Chapter 62: The Will Behind the Genocide
"..." I’m standing before the Demon King himself, my father, and I have to say, I feel uneasy. I didn’t expect to be summoned.
"Esther, why so nervous?" he asks, seated on his throne. I look around, noticing how isolated we are.
’Father... he’s undoubtedly frightening...’ His magical power is monstrous. I don’t know if others can see it like I do, but the Demon King’s power literally covers the entire kingdom.
It’s like an aura. Yet, whenever he’s in my field of vision, I can see it, and it’s gigantic. This shows one very simple thing: the entire kingdom is within his reach, and he can do anything within this area.
"I’m sorry, Father... your presence is just... magnificent." I say ’magnificent’ instead of ’suffocating.’ Whenever I’m alone with him, I feel like he knows I’m going to do something to cause massive chaos in the future.
But he has no way to prove I plan to commit global genocide someday. I’ve never said it to anyone, never let it slip, never spoken, written, or exposed this desire of mine.
"I see... Well, Esther, I called you here to talk. I’m tempted by an idea, and you, as my most talented—yet talent-hiding—daughter, have caught my attention for your opinion." He speaks while I recall he’s asked for my opinion a few times before.
’The Demon King is truly a complicated being...’ He’s always known. He always knows when I do something big. He always notices, no matter how discreet I am. He doesn’t know my ability, but he knows that somehow, I’m up to something.
"I will do my best to satisfy your... curiosity, Father," I say, bowing to him.
"Excellent. Then tell me, Esther. I’m seriously considering two strategies for the war. The first is to have you, my children, marry humans."
"And the second is to have at least two of you marry each other so that I can use your families as a foundation and support." He talks about using our families like it’s nothing.
’Ah yes... that stupid marriage rule...’ I think about it. Normally, I would say something completely different—for example, propose that one of us marry the Heroine, Grace.
Unlike just marrying a human, marrying someone with the title of Heroine would force the Heroine’s race to contribute. So if one of us married Grace, the humans would have to help us because Grace is human and she’s the Heroine.
’...Why...’ I try to speak but freeze. This solution is too good. I don’t know if he’s already thought of it, but it’s a fact that it’s a great idea. However, it’s very unconventional, and maybe he hasn’t considered it because it directly involves Grace, who came here only for peace.
’I... should I?’ A strange feeling wells up inside me, stopping me from speaking. If I suggest this idea, there’s a 73% chance he’ll accept it, which means he won’t try the ideas he just gave me and will approve a marriage between a human and a demon.
But just as I was about to speak, I remembered Evelyn. Strangely, I can’t stop thinking about her. It’s a mix of interest and curiosity. I received a report on what she did at the guild, and it caught my attention even more.
Normally, Evelyn should have made the emblem on her license an image of herself, but she chose a flower instead. And that is unexpected; it totally goes against her normal personality.
Every second that passes where she does abnormal things like this, the more I become convinced she’s like me. Somehow, she knows the truth of the world.
"Father... I think you should... choose a marriage between ourselves... I faithfully believe this, and I think you choosing me and Evelyn to marry would be... good." I say, leaving him truly surprised.
"Oh? How curious... Tell me, daughter, why do you think that?" He calls me ’daughter,’ something that very rarely happens.
"I believe my family and Evelyn’s family are very influential..." I start to explain. One just has to look at me and Evelyn. Even though Evelyn is a "failure," her physical and magical characteristics remind one of some very important lineages, just like mine.
We can’t go after our families, but nothing stops us from trying to deduce who they are based on things we know about ourselves.
"Besides, Evelyn is weak. She wouldn’t have the right to refuse or run from her responsibilities. Therefore, our marriage will allow you to maintain total power over Evelyn’s family while gaining the benefit of having two important noble families helping."
"..." He falls silent. An uncomfortable silence.
’Why am I doing this?’ Political marriage is common, but normally I would never marry. Anyway, I’m going to kill everyone, which makes marriages useless. So why?
’Why do I want her close?’ I don’t understand. It’s not like I like her, but she’s so fascinating that I want to tie her down so she can’t escape my control.
"Your idea is interesting, daughter. Very interesting indeed... I think I’ll think about this. But if it happens, it will only be after Evelyn returns from her little adventure." He says, moving his hand.
"You may leave. I liked your perspective, although I expected something different. But it was... truly innovative to see you propose this." He allows me to leave. I immediately get up and go to the door.
As I leave, I think about books. What do books have to say about what I’m feeling? I don’t know what I feel, so I just remember descriptions from books. I return to my room thinking about this, and as soon as I arrive, I search for a specific book.
"..." As soon as I find the book, I open it to the page that has exactly what I’m looking for.
