Monster no Goshujin-sama - Volume 16 - Chapter 28

Chapter 28: At the End of the Road

Berta made her way through the forest on unsteady feet. Her consciousness was a haze. Her agonized breaths smelled of rusty iron, and her body felt like lead. She wanted to rest. She wanted to sleep. Her body pleaded with her, but her sense of duty forced it to move.

After breaking past Hibiya Kouji, she’d made it to her king’s side just in time and had immediately retreated. She’d somehow managed to get away from the enemy’s follow-up attack. Considering she’d been against the Sword of Light and the Absolute Blade, it was no exaggeration to say this was a momentous feat. That said, the price had been tremendous.

With each step, her blood-soaked feet made wet noises. Her belly was split open from a cut by the Absolute Blade. Several of her vital organs had been destroyed, and some of her entrails had fallen out. She’d lost her human torso, and a portion of her back had been carbonized by the Sword of Light’s last attack when she’d failed to dodge it completely.

Not even the highest grade of healing magic could do anything about her wounds. It wouldn’t have been strange for her breathing to cease and her heart to stop at any moment. Nevertheless, Berta continued moving. Willpower alone kept her body in motion.

She’d made it a fair distance away without anyone trailing her. The moment she came to that conclusion, she tripped, having long surpassed her limit. Using the last of her strength, Berta placed her “burden” against the base of a tree, then collapsed on her side. In her current state, she knew that she would never be able to stand up again once she fell.

Deep inside the forest, she suddenly recalled her meeting with the boy who had become her master. Her final destination seemed somehow similar to where it had all begun. On that day, Berta had failed to protect him. After that, she’d watched him flounder down the path to becoming the Demon King with deep regret and despair in her heart. She’d prayed that he would at least find salvation in his last moments.

She’d continued walking with such a prayer close to her heart. But this was where it was going to end. All that was left was for her to lose consciousness and enter her eternal slumber. She didn’t because someone spoke to her.

“Why did you return...?”

The precious “burden” Berta had risked her life to retrieve and carry here—Kudou Riku—spoke to her. He remained seated, leaning against the tree without making the slightest movement. He no longer had the strength to do so.

“What a waste.”

Blood poured from his lips as he spoke. The shadow of death hung over him. His weakened body, a secondary effect of his inherent ability, was far more fragile than even a normal human’s. He would’ve evaporated had the Sword of Light hit him. Even though he’d evaded that fate, the shock wave from the attack had been fatal for him. Berta had staked her life on getting her king away from the battlefield, but hadn’t been able to save his life.

“Why did you do such a thing? Is there any purpose?”

Berta found this unusual. Her king had only ever thrust her away and had rarely ever asked for her personal opinion like this. That was when she suddenly realized something. This was her very first chance to convey her feelings. Once she realized this, her mouth opened.

“There was no purpose,” she said.

Even this simple act required significant willpower. The pain was gradually fading. Instead, she felt so cold. Perhaps, having lost too much blood, she couldn’t really see properly either. She wanted to just go to sleep, but she somehow maintained her consciousness. She couldn’t even imagine letting her first and last chance pass.

“There was no meaning at all, my king. But even so, I didn’t give up.”

She was well aware that this served no purpose. That didn’t only apply to this situation either. She’d known from the beginning that her wish would go unfulfilled, that she’d die in vain. Nevertheless, she hadn’t been able to stop herself from wishing. So, she’d done exactly as she always had.

“I couldn’t help but do as my heart wished. It doesn’t matter if it’s meaningless.”

She conveyed her feelings without a hint of falsehood, and silence hung over them. Berta was no longer able to see what kind of expression her king was making. He probably didn’t understand and was making an exasperated look. Or perhaps he was coldly indifferent. In truth, it was neither of those.

“A wish, is it...?” the boy muttered. “How foolish. There is no salvation for me.”

“Why...are you so certain?” Berta asked, her shock clear.

