Because of the Hero Summoned from Another World, I Got Replaced and Made the Backup—And My Childhood Friend the Saintess… - Chapter 19: “Is that really the Demon King…?”

Chapter 19: “Is that really the Demon King…?”

The Demon King looked like something out of a nightmare—a grotesque monster unlike anything I’d ever seen.

Its body was massive and humanoid, with no eyes and a wide, gaping mouth that made it seem like its entire face had been torn open. It had claws, fangs, and even a tail.

Its voice echoed from everywhere and nowhere at once, and just hearing it was enough to make the monsters around us move like puppets on strings.

Without a doubt, it was the strongest creature I had ever faced.

It radiated power and malice—more than worthy of the title Demon King.

Kanda kept it at bay with the strength of the Holy Sword, while I used the Goddess’s magic to gradually wear down its stamina and magical energy.

The knights of the Demon King Subjugation Squad were completely tied up, struggling just to survive the onslaught of monsters surrounding us.

So in the end, it was basically just the two of us—Kanda and me—facing off against the Demon King directly.

Every time it swung an arm, the air itself split apart.

Each roar conjured glowing magic circles in the sky, unleashing wave after wave of devastating spells.

Flames. Ice. Blades of wind.

One deadly attack after another came flying our way.

Each time, I threw up barrier spells to block the worst of it.

And Kanda would rush in before the spell fully activated, slashing through the magic to interrupt it.

It was brutal.

Easily the hardest battle we’d ever fought.

There was no doubt in my mind—this thing was the Demon King.

And yet…

Something about it didn’t sit right.

Like a voice deep inside was whispering that something was off.

The Demon King definitely looked like it was commanding the monsters.

It hurled spells in every direction, wielding insane amounts of power as it fought us head-on.

But… that was all.

In the end, it just felt like a really powerful monster.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Monsters instinctively follow the strongest among them.

They don’t have human-level intelligence—can’t build armies or hatch complex plans—

But like wild animals gathering around the alpha, monsters naturally rally behind the toughest creature in sight.

And this Demon King standing before us?

Honestly, it didn’t seem any different.

“Is this really… the Demon King?”

I muttered the words mid-battle, but no one heard.

They vanished into the chaos like smoke in the wind.

We defeated the Demon King.

Barely staying on our feet, we managed to take out the rest of the monsters too, and confirmed that the towering creature had vanished completely.

“I mean… I’m the one who landed the final blow, but… was that really okay?”

After the fight, we made our way to the nearest town.

There, we crashed at an inn—resting our bruised bodies and writing up a report to send back to the royal capital.

“…”

“Anna…?”

Kanda’s injuries from the fight with the Demon King were already healed, thanks to my magic.

Same with the knights—we patched everyone up right away.

As for the report, most of it was being handled by the squad commander.

I had a section to write too, of course, but I’d already finished mine and turned it in.

Which meant… for the first time in a while, Kanda and I actually had some free time.

It was late morning—not quite lunchtime, but long past breakfast.

We were sitting across from each other in a quiet corner of the inn’s dining room.

Aside from us, the only others around were a few knights who, like us, were off-duty for now.

“…Hey. You really wanted Teach to be the one who defeated the Demon King, didn’t you?”

“…”

We sat in silence, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

That one thought just kept going in circles inside my head.

“…Are you mad?”

“I’m not mad. Just… thinking about some things.”

We defeated the Demon King.

Well—more accurately, we defeated the creature believed to be the Demon King.

It’s not like the thing stood up and declared, “I am the Demon King!” or anything.

In fact, it didn’t even speak our language, so there was no way to know for sure.

All we did…

Was take down the monster that had been identified in the kingdom’s reports as the Demon King.

And it’s not like I think the investigation team made it up or anything.

Honestly, anyone who saw that thing would probably assume the same.

It was huge.

Creepy as hell.

It kept casting powerful magic again and again, and it led an entire swarm of monsters like some evil overlord.

A monster with the power to command other monsters—that is the classic image of a Demon King.

So by that definition… yeah, it checked every box.

But still—

“Lord Kanda.”

“Eh? Wh-What is it? Are we talking about… what comes next, or something?”

Right before we faced the Demon King, I’d had a dream.

A message from the Goddess.

And then there was that letter from the Crown Prince.

“The Demon King devours the heart.”

“He may have revived much earlier than we expected.”

The thing is…

We don’t actually know what the Demon King looks like.

Even the one from the distant past—no one ever recorded what it looked like.

All we know is that a Hero and a Saintess defeated it together… and eventually married afterward.

“The monster we defeated…”

That strange feeling I’d had during the battle… it still wouldn’t go away.

The monster we defeated—the one everyone called the Demon King—

It just felt… too ordinary to be humanity’s ultimate threat.

Sure, it was strong. No doubt about that.

If it had been up to the regular knights, they probably would’ve been wiped out.

But that’s just it—it wasn’t invincible.

We didn’t need to go so far as summoning Kanda for this.

If he had taken it on alone… it would’ve been no contest.

“…Do you really think that was the Demon King?”

“Huh…?”

Right after I asked Kanda that, a knight approached our table.

I didn’t recognize him.

He hadn’t been part of the Demon King Subjugation Squad that had traveled with us.

“Lady Arianna. And… Lord Kanda, correct?”

He wasn’t in armor—probably since we were off-duty right now.

Instead, he wore light, easy-to-move-in clothing made for travel or casual work.

Even so, one glance at his well-toned body told me—this guy was definitely a warrior.

“…Yes, that’s right.”

Kanda and I exchanged a quick glance before I answered.

And now that I looked more closely at his face…

There was something oddly familiar about him.

“I’ve come as a messenger on behalf of His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince. I’ve been entrusted with a message for both of you.”

“…Oh, you’re the one who used to train with him all the time…”

The knight who introduced himself as the Crown Prince’s messenger—

He was someone who had often trained alongside him in the past.

“A message…?”

“Yes. But this isn’t something we should discuss out here. Could we speak somewhere more private?”

At his request, Kanda and I brought him to Kanda’s room.

There, the knight delivered the Crown Prince’s message.

And what he told us…

It was partly what I’d expected—

But even so, it hit like a bolt from the blue.

“Just wait for me… okay, my Hero—”