Translated: Sei, MTL-sensei-tachi
Edited: Sei, Grammarly no Danna
Source: Syosetu

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Chapter 268


　The journey of Hisago-san and Nagi-san.
　It passes by like a film strip.
　If we were to follow their memories for a long time, a day or two would not be enough, but the Demon King shows us the memories with one hand while manipulating them.
　———Perhaps several years have passed since Hisago-san met Nagi-san.
　After being banished to the Kingdom of Heigar and forced to set out on a journey, their daily lives were, to put it mildly, not good.
　The fact that he had defeated the armies sent out by the Demon King had led him to be involved in battles time and time again.
　Many of these were the result of attacks by past Demon King and other countries that coveted his power.
　Even though they were able to save the city from the threat of the Demon King's army, the people they had saved were throwing stones at them, saying, "It is because of you that the Demon King's army has come," and they were betrayed by heartless people who were fooled by the Demon King's sweet words, and they found themselves in situations that put them in danger of dying.
　They continue their journey despite the threats from the people who are supposed to be their allies.

『You! You! Those idiots!』(Note: Kono! Kono!)

　At first she was shabby and covered in soot, but in the blink of an eye, she had grown taller than Amako and looked almost the same as she does now. 
　Currently, the sight before her with a ferocious look on her face as she kicked a tree in anger made her look like she didn't really look like the same person as Nagi-san now.

『What do you mean the Demon King's army came because of us?! You guys were the ones who got tricked by the Demon King and almost destroyed us! And yet, you're the ones who kicked us out even though we saved you! That's outrageous!』

　When the tree she was kicking broke with just the force of her kick, she seemed satisfied and took a slow, deep breath, then behind her, looking somewhat pensive, she stared at the two swords ——— the weapons of a hero made by the Falga-sama.

『Hisago~! You should be a little angry, too! It's because you keep acting like that that they get so cocky!』
『I don't care.』
『I care! You useless old man!!』

　The insults were not held back at all.
　I was simply amazed at how Nagi-san's behavior had completely changed from her initial emotionless demeanor.

『Whenever anyone becomes anxious, they look for a place to vent their anxieties. And we just happened to be a convenient target for them.』
『I told you I don't like that! Why should you, the one who is fighting, be the one to be criticized behind your back...?』

　No matter how much he fought, he was rarely thanked for it.
　Maybe it was because it was a world where wars were happening all the time, or maybe people's hearts had become rough because of it?
　Either way, from my perspective, the era in which Nagi-san lived did not seem like a very good one.
　...But putting that aside,

"...How long have you been watching the hero?"
"Don't say such disgusting things. I was just inserting the memories I had copied while I was fighting him."
"...Eh?!"

　Ciel-san, who was standing next to the Demon King, looked surprised, so she might have been thinking the same thing as me.
　But, during the fight, he copied the memory...? Maybe he has used it for a mental attack or something?

"He was first recognized as a hero when he defeated the enemy of mankind, which was me. Until then, he had been treated as a nuisance, a mere force to be reckoned with, and was treated coldly."
"...It was you who made that happen."

　As Nagi-san's memoirs also mentioned, there was a scene where the Demon King was tempting people and inducing them to betray Hisago-san.
　It seems to me that you, the cause of this, are only shifting the responsibility.

"Yes, to a certain extent. But even including that, humans tend to want to eliminate those who are different from themselves. To the humans of the past, Hisago must have looked like a “monster” no different from the beasts and demons of the past."
"...Just like Usato."
"...Yeah"
"You guys, don't be so convinced with such a serious look on your face...!"

　What are you guys, my enemies?
　Nea and Ferrum nodded their heads with mysterious expressions, and I regained my composure even though I was about to lose my temper again.
　At any rate, I now understand that the people of this world are being driven into a mental corner by repeated wars and the threat of the Demon King's army.
　It is not the Demon King's fault alone that such an era has come about.
　The Demon King is only one of the powerful forces of the Demons that emerged in that era, and even before that, there have been fierce conflicts among humans.

『You really don't think anything of it?』

　Then the image Nagi-san says to Hisago-san.
　He closes his eyes for a moment, as if troubled.

『...I'm a little tired』
『Hah? Tired?』
『...I'm a human being too. ...I'm not okay with being unreasonably insulted or abused either. However, since I've taken on the incomprehensible role of a hero, I have to fulfill that duty』

　He returned his unsheathed sword to its sheath and let out a self-deprecating smile.

『That's the only role left for me, who has nothing』
『...Falga-sama said that if you lived like that, nothing good would come of it. You should not push yourself too hard, old man』
『I can't do it if I don't push myself. But, well, I have seen only the bad side of human beings in the past few years, but there are still some good parts. I believe in that kind of human goodness』

　Hisago-san stood up as he said so.
　Demon King looked a little bored at the sight.
　———He believes in the goodness of humans.
　To me, those words sounded like something he was saying to himself.
　I can't see it, but maybe he is devastated.
　He is supposed to be protecting people, but he is being blamed by the people he is protecting.

