A Warning

There was no need to linger in Anjima once Manyu had been convinced to join them. With every second essential to their success, Dorma and the others wasted no time in restocking on supplies and setting off from the mountainous imperial city. Their next destination would be the Henklomeon Steppe, where Barion resided. What few hopes were kindled by Manyu's agreement to join them, however, were quickly extinguished by a truth neither of the two had expected to hear.

"Barion… can no longer use the Sword of Light…?" Dorma muttered, "How can that be?"

"Isn't it obvious? The Goddess' blessing has moved on." Manyu replied, "-And when the next Hero comes of age, the power will be passed on to them instead."

"But the next Hero won't be born for centuries yet!"

"Quite the predicament, isn't it?" He smirked, "Tell me Dorma--what exactly is your plan to end the cycle of Demon Ages for good? Surely you aren't expecting the Holy Alliance to hold out for almost 500 years?"

"I was hoping that you could provide some solutions to that problem."

"Well, I can certainly tell you what isn't possible." He began, "-Eradicating all Demons, for one thing."

"I've never considered that possibility."

"I don't blame you for that. The mere idea of destroying each and every Demon is completely out of the question." He continued, "-But, how else do you expect this world to be free of them?"

"There has to be a controlling entity responsible for summoning them." She answered, "For the last 500 years, I always assumed that entity was you--a Demon King, but if you truly have no control over them, what else could be commanding their movements?"

"That isn't a question you're ready to hear the answer to."

"-So you do know." She paused, "What makes you think that?"

"How do you suppose I came to be the Demon King, Dorma?"

The question surprised her. When she, Barion and Shilahi had invaded the Demon King's castle and confronted Manyu within his throne room, that was the one piece of information he seemed utterly avoidant in regards to. Certainly, it had come as a surprise to all three of them that the monstrous, all-powerful Lord of Darkness was but a mere human. But now he approached the subject with a kind of relaxed nonchalance, as if the finer details of his life no longer mattered to him.

"I assume it was your fate from the day of your birth." She responded, "Just as it was Barion's to become the Hero."

"It may come as a surprise to you, but that's almost exactly correct." He replied, "Me and Barion were created for the sole purpose of fulfilling the Goddess' legend. On one end of the spectrum, a Hero--someone to bring order to the chaos gripping the land. And on the other, a Demon King--the one destined to maintain it."

"...But why?"

"Would you really question the Goddess' will in such a way?"

"If it brings needless death, then I don't care whether she's a Goddess or not." Dorma defied, "Some apostles claim that Demon Ages are a punishment for our sins, but I don't believe it. No matter how pious or righteous the world becomes, we will always be made to suffer."

"Well, that much is true." Manyu revealed, "But, as to why…"

"You don't know?"

"No. You might call it the final missing piece of the puzzle."

"So long as you agree to reveal everything when the time comes, I will respect your silence on the matter." Dorma stated, "-But for now, we must find Barion. Even without the Sword of Light, his strength will be an invaluable asset."

"-And what about this Elf girl you've brought along?" Manyu's eyes fell upon Din, who listened to the conversation with interest, "Her Majesty's handmaiden, did you say?"

"Yes. Although I believe the two of them share a bond closer than friends, if you catch my cold."

"D-Dorma!" Din yelled, "Don't just go around telling that to everyone!"

"But it's true, isn't it?" The sorcerer smiled, "Why, it seems likely to me that Aelf'ahlnohma will have two queens in the near future."

"Is she useful?" Manyu asked.

"How would you define usefulness?"

"It wouldn't surprise me if the northern Henklomeon Steppe is teeming with Demons right now. If she isn't a capable fighter, we'd be better off leaving her somewhere safe. Like Gria."

"I can defend myself." Din protested.

"Perhaps, but against a Demon, even the bravest of knights will falter." He countered, "If you're insistent on joining us, you should know that we can't waste time keeping an eye out for your safety."

"Din." Dorma spoke up, "I was there when you promised Her Majesty that you would return to her unscathed. I appreciate your desire to help, but it may be for the best if you do so by aiding Larion in her efforts to feed information to the Holy Alliance."

"But-" Din went silent, "...Alright. I understand."

"I'm sure she's worried about you. I won't claim to know anything about your deeper relationship, but Larion's love for you is more than genuine."

"I know…" She muttered, "It just doesn't feel right staying in a city while everyone is risking their lives."

"The desire for 'sacrifice' is a strong one. But blindly rushing into battle is rarely the best option." Manyu mused, "I do not believe for a second that ending this cycle in any true fashion is possible, but if you're so keen on taking it seriously, you must utilise your talents to their full extent. The fates of wars are often decided in the halls of government rather than on the battlefield, after all."

"I don't have any talents like that… I'm barely a handmaiden as it is." Din muttered, "I'm a thief. Everything to do with politics just goes straight over my head."

"Does Larion know?" Dorma asked, "That you were once a thief?"

"...She does. But-"

"-What you were before has no bearing on what you are now, or what you desire to become." She interrupted, "Manyu words it poorly. He is a man completely devoid of sensitivity."

"How harsh…" The ex-Demon King muttered.

"-I would not trust 'talent' as far as I could throw it. What matters most is overcoming the apprehension of embracing a new life. Perhaps you don't fully appreciate it, but your mere presence grants Her Majesty strength, Din."

"...What does that make me, then?" Din asked, "A trophy?"

"Would you ask her that question?"

"Wha- no!" She lowered her head, "Of course I wouldn't…"

"Why?"

"Because-" Din thought about her answer, "She would… say something. I don't know what, but she would find a way to tell me why that isn't the case. She always knows what to say…"

"Do you love her?"

"Love…" She muttered, "That's not… she shouldn't love someone like me. A commoner--and a woman, at that. She's already lost so much support for revealing herself as a Half-Elf. I don't want to burden her with anything else that could hurt her legitimacy."

"You have a kind heart, Din. Perhaps too kind." Dorma complimented, "It seems to me like you may need her even more than she needs you."

"She already has too much on her plate. My feelings shouldn't worry her."

"My, my… sometimes I forget what it was like to be a foolish young lady…" She reminisced, "In any case, you're in no position to be accompanying us to the Steppe with all of that on your mind. We'll be passing through Gria on the way to restock, so we'll part ways there."

"...Right." Din nodded, "Thank you, Dorma."

"There's no need to thank me, dear." She smiled, "Be wary, however. My sights are still on Barion, so if things turn out well for the both of us, I may end up becoming your mother-in-law one day."

"That's strange! Don't even joke about that!"

"It's decided, then." Manyu concluded, "Once we find Barion, it's likely that the three of us will be returning to Gria, no? That is, if he's still alive."

"I'm surprised to hear that you even consider the possibility of him being dead." Dorma replied.

"A fair point. You could toss that man into an active volcano and he'd still find some way to brush it off. I can't imagine he's having the time of his life endlessly fighting Demons, though."

"He can be a little single-minded sometimes." She agreed, "-But once we do find him, you'll divulge every last hidden detail about Demonkind."

"Of course. Just promise not to act surprised when the hopelessness of the situation sets in." He replied, "You've endured only the superficial horrors of a Demon Age. Death, despair, destruction--the abolition of recorded history. But as for what lurks beneath the surface… I can only hope that 500 years of living has prepared you for the whole truth."