him again, we must physically defeat the Demon King and take away his power."

I nodded slightly at Sieg's words. In "Last Brave," the heroine reveals the existence of the Demon King, and for a while, the party works to strengthen the weakening seal. In other words, they strive to deal with the Demon King before his revival. However, in this world, the settings around the Demon King and the hero seem to be somewhat different. But in the end, the heroes are unable to do anything to the Demon King before his revival and end up defeating the revived Demon King. Perhaps the ancient race—the people of Rustu—have more information about the Demon King in this world.

"We have been investigating whether we can weaken the Demon King's power again before he fully revives. In the process of monitoring Lukas Kamill, who awakened as the hero, we... to put it bluntly, took an interest in you."

From Sieg's tone, it seems that Lukas has been under surveillance by the people of Rustu all along, and so have I. Shocked by this fact, I tilted my head at the phrase "took an interest." It sounded as if they had found some other use for Laura Ampere, who was just by the hero's side.

Before I could ask, Sieg continued.

"Do you know where the Demon King is hiding now, Laura-sensei?"

I tilted my head again at Sieg's words. Wouldn't he be in the place where he was sealed?

In "Last Brave," the Demon King was sealed in a place called the "Throne of the Demon King," so if asked where the Demon King was hiding, I would answer "the Throne of the Demon King." However, as an alchemist, I should not know such things, so I shook my head and looked up at Sieg.

"Isn't he in the place where he was sealed?"

"No. In fact, the Demon King has already escaped from the sealing place. And he is steadily accumulating power for his revival."

—This was an answer I had not expected. It was completely different from "Last Brave."

The Demon King in this world is no longer in the "Throne of the Demon King" or the sealing place. If so, where is he hiding?

Sieg glanced at me, who was wide-eyed with surprise, and continued in a clearer, more distinct tone, as if reading a story.

"The Demon King can parasitize humans. He parasitizes, steals the magic power of the human, and amplifies it within himself. As a result, the body of the human parasitized by the Demon King is destroyed from the inside by the amplified magic power. When this happens, the Demon King seeks a new host."

—This sounded familiar.

The body of a human parasitized by the Demon King is destroyed from the inside by the amplified magic power.

Magic power destroys a person. The symptoms were exactly like...

"...Self-destruction disease..."

—Yes, exactly like the symptoms of self-destruction disease.

My heart pounded loudly. Blood rushed to my fingertips. Cold sweat trickled down my back at the thought of a cause I had never considered.

(The cause of self-destruction disease... is the Demon King?)

The only common points among patients with self-destruction disease are two: relatively strong magic power and the onset period.

There is nothing else. Not the environment, gender, or the patient's health. That's why the direct cause could never be found. It was called a difficult disease and feared.

However, if self-destruction disease was indeed caused by the Demon King, the scarcity of common points might be natural. For the Demon King, who has not yet fully revived, the two important points are the ease of parasitization and the strength of the magic power to be stolen. As long as these two points are met, it is enough.

(Does he target children who have less resistance than adults? The wide range of time until the patient dies could also be because the Demon King decides it himself. Besides, in "Last Brave," the Demon King did take over human bodies...)

To be honest, my thoughts are in chaos. If I calm down and think about it, the "hypothesis" that self-destruction disease is caused by the Demon King might be overturned. But if I think based on this "hypothesis," there are many points that make sense.

Arnold, who had stronger magic power than Elvira, did not suffer from self-destruction disease, perhaps because his strong magic power was a force to resist the Demon King. Looking at the data of past patients with self-destruction disease, many had only average to slightly above-average magic power.

—Or perhaps, Arnold simply wasn't "found" by the Demon King.

Gripping my trembling fingers tightly, I asked:

"Could the Demon King be inside... Elvira right now?"

Sieg, who had been explaining, turned to Reinhart. My gaze naturally followed his.

Amber eyes stared at me intently. I swallowed hard but did not look away from Reinhart's eyes.

After a long, long silence, Reinhart slowly exhaled and then said:

"Thanks to the 'Spirit Water' that Laura-sensei prescribed to Elvira Roco, the Demon King has lost a lot of power and is probably resting in her body—Elvira Roco's body."

—The Demon King is nesting inside Elvira.

I exhaled deeply at the fact revealed by Reinhart.

It wasn't over. In fact, now that I know the true nature of self-destruction disease, it feels like I've finally reached the starting line.

—The image that came to mind was Arnold and Elvira, who were probably spending a peaceful time together with their brother and sister.

Thinking of that scene, my chest tightened.