If It’s for My Daughter, I’d Even Defeat a Demon Lord: Volume 6 (Premium)

by CHIROLU

  However, Smaragdi also understood where those feelings were coming from. The words of Epilogi, the previous grand priestess, held great weight, and so her prophecy that the girl would bring ruin in the future aroused great unease in people’s hearts.

  Chrysos and Platina were both sensitive to the ill will held by others.

  Sensing that whirlpool of malice swirling within the temple with her at the center, Platina trembled, and seeing her other half that way, Chrysos joined hands with her sister and appeared frightened herself.

  Smaragdi and Mov were both aware that appearing nervous only made the girls more unnerved, but even so, neither were able to bring themselves to relax.

  When Mov at last returned to their room late at night, she had a look of exhaustion about her. Her expression didn’t brighten even after seeing Smaragdi and her daughters. Sensing clearly that today had not gone well, Smaragdi spoke up to comfort her, saying, “Are you alright, Mov? You shouldn’t push yourself too—”

  “It is not a matter of pushing myself too hard or not. In order to protect my child, I will exert every ounce of energy I have in my body,” she interrupted, causing Smaragdi to give a bit of an awkward smile.

  “Right. But it’s important for Platina’s sake, too. If you end up collapsing, then you won’t be able to protect her anymore.”

  “I understand that.”

  While running his fingers through her purple hair, Smaragdi asked, “Mov, are there any records of Lady Epilogi’s prophecies ever proving wrong?”

  From his analytical tone, it was clear his question was said not out of desperation, but in order to ensure he was thinking things through using accurate information.

  Smaragdi was also having his heart torn apart by anger and impatience. But it wouldn’t be possible to make things take a turn for the better that way. Understanding that, he decided that rather than letting his emotions show and screaming out, he should do his best to think things through calmly.

  Mov, on the other hand, was letting her agitation and unease clearly show.

  When she was carrying out her duties as grand priestess, she would never let others see her tremble. The one and only time she would expose her own weakness was in front of Smaragdi. That was the compromise that woman, far younger than Smaragdi, had reached with her own feelings.

  “As far as I am aware, Lady Epilogi’s prophecies have never erred,” Mov replied in a hoarse voice, causing Smaragdi to quietly think for a bit.

  “With that prophecy you once received, and the open throne... with this prophecy, I think it’s safe to assume that Chrysos will become the First Demon Lord.”

  “Smaragdi...”

  “Even so, I can’t imagine Platina ever wishing to harm Chrysos. The only way I can think of that occurring...” Smaragdi started, a clearly disgusted expression uncharacteristically showing clearly on his face, “would be after she’d been driven into the depths of despair after being exposed to all this absurd malice.”

  These two sisters were currently very close to each other, but there was no guarantee that they would remain that way forever. However, for such naturally kind girls to be warped that greatly, it would clearly require something to happen to influence them greatly. That was why their parents thought they absolutely needed to protect the two of them.

  Mov stifled her own anxiety and raised her face.

  “There’s a possibility that Platina could harm Chrysos without meaning to do so.”

  “...That may be possible. Can you see that using your divine protection?”

  “Whether I can or not, I will still try... Otherwise, there is no purpose to me even having such a power,” said Mov, driven by her emotions. Smaragdi put his arms around her, holding back his own turbulent feelings all the while. He was well aware that she loved their twin daughters every bit as much as he did.

  Even though it was out of love, perhaps she was unqualified to serve as a ruler, being unable to pass impartial judgment on her own daughters.

  “I feel the same way that you do.”

  Even so, Smaragdi swore in his heart that he would never deny her right to do so.

  “For me now, if those girls were placed on a scale with the nation of Vassilios itself, they’d win out handily, after all.”

  Even if they couldn’t find a clear answer to the problem, they were both prepared to never stop struggling against that fate. The greatest sources of support for the two parents were their beloved, darling daughters.

  The two sisters had been close to start with, but now they wouldn’t leave each other’s side for even an instant. Even now they slept together in the same bed, cuddling as close to one another as they could.

  The girls understood that the circumstances they found themselves in had suddenly taken a turn for the worse. And it was hard to imagine that Platina in particular hadn’t noticed that “bad thing” was directed towards her. She was so observant that the word “smart” didn’t even begin to cover it.

  Their parents weren’t aware of the ability to detect ill will that the girls possessed, but they knew that their daughters weren’t dense enough to fail to notice something was out of sorts. They never let even a slight change slip them by, after all.

  The first one of them to break out in tears was always Platina, who was more of a timid crybaby. But lately, she didn’t seem to be even crying anymore, as if she had forgotten how.

  “...Chrysos has been crying, and she’s always holding Platina’s hand. It’s like she’s trying to do it in place of Platina, who can’t even cry anymore,” Smaragdi said in a bitter voice, thinking back on the state his daughters were in. Those girls had been so lively and cheerful, but now they not only didn’t complain about being shut away in a single room, they actually cowered in a corner of that dark room, as if hiding. They were surely sharing in their terror. Chrysos in particular was always hugging her other half, as if trying to defend Platina from that “bad thing” directed towards her. She kept on desperately protecting her sister.

