(POV - Daniel)
One hour later, I reached my destination.
I arrive at King Freis's castle and force my way into the main hall.
Tsk. He was waiting for me.
"King!!"
I see the King sitting on his throne as the guards rush toward me.
"Huh?! D-damn it, what are you doing here?! Get out!"
What? He didn't expect me to make it this far? Did he set a trap or something? Whatever it was, it failed.
I touch the ground.
"Crea!"
I turn the floor to ice, and the guards slip. I fly toward the King with my wings.
The other guards panic when they see my wings and kneel… Are they praying? I'm not a god.
"And here I thought you were a demon," he says with a long, nervous smile.
"You have to stop this fight; many people will die!"
"I'll give you two options: save the demi-humans or save King Finder's kingdom."
You're disgusting. You really think you have the power to give me options? I'm the one with power here!
"I'll save both!"
King Freis starts laughing.
"Demi-humans aren't like us; it won't affect us if they die!"
"I don't care, you have to stop the fight!"
"I won't! I'd rather die than let those monsters live any longer!"
I press the tip of my sword to his neck.
"Stop the damn fight!"
"I won't!"
"Please, stop, Father!"
That voice…
We're interrupted by the princess's voice.
"Father!"
I see the princess watching us… I'm sorry, kid, but I won't change my mind. I'll do whatever it takes to stop him.
"Stop this, Father!"
"Stay out of this, Kate!"
"Please, don't do this!"
"I don't care what you say, get out!"
I glare at King Freis with hatred… Damn it, I want to punch him. Your daughter, with tears in her eyes, is trying to stop you, and you show no sign of listening! Do you care so little about your daughter?! You bastard!
"The fight against the demi-humans is nonsense; our enemy is the demons. We need to work together, Father!"
"I don't want to work with those monsters!"
Arghhh! Why so much senseless hatred?! The demons definitely did something to this King!
This idiot won't listen to words. I'll convince him with violence and torture.
"Damn it!"
I grab the King by his right arm and fly off with him.
"Let me go!"
"I won't!"
Your pathetic punches don't hurt me, so go ahead, keep hitting me; you're just wasting your time.
And, Princess, I'm sorry, but take one last look at your father because you won't see him again.
•
•
More than an hour later, I arrived.
I reach King Finder's castle.
"King!!"
I see guards accompanying King Finder. They're at the castle entrance. They were waiting for me, huh? Perfect.
"Hold this for me; I'm going for the others!" I say after dropping the King in front of them.
"What are you planning?"
"I'll convince them to stop this!"
By force.
•
•
(Three hours later)
After kidnapping King Dreisi and King Ednoc, we brought them to a small torture room. King Finder is by my side; he'll help me convince the kings.
"Stop this nonsense; our real enemy is the demons!" King Finder says.
"We don't care!" the three reply.
… Human stupidity knows no bounds… That phrase is so true.
But I'm sure this has to do with the demons.
If the kings insist on continuing the war, it means they've been mentally manipulated by some demon.
I'll warn the King about that.
•
•
I spent an hour trying to convince them, but it's useless; I can't persuade them. They're definitely being manipulated by demons. These guys are beyond saving.
… Monarchy… Royal blood… We need to replace the kings.
… Damn idiots. They leave me no choice.
"King, if they die, who would take power?"
"Princess Kate would become queen, and since Ednoc and Dreisi have no children, my children could take power because they're part of the royal family."
… No children…? Oh, right, the kings are still young… I guess they thought they had a long life ahead.
"Well, well… I see… Dex Sword! Muslar asio!"
I grip the sword with both hands… They forced me to do this.
"Last chance. Call off your armies!"
"We won't!"
"I'd rather die!"
"I'd never work with demi-humans!"
… I'm a murderer, but I'm doing this for the good of the people.
In exchange for these idiots' lives, I'll bring peace and prevent deaths.
Someone else would just lock them in a prison or dungeon, but… I want to kill them. I don't want to live through the cliché where a demon feeding on hatred takes control and kills innocent people.
"Idiots!!"
With no hesitation, I behead all three with a single sword strike… I know I'm a murderer, but it was for the best.
"I'm sorry, but if I didn't kill them, thousands of innocents would've died."
I pick up the kings' heads… Ugh, gross.
"I'll be back!"
At least the King can't control them anymore. The army is free. I hope they listen to me.
… The King was waiting for me in the main hall and got startled when he saw me. He was expecting me, but not quite.
What exactly was he planning? He wouldn't answer, so I'll have to live with that doubt.
•
•
A few minutes later, I arrived.
The five Zoriens were gone, and the army is still advancing. I'm in my angel form, just in case they want to fight.
