The Executed Sage Reincarnates as a Lich and Begins a War of Aggression

After spending some time chasing after them, Grom finally managed to capture Kenny and Lana.

Doldar was also called in and given a sermon.

Since it seemed like it was going to take a while, I decided to continue the walk alone.

It also appeared that Grom wanted me to leave him be, so there shouldn’t be a problem.

For some reason, he didn’t like to be seen giving sermons.

Nothing else happened when I walked down the corridor.

And the subordinates who passed by often stopped to greet me.

I greeted them back every time it happened while I went up the stairs.

Before I knew it, I’d arrived at the balcony of my room.

The sunlight shining down on me was warm.

I looked out at the view from here.

The rich cityscape stretched all the way till the horizon.

It was the result of the Demon Lord’s Army’s efforts over 500 years.

It feels like it’s been so long yet also so short… It's a strange feeling.

There haven’t been any major conflicts happening on this land ever since I brought undead hordes to destroy things when I first arrived here as a Demon Lord.

It just continued to develop.

Looking back on it, I feel deeply moved.

The path I have walked was definitely not something worthy of praise.

I became the World’s Worst Demon Lord, and the very person who was responsible for dividing the world.

At this time and age, most of humanity no longer knew that.

I have changed the premise of the world forever.

And I believe there is no greater sin out there than what I’ve done.

I was determined to bear the weight of my sins for as long as I lived on.

My determination to suffer this infamy has not yet shaken.

I fully intend to commit whatever more inhuman acts if I deem it necessary.

I muttered to myself while looking out at the lively city.

“—I became the Demon Lord and created an era of peace like this. What would you think if you saw it now?”

She would probably partially approve of my results, but then still choose to confront me about it despite understanding that.

She wouldn’t totally agree with nor deny this.

It was her way of staying unbiased.

Both of us understood each other best, yet we also couldn’t tolerate the other’s conflicting ideas.

Even though both of us sought for peace, there were differences in our ideals and expectations for humanity.

If she won back then, what kind of future would she have brought?

It was all in my head now, but I couldn’t help but imagine it.

Would a world without the Demon Lord and hero recover from all the turmoil and reach true peace?

Before peace would happen, war would definitely occur in various places first.

Mankind would compete for the things left behind by the Demon Lord’s Army.

In such battles, new heroes and Demon Lords might’ve been born.

Once that happens, history would only repeat itself.

She tolerated the world, only to perish at the end of all the conflict.

For better or for worse, she had allowed the world to develop as it was.

For the last 500 years, I have constantly been thinking about peace.

I had committed the atrocity of dividing the world and was still exploring the various possibilities even now.

Various experiences have made my ideas become more flexible.

Although I still couldn’t agree with that person’s claim, I could at least understand it.

At the very least, more so than I did back then.

The optimal solution for peace hasn’t been found yet.

I was going to keep searching.

This was my way of atonement, or should I say, my destiny.

The Will of the World rejected the evil known as the Demon Lord.

Yet even after I managed to overcome such a coercive power, I ended up reigning awfully like this.

Therefore, I would just do the things that needed to be done.

There was no need to involve my personal feelings or doubt.

There was no other choice but to turn it into a solid structure and micromanage it.

I looked up at the blinding sun.

I stretched my hand up to the burning star and slowly closed my fingers around its form.

“—I will continue to threaten and protect the world for eternity. And I will reach an era of peace beyond your wildest dreams.”

I, who was once a Sage, swore.

With only the blue skies above as my audience, my words were carried off.

Author’s Note:

This is the end of this story.

Thank you for reading until the end.

WWSD's E/N: