Chapter 20: The Dismount Was Complete
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
Love? The Hero paused briefly when asked, then said hesitantly, “Probably?”
He was sitting by the fire inside the house, wrapped in a blanket. Feeling the warmth on his skin, he blinked nervously and glanced toward the burning fireplace.
The firewood crackled and burned, releasing a fierce glow as it consumed itself. The Hero nodded slowly and said to the flickering light, “It should be like that.”
After hesitating, he smiled a little. The shepherd’s wife, hearing his uncertain answer, smiled softly as well. Then, reaching into her things, she handed the Hero a small book titled If Love Had a Language. The Hero looked at it with curiosity.
***
The Demon King spat out a mouthful of blood at the sight of the Hero’s unwavering determination. Once the Hero had figured out the right direction, he set off immediately, following the map. At the edge of the forest, two small paths appeared. The Hero picked the one pointing in the right direction. After crossing the woods, he came upon a fork in the road. After asking around, he chose one path. Then, beyond that fork, he encountered three roads.
The Demon King watched as the Hero took one path that completely veered off from the direction he’d muttered about for so long. The Demon King’s exceptional hearing and vision made every step crystal clear to him, and he could only think: …
The Hero, having taken the wrong path, found the map didn’t match the surroundings and pondered deeply.
“This place… why does it not match the map? Where do I go next? Is anyone nearby?” he wondered aloud. True to his nature of clarifying things before solving problems, the Demon King suddenly jumped down and said, “This is the left side of Merlin Bridge, west of Swan Lake.”
—Why did the rumors spread so fiercely?
It was all because this hopelessly directionless and overly talkative Hero, getting lost again and again, kept changing his route, constantly expanding the area he traveled in every direction.
And whenever he needed help, he never hesitated to explain his purpose aloud. He cheered himself on after explaining, or accepted encouragement from others. After watching this for less than a day, the Demon King finally couldn’t hold back.
“Thank—”
The Hero’s mood brightened instantly when he located his position on the map and smiled as he was about to thank whoever helped him. But halfway through, something struck him. It felt strangely familiar.
Looking up from the map, knowing exactly where he was, the Hero saw the Demon King, fully recovered, suddenly jump down right into his line of sight. The Hero caught him without hesitation. The Demon King looked at the Hero in shock for interrupting his dramatic entrance.
The Hero, overjoyed, gently set the Demon King down, his heart blooming with little flowers: Joshua?
If love had a language,
It would surely be the sweetest melody in the world.
Every day through spring, summer, autumn, and winter,
It would speak the most touching words.
Every night under moonrise and sunset,
It would confess the companionship of day and night.
Every second, whether thinking of you or not,
It would miss you deeply.
When the Hero first saw the first page, the confusion in his heart did not clear up; instead, it deepened. Was it really possible that even when he didn’t want to think about it, he was still missing someone?
After he left, he was surprised by the little book gifted by the shepherd’s wife. Yet now, he found himself saying, “I miss you.” Whether he wanted to or not, he was still thinking of them.
The Hero said, “I really missed you.” Standing before the Demon King, the Hero smiled and said, “After being apart so long, I really missed you.”
A small flower bloomed continually in his heart as the Hero smiled there, his eyes bright and clear, a faint smile curling at the corners of his lips. He glanced up at the distant flying demon dragon, unable to make out what it really was, then looked back at the Demon King who had just pushed him away.
The Demon King, feeling troubled as the Hero smiled, said, “Well then, congratulations. You won’t have to think about it anymore.” The Hero nodded happily, thinking they would never be apart again. “Okay.”
He cheerfully reached out to grab the Demon King’s hand. But the Demon King shrugged off his hand. “I mean, I never confessed to you. I never liked you. I don’t need to be missed by you.”
[In every heartbeat of loving or not loving you, I liked you. In every action of willingness or unwillingness, my feelings were laid bare.]
The Hero smiled and nodded, “Alright.”
As usual, he went to take the hand again.
“Let me be direct. The name Joshua is a thing of the past. Standing before you now is Francis. Demon King Francis. The one rumored to have kidnapped your lover Joshua.”
The Demon King took a step back, grinding his teeth, “I kidnapped myself?”
A magic circle was hurled toward the Hero. The Hero drew his sword to defend and stepped back a few paces, bewildered as he looked at the Demon King. “What?”
Dense magic gathered in the Demon King’s hand. The calm, windless afternoon suddenly whipped into a fierce gale. Trees and grass were uprooted, and the nearby bridge’s beams trembled precariously. The Demon King stood straight amidst the chaos, his loose hair whipping wildly in the wind, his tailored high-end clothing fluttering. Then, with a wave of his hand, an attack struck the bridge. “Boom!”
The bridge shattered into pieces that fell into the water, sending ripples outward. After displaying his power and identity, the Demon King gathered magic again in his hand. The Hero tightened his grip on his sword in shock.
“I said, I am Demon King Francis, not Joshua. Besides, I have never liked you or confessed to you. No matter what reasons or motives you have for missing me, you don’t have to anymore. Please recognize who you are and understand one thing: as the Demon King, I have never kidnapped your lover. I hope you will help clear up the rumors spreading through the human realms and even into the demon territories. Thank you.”
After this polite request, the Demon King lifted his chin slightly and threw another magic circle at the Hero. The Hero instinctively dispelled and countered it.
