Kanzen Kaihi Healer no Kiseki - VOL 3 CHAPTER 20

Chapter 20 – Hiroki and the previous demon king

Left alone in the dark, I stand there helplessly. I don’t know if the enemy is lurking somewhere, nor is there any means of attack. I was able to let the demon king escape, but I’m doomed, right? I thought―Ah.

“[Safety Circle].”

I learned it not long ago but almost forgot about it since I didn’t use it much. The skill I used was to create an absolutely inviolable area around me. The heavy air clinging to my body disappeared from my surroundings, and only within the safety circle did the darkness disappear and return to its original brightness.

“That said, this circle is set up in place, so it’s not like I can walk with it, right?”

I might as well wait for the shop fairy to come for me. As I was thinking about that, a blurred figure emerged from the darkness.

“――Huh!?”

“…..”

The outline was blurred, but I could tell it was probably a middle-aged man. Perhaps the person responsible for creating this darkness.

“What on earth are you doing? Are you an enemy?”

“…I’m not an enemy.”

“Eh…”

I arbitrarily talked to it, thinking it’s an enemy, but I unintentionally returned a stupid voice. I mean, that’s a big excuse not to be an enemy in this situation.

“My name is Dewey.”

“That means…Tito-sama’s father, the previous Demon King!”

That’s right.

He seemed to be quite a big shot; I was surprised. But I heard he’s dead… can a demon lord live on his soul alone? No, if that’s the case, then the Demon King will explain it to me.

“I’m sorry to confuse you. I’m a Dewey’s remaining thoughts. It’s not like I’m alive. When the great tree bloomed, and there Tito was with someone he could trust, I made sure that we could have a conversation.”

I guess that means I’ve been targeted… Then, it must be about his son, no, daughter?

“I asked Tito-sama about the situation… I’m sure you were worried about him.”

How painful it must be to die, leaving a young child. I’m sure there are more thoughts that I can’t imagine.

“Yeah. But I’ve asked Cruz to protect him. He’s my best friend and a man I can trust.”

“I see.”

He is a skilled alchemist, a caretaker of the great tree, and a close friend of the previous Demon King. How many great titles does Pino’s master have… The number of people I’ve gotten to know lately has been so incredible that I’m almost cringing. But can’t he say so for the sake of achieving his goals?

The former Demon King smirked.

“I’m here to tell you I want to ask you to trust him.”

“Even if you didn’t do that, I’ve decided to trust Tito-sama.”

“…I see.”

When he hears my words, the former Demon King says, “Thank you”.

“However, it’s better to have a lot of insurance to keep him from being betrayed. If you have a wish that I can fulfill, say it.

“Eh…”

I never thought I’d be told that… I thought he was a dignified demon king who made a transaction for me not to betray the demon king, but he’s an unexpectedly a doting parent. No, I very much understand how he feels, but…!

“Even if you say a wish… All I want to know is about a magic circle.”

“Magic circle?”

“Um, I’d like to know about a magic circle that can transpose far away.”

“Fumu…”

Since I have no intention of betraying the Demon King, I asked the former Demon King if I could get any information about me to return to Japan. If I were able to get some information, it would be quite a development. The former Demon King slowly told me what he knew as he thought.

“Magic circle is not mainstream in this day and age. It was used in ancient times, long ago.”

“It’s not used anymore?”

“As far as I know, I don’t know. You’ll need a catalyst to use a magic circle, and you don’t need to use that much fancy magic. That would be the kind of large-scale magic you use in a large-scale war.”

The previous demon king before Tito-sama’s father was belligerent, but Tito-sama and his father were friendly, so they didn’t like to fight. Therefore, the idea seems to be that it would be better if the magic circle were obliterated, if anything.

Well, that doesn’t sound like much information to expect…

“But why do you want information about the magic circle? It’s terribly dangerous.”

“…That’s…”

How much more can I tell him about myself? Considering he’s a residual thought, I feel like it’s okay to say to him all about me because there’s no danger of being told to anyone.

I closed my eyes and thought about what to do and came to the conclusion that I should be honest with myself.

“I was summoned to defeat the Demon King.”

“W-what―!?”

“Ah, of course, I don’t want to defeat Tito-sama. Because the human king who summoned me was a lousy one, and now I’m at odds with him.”

“…I see. So you’re the victim.”

I sighed loudly and smiled bitterly at the former Demon King’s words. The victim, huh? Indeed, the term might fit.

“I was told that I could return home after defeating the Demon King.”

”Eh, why…?”

“I wonder why…”

The former demon king tells me that such a thing might not be possible.

“Even if I have no knowledge, I understand that it is difficult to incorporate return magic into the summoning magic circle. Or is it also engraved on your body with a magic circle for return?”

If it is, the former Demon King tells me that there is no possibility either.

“…No, nothing like that.”

“I see…”

“…..”

“…..”

There is a slight silence between us, but I didn’t think for a moment that the human king was telling the truth in the first place.

“It’s okay; we thought it was a lie. There’s no way it’s that convenient once we’ve defeated the Demon King.”

What’s more, the human king said that time and so on would be restored. Even after traveling through this world for a bit, I know that it is quite difficult. It’s hard to acquire skills, and the number of times you can use them is limited by the amount of magic you have.

“I’m sure Cruz knows more about the magic than I do, so you should ask him.”

“Are you sure? I’d appreciate that information alone.”

I had unconsciously thought that it was best to ask the Demon King, who stands at the top of the Demon race, so I was grateful for this advice straightforwardly.

“But since it would be a pity not to give you what you want, I’ll give you this instead.”

“…Hmm?”

A dagger was held in hand held out by the former Demon King.

When I received it, it had a dry weight more than I imagined. I can see that a coat of arms is engraved on the blade when I pull it out of the sheath.

“This is the Demon King’s emblem…?”

“That’s right. If you’re collecting information about the magic circle, I’m sure it will come in handy.”

“Thank you very much.”

“You have to take care of Tito for me, too.”

“Oh, yes… Of course.”

Since I had received the dagger, I could only nod my head. Or rather, I have no intention of betraying him in the first place.

“Tito-sama began to walk forward of his own accord. I think he’s very strong and imposing.”

“I see, I see…! I’m glad to hear that. Then, I’ll be going to sleep with peace of mind…”

“Dewey-sama!?”

I’m not sure if it’s because he was relieved by my words, but the previous demon king disappeared in a flash. At the same time, the darkness faded away, and the color returned to my surroundings.

“Hiroki, are you all right?

“Lusha, I’m sorry to make you worry. I’m fine now.”

“Really? Thank goodness…”

Lusha, who rushed straight away, confirmed my safety, and looked relieved. Subsequently, the Demon King, shop fairy, and Cruz-san also came toward me.

“Well, well, I’m glad you’re okay. I couldn’t get to Hiroki’s place no matter how much I tried since His Majesty asked me to.”

“Was that so? For the time being, I’m alright …I was spoked with the residual thoughts of the former demon king, Dewey-sama.”

“With my father?”

To everyone who is surprised, I’ll give them a brief description of what happened earlier. As a side note, I won’t forget to ask Cruz-san to take some time off later.

“I see. Don’t worry about me, father, I’ll become a fine demon king!”

“Yes. I’m looking forward to seeing your announcement Tito-sama.”

“…Stop that, Hiroki.”

Hmm? Shouldn’t we look forward to it?

“No, I said stop the honorific! It was really you when you let me escaped, wasn’t it? I don’t mind the way you talk.”

“…Okay, thank you.”

“Yeah!”

After finishing leveling up in the long dungeon and befriending the Demon King, we used the transfer device to return to the ground.