Demon Lord, Does Even a Crap Game Have an Ending? - Chapter 12

“You… were you eavesdropping?”

 

“……”

 

“Speak properly.”

 

Tension hung between them. I swallowed the dry saliva in my parched mouth, waiting for his lips to part.

 

“…I wasn’t eavesdropping. I have a general idea of who you were with.”

 

Should I call it a stroke of luck? I barely managed to suppress a sigh of relief. It seemed he hadn’t heard the content of the conversation clearly, only that I was having a private talk with an outsider.

 

‘Then I have no choice but to deny it.’

 

“You have a general idea of who I was with?”

 

“…Chris. I hope you won’t hide anything from me.”

 

“Haaah…”

 

“If you’re sneaking around at night, avoiding people, to have a private conversation, it must be something serious, right? If I can help, I will.”

 

“Why are you curious about that?”

 

“…I know you don’t trust me much, but can’t you trust me as much as I trust you? We are….”

 

“……”

 

“We’re friends.”

 

The word ‘friends’ struck my chest like a dart, making my heart flutter as if something heavy had been placed upon it. Friends, so that’s how you saw me. Before my resolve weakened, I collected myself and cut him off.

 

“That’s hilarious. You.”

 

“What?”

 

“What business is it of yours who I meet? Are you monitoring me? You said we were friends. And if I told you my worries, do you think you could understand them?”

 

“I…”

 

“You have no right to know everything. Even if you did know, don’t delude yourself into thinking you could solve it.”

 

My behavior up to this point was an overreaction, so I tried to return to my room, fearing it would be too obvious. Liheros, who had been sitting, hastily stood up and grabbed my arm.

 

“Chris!”

 

“Let go of this.”

 

“….”

 

“I think our relationship will end tomorrow.”

 

Liheros froze, his face filled with surprise. He looked like he wasn’t breathing. I had blurted out those words impulsively to avoid the situation, and I was just as surprised by them. Liheros’s hand slid down limply, as if all strength had drained from it, and I felt the full impact of his shock. Why had those words escaped me? Confused, I fled the terrace as if escaping. It wasn’t just a denial; it was a fight, and an one-sided one at that.

 

‘I didn’t intend to go this far.’

 

I burrowed into the cozy blankets of my bed, seeking refuge from the cold air laced with my sharp words. I closed my eyes, trying to fall asleep, but it was impossible.

 

‘Haaah… Fuck….’

 

I often felt he resembled ‘him,’ but the way he pushed me away as if bothered, running away, made me feel like I was becoming like the ‘person’ I disliked, and it scared me. I created an internal battle between the Red and Blue armies, alternately defending my actions, telling myself that being harsh or secretive was for his own good, that some things were better left unknown. The word ‘friends’ echoed in my heart, creating a cacophony.

 

─Creak

 

Not long after, I heard Liheros enter the room, followed by about an hour of the irregular rustling of sheets. After tossing and turning for a long time, I seemed to have fallen asleep.

 

‘Uncomfortable.’

 

Tonight felt exceptionally long and lonely. I stayed awake all night, and we finished getting ready to leave without exchanging a single word.

 

…

 

‘Haaah…’

 

The blond man walked silently through the forest. I thought he would treat me normally once dawn broke, but he was also overtly avoiding me. His dry reaction felt like it was shattering the comfort I had found during the night. I wished we could have fought, cursed at each other, and hit each other. Since the conversation had ended with me attacking him unilaterally, I decided to throw him a line, giving him a chance to speak.

 

“Let’s talk!”

 

─Thud

 

As I reached out to grab his shoulder, I stumbled forward, not seeing a rock under my feet. My demon lord body swayed erratically, why was it so flimsy? Whether human or demon, one needed to increase muscle mass. Relying on magic wasn’t the answer. I flailed my arms, trying to grab onto something, but thanks to Liheros’s reflexes, I didn’t fall. His strong arm shot out and held me firmly.

 

‘Not even a tank, but the aggro was successful.’

 

Though it deviated from my plan to have a serious talk, I rejoiced at being able to face him for the first time today. But that joy was fleeting. Liheros’s face looked noticeably gaunt and glum. Was this really something to be so distressed about? I was flustered, not expecting to see him like this, and forgot what I had intended to say. He slowly released my arm and walked ahead again.

 

‘This is driving me crazy.’

 

I lowered my gaze to the ground as if I were a criminal, unable to utter a word, and simply followed his heels. Amidst this, a thought suddenly struck me.

 

‘<Separation Anxiety Liheros: Independence Achieved> Auto-Cleared.’

 

I felt unsettled. I had expected it, but it was strangely disappointing. I didn’t know what to do with myself, being so erratic, so I raised my hand and lightly slapped my cheek a couple of times. Liheros stopped at the fork in the road leading to our final destination.

 

“Chris.”

 

“Hm?”

 

“…Yesterday.”

 

Liheros was the first to break the silence. The moment of truth had arrived. Yes, he had been avoiding it, but he must have felt frustrated too. The shadows under his eyes made him look even more melancholic. Such minor signs were like a high-speed train heading towards a bad ending for our relationship. Go on, curse me. Tell me I was too harsh.

 

“…I’m sorry.”

 

“…?”

 

“There’s no reason why you should tell me everything, and I don’t know why I… I don’t know why I acted that way.”

 

“……”

 

“Demanding things, I regret resolving to let all opportunities remain as fate without considering your feelings.”

