Chapter 235
Chapter 235 – Side Story, Or (15)
“…And… go find the Possessor… He’ll… tell you everything… He’s been hiding in the sewers of the capital… searching for you….”
“The Possessor…”
So with the resurrection came the summoning—and it wasn’t just me. Another Possessor had fallen into this world.
“Dian. I have nothing more to say… Let’s not drag this out…”
The Demon King’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.
“I understand. Then rest in peace.”
My blade severed the Demon King’s neck.
The moment his head fell to the ground—
[NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!]
Came the shrieking wail of the black mana, and the dark vortex exploded into nothingness.
The Demon King died kneeling.
Just like he had ten years ago at the Demon Castle.
Though we met as enemies, and though he died by my hand not once but twice, he was truly a man worthy of my respect.
As promised, I’ll make sure the demons are protected.
“Dian!!”
From afar, Linus came running, calling my name.
“Dian! Are you alright?!”
“I’m fine. Perfectly fine.”
“The Demon King?”
“He’s dead. There’s something I need to discuss about that. The Emperor—”
"Dian!"
“Gah!”
Lormane threw herself into my arms as she rushed over.
“Dian! Thank goodness you're safe! I thought you were dead!”
“You thought I was dead?”
“The Demon King's black mana was overwhelmingly powerful! Even more than the one who created Kaiden!”
“I’m still stronger. So could you let go now?”
But instead of letting go, Lormane only tightened her embrace.
Moments later, as others who had remained at the palace started to gather, she hurriedly pulled away, glancing around self-consciously.
Lormane was a priestess of the Order. Physical contact with men was forbidden.
Given the situation, she might be excused—but in normal times, it would’ve meant expulsion.
“Dian. I’m so glad you’re safe.”
Celine approached, limping, and placed a hand on my shoulder.
“If something had happened to you… my husband and I…”
“Ha. I didn’t die, alright? Why did everyone assume I did?”
“Well, your opponent was the Demon King.”
Kaiden smiled faintly.
“Even with everyone involved back then, the battle ten years ago was brutal. And now, after his resurrection, the Demon King was even stronger.”
“But I still won. Oh, and speaking of which…”
I turned my gaze toward the severed head of the Demon King, lying on the ground.
His eyes had yet to close.
“He told me to pass a message to you.”
“To me? What did he say?”
“He said… he was sorry.”
Kaiden looked up at me silently.
“The Demon King said that to Kaiden?”
Celine and Lormane looked puzzled, while Linus, already familiar with the journal, simply nodded.
Kaiden was the same.
That sharp-minded mage probably already sensed the emotions and final words the Demon King couldn’t express.
Kaiden walked over and knelt before the Demon King’s head.
With his small hand, he gently closed the Demon King’s eyes.
At the same time, blue magical flames flickered over the body and slowly began to consume it.
“The Demon King… the Demon King is dead!”
Someone among the gathered crowd cried out as the Demon King's eyes shut.
“He’s really dead!!”
Like wildfire across dry reeds, a cheer erupted.
“The Demon King is dead!! Professor Dian killed the Demon King!!”
Ah, for god’s sake…
“Glory to Professor Dian! Glory to the Empire’s Hero!”
This is spiraling in all the wrong ways.
Originally, I intended for Linus to kill the Demon King again, just like before…
But the Demon King had to go and trap me with that vortex…
No staying here any longer.
“Kaiden. We need to run.”
“Understood, Professor Dian.”
A dimensional gate opened at our feet.
“See you later, Linus! I’ll explain everything then!”
“Professor Dian, Hero of the Empire!! Long live!!”
# # # #
Back at the Academy, I immediately asked Kaiden to help find the Possessor the Demon King had mentioned.
“He said he was hiding somewhere in the sewers of the capital.”
“I may have found him.”
Using a magical lens that scouted the alleys like a drone, Kaiden tracked someone down.
A man had just opened a sewer grate and was cautiously peeking outside.
Let’s see… judging by his appearance, that’s the guy the Demon King talked about.
“Bring him here.”
“As you wish.”
A dimensional gate opened in the ceiling of my office, and the Possessor came tumbling down.
“Whoa!”
Dazed, the Possessor looked up at me and Kaiden, then panicked and sprang to his feet.
“D-don’t come near me! I’ll die! You touch me, I’m dead!”
He held a shard of glass to his neck in a clumsy standoff.
“Relax. I’m Dian. The fifth Special Operative you’ve been looking for.”
“Dian? You’re Dian?”
The Possessor’s eyes widened.
“You mean, the Dian? The hidden fifth member of the Demon King Slaying Special Force?”
“That’s me. And this here is Kaiden.”
“I… I can’t believe it… I finally found you…”
His eyes began to well up with tears.
“Did you… did you meet the Demon King?”
“I did. He just died.”
“So he went, in the end… down the path of death he chose for himself…”
The Possessor’s eyes grew red.
