Chapter 8: I Was Trying to Quit Being King, But the Final Boss Showed Up Asking for Directions
Being king sucks.
I had been king for exactly five minutes, and I already wanted to jump out the nearest window.
“ALL HAIL KING YUUTO!” the crowd chanted, still kneeling.
I rubbed my eyes .“Okay. First of all, no. Second of all, no.”
The knight, Sir Gareth, beamed at me. “Ah, such wisdom! Even in this moment of great power, His Majesty remains humble.”
“No, seriously,” I said. “I don’t want to be king. Someone else do it.”
Lady Mirabelle gasped. “Such selflessness! The Great One wishes to share his divinity with others!”
I groaned.
High Priest Eldrin took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and raised his arms dramatically. “O spirits of the heavens, hear our cries! The Great One has ascended the throne, and now, our kingdom shall know eternal prospe—”
I grabbed his face and shook him. “STOP MAKING THIS WORSE.”
He only smiled. “Truly, I am blessed.”
Makar, my so-called friend, was dying of ughter. “Dude. This is gold.”
I ignored him. “Okay, okay. Let’s think logically. If the king vanished, then all we have to do is find him, right?”
The knight nodded. “Indeed! We must search far and wide, through fire and storm, over mountains and—”
BANG.
The doors to the royal hall exploded open.
A deep, terrifying voice filled the chamber.
“Excuse me.”
The room went silent.
A man (???) floated through the doorway.
Not walked. Floated.
His body wasn’t normal—it was like staring into an abyss, like a swirling vortex of darkness wearing a vaguely human shape.
Long, flowing robes made of pure bck mist. A void where his face should be. Glowing silver eyes that looked like they could see straight through my soul.
Oh no.
I recognized him.
Everyone recognized him.
Because this wasn’t just any random demon or evil warlord.
This was The Soul.
The Final Boss of this world.
The guy who was supposed to show up at the end of a hero’s journey.
Makar, ever the idiot, waved. “Hey, man. What’s up?”
The Soul hovered forward, his voice a deep, echoing whisper.
“I require assistance.”
Everyone braced for battle. Knights reached for their swords. Mages started chanting spells. High Priest Eldrin had already colpsed, mumbling prayers.
But then The Soul spoke again.
“…I think I’m lost.”
Silence.
A single feather drifted from the ceiling.
I blinked. “I’m sorry. You’re… what?”
The Soul’s empty, void-like face tilted.
“I was traveling through the void, contempting existence,” he said. “And I took a wrong turn.”
He gestured vaguely at the floor.
“Now I’m here.”
The entire room was dead silent.
The Final Boss of the world. The embodiment of destruction. The dark god that no hero had ever been able to defeat.
Was asking for directions.
Makar scratched his head. “Huh. That does expin the weird portal storm earlier.”
I turned to him, eyes wide. "Wait… you knew about that?"
He shrugged. “Well, yeah. But I figured it was your problem.”
I grabbed a loaf of bread from a nearby table and threw it at his head.
Makar caught it. Took a bite. “Mmm. Fresh.”
Meanwhile, The Soul had slowly turned to look at me.
“You. Are you the ruler of this realm?”
I twitched. “Nope. Absolutely not. I quit.”
The knights immediately shouted, “THE GREAT ONE DOES NOT QUIT!”
I shoved Sir Gareth aside. “Fine. Whatever. What do you want?”
The Soul floated a little closer. His presence made the air feel heavy.
“The void is vast and endless,” he intoned. “I have wandered for eons. And now… I find myself in an unfamiliar nd.”
He folded his arms. “I wish to return to my domain.”
I stared at him.
“…That’s it?”
“Yes.”
“No world domination?”
“No.”
“No eternal suffering?”
“No.”
I turned to the others. “Guys, he literally just wants to go home.”
Makar nodded. “Retable.”
The knights and nobles immediately started whispering.
“But he is evil!”
“But he hasn’t actually done anything yet!”
“He could be tricking us!”
“He seems… weirdly polite?”
Exhausted, I rubbed my eyes and inhaled deeply.
The old wizard in the bathrobe looked in from the corner, still stirring his soup.
“Sup.”
“You’re supposed to be the best wizard here. Can you make a portal?”
Merlin squinted at The Soul. “Huh. Big guy.”
The Soul nodded. “Yes.”
Merlin nodded back. “Respect.”
I waved my hands. “HELLO?! Focus!”
Merlin stroked his beard. “Well… I could make a portal, but given my track record, there’s a small chance of error.”
The Soul’s glowing eyes narrowed. “Define small.”
Merlin coughed. “Uh. There’s a twenty percent chance you might end up in a chicken dimension.”
The Soul stared.
“…A what.”
Makar gave a thumbs-up. “Don’t worry. It’s not that bad. I got hit by one earlier.”
The Soul slowly turned to me. “This is the greatest wizard in your kingdom?”
I covered my face. “Don’t remind me.”
The Soul sighed. “Very well. If this is what must be done.”
Merlin cracked his fingers. “Alright. Stand back, folks.”
Sparks filled the air. The room trembled. A swirling portal burst to life.
The Soul gazed at it. “…This should suffice.”
He turned to me. “Mortal. You have aided me this day. I shall remember your name.”
I gulped. “Uh. Cool. Thanks.”
He paused. “I… do not actually know your name.”
“Yuuto.”
The Soul nodded.
“I shall remember this, Yuuto.”
He turned. Floated toward the portal.
Stopped.
Then slowly turned his empty gaze to Makar.
“…Your bread is quite good.”
Makar grinned. “I know, right?”
And then, without another word…
The Soul stepped into the portal.
WHOOSH.
The air calmed. The tension faded.
Silence.
Then:
High Priest Eldrin gasped. “THE GREAT ONE HAS PACIFIED THE FINAL BOSS.”
I threw up my hands. “NO, I DID NOT.”
Lady Mirabelle held her hands together. “It was a divine miracle…”
Sir Gareth wiped a tear. “I shall write songs of this moment.”
Makar just cpped me on the back. “Nice work, dude. You just speedran world peace.”
I groaned.
This.
This was my life now.
I wasn’t getting home anytime soon, was I?
TO BE CONTINUED…