 

“……”

 

Was he not sulking, but too embarrassed to look at me? Like a pet dog looking at its owner after misbehaving, he only glanced at me with his eyes. I had seen him angry or laughing many times, but this different side of him was a fresh shock.

 

“…I didn’t expect my last farewell to be an apology, but I really wanted to say it.”

 

“……”

 

No, I genuinely didn’t know what to say. What was this? In a situation where he should be angry at me, he was apologizing first. I was stunned, lost in thought. The longer the silence stretched, waiting for my response, the more dejected he became, resembling not just a pet dog, but a cowering puppy. The tension in my heart seemed to melt away like damp paper.

 

“…You…”

 

“Yes.”

 

You don’t have to be sorry. I’m more sorry.

 

“It’s a good thing you realized it even if it was late.”

 

…Are you crazy, Yu Jihyeon! Does pride fill your stomach!

 

Words completely different from my inner thoughts escaped my lips. This wasn’t my true feeling, but by trying to act tough, I had pushed the barely mended atmosphere to the brink of collapse. At this point, I felt I deserved to have Liheros spit in my face.

 

“Are you accepting my apology?”

 

Liheros’s cautious question brought my conscience, which had been blaming and harshly pushing him, to trial.

 

─Guilty. And sentenced to life imprisonment.

 

“…Of course. I’ll accept it like a man.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

A smile, named sunshine, bloomed again on his darkened face. He was brimming with vitality, like a dried-out potted plant given water and fertilizer. Even if he was just a fragment of game data, having this kind of emotional exchange with him felt like talking to a real person. Of course, the reality was that such a good person didn’t exist.

 

“So… is this goodbye?”

 

“Cough…”

 

At this fork, Liheros’s path led to the location of ‘Viscra,’ the final field boss of Principium. Viscra’s design intention was ‘to test one’s qualifications for venturing onto the continent,’ making it quite difficult.

 

‘I’ll accompany him until that dungeon, and then I’ll leave Liheros entirely to his own devices.’

 

Under the guise of atonement. Besides, we had just reconciled; it felt awkward to part so abruptly. I made it clear that this was our last destination together, like a side-kick NPC helping with the Principium quests in the prologue area.

 

“Let’s go together. It’s the real final destination.”

 

“Yes. I understand.”

 

He answered briefly, but a smile lingered on his face. More than that, it was strange how he was gazing at me as if minutes were passing.

 

“What? Is something on your face?”

 

“No, nothing.”

 

At his words, he immediately averted his gaze and walked ahead again. It must be my imagination. The peculiar gaze bothered me, so I casually patted my face. His steps, which had felt heavy until we reached this point, seemed lighter after this conversation. I also felt a sense of relief. Even though my ultimate goal was to separate from him, I thought it would be better for my own peace of mind to part on good terms after the dungeon.

 

‘Yes, let’s part on a happy note at the end.’

 

Even though I knew he would eventually tear me apart, I wished for it.

 

We entered an area that felt long abandoned. Thick thorns grew wildly, like a formidable gate guarding the princess. Liheros cut through them, taking about -3 damage per tick and repeatedly self-healing. Thanks to him, I passed through without a scratch.

 

“I think it’s that way.”

 

“Yeah, it looks like it.”

 

It was a deep ravine surrounded by steep cliffs. The height was immense, and the light barely reached the bottom, making it dim. Relying on the faint light, we walked along the ravine, and my vision began to blur.

 

“Fog?”

 

“It’s humid, but this fog is a bit strange.”

 

It didn’t feel like natural fog; it seemed artificially created by some entity. As we stepped into the hazy mist, a musty, acrid smell, similar to what I’d experienced in the Demon Lord’s castle, filled the air. Instinctively, I knew what lay ahead.

 

─The very entity that drove the Aliento Saga to service termination.

 

─Ding

 

[Dungeon] Valley of Screams (Non-Fate): Viscra

 

[System]

 

Recommended Players: Unlimited

 

This dungeon was notorious, with dozens of parties attempting it only to be wiped out. According to Fractal’s last announcement, ‘The high-intelligence AI algorithm appears to have rapidly learned user behavior.’ I was curious to see which system would prevail: the Viscra AI or the warrior Liheros, who had adapted to all quests and learned combat algorithms. I wasn’t overly worried, as he had never struggled or faced a life-threatening situation before.

 

Sensing our presence, a colossal shape hidden within the fog began to move. As it moved, the fog dispersed as if blown away by the wind, allowing us to fully take in its form.

 

─Ssssssss

 

Its coiled, dark blue body writhed and undulated. Only the scales flowing like waves indicated that this creature was moving, but it felt like the same scene was repeating endlessly, making it impossible to gauge its length. Revealing its face from its coiled body, Viscra appeared as majestic as a thousand-year-old dragon. It regarded Liheros with a nonchalant air, as if he were an insect. Then, its gaze stopped on me.

 

“Ummm.”

 

As if doubting its own eyes, it slowly tilted its head and let out a low hum, as if deep in thought. The two layers that appeared to be its eyelids opened and closed, revealing gleaming crimson eyes.

 

“A being that should not have come has arrived.”

 

“What do you mean by that!”

 

Viscra seemed to have recognized my true nature. I could feel it too. That it was a creation of the Demon Lord.

 

“Hoohoo, ignorant humans have no need to know.”

 

“Then I shall make you speak.”

 

Liheros’s sword rang sharply as it was drawn from its sheath.