“Thank you so much, Fairy Princess-sama. With the divine sword that milady has bestowed upon me, I will definitely defeat the King of the Demons and bring peace back to the world.”
“…. Yeah… If it’s you, you will ‘definitely’ be able to achieve that. Please take care on your journey.”
—This conversation occurred a few thousand years in the past.
At the time, the world was on the brink of annihilation by the hands of the King of the Demons, who was leading the army of darkness to wipe out the humanoids, when the hero rose up together with his trusted comrades with whom he had tightly knit and strong bonds.
To those people, Pollux bestowed legendary equipment, taught them the King of the Demons’s weakness and sent them on their way.
On a journey of death that she knew for certain they would never be able to return from.
After sending them away, Pollux lowered her head.
“…. How stupid. Why is that no one ever raises any questions…? Even though everything is going far too smoothly.”
The King of the Demons’s weakness? …. Don’t make me laugh. There’s no such thing.
After all, that thing is a divine beast created by the G.o.ddess to manage the world. He is one of the pillars which make up the arbitrators.
He is an agent of the G.o.ddess and has the same sort of existence as my real body.
In the face of such a thing, there was no way for the humans to be able to win. People were just not made by the G.o.ddess to be able to win against that thing.
If they fought with each other seriously, the outcome was already predetermined.
But even then, the heroes were likely to win. That was how the scenario was completed.
The King of the Demons would be defeated and after a few thousand to tens of thousands of years… when the G.o.ddess judged it to be necessary, he would change his name, change his appearance and terrorize the humanoids once more.
The humanoids did not know. n.o.body knew.
That all of the evil kings who appeared in the legends and histories were actually the same individual.
The Destruction G.o.d appeared when humans were first created from the flugel race and was only defeated because the “first human”, Aeneas, sacrificed his life to do so.[2]
The Beast G.o.d threw the world into war and turmoil during the age the beastkins first came into existence.
The t.i.tan G.o.d led the army of giants and rampaged to its heart’s delight.
This time, it named itself the Great Demon King and the next time it appeared again, it would be named something else. But the humanoids did not know that they were all exactly the same person.[3]
Furthermore, she herself was one of the actors in the scenario.
She was a grim reaper who disguised herself as someone who helped out the humanoids, whilst inflicting them with the poison called hope and sending them to certain death. That was the true ident.i.ty of the Fairy Princess. Although they were separated into the two roles known as ally and enemy, there was no difference in substance between the two of them.
That was why… she had to… couldn’t help but spew forth poison.
“…. So stupid… Why do they… look at me with such honest eyes… and believe in me….? Doubt me….! Think that something’s wrong! Shouldn’t you be able to figure it out if you think about it a bit!? That there’s only neatly and conveniently placed weak magical beasts near your starting city so that you’re able to become stronger… That you were handed weapons and equipment so that you could gradually get stronger… And that there’s this suspicious woman called the Fairy Princess who just so happens to know the enemy’s weakness…! However you think about it, isn’t it just weird!? …. I’m begging you. Doubt me already… Please stop getting fooled…”
Until this moment, Pollux had sent off heroes many times… many, many times… many, many, many times.
With a smile, she guided them, handed them weapons, gave them advice and provided them with trials so that they could become stronger.
And she would realise it every time. Their desires from the bottom of their hearts for the peace of the world was unmistakably real. They were people worthy enough to truly be called heroes.
There was once a young man who told her that he loved the world – but he died without being able to see peace arrive in the world that he loved.
There was once a swordsman who told her that he would become as strong as he needed to be for the sake of the person he loved – but by the time peace had arrived, he was already dead with and alongside the person he loved.
There was once a cheerful man who told her with a hearty smile that he wanted to show a peaceful world to his children – but he died without even being able to see the face of the child who was born.
There was once a kind female warrior who journeyed to certain death despite being a woman for the sake of the people important to her and for the future – but right now, there was not even a single trace of her bones left in this world.
Everyone… was guided to certain death by Pollux.
Just as the scenario willed it to be, peace returned to the world and the hero dramatically pa.s.sed away in a beautifully adorned manner.
“…………. I can’t…. anymore….”
