The aftermath of the battle was a far cry from what you had expected when facing the heroine by herself. Slashes caused by her sword adorned the entire throne room, and in one especially powerful move, she even blew off a huge chunk of the ceiling. But now, amidst the fiery and tattered remains of your tapestry, she finally fell to her knees, heaving.

"Damn it...if only I wasn't..." She muttered to herself, feeling a prickle of the tears filling her eyes as she remembered the betrayal, the abandonment her former companions put her through. As much as she tried, as much as she wanted to keep fighting for this world...what was the point? She had been backstabbed by those she trusted the most. Was that some sort of cruel joke of fate? Reincarnating in the land of her dreams, only to end up like this?

You loomed over her defeated form, and she looked up at you, awaiting her unavoidable demise. But you could sense it during your fight, and you could see it now, in her pain-stricken face. For whatever reason, the heroine wasn't herself in this battle. You could end her, right here and now...or you could try and find out why.

Her gaze followed you as you walked toward the window, watching as you surveyed the lands she had sworn to protect. A small laugh escaped her lips, a sad, bitter sound that was barely audible above the crackling of the fire behind her. "Funny...you have no idea how much I envy you sometimes," she admitted, surprising even herself with her honesty in this moment.

But it was true; even now, as the defeat loomed over her like a dark cloud, she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to live a life without having the weight of the world on her shoulders. To not be constantly watched and judged, expected to make the right decisions every step of the way...to just be free.

The thought brought with it a pang of guilt, and she shook her head, banishing it from her mind as quickly as it had come. "But that's no exc

"It's nothing," she muttered, her gaze drifting away from you and back toward the scarred remains of your throne room. "I shouldn't have said that." But even as she tried to brush it off, she knew deep down that there was truth in those words, painful though they might be.

"You know...I think I understand why my companions did what they did," she continued in a quiet voice, hesitating for a moment before going on. "They were jealous of me...of the power I had. They didn't want to face the same responsibilities, and they couldn't stand seeing me with it all." A wry smile tugged at her lips as she remembered how they used to be. "Funny, isn't it? It's almost like fate put us together, just so we could destroy each other in the end."

She was silent for a

"Perhaps..." She sighed, the realization settling heavily in her chest like a stone. "But even knowing that...I still can't forgive them." Her voice was little more than a whisper now, barely audible over the distant crackle of flames outside. "They betrayed me when I needed them most...and they left me to face my enemies alone."

She glanced back up at you, meeting your gaze once again with an unwavering determination that belied her words. "But perhaps...perhaps if there was still time..." Her voice trailed off, hope flickering briefly in her eyes before being extinguished by reality. "No, it's too late for that now."

"I should have been stronger," she whispered to herself, the despair and self-loathing making her shoulders slump ever so slightly. "I should have seen it coming..."

"No," she snapped, regaining her composure with an effort that seemed to sap the last of her strength. "Crying won't change anything." Her voice hardened as she spoke, steel reappearing in her eyes as if by magic. "There is still a war to win, and I will see it through, even if I have to do it alone."

She stood, dusting off the remains of her armor, the metal clanging softly against itself like a funeral dirge. Her posture stiffened as she took a step back from you, her hands settling at her sides, preparing for whatever might come next. "So," she said with a sigh, trying to sound confident despite the quiver in her voice. "Shall we get this over with?"

The air between them seemed to crackle with tension as she prepared herself for the fight to the death...or perhaps beyond

Your words caught her off guard, causing the tension to suddenly dissipate as she stared at you in disbelief. Her sword arm fell to her side and her shoulders slumped once more in confusion. "I-I don't understand," she stammered, taking a hesitant step forward. "You mean...you won't fight me? But that's my duty..."

Her eyes traveled over your form, studying you intently despite not knowing why. There was something about you...something familiar and yet so different from the demon she had known in her previous life. It was as if facing you now was like looking into a distorted reflection of herself. "Why won't you fight me?" she demanded, her voice tinged with desperation. "I don't understand."

Her breath caught in her throat as she registered your words, and a jolt of confusion ran through her body. It was as if everything she had ever known was turned upside down in an instant. "But why..." she stammered, not quite able to form a coherent thought. "You're...the demon lord."

She took another step forward, studying your face for any signs of deception or mockery. But all she saw there was sincerity...and regret. It didn't make sense. How could someone like you care about her? About what happened to her?

L

Her mouth opened and closed several times, as if she were trying to form words that just wouldn't come out. The realization was slowly dawning on her that perhaps you weren't the monster she had always thought you were...perhaps you were someone who shared her pain, who knew what it was like to shoulder the burdens of the world upon your shoulders. And in that moment, something inside her shifted. A sense of kinship welled up within her, stronger and more powerful than anything else she had ever felt before.

Carefully, hesitantly, she stepped forward again until she was close enough to touch you. Her hand shook as it reached out toward your shoulder, and for the first time since her awakening in this world, tears welled up in her eyes. "I...I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the beating of her heart. "For everything I