Somel shot to his feet in terror.
“Gasp. W-Who are you?”
Idria approached him, still floating eerily in the air.
The lamp’s dim light lit up her face.
Her purple hair and eyebrows looked completely unnatural. Her empty golden eyes evoked a sense of void.
It was that same detestable face from before the regression.
Idria opened her mouth in that characteristically relaxed tone of hers.
“No matter how insignificant a creature may be, it’s still the spouse of a worthy vessel. A bit of courtesy is in order, wouldn’t you say? I’ll tell you why you must die.”
“……”
“I gifted a noble soul to Mariana. When the remnants of the souls who perished during the Second Demon King’s descent begin to follow Lepia’s soul, they’ll come to this domain. In a decade or so, this land will become infamous as a haunted territory.”“What nonsense are you spouting?!”
“Then who do you think the foolish humans will blame for it all?”
Somel’s lips began to tremble.
Idria nodded in satisfaction.
“It’s going to be a masterful lie. But I realized something too late—there’s a loophole in this plan.”
“……”
“I thought… what if Mariana, unable to endure the suspicion and pressure from the people, tries to run away in the middle of the night? Then the lie would have to start over in a new domain, and that would take years.”
“What on earth are you talking about?”
“So I’ve decided to make sure she can’t leave this place.”
I instantly understood what she meant.
As expected of the Demon King of Deception—her logic was a perfect specimen of pure malice.
“If the husband she loves were to suddenly vanish, wouldn’t she stay in the hope that one day he’ll come back home? No matter how much she’s hated and oppressed?”
Naturally, Somel had no idea what she was talking about.
But judging by the atmosphere, he must’ve sensed it was dangerous to remain passive any longer.
“I don’t know what kind of monster you are, but get out. Right now. If you don’t—”
Snap.
Just then, Idria flicked her fingers.
“On second thought, killing you outright would be too boring. Might as well enjoy myself.”
Crack. Crack.
Somel’s body began to stiffen.
No, it had already been stiff—but this was different.
‘He’s turning into stone?’
What is that? Doesn’t look like magic.
[If I had to say, it’s probably a curse.]
‘Damn it. So this is what a Demon King can do?’
[To be precise, Idria is just uniquely twisted.]
Meanwhile, Somel had completely turned to stone—his entire body transformed into a statue.
It looked like a perfectly crafted sculpture.
Idria clutched her belly and burst into laughter, utterly amused.
She even flipped upside down midair and kicked her feet happily.
“Ahaha! Look at that expression! It’s a masterpiece, a true masterpiece.”
“……”
“Now, where should I hide him? Where would be best…”
Her crazed laughter suddenly stopped.
In its place appeared a smile.
A cruel smile that could send chills down one’s spine.
“Where should I hide him so that it becomes the most beautiful lie?”
She clapped her hands lightly.
Then snapped her fingers again.
Fsshh.
The space began to tear open.
Somel’s stone form was sucked into the rift.
Thud.
The vision cut off right there.
That’s when Neril’s voice reached me.
“Mide? What’s wrong?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Your hand.”
I looked down at my hand—or rather, my clenched fist.
I had been gripping it so tightly it had turned white.
I relaxed it as if nothing were wrong and replied,
“I just suddenly needed to go to the bathroom, so I was holding it in.”
“…Did I hear that right?”
“Anyway, let’s go back. To Mariana’s place.”
Xenia tilted her head quizzically.
She whispered, mindful of the Lord’s presence.
“Didn’t Mariana say she was exhausted from all this and needed a day to rest? Adwin too.”
“Yeah, she did.”
“So instead of that, wouldn’t it help your reputation more if you gave some sort of speech in front of the crowd?”
These guys… they’re taking better care of my fame than I do now.
I chuckled softly and answered,
“That’s important too, but what matters more right now is Mariana.”
“Pardon?”
“I’m going to find Somel.”
Neril and Xenia were startled by my simple response, but probably not as much as Trail.
He practically shouted, as if his jaw would drop if he still had a body.
[Find him? But that vision just now didn’t show where Somel was hidden!]
‘I have a hunch where he is.’
[Hmph. I admit you’re pretty sharp, but isn’t claiming you figured out the Demon King of Lie’s scheme a bit… arrogant?]