Pollux’s well-featured face became dishevelled and distorted. She covered her face with her hands and collapsed down on her knees.
Their eyes, full of trust, were heart-breaking. Their words, full of grat.i.tude, were painful.
As they told her of the future that would come once the world was peaceful, their figures… were so dazzling to her… yet it was so sad…
Just how many of those heroes, who should have had their own futures, did she let die without helping them?
Rightfully, they ought to have been the ones who were rejoicing once peace was restored in the world the most. So why was there a need for them to die?
Either way, their lives were short. The lifespan of a person was at most a few thousand years even if they were of a long-lived race… She had always thought that it would have been fine to let them spend their lives however they wanted to as a reward for the difficult battle that they had to go through.
But the G.o.ddess hated leaving overly strong individuals who possessed too much power alone.
That was why, every time, “he” would deal a fatal wound to the hero before purposefully pretending to be defeated.
That was why… the hero she had just sent out today also wouldn’t be returning. He would not be able to reunite with his lover who told him that she would be waiting for his return.
Pollux always prayed that they would not come to her.
However, the G.o.ddess, who was the object of that prayer, desired for that outcome.
That was why they would always appear before the Fairy Princess without fail. They were guided by fate.
Would it be fine if she did not lend them a hand? No, if those individuals were so half-baked that they would stop at that, they would not even be able to arrive before her in the first place.
Furthermore, in those cases, the hero would just challenge “him” without possessing enough strength and die needlessly. At that point, the dead hero’s son or their relative would inherit the curse known as becoming a hero.
What if she just announced the truth of the matter?
That was also a no. Even if she did something like that, she would only shorten their lifespans. The G.o.ddess most likely would not let go of people who knew the truth.
“How many times do I have to repeat this…? How many times do I have to fool them…? How many more times do I… have to kill those children…? Answer me, please… G.o.ddess-sama…”
I don’t want to do this anymore –
Pollux’s spirit was already almost at the breaking point.
She did not want to do the job of stepping on brave flowers that were trying to bloom in this deprived wasteland.
She had repeated that process endlessly for tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of years.
Because she loved the people who were being born. Because their appearances as they desperately tried to live even in a world like this was dazzling beyond anything else.
After repeatedly looking after people from many different periods of time, she had started to feel affection towards them like she would towards her own children.
She wanted to protect them. She wanted to hug them. She wanted to free them from h.e.l.l.
However, the reality was the complete opposite. She was nothing more than a grim reaper who would drop them down into h.e.l.l. She was nothing more than a heretic who stepped on flowers.
“…. It would be for the best if someone like me… didn’t bud in the first place.”
If she had remained an avatar, how much easier would it have been?
If she was just a spirit who was being controlled by her real body, she would not have had to suffer through such a painful experience.
Pollux took out her short sword which she kept for self-defence and aimed it towards her own throat.
That’s right… it’d be best for her to disappear. It would only be appropriate for someone like her to disappear.
“—! Stop it, Pollux!”
However, her hand was stopped by the other half of herself, her brother.
Pollux tried to shake her brother’s hand away, but her arm strength could not compare to his.
“… Please let go, older brother.”
“No. I won’t.”
Castor tightly hugged Pollux.
Pollux was devoid of so much vigour that it felt like she would immediately disappear if he did not do so.
Whilst Castor slowly calmed his sister down, he could not help but curse the G.o.ddess.
Ahh, G.o.d. Omnipotent G.o.ddess, Alovenus. Why do you treat her so badly?
Pollux is not a girl who can bear such a role.
She is far too kind to be able to continue doing this.
He wished he could exchange places with her. He wanted to exchange places for her.
But it was impossible. The heroes would, without fail, come to seek an audience with “the Fairy Princess”.
In all likelihood, the G.o.ddess applied her hand so that they would hear information that would drive them to seek her out.
And his sister was someone who would answer if she was sought after. It was because she knew that the situation would only get worse if she did not do so.
In the end, he was just a byproduct that was left over from the creation of the supreme being known as the Fairy Princess.
He had no talent other than to fight. A good-for-nothing fairy. A recessive product which was thrown away in the process of giving birth to the dominant product.
