Chapter 28
“Hmm, I think I’ve heard something about the Demon God before… What was it about again?”
Thank goodness — sounds like he didn’t hear too much.
Elses swallowed a sigh of relief and quickly came up with an excuse to get herself out of this situation.
“Before I officially get involved in this case, I thought I should learn a bit about the Demon God. You know that saying — ‘Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will win every battle.’”
“Ah, that’s a good idea.”
Asteor nodded in agreement.
Elses figured he would go about his business soon enough.
After all, he was a Cardinal of the Holy Nation, and the head of the Empire’s largest temple — surely he had plenty of work to do.
But that expectation was crushed immediately.
“Then I’ll teach you.”
“…Sorry?”
“It’s my field of expertise. I can probably count on one hand the people in this empire who know more about the Demon God than I do.”
A hero who had personally slain the Demon God three years ago, and a Cardinal of the Holy Nation that opposed it — indeed, few would know more than him.
‘Well, that’s true, but…’
My plan was to research quietly in the library without running into you, though…
“Um… aren’t you busy?”
“I am, but Cassian’s worried about you. I should stay by your side to protect you.”
Asteor said it so earnestly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Elses blinked at him in disbelief.
In the library — the temple library in the heart of the Empire — what could possibly be dangerous?
You’re literally the most dangerous thing to me in this temple…
“And also…”
Asteor, gazing down at her, trailed off and reached out a large hand toward her head.
At his fingertips was a flower petal resting on Elses’ hair. He plucked it away, let it flutter to the ground, and turned his blue eyes back to her.
“I happen to be very interested in you, my lady.”
Elses froze, staring up at him as he tilted his head slightly and met her gaze.
Why are you suddenly interested in me…? Did he notice my power?
She subtly took half a step back.
“What kind of… interest?”
“I’m curious about what Cassian saw in you — what potential made him recruit you into the guild.”
Ah. That kind of interest.
Relieved, Elses smiled awkwardly as Asteor answered so casually.
“Let’s head inside first.”
The two of them entered the library together.
It had been quiet the last time Elses came, but at sunset, it felt even more hushed and solemn.
Being here with Asteor… it reminds me of the old days.
When they were children, Luel used to take Asteor and Lassiel — both book lovers — to the village’s public library.
They’d read together, whisper stories to one another, sometimes doze off leaning against the shelves. Those memories were faint but warm.
I wonder if Asteor remembers those days too.
Elses felt a twinge of sadness knowing she couldn’t share that memory with him as she walked deeper into the library.
“So, what kind of information about the Demon God do you want to know?” Asteor asked.
“If it’s something I know, I’ll tell you everything I can. If I don’t, we can find it in the books together.”
After a moment’s thought, Elses spoke.
“Do you know how the Demon God came to exist? I was thinking… if I could understand the source or origin of its power, maybe I could figure out how that group plans to resurrect it.”
And perhaps, by understanding that source, she could also learn how to separate the Demon God’s power from herself.
But Asteor looked troubled.
“Hmm, I said I’d teach you confidently, but that’s a very difficult question — like asking where humans come from.”
He meant that, just as humans simply appeared one day, the Demon God too existed as something that had simply come into being.
“The only thing I know about its origin is an old tale. Would that help?”
He was probably referring to the prologue story at the start of Last Heroes, the RPG game.
Most RPGs began with a brief world introduction like that.
…I skipped all of that though.
Since RPG openings always played out the same way, Elses had habitually skipped them — even back when she first possessed Luel, she’d only half-listened, and had since forgotten.
She nodded to Asteor.
“Please, tell me. It might have something unexpectedly useful.”
With his gentle voice, Asteor began the story.
“In the beginning, this world was unstable. Dimensional rifts would open frequently, and demonic beasts and monsters flooded through them.”
For a long time, humans were slaughtered by those creatures — until the ‘Saint Dike’ appeared.
With the divine power bestowed upon her, she closed all the dimensional rifts and saved humanity.
It seemed a new era of peace had arrived — but one day, the Demon God appeared.
The rifts reopened, monsters once again poured out, and countless lives were lost.
Saint Dike gathered all her strength to seal the Demon God, and though she succeeded, the seal was quickly broken.
Having lost her power, she gathered people and founded the Holy Nation — a group that would train and support heroes capable of standing against the Demon God.
A massive organization that moved solely for the sake of world peace.
The immortal Saint Dike still gathered heroes from around the world, centered in the Holy Nation.
One of those heroes was the player — drawn into an unwanted destiny to save the world from the Demon God.
That was the opening of Last Heroes.
After listening, Elses sank into thought.
Even in the opening, there’s hardly any information about the Demon God.
Of course.
In the intro, the “absolute evil” existed simply to serve as a goal for the protagonist’s growth.
The rest of the story — the motives, the deeper lore — were revealed gradually through the main scenario.
Come to think of it, even far into the main story, there wasn’t much about Rejantia either.
Usually, villains had backstories — reasons, however twisted, for their evil.
Whether they were born wicked or made that way, there was always something.
But Rejantia had none.
Even from what she’d heard from Letty, there didn’t seem to be any sympathetic story behind her.
Still, they wouldn’t make the final boss that hollow… Maybe Letty’s story was hidden in the parts of the main scenario I never reached.
Just as Elses was mulling over Rejantia’s mysterious existence, she met Asteor’s blue eyes watching her.
“So… you were the one who defeated that terrifying Demon God, Your Eminence.”
“My companions and I defeated it together.”
“Still, that’s amazing. If it were me, I’d have run away in fear.”
“To be honest, I wanted to run too.”
At that unexpected answer, Elses blinked in surprise.
Asteor had never shown that side of himself — not when everyone was exhausted, not even in danger. He’d always been the one to inspire hope.
“But if I’d run away, then tomorrow would have disappeared for people weaker than me.”
“…”
“So I had no choice but to fight. Not because of some grand ideal or noble cause.”
Elses understood then why he said that.
Asteor had been the second son of the infamous House of Perdean.
Because of his selfless and gentle nature, he never fit in with that ruthless family. He’d met Luel, left the house, and cut ties — but he was never truly free from its shadow.
He couldn’t bear being worshipped as a great hero driven by pure ideals when he still carried Perdean blood.
In that answer, Elses saw the same Asteor she’d once known.
You’re still not free from that chain, are you…
For some reason, he suddenly felt familiar again — just like before.
“Not as grand a story as you expected, huh?”
Asteor smiled as if it were nothing, but Elses could see the old wound behind that smile.
“No, that’s what makes it even more admirable.”
She answered without a moment’s hesitation.
“Heroes are still human — if their hearts stop, they die. It’s only natural to be afraid of death.”
“…”
“I think courage comes from fear. True bravery is knowing that fear and facing it anyway.”
Asteor, who had been smiling at her all this time, suddenly froze. His expression shifted slightly — something between sadness and joy — before he finally smiled again.
Under the fading sunset, his smile was brighter than ever.
“Thank you… for saying that.”
Elses stared at him, dazed for a moment, then smiled back — just as the door to the quiet library opened.
A Holy Knight stepped in — the same man who’d guarded Asteor at the guild yesterday.
“Your Eminence, we’ve found the whereabouts of the boy who possessed the Fragment of Dimensions.”