"...Loneliness..." I read the exact word that describes what I feel. This immediately confuses me.
’Loneliness? Is that it? I feel lonely?’ I sit in my chair, thinking about when all this started. Not the feeling for Evelyn, but the loneliness I’ve always felt.
"Ah, yes... 4 years old..." I remember when I started feeling displaced from the world. 4 years old. That’s when my curse made me hate the whole world.
"This disgusting, fake world..." I know the truth of the world. Our world is just a source of entertainment for other beings. I know they watch our lives, take sides, and choose our decisions while having fun.
They treat our lives like a game, a pre-programmed script where our lives only serve as their amusement. This fills me with the purest hatred. My life is no one’s entertainment.
I... never accepted being a puppet controlled by others just so they could have fun with my life, my choices, and my mistakes... That’s why, at 5 years old, I decided.
I will kill everyone. I thought this while watching Marie destroy Augustus’s toy and seeing Augustus cry. It turns out that when someone destroys the entertainment, it’s not fun.
I arrived at a simple logic: if everything ceases to exist, then they won’t have anything left to watch for entertainment. No one notices, but I know someone is watching us, enjoying our lives as if we were toys.
And that’s why I decided to break all those toys and leave the world empty. No life means no entertainment, and no entertainment means freedom. This is also the only way I found to be free.
Because I know. No one is forcing me to make this choice, because this choice is bad for their entertainment. This choice to kill everyone is something I chose to do with the freedom I conquered.
But I think knowing that everyone is just entertainment following a pattern gave me a strange feeling. They don’t understand. They aren’t like me. They are "inferior."
If I’m the only one who notices, then everyone who doesn’t is inferior to me. It’s only natural.
They are trapped being what others want them to be. But that’s where the current Evelyn comes in. She stepped out of those pre-defined lines. She acts now like I acted when I discovered the truth of the world.
’She knows... the rose-shaped emblem shows it... she knows the truth. She knows this world is ’fake.’ She knows we are entertainment for something greater... but why...’ I wonder why she does nothing.
"Why... why... why... why... why... why... why... why... why isn’t she doing anything... is she so stupid she doesn’t understand?" I stop questioning myself and look at the book.
’Loneliness... yes... I am lonely... After all, how can I become attached to a bunch of idiots made to be entertainment?’ Everyone who doesn’t understand me is an idiot. They are stupid for not noticing this manipulation.
But Evelyn... she is different. Clearly, she is still inferior to me in many aspects, but the mere fact that she also knows the truth of the world already puts her above everyone else and brings her closer to being like me.
Whether it’s a god, a deity, or whatever being is watching our lives, I will never be a toy for someone’s entertainment.
My curse allows me to see far beyond. There are many things I know that others can’t even imagine.
"Is that why Evelyn is afraid when she’s near me, but still tries to talk? She knows that I know?... H-Hahahaha." I put both hands on my face and press hard.
"She knows... She knows... She knows... She knows... She knows... She knows... She knows... She knows... That’s why it’s fun to watch her... because she is ’alive’... she isn’t like the others..." I get excited by this discovery.
That’s why she attracts me. That’s why she generates curiosity in me. That’s why, even though I hate change so much, I still don’t hate how Evelyn has changed.
I don’t hate her. It’s not because her change is acceptable. Actually, I don’t hate her because her change was from something generic that followed the will of another to a living being with real freedom, like me.
’That’s why she was hiding, right? She knew all along... but just hid...’ This irritates me. I suffered so much to deal with this. I was forced to live a lie, while this coward hid.
’Calm down... calm down... it’s fine... I know now... we are the same...’ My desire to have her near increases. The marriage idea, which was just a confusing thought before, seems even better now.
If I tie her to me like this, I can have her close and see something truly alive. Now I feel bad for having talked so little with her.
I can’t say I like her, but right now I feel like a child who finally received something it wanted so badly and didn’t even remember it needed.
’My heart is racing... is this... joy?’ I look in the mirror. I have a crooked smile. It’s been so long since I’ve had a genuine smile that the smile in the mirror looks strange on my face.
"Joy... it’s been... over 14 years since I’ve felt joyful about something..." I murmur, looking out the window. Now I’m more interested in observing Evelyn.
’Evelyn should return to the competition before she falls too far behind everyone else... 1 to 2 years... that’s the maximum time she can spend out there, and I know it...’ I look out the window.
"Two years... Evelyn, show me many entertaining things during this time..." I murmur with the first good feeling of looking forward to something in the future that I’ve had in a very long time.
Evelyn achieved what no one else could: she gave me the desire to see the future. Something I can’t predict. Something made by her own will.