The life and death of others had never been something that piqued my interest.
My priority was always global stability, never the individual. If I judged someone to be unnecessary to this world, they were removed from the stage—even if they were the king of a nation.
Kuro-san would probably call me cold, but from my perspective, she and the other Six Kings were far too soft.
Subversive elements were like the foam rising to the surface of a boiling pot; they bubbled up one after another without end. That was why someone had to keep skimming the surface to maintain the peace of the world.
However, even I found myself growing soft toward those I held dear.
On the day before the Hero Summoning, I received a report from my subordinates that led me to the location of the magic circle. The fact that I was moving personally meant the situation was beyond my subordinates' ability to handle.
"...What exactly are you doing, Kuro-san?"
"...Shaltier..."
"That’s the Hero Summoning Magic Circle. If you pour that much ridiculous magic power into it... it’s going to go out of control."
"...Yeah. I’m sorry."
Kuro-san turned back to me with a sorrowful expression. She was tampering with the summoning circle. By flooding it with massive amounts of mana, she was forcing it into a state of partial rampage. If she succeeded, the ritual wouldn't stop at summoning just one person.
"...Kuro-san. I hate to be the one to say this, but even if you increase the numbers, 'your wish' is still..."
"I know! I know it's probably impossible anyway!"
"..."
To be honest, it hurt how much I understood her motives. That was exactly why I hesitated. Should I stop her, or should I look the other way?
Kuro-san was like a parent to me, and I owed her everything for raising me. It was painful to be aware of the wish she had carried for so long, knowing all the while that I lacked the power to grant it myself.
"...Haa. Fine. But only this once."
"...Shaltier?"
"If it’s just this once, we can explain it away as a malfunction caused by residual magic power. I’ll handle the cover-up and adjustments after the accident."
"...Thank you."
"I still think it's futile, though. Even if you increase the number of candidates, I doubt anyone capable of granting your wish will ever appear. Well... I suppose you already know that."
With that, I left the room containing the magic circle. Once outside, I gave my subordinates instructions on how to conceal the aftermath of the rampage. I waited for the following day, hoping that no further irregularities would occur.
Well, as it turned out, an irregular happened anyway.
Since the time of the First Hero, Hikari-san, Shallow Vernal-sama had adjusted the magic circle to ensure that the person summoned would be close to the age Hikari-san had been. Hikari-san was seventeen when she arrived in this world, so the ritual was supposed to target humans between the ages of sixteen and eighteen.
That was why I was truly stunned when I received the report from the subordinate I had embedded in the palace: one of the summoned was twenty-one years old.
Miyama Kaito. He was an irregular existence who fell outside the selection parameters of Shallow Vernal's Formula.
I immediately began investigating him. The reason for his summoning was clear the moment I saw him. He carried a fragment of Kuro-san's magic power within him. He likely possessed the specific qualities she had been searching for. That was how he had displaced one of the teenagers originally destined for this world and arrived here himself.
To be honest, I was torn on how to handle him. Having the potential and actually being able to achieve a goal were two very different things. At first, I didn't think he was the kind of person who could truly stand against Kuro-san’s darkness.
I decided to make contact and measure his worth. There was nothing more cruel than fostering a hope that could never be fulfilled. If I judged him to be a failure, I intended to separate him from Kuro-san immediately.
With that resolve, I disguised myself as a human and approached him.
"...Haa. I wonder if Kaito-san is in the Demon Realm right now. How boring... Wait, what?"
I caught myself muttering those words while leaning against the counter one afternoon, and I was shocked. Boring? What was I saying? It made it sound as if I were lonely just because he wasn't around.
About a month had passed since I took on the name Alice and began my association with Kaito-san. At first, I was certain he would fail, but he had exceeded my expectations at every turn.
He had drawn the interest of Shallow Vernal-sama and had dispelled Isis-san’s profound loneliness. He probably didn't realize it himself, but those were monumental feats—at least, they were enough to shock me into changing my perspective.
If it was Kaito-san, there was a chance he could grant Kuro-san’s wish. Having made that judgment, I began manipulating things from the shadows.
If he was to truly face Kuro-san, his heart had to be stronger than anything else. He needed the kind of resolve that wouldn't break even if he were pitted against all of the Six Kings.
So, I tested him with various trials. I watched to see if his spirit would break or if his personality would warp under pressure. But Kaito-san did not waver. He became flustered, yes, and he certainly got confused, but his core remained straight and true. He even managed to win the trust of Megiddo-san.
And he even won me over.
Honestly, I never expected my own heart to be this disturbed by a mere human. It was fun to talk with him. It made me happy to be scolded by him when he seriously worried about a fool like me. And when he wasn't there, I felt lonely.
Haa. Good grief. I suppose it’s worth living a long time after all. To think that I, of all people, would harbor feelings like love... It really was something.
The sound of the door opening echoed through the shop at twilight, and a small shadow entered.
"Welcome, Kuro-san."
"Yeah."
It was Kuro-san. I had told her from the start that I was approaching Kaito-san under the name Alice. When she had come for a business negotiation previously, she had understood my intentions and kept my secret.
"...Kaito-kun. How was he?"
"He passed. No complaints at all. Personally, he’d already passed by the fourth trial, so the fifth was just a formality."
"...I see."
Kuro-san’s expression became complicated when she heard my answer. She understood exactly what it meant for me to say he had passed.
"...Kuro-san. Kaito-san is the one you’ve been searching for."
"...I don't... know that yet."
"You really are stubborn. Well, fine. I’m certain he will stand before you before long. And then, he will challenge the depths of your heart—a place that neither I nor the other Six Kings could ever reach."
"...!?"
Kuro-san looked as if she were on the verge of tears. There was something she had sought for an eternity, yet she had long ago given up, believing it was unobtainable. Both she and I believed that. But now, Kaito-san was drawing closer to it than anyone ever had.
Perhaps... if it was Kaito-san. That faint glimmer of hope was likely causing Kuro-san more pain than her despair ever had. It had taken far too long to appear. The long years had become a cage, making her instinctively reject the miracle being offered to her.
"...Shaltier. If I... if I killed Kaito-kun... what would you do?"
"...I wouldn't do anything particularly unusual."
I replied to her quiet question in an equally level voice.
"If you were to kill Kaito-san... I would grieve, I would rage, and I would hurl myself at you with everything I have until my strength failed and I simply died."
"..."
"It’s nothing special. If Kaito-san dies, I die too. I didn't fall in love without at least that much resolve."
"..."
Kuro-san remained silent. She understood that the day of reckoning was not far off.
Well, as for me, I was hoping Kaito-san would win no matter what. After that, I planned to make my move and hopefully get him to see me as a woman.
But I decided to stop worrying about the future for now. When the time eventually came, the answer would reveal itself, whether we wanted it to or not.
Kaito-san... I love you. So, please... more than anything, I hope this leads to a happy ending for you.