However, Pollux could no longer continue playing the role that she was given. She had reached her limit.
If this continued, she would break.
Even if she were able to slowly recover from the mental scars that she had suffered over the long years that had pa.s.sed, the wounds would only be reopened along with a new scar.
And the repeated process of the still-healing scars being pried open had caused Pollux to reach the current point of no return where her wounds had become too deep.
Her feeling of guilt never disappeared. It only continued to weigh her down at the bottom of her heart.
It would have been for the best if she was someone who was irresponsible enough to be able to forget about it all.
It would have been for the best if she was rational enough to be able to leave it behind the horizon of lapsed memories.
However, Pollux was not able to do that.
Because she was unable to do that, she was slowly breaking apart.
That was why Castor prayed.
Anyone… anyone was fine.
Someone who could destroy this h.e.l.lish place in the most literal sense. Someone who would show up to rip and throw away even the G.o.ddess’s scripts.
– He had almost given up after being convinced that such a thing would never be possible.
*
– It would have been for the best if he had not prayed.
A few thousand years later, Castor was deeply, deeply regretful of his prayer from the past.
On that day, the embodiment of h.e.l.l that repainted h.e.l.l itself stepped into the Land of the Fairies.
Her black wings a.s.serted an ominous presence. Her beautiful face, br.i.m.m.i.n.g with absolute confidence in herself, would make even beasts smile.
Behind her was an army of magical beasts which were on standby.
Using a special skill available in her position as the Fairy Princess, she checked the level of the intruder only to almost faint instinctively as a result.
The level of the intruder was – 4200.
Eh… what is, this… monster?
Wrong. This was definitely not a hero. As if she would be able to bear a hero like this.
Having said that, it was not “him” either.
This was not an existence which was prepared by the G.o.ddess. To begin with, the G.o.ddess, who had let previous generations of heroes die because she hated people with too much power, would not create a senseless thing like this on her own.
Furthermore, wasn’t this woman ignoring the level limit set by the G.o.ddess?
…. She had heard about it in rumours. There was an existence which “he”… Orm, who was currently calling himself the Demon King, was truly afraid of and was avoiding direct confrontation with.
However, Pollux had thought of that as nothing more than an exaggeration. After all, there were many others in the past who were being made such a fuss for no reason.
But the troublesome part about this time was that it was actually true.
What should I do…? This person… might ignore the scenario and actually kill Orm.
This was not a scenario made by the G.o.ddess.
It would not be a fabricated victory as if it was scripted in a play.
This was a real monster who could even fight against the serious Orm, defeat and suppress him in a direct battle, then come out as the true and authentic winner.
Without a doubt, it was a bug in this world which had appeared naturally, independent of the G.o.ddess’s will.
With “that” in front of her, Pollux asked a question with a shaky voice.
“U, um… do you have some business with me?”
“Yes. I’ve heard that there was a Fairy Princess who used some mysterious techniques in this land… I thought it would be interesting to welcome the G.o.ddess’s underling as my subordinate, so I came here. Well, speaking candidly… I came to tame you, Fairy Princess, Pollux. And you, her brother, Castor.”
“—-”
They were speechless.
It took her a few seconds to even comprehend the words which were spoken.
Eh? What? Am I going to get tamed? Am I being treated as a magical beast?
Until this moment, there had been a countless number of times humanoids had visited the Land of the Fairies.
There had been countless times in the past where she had been the target of prayers like “Please help us, Fairy Princess.” There had also been countless times where she had been begged for advice.
However… there had never been a fool who had come with the intention to capture her, until now. She wouldn’t have been able to bear with it if there was.
“Ahh, needless to say, it’s fine for you to resist. You two also have the right to refuse. If you do not wish to serve under me, you should struggle with all your might.”
“Then we’ll do just that!”
Castor raised his anchor up and the Argo, which carried the heroic spirits, levitated into the sky.
The sister summoned and the brother commanded.
With that, the undefeated invincible cheat skill [Argonautai] was completed.
However, the black-winged woman took one look at the ship and lightly jabbed at it.
