The World's Strongest and Most Evil Noble Strives Humbly and Diligently ~ Using Knowledge of the Original Story and Unique Magic to Avoid a Destruction End ~ - Chapter 12: The Unholy Crest

Chapter 12: The Unholy Crest

I used to teleport to Mount Garan, which belongs to the Heisenberg family.

In front of me stood the eerie research facility I had sent flying from the Garzak Underground Prison.

“Alright, here we go.”

I tore the iron door off its hinges with my bare hands and stepped inside.

Walking down a dimly lit, dust-filled hallway, I reached a large room.

Books and papers were scattered across the floor, magical symbols were scribbled on the walls, and a massive flask contained a strange floating liquid.

At the center of this unsettling room was a large experiment table, and lying on top of it was a girl.

She looked about my age—twelve years old or so—with beautiful, translucent silver hair.

She wore a white restraint gown, and on her chest, the mark of corruption from the Demon King—the “Unholy Crest”—glowed ominously.

(Just like in the original story… That red-and-black pattern… So this is the Demon King’s curse.)

That girl was a descendant of the “Heroes.”

Her lineage traced back to the warriors who slew the Demon King five hundred years ago.

“Ugh… ah… haah… haah…”

Sweat dripped from her forehead as she twisted her body in agony, letting out gasps of pain.

(Hmm… I see…)

From what I could tell, the Demon King’s essence was eroding her body while the Hero’s bl00d inside her fought against it.

Inside her, an endless cycle of destruction and regeneration continued, subjecting her to unrelenting, hellish suffering.

A normal human wouldn’t last three days under such torment.

But her body was too sturdy—she couldn’t even die easily.

The proud Hero’s bl00d in her refused to give up.

“…Please… just kill me already…”

Noticing my presence, the girl’s tear-filled eyes trembled as she desperately pleaded.

The Demon King’s essence held “infinite potential.”

Developing unknown magic, creating new energy sources, replicating the Demon King’s unique spells…

Because of this, research institutions across various nations had been trying every possible method to analyze it.

This girl was likely subjected to inhumane experiments while imprisoned in the Garzak Underground Prison.

For years and years… until her spirit broke and she longed for death.

(…So she wants to be killed…)

At first, that was exactly what I intended to do.

After all, eliminating the Demon King’s essence was the optimal solution.

…But for some reason, when someone asks me to kill them… I get this overwhelming—no, maddening—urge to do the exact opposite.

It’s not like I’m naturally contrary.

If anything, I consider myself pretty straightforward.

And yet, for some reason, I felt an uncontrollable impulse to go against her request.

(Well, I guess this is an experiment too.)

The Demon King’s curse was strong.

Even the Holy Priest Amur’s spell, , couldn’t break it.

But I had knowledge from the original story.

I knew how to neutralize the Demon King’s essence—a method revealed in the late stages of the main route.

And I had already acquired the necessary skill to make it happen.

“Alright, let’s begin.”

I extended my right hand and touched the Unholy Crest glowing on the girl’s chest.

“—.”

A surge of divine energy weakened the Demon King’s curse.

“Ugh… ahhh…!”

The Demon King’s essence thrashed violently, causing the girl to writhe in agony.

“Endure it. It’ll be over soon.”

I immediately moved on to the next step—the healing process.

I transformed my magic power into microscopic threads, sending them into her body to tear apart the Demon King’s essence.

Since it would start regenerating immediately, I forced it to merge with the magical essence she was born with.

Instead of rejecting the Demon King’s essence, I made her body adapt to its dark power.

(…Alright, that should do it.)

The purification was successfully completed.

Her body had fully assimilated the Demon King’s essence with her own magical factor.

That hellish suffering was over.

I drew my sword and sliced through her restraints.

“Hey, how do you feel?”

The girl slowly sat up, staring at her body in disbelief.

“…No way…”

A single tear rolled down her cheek.

“This… this isn’t a dream…? Thank you…!”

Tears streamed down her face as she expressed her gratitude.

I hadn’t planned on saving her, but I didn’t mind being thanked.

“We need to escape from here, quickly…!”

She still thought we were inside the Garzak Underground Prison.

Frantically, she stood up.

“No need to worry about that.”

“What do you mean…?”

“See for yourself. Follow me.”

I turned on my heel and walked out of the laboratory.

She cautiously followed, only to freeze in shock.

