Chapter 12: The Seeds of Betrayal

With a flash of light, Min Sena escaped via teleportation magic and landed in the imperial palace.

“!!”

The Emperor immediately rushed to her side, casting healing magic as soon as he saw her condition.

“What is the meaning of this…! Archmage Admut, what have you done?!”

“Haah… haah…!”

Despite her passive ability to ignore pain, Min Sena clutched her bloodied hand to the Emperor’s chest, squeezing out tears.

“Azjan… my love… save me! Please… I think I’m dying…!”

“Summon all the court magicians! Anyone capable of divine power, come immediately! Save my wife!”

The Emperor, Azjan, poured all his mana into healing her, but it was futile. Blood continued to flow from her severed wrist, and crimson seeped from what appeared to be a stab wound in her abdomen.

“Y-Your Majesty! You summoned us?”

“Quickly, heal her! Our mana alone won’t suffice!”

“Y-Yes, Your Majesty!”

A priest of the Empire stretched his hand toward Min Sena, infusing her with divine energy.

“Do everything you can! If my fiancée dies, I will personally execute every one of you!”

“Y-Yes, Your Majesty! We’ll give it our all!”

As divine power—the very essence of life—poured into her, Min Sena’s bleeding finally began to slow. She started to breathe steadily, just as the priests managed to staunch the bleeding. The timing seemed almost uncanny, but the chaos of the moment left no one questioning it.

“Femme Fatale, are you conscious? What happened?”

“I… I’m sorry. That man, Undertaker, has gone mad.”

“Sir Undertaker…?”

“He tried to kill both Admut and me!”

Tears streamed down Min Sena’s face.

“While he kept the heroes trapped in the Church of the Goddess, he went to liberate the Demon King’s sword! He used that cursed blade to—Aaagh!!”

She screamed, trembling uncontrollably as if reliving her trauma. Her performance seemed genuine, though a faint trace of artificiality hung in the air. Yet, no one dared call her out on it.

“Rest easy. I’m here now. I’ll protect you from now on.”

“Azjan…”

“Prepare chambers for my fiancée to recover!”

“Stay with me…! I’m so scared….”

“…Of course, my dear fiancée.”

The Emperor embraced Min Sena, gently patting her back. His gaze briefly lingered on her severed wrist, causing him to flinch, but he quickly met her eyes with a forced smile.

“I swear I’ll do whatever it takes to heal your wounds. But for now, rest and recover. We’ll discuss this calmly later.”

“Oh, my love… thank you. Hic… sob….”

As she limped into his arms, Min Sena froze, realizing her missing hand had not returned.

The next day, an official announcement spread throughout the land.

“Undertaker has released the Demon King’s sword and submerged Storm Isle into the sea.”

And then came another proclamation:

“There’s a possibility the Demon King’s seed resides within Undertaker! Be cautious of him—he may have fallen to darkness!”

Under the Emperor’s orders, a bounty was placed on Undertaker, labeling him as the murderer of Archmage Admut.

“Unbelievable.”

Three days after the fall of Storm Isle, I arrived on the southern continent, far from the Empire’s influence. Seeing wanted posters of myself plastered everywhere, I couldn’t help but scoff.

“So, this is how they plan to ruin me.”

The claim that I harbored the Demon King’s essence was pure nonsense, a political smear tactic. It wasn’t unexpected, though.

In the modern world, they used social media to manipulate public opinion. Here, the Empire wielded official decrees and proclamations to do the same.

The accusation that I killed Archmage Admut was true. I’d take responsibility for that. But claiming I was cursed or the Demon King’s successor? That was an outright lie. The Demon King was dead, no question about it.

‘I won’t just sit and take this.’

I’m not the type to passively endure slander. But I’m also not reckless enough to march into the Empire and declare my innocence.

What mattered now was speed:

• How quickly could I destroy the ring?
• How fast could I alter its properties?
• How swiftly could I secure the Demon King’s weapons before the other heroes?

Clearing my name could wait.

“How delightful for you, Kramuta. You’ll get to watch the surviving heroes tear each other apart.”

The spirit of my sword, Kramuta, emerged, taking the form of a dark elf after I infused her with mana and broke her seal.

“Why?” she asked, smirking. “Aren’t you curious why I’m doing all this?”

“Are you going to answer me?”

“I’m bored, so sure.”

