"What's the meaning of this…?"
I awaken.
I touch the spot where I was just cut with a blade, reassuring myself that there are no wounds, and then return from death.
"what is going on…?"
My head is in turmoil.
Holy Knight Canaria killed Hero Eligion.
It wasn't a spontaneous act; I can tell from her words and actions that she planned it. She probably had been waiting for an opportunity to kill the hero inside the carriage.
And then, the supposedly dead Demon Lord Zoga emerged from the carriage.
I have no idea what happened inside the carriage.
But one thing is certain: Holy Knight Canaria resurrected Demon Lord Zoga.
So, Holy Knight Canaria is a traitor.
However, knowing this could be a significant revelation.
There might be a glimmer of hope.
Perhaps we can prevent the resurrection of Demon Lord Zoga.
◆
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?!"
I was grabbed by the collar, and Hero Eligion shouted angrily.
"I apologize for taking matters into my own hands. However, it was necessary to prevent the Demon Lord's revival."
Until the hero defeated the Demon Lord, I followed the same actions as in the previous timeline.
Then, against the hero's wishes, I did something on my own.
I burned the body of the Demon Lord, including his head.
"The Demon Lord's body is important evidence of his defeat. Do you understand what it means to burn it?"
While gripping my collar, Hero Eligion said so.
In the previous timeline, Hero Eligion had said that it was fine to burn everything except the Demon Lord's head. As long as they had the head, it would serve as proof of their victory.
However, leaving the head resulted in the revival of Demon Lord Zoga.
So, the only option was to burn it, head and all.
"If the Demon Lord were to revive, all of the hero's efforts would be in vain. Please understand."
"There's no way the Demon Lord will come back. For the peace and relief of the people, we need the Demon Lord's head…"
With a sigh, the hero scratched his head roughly.
Honestly, I didn't care how much the hero resented me as long as we could prevent the Demon Lord's resurrection.
Then, as in the previous timeline, Holy Knight Canaria arrived.
Holy Knight Canaria looked at the burned remains of the Demon Lord and commented, "I see, you took quite the liberty here."
I wondered what she really thought deep down. I hoped she would be angry that we'd prevented the Demon Lord's revival. It would be the best outcome. If she believed that burning the remains wouldn't hinder the Demon Lord's resurrection, it would be the worst-case scenario.
I sincerely hoped for the former.
◆
Afterwards, we regrouped with the other party members and used teleportation to return outside the dungeon.
Even if we burned the Demon Lord's body, his bones would remain. As the minimum evidence, we decided to bring those remains back with us.
Then, in the village of Katarov, a celebration began. However, perhaps due to the absence of the Demon Lord's body, the festivities felt more subdued than in the previous timeline.
Amidst all this, I had been contemplating a certain possibility. Could the Demon Lord be revived even if only his bones remained?
Although Holy Knight Canaria appeared angry when she saw the burning body, she didn't seem shocked. Her expression might indicate that she was confident that the Demon Lord's revival wouldn't be hindered by the body burning.
The more I thought about it, the more I felt that way. If that's the case, I have no choice but to take action.
In the middle of the night, while the villagers were asleep, I acted alone.
"This should be it."
I held a wooden box containing the Demon Lord's remains. The box had been carelessly placed in a prominent spot in the village, making it easy to steal. It was likely left there because no one would think of stealing the Demon Lord's remains. I checked the contents to confirm the presence of the remains.
With the remains in hand, I decided to escape from the village.
"Huff, huff, huff, huff…"
I stopped when I felt that I had run far enough. Running with all my might had left me panting heavily.
I took out the remains from the wooden box and began the task of shattering them with a sword. Crushing the bones was a time-consuming process. No matter how much I smashed them, I felt it might not be enough to prevent the revival. So, by the time I was satisfied with the shattering, the sun had already risen.
"I think this should be enough. Truly, after being shattered into pieces like this."
I muttered as I gazed at the bone fragments that had become as fine as dust. I then scattered them into a nearby pond.
"Now, all that's left is to pray that the Demon Lord doesn't resurrect."
I should have done everything I could. After burning the Demon Lord's body and finely crushing the remaining bones, I scattered them in a pond. There shouldn't be a better course of action than this.
I heard the sound of wings flapping. A gust of wind enveloped me. When I looked up, a dragon was about to land from the sky.
"Hmm, quite an odd person to be doing such strange things."
The voice was familiar. The individual jumped down from the dragon's back and landed in front of me.
"Canaria…!"
I shouted the name of the person standing before me. How did they know my location? It was a perplexing question. However, the bone remains had already been scattered. If they came to retrieve them, it was too late.
"I know all about your scheme."
"Hmph, what scheme are you talking about?"
"You're trying to resurrect the Demon Lord, aren't you?"
"Argh! Why would you say that?"
As soon as I pointed it out, Holy Knight Canaria widened her eyes and stepped back. It seemed that she was quite shaken.
"But, too bad! I've foiled your scheme! The Demon Lord's remains are gone! Now, there's no way to resurrect him!"
I was already convinced that I had won. With this, the resurrection of the Demon Lord had been prevented.
"You surprised me?"
As Holy Knight Canaria said this, she took something out of her pocket. It was a ring with a jewel that radiated light.
"This is a ring, one of a kind in the world created by my master. The power of this ring is resurrection."
As soon as she said this, the ring in her hand started to shine and then made a shattering sound as it disintegrated.
"Whoops, what's going on here?"
A voice came from right behind me. Could it be…?
Unbelievable… As I thought that, I turned around.
"It seems that you believed that a body is needed for resurrection, but unfortunately, that was a mistake. So, all your schemes were in vain."
Holy Knight Canaria spoke earnestly.
It was an inconvenient truth.
"So, what should I do then?"
"Kill that one, please."
Upon the Demon Lord's question, Holy Knight Canaria lowered her head and made a request.
"I see, understood."
The Demon Lord smirked, and almost simultaneously, his fist struck me.
"Ugh!"
I let out a groan. My body was forcefully sent flying, knocking down the trees in its path.
"Ugh… Ah!"
I coughed violently where I landed, spitting out blood with each cough.
"What, you're still alive."
Saying so, the Demon Lord casually lifted my head, and I had no strength left to resist. Then, he slammed me into a rock.
Naturally, my consciousness faded.