“…Huh…?”

A vast expanse of lush greenery stretched as far as the eye could see.

Above us, the moon shone brilliantly, and the stars twinkled across the sky.

“I teleported the entire facility using my unique magic. We’re safe now.”

“I see… That’s a relief…”

Letting out a breath of relief, the girl asked a natural question.

“But… why did you save me?”

Well, why indeed?

Saying, “I just felt like doing the opposite of what you asked” was a bit too blunt.

Since I couldn’t think of a proper reason, I decided to make something up.

“Let me tell you a story from long ago.”

I began speaking slowly.

“Five hundred years ago, humanity was on the brink of extinction. A Demon King suddenly appeared, leading an army of countless minions, and began invading the continent. The Demon King’s forces were overwhelming, and humanity was crushed. Just as all hope seemed lost, six individuals emerged—each possessing incredible power. They later became known as the ‘Six Legendary Heroes.’”

I paced around her in a dramatic fashion.

“After a long and arduous journey, they finally slew the Demon King. But in his final moments, the Demon King cast a curse—not on their bodies, but on their magical essence.”

“On their essence…?”

“Exactly. As you know, magical essence is passed down from parent to child, from generation to generation. By cursing the very foundation of their power, the Demon King ensured that their lineage would be wiped out.”

“So instead of targeting the heroes themselves, he aimed to destroy their bloodline… That’s logical.”

She was sharp, immediately grasping the concept.

“The heroes themselves were strong enough to withstand it. But after a hundred, two hundred years… their descendants, unable to suppress the Demon King’s power, started dying from an unknown illness.”

I gave her a meaningful look.

“Individuals who carried both the Hero and Demon King’s essence became the perfect research subjects. The world, having forgotten the heroes’ sacrifices, began conducting inhumane experiments on their descendants—greedy for wealth and power.”

“Research subjects… don’t tell me…!”

“Yeah. That means you.”

“……”

She fell silent.

“Is that story… true?”

“Who knows? If you’re curious, you can investigate it yourself.”

Of course, it was all true.

But she probably wouldn’t believe it so easily.

After a brief pause, she clenched her teeth.

“…Unforgivable…!”

In that instant, golden magic flared from her body.

Whoa, impressive—she had an enormous amount of mana.

“The world is built on sacrifices! I will destroy this rotten order and create a new one! To do that, I must fight the world itself!”

“…I will fight too.”

“To oppose fate, we need overwhelming power!”

I would follow my path.

And she could follow hers.

It wouldn’t be easy, but with that immense magic power, she might just make it.

Just as I turned my back, ready to teleport home—

“Let me fight alongside you.”

“…Huh?”

“Am I not allowed?”

“No, I mean… it’s not like you can’t, but…”

Well, things were definitely getting interesting.

(Besides, when thinking about how the story will unfold, having as many pieces in play as possible is better.)

The girl’s proposal wasn’t a bad idea at all.

“I really appreciate you. I know I’m not in a position to ask for anything. But still, if it’s not too much trouble, please let me fight alongside you.”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Thank you. Um… what should I call you?”

“I’m… hmm, let’s go with ‘Void.’”

Using my real name didn’t feel right, so I went with the first fake name that came to mind.

Void, because I use the power of emptiness.

Naming myself after the English word for my ability felt a little too simple… but clarity is important.

Also, I was getting tired of acting, so I decided to just be myself.

Speaking like a villainous noble takes a lot of energy…

“By the way… huh?”

Now that I think about it, what was this girl’s name again?

I tried to recall my knowledge of the original story.

(Silver long hair, pointed ears, half-elf, beautiful face… she’s not just some nameless extra, she’s definitely a named character.)

…But nothing came to mind.

In the main story, she either gets kidnapped and killed by the Great Demon Order or dies from inhumane experiments. She usually meets a tragic end early on.

Her role was too minor for me to remember her name.

“Hey, what’s your name?”

“I…”

The girl hesitated with her mouth slightly open before shaking her head.

“—I threw it away.”

“Threw it away?”

“My parents sold me for three copper coins. I don’t want a name given by people like them.”

“Ah… I see.”

People who manifest the Cursed Crest are treated worse than livestock.

It’s not hard to imagine what kind of treatment she received from her own parents.

“You saved me, Void. If you don’t mind, could you give me a name?”

“W-Wait…”

Naming someone is a huge responsibility.