The words her king spoke were none other than her wish. She’d never told him about it, though. This surprised her, but she figured it out quickly.

“Did Majima Takahiro...?”

Her assumption was correct. Kudou Riku had heard it from him during their joint struggle in the labyrinth. Berta assumed that was likely the case. So, what she found unexpected was that her king spoke of it even though he knew.

“How truly foolish,” he said, unable to hide his disappointment. “You could’ve torn off the collar around your neck whenever you wanted.”

That was when Berta realized one more thing. This was also the first time her king had allowed her to know his feelings.

“You should’ve just torn yourself free of those chains. You should’ve gone anywhere you wanted. You wouldn’t have met with misfortune.”

His voice dripped with disappointment, even regret. However, Berta had no idea what thoughts had led him to make such statements. Things would be different were Majima Takahiro here, for example. He was the only one who’d figured out the truth Kudou Riku had been keeping to himself all this time.

Majima Takahiro questioned whether Kudou Riku knew that Berta, who’d been his servant before he’d started on his path as the Demon King, was something like a memento of the girl who’d saved his life, Todoroki Miya. If so, having already started on his path to ruin, there’d been no way for him to accept her. If that was the case, then what was he supposed to do? What had he done?

Kudou Riku had always kept Berta at a distance. He’d dispatched her to guard Majima Takahiro and hadn’t called her back even when his life had been in danger. He’d kept her away from his march to ruin and had instead entrusted her to people with whom one could say she belonged. All that had been left was for her to tear off her chains and go wherever she wanted.

She should’ve just taken her freedom and gained happiness. That was the one thing he’d wished for, not as the Demon King, but as himself. He’d never wished to see her dying in despair in front of him like this. He’d never wanted to see that again...

“You shouldn’t have wished for my salvation. If you didn’t, you could’ve found happiness.”

All he had in his heart now was disappointment. In the end, he hadn’t been able to carry out the revenge he’d sworn to accomplish as the Demon King, nor had the one wish he’d harbored as a boy been granted. Perhaps that was only natural.

“I can’t do anything.”

That perception was something like a curse within Kudou Riku’s core. Dying in despair one day had been his destiny. That outcome had been an inevitability, so he’d had no other path before him. That was why, if anyone was capable of overturning that fate, it had to be someone who’d continuously wished for the opposite with the same fervor.

“My king. You’ve got it wrong.”

Berta adamantly denied his words.

◆ ◆ ◆

At this time, Berta didn’t have an accurate grasp of her king’s feelings. Far too much had been hidden from her for her to figure it out. However, that wasn’t much of a problem right now because none of that mattered.

After all, she was at least capable of asserting that her king’s statement was mistaken. She could tell he was misunderstanding. She believed she had to properly convey her feelings. She didn’t hesitate at all to do so.

“I don’t believe it would’ve been better for me not to wish so,” she said clearly. “I regret that my wish couldn’t be fulfilled. However, I don’t regret wishing for it. I didn’t want happiness. I wanted to somehow save what I once failed to protect.”

She’d chosen to come here, going as far as knowingly throwing away her own path to happiness. Nobody had decided that for her. It’d been her choice. How could she possibly regret it?

“But...”

Kudou Riku was trying to say something, but his next words wouldn’t come out. Berta’s statement had been so unwavering. This had been Kudou Riku’s greatest miscalculation. Having been sent to Majima Takahiro, Berta hadn’t simply spent her time aimlessly. She’d learned many things and had grown. She’d grown enough to surpass this boy’s expectations.

“Besides, you’re misunderstanding, my king.”

She had nothing to be scared of anymore. She simply had to convey what she had to.

“Please don’t say that I would’ve been better off tearing away my chains.”

Her voice was calm and gentle.

“They were what connected me to you, after all.”

Being pushed away was far more painful than meeting her end. So, she didn’t feel the slightest bit of despair in this situation. What’s more, Berta believed this wasn’t all that bad. At the very least, reaching this spot on the verge of death, she’d been able to convey her feelings.