“Good. It seems you’ve understood the truth,” the Demon King said with satisfaction. “Now, let’s settle this with a fight to the death. If you die, the rumors will end themselves. If I die, then as the Hero and voice of justice, you will reveal the truth to the world.”
The Hero, who had just realized that all the warnings and heartbeats he had mistaken for something strange were simply illusions, looked at the Demon King, then down at his sword, stunned. “But what about Princess Lilia’s words…”
The Kingdom of Joseph bordered the Orlandi Empire. When he traveled from the small town of Timothy in Kingdom of Joseph to the demon territories, a mage found him and introduced him to Princess Lilia.
Princess Lilia had said, “Joshua is a good person—smart, kind, considerate, obedient—it’s just that I couldn’t bring him back, so he has to suffer in the demon realm, even being bullied by the evil, cruel Demon King.”
The thieves nearby who heard this didn’t jump at the words but exchanged knowing glances. The Demon King thought about who Lilia was and confessed, “Oh, I lied to her.”
He threw another magic circle. This time, the Hero didn’t fully block it. The Demon King, growing impatient with the Hero’s reluctance, asked, “Excuse me, Hero, are you seriously going to duel? The Hero whose mission is to slay the evil Demon King?”
Due to the Hero’s lack of cooperation, the Demon King raised his hand and cast another magic circle. It landed near the Hero. The Hero, slightly scratched, looked up with red eyes.
Princess Lilia had interpreted the entire “If Love Had a Language,” saying that love could be captured in every gesture and expression without words. After learning about the misunderstandings, she gave her blessing.
Before leaving for a new mission, the mage also sent greetings and blessings from the whole team and shared prior undercover experiences.
People on the road, after learning everything, cheered him on, and through their questions, made him more certain that he truly loved Joshua. But now—
The Hero swung his sword. The Demon King smiled happily and met the attack, knocking the Hero into the lake. Stunned, the Demon King stood in place, watching the ripples spread across the water. As the broken pieces of the bridge fell beside him, he wondered, “What’s going on?”
Facing the Hero, who was knocked down with just a single strike, the Demon King canceled the magic circles amid the spreading ripples. He stood firm.
Watching the ripples expand across the water’s surface, the new sunlight after the rain reflected golden rays on the broken lake. The shattered fragments of the collapsing bridge slowly sank piece by piece into the water. The Demon King watched for a moment, then hesitated. Slowly, cautiously, and tentatively, he stepped forward.
One step. Two steps. Three steps. Then orderly footsteps approached, and the demon dragon sent a warning through their contract. Without hesitation, the Demon King ran three steps forward, scooped the Hero from the water, and quickly left before the troops arrived.
—In any case, the rumors would definitely be clarified. Or, after the Hero gave up, they would slowly be forgotten. With this certainty in mind, the Demon King nodded to the demon dragon and, once they landed back at the castle, encouraged the somewhat unreliable marquis.
“Marquis, do you have any new developments in your love life? Or have you been courting several demon clans at once and gotten cornered somewhere again?”
He wanted the marquis to spend his time creating more juicy gossip for everyone’s amusement. Suddenly turned into a gossip mill, the marquis blinked in surprise. He glanced at the drenched, hurried Demon King and, after being beaten again last time, forced his curiosity down. “Oh, it’s okay… nothing much… alright, I admit it, yes.”
The Demon King nodded approvingly once there was something to distract him, then returned to his chambers. Reflecting on the unfriendly encounter with the Hero, he sighed.
“Phew. Anyway, the outing served its purpose. The rumors will disappear soon.”
The Demon King thought this as he lay down.
***
—Everyone asked me, “Who hurt you?”
—Everyone comforted me, “It’s okay, we’ll help you.”
—Everyone encouraged me, “Keep going! Work hard to save your love!”
—Everyone stated facts, “You’ve pushed a little further beyond the demon realm this time. It will get better!”
After being rescued and waking up, the Hero felt dazed amid the noisy voices. His head buzzed, and he nodded stiffly. He didn’t know what to say. But everyone’s words were as usual.
They told him he had been thrown back again, and he needed to keep trying; they marveled at how he was injured by magic but still fought off demons so well; they encouraged him, saying he deserved the title of the Hero and had great expectations for the future; they recounted the stories and struggles of past Heroes to emphasize how difficult training always was…
The Hero nodded blankly among the many voices, his mind in chaos. After his injuries healed quickly, he was directly pointed toward a path and told the direction to take. People gave him guidance, telling the Hero where his path lay and what everyone expected of him.
Finally alone, the Hero stood somewhere in an unfamiliar mountain, unable to recall what the voices had told him before. He looked at his lost self. At dawn, he finally stood up and prepared to move forward.
“Hello? Do you need any help?” When he met someone needing assistance again, the Hero’s eyes brightened as he helped carry fallen goods back onto a cart. After helping many people through other rough situations along the way, he thought it over and still took a step toward the direction he had come from. He wanted to go back.
On his way back, the Hero helped people again, was discovered again, encouraged again, and was once more pointed toward the demon realm. …
Again and again. Until he returned to Courage Town. The town’s mayor asked him, “Owen, where is your Joshua?” After the letters from before, the mayor prayed here for the Hero to rescue his love soon. Looking at the Hero alone, he glanced aside. “Lost again, my child?”
The next day, the Hero left Courage Town.
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