"Idiots!!" I shout as loud as I can.
I land in front of the army and show them their kings' heads.
"Listen, please!! I told you to stop, you morons!! Do you want to die too?!"
The army stops, and it seems they won't attack me.
"Our enemy is the demons; we need to team up with the demi-humans to defeat them!! No one's controlled by the King anymore, so you're all free, and I hope you choose what's right!! Humans and demi-humans must be allies again and set aside this senseless hatred!!"
I see most of them complaining about what I'm saying. Damn idiots, demi-humans are like us; we're not that different… I admit demi-humans with animal bodies and human heads are weird, but they're not evil.
"Demi-humans are like us; we need to work together to stop this fight!!"
The army keeps complaining… Are they really that stupid?!
"Arghhh!! Are you seriously that dumb?! Do you really want to be the demons' sex slaves and let them fill your asses with their seed?! If we keep fighting the demi-humans, the demons will kill us easily!! Think about your families!! If you keep thinking this stupid way, we'll all die!! Children, women, the elderly!! We'll all die if you keep thinking this stupid way!! Our only enemy is the demons!! Stop being idiots and think about the situation!! Arghhh!! Why are the humans in this world so stupid?! I'm sick of this, screw it!! Humans and demi-humans will be allies again!! Why?! Because I say so!! And anyone who discriminates against demi-humans will face my wrath!!"
I see I'm slowly convincing them… I guess they don't want to die, though my threat probably scared them.
"Go back to your damn homes; there won't be a fight!! And get used to demi-humans because they'll be our allies in the battle against the demons, whether you like it or not!!"
I see them all turn around and leave… Well, well, that was easier than I thought… I guess with their kings dead, they don't have to follow orders anymore. Plus, they're scared of me.
Yeah, being intimidating will definitely work in my favor.
"That was easier than I expected."
I fly away from the scene.
"The princess deserves to say goodbye to her father."
I took a little girl's father away… I'm sorry, but it was necessary.
I'm sorry.
•
•
One hour later, I arrived.
I reach the castle and see the princess crying on the throne.
… I… I'm really sorry, kid, but your father was beyond saving. The demons brainwashed him or something; I had no choice.
"You killed my father, didn't you?"
Please, don't hate me.
"I'm sorry, your father was a threat. He preferred to keep hating demi-humans and die rather than work with them to defeat the demons. The demons probably manipulated or brainwashed him, so he was beyond saving. I'm sorry."
"I figured… He was a bad father, but he was still my father."
"Do you want to say goodbye to him?"
"No… I don't."
"Alright, Queen."
"Queen?"
"You'll be the new Queen… Though you're very young. How old are you?"
"I'm 12."
"The perfect age to know what's right. Convince your kingdom to work with the demi-humans. We need to leave this hatred behind. Ugh, we really need the demi-humans; the demons are stronger than I thought."
"Yes, I'll do it, I promise. And yeah, I think my father was allied with the demons. Sandro defeated a demon on the castle wall; I just got word of it."
"Well, well."
Sandro, you're really powerful… Ugh, I'll apologize to you later; I don't have time. I need to get back to my grandma… No… The princess looks so sad. She needs me.
My wings disappear, and I return to my normal form.
I walk to her and sit by her side.
"Let's talk… Let it all out."
She's holding back to keep from crying more.
I understand exactly how you feel, Princess. Believe me, I get it.
"Bottling up your feelings will only make you feel worse… When my grandma died, I felt just like you… I'd lost the only person I loved, my only family… I was alone… I know the pain you're feeling…"
I pat her head, and she starts crying harder.
"Don't hold it in; let it out."
"Waaah!"
She hugs me, her tears soaking my chest, making me feel so guilty, but I still don't regret what I did.
It's for the good of this world and the others… I'm sorry.
"Father!"
Life can be tough, but we have to fight to keep going.
That's the meaning of life… Fighting to move forward and enjoy life.
Pain will make us stronger… Or so I've been told.
"I'm here for you."
•
•
I spent an hour talking with her… Listening to her complaints… Her ideas to improve the kingdom… Helping her emotionally.
… I think she's feeling better now.
I made the stupid mistake of pretending I was fine so people wouldn't pity me, and that led me to try to kill myself.
I won't let the same thing happen to her.
"And then you connect those pipes to this spot."
If I want her to achieve her goals, I'll help her.
I showed her blueprints for building bathrooms, a sewage system, and more… I really hope she's doing better.
Princess, now queen, I'll help you build a better kingdom for the people.
•
•
I've taught her enough for today; she's sleepy, so I'll let her rest.
"I have to go… Take care… Life can be hard, but we have to keep going and not give up… Don't make the same mistake I did."