『...』

　Past Nagi-san looked at Hisago-san with a pained expression, then ran up to him as he started walking away, forcing a smile on her face.

『———Hisago! Let's go to Lingle Kingdom!』
『Hah?』

　Coincidentally, Hisago's voice and ours overlapped.
　Lingle Kingdom? N-No, it certainly does exist in this era, judging from the story of the Demon King, but why now...?

『Hah? Why?』
『Let's take a rest once in a while. You know, it's a ridiculously calm place, and the last time I went there, I was welcomed with open arms, on the contrary, I didn't feel at ease!』
『It's true, it's a very carefree place, but...』

　Both Hisago-san and Nagi-san make terrible statements.
　Well, I know they don't mean it in a bad way, but it just makes me feel a bit strange.

『You need to experience a little kindness from others. If you keep it all bottled up, you'll really be ruined.』
『You're, right.』

　Hisago-san nodded his head easily, as if he had something on his mind.
　Somehow, the heavy air from earlier became lighter, as if it were a lie.
　...Could it be that the Demon King has cut some memories in order to show us this scene?

『——Then maybe we should stop by town first and get some food. Nagi, give me the map』
『Here』

　However, it feels like there is now light at the end of their long and difficult journey.
　They had been through a lot, and it would be nice to get a break in the Kingdom of Lingle for a little while.

『What lies in our path is———』

　Receiving the map from Nagi-san, Hisago-san stares at the paper.
　If the Lingle Kingdom still exists today, it means that that place was never destroyed by the Demon King's Army or other kingdoms, so safety is guaranteed———,

"———Samarial."

　Instantly, I felt as if I had been hit on the head as hard as I could.
　Samarial.
　That place is probably the most familiar to me next to the Kingdom of Lingle.
　It is the place where the ghost of a sorcerer from the past bound the souls of hundreds of people in the city and sought human sacrifice for a hero in his delusion.
　Hoping that it would turn out to be wrong, I looked at the Demon King, but when I saw the faint smile on his face, I was certain of what was about to happen.

"Usato, this is..."
"Ah, Demon King. That thing is coming to Samarial now, right?"
"What, you knew about it? No, if you were involved in the Samarial's curse, it is not surprising that you would know."

　Ferrum is the only one who doesn't seem to understand what I mean, but from my point of view and Nea's, it's the absolute worst.
　It would have been nice if they had just arrived at the Kingdom of Lingle without any problems, but the past would not let that happen.

"In that case, the memories from here on out are skipped."

　The Demon King waved his hand and the scene changed forcibly.
　Along with the flickering light, what was projected was―――,

『Gugiooooo!!』

　———The ear-splitting roars heard countless times and the sight of the city of Samarial, filled with fear and chaos.
　The dragon, its huge body floating in the sky with its two large wings flapping, is spewing poisonous smoke at the people conquered by fear and plucking life from them with ease.
　Ciel-san and Ferrum are stunned by the disastrous sight.

"Wh-What is this..."
"It's an evil dragon."
"Hah!? Are you talking about that annoying thing that Nea brought back to life?!"
"This is what it looked like in its prime."

　A true monster.
　This monster, which I doubt if even I can defeat in the present, has a tremendous presence, even if it is a reproduction of a past scene.
　Among the people running away with the evil dragon on their backs, I spot Hisago-san and Nagi-san.

『Hisago! What are we going to do?!』
『I'll hold him back』

　Hisago, with his right hand resting on the sheaths of the two swords, one large and one small, that he carries at his waist, walks toward the evil dragon.

『Nagi, you and the other residents should evacuate』
『I can fight too!』
『No, there's no need. I'm enough.』

　He wasn't being stubborn.
　And those words weren't spoken out of concern for Nagi.
　Nagi was speechless at his unusual behavior, but she still raised her voice.

『Then don't do anything stupid!』
『What is that?』
『Absolutely!!』

　The evil dragon took a deep breath of air.
　Hisago-san notices it and turns his body from Nagi-san to the evil dragon.

『GUGYAAAA!!』

　What was released was poisonous smoke with the thickness of sludge.
　Those things are closing in to engulf Hisago-san and the people fleeing in his back.
　Faced with a breath that could engulf the entire city, Hisago-san holds out his palm in front of him.

『——System Strengthening』

　He creates a compressed ball of light in his palm and shoots it forward as if throwing it lightly.
　At the moment the ball of light touches the poisonous smoke, the poisonous smoke that was about to cover the city is sucked into the ball of light as if sucked in by a strong wind.

