I Made a Game Featuring Constellations

Chapter 28

Somewhere in the [Akashic Archive]’s Hidden Space

"Thank you for your assistance, Demon God."

I descended before the Demon God, who had helped set the sludge creature into weekly boss mode.

"...I only wanted to see it suffer for eternity," she replied.@@@@

Thousands.

Tens of thousands.

Hundreds of millions.

The players continued to pummel the sludge creature from all directions.

The Demon God smirked.

Her lips twisted forcefully, as if she couldn’t suppress her satisfaction at the sight.

But even her smirk couldn’t mask the sorrow in her eyes.

A sorrow so immense that, even though I could read her thoughts, I couldn’t fully comprehend it.

Her master, who had raised her, had turned into a deranged mass murderer. She had stopped her, only to end up killing her in the process.

Then she discovered that her master had deliberately thrown the fight and allowed herself to die.

Determined to uncover the truth, the Demon God tried to revive her master, bonding deeply with a younger version of her master from the past.

When she tried to stop the revival to save the younger version, her master resurrected anyway, merging with her younger self.

She thought it was finally a happy ending... until she learned that unleashing her power would destroy her master and the world her master existed in.

If she avoided using her powers, she couldn’t carry on her master’s will as the Demon God.

In the end, she released her powers, bringing about her master’s destruction.

...Honestly, it’s a miracle she’s still sane.

If it were me, I might have lost my mind instantly.

Even imagining something similar happening to my Constellation gives me chills.

Yep, I’m not cut out for tragedy.

"Demon God," I called out.

"...What is it?" she replied.

"I have something prepared for you."

I pulled a small orb from my pocket and held it out.

"What... is this?"

...What do I even say?

I couldn’t exactly tell her: This is a backup I kept in case trapping you in a story went wrong, and I needed leverage to stop you from killing me in a rage.

I mulled over the best wording.

"It’s a backup of the game you played."

"...A backup?"

"Think of it as a saved version of your progress."

The orb contained the young Demon King, Lena, whom the Demon God had adventured with. While it couldn’t hold the resurrected version of her real master, it did preserve Lena exactly as she was.

"...Is this... truly what you say it is?"

Her eyes widened as she extended a trembling hand to take the orb.

Her hands shook so violently I instinctively placed mine beneath hers to prevent a disaster if she dropped it.

"It... really is...!"

With her divine sight, the Demon God peered into the orb.

Inside, alongside her game progress, was Lena, the young Demon King, who remembered her as the Demon God.

Crack.

No, that’s not right.

What are you saying?

You’re the reason I’m here.

Because of you, I was able to end the era of hatred and bring about peace.

You’re the one who started it all—how can you say you didn’t matter?

"Lina."

"Yes?"

"To tell you the truth... I wasn’t a Demon God from the start. I was a crying child who lost her parents, saved by my master."

"You had a master too, Demon God?"

"...Yes. No one starts off strong."

"I’d like to know about your master, Demon God. Then again, if you think about it, you’re kind of my master, aren’t you? ...Oh no, did that offend you?"

"No! Not at all. You’re the only one I’ve ever taught. You’re my greatest masterpiece, my finest apostle. No one could surpass you."

"Ahaha... Thank you, Demon God. But my entire life started with you. Without you, I would’ve died in that basement, killed by humans."

The young girl waved her hand dismissively, smiling awkwardly.

The Demon God understood the feelings welling up in her apostle.

She had ended the cycle of hatred with overwhelming force to save the girl, but in doing so, the girl now questioned her life’s meaning and value.

The Demon God wanted to tell her the truth, right then and there.

I am your disciple. You are my master.

You sacrificed everything to make this possible. You made me the Demon King, the Demon God, and everything I am now.

Those words rose to her lips.

But she couldn’t bring herself to say them.

Tight embrace.

The Demon God suddenly wrapped her arms around the girl, surprising her. Lina’s eyes widened.

"Without you, I wouldn’t have cared about this world. You are the savior of this world, my... beloved savior."

She could feel the warmth of the girl’s body, something she hadn’t been able to experience as a spirit.

She smelled the familiar scent of her master, one she thought she’d never sense again.

The softness she had longed for in her dreams—she could feel it again.

The Demon God closed her eyes and savored it.

Her master was the true Demon King, the true hero, the one truly worthy of being called the Demon God.

Not a foolish, incompetent disciple like herself.

Eventually, the Demon God drifted to sleep.

The young girl laid her down, resting the Demon God’s head on her lap.

"You’ve grown so much," Lina murmured.

She gently brushed the Demon God’s bangs, tidying them up.

"Where’d you even learn lines like that?"

With her cheeks slightly flushed, Lina poked the Demon God’s cheek.

"You almost made my heart skip a beat with your teasing."

Beneath the girl’s warm touch, the Demon God’s lips curled into a faint smile.

[The King of Ten Thousand Demons, who overcame Pride, smiles.]

As if she were dreaming a happy dream where all the tragedy and sin had been overcome.