「The Demon Kings were manufactured by human hands. At least that’s what happened two thousand years ago, when we still living as humans.」
Four Seasons-san’s confession hit me like a hammer.
Manufactured?
The Demon Kings—Rare Existence—those monstrous beings like the Chimera?
How?
It couldn’t have been through science or biotechnology. The world I glimpsed in my dream, from two thousand years ago, seemed far less advanced than the one we live in now. There were no signs of advanced technology.
So it must have been magic.
There’s no doubt that there were lost technologies back then. I recall that magic from that era could alter the very fabric of reality, using something akin to ‘Repaint’ to rewrite the world itself.
—But I shook my head, pushing those thoughts aside.
No, that’s not the point. The real shock isn’t how it was done.
「Why? Why would humans create such monsters?」
「For war.」
Four Seasons-san answered coldly.
His blunt reply settled heavily in my chest, as though it had been obvious from the start.
The moment I heard it, I knew.
But even so, it filled me with a weight I couldn’t shake.
「I don’t remember much about the geopolitical state of the world back then. But the technology to manufacture Demon Kings was fully developed. Nations were mass-producing them as weapons. They cloaked their intentions in grand terms like ‘divine emissaries’ or ‘demigods’, but they were just tools—tools for invading other countries. The nation we were transported to opposed their use.」
「And that’s why you fought them? Fought the Rare Existence?」
「Yes. Our motivations were probably something like justice or revulsion. I can’t remember my exact emotions from back then.」
「I can imagine. As someone who’s lived in the same peaceful era as you, seeing something like that would make me think, ‘this is wrong’. I wouldn’t be able to stand by.」
「Then you can probably guess what happened next, can’t you?」
「Yes…」
Four Seasons-san’s sigh carried the weight of resignation.
It made perfect sense.
Dropped into a world where bioweapons were used in warfare, with the ethics of modern Japan, how could young people like them not be used, manipulated?
「Even if you stand for ethics and justice, in the end, war is war. And when it’s a long-standing conflict, both sides do the same thing. Our nation, which opposed the Demon Kings’ creation as inhumane and a violation of life itself, still used weapons to push its agenda. Those weapons were us—the children transmigrated from another world.」
「…」
「We didn’t realize it right away. I don’t remember exactly when it dawned on us. But by the time we had lost nearly half of our comrades, we had wiped out all the Demon Kings. You could say we saved the world—after all, those monsters destroyed everything in their path. Not even the nations that created them could control them.」
I tried to picture it.
What if I had been transported to the same era as Four Seasons-san and his group?
Would I have fought, too?
Would I have joined that nation and helped defeat the Demon Kings?
「…I was born in a peaceful time, wasn’t I?」
「Hey, don’t let it get to you. It’s all in the past. Even I only remembered it today, so you don’t need to dwell on it.」
「But—」
「What’s important is the present, right? You don’t need to be sentimental about the past. What you need is to use the facts of the past to address the problems right in front of you.」
With that, Four Seasons-san reached out and gently patted my shoulder.
「Yes, you’re right. Thank you.」
「A lot has happened, but the future continues. My comrades became elves and passed their bloodline down to Karen. The children who were once part of my family have taken root in this world, and they brought forth lives like Chocola and Mint. I think that’s enough.」
「Bark?」
At the sound of her name, Chocola lifted her head and looked toward Four Seasons-san.
「Thanks to our magic exchange, Sui, I’ve remembered a bit more. Yes, we did have a dog back then—a Siberian Husky we brought with us from the other world… a smart one, much like you, Chocola.」
「Bark!」
Four Seasons-san stood up from his chair and crouched down in front of Chocola, meeting his eyes.
He extended his hand to her chin, and with a soft bark, Chocola leaned into the touch, his eyes narrowing in contentment.
「Kwuunn.」
「….Thank you. For still being here, even after two thousand years.」
His voice was no longer distant or detached, no longer the cool, objective tone he usually used when talking about the past.
It was warm and filled with genuine emotion.
After a moment, Four Seasons-san’s expression shifted, becoming more serious.
「Now, we should discuss the current situation. They say something resembling the Demon Kings has appeared once more. The question is whether it was created artificially like before or if it came about naturally.」
「Do you think it’s possible that the method to create them still exists…..?」
I asked, feeling a chill run down my spine. The thought that someone could still be creating those monsters was terrifying.
Four Seasons-san shook his head, not in denial but in uncertainty.
「I can’t say. I don’t remember the exact method of how they were made. And the world is different now than it was two thousand years ago… partly because of my grand magic. Even if I did remember, I don’t know if it could be replicated today.」
「So, the method is lost, and even if it wasn’t, it’s unclear whether it could even work in the present day. Is that what you mean?」
「Exactly. That’s why the first step is for me to recover my memory.」
His eyes gleamed with a spark of determination, even in the dark night, as though they held a light of their own.
「Two thousand years ago, the world was overrun by Demon Kings… it was a nightmare.」
「……Yes.」
「Even if we, as the inhabitants of the ethereal world, cannot interfere directly with the living world… even if we’re beings that exist in the gaps between realms, I will not allow my wife or my children to witness such horror again. If you’re committed to preventing it, I will support you however I can.」
Of course, to do that, we’d need much more information.
And for that, we needed Four Seasons-san to remember more.
「One dream won’t reveal everything. But one dream gave us a lead. If we keep revisiting these dreams, we’ll eventually uncover the truth.」
「Yes. We might lose some sleep, but we’ll make it work.」
Without a word, Four Seasons-san raised his fist toward me.
I grinned and bumped my fist against his in return.
A fist bump.
It reminded me of my time in Japan, when my friends and I would do this after gym class, a simple gesture of camaraderie.
Maybe it existed here too, though I hadn’t seen anyone else do it. So I had a feeling this was something uniquely ours—a ritual between two Japanese souls, united in their fight.
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