"Thanks, see you later."
I really hope she's doing better.
"Arches Nexus!"
I fly out of there.
The path ahead will be tough, but she's a good girl… I'm sure she'll do things right.
"Huh?"
As I leave the castle, I see something disgusting.
I land to get a better look.
Crystal's severed head… It's on the wall, with giant arrows drawn to make sure I see it.
"Did the demons do this?"
Why…? Well, well.
There's something on the ground. A letter?
It's risky, but…
"Muslar asio."
If it explodes, I'll get away immediately.
Carefully, I open the letter… Nothing happens.
Words in my language, huh? Did my mother write this?
Let's see… It just says: "We solved your traitor problem for you. We want to be your friends. Sincerely, the demons."
"… What?"
Ugh… I don't understand. I'd better talk to Rose about this.
•
•
More than an hour later, I reached the King.
I arrive at King Finder's castle and walk to the King, who's in the main hall, waiting for me.
"This matter's settled."
"Thank you so much, Daniel."
"We need to make your children King and Queen immediately. I'm going to Soular."
"You're going again?"
It's the perfect time to get the King's help.
"Yes, I'll convince the King to work together."
"Good luck!" the King says with a big smile, giving me a thumbs-up.
Now that there are no more kings who hate demi-humans, it's the perfect time to secure an alliance with them.
The King's children don't hate demi-humans; they learned to respect them because their father taught them that they're equal to humans and shouldn't be treated as monsters… I like that King.
•
•
I enter the house, and no one's there.
"I guess they were preparing to fight too."
I go to my room and grab the book Rose gave me about the history of humans and demi-humans.
"I'll need this."
I change my vest and shirt.
"My wings destroy part of my clothes. I should take them off before transforming."
What a waste. I'll have to fix them or buy more.
"You're leaving again?"
That voice…
I look to my left and see Rose flying by my window.
"Well, well. Hey."
I open the window, and Rose comes in.
"Yeah, I'm leaving again."
"I have a gift for you."
She hands me a book.
"The Legend of the Three Legendary Heroes." "Most people think it's just a story, that it never happened. Read it, and you'll see the book's true."
"A story?"
"Yeah, a pretty popular one, but I think it's based on real events."
"I can't read, but I know someone who can read it for me. Thanks."
She shows me another book.
"The Fairy Prophecy Book." "This was written by my ancestors two thousand years ago. Part of it says: 'When the demons appear, three legendary adventurers will emerge, one on each continent.' Many prophecies in the book never came true, so I thought it didn't matter. But when I saw you couldn't use the other two sword spells, I realized the prophecy came true. You're in continent two, so you can use the Dex Sword. The other adventurer like you, who uses the Dax Sword, must be in continent one, and the other, who can use the Dix Sword, must be in continent three."
Two others like me?
God, I have two more companions? That's weird. Why didn't you tell me about this?
"But… I guess I need to know what this book says. Bye. Arches Nexus!"
I fly out the window.
… Two other people? Are they from my world or other worlds…? From this world…? I need to know more.
"God never told me I was the only one he brought here, but he didn't say he brought others either… Did he give them phones too? Why couldn't I call them?"
Huh?
I get a call and pull out my phone. It's God calling.
"God?"
I answer; maybe he'll clear this up.
"Don't talk, listen. I gave you a phone; I gave the other two something different. I didn't tell you I sent others to that world because it didn't matter then. You can meet them if you want. This is the last time I help you. Goodbye."
He hangs up… Guess he's in a hurry.
"Well, at least he answered my question."
I open the map app and look at the continents… They're huge; the biggest is continent one. There are two poles, like in my world.
Well, well… Continent three looks like a skull, and continent two looks like the Americas, but wider and without Mexico.
"This world only has three continents, but they're massive. Finding the others will be tough… I guess I'll deal with the demi-human issue first."
I call my grandma to ease her worries.
"Dani, are you okay?! They called us to fight, but they said the issue's resolved."
"Yeah, I had to handle it… Listen, I'm going to Soular again. I want you to train every day, and tell the others too, please."
"You're leaving?"
"Don't worry, I'll be fine. Train hard; I'll do the same. Only call me for emergencies, please."
"Of course, I'll tell them."
"By the way, I found out there are two others like me, sent by God."
"Two others?!"
"Yeah, one's in continent one, and the other's in continent three."
"Are you going to meet them?"
"Maybe, I don't know… Bye, Grandma."
"Bye, Dani. Take care."
"You too."
I hang up and pocket my phone.
"Two others like me… If we team up, our job will be easier."
I just hope they're not filler characters or useless.
I really need a lot of help.