‘As you know, I have a long, tangled history with that demon.’
The Demon King of Lies and Deception wasn’t just terrifyingly powerful—her wickedness lay in her infuriating cunning.
She didn’t scheme because it was efficient.
She did it because it was fun.
Hiding Somel was the same.
‘She said: “Where should I hide him so that it becomes the most beautiful lie?” That’s when I knew.’
[…]
‘My intuition is random, but once I get a feeling, it’s never been wrong.’
[Hmm… well, you’ve done enough to earn some trust. So, where is he?]
‘I told you already.’
Let’s go to Mariana’s house.
We barely pushed through the crowd and made our way back to Mariana’s home.
Apparently, when she said she needed a full day of rest, she wasn’t exaggerating—the mother and son were both sound asleep.
Adwin mumbled in his sleep.
“Mmn… Heheh. Not bad… Truly a peerless Demon King…”
Neril gave him a baffled look.
“‘Peerless Demon King’? Is that like a tax-saving demon king?”
“Don’t overthink every word. Ophelia used to talk like that too.”
“Not that I even want to win that argument.”
Anyway, I shook him awake.
“Adwin. Wake up.”
“Mm? Ah, Mide hyung.”
Fortunately, he woke up well enough to hold a conversation.
“What brings you back? Weren’t you with the lord? Yaaawn…”
“Could you wake up Mariana too? We couldn’t exactly do it ourselves…”
“Ah. Sure.”
Seeing my serious expression, he nodded without another word and gently woke his mother.
Before long, we were all seated around the kitchen table.
Mariana still looked exhausted but tried hard to hide it as she asked:
“Did you have something to say?”
“It’s a sudden question, but… which room did Somel use?”
“…Sorry?”
“Please just answer for now.”
She didn’t reply immediately.
Adwin answered in her place.
“The room at the end of the second floor.”
“Can you show me?”
“Uh… that room’s always locked. Mom won’t even go near it.”
Just then, Mariana, now composed, spoke up.
“I have the key here. Try it.”
It seemed she always kept the key in her pocket.
Perhaps so that if her husband ever returned, she could open it right away—even after thirteen years.
“Mother… are you sure?”
“Mide is a Hero. If a Hero tells you to do something, wouldn’t something miraculous happen?”
Her deliberately playful tone made us smile.
And so Somel’s room was opened.
As expected, it was covered in thick dust.
“When he came back, I planned to make him clean it. As punishment for leaving us so long.”
Mariana spoke in a calm voice.
But already, there was a trace of tears in it.
‘Hmm.’
Before the regression, one of our quests was this:
To solve a series of disappearances in a small mountain village.
By the time we arrived to investigate, half the villagers had already gone missing.
We learned much later that the whole thing was something Idria had tampered with for fun.
So where were the missing people?
‘They were right next to them.’
[Huh?]
‘Right beside those who cried and writhed in grief over losing their loved ones. Idria delighted in watching the deception she created.’
[…]
‘Just like what she did with Somel, she could twist and warp space at will. It’s not magic, sorcery, necromancy, or witchcraft.’
Authority.
A power unknown to humanity, granted only to the Demon King.
Before the regression, Serein had received a divine revelation that led her to deduce the strange events were caused by the Demon King’s Authority.
But she couldn’t solve it. No one knew how to tear through space.
‘So I developed a way.’
[Huh?]
I gripped my sword.
Neril flinched and asked,
“Huh? What are you doing?”
“Neril. I may not look it, but I’m a Hero.”
“What are you even saying all of a sudden?”
“You’ve seen plenty of times already that both Kaeld and I have odd powers that others can’t understand, right?”
“Well, yeah. That’s true…”
“Then don’t question what I’m about to do—just watch. Same goes for the rest of you.”
Though confused, they all quietly took a few steps back.
I was grateful for their silent trust.
[So? What exactly are you about to do?]
‘Have you ever tried cutting space with a sword?’
[…You sound like Adwin right now.]
‘The sensation at your fingertips is different when slicing through empty air versus something resisting you. Whether it’s a shield, a mana barrier, or a prison spell.’
[…]
‘If you focus on that feeling and apply the right amount of force in the exact right spot, you can break through most things. It’s a simple principle.’
This time, the barrier was the Demon King’s Authority.
