Chapter 203 (END) - Epilogue
Chapter 203 – Epilogue
It had only taken three hours for Artpe’s party to turn the whole Demon realm into the human realm. However, Artpe didn’t stop his Reclamation magic there.
Those that were twisted didn’t only exist in the Demon realm. There were beings in the human realm that had been twisted by the Demon energy. Artpe kept using the Reclamation magic until there was no reaction to the magic tome.
He had used his Innate ability Rewrite, and he had resonated it with the Reclamation magic. This was why the pool of Mana available to him had diminished by a significant amount. Still, he was able to complete everything before he used up all the Artifacts and Magic Stones he had prepared.
“Are you sure this place is the Demon realm?”
“It isn’t any more.”
Blood colored clouds had always crowded the skies of the Demon realm. There was not a single vestige left of these clouds. Moreover, it was meaningless to differentiate between the Demon realm and the human realm now. In the past, the Demon realm had merely been a continent that was part of the human realm. Now humanity would record this land as a continent once again.
“Artpe, at the end….. What happened? How did you stop that?”
“I just returned everything to its original form.”
Artpe was very calm as he answered her. He hugged the magic tome to his body, and it started to melt into Artpe’s body. The magic tome joined with his soul, and it once again strengthened his Innate Ability. The party was struck dumb as they watched Artpe.
Silpenon had passed the Magic Stone to Artpe. The Magic Stone merely strengthened Artpe’s Innate Ability for a brief moment, but it acted as a spark plug. It had spurred on his awakening. His Read All Creation ability had already reached its 2nd stage, but now he was conscious of his ability. It allowed him to freely used the 2nd stage of his Read All Creation ability. He was able to use the Rewrite ability.
First, he combined his Innate ability with the Unique spell called Materialization. Then he combined it with the Reclamation magic. His ability had become whole. In the end, these were abilities that had been cultivated from Artpe in the first place. It was the natural consequence of everything combining into one.
“This appeared where the previous Demon King had died.”
Silpennon had retrieved a small Magic Stone. It had contained a massive amount of Demonic energy, but it couldn’t escape the influence of the Reclamation magic. It was as if it had been bleached. Despite this fact, the Magic Stone contained an ominous power. Arpte let out a rotten smile as he looked at it.
“As expected, she left behind her ambition for the future generations. It really is an ending befitting a traditional hero’s story.”
He used his Read All Creation ability, and he could see a magic circle that could open a tunnel to the Demonic god. Artpe had to acknowledge it. The previous Demon King had been tenacious.
If Artpe’s party hadn’t noticed it, some unsuspecting person might have picked it up. It probably would have happened after several hundred or thousand years from now. An unsuspecting person would call back the Demonic energy back into this world. Or maybe, the surviving force of the previous Demon King would continue their research. In the end, they would find this stone, and they would fulfill the dying wish of the previous Demon King. Something dramatic might have happened.
“Of course, we’ve gained enormous power now. We can reverse the magic. It’ll be possible for us to cross into the other world.”
“Dungeon? It’s a Dungeon?”
“Shit. In the end, we are going to go fight the Demonic god? Really?”
She had been in high spirits up until now as she fought, and the thought of a new Dungeon made Maetel feel excited. On the other hand, the other party members turned pale at his words.
They had fought the current Demon King, the Fragment of the Demonic god and the previous Demon King. Now he wanted them to go fight the Demonic god!? Artpe smirked when he saw the appalled expression on the faces of his party members. He gripped the Magic Stone then he let it go.
When he did this, the Magic Stone just turned into a regular Magic Stone containing overwhelming amount of Mana.
“Ah······.”
“W… what did you do?”
“It will be too annoying.”
Artpe’s face scrunched up as he spoke.
“We finally got rid of all the enemies in this world, yet we have to go to a new world to fight a different enemy? Is this a joke? We aren’t from some martial race.”
“But…. If we don’t get rid of the source of trouble….”
“A new source of trouble always arises with time. If we try to eliminate each problem that arises, who is going to feed the cows?”
Artpe had completely wiped away the Demonic energy, but he couldn’t guarantee that humans in the future generations might research a similar energy as the Demonic energy.
This was just a hypothetical question. What would happen if Artpe’s party went over to the other world, and they erased the Demonic god from existence?
Would all strife within the world come to an end? Would humanity find a happy ending?
No way. For a different reason, a great villain would appear in the future, and there will come a time when this great villain would fight against humanity.
“Strife can arise at any moment in time. That is why we should leave this Demonic god and the other world to the future hero.”
