Will I End Up As a Hero or a Demon King (WN)

Chapter 239

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Chapter 239 – Red Eyes

“I-I see…”

I couldn’t say anything after that.

After all, he was the Demon King.

He had killed so many people that it was grounds for divine punishment.

It was only natural that the goddesses would have an unfavorable impression of him and exclude him from recovery.

It was a perfectly reasonable explanation.

The goddesses are trying to make the world a better place, so it’s only natural that they would make that decision.

Still, I couldn’t hide my disappointment at having lost that chance.

Riste must have noticed.

“Is that metal plate on the desk something this man wrote?”

“It was buried in the corner of this room, so I think so.”

“In that case, perhaps we misunderstood the true nature of this man who was once called the Demon King.”

“…He just protected the people he wanted to protect. That’s the impression I got, but ultimately, it’s just a judgment based on words.”

“Hmm… Aren’t you two misunderstanding something?”

“”?””

“If I’m not mistaken, it’s not a matter of whether he can be restored, but rather, I can’t restore him. “Based on this child’s skills, the man should be this child’s familiar.”

I had no idea what Feeril was talking about, and Riste, who wasn’t familiar with the races, also looked puzzled.

“Including that part, Loki-kun should ask this child about his master, directly.”

“Huh? Me!?”

For about 30 minutes after that, the two of them continued to pour blood into the child’s body. I was a little worried about the amount of blood loss.

The body, which had almost regained its firmness, gradually became more colorful and returned to its original form.

At first glance, the child had a neutral, well-proportioned face that made its gender difficult to determine.

However, as the body returned to normal, it was clear that it was a boy.

Judging by his appearance, he was about my age and similar in height.

His sparse white hair had grown thick and black, and his skin was so white it looked sickly. I wondered if this was really his original appearance.

“It should be okay around here,”

Riste stopped the blood transfusion in response to those words.

“He could wake up at any moment, so I’ll leave the rest to you, Loki-kun.”

“Okay… I’m a little nervous, but I’ll give it a try. Are you sure it’s okay for me to decide on my own?”

“It’s fine. If we decide anything else, it would be meddling too much in the affairs of the lower world.”

“If anything happens, we’ll come to your aid immediately, so please do as you wish.”

With that, the two headed toward the cave entrance.

I cut my fingertip slightly and began to drip my blood in their place.

While waiting, I made some arrangements with them.

Since this ancient race was thought to be extinct, the goddesses would help restore the child for the sake of the world.

However, they cannot be seen, so once he has recovered somewhat, the two goddesses will hide. I will act as the one who discovered and healed him while gathering information and deciding how to proceed based on the situation.

This is a huge responsibility.

It will affect my future, and there’s no doubt it’s important for the goddesses, too.

From Feeril’s expression, I sense that the problem has been somewhat resolved. Still, the situation remains uncertain for the time being.

After all, this child is probably as strong as I am alone.

If we end up fighting, there’s a good chance I’ll die. That’s why the two of them didn’t return to the divine realm.

If the Demon King were to be revived as well, it would be beyond my ability to handle.

I feel like I’m trapped in a cage with a ferocious beast.

Still, there’s something I want to obtain.

For that, I am willing to risk dying.

Having made that decision, I stared at the blood dripping from my hand. Then…

A few minutes later, his eyelids slowly opened, revealing red eyes like rubies looking up at me.

“Hello.”

“…”

“Are you okay? Are you conscious?”

“…H-h-hello!”

“Do you know who you are and where you are?”

I’m groping in the dark.

Without any experience like this, I have no choice but to carefully confirm everything from scratch.

A child of unknown age, revived after an estimated 10,000 years.

I don’t know what might be dangerous. Unpleasant sweat is seeping out of my body.

“I-I’m Carla Walbdo Ackenliebel. This is…there’s no mistake. This is the house where my master and I were hiding.”

“Carla Folbbo… Hmm. I’ll call you Carla. Are you sure that he is your master?”

“No need to be so formal! My master is the one sleeping next to me.”