A name can define a person’s entire life. It’s not something to decide lightly.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes, please.”

Her eyes were completely serious.

A name for a girl, huh…

(Ayumi, Kyoko, Yukari, Shiho, Saori…)

No, those are Japanese names.

They wouldn’t fit in the world of Ronzorkia.

“You don’t have to think too hard. Just name me based on what you see.”

“Hmm… how about ‘Daya’?”

“Daya?”

“It’s the name of a beautiful gemstone. I thought it suited your clear, silver hair… but maybe it’s too simple.”

“…Daya…”

She softly repeated the name, then smiled happily.

“It’s a wonderful name. Thank you, I’ll treasure it.”

It seemed like she liked it.

“Like I said before, we have to fight against the world. For that, we need overwhelming strength. Daya, you’ll have to become strong.”

“Of course, that’s my plan.”

Daya nodded firmly, then tilted her head slightly.

“How strong are you, Void?”

“Hmm, about this much.”

As I spoke, I released the magic power I always kept suppressed.

In an instant, a flood of black sludge-like energy surged forth, swallowing Mount Garan with terrifying force.

The world was engulfed by the sinister magic fitting of the villainous noble, Hollow von Heisenberg.

(What…? This isn’t just strength… He’s on a completely different level as a living being…)

As I let out a moderate amount of magic, Daya collapsed onto her rear.

She wrapped her arms around herself, trembling slightly, her face filled with fear.

“Ah, sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“I-I’m f-fine… I asked for this…”

Daya took a deep breath and slowly stood up.

(Ah… that was a mistake.)

She had been imprisoned in the underground dungeon for a long time and subjected to inhumane experiments.

She was obviously physically and mentally exhausted.

Even though I held back a lot, showing her my magic was bound to scare her.

(I feel bad… I’ll make it up to her by treating her to something she likes.)

Sushi, ramen, barbecue—wait, those are just my favorites.

She’s a girl, so maybe something healthy, light, or sweet would be better.

I’ll ask my maid, Silty, for recommendations.

As I planned my apology, Daya muttered softly.

“…Void, you’re strong. You could probably destroy the world.”

“Haha, that’s an exaggeration. I’m not that strong yet.”

“Is there anyone stronger than you?”

“Who knows…”

I looked up at the stars in the night sky.

Hollow von Heisenberg is always a hot topic in Ronzorkia’s ‘Strongest Character’ discussions.

His unique magic, , is all-powerful. His physical strength surpasses human limits. His magic power seems bottomless.

He’s a prodigy with everything needed to become the strongest.

If trained properly, he’d be unbeatable.

(But… Hollow always dies.)

Even in the longest-lasting route, he eventually develops ‘that thing’ and gets killed by the protagonist.

—Sloth and Arrogance.

This cursed debuff always leads Hollow to his destined bad end.

(To survive and reach the ideal happy ending…)

That’s why I decided to live humbly and carefully.

“Alright, let’s plan what to do next.”

“Okay.”

After a brief discussion, we decided Daya would live in Void Town.

That place would hide her from the Great Demon Order and other threats.

Once she recovered physically and mentally, I would train her.

(I’m honestly pretty interested in the combination of hero and demon king powers.)

While teaching Daya how to fight, I’d secretly analyze her unique abilities.

Maybe I could use it to become even stronger.

(The attack on Garzak Underground Prison was incredibly rewarding.)

I collected combat data for , gained an ally in a hero’s descendant, and successfully delayed the Great Demon Order’s plan to revive the Demon King.

This was the best outcome possible.

As I nodded in satisfaction, Daya asked me a question.

“Void, are there others like me?”

“There are a few, but people like you are pretty rare.”

“What do you mean?”

“Not all hero descendants develop the Cursed Crest. In fact, most don’t. This disease is both a blessing and a curse—a sign of great talent. The stronger the hero’s bl00d, the higher the chance of inheriting the Demon King’s genes and developing it. Your parents were healthy, right?”

“…It’s not a talent I’m happy about.”

Daya’s eyes filled with determination as she looked at me.

“When I get stronger, I want to save others suffering from the Cursed Crest. If we find another hero’s descendant, will you remove their curse?”

“Yeah, I will.”

“Thank you. Now I have a reason to live.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Alright, let’s go to Void Town.”

With that, we stepped into the swirling darkness.