*CRACKLE~!*

As the dark thunderclouds rumbled from above, a ghastly fountain of crimson blood painted the surroundings in a deep red color.

My body felt like it was rooted in place, witnessing the harrowing sight of an innocent child's body being ripped apart in front of my eyes.

All of a sudden, it felt like the entire world had turned a shade darker.

'...Dammit, I shouldn't have turned around to look.'

I knew just how cruel the world could be, but I still felt a cold weight pressing down on my chest.

After all, no matter how inevitable the sight of such cruelty might be, it was always going to remain an extremely unpleasant thing to directly experience.

The cloaked men seemed to have captured those humans from some close-by village during their travel, before offering them to these ogres in exchange for demons.

'Even though they're all just regular villagers....No, maybe that's the reason. Because no one would care if they disappeared in this power-centric world...'

It was my mistake to think that such terrible atrocities were only limited to the Demon Realm.

'As long as people live, these kinds of things will inevitably happen. The weak will always be preyed upon, no matter the world...'

Now, I no longer had any doubt in that saying, seeing both sides using their own world's residents as mere currency. Even the undeniable existence of an all-powerful Goddess couldn't change this inevitability.

But despite how utterly horrific the sight in front of me became, the cloaked men around us didn't seem to be fazed at all.

Only the small group of weak villagers seemed to be affected by the ogre's sudden feast, as their screams and curses immediately came to a stop.

*Crruunch* *Crunch–!*

Even as the ogre relished his exotic meal in a blissful trance, no one dared to make a single noise again, utterly terrified of drawing any attention to themselves.

*gulp~*

"Ahh, such a tender and sweet meat.... As expected, Humans are always the best!"

With blood still dripping from his mouth, the ogre loudly praised the quality of his meal, causing the other ogres to eye the lifeless corpse in his hands with hungry gazes.

"Geh... Don't look here, you guys will get your share later anyway!"

The entire atmosphere suddenly froze over with a bone-chilling silence. As the grave reality of their situation sank in, their legs began trembling. Their breaths suddenly grew heavier, as they felt the inside of their mouths drying up.

The fear that these villagers had bottled up in their hearts till now had burst out, throwing their already fragile minds into a chaotic mess!

But, there was someone among them....

"...n-no..."

Someone, who no longer felt that paralyzing 'fear of death'...

"...n-no....m-my c-child..."

At first, it was only a faint, disbelieving whisper...

"Ah..."

But, after seeing her child being devoured by a literal monster in front of her eyes, unable to do anything but spectate in horror and powerlessness...

"A-Ahhh... T-This can't be... m-my child.... AAAAAAHHHH!!!!!"

...a shrill scream resounded, the mother's grief and rage shattering the suffocating silence, echoing through the air like a wounded beast's howl!

One of the cloaked men dragging the humans flinched back for a moment, but the moment he realized the origin of that scream...

"Tsk. Shut up, you damned hag! You're killing my ears over here!"

*SLAP–!*

...He simply clicked his tongue in irritation, before slapping the screaming mother across her face, causing her to collapse on the ground with a bloodied face.

"Ugh... *sob*...*sob*... arghhhh..."

Most of the other humans could only look on, paralyzed by the sheer terror of the hulking ogres surrounding them, while the few remaining ones averted their shaking eyes in shame.

The cloaked man swept his gaze over them all, before letting out a derisive snicker.

"...Well, aren't you all lucky? If we weren't in such a hurry this time around, I would've made sure to 'educate' everyone properly. What a shame..."

Turning back, he handed his end of the rope to another ogre who had come forward in the meantime.

"...Here. Enjoy your meal."

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

The ogre showed him a wide, toothy grin.

"Heh, we sure will. Gahahaha!"

.

My fists slowly closed tight.

Yes. The world is such a cruel place.

'I know. I know, dammit...!'

Not to mention, those people were nothing but strangers to me.

I didn't know who that child was, didn't know where she and her mother came from, or what kind of life they had lived till that moment...

'Really, shit....'

...And yet, why was 'I' the only one able to witness the last remaining vestige of her life, before it was extinguished forever?

'...is this how you always saw the world, Vanir? Dammit....'

– Shock, pain, despair, confusion.

A vibrant mix of colors chaotically exploded in front of my eyes, making even the macabre scene in front of me seem like an abstract piece of artwork.

Emotions turned into an otherworldly swirl of colors in my eyes, bright and full of life, slowly spreading out in every direction.

I didn't know much about art, but even then I could tell – the scene in front of me would undeniably be called a masterpiece, if it was to be painted on a canvas!

…And yet, all it could manage to convey now were the final cries of a young, innocent life.