“Your explanation sounds very plausible, but in the end, you just don’t want to fight any more …?”
That was the correct answer. If left alone, it wasn’t as if the other side could invade this world. There was no need to cross over to the other world. It was unnecessary.
Still, his power of Revision was able to block the tunnel heading towards the other world. If someone capable of breaking open the tunnel appeared, it meant the person would already have enough power to cause trouble even without the help of the Demonic god. Artpe was fine if that happened.
“I have no idea if this is alright!”
“Ah. I don’t know. If anyone really wants to go, I can send them there. Do you guys want to go?”
He had just erased the Record within the Magic Stone, yet Artpe declared in a confident manner. He had awakened to his 2nd stage of the Read All Creation ability. He had reached a domain that couldn’t be understood by his party members, and his party members were aware of this fact. If he said he could send them to the Demonic god, they didn’t doubt his words.
This was why everyone turned pale, and they shook their head from side to side. The only one that looked a bit regretful was Roa.
“Nyaa. I’ll go later if I start craving for it. Nyaa-ah-ah.”
“What is this? There is this unbearable feeling of ickiness…..”
“All hero’s story is like that. The story that comes afterwards always leaves a bad taste in one’s mouth. If we don’t leave behind a single seed of misfortune and uneasiness, our future generations will have nothing to do. It’ll spice up their lives.”
Everyone gave up on arguing with Artpe at that point in time.
“Yes. This is like you, Artpe.”
“So we really were successful in finding peace without sacrificing an ally. This will hold true until one of you stab each other in the back…..”
“The only thing left is to settle our balance with Artpe-nim.”
As expected of Artpe’s party members, they were going out of their way to plant the seed of uneasiness within him. He flicked the forehead of all his party members, then he received Etna from Regina.
“I protected all of them. It was tough.”
“Yes, yes. You worked hard. ······it seems she’s in a critical state..”
Etna was able to uncover Nanarai’s Innate ability before it was too late. However, as a price, most of her Spirit energy had been consumed. She was out cold right now.
Artpe quickly filled up her Mana, but she needed to be conscious to be able to turn the Mana into Spirit energy. If she was left alone, there was a possibility that she would never wake up.
“That damn sunbae. He really is causing me trouble until the end.”
However, Etna was no longer in peril. The [Reclamation] simply returned everything back to its original form. He had moved beyond that power. He could use [Revise] to get anything he wanted. In Artpe’s current state, he was able to convert Mana into Spirit energy. It was a task that was easier than killing the Demon King Ganet Orzodia.
“That power…..”
Regina finally recognized the power awakened within Artpe. Her eyes had turned round. Artpe smirked as he brought a finger to his lips in a shhh gesture. After the Mana around Etna was turned into Spirit energy, he filled Etna’s body with it.
“Kuh-hoohk······.”
Etna coughed as she opened her eyes. Her two eyes took in Artpe, who had a playful look on his face.
“Artpe······ Did we win?”
“We won.”
“Is it over?”
“It is over.”
“Good······ Amazing. You are the best.”
She had inwardly thought that she would never wake up again. However, it seemed Artpe had picked up her slack as he magnificently defeated their enemy. At Artpe’s words, Etna put on a faint smile as she planted a short kiss on his lips. Maetel became apoplectic when she saw this.
“W…wait a moment. I’m the one that’s supposed to wrap things up with a kiss!”
“I already did it.”
“Oooooooooh! I knew I should have killed you!”
Maetel raged, but everyone just smirked as they looked on. The fact that she was able to get mad at such a simple thing brought home the fact that there was peacel now.
“Let’s go.”
“Where?”
“Anywhere.”
Artpe face was resolute as he answered the question. He spoke the dream he wanted as soon as he returned to the past. He truly looked determined.
“I’ll go to a place where it is possible to set up a dairy farm.”
Twenty years passed.
The world was greeted with a tremendous upheaval. The Demons had been changed back into humans. The Demon realm and human realm was combined into one. The truth behind the Demon race was revealed. The Demons were an existence born through human greed. It really brought home the fact that it was good to trust no one but yourself. That was how everyone felt when they learned the truth of the matter.
There were some portion of the Demon turned humans that had refused to accept reality, so they had caused disturbances in various locations. However, the humans had grown stronger in the fight against the Demon race. They were swift and ruthless in putting down such series of attacks.
Peace had returned. If one actually looked closer, one would realize that not much had changed. At the very least the Demon King and his underlings were all gone. They no longer appeared in this world.
