Leaving the Shrine + 1999 Days.

We were here. The day this cursed journey ended. A few moments from now we would leave to fight the final battle that we had been preparing for this half a decade.

Last year, we travelled across the icecaps that connected the demon's lands to ours. The main site of the great war, The Frozen Bridge. People died in masses. Demons died in masses.

I fought and fought and fought and fought and fought and fought and fought and fought and fought for months on end before we even reached the demon territory.

From then on, it was one assassination after another. Slowly making our way to the demon capital. Commanders, Generals, Kings... My hand was slathered with all of their blood.

Demons were capable of thinking. Many resembled humans. Many lived peaceful life.

Sometimes it made me wonder what sprawled this disparity between us. Was it just some misunderstanding? Were we just incompatible?

What did the Demon Lord think?

The more I fought against his people. The more encounters I had with his people. The times when his people took pity on us and hid us, betraying their countries for sympathy, proved that every demon was more human at heart than a human.

What did that make the person who ruled them?

A ruler is like the father of the entire empire. His teachings dictate his subjects outlook. How did he raise his subjects so that they believed in a person's wellbeing more than they did their own safety?

Who was the man I was bound to kill? What was I supposed to feel about him? My mind was in a haze and my feelings were muddy. But I didn't feel any hatred. I felt hatred towards the Duke who killed the High Priest. But I didn't hate the person my race wanted me to kill.

Why did I even follow the words of the Goddess in the first place?

Was someone who killed by overpowering worthy of being called a hero?

On the tree, Yiina and Hora were cuddling and crying. They joined the journey to earn a living. To save up money for their family. I bet they didn't expect to grow this much as people and grow even more inseparable from each other.

Of course, they didn't hate the Demons either. But they did come to hate that one existence who ruled over them-The Demon Lord.

They believed that he was the one responsible for the deaths on both sides.

The Demon Lord was just an object for them to direct their hatred towards because they knew of no one else to take its place.

It was time... the moon was high.

"I WILL KILL HIM!" Hora shouted in the loudest cry I had ever heard escape his lips. But his lips pursed the next second. "I can't though."

".." We wanted to speak but we couldn't.

"Yuusha-dono, you have to be the one to kill him. I'll act as a distraction." Those words weren't all that far from my imagination. "I can only fight beasts..." He admitted.

Yiina didn't stop him. She probably knew this too.

"I will support both of you from the back, I won't let any of you die! We made it this far!" That was the most enthusiastic I had ever heard her.

"Yeah, let's do this." I wasn't in the right state to speak.

And with that, we left to kill the demon lord.

For a minute, there was no sound.

It was raining. My eyes had lost all light.

The doors were pushed open, by the tank of our party. Inside, there was warmth. Streams of lava lit the castle. A long walk and a throne. Seated atop that was humanity's greatest enemy.

"YOU FILTHY DEMON LORD, WE'VE COME TO STOP YOU AND SAVE THE WORLD!"

A fight ensued. The world roared. Earth was torn through magma. Skies were shattered through ice. I broke through time.

And life ended.

It was silent again. There was no understanding.

Even until the very end, demons remained demons and humans basked in their humanity.

It was cold.

The dead Demon Lord was next to me. It was my turn now.

I won-

Nothing.

### End of Yuusha's Journey ###

"Yuuno... whe-when we asked you to show us your... face we wan-ted to see it but not like this. Not so pale." The ones left behind cried some more. "WE PROMISE WE WON'T ASK FOR IT AGAIN! PLEASE JUST COME BACK!"

There was no coming back.

###The End###