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There was once such a man, I think... I don't speak these word, but I look at the middle-aged man's face.
I searched my memory and found that King Julius the Slayer had appeared in the game as well. I had forgotten about it, since he appeared only briefly in the ending after the main character defeated the Demon King.
"Haha, you talk like that when you know I'm the king. You're really insolent for being Garondolf's son."
Unknowingly, I have been rude to him.
Julius seems amused but maybe I've been disrespectful to the king.
I sigh softly and decide to change my tone somewhat and ask the question.
"Forgive me, Your Majesty. So... why would you be here?"
"Of course, I'm here to witness the birth of a new 'demon dog'. I've come to see the face of Garondolf's proud son."
"Proud son...?"
An unexpected word causes me to raise my voice in disbelief.
I have only met Garondolf, my father, a couple of times, but every time I see him, he always hurls insults at me.
I could not imagine this father uttering such praise as "I'm so proud of you".
"It seems, I have to explain to you, the heir of the 'demon dog'. About the role of the Baskervilles. About their history of the family that guards the night of Slayers Kingdom."
"..."
"The Baskervilles are the ringleaders of evil among the people. They are known as the masterminds behind the control of dark guilds and crime syndicates, and as the incarnation of evil involved in human trafficking, the sale of illegal drugs, and the assassination of important people. But... in reality, they are administrator who are tasked to control the 'evil' of the Slayers Kingdom by order of the royal family."
"Administrator...?"
My polite tone broke down unexpectedly.
I had never heard of such a setup, and I had never thought that a father who would torture his son without a second thought would have such an important role to play.
"You'd be surprised. Garondolf never mentioned any of this to you, did he?"
"Yes... that's new to me. I don't mean to be rude to Your Majesty, but I find it hard to believe. I doubt your sanity."
"Z-Zenon-sama, you can't talk to His Majesty in such a manner..."
Aeris pulls back my sleeve anxiously, as I am being rude by doubting the king's words.
She seemed to be afraid that I might accuse him of rudeness, but Julius, on the other hand, did not seem to be bothered by it and smiled wryly at me.
"No problem, no problem! I was depressed that Garondolf's role was over and that there was no one who could say something so blunt. But I like your impudence, just like your father!"
"...You seemed to be very fond of my father. Were you two that close?"
"Well, I protected this country from the front and Garondolf from behind the scenes. We may even be considered comrades."
Julius looks at me with a distant look of nostalgia for the past and continues his explanation.
"The Baskervilles have been protecting this country from behind the scenes for generations. They have controlled the backstabbing assassins and hit men from turning on the royal family, dealt with the criminals who had gone astray and overreached, and controlled the slave and drug trade so that the outlaws from other countries would not gain power in the country. Although despised by the other nobles as a corrupt aristocrat and feared by the people as a scoundrel, they still served this country well."
"..."
"Garondolf's cold treatment of you was also an attempt to make you more capable of fulfilling your role. He played the role of an evil father to instill in you a hatred of evil by making you the villain and to help you grow up. In truth, he loved his son more than anyone else."
Julius turned to Garondolf on the ground.
He looked at him as if he were looking at a friend. But also kindly, as if he was showing his appreciation for the hard work of his men.
"The role of the Baskervilles is passed down from one generation to the next. The role of the Baskervilles is passed down from father to son by the son defeating the parent. Garondolf also killed his father and took over the role of the 'demon dog' who controls the darkness."
"I see... I have my doubts about the method, but the logic makes sense to me."
To sum up the king's explanation... Garondolf must have controlled the 'evil' spreading in the Slayers Kingdom by reigning as the great evil in the underworld.
How rich is this country? Even in the most technologically advanced countries, there are always people who go astray and become evil. This fact is evident from the fact that there were gangs and gangsters in the "other world" as well.
No matter how many laws are established and enforcement is strengthened, it is impossible to completely cut off the seeds of evil.
That is why the Baskervilles controlled evil in this country as the ringleader.
"Ah, damn you... you stupid father...!"
I swore with a twisted expression on my face.
If cursing and beating his son was the way to make him grow up to be his successor... then Garondolf had completely wrong in his educational policy.
Indeed, Zenon Baskerville has grown up to the point where his father wanted him to grow up and become strong enough to win a duel, but this is the result of being possessed by the presence of 'me'. In the game's scenario, Zenon has lived a life without love and has gone decidedly astray.
He was intensely jealous of and hated Leon, who had achieved glory as a hero, and cuckolded the heroine, resulting in the resurrection of the Demon King and the destruction of the kingdom.
In other words, Garondolf's education worked for 'me' but had the opposite effect on the real 'Zenon'.
"Then... what do you want from me, Your Majesty?"
"To take over the role of the Baskervilles, of course. To protect this country from the shadows as the new 'Demon Dog'."
Julius replies to my question without a pause.
"If the Baskervilles abandon their role, the criminals who have been kept in check will run amok. The assassins will lose their masters and will have no one to turn to, and the outlaws will start up criminal gangs to fight each other."
Julius points a finger at me and orders me to speak clearly.
"Zenon Baskerville! Become the new 'Demon Dog' and rule the night of the Slayers Kingdom! Control the 'evil' in this land and protect the peace of the people!"
"We ask you, too. Please guide us to the great evil."
"Please show us the way. So that we may follow the path of the 'righteous evil'."
"Oh, great Baskerville. Our master."
"Be merciful. Control us."
Following the king's words, Zaius and the other servants, all in black, kneel around me, praying.
They looked like vassals to the king. Or a religious man praying to God.
"Zenon-sama..."
"Goshujin-sama..."
"..."
Aeris, Urza, Nagisa, and Levienna look up at me with puzzled expressions.
I guess they are puzzled by my uncertainty, not knowing what kind of answer I will give.
"...I see."
I thought for quite a long time and finally came up with an answer.
I casually look up at the sky, and before I know it, the clouds have cleared and the stars are twinkling in the night sky.
But... there is no moon in the new moon sky. It must be a frightening and anxious experience to walk through the moonless night without any light.
The night sky needs the moon. A bright moon to illuminate those who live in the night.
"I am..."
And then I said the answer I had come to.
I had decided to live as Zenon Baskerville, the path I would follow for the rest of my life.
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