In a way, this was an extension of my “Cut What I Want to Cut” technique.
Trail shouted in disbelief.
[That’s not simple! What human shatters Authority?]
‘You too, Trail?’
[What do you mean “you too”?]
‘When I solved this quest before the regression, Kaeld was stunned too. Actually, no—he was furious, I think?’
He had been enraged that I’d taken what he believed was his responsibility.
I had almost been kicked out of the party back then.
If Neril and the others hadn’t voted against it, I might’ve really been forced out.
Anyway, I said to Trail:
‘Every Hero in history stood against the Demon King’s Authority. If they were helpless before it, what would be the point of being a Hero?’
[You weren’t even a Hero yet when you developed that technique, you know.]
‘Hmm. True. Maybe I was just born different?’
[Agh. You really can’t stop talking, can you.]
I ignored him and activated the technique.
‘Spatial Rend!’
[At least the name is good.]
Ssssccchhhhkkk!
Unlike my other skills, this one had an extremely slow swing.
Even a complete novice could follow the motion with their eyes.
And of course—it had to be that way.
Ripping space apart was like sawing through thick, solid wood.
“Ghh…”
I gritted my teeth as every muscle in my body screamed in pain.
Bit by bit—
A wound began to tear open in the air.
It widened gradually, revealing something beyond the visible world.
I shouted:
“Xenia! Stick your hand in here! Pull out whatever you feel!”
“Y-yes!”
Xenia hurried to follow my instructions.
She reached inside and yanked something backward—falling flat on her butt with the momentum.
Her face reddened slightly in embarrassment as she called out:
“I’m okay!”
“Didn’t ask.”
“Uugh. Can we just pretend you didn’t see that?”
“I’ll think about it. But more importantly—Mide, what just happened? What did I see?”
I sheathed my sword and changed the subject.
“Xenia, more importantly.”
A human-sized stone mass had landed on top of the fallen Xenia.
I continued calmly.
“Try setting it upright.”
“O-okay… Huh? It’s a statue.”
She gently stood it up.
Then, from behind us, a voice cried out in shock.
“Honey!”
It was Somel.
Idria had hidden him in the cruelest place of all—right beside Mariana.
As if mocking her endless, desperate search and wait.
She left behind the most brutal lie imaginable.
Just then, Trail murmured in a tone that was strangely satisfied.
[Well done. You shattered one of that wretch’s lies.]
Mariana clung to the stone statue of Somel and sobbed for several minutes.
Adwin also wiped at teary eyes beside her.
Who knew how long had passed.
Eventually, Mariana collected herself and spoke.
“…It really is my husband, isn’t it?”
“Yes. It was the work of Demon King Idria. Please don’t ask how I knew.”
“Don’t worry. With everything you’ve done so far, I have no desire to question it.”
She wiped her tears and continued.
“But—there’s one thing I have to ask. Can my husband return to normal?”
I couldn’t give her a definitive answer.
After all, we were talking about breaking the Demon King’s curse.
There was only one solution that came to mind.
Tap.
Neril gently tapped my back.
When I turned, she looked at me with eyes that said,
It’s okay. You can say it.
A small surge of courage welled up in me.
I spoke slowly.
“Yes. Once the Demon King dies, the curse will be broken.”
“…!”
“And needless to say—she will die by my hand.”
To my surprise, Mariana’s expression relaxed.
She nodded with complete trust in her eyes.
“Of course she will. That was a silly question.”
“Mariana.”
“I know he’s not really himself, but… thank you, truly. Thank you for letting me see the husband I searched for these thirteen years. Hero Mide.”
She bowed deeply to me in genuine gratitude.
Adwin followed suit.
“Me too. Thank you for making my mother smile like that.”
This kid… when he’s not being weird, he’s actually really mature.
That’s when Trail spoke again in a pleased tone.
[Look at this.]
<Mariana Ayn now considers you ‘a benefactor to our family.’>
<Adwin Ayn now considers you ‘the coolest big brother in the world.’>
Ahem.
I subtly lifted my head to hide my reddening face.
Then, suddenly, Adwin declared,
“Mother. I’ve made up my mind.”
“Huh?”
“I’m going with Mide.”
“W-what?”
“I’m going to follow him, defeat the Demon King, and restore Father to his true self.”
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