Immediately afterwards, a ma.s.sive hole opened up in the Argo and it began to go down in flames and smoke.
Eh? … wait, eh? Did the… Argo just… sink? Is this some kind of a bad joke!? Did she… just sink the Argo with nothing but the pressure from her fist!? That ship is as hard as orichalc.u.m, you know!?
This was truly an existence which defied logic.
No, perhaps it was actually logic who disliked her and was running away from her with all its might.
Meanwhile, the summoned heroes were all rendered unable to move just from Coercion alone whilst the fairy siblings were barely able to simply sit on the floor.
She didn’t know. She didn’t know someone like this existed. To put it another way, this was a h.e.l.l which surpa.s.sed h.e.l.l, a despair which shattered despair. It was something unreasonable that trampled on the unreasonable, something irrational that destroyed the irrational.
And she was someone who ripped and threw away even the G.o.ddess’s script – an existence that she had long been waiting for.
That woman stood in front of Pollux and looked down into the eyes of the Fairy Princess.
“Your eyes are like those of a dead person. I see that you’re really feeling the weight of the role that the G.o.ddess a.s.signed to you.”
“!?”
“What is it? What is there to be surprised about? Did you think that I would not know about it? Sure, I realise that I’m not actually someone that’s particularly clever… but even I would notice something that’s this blatantly obvious. You and the Demon King. For people who are supposed to be opposing each other as light and darkness, you guys sure seem to be balanced out perfectly, as if it was arranged beforehand. And it’s not just that. You see, Megrez decoded a stone slate that was hidden deep in some ruins and by the looks of you, you’ve been repeatedly confronting the same person over and over and over again. It’s just like a pendulum that swings back and forth between light and darkness, back and forth between hope and despair. So I’m convinced of it, you see. The two of you are colluding with each other. … I’m spot on, am I not?”
Ruphas raised Pollux’s chin using her fingertips and looked into her eyes.
“You must have suffered after fooling people countless times and letting them be killed without being able to help. Your mind must be getting really worn out from wondering how many times you’d have to repeat the cycle. Rejoice – this is the last time!”
“!!”
“If the G.o.ddess will not answer, I will answer it for you. The curtain that signals the end of the play will soon arrive. Once that is done, you will no longer have to send anyone to certain death… Because I will destroy the stage of the play altogether.”
Listening to the words spoken by Ruphas, Pollux finally realised that she was dealing with a devil.
An evil devil which went against the G.o.ddess. This woman was exactly that.
However Pollux thought about it, this woman was moving whilst completely ignoring the G.o.ddess’s script. For someone like her to have been born must have been completely outside of the G.o.ddess’s calculations.
But… ahh… how ironic.
That the one to tell her the words she wanted to hear the most would be the devil.
No, was it because she was a devil that she knew what Pollux wanted?
“I’ll bring back true freedom to this world which is being bound by a third-rate play. For that purpose, I want you… become my subordinate, Fairy Princess Pollux.”
That was an evil temptation.
It was a road of snakes that would lead to a betrayal of the G.o.ddess.
The heroes would not be able to tear through the G.o.ddess’s script. If anyone could do it, it would be this monster who was out of the norm.
That was why Pollux… took hold of that hand.
Even if it turned out to be the road to self-destruction, she no longer wanted to pluck any more flowers.
__
(Author note)
~Currently~
Ruphas: “Solar Flare!”
Benet: “Quick Raid!”
Leon: “Lion Roar!”
Ladon: “Dragon King Ten Heads’ Consecutive Fireb.a.l.l.s!”
Pollux: “…”
– Clearly, she no longer needs to snap or pluck them. It’s because all of the flowers are now burning.
(Author note end)
__
[1] “”.
[2] Aeneas (アイネイアース)
“”.
[3] This is written literally as “Great Demon King” (or actually ‘Big’ but means ‘great’) (大魔王 – Dai-ma-ou).
The present time “Demon King” is actually written as (魔神王 – Ma-jin-ou), which would literally mean Magic G.o.d King or Demon G.o.d King. I think I’ve already footnoted this in an earlier chapter, but yeah, we just ended up translating it as “the Demon King” because that’s what the first translator (Shurim) used.