7DP 196.1

BGM: Catch Me If You Can
196: The Shadow Saviour

TL : Cnine

ED/PF :

R1[1-2], R2[3-4]

Part 1

『Oi-… What are you playing at!?』

It was only natural that Barbara let out such a strange, startled voice.

The Demon Prince, who had been relentlessly displaying his cruelty on the battlefield, was now suddenly prostrating himself, smashing his forehead into the floor as he apologised.

She couldn’t understand any of it. And to make things worse, a girl with dragon-like horns, a forest elf-like woman without limbs, and even a devil-like girl were all watching him.

What kind of scene was this?

What had happened to lead to this!?

「...」

Jilbagias remained prostrated and silent for a while, like a stone. Eventually, he straightened up, looked Barbara in the eyes, and spoke once more.

「My name is… Alexander. A former hero.」

—The unexpected name struck Barbara like a blow, leaving her completely at a loss for words.

『A... Lex?』

Her eyes settled on the weathered holy sword at the Demon Prince’s waist.

Could it be.

「... The 『Indomitable Holy Flame』?」

Aleksander… could he truly be that Alex?

「…You really remembered…?」

The Demon Prince’s face contorted, trembling on the edge of tears.

It was literally impossible for her to forget about Alex.

But she simply couldn’t accept it. It was incomprehensible.

"Why would the Demon Prince borrow Alex's name!?"

『But, you said you were Jilbagias!』

「That’s true as well… It’s a long story to explain.」

Jilbagias scratched his head in frustration, clearly unsure how to put it into words.

The gesture was far too human, utterly mismatched with his icy, terrifying Demon Prince persona, and it only made Barbara more confused.

「…Seven years ago, during the assault on the Demon King’s castle, the Demon King killed me. And then… about five years ago, I came to and realised I’d been reborn as a Demon Prince.」

Jilbagias began speaking with a distant, haunted look in his eyes.

『...』

Barbara stayed alert but listened in silence.

The whole situation was so baffling that she decided the best thing she could do for now was let him talk.

「And then… after all sorts of things, we ended up here.」

『… Mate, you skipped like 90% of the story!』

She burst out before she could stop herself.

There was no way the story ended there.

『There has to be... something! More you’re supposed to explain!』

「A lot happened, but nothing worth a grand tale! One day I woke up as a demon baby, realised I was the 7th Demon Prince, Jilbagias Reiju, and spent my whole infancy desperately pretending to be a proper demon race child so no one would notice I was actually human on the inside. Meanwhile, I was raised by my mum, the Archduchess, educated by a devil of knowledge, and somehow survived up to today!」

Worn out, Jilbagias let his shoulders sag.

His tone, that slightly clueless way of talking. Everything was so similar to the Alex in Barbara’s memories.

And precisely because of that, she struggled to accept it.

『If you really are Alex...』

Barbara crossed her arms, scrutinising him closely.

『Then tell me. What did Alex write in the last letter he ever sent me?』

Jilbagias jerked his head up, startled.

「‘…Did I… ever send you a letter?」

...

Why?

Why this kind of slip-up?

So he is just using Alex’s name after all…?

Absolutely unforgivable.

Mocking the dead—what kind of monster does that!?

「No, wait! Just wait! My past-life memories are all over the place!」

Jilbagias frantically waved his hands as Barbara’s expression shifted into murderous fury.

「The longer I live as a Demon Prince, the more my past-life memories fade! Ah, do you mean the last letter before the raid on the Demon King’s castle? I remember sending a bunch of final messages, but what I actually wrote… Yeah, that part’s cloudy…」

Jilbagias put a hand to his forehead and groaned.

「Uuugh…!」

He tried desperately to dig up the memory.

「The details… Sorry, I honestly can’t remember. But I think I sent Barbara some gold coins. Probably.」

――Upon hearing that, the strength simply slipped out of Barbara’s half-transparent shoulders.

『... I see.』

So he remembers that part, huh?

Normally, you wouldn’t mention gold coins in a letter.

If he got that right, then he really might be Alexander.

「Oh, right! If you want proof I’m really me, this is the fastest way.」

Jilbagias suddenly clapped his hands like he’d just remembered something, then whipped the dull-looking sword from his scabbard.

「【Wake Up, Adamas】」

The blade pulsed, almost as if it had a heartbeat.

Flash.

『Ah!?』

The holy sword, which had been nothing more than a dull piece of metal, snapped back into its true form.

But—damn, it was bright. Way too bright.

A freezing chill washed over Barbara, making her shrink back.

「Ah! My bad... 【Sleep, Adamas】」

Jilbagias hurriedly sealed the holy sword again and slid it back into its sheath, looking painfully awkward.

「...」

『...』

Silence.

Neither of them said a word.

Barbara was too stunned to speak.

The same holy light that once made her feel safe on the battlefield had now sent a chill straight down her spine.

What had she become?

The truth hit her, raw and undeniable—

But she also realised something.

If he knew the sword’s real name, and a dwarven-made holy sword had recognised him as its owner, then—

『You really are... Alex, huh.』

Alex nodded slowly, looking as if he were apologising just for being alive.

But...

In that case.

That only made Barbara more confused.

『Why… did you kill us?』

Her quiet question made Alex shut his eyes tight.

He clenched his teeth, his grip tightening until his hand creaked.

「... My goal is to destroy the Demon Kingdom.」

His voice was deep and heavy, like it came from somewhere far underground.

That face. That expression. The hatred burning in his eyes.

He looks nothing like him, but this guy is definitely Alex.

No doubt about it.

「As a Demon Prince, I managed to make a contract with the taboo demon god.」

『Demon god, of taboo?』

「Yeah. Basically, a stupidly strong devil. She’s right there, by the way.」

Alex jerked his thumb over his shoulder.

The devil girl puffed out her chest proudly.

“Hmph. Truly, I am the accursed demon god of taboo.”

That’s… a 『Demon God』?

I mean, yeah, it has some presence, but… a 『God』?

Barbara could only stare.

Compared to what she had imagined, it looked painfully normal. Almost tacky.

She didn’t know what to say.

「The first Demon King made a pact with the Devouring Demon God, Cannibal. The one I’m bound to is the Taboo Demon God, Antendixis.」

Alex continued without looking up.

「――Basically, the pact works like this. The more taboos I break, the stronger I get.」

His voice echoed strangely in the dim room, sending another chill down Barbara’s spine.

『By taboo, does that mean――』