"… And so, as the Demon Lord's massive claw tore a gaping hole through Caius's torso and he was forced to spew out blood in the liters, he grabbed and held on to the claw. He ensured he used every last bit of life he had left to hold the monster in place. His last bit of service.
A tear welled up in the corner of Aurelius' eyes but he steeled up, tightened his grip on his sword, and charged. He would not let his friend's sacrifice be in vain…"
-
"Hold on," Kevin said and sat up as he stared at the words on the page he was reading off his phone,
"Caius dies? What bullshit is this?!"
He had let the chapters of [To Kill a Demon Lord…] pile up because this was the last arc of the story and he wanted to just read through with no breaks and witness the happy ending. But that enjoyment was now cut short. His favorite character, Caius had met his end by the Author's shitty writing.
"No way," Kevin mumbled and skipped ahead a few chapters but Caius was still dead. In fact, his so-called Sacrifice was barely mentioned in later chapters as the characters moved on to their happy endings. The story ended with no one giving a shit!
In his anger, for the first time in all his novel-reading life, Kevin drafted a ranting review targetting the Author;
———
Kevin_The_Man: You killed Caius?? All that edging for nothing? What happened to the 'romance' subplot? Dude, where's the sex?? Why even rate it 18+ if you weren't going to add it you annoying fuck!!!
Ahhhh, Give me back my time! No, even better, get your ass back in your seat or take a stroll about, however, it is you write, just do it and give me a proper ending! One where he lives! Or at least one where he fucks someone before you kill him off, you douchebag!!!
…
——
The rant went on for a whole page and Kevin only stopped grudgingly because he ran out of insults. He was starting to repeat himself a lot.
He wasn't even sure why he was taking it so personally. Maybe he had just gotten too invested in a fictional character. When he checked the comments, no one else seemed to care all that much about Caius. To them, he was just another among the slew of side characters that had died to serve the Main Character's goals.
Yes, Caius was not the main character. Until the arc before the last, he had been, at best, a good-natured antagonist that drove the Main character, Aurelius, to be better. A rival of sorts.
But that was not why Kevin liked Caius. In fact, he could care less about the relationship with the main character or even with most of the cast. What Kevin cared about was Caius' charm and the fact that they only ever quite targeted mature women.
"Dude has taste," Kevin had mumbled to himself any time Caius shared a glance with a teacher or even the Headmistress. Or any of the other powerful, busty, well-figured mature women that the Author had taken the time to describe in writing.
And the women flocked to Caius too. He had an unnatural charm that drew them in. And the Author just kept edging this fact, sometimes making it look like a pairing would happen and finally have Caius clap some mature cheeks only to chicken out.
"Ugh, I'm so mad," Kevin said as he tossed his phone to the side and lay down on his bed.
Almost immediately, it vibrated.
Surprised, Kevin scooped it up and when he clicked the notification, he entered a chatting app, with someone whose username he didn't recognize,
——
Sam_Ellis: I'm so sorry I disappointed you. I agree with everything you wrote. I liked Caius too. A lot more than you even. Unfortunately, I had no choice. (>.<)
Kevin_The_Man: Who is this?
Sam_Ellis: You left me a scathing review five minutes ago.
Kevin_The_Man: You're the Author of [To Kill A Demon Lord…]??
Sam_Ellis: Yes.
Kevin_The_Man: Huh. How did you get my contact?
Sam_Ellis: … It's connected to your 'Webnovella' account.
Kevin_The_Man: It is? Wait, what did you mean you had no choice??
Sam_Ellis: I wanted to keep Caius alive and have him have more experiences but my Editors insisted I didn't. They rejected any drafts that didn't have him sacrifice himself.
Kevin_The_Man: You're the Author. What does it matter what your Editors think?
Sam_Ellis: It matters a lot actually. Fortunately, I'm planning a new edition of [To Kill A Demon Lord…] and I think I can bypass their approval and write what I want. I'm just going to need your help.