I sat in a quiet corner of the inn, waiting for someone. The wait felt endless, and thinking alone was tiresome. So, I decided to make Crammuta my temporary companion.

“You just need to sit there and listen to my complaints and rants. Got it? You’re my emotional dumpster.”

“Using someone as an emotional dumpster? You really are insane.”

“After spending every day cleaning up my comrades’ corpses and fighting demonkind, staying sane isn’t exactly an option.”

“Alright, then. Spill it. What’s your grand plan?”

“A mix of repaying debts and eliminating variables.”

I exhaled deeply, pretending to swing an imaginary golf club, and organized my thoughts.

“Before I return to my world, Earth, I plan to ensure this world doesn’t spiral into chaos after I’m gone. I’m going to eliminate any potential threats.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Out of the five heroes summoned, only two can return. Myself and one other woman.”

“…Heh.”

Crammuta’s lips curled into an amused smile.

“One guy, four women? You get to choose? Sounds fun. The ones left behind are going to throw some major fits.”

“And who do you think they’ll aim their rage at? With the Demon King gone, there’s no one left to control these heroes.”

“Those girls are weaklings. What’s the problem?”

“They’re weak now because they haven’t fought much. But with experience, they can grow even stronger than me.”

Every hero has a growth system, and their strength increases as they gain experience.

“Think about it. What if one of the heroes loses it, starts massacring humans, and becomes absurdly powerful? And with all the demons eradicated, there’s no one left who could even scratch them. Doesn’t that sound like a real Demon King to you?”

The goddess made it so we could grow stronger quickly. Unfortunately, killing humans also increases our experience points.

“Before they died, my comrades who fought alongside me against the Demon King made a final request. They wanted me to ensure that, after their deaths, this world wouldn’t be consumed by more wars and slaughter.”

I remembered their dying words vividly.

And I intended to honor their wish.

“Before I return to Earth, I’ll remove every threat from this world: the Demon King’s remnants and the other heroes.”

“You plan to kill the remaining heroes?”

“Not kill. Not exactly…”

I reached for a small chest and opened it.

“Seal them. Piece by piece.”

“…You’re absolutely insane.”

Inside the chest was none other than Min Sena’s severed hand.

“Scatter their bodies across the world. Like this.”

The hand, severed cleanly by the Demon King’s sword, should have decayed long ago. But it remained pristine.

“If the sword had belonged to the Demon King during his prime, the severed part would have rotted instantly. But since the Demon King is dead, it just ends with separation.”

“So, what’s the plan? Seal them across the world like the Demon King’s relics?”

Crammuta’s amused expression stiffened as realization dawned.

“Are you serious?”

“Dead serious. That’s why I brought you along.”

I extended my hand toward Crammuta.

“You want to be freed from the Demon King’s sword, don’t you?”

“…What do you mean by that?”

“To free the sword, I’ll need to trap someone’s soul inside it. Permanently.”

“You can’t mean…”

“What do you need? Their head? Their heart? Do they have to be alive? Whatever it takes, just let me know. If it’s them, I’ll gladly go to any lengths.”

“…You’re utterly unhinged.”

“I’m perfectly rational. I’ll do anything to fulfill the wishes of the dead.”

Be it Chae Yuri, Min Sena, or the other two women…

“Some asked me to kill them outright. Others wished for them to suffer a fate worse than death. What’s worse than being stripped of your humanity, trapped inside the Demon King’s weapon, and sealed in a place no one can reach? They’ll never see Earth again. Ever.”

Ideally, all four of them.

“Wait. That doesn’t make sense. If only one other person can return with you, doesn’t that mean you can’t seal all four of them? What’s your plan—seal them first and decide later?”

“No, that’s not it. Crammuta, I’m sure you’d prefer it if I disappeared altogether, right? Let’s make a deal.”

I extended my hand for a handshake.

“I’ll seal the other heroes inside the Demon King’s relics and leave this world. In return, behave yourself and remain my weapon until then.”

“…Will you also ‘free’ the others?”

“Of course. To make room for them inside, naturally.”

“And who are you planning to take back with you?”

“Well…”

The answer had been decided from the beginning.

“The person I love.”

No matter what it took, I’d make sure we returned together.

“I’ll scatter their bodies across the world and trap their souls in the Demon King’s relics so they can never escape. That’s my plan.”