The Villainous Noble Tried His Hardest to Break the Original Storyline, and Now the Heroines Are Acting Weird - 23

Chapter 23

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“Sasha too. When I spoke to her earlier, she had an expression full of frustration, sadness… something hard to describe. I’ve seen that same look on other people in town, from time to time. It’s always stuck with me.”

When I said that while staring intently at my father, he let out a deep, heavy breath and nodded.

“…That is… Yes, I see.”

Then, with a look of firm resolve, my father slowly opened his mouth to speak.

“…Rubest. As the heir to the Fortas family, you need to know everything. Are you prepared?”

“Yes.”

Of course I am. I’ve been prepared ever since I was told my little sister would be reincarnated as the Hero.

As I quietly jabbed that thought like a verbal blade into the reason I’d been forced to make that resolve, my father began to speak in a slow, deliberate voice.

“You know of the demons and the Demon Lord, correct?”

“Yes. They’re the ones who manage this world, right?”

In our family, we were taught to think of the demons and the Demon Lord in that way. Only the bare minimum has been taught to me—never the whole truth 

For example, I’d never been told anything about the brutal acts committed by the Demon Lord.

“Yes. And under that management… There is no freedom. Especially not in this country, ruled by the Demon Lord of Wrath, Zoldra.”

Normally, Father referred to the Demon Lord with respect, calling him Demon Lord-sama, but this time, his voice was filled with deep anger. Sasha, too, upon hearing the name Zoldra, had fire in her eyes.

When I first played the game, I really hated Zoldra as a character and well, I was certain if someone were to ask the people living in this world about their impression of Zoldra, they would surely have plenty of anger, resentment, and dissatisfaction toward him.

And that was exactly what Zoldra was aiming for.

“…What do you mean?”

Since I was still in a position where I didn’t fully understand the relationship between demons and humans, I asked that question.

“Demons are fond of negative energy from humans. …All humans are being managed as food to satisfy those demons’ hunger.”

Demons and the Demon Lord, though they each have personal preferences, they generally considered negative human emotions to be a delicacy. From a human’s perspective, that part was seriously messed up.

“Zoldra in particular is drawn to feelings of rage. When people direct intense anger at him, that’s the best meal he could ask for… That’s why he regularly comes to the human world to torment people.”

“…Torment people?”

“Yes. He doesn’t kill. If it’s a swordsman, he might rip off their dominant arm… Or something like that. The reason he doesn’t kill is to ensure the victims—and their families—direct all their anger toward him.”

“…I’m one of them.”

Sasha’s voice trembled. It was clear from those few words just how much hatred she held for Zoldra. Telling someone not to be angry in this case would be impossible. Zoldra intentionally stole the dreams of those who dared to dream, all to harvest their anger.

That growing anger was exactly what he wanted.

“…My father lost both of his legs when I turned fifteen. He loved walking around town and observing things… And Zoldra took that from him. I was frustrated, seeing how devastated he was. …Most likely, when you turn fifteen, something will happen to me too.”

It seemed my father’s deep anger stemmed from having someone he loved hurt. Thinking back, Rubest had a line like that in the game too. In the game, Rubest swore absolute loyalty to the Demon Lord.

When I played it, I thought, “What the hell is this guy thinking?”, but I guess it couldn’t be helped. The Demon Lords possessed overwhelming power. They could crush or kill humans like toys. To continue holding anger against an enemy like that—Father and the others had incredibly strong hearts.

And my father expected that same strength of heart from Rubest. The result was…Downright tragedy. He never imagined that the son he believed in the most would grow close to the Demon Lord and betray his ideals.

“…So this is the state of the world right now?”

“…Yes. But it’s said that one day, a Hero will appear. A true Hero will surely lead this world to peace. …And Rubest, our role is to support that Hero in defeating the Demon Lord. So until then, you must grow stronger.”

The Hero. The people of this world all eagerly awaited the arrival of that destined Hero. Even though that hope had already been shattered multiple times… There had been a few born in this world who possessed the power of the Hero, but every one of them had been defeated by the Demon Lords.

Some were killed before they had a chance to grow. Others challenged the Demon Lords and lost. Some feared them so much, they abandoned their role as Hero and surrendered themselves to the Demon Lords.

Even so, people continued to believe that someday, a Hero would defeat the Demon Lord. That belief was the only thing keeping them going. And that true Hero… Was coming soon.

My little sister would be reincarnated as one, but I didn’t intend to let her carry that burden alone. Seeing my father place his expectations on me as one of the Hero’s companions, I shook my head.

“There’s no time to wait for the Hero.”

“…What?”

“If the Demon Lord can be defeated, then I’ll do it first.”

That was my goal. The Demon Lords usually stayed in the Demon World, and without their cooperation, it was nearly impossible for humans to go there.

But sometimes, they came to the human world and when that happened, there was a chance to fight them. The next confirmed opportunity—was on my fifteenth birthday.

My father looked pleased by my resolve, but then slowly shook his head.

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