Doro had never forgotten the purpose of hosting such a banquet.

He wasn't here to meet the younger version of himself; he was here to end a war. In his thirties now, he had once been a great Hero, steadfast in his beliefs, defeating the Demon King, only to be betrayed by his companions and become a disillusioned man.

Later, he met Mohe, who, through teaching or perhaps comforting, helped him regain his spirit. This was the first time he had made such a strong-willed decision.

For the first time, he mingled among the soldiers, understanding the situation of war, the thoughts of soldiers on both sides, and their lives. For the first time, he thought deeply about the necessity of some events.

He thus realized his own superficiality, understanding that his considerations were far from profound enough, realizing...

Realizing his own inner self.

Just as Mohe said, he possessed power, power that allowed him to act as he wished, power to conquer all, power to change people's wills. If someone's will couldn't be changed, then that person could be erased with power—it's that simple.

So, in essence, the only thing he truly needed to do was one.

That was to recognize his own heart, to clearly know what he wanted, what he needed, and how he wanted his will to be carried out—a realization he gained after nearly ten days in the two armies. Over those ten days, he constantly pondered, ultimately discovering the answer he wanted.

And finally, he arrived here.

Meeting the younger version of himself was a stroke of luck for him, and even more fortunate was that this younger version was perfect. Facing a self like the Demon King, facing an opponent using the same tactics as the Demon King, this A·Gedora fought to the bitter end just like he once did. Perhaps the other person felt even more despair because, back then, when dueling Mohe, Doro clearly felt himself becoming stronger.

The same feeling, however, young A·Gedora might not savor. He swung his sword in unwinnable despair, wholly lacking fear in fighting Doro. This was precisely what Doro felt fortunate about.

Because he saw his past self, he was even more sure of his current feelings.

"Wise King, Duke Regulus, I demand you cease hostilities immediately. Also, I require you to abdicate, Wise King. I will be the Human King."

Yes, whether in the Wise King's troops or Duke Regulus's troops, the conclusion Doro could reach was that the world wasn't happy; people couldn't live stable lives. Some longed to return home to marry their loved ones after the war, some thought of farming, some thought...

The desires of these people could only be fulfilled in peace. Doro realized that even if he temporarily stopped this war, it didn't mean that wars would not continue.

Then he would assume the position of Human King.

Mohe heard Doro's words, an incredulous look appearing on her face: "Mr. Doro, are you serious? If you become the Human King, what about Lisidorwei? Aren't you already..."

Doro and Lisidorwei had chosen a place to live in Sim City, planning their future life.

But at this moment, Doro made such a decision. To become the Human King—not that he lacked the qualification, but it meant abandoning his current life, abandoning the promise he made with Lisidorwei. Of course, he could take Lisidorwei with him, but that would deviate from the life they wanted. Lisidorwei might not even follow Doro.

Even though she once risked her life for Doro.

"I will take her with me."

Doro said to Mohe.

His eyes were filled with defiance.

Mohe then withheld her emotions.

It seemed she understood something, simply nodding her head.

Afterward, Doro's gaze fell upon Duke Regulus and the Wise King.

"Do you have any objections?"

Duke Regulus immediately fell to one knee, drawing his sword and offering it with both hands: "I am willing to serve you, the great Doro! You ought to be the Human King, and I will be your most loyal servant!"

Like the banner he raised in rebellion, this Duke offered his loyalty to Doro without hesitation.

Yet at this moment, the Wise King was staring at Doro, expressing his doubts: "Though you have power, Doro, you lack the ability to govern a country. If someone like you holds power, it will only bring disaster. You cannot govern a country properly; you're just an ignorant warrior!"

Even though Doro had repeatedly proven his strength, the Wise King expressed his disapproval: "If becoming the Human King was something you could achieve with a word, how blissful should this world be? But it's not; the world is filled with suffering, the world brimming with unachievable tasks. Your wisdom isn't enough to solve this. You're not the Demon King. You can't do it."

"But I have power, and even if you oppose me, that doesn't become a reason."

"But that conflicts with your purpose. If you're doing this for the people, becoming a king is a disaster for them. Do you think you are noble?"

Doro finally furrowed his brows and shouted, "Boguke!"

The Wise King's name was called out by Doro at this moment.

Few knew that, before the betrayal, the one closest to Hero A·Gedora wasn't one of those beautiful girls in his party, but the Wise King Boguke, who had always silently supported him.

This man was originally an illegitimate son. Before the Hero was born, he had almost grasped the power of the kingdom through his skills. Back then, the Human Central Kingdom was just one of many smaller nations, yet it unwaveringly supported the emerging Hero.

The Hero's journey was the path of expanding territories.

He once made a vow with the Hero at sunset.

"Just fight! Gedora! Leave the rest to me! Be it appeasing the populace, rebuilding a prosperous society, all is in my hands! You don't need to think about many things, just keep fighting and ultimately defeat the Demon King! Liberate humanity from such fate! I believe you can do it!"

So, when Doro defeated the Demon King, this man became the Wise King, and the former small kingdom became the Human Central Empire.

Doro didn't blame Boguke as a role model, because he fundamentally believed Boguke hadn't done anything wrong. Despite feeling betrayed, this man was undoubtedly dedicated to the advancement of humanity.

So, he had to answer Boguke's question, and the answer had to be sincere.

—He was sure Boguke would see this.

Doro answered the Wise King's questions one by one, providing all the explanations he could offer.

"If this is your will, then it's laughable. You can kill me anytime, Doro. But I won't recognize you. I won't acknowledge your authority as the Human King! You can't be the Human King!"

Because he's a weak man, he hasn't truly killed those present who betrayed him.

At this moment, under the gaze of everyone, the Wise King took a step forward, nearly pressing against Doro: "Doro, you must kill me here, kill this betrayer of yours, you must do this to be able to bear the weight ahead; if you lack the courage to even kill me, how can you bear the weight of humanity? How can you lead humanity forward? How can you call yourself the Human King?"

He was right.

He seemed to be provoking Doro, but everyone knew the Wise King did it on purpose. He spoke in such a way, wanting to provoke Doro, make Doro lose his mind—but what was his aim? Did his death mean anything to Doro? Especially having to kill with his own hands...

"If you become my deputy, things would seem much better."

"How is that possible? Would you do the same things?"

Doro shook his head.

The Wise King smiled: "If you want to be the Human King, then step over the corpse of me, the Wise King; only then can you truly ascend to the throne of the Human King."

A sword appeared in his hand: "If you won't act, I will, for I can't accept someone like you as king."

"Alright, since you said so, I'll grant your wish."

Doro acted, almost instantaneously, unnoticed by everyone, and the Wise King lay in a pool of blood.

The crowd was terrified.

The Wise King just...died?

"Mohe..."

Doro looked at Mohe, then suddenly realized.

Mohe was already gone.

He was stunned for a moment, looking at the "Wise King." The "corpse" of the Wise King was already gone.

People were terrified.

Then, Mohe reappeared in the mansion. She threw the body of the Wise King to the ground: "First, I was tricked by this thing, clearly wanting Doro to become Human King and then turn against me. You even have a marriage contract with Charlette, why don't you ask her about it? If I let you do this easily, I'd twist my own head off."

With a string of curses, she started making some preparations.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.