"They die."
The words "die" kept echoing in my head like a bad omen.
"...Die?"
"Hehe, yes, die," the girl replied mischievously. "You see, almost ten thousand elves were sacrificed just to fuel the magic circle with mana. And another ten thousand had to die to create that huge barrier I mentioned earlier."
"Twenty thousand elves died... just for this ritual?"
"Yep, that's right. And all for the sake of summoning heroes from another world."
I couldn't even begin to comprehend the sheer scale of the sacrifice that had been made.
"Let's do the math, Leon," the girl said with a sly grin. "We have 40 heroes summoned, plus the natural energy drawn from thousands of beast people, and the mana extracted from almost 20,000 elves who lost their lives. All of this for the sake of saving this world from destruction."
"What the heck? What's even the point of 'saving the world from destruction' if it requires sacrificing so many lives?"
"Who knows? Maybe they thought it was worth it. Or maybe they didn't care about the lives of those who had died. After all, they were just a means to an end."
"Well, that doesn't mean they should sacrifice so many, does it?"
She smirked at me, like she knew something I didn't. "That's just how the world works, Leon. The strong sacrifice the weak for their own gain. It's been that way since the beginning of time."
I refrained from speaking and instead bit my lip. What I was hearing was completely different from what I had read in books. The books I had perused made no reference to any kind of sacrifices.
"I told you, didn't I? Your knowledge about that war was merely scratching the surface of what really happened."
"...I still find it hard to believe. You can't just make such claims without any proof."
Although her words carried a certain credibility, fear gripped my chest as I spoke. I wasn't suspecting her out of doubt, but rather out of apprehension.
"It's entirely up to you whether you choose to believe me or not, Leon. After all, this is just a story without any concrete proof that it really happened," she teased. "I could've simply been spinning a tale on a whim, or maybe I was just spouting nonsense. But the truth is, what I'm telling you are facts. It really did happen. All you have to do is listen and decide for yourself whether to dismiss it as nonsense or something worth believing."
I found it difficult to fathom that the girl's words could be true. Everything I had believed until this point would have been nothing but a lie if what she claimed was accurate. It was unrealistic to expect me to accept her story without any proof.
Despite my doubts, I knew there was no point in dwelling on it any further. Instead, I resolved to listen to her more closely in hopes of uncovering her motives for reviving me.
But then again, wasn't she only talking about the hero summoning ritual and the story of how they were summoned? She had promised to divulge the truth about what really happened during the World War, yet all she had spoken about was the hero summoning.
The girl flashed me a knowing smile, seemingly aware of the thoughts swirling in my mind. "Finally catching on, are we?" she teased. "I did say that we're going to the very, very beginning, didn't I?"
A shiver ran down my spine as I realized the implications of her words. "Wait, are you telling me that the hero summoning was the cause of the war?" I asked, my voice trembling.
The girl's grin grew wider. "You're not wrong, but you're not entirely right either. Let's just say that there are greater forces at play here. But we can delve into that later. For now, let me finish the story."
Taking another biscuit from the basket, the girl took a small bite before continuing her story. "Now, where was I? Ah, yes. So after countless sacrifices, they finally managed to successfully perform the ritual. Forty humans from another world were summoned, each endowed with a so-called 'blessing'. This blessing was an ability that they gained after being summoned to this world, and each of them had a unique one. One had the blessing of a fighter, while while another one had the blessing of a priest. But the most powerful of them all was the blessing of a hero. It had the ability to unite people and lead them on their quest to defeat the demon lord."
The hero who defeated the demon lord... I had heard of him before. He was said to have united all the other heroes and led them in battle against the demon lord. His fighting spirit was unwavering and his determination to stop evil from spreading was unmatched.
...At least, that's what the books say. But if the story the girl was telling me was different from what was written in the books, then maybe the hero was different too.
"Unfortunately for you, dear Leon, the hero who defeated the demon lord was not exactly the hero you thought he was. He wasn't the type of hero who had a strong sense of responsibility and justice. No, no, no. He was actually the worst of the bunch, a real troublemaker. This guy would beat you up just for making eye contact with him," she said with a mischievous grin. "And as if that wasn't bad enough, he had already killed three people and assaulted seven women within the first month of arriving in this world. He was a despicable man who would stop at nothing to satisfy his own twisted desires."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. That guy...was the hero? It was hard to wrap my head around what the girl was telling me. The hero, who was praised in the book as a just and righteous person, turned out to be a villainous delinquent who committed heinous acts. It was difficult to determine which version of the story was true, as they seemed to contradict each other. My mind was filled with confusion and uncertainty, and I didn't know what to believe anymore.
She took another biscuit and took a small bite before continuing, "The war between the three races and the demon race began, and the hero decided to sit that one out and do whatever he pleased. Meanwhile, the other heroes fought amongst themselves and betrayed each other. By the time they reached the demon continent, there were only nine of them left. They were a ragtag group with blessings of all kinds - priest, warrior, fighter, swordsmaster, marksman, thief, blacksmith, knight, and wizard. Despite their bravery and hard work, none of them managed to make it to the demon lord's castle. They all perished before even laying eyes on him."
"What on earth...?" I exclaimed in confusion. I was puzzled by what she had just revealed. According to the story, the demon lord was defeated by the heroes. But if all the heroes were dead, how could the demon lord have been defeated? It didn't make any sense.
The girl seemed to pick up on my thoughts and responded with a sly grin, "Well, it's quite obvious, isn't it? There was only one hero who remained - the one with the blessing of the hero, of course."
I was taken aback by her words and nearly lost my balance in my seat. I couldn't wrap my head around it. The man who acted on his whims and fancies had taken down the demon lord?
"Remember when I said this guy will stop at nothing to get what he desires?" The girl's mischievous grin returned. "Well, he's just like any other creature driven by their wants and needs. And what he wanted most was power. When he learned that the demon lord was the most powerful being in the land, he began to salivate at the idea of sitting on that throne himself. But, of course, he couldn't just waltz in there and claim it as his own. Oh no, he had to get rid of any pesky obstacles in his way first. That's why he didn't bother with the whole war thing. It was all just a means to an end, you see. He wanted to weaken the group that might oppose him, so that when the time came, he could easily eliminate them without breaking a sweat. And if the group happened to be particularly weak, well, that just made things even easier for him..."
The girl's smile sent chills down my spine as I realized what she was about to reveal. "That man..." she began, her voice trailing off as she relished in the suspense. "He stayed on the sidelines, biding his time while the other heroes fought amongst themselves. And when the remaining eight heroes were on the brink of entering the demon castle, he struck."
Her expression turned even more wicked and devious. "He ambushed them all..."
I couldn't help but shudder as she delivered the final blow.
"...and killed them without mercy."