I saw those vibrant hues of emotion slowly fade from the little girl's body as her life departed, leaving behind a deepening darkness. It was indeed a magical scene, a scene that only 'I' was allowed to see – thanks to a Devil's inherent abilities.

However, I wasn't able to see it as an artistic masterpiece anymore. Not after knowing the underlying meaning behind those mesmerizing strokes of colors...

*Sigh...*

I wanted to close my eyes. I wanted to turn away from this gruesome scene and pretend that it didn't happen. I wanted to ignore it all...

But even if I did all that, it still won't change a simple fact.

'I...I could've stopped it from happening...'

I wasn't a good samaritan in any way, and I definitely wasn't going to throw away all my efforts till now, only to save a bunch of strangers I had no connection with.

But...

'I could've stopped it, but I chose to do nothing...'

Of course, if I did, I would have to forever bid farewell to a peaceful life in this world. But in the end, my reasoning behind it all didn't matter.

The only thing that mattered was the final result of it.

And I knew. The 'me' right now was weak, too weak to save anyone except myself in this world!

'Only an almighty God can be the perfect Hero. And I...I am the most removed existence from such a God.'

No. I wasn't going to blame myself, or my circumstances. I had long since learned to accept my own incompetence and move on with my life.

*clank–!*

Seeing that I had suddenly stopped moving, one of the cloaked men forcefully pulled on my shackles.

"Urgh..."

I stumbled ahead, finally turning away from the bloody, harrowing sight.

"Kill me! Kill me too!! If you are going to kill me later anyway, send me to my child right now...!!!"

The shrill screams of a mother continued echoing behind me, gradually fading away as we were dragged out of the rock formation concealing the entire trade operation.

I also heard some of the other terrified humans desperately trying to calm her down, but before their efforts could bear any fruit...

*thud–!*

...her screams were suddenly cut short, along with a dull thud noise of someone's body hitting the ground.

"..."

I was no longer able to see or hear anything from there, but it was clear what could have happened to her.

'I'm sorry, I couldn't be the savior you all hoped for...'

I knew that it was futile, but I still made an apology to all those people who held out hope to the very end.

It wasn't because I was a good person or a seeker of justice. I just saw my old self in the shadows of those helpless, yet hopeful bunch of humans...

Yes. Once upon a time, I too, had experienced such helplessness. Hoping for a Hero of justice to come and sweep away all my darkness.

But no such Heroes came to save the day for me. Just like no one came for these humans...

'I was never your Hero, and I can never be one as long as I live.'

Because....I was the Demon King, the root and origin of all Evil in the world.

"...Hey, are you okay?"

"...huh?"

Suddenly, Yera's slightly concerned voice drifted into my ears, putting an end to my chain of depressing thoughts.

"Uh....you looked like you were in pain for some reason. So, I…"

"Ah. I'm fine, and thank you. For asking."

Seeing her getting flustered the moment I turned my eyes in her direction, I couldn't help but crack a small smile despite my gloomy mood.

"Oh, uhh.... Y-You're welcome...?"

Her eyes widened, surprised by my uncharacteristically gentle reply.

Right. Come to think of it, was this the first time that I didn't respond harshly to her words?

'But, this demon's really peculiar, isn't she...?'

Though I didn't notice it before, she seemed to be more than a little disturbed by the earlier horror events. It was just that she was far better at concealing her feelings, making use of the acting skills she picked up from her scamming business.

'...I'm glad that I didn't dispose of her on that day.'

After all, she had shown me that even among the demons I wholeheartedly despised, exceptions like her could exist. While those cloaked men showed me that the exact opposite was also true...

'Right, what was I even thinking? Am I not a Demon King now...?'

It didn't even make sense for someone like me to try and save people.

And since I was too weak to save all those people...

'The only thing this weak Demon King can offer you all....is a bitter revenge.'

...I promised them the only thing I could grant them – Vengeance!

Even if that vengeance was a result of my own selfish plans, even if it felt cold and bitter for them...

As long as their departed souls could find a little bit of peace in their afterlife.

'...I will make it happen.'

Because that was the only thing I could do for those unfortunate souls, who walked to their deaths while harboring hope in their hearts in front of my eyes...

*Ping~*

As if waiting for this moment, a familiar noise rang inside my head.

[Required conditions have been met!]

A vague message suddenly popped out in front of me, causing my brows to furrow.

'What kind of condition did I satisfy now...?'

But before I could dwell on my confusion, a barrage of translucent windows started to flood my vision.

*Ping~*

[<> is beginning to unfold!]

[ALERT: Quest details are being adjusted accordingly!]

*Dringgg~*

[New Quest Generated!]

[Storyline Quest: The Demon King Of Vengeance!]