Kevin_The_Man: My help?
Sam_Ellis: Yes, I'd like your input.
Kevin_The_Man: Oh sort of like I'll get to read the chapters earlier than others and give you my notes?
Sam_Ellis: In a sense. :)
Kevin_The_Man: Alright then. Haha. I'm in!
Sam_Ellis: Great! Thank you, Kevin. We are going to accomplish great things together.
Kevin_The_Man: Uh, sure.
Sam_Ellis: I'll be in touch very soon. Take care. (>.<)
Kevin_The_Man: Goodbye.
——
The Chat ended and Kevin just stared at the conversation. 'We are going to accomplish great things together' sounded far too serious for giving input on a few chapters but he couldn't be too bothered. With an R-18 version of an already interesting story, the Author was finally giving him what he wanted which was great.
He entered the novel app thinking of checking out a new book since he would be taking a break from [To Kill A Demon Lord…] now that his favorite character had bit the dust.
He found himself on his account profile and paused to furrow his brow,
"Hold on, my chatting app account is not linked here. How did that Author reach me directly?" He wondered to himself, confused.
And then he yawned.
"Huh, why am I so sleepy?" He asked with his words slurring as his eyes fluttered. It was strange. One moment, he was wide awake and the next, he was in a losing battle against sleep.
Before long, he was grabbing his covers and rolling them over his head as he sunk deep into a dreamless sleep.
-
***
Kevin had no idea how long he spent sleeping but suddenly, he was waking up.
"Huh?" He let out, confused to find he wasn't lying on his terrible bed but standing and wearing shoes. The most comfortable shoes he had ever won. The most comfortable shoes anyone anywhere had ever won.
He opened his eyes and looked down to see he was wearing a navy blue uniform with the occasional black stripes. The buttons were gold and so was the crest over his chest. He was among various others who were dressed similarly and looked between ages 17 and 19 and listening attentively to a speech;
"… and so, Lochxen has stood for Centuries educating the young generation and preparing them for the world outside. Your parents passed through these very halls and left behind their legacy. Now it's your turn, and I hope you'll make them and me very proud."
The one speaking was a 5'11 feet tall woman who looked to be in her early thirties but with incredibly flawless skin. Her beauty eclipsed that of any woman Kevin had ever seen. That included even the most attractive celebrity. They just couldn't compare.
The woman was dressed in a purple robe dazzled with silver stars that shimmered with every slight movement she made. It flared and draped across the ground, covering her legs but on the upper half of her body, it was snug and showed off the eye-catching size of her breasts all covered up by the robe to the point where no piece of cleavage could be seen. But it looked enticing still.
"Who…?" Kevin started slowly —noting in part that his voice sounded very different—, and then looked at the people who flanked the beautiful purple-robed woman on both sides.
They were men and women all dressed in impressive robes and gowns that were not quite as extravagant as that of the first women. Kevin couldn't care less about the men and even if he did, there were not many of them.
The women were the majority and were all vying with the purple-robed woman for the title of most beautiful.
'Is this a dream?' Kevin asked himself, confused.
"Now, on to the names," the woman in a purple robe said and unrolled a long scroll with a smile before she called out in a clear voice,
"Caius Von Helsing!"
'Caius? He's here? Where?' Kevin thought recognizing the name of his favorite character in [To Kill A Demon Lord…].
He looked around for Caius and soon realized all eyes were on him. Every one of the men and women flanking the purple-robed woman and the rest of the uniform-wearing students standing with him in the hall.
He looked to the side and a pretty girl with bright amber eyes was looking at him with a bit of awe,
"What?" He asked her, confused.
The girl blinked,
"They're calling you," she said in a sweet voice.
"Me?" Kevin asked, still confused.
The purple-robed woman smiled without any impatience,
"Come on, Caius, step forward, and let's get this orientation started."
Now Kevin was startled and he took a step back,
"Caius?" He mumbled and then his eyes went wide as he exclaimed,
"Wait, I'm him?!"