“Th-then, Carla, my name is Loki. Nice to meet you.”

“Yes, nice to meet you.”

Huh, that’s strange.

His voice is high-pitched, like a girl’s. He really sounds like a child.

I was wary at first, but he’s giving off such an obedient vibe now that it’s throwing me off balance.

Well, I have no choice but to press on.

He clearly remembers his long name, so I guess his memory isn’t a problem.

“I happened to discover this place and thought Carla might be a vampire, so I healed you. But let me get straight to the point. Are you sure your master was once called the Demon King?”

When I showed Carla the gold plate, she seemed to recognize it and nodded slightly.

“That’s correct.”

“The person called ‘Demon King’ is referred to as ‘master’ by Carla. But, in reality, he is Carla’s familiar. Some circumstances led him to be reborn as a vampire from a demon. Is that correct?” [T/N: Not sure of the correct term here: familiar, vassal, or subordinate.]

“That’s correct. However, I have never thought of my master as a familiar. He is a hero of the demi-human race. This was the only way to save him when he was on the verge of death…”

I asked him several more questions about the Demon King’s level of danger and personality. However, he didn’t seem to be conveying everything accurately, so I couldn’t tell if he was lying.

The fact that he “hates humans” seems fatal, but…

As long as he isn’t harmed, he won’t act. Even if something happens, he can use his authority as a master to hinder or prevent actions. I guess there’s no problem with his safety.

I’m sure Carla understands why I’m asking these questions and what the consequences will be.

That’s why he’s being so proactive and answering truthfully—at least to the extent that I can tell.

No matter how you look at it, he’s not just a child.

Anyway, here we go.

The question is whether it can be done, because if not, there’s nothing I can do about it.

“I’m sure you already know this, but if there are no problems with the recovery method or safety afterward, I’m thinking of reviving your master like I did with Carla.”

“Y-yes, please!”

“By the way, you can’t revive your master, can you?”

“I can’t.”

I already knew that.

If he could do it himself, he wouldn’t have chosen to put his master into a state close to eternal sleep in the first place.

The words written on the gold plate read: “Please allow me to sleep first.”

At first, I thought they were meant for the same demon. But if he knew the demon had disappeared from the world, then maybe they were meant for Carla, who was close to him.

That’s why I want to know—

“Why can’t you heal him?”

This is it. If I know why he can’t heal his own familiar, then I’ll be able to decide what to do next.

“When a familiar is created, it gains the same characteristics as us bloodsuckers. In exchange, however, it is burdened with a great shackle. That shackle is their means of recovering magic.”

“That’s what was written on the gold plate, right?”

“Yes, unlike other races, bloodsuckers do not naturally regain magical power. They can only recover by consuming blood. Humans are the most efficient source of blood for bloodsuckers, but the blood of monsters and animals can also be used. However, familiars must use the blood of their original race.”

“I see. So that’s why your master lost his means of recovering magic. He was originally a demon, but then demons suddenly disappeared from the world.”

“That’s right. My master… He was deceiving himself by crushing magic stones into powder and putting them in his mouth. Even so, it only led to a very small amount of magic recovery. Vampires can live long lives, but they cannot do anything without magic…”

“So he felt his body was reaching its limits and came here to sleep.”

“Yes.”

“By the way, why is Carla here with him? You have no restrictions; you could have lived anywhere.”

“…My master was everything to me. That’s all.”

“…”

It seems like I’ve hit on something he didn’t want to talk about.

Not about his master, but about himself.

Getting this reaction is significant. Unless he’s a skilled actor, it’s more likely that his story is true.

I see.

This isn’t just a test anymore. It seems like we’ve confirmed that his story is true.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have revealed such species-specific information so easily.

I think he figured it out when I was bleeding at the end.

Everything is for his master.

There’s a possibility he’s still hiding something, but it doesn’t matter.

Even if he is, it’s unlikely anything will come of it.

After all, I’m currently the only one who can fully restore his master’s magical power.

First, let’s stick to the plan and see how it goes.

“Then let’s try to recover him. I’m sure I can do it.”

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