The World of This Fantasy Novel is in Crisis – Chapter 49

The three people who were supposed to be off hunting the Demon King by now were all gathered in one place—but none of them seemed to be thinking about that. Cain, for his part, didn’t seem to even consider that it might all be because of him.

The only one agonizing over it was Satin.

Should I just keep my mouth shut? Is that okay…?

Maybe things would somehow work out if he stayed quiet. So far, everything had rolled along even though Satin hadn’t done anything. Cain had become the Black Magician in his place, Rita had followed the trail, and by pure coincidence, they’d run into Edward. They’d somehow ended up in the middle of a Demon King emergence crisis. It all fit, more or less.

Lost in their own thoughts, no one spoke. Time slipped by in silence. Cain glanced at the wall clock, then stood up.

“It’s about time for dinner.”

He directed the comment at Satin. Caught off guard, Satin replied with a flustered, “Oh, right,” and got up to follow. Once on his feet, he noticed that Rita and Edward had no intention of getting up.

“You two go ahead. We need to talk some more.”

Rita said it casually, waving a hand without much interest. Cain strode off without responding, and Satin hurried after him in a rush.

***

The inn had a dining hall, but Cain deliberately stepped outside. Trailing behind, Satin kept glancing back, half-expecting Rita and Edward to follow—but they didn’t. He was stuck having dinner alone with Cain.

It’s not like I’m uncomfortable, but…

They’d had lunch together too. At this point, there was no reason for a meal alone to feel awkward. It wasn’t the situation—it was just that there were too many things weighing on his mind.

During lunch, Cain had asked a bunch of questions that didn’t seem particularly important. Things like where Satin had been living until now, and whether he’d thought about looking for anyone he knew.

Well, they’re not important to me, but…*

From Cain’s perspective, considering how much he cared for Satin as a close friend, it was perfectly natural to be curious. The original Satin had really wrapped Cain around his little finger—despite being the villain.

Noticing that Satin was walking half a step behind, Cain glanced back and slowed his pace.

“I meant to ask earlier, but…”

“Huh? What?”

“Are you afraid of me? Scared I might hurt you?”

Cain asked the question with a blank expression. Satin quietly looked up at Cain’s face.

The sun hadn’t fully set yet, and the sky was a deep pink. Because of the mist, it almost looked violet.

A reddish shadow fell across Cain’s face. His slightly upturned eyes looked unusually soft under the tint, and the line of his nose and lips stood out more sharply than usual. His pale blond hair had turned the color of ripe apricots.

Looking at Cain’s face gave the strange sensation of being spellbound. There was nothing frightening about it. And yet, Satin sometimes flinched. It was reflexive. It wasn’t Cain—it was something else that scared him.

Explaining it was impossible. Maybe forever. If someone with amnesia suddenly explained past trauma in perfect detail, that would raise red flags for anyone.

Satin, feeling awkward, shook his head.

“I’m not scared.”

“Then what is it?”

“I don’t really know either.”

When Satin didn’t elaborate, Cain silently studied his face for a moment before starting to walk again. His displeasure was obvious, but it seemed he wasn’t going to press the issue further. Satin quickly caught up and asked,

“By the way, why did you summon the Demon King?”

“I told you—I gave that up.”

“No, I mean before. Why try to summon him in the first place?”

Cain gave him a sidelong glance, then turned his head away with a snap. He looked like a proper adult with his handsome face and sturdy frame, but he was only twenty. When he sulked so openly, it wasn’t exactly endearing, but it wasn’t gross either.

Soon, Cain gave a blunt answer.

“I don’t really know.”

He’d parroted the exact same thing Satin had said earlier. Satin let out a dry laugh in disbelief.

Okay, maybe it’s a little gross…

If Cain didn’t want to talk about it, Satin had no intention of digging further. The Demon King had already appeared. Whatever reason Cain had for trying to summon him didn’t matter now—he’d stopped. That meant he no longer had a reason to go through with it.

Of course, there was no way to know what Cain was truly thinking, but if he said he quit, then that’s all Satin could go on.

Eventually, Cain settled on a restaurant. The sign wasn’t too flashy, and it wasn’t crowded with customers either. In short, it was a place with no distinct features. Satin found himself wondering what criteria Cain had used to pick it. Was this one of his regular spots?

“You’ve been here before?”

“No.”

“Oh. I thought maybe you were a regular.”

“I can’t stand getting familiar with people.”

The comment was hard to interpret. When Satin stared at him, puzzled, Cain slumped into an empty seat and muttered grumpily.

“You end up having to make excuses.”

“Excuses for what?”