『Poison, huh? Well, I'm sure it can be used somewhere.』

　He pulled the ball of light to his hand, pressed it into his chest, and stared at the evil dragon.
　The evil dragon notices him as he has neutralized the poison.
　With a loud flap of its wings, the evil dragon lands on the ground, crushing houses, and looks down at Hisago-san.

『Who are you?』
『……』

　The evil dragon swings its tail at him as he responds silently.
　The tail was swept away with a force incomparable to that of mine, causing several buildings to collapse with the shockwave as it approached Hisago-san, but instead of running away, he went straight for the approaching tail.
　A small sword was drawn from his waist.
　With it in his opposite hand, he strikes the tail.

『System Strengthening - Sealing』

　With just that, the evil dragon's tail stopped as if there had been no impact.
　A ball of light is produced from the small sword that catches the tail, and when the ball is sucked back into the small sword, it turns the blade into a golden color.
　Without hesitation, he thrust the golden short sword into his own stomach.

『Release』

　A golden light flows into Hisago-san.
　With it, he runs to the evil dragon.
　With his first step, he shatters the ground and dives into the evil dragon's bosom with movements that transcend the human.
　The poisonous smoke that the evil dragon had spat out in an attempt to intercept it was also absorbed by the ball of light, and he slammed his fist into the dragon.
　Just a fist.
　However, that was all it took to blow the evil dragon's massive body away with such force that it flew up into the air.

"Wind and poison."

　Looking up at the evil dragon soaring into the sky with a scream, Hisago-san generates two spheres of light from his own body.
　When the two spheres are sucked into the other sword, the blade of the sword turns a poisonous purple color and is enveloped in a powerful wind.

『Gugyaaaaa!!』
『Rot in your own poison, monster』

　The sword held above him was swung down, sending a purple shock wave into the sky.
　The shock wave engulfed one of the evil dragon's wings as it tried to adjust its stance in the air, piercing it ——— and in an instant, it flew off into the distance.
　The evil dragon lost its wing and fell.
　Before that happened, Hisago-san pressed the newly created sphere of light against himself and then jumped up to the same height as the falling evil dragon.

『Let's change locations.』
『Y-You!』 (Note: Kisama!)

　As he flew through the air with ease, the evil dragon, which had managed to position itself with its perforated wings, opened its large mouth and tried to swallow Hisago-san.

『……』

　The evil dragon tries to bite him.
　Without the slightest sign of agitation, he slams his back fist into the Evil Dragon's jaw as if he were swatting away a fly.

"Gugahh?!"

　The fangs shattered and scattered.
　As the evil dragon groaned, countless balls of light were generated from his body.
　They circle around Hisago-san like satellites, and some of the hundreds or thousands of them shoot out into its surroundings———,

『Release』

　At his words, the sphere exploded, and a spear shot out of the void with incredible force rushed towards the evil dragon.
　The spears, imbued with the magic power of light magic, penetrate the scales of the extremely sturdy evil dragon and tear through its flesh.

『Gi, gya, gaaaa!?』
『... I can use that, huh?』

　As he continues to fire spears from the sphere of light, he pulls in another sphere.
　It is the same shape and color as the sphere circling around him, but———,

『Release』

　The sphere bursts open and releases a flame that covers the sky.
　The explosive flames blew the body of the evil dragon further away, sending it falling to the outskirts of the city.
　As the evil dragon fell to the ground, crying out in pain, he looked down at it with a look of slight surprise on his face.

『...It's weaker than I thought』

　He turned his gaze from the evil dragon, which had been slammed to the ground with a thunderous roar, to the cityscape of Samarial.
　I cannot read any emotion from his expression.
　However, he gave the impression that he had given up, as if all emotion had been stripped away.

『Believe in human goodness, huh?』　

　He laughs mockingly as he says these words.

『It's quite ironic for me to say this since I can't believe it anymore』

　He mutters to himself and looks at the evil dragon that has fallen to the ground.
　As the evil dragon looked at Hisago-san with hatred from the ground, he continued speaking.

『Is it because of this war-torn world that people's hearts have become rough? Or is it the nature of humans in this world?』
『Y-Youuu, Youuuu!!』
『Even if things are ugly now, I wonder how people's hearts will change in a future world without war. Even in such a world, will their hearts remain as ugly as ever?』

　He points some of the spheres around him at the evil dragon.

『It's still too early to make a decision, but... like Nagi said, it might be a good idea to try something stupid』

　After saying these words, he descended toward the evil dragon.
　The next moment, a thunderous roar and the evil dragon's roar echoed throughout the air.

——— seireitranslations.blogspot.com ———

Author's Notes:
This was the end of the nightmare that Usato had in Samarial.
No wonder people are afraid...