The Demon King Who Was Supposed to Lose Ended Up Defeating the Targets, and Now the Heroine Has Been Sent as a Sacrifice - Chapter 01

Chapter 01: The Demon King Supposed to Lose Ends Up Defeating the Targets

“The Saintess and the Five Heroes.”

This was an otome game recommended to me by my sister in my previous life.

The content was quite typical.

The heroine, who awakens to her powers as a saint, attends an academy and flirts with young hero candidates to raise their affection, eventually leading to a happy ending.

There was also an adventure part, fitting for a fantasy, which made it enjoyable even for a guy like me.

The five handsome hero targets were designed by famous illustrators and voiced by well-known actors, making it a rare masterpiece in recent years.

However, every game has its critics.

“The Saintess and the Five Heroes” was no exception, especially concerning the final part of the adventure. I had complaints about this part too.

It was the final showdown with the Demon King, who sought to destroy humanity.

The heroine, along with the targets, would visit the Demon King’s castle to defeat him.

The main focus of this otome game was the romantic interactions at the academy, and honestly, the adventure part was just a bonus.

If you defeated the Demon King, you’d get a super ultra happy ending, but even if you didn’t, you could still get a happy ending.

Because of this, the Demon King was made easy to defeat without much leveling up.

In fact, if you didn’t defeat him within a certain time, the saintess heroine would seal the Demon King with her magic.

In short, it’s a guaranteed victory event. Losing is not an option from the start.

Even the boss characters you fight before reaching the Demon King are tougher.

But, from the Demon King’s perspective, this isn’t something to laugh about.

Being beaten up by heroes and the saintess and then sealed away, even though he hasn’t done anything yet, is just too pitiful.

What? Nobody cares about the Demon King’s feelings?

That might be true, but I do care.

Because I reincarnated as that Demon King.

“Is that… the Demon King!!”

“What an evil aura…”

“But we can’t afford to lose!!”

“Yeah!! We’ll defeat the Demon King and save the world!!”

“Everyone, let’s go!!”

Red, blue, yellow, green, purple…

Five people with colorful hair, like a sentai team from Sunday morning TV, lined up. Behind them, a girl clasped her hands together in prayer.

“Everyone!! Let’s save the world together!!”

That girl is the protagonist and heroine of this world, “The Saintess and the Five Heroes.”

Her name is Elsia.

She has snow-white hair and sapphire-blue eyes. Her pale skin, combined with her delicate appearance, makes her look like a fairy.

And most importantly, she’s busty.

The game “The Saintess and the Five Heroes” became popular online, and Elsia’s erotic illustrations spread across the internet.

Even from a distance, her chest size is noticeable. Up close, it must be even more impressive.

Oops, I got distracted.

“Welcome to my castle. I shall greet you, foolish humans.”

I said the same line as the Demon King from the game.

Since reincarnating as the Demon King, I’ve been thinking about this moment. 

I absolutely don’t want to be defeated, and being sealed away for hundreds of years is out of the question.

So, I decided to pretend to be defeated and live the rest of my life as a regular demon.

For that, I needed to be somewhat strong.

I had to act convincingly defeated while holding back against the targets coming at me with all their might.

I worked very hard.

Since regaining my memories from my previous life, until the heroine and the targets arrived.

I disguised myself as a human, sneaked into dungeons, and leveled up by defeating monsters. Surprisingly, the experience points from defeating my kind were very rewarding and helped me level up quickly.

I was so busy practicing my defeat act that I lost track of my current level, but I should be able to survive the targets’ combined attacks.

Now, I just need to pretend to be defeated as planned!

But this is my last time being the Demon King, so I need to act like one properly.

“First, a welcoming greeting. —Darkness Flame.”

This is the magic the Demon King used in the game’s final showdown.

It’s an attack spell that spreads dark flames over a wide area, but Elsia’s light attribute defense magic should easily block it.

Should have, but…

““Guwaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!””

“Huh!?”