“A reason why they should keep living.”

Even hearing it a second time didn’t make it any easier to understand.

Cain didn’t say anything more and called over a server. During their last meal, he’d eaten a massive amount, but both at lunch and now, he ordered a normal portion—just enough for an average person.

Is he putting on an act?

Ridiculous. What would he be trying to prove at this point? And to Satin, of all people?

They didn’t talk much while eating. Occasionally, Cain would pause, gaze directly at Satin, and then Satin, out of politeness, would ask, “Want a bite?” even though they were eating the same dish, making the offer pointless. Still, Cain never refused once.

I really can’t figure him out.

By the time they left the restaurant, it was already night. The moon wasn’t visible due to the fog surrounding the city, but plenty of shops were still open, so it wasn’t too dark. It was bright enough to clearly see the face of the person walking beside you.

After a few steps, Cain spoke out of nowhere.

“It was because of you.”

“…What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“The reason I wanted to summon the Demon King.”

What?

When Satin blinked in confusion, Cain let out a soft laugh.

“You died. So I figured it wouldn’t matter if everyone else did too.”

***

While Satin and Cain were out having dinner, Edward and Rita continued their conversation.

“Doesn’t the situation feel off to you?”

“Yeah, it does.”

Rita didn’t bother asking what exactly he found strange. Everything was strange—without exception.

The Demon King? Strange. The flashy appearance of the Demon King’s castle? Strange. The wyvern acting like a tour guide for said castle? Very strange. It would’ve been faster to list the things that weren’t strange.

“What’s the goal here? What do they plan to do in this city?”

“What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear ‘Demon King’?”

“…World domination?”

It was an odd word choice coming from someone as composed as Edward, but it wasn’t wrong. In storybooks, Demon Kings always wanted to conquer something—a country, a continent, or the whole world. The scale varied depending on the author.

Rita scratched her cheek and let out a dry chuckle.

“It’s ridiculous, but I can’t think of anything else.”

“If it’s real, it’s not something to laugh about.”

“Anyway, if that’s the case, why not start the conquest right away?”

If the people were already in turmoil, casting some grand, overwhelming magic would get the job done efficiently—assuming such a spell even existed.

Edward took a moment to consider, then replied,

“Maybe they’re going with a method that requires time.”

“Like what?”

“How should I know? But there are many types of tactics and strategies. Maybe the Demon King has their own.”

“Oh, come on.”

As Rita shot him a playful jab, Edward shrugged, then offered another thought.

“Assuming the Demon King wants world domination is just human speculation. It might be better to consider alternative motives.”

“Like what, for example?”

“Don’t make me repeat myself. It’s not like asking me will suddenly reveal the answer. I’m just saying we should stay open to possibilities.”

“Pfft.”

With their heads close together, Rita and Edward threw out every idea they could come up with.

“Maybe they’re here to look for treasure?”

“There’s been barely any movement for that.”

“What if they came to experience human life?”

“Bit flashy for that, don’t you think?”

“How about… they’re on vacation?”

“That assumption kind of makes this whole conversation pointless.”

“Oh, maybe the Demon King came to kidnap a princess?”

“If that were the case, they would’ve gone to the capital. Why would they be looking for a princess here?”

“…You can’t say that for sure.”

“What do you mean?”

“No, just… saying.”

“If it’s for a reason we can’t even begin to imagine, then there’s really no way for us to guess.”

Neither Rita nor Edward had ever seen the Demon King in their lives, of course, and they hadn’t met anyone who genuinely had, either—so their discussion wasn’t yielding much.

Meanwhile, Satin and Cain had finished their meal and returned. Seeing the two of them, Rita finally noticed she was getting hungry and rose to her feet. She was about to ask Satin which restaurant they’d gone to when she froze in surprise.

“What the—what happened to your face?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Your face is, like, half its size now.”

Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration. But it was true that Satin’s face looked more gaunt than before. His complexion had darkened like someone weighed down by some serious burden.

Satin touched his face for a moment, then quickly waved a hand and gave a light laugh.

“No way. Must be the lighting in here.”

The lighting? Rita instinctively glanced around, puzzled, but Satin cut in quickly.

“Hurry up and go eat. If things get worse and food prices shoot up, we might not be able to eat like we used to.”

A fair point, sure—but why bring that up now, of all times?

Before Rita could say anything back, Satin turned and headed upstairs, saying he was going to rest. Cain followed after him without a word, not even acknowledging anyone else.

“Man, he really is like a leech.”

As Rita shook her head, Edward commented,

“I’m curious what the story is there. Doesn’t seem like a typical friendship.”

Author: Levia