To some, enduring so much agony only to achieve so little seemed like far too meager a reward. However, to her, this was more than enough. It didn’t matter what anyone else said. That was why she could speak with conviction.

“I wasn’t dragged down into despair. I came here with hope in my eyes, and I reached this place.”

◆ ◆ ◆

Kudou Riku was speechless for a while. He couldn’t peel his eyes away from the wolf who was dying before his eyes. This was the one fragment of hope he’d obtained before becoming the Demon King, but by the time he’d realized this, it’d been too late.

He’d gone out of his way to let her go, and yet she’d come back. Now, he truly understood. He’d thought that by pushing her away and keeping her at a distance, letting her spend time where she truly belonged, she’d find her own freedom. However, that had been a tremendous misunderstanding. No matter what he did, Berta would never leave him. Her confession had been more than enough to convince him of this.

“Ha ha... What’s with that?”

The boy laughed quietly. It was as if he was resigning himself before her unbreakable heart.

“What can I possibly do about that?”

In a sense, it was a declaration of defeat. His attempts to push Berta away had utterly failed. In the end, he hadn’t been able to do anything. She’d forced him to realize this. There was a curse at the core of Kudou Riku’s being. He was weak and couldn’t do anything. To be made to realize this in the very, very end was far too cruel. But...

“Good grief, you truly are...”

There wasn’t the slightest shadow hanging over his words. In that instant, he realized something. It was precisely because he acknowledged that nothing could be done anymore—that there was just one thing that he could still do.

So, he put strength into his burned arm. It was as if he was shaking off the curse that bound him. He couldn’t move it properly, but held it up and reached out. There was no more reason to push her away.

◆ ◆ ◆

“Very well.”

“My king?”

Berta raised her voice curiously. She hadn’t truly come to understand her king’s thoughts. However, she still recognized that she’d acted against his will. She’d figured this would offend him. She was prepared for him to curse and reject her. However, his voice didn’t seem to imply that. It was so far away from such concepts.

“It’s my loss. Let’s grant your wish.”

“Huh...?”

Berta felt a nostalgic sensation return to her body. It was the Demon King’s power of subordination—the collar that connected her to him. Naturally, at this point, there was no value in the power of subordination itself. She’d torn it off once already, and above all else, its compelling force was totally meaningless when she was moments away from dying. So, right here, it did nothing but connect them.

“You may stay by my side for as long as you wish.”

She needed a moment to understand that he was accepting her. The moment she did, a tremendous impulse shook her heart.

“Ah...”

She was speechless. Just having the opportunity to convey her feelings had been enough for her. She hadn’t even imagined that he would accept her.

“My king...?”

Was this some kind of misunderstanding? Was she seeing a convenient dream on the verge of her death? As if to deny such misgivings, his outstretched hand touched her head. With extremely awkward movements, he gently brushed her down to her neck. This in itself had long been a dear fantasy. However, precisely because she could feel it was real—it gave her conviction that she’d been rewarded for everything.

“Aaah...”

She felt warmth spread through her cold, dying body. Something warm enough filled her to the point that she felt like she would melt. She was sure of it. This was happiness. Had the two of them never met tragedy, had they been able to live in this world, they could’ve obtained this. This was the possibility they’d lost the day they’d met. This was the future they could’ve had. Even if only for the shortest time in the very end, they’d retaken it.

That sensation made her endlessly happy. No. This wasn’t the end. He’d told her she could stay by his side for as long as she wished, after all. Even if death tried to tear them apart, even if they plummeted into the depths of hell, she wouldn’t leave his side.

“I’ll be by your side forever...”

She didn’t even know if her own muttering was audible. She no longer had the strength to speak. But her feelings had been conveyed. In this instant, something definitely connected them. Berta huffed in satisfaction as she pushed her head against the hand that touched her. She basked in the warmth she felt in her heart. Her tail wagged feebly and slowly. Breathing her last, she fell into a warm slumber that she would never wake up from again.