Chapter 31: Love

“Enter”

Leon entered the room with a somewhat tense expression, looking around with a puzzled expression.

The room was too informal. It seemed that he didn’t know where to stand.

Viola sensed this and gestured subtly. Relieved, Leon walked towards her. Nox, who had quietly taken Viola’s hand at some point, tightened his grip.

“Nox.”

“…”

Viola, getting no response from the man who only raised an eyebrow, gave up and returned her gaze to Leon. Leon, who had glanced down at their still-held hands for a moment, quickly stood next to Viola. There was no sign of him sitting.

“Sorry for the sudden visit.”

Leon began with an apology for his abrupt arrival, causing the men present to momentarily tense their spines. Apparently, this kind of politeness was somewhat unsettling.

“Hero Leon. What brings you here?”

Whether Nox had fully delegated the role of the conversation leader to himself or not, Arnold also maintained silence.

“I’ve been misunderstanding you all for a long time.”

“Oh?”

“as a cruel and heartless race, deceiving Viola.”

“Is that so? Used to it; what’s the fuss now?”

Ignoring Nox’s curt tone, Viola lightly tapped the back of his hand. Disregarding the low voice saying “hey,” Viola nodded as if urging the conversation to continue.

“But things have changed since I came here. Thanks to Viola. I… don’t wish for conflict between humans and the demon race anymore.”

The somewhat frivolous atmosphere that had been present until now disappeared in an instant.

The sounds of adjusting postures and releasing pens echoed in the room. Soon, those sounds subsided, and a silence so profound that one could almost hear the breath of others enveloped the space.

Leon bit his mouth as he felt nervous.

“So, I’ll tell you my truth.”

Leon placed his hand on the robe he was wearing. As the robe slid off his shoulders, the royal crest of the king’s family shone. Next to it, Leon gently stroked the embroidered emblem of the hero, a sacred sword, with his fingertips and promptly threw it onto the center of the table.

A dull sound echoed—the robe, as if leaping over Viola’s head, danced through the air and landed precisely on the candelabrum placed in the center of the table.

The smell of burning fabric filled the room. Perhaps due to some protection, it didn’t burst into flames all at once, but the once pristine white cloth gradually darkened as it was exposed to the fire for an extended period.

Leon, who had silently watched it for a while, slowly opened his mouth.

“I’m not a hero.”

The fire that had been gradually eating away at the white fabric suddenly intensified. It seemed the protection had reached its limit. Facing the irregularly flickering light, Leon continued.

To be precise, there is no such thing as a hero. From the beginning, it’s just the king’s delusion.”

“Why?”

No one dared to break the heavy, oppressive silence. The first to speak in the air thick with tension was Nox.

“Why did the king utter such a ridiculous lie?”

“To invade the Demon King’s Castle. Humans didn’t start the invasion because a hero was born, but because we wanted to invade. The hero was made up.”

“Any evidence for those words?”

With the sound of a chair, Nox stood up, squinting at Leon. Simultaneously, a gust of wind extinguished the flames on the robe in an instant.

In the darkened room, Nox lowered his voice as if probing.

“Even if you tell me you’re not the hero, and behind my back, they say you’re targeting my life, should I believe it?”

“If so, you should kill me right away.”

“Huh?”

“I won’t resist. But before that, I want to talk about the future.”

Raising both hands literally to show his unarmed state, Leon looked straight at Nox and declared,

“If the reason the king started the invasion isn’t the hero, there must be another reason. If we find that, we might be able to end this battle.”

The room’s atmosphere suddenly shook.

Nox conjured a tremendous wind. Glasses fell to the floor, creating a shattering sound. Amidst scattered documents, Nox quietly lowered his gaze.

“Tell me one thing… Has the king ever seen me in the past?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Answer me!”

It was a roar.

Unable to withstand that pressure, a window shattered. Through the gap in the blown-off curtains, strong sunlight streamed in.

Everyone watched Nox’s unusual demeanor as he bit his lip while facing the bright light. Under the oppressive atmosphere, Leon answered,

“He has. Although the image was taken from a distance, there have been images of the Demon King brought into the castle.”

Nox maintained silence for a while.

There was a sign of someone shifting uncomfortably. Nox, raising his face as if coming back to his senses from a sound, after letting out a slightly trembling breath, spoke calmly.

“I see.”

“…Nox?”

Viola called his name, trying to pull his hand, but Nox refused to make eye contact.

Continuing to focus his gaze solely on Leon, Nox stated matter-of-factly,

“Then it’s useless. That man won’t give up on killing me.”

“What do you mean?”

“You don’t need to know.”

“But we can’t end the battle like this.”

“You…”

With fingers bent in a frustrated manner, the long nails faintly scratched the skin of the hand.

“Why do you desire to stop the war so much? You, who have been at the center of the battles until now?”

“Because Viola wishes for it.”

“M-Me?”

In response to the sudden mention of her name, Viola looked up at Leon in surprise. Leon, looking down at Viola, nodded with a gentle smile.

“Yes, you.”

Leon’s hand was gently placed on Viola’s head.

“You didn’t burden me further when I was on the verge of collapsing under impossible expectations.”

Leon chuckled softly.

Not a hero. He truly had no power. He didn’t feel like he could save the people. He never thought he could fight carrying such expectations.

But Viola never expected anything from Leon from the beginning to the end.

“How much it made me happy,” Leon said.

“What are you talking about?”

“You don’t have to remember.”

“Leon.”

“It’s okay,” Leon repeated and turned to Nox.

“I don’t mind what you do. Whether you believe it or not, it’s your choice. You can kill me, threaten me, or use me as a negotiating tool. However, if Viola doesn’t want this battle, I don’t want it either. So, use me for that.”

Having said what he wanted to say, Leon fell silent.

Everyone was waiting for Nox’s response. However, Nox remained silent, refusing to utter a word.

Only his calmly swaying hair seemed to express his feelings. Fresh blood flowed smoothly from his white hand, where the long nails had dug in.

“…Restrain him.”

After a long silence, Nox spoke only those words.

Even the trained men hesitated for a moment. Clearly taking advantage of the opening, Leon didn’t escape. Nox walked past the restrained Leon without saying another word.

“Nox!”

Without responding to Viola’s call, Nox silently walked away.

Seeing his retreating figure, Viola stood up.

As Viola started to run, a small voice called out from behind.

“Viola.”

“…Leon.”

“Are you going to chase after him?”

“Yes.”

In response to Viola’s resolute answer, Leon smiled faintly.

“…Do you like the Demon King?”

Viola closed her eyes and smiled.

“Yes.”

This time, no one stopped Viola as she started to run again.