The King of Diaz Silpennon had applied himself in earnest to become a statesman. Through his first Queen Leseti, he was able to create an order of loyal knights. He was able to work with the holy nation of Paladia through his second Queen Aria. He was able to establish a state religion. As high as his level was, Silpennon received as much love and support from the populace. He had protected his nation, and he had protected his people. If one thought about his vocation as a thief, it was a truly ironic development.
The empire of Zard was successful in becoming the top power of the continent. In truth, Zard had wanted to bring Diaz under his flag too. However, Silpennon had been a member of the hero’s party, and he was one of the strongest people on this continent. Zard knew this truth, so he didn’t dare mess with Silpennon. Of course, one couldn’t predict what would happen after Silpennon’s death. At the very least, the two nations would maintain a friendly relationship while Silpennon was alive.
The hero’s party was dismissed, and they went immediately into retirement. Those that were friendly or hostile towards the hero’s party didn’t search them out. Even if the hero’s party could be found, they knew the hero’s party couldn’t be moved to any side.
This was how Artpe finally achieved his 200 year old dream. He was able to live the life of a dairy farmer.
“Husband~.”
“You are giving me goosebumps!”
In the morning, Artpe immediately jumped up from his bed when Maetel whispered in his ear. His reaction speed was almost miraculous. Maetel, who had called out to him, giggled. She took pleasure in his reaction.
How can you still be so embarrassed?”
“I told you not to call me by that title.”
“But husband is husband.”
“Did I deny that? I just don’t like hearing it.”
If he went along with her antics by being sweet, he knew that a second round of strenuous activities would follow. It would be more intense than last night. His experience with her for the past 20 years made him aware as to what would happen, so he purposefully replied in a gruff manner. He got up from the bed.
“What about Sienna?”
“She went along with Vadinet to see Oompa. Etna went to the field…. I think Mycenae is still asleep.”
Oompa was the name of the dairy cow they were raising. Of course, they didn’t have just one cow. It started out with Oompa. Then it went from Oompa II to Oompa Loompa. They were raising a total of 23 dairy cows.
“If Mycenae is asleep, it means there’s no one else that’ll bother me for a while. ······I can go back to sleep.”
“Yes. Let’s sleep together. We should start making our third child.”
“······no. I forgot. I really have to go to work right now.”
Usually, feelings change over time. He had assumed that her excessive and heavy love towards him would change to a different emotion after twenty years, but it seemed this didn’t apply to Maetel. Maetel stated that she was half-joking, but she was half-serious about having another child. He flicked her forehead before he exited the house.
No. Before he did that….
“Ah. Call the children. It is annoying, but they have to study magic today. We’ll start the class as soon as I get done with the morning tasks.”
It was safe to assume that Artpe’s children would be able to live a peaceful life. However, peace had to be protected with power. Artpe rotated with his wife to teach the children how to protect themselves.
“Yes, husband~”
“Ooh-ahhhhh!”
Goosebump appeared on his skin when he was confronted with her last ambush attack. Artpe exited the house as if he was running away. Maetel once again let out a warm laughter as she watched his back.
She made a milkshake that she’ll deliver to Artpe later on, then she made food for the children. After she place the food on the table, she entered the room where all the children were sleeping. She planned on waking them up.
“It is time to get up, children.”
There were a total of seven children. Maetel had born two children. One was male, and the other was female. Vadinet had born a cute daughter. A pair of energetic male twins were born by Etna. Mycenae had given birth to a half-elf son. Lastly, Sienna gave birth to a little princess.
Of course, they didn’t wake up just because she had called out to them once. Maetel put strength in her stomach as she let out a fierce shout. It was the former hero’s War Cry. Of course, the children would wake up.
“Mom! You used War Cry again! The kids will cry!”
The first born was Hirtiga. He represented the other children as he protested her method of waking them up. Maetel just let out a bright smile.
“It is time for you guys to eat, children. Today your father will teach you magic.”
“Ooh ooh. Dad is the hardest teacher. I just want to raise Oompa Loompa. I want to live my whole life on the farm. I’ll be satisfied with that life.”
“Daddy said we need strength to protect the peace, idiot oppa.”
The children forgot the complaints they had when getting up. They started talking loudly to each other as they walked past mother Maetel into the living room. Maetel followed behind the children. There was a satisfied smile on her smile.
“Yes. This is it. I’m fine with this. ······there is no need to rewind it again.”
The past 20 years had been peaceful, and it had been picture perfect.
In that span of time, she hadn’t used the 2nd stage of her Innate ability. Not even once.