48 The past of the Demon Knight
[Gano''s POV]
I remember...I still remember the time when we used to be a lovely family.
Me, Sheni, our children, a boy and a girl, were low-level demons born in the slums of Demon Land.
Yet we were happy. Because our lives were going smoothly with my children and Sheni on my side, I never felt alone.
Every day... every day I went to my work for the sake of my wife and children to earn some money.
As long as our Lord, the great Demon King, Arterismet VI, was alive, our lives were promising.
Nheless, when his sessor took the crown, everything turned upside down. My lord, Arterismet VII, the current Demon King, has no emotions. No mercy...it was bad for me to say, but he''s heartless. He didn''t care for the lives of his people.
To survive under his rule, we have to follow his every order.
Although we were surviving under his rule.
At least we were together... until,
SLAM!
"Hey, you get over it!! Our Lord has summoned you low demons for the sacrifices!!"
His guard broke through our slum and dragged us to the area of sacrifices.
Toplete the aim of our lord to conquer the realms, we mere demons were put on sacrifices.
"Daddy, save us!!"
Hearing their cries, I tried my best to save them.
"Please my lord! Have mercy on my children. You can take us for the sacrifice! Please leave them!!"
While whining in tears, I and Sheni knelt in front of my lord to leave our children for sacrifice.
However,
"Heh! Are you mocking me? Your children are still young. Their blood is healthier than yours."
The merciless king didn''t show any mercy.
"My lord..."
I was left speechless. Why...? Why did my children have to suffer?
I was so powerless to even protect them.
SLASH!
They died.
We lost them...in front of our very eyes
Sheni copsed to the ground after realising that our children were gone
No one in the council of demons ever tried to do something to help her.
She didn''t wake up from her sleep after that.
There were only tears in her eyes for our children.
I was hopeless. I was powerless to even protect them.
I decided...to kill myself.
Our valley was already in chaos due to the war, and living life without my family was useless.
I carried Sheni''s corpse behind my back and stepped toward the mountain of death.
[The Mountain of Death was in Demon Land, and it was the highest mountain there.]
I reached the top of the mountain and nced toward the ground with my empty eyes.
I remembered the time when we had so much fun together.
"Going somewhere?"
I heard...I heard that terrifying voice.
"...?!"
My eyes got erged after hearing that voice. The voice of our merciless king.
I turned around in fear.
He was there, right behind me.
STAB!!
Before I could even react, he made a hole in my chest with his left arm, saying,
"You''re so loyal, you know?"
Then, he gazed at the Sheni corpse, saying,
"Many might revolt if something tragic like this happens to their family."
Then, he shifted his re at me, asking,
"What about she and you being together?"
"...?!"
I wasn''t able to say anything since his hand was piercing my chest.
I cast a nce at Sheni, but before I could respond, the king extended his right hand toward her and tossed a red-glittering crystal onto her chest.
Unexpectedly, her body turned into thin air.
YANK!
"Gwakh!"
While coughing blood, I knelt on the ground. As soon as I knelt, the air that was Sheni''s corpse entered my chest and my wounds got healed.
"From now onward,"
He said as he ced his right palm over my head, saying,
"You''ll be my loyal Knight, Gano, right?"
I felt my memories starting to vanish.
I forgot everything about my children and became a ve to him.
I and Sheni killed so many warriors afterward. But we always felt as if we were missing something. Nothing, however, sticks with us... until...
Crack!!
Those warriors broke the crystal within us, and our memories returned.
***
Gano opened his eyes and saw Sheni lying in front of him, just a few footsteps away from him.
"S-Sheni..."
He called out.
Upon hearing his call, the blood-wrapped Sheni opened her eyes and gazed back at Gano.
A little smile formed on her face as she remembered their past.
"Darling..."
She dragged herself toward Gano, and Gano did the same.
Their bodies started to vanish, but they didn''t lose hope.
Finally, they manage to hold each other''s hands, saying,
"Darling...do we...die now...?"
Sheni asked. There were pearls of tears in her eyes.
With a brittle smile, Gano replied,
"Nah, honey. We are not actually dying."
"Huh?"
Sheni replied that she didn''t understand what he was talking about.
While lying on the ground, Gano''s eyes fell to the sky. Hemented,
"We''re... going to meet up with our children."
"...?!"
Sheni reacted while widening her eyes.
"Mamma."
She heard a voice.
She shifted her gaze to the sky, and the flow of tears increased as she saw her deceased children, spreading their arms and wanting a hug from their mother.
"My...children..."
She said while sobbing.
"Don''t cry, honey."
Gano said, yet some tears appeared in his eyes as well.
"We''ll be...with them now. Aren''t...you happy...?"
"Mhm."
While sobbing, Sheni replied.
***
"Sunny, Lina, my children!!"
Sheni said as she embraced her children while they embraced her as well.
Gano reached there and embraced them, saying,
"Let''s go...to our home..."
They vanished as the light of heaven engulfed them.
***
Soon enough, their bodies vanished and left a ck haze, but this time, there was a white haze as well.
They weren''t evil. They were... just the victims of fate.
Ary and Kashi gazed at them as they sensed the sadness in the air.
"They were sad, weren''t they?"
Ary said while looking at the sky.
"Hmm."
Kashi nodded as he put his de back into the scabbard, saying,
"I think they''re no longer sad now."
Then, he closed his eyes, saying,
"Though...it''s finally over."
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