"Hero, huh..."
I murmur the word.
It carried weight.
I'd always known this day would come, but it arrived sooner than expected.
Perhaps we were indeed connected by some strange fate.
Or maybe it was the Demon King's very existence that drew the Hero in.
Probably both were correct.
"..."
Grom remained frozen, head lowered.
The tension was palpable.
I understood why he had hesitated.
It was consideration for me.
He had been debating whether or not to deliver this news.
He always acted with my best interests at heart.
His kindness warmed me genuinely.
I settled back into the sofa and addressed Grom.
"Report the details to me."
"Y-yes! Well, actually..."
Grom raised his head and began laying out the situation.
He said the Hero had appeared in a remote area of the Kingdom.
There was a small territory that had yet to submit to the Demon Lord's army and continued to resist.
There, a single soldier had apparently undergone a sudden awakening.
That young man, having wrapped his sword in sacred light, annihilated the dispatched undead in the blink of an eye.
Grom and a handful of others had managed to return, and that was where things stood.
For a single individual to wipe out the Demon Lord's undead forces was something difficult to imagine.
Their strength was far beyond what could be explained by the simple label of "exceptional mage."
On top of that, they wielded sacred light and swordsmanship as their weapons.
A name truly fitting for a hero.
Still, despite sharing the title of hero, they were likely unrelated to that woman.
They must have been called that solely as a wielder of the holy sword.
Moreover, the title of hero itself had never referred to just one person.
It was precisely because she had accomplished the great feat of subjugating the Demon Lord that it had become synonymous with her.
"My sincerest apologies. To have caused the loss of such valued subordinates of the Demon Lord..."
Grom apologized with such force it seemed he would press his forehead to the floor.
I raised my hand to stop him.
"Do not trouble yourself over it. If the enemy was a hero, it could not be helped."
A hero wielding sacred power against undead who thrived on miasma—the matchup in battle could not have been worse.
Their defeat was hardly surprising.
If anything, I wanted to commend them for having returned safely to report.
While the number of undead lost appeared substantial, considering how many remained, it was a trivial toll.
That is merely on a scale that can easily be offset at another battlefield.
Grom seemed somewhat dissatisfied.
He asked tentatively.
"Um... are you not surprised? The Demon King was originally..."
"A sage who fought alongside the hero. Is that what you want to say?"
"..."
Grom fell silent.
It seemed I had hit the mark.
It must have been difficult for him to bring up.
I could understand his feelings.
Grom knew what had led me to this state.
He also understood that the existence of a "hero" held a special significance for me.
That is why he was concerned about a hero appearing in the enemy ranks.
I reassured Grom, who was at a loss for words.
"There is nothing to be surprised about. A hero has simply been born in this era as well."
"In this era..."
I nodded at Grom's words.
And immediately continued.
"The world apparently does not permit evil to run rampant. When a threat like a Demon King arises, it places an existence to counter it. That was the previous hero and me."
In every age, there is an executor of justice.
It could also be called fate.
They overcame suffering to annihilate evil.
And they did so as if it were the most natural thing.
Looking back through history, such events repeated themselves.
Though the details differed, the broad strokes were the same.
Evil, committing every manner of atrocity, is purged by justice wielding unreasonable power.
And so people enjoy a fleeting peace.
A classic tale of heroes.
Perhaps Henry, too, was chosen as an agent of justice.
Perhaps the intended path was for the three of them, including him, to challenge the Demon Lord.
In all likelihood, a future following that very pattern must have existed.
"We were guided by the world, we defeated the Demon Lord, and we nobly reclaimed peace. Of course, that was merely the beginning of an inescapable tragedy."
A revenge taken ten years in the making.
And an invasion to realize true world peace.
It must have been a nightmare for the people.
It happened just when peace finally seemed within reach, after the previous Demon Lord's death.
What they sought was a grey peace.
Compromising in a cruel world, they wished for a life that was neither the best nor the worst.
They lament the misfortunes and tragedies that befall them, are tormented by their own helplessness, and so they die.
"I, who once saved the world, have become the new Demon Lord. To counter this, the current Hero must have awakened. It seems the flow of the world is determined to bury me, one way or another."
"Lord Demon King..."
Grom's voice carried the weight of sorrow.
Though his skeletal face could not change expression, the turmoil within was conveyed with perfect clarity.
That's why I speak to reassure him.
"Of course, I have no intention of going down quietly. I have a purpose. A purpose I wish to achieve even if I must defy the world itself."
I look into the flames flickering within Grom's eye sockets.
The wavering fire waited, yearning for the words that would follow.
"The new hero must be eliminated. If left unchecked, they will only grow stronger. We must strike them down before they become unmanageable."
"Will the Lord Demon King go in person? If you command it, I will handle the matter..."
Grom offers his suggestion quietly.
He was not seeking glory for himself.
It was concern for me.
He had judged that the hero and I should not confront one another directly.
Indeed, with Grom's combat prowess, he could likely face the hero even alone.
His growing power was already sufficient to have trampled multiple armies.
Luciana and Henry were also there.
With their cooperation, there would be no need for me, the Demon King, to go myself.
But I shake my head.
"I will fight. The opponent is a hero chosen by the age itself. I should give it my all. Who knows what miracle might occur."
Heroes feed on adversity to grow stronger.
It could be said I am a being favored by destiny.
In my past life, I had witnessed it up close.
Regarding the existence known as the Hero, I understood it more accurately than anyone.
I was confident I could crush even the miracles wrought by a Hero.
I would leave no room for reversal and swiftly annihilate them.
The current Demon Lord will never die.
The story of good triumphing over evil has run dry.
"Regarding the confrontation with the Hero, I will entrust you with support. I am counting on you when that time comes."
When I said this, Grom stood up and saluted.
"Y-Yes, sir! Please leave it to me. I will definitely prove myself useful to the Demon Lord!"
"Indeed. I expect much."
I rose from the sofa and walked toward the room's entrance.
Just as I touched the door, I added one more instruction for Grom.
"Tell Luciana and Henry as well. We will launch the assault before sunset."
"At once! As you command."
Grom responded with a serious demeanor.
All trace of hesitation and conflict had vanished from him.
As a loyal retainer to the Demon Lord, he was resolved to fulfill his role.
There was no longer any need for concern.
Having confirmed Grom's state of mind, I opened the door and left the room.