  “I never imagined it could be so painful, not being able to take someone’s place.”

  It was no surprise that Smaragdi ended up feeling helpless and angry, having watched his daughters remain in such a state. He felt as if he could understand a bit of the desire those demon lords called Calamities held to destroy everything. He even felt like he wanted to drive away all of those who brought harm to his beloved daughter.

  “It may be times like this that cause people to wish for power...” Smaragdi muttered, and Mov hugged him a little more tightly with the arms already around his back.

  Smaragdi had exposed a portion of his true feelings and let the unrest in his voice be heard before Mov, but he didn’t do so in front of his daughters. At the very least, he didn’t want to cause his daughters to be even more frightened. Because it was for the sake of his beloved daughters and no one else, he stifled the feelings in his heart.

  “Latina... Ryso... my precious daughters...”

  He hugged the girls, who hadn’t moved from the corner of the room that was becoming their normal position. He had taken care to use a gentle, kind voice when he called their names.

  “Both Mov and I love the two of you. That much will never, ever change. No matter what happens, we’ll always be on your side... remember that. Latina, Ryso...” he said, his words filled with love. Those words were unshaken, coming from the depths of his heart. That was precisely why he felt the need to say them, even if they didn’t reach his daughters in their current state.

  “Rag...” Chrysos alone said in response, her voice sounding like she was about to break down in tears. Sniffling all the while, she buried her face in Smaragdi’s chest. Even while doing so, she didn’t let go of Platina’s hands.

  Platina didn’t really react, remaining silent as she looked down, her face completely pale. Even so, when Smaragdi gently stroked Platina’s horn, as if enveloping it in his hand, Platina reached out and grabbed his clothing. Even from that frail motion, he could see that s
he was clearly still relying on him, bringing him an extraordinary sense of relief.

  What could he do for the sake of this girl? How could he aid his daughters? While thinking on such things, Smaragdi hugged the girls tight.

  Epilogi’s prediction, that Platina would someday “lead to lordly ruin,” could not be overturned.

  Surely there was someone far more suited to such a destiny than a kindhearted girl like Platina. When thinking such a thing, Mov remembered a terror she had started to forget.

  That presence had dyed the whole of the world she could see the color of despair on that day when she was young. That being smiling amidst spurting blood took the form of a young girl, only making her seem all the more warped and repulsize.

  The Second Demon Lord.

  She slaughtered others with only the act of killing itself as her goal. That demon lord had appeared before a young Mov swinging a blade splattered in fresh blood, an utterly overjoyed smile on her face. Even now, Mov could still clearly hear her voice.

  “It’s no fun to kill so easily. Perhaps letting them grow up a bit further makes for more interesting toys... What about you, I wonder?” the demon lord whispered in a voice so sweet it almost felt like it would give you heartburn, reaching out her slender fingers towards Mov, who was unable to even move. “What lovely gold and purple. It’s very rare to see such beautiful colors. I truly, truly adore things that are rare.” Her almost ominously red lips twisted into a grin. “It would be a waste to kill you now. I think it would be better to let you grow a bit further before adding you to my collection... It should be all the more enjoyable, having waited plenty.”

  The demon lord’s fingers smeared a good amount of fresh blood on Mov’s white cheeks. That blood belonged to that child who she had only just recently been talking to...

  Mov cut off her recollection there, shaking her head from side to side. She gripped her hand tight, as it had started trembling without her even realizing it.

  She couldn’t let herself falter over this level of terror. She wasn’t the same person she had been at that time. She was no longer someone who simply needed to be protected.

  There were people she wanted to protect. She wanted to protect them no matter what, even if she was up against a demon lord.

  “The Second Demon Lord... if Chrysos is determined to be the candidate for the First Demon Lord, then that girl will surely someday be exposed to the malice of that Calamity...”

  There was no way it would be possible to conceal her forever.

  Since a prediction that “a new king has been decided” was auspicious news, making it all the easier to become a topic of gossip. It would be impossible to keep everyone quiet. At some point it would come to light. And that time was drawing closer moment by moment.

  This time, Mov would protect her.

  Alongside that determination, Mov also employed her own power. The complex intertwining web of possible futures were like the shadows cast by the countless branches of a large tree, so even if one attempted to decipher them, it wasn’t an easy task to do so. Even so, Mov gazed at those futures, which only she could see. She pursued the fragments that led her to futures where her beloved daughter came to be called responsible for ruin.

  Those many, many possibilities—

  And so, she arrived at a single conclusion.

  “The Second Demon Lord finding Platina. Amongst the futures I saw, in order to protect both of our daughters, that absolutely must be avoided.”

  Hearing Mov’s words, Smaragdi frowned a bit.

  “From what I’ve heard, the Second Demon Lord has been seen accompanied by those with mana traits... but Platina doesn’t have one, right? Is it not a requirement that those she seeks for her attendants possess one?”

  “That demon lord... she said that she liked things that were ‘rare,’” Mov replied, causing Smaragdi’s expression to stiffen.