A path of death he chose himself…
“The Demon King told me to find you before he died. Said you’d explain everything.”
“That’s right… He asked me, too… He said, if he dies and you find me, I should tell you everything he said…”
And so, the Possessor began to recount the Demon King’s tale.
Of how he learned the events and ending of the side story—and planned to end the tragedy by dying before it began.
“The Demon King chose a future where only he would die. He didn’t want another war. He didn’t want the surviving demons and innocent people of the continent to suffer again.”
The Possessor said.
“…I see.”
“This is a story entirely different from the official side story. Though the ending—of you killing the Demon King—remains the same.”
So he advanced the ending himself rather than cause chaos with his knowledge.
“Fine. Then let me ask a few things. Is the side story truly over with the Demon King’s death at my hands?”
“Yes, that’s the end.”
“Then nothing like this should happen again. Do you know where the surviving demons are?”
“I have a rough idea. In the side story, the Demon King returns to where his people were. A specific place is mentioned.”
Perfect. I’ll ask the Emperor to pardon them and either bring them into the cities or help them establish their own home.
“In any case, I’m relieved. A lot of steps were skipped, but the side story reached its ending safely.”
As I mulled things over, the Possessor spoke.
“Now you can finally live in peace, without worries.”
“I guess so. What about you? What will you do now?”
“Me? Well… I suppose I’ll have to try and live in this world now. You may not know, but once you Possess, returning to your original world is nearly impossible.”
Of course I know. I’m the same kind of guy. He probably still thinks I’m just one of the original side characters.
“I didn’t even get any perks from Possession. Just thrown into this world as I was. But hey, people live here too, right?”
“This isn’t exactly the easiest place for an outsider to adjust to.”
After a moment’s thought, I made him an offer.
“Hey, would you like me to help you find a home and a job?”
“For me?”
“You helped me close this out before it spiraled out of control. It’s only fair I repay you.”
“If you’re serious… I’d be incredibly grateful.”
I introduced him to Brunswell.
A quiet port town down south, where I used to live. I gave him my house and prepared a hefty sum of money. Told him to settle there.
And I added that with the letter of introduction I wrote, nearly everything in town would be a free pass.
The Possessor gratefully accepted, and Kaiden sent him off through a portal to Brunswell—along with a very, very heavy bag of gold coins.
As the smiling Possessor stepped through the gate, Kaiden waved and said:
“You’re letting him go pretty easily.”
“If it weren’t for him, who knows where we’d be right now.”
“True enough. So… Professor Dian, what about you? What will you do now?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re a Possessor too. And now you’ve truly seen every ending. Do you have any plans?”
Plans after the ending…
“What plans? I’m going to live peacefully, just like this.”
Whether support character or protagonist—after the ending, healing is the natural course.
# # # #
But that wish shattered the very next morning with the rising sun.
Rumors spread across the capital.
The checkpoints and patrols deployed with the army? It was to identify the Demon King, who had disguised himself by cutting off his horns.
The entire Demon King Slaying Special Force—including Sir Linus—had been summoned to the imperial palace to slay him.
But in the end, the one who killed the Demon King wasn’t Sir Linus—it was a professor no one had ever seen before.
And, shockingly, that professor was the hidden fifth member of the Subjugation Unit.
And that professor was none other than Dian—the chief combat instructor of the Imperial Special Operations Academy.
The palace released a formal statement denying all of it and threatened punishment for spreading false rumors, but seriously—how easy was that going to be?
The unbelievable, dopamine-fueled gossip overwhelmed even fear of punishment and spread like wildfire across the Empire.
“Kaiden.”
“Yes, Professor Dian?”
“I have a favor.”
As a crowd gathered in front of the Academy gates,
I had already packed all my belongings with Olysia and called Kaiden over.
“Take this to the palace. It’s a letter asking them to fulfill the Demon King’s final wish. Tell them to go through Linus for credibility. And if they don’t comply, tell them to consider it a personal scolding from me to the Emperor.”
“Understood.”
“And open a gate to the place I told you. And don’t tell anyone—not even Linus—where it is.”
Kaiden responded with a gentle smile.
Honestly, I couldn’t think of any other way.
The rumors were already spreading beyond the capital and across the Empire. My identity was fully exposed.
This was a crisis unlike anything ten years ago.
Why is it that every time I kill the Demon King, things go haywire?
“Ughhh… oh no…”
Olysia had been wailing like this ever since I told her we were leaving.
“We just got used to city life, and now we’re off to some backwater again… Ohhh nooo…”
“Then stay. I’ll go alone.”
“No way. You’d starve to death without me.”
She stopped crying and shot back firmly.
“Hah. You’re right. Kaiden, open it.”
Kaiden traced a line through the air and opened a dimensional gate.
“Take care, Professor Dian. Lady Olysia.”
“See you, Kaiden. Maybe we’ll meet again.”
“Goodbye, Professor Kaiden.”
With Kaiden seeing us off, Olysia and I stepped through the gate together.