Somehow, my attack pierced through Elsia’s defense magic.

That’s strange.

The magic I used was supposed to be a simple greeting, and it shouldn’t have penetrated Elsia’s defense magic.

“N-No way! Is everyone alright!?”

“Ugh, is this the Demon King? How can we defeat such a monster…?”

“I’ll create an opening! Everyone, get ready! —Holy Lightning!!”

At this moment, Elsia stood in front of the targets and used her light attribute attack magic

Oh!! This is the magic that cornered the Demon King!!

Alright, I’ll let myself get hit by Elsia’s magic and pretend to be defeated.

But then, another problem arose!!

For some reason, Elsia’s magic missed me and flew off in the wrong direction, hitting the wall instead.

“No way, the Demon King’s magic power is so strong that it’s repelling my magic…?”

“Wait, really?”

I couldn’t help but ask in surprise.

“Damn it, if magic doesn’t work, then I’ll defeat him with my sword!!”

“Oh, so there’s someone with some guts.”

I quickly put on my Demon King face and braced myself to face one of the targets charging at me with a sword.

Elsia’s magic plan failed, but I’m not facing just one opponent.

I took a direct hit from the target’s sharp strike.

But it didn’t hurt. In fact, all I heard was a loud “clank” that echoed in my ears.

“I-Impossible! The holy sword that has been passed down through the royal family for generations broke without even scratching the Demon King!?”

“Wait, seriously?”

No way, right? Maybe the holy sword was actually a fake or something?

No, there was no such story in the game.

Could it be that I’ve gotten so strong that the scenario has changed?

“It’s impossible, we can’t win, there’s no way we can defeat this monster!!”

“Damn, I can’t believe the Demon King has fully regained his power!!”

“Retreat!! Elsia, hurry!!”

“But, but if we don’t defeat the Demon King here, the world will…!!”

“We’ll have to get stronger and come back for revenge!!”

With that, the heroine and the targets ran away.

Hey, wait a minute!? This has to be a joke, right!?

“Balzac!! Is Balzac here!?”

“I’m here, my lord.”

“Bring the magic tool for measuring levels, quickly!!”

“What? The level-measuring tool?”

“Yes!! Just hurry up!!”

I quickly had my subordinate bring the magic tool for measuring levels. It looks like a simple crystal ball, but by touching it, you can see your current level.

I’ve been so busy leveling up and practicing my defeat act that I haven’t checked my level recently.

And the result is―

“W-What!? As expected of my lord!! Lv 999!! This makes it easy to destroy humanity!!”

“Oh no, I’ve really messed up.”

I mean, yeah, sure.

I’ve been addicted to the indescribable thrill of leveling up lately.

But this level is too much!!

In the game, the Demon King was weak enough that Elsia and the others could seal him even at level 1.

But being at this level is seriously bad!!

“No, it’s okay. There’s no need to panic just yet.”

Elsia and the others said they would level up and come back for revenge.

So, I thought I’d take a break from leveling up until then, but then another unexpected event happened.

“My Lord, it seems that humanity has sent the saint who came to kill you as a sacrifice.”

“Oh my god.”

I know a Demon King shouldn’t be saying “oh my god,” but anyone would say that in this situation. 

Because the sacrifice humanity sent was Elsia.

She was in rags, with injuries all over her body.

Her delicate aura was gone, and her eyes were devoid of light, filled with despair.

“…Help…”

“Huh? What did you say?”

Elsia mumbled something in a low voice, so I listened closely.

“…Kill… me…”

“W-What did you say?”

“…I’m not… a saint… I betrayed… everyone’s expectations… I’m a witch…”

Oh no!! I’m so sorry!! Really, I’m so sorry!!

This is definitely because she couldn’t defeat me and ended up being persecuted by humanity!!

I desperately apologized in my mind.

―――――――――――――――――――――

Afterword: A Random Author’s Note

Author: “Seeing a beautiful girl in despair excites me.”

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