  “If she learns that the First Demon Lord has a twin sister... the Second Demon Lord will be certain to come after Platina...”

  Mov couldn’t deny those words. To someone like Mov, who could see countless possibilities, the word “certain” carried significant weight. However, as it had an incredibly high possibility of occurring, she couldn’t dismiss what he had said.

  “Mov. Can you see what will happen if the Second Demon Lord learns of Platina... that the new First Demon Lord has a twin sister?”

  “...she’d be a toy,” Mov replied, shaking with resentment at the future she had seen. “Platina would be taken away, and her mind would be broken. And then, Chrysos would also...”

  “...I see. That certainly would be a path to ruin.”

  That would surely be a more painful, tragic future than simply being killed.

  A broken Platina would be the sort of heartrending sight he’d never, ever want to see. If that happened, Chrysos would also be pulled along by her other half and lose her mind as well. And that surely wouldn’t be the end of things. That demon lord loved bloodshed and slaughter. She derived supreme joy from toying with the lives of others. She would surely force the two to meet and force them to kill one another. No matter which of them was left alive, that was surely a future worthy of being described as “ruin.”

  “I’ve lived here for a long time now, but I’m not especially devout... But even so...” Smaragdi whispered with a smile. “I believe in your power, in your words. I know that you love our daughters more than anyone.”

  According to Mov’s prediction, in order to protect the two of them, it was an indispensable requirement that the Second Demon Lord not find out about them. In that case, he would have to craft the best possible plan for their sake.

  “Let’s get Platina away from this country.”

  Mov had likely foreseen those words from Smaragdi as well. She didn’t say anything, simply wearing a pained expression on her face like she was swallowing down all her emotions.

  “Let’s accept the decision to judge that girl a criminal.”

  Even if that resulted in her being called a criminal and exposed to intense malice, it was far preferable to losing her.

  If they took Platina, who was under the care of the temple, and fled, then pursuers would come after them and their names would be known as great criminals. In order to lawfully take Platina not only out of the temple but also the country, then the most reasonable method was to have her be judged a criminal and sentenced to exile.

  And so, Smaragdi made a decision that seemed heartless. And at the same time, he made one further decision, too.

  “Surely, at that time... it will be a final farewell.”

  Mov silently threw her arms around Smaragdi. Smaragdi felt great relief from the way that he could see straight through to her heart from the way that she was slightly trembling.

  She was also finding it hard to part, just as he was. But it had been surely decided since the first time they met, that this farewell would come.

  “There’s no helping it, Mov. You need to protect Chrysos. I’ll protect Platina. What I can do is limited, but I’ll do everything that I can.”

  “Smaragdi...”

  “Take care of Ryso, alright. Of our precious daughter, who will be an important leader for our race... I’m sure that’s something that only you can do, Mov.”

  She had never wanted to hear those words of farewell, told in Smaragdi’s oh so kind voice, so Mov couldn’t hold back those tears from flowing and streaming down her cheek any longer.

  And then, that time came at last.

  Chrysos had a look of astonishment on her face as she looked at the hands wrenched away from her. She seemed to give a silent scream to her mother holding her back and her father taking Platina away.

  “Latina... It’s time to say farewell to Ryso.”

  His two daughters made faces like they didn’t understand their father’s words.

  “Why...?” Chrysos forced out in a hoarse voice, staring straight at Smaragdi. He had watched over that child ever since she was born. He most ce
rtainly didn’t wish to be separated from her.

  “Ryso, make sure you listen to what Mov tells you. You may not understand anything right now, but you’ll surely gain the power you need to get her back... I’m certain you will.”

  “...Rag?”

  “I love you. You’re my precious daughter, Ryso. Please, grow up to be happy. And never forget that’s what I wish for you.”

  Chrysos wasn’t able to understand the meaning of her father’s words. She had thought of her everyday life with her parents and her other half as something that would continue forever, unchanging. She didn’t know anything else. They were clever girls, but they had no idea that something so obvious in their lives could suddenly change like that.

  “No...”

  Platina, who had been pulled away from her, couldn’t even speak. It was all she could manage to reach out towards Chrysos, who was also stretching her arms out towards her sister while weeping.

  “No, no, no!”

  All the young Chrysos was able to do was yell out those words of defiance. Tears streaming from her eyes, she reached out towards her other half, trying to get her back. However, her petrified body didn’t possess enough strength to escape from her mother’s arms.

  “Ryso...” Platina called out her name for the last time in an ever so faint voice.

  That sight of her calling out and holding out a hand that would never reach her just as that door closed was the last time that Chrysos saw her other half. And that was also her eternal farewell with her father, who carried off her other half beyond the door with a sad look on his face.

  Smaragdi didn’t let Platina go from his arms up until the very end. And yet, in the end, callous hands still ultimately pried apart the young girl and her father.

  In that space meant for judging criminals, there were several elderly high-ranking priests lined up. Faced with such unknown people in this strange space, Platina’s terror grew all the worse. She had been ripped away from her father, her final remaining ally, and was faced with words filled with such hatred that they sounded like a curse. The word “heartrending” didn’t even begin to cover it.