Betrayed, I Met The Demon Lord

Chapter 1 - Van Hellix

[Notes:
' - Thoughts.
" - Dialogue.

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"I'm sorry... I'm so, so sorry... It's really not your fault. I just... couldn't ignore my true feelings anymore... I've actually fallen in love with Magus..." She confessed, tears streaming down her face in torrents as she stood before me.

This girl was one of our party's companions. I had saved her from a deadly trap in our adventures, and since then, she had grown increasingly attached to me. I'll admit, the feeling was mutual to some extent—she was cute, kind, and caring, and never concerned with appearances.

Unexpectedly, she declared herself my romantic partner, and I, taken aback yet flattered, decided to go along with it.

Now, the reason for her tears was a budding romance she had developed for my friend, known in this world as Magus. They had been seeing each other secretly, well, them and the rest of my friend's harem, not spilling the beans until after we beat the demon lord as a party.

But as for me...

"I see. Well, there's nothing to be done about it, then. I wish you happiness," I said, maintaining my composure.

Deep down, I knew what was up. But she made me feel happier than I ever was in this world, so I decided to shut up about it.

Yeah, I know. I'm lame.

My name is Van Hellix.

Cool name, right? Well, it's my isekai name. The priests who summoned us gave us these names. It's not the one I was given at birth back in our original world, which is far less impressive.

Max and I—better known as Magus Veil in now—were transported to another world.

We're Brothers. Not related by blood, but close enough that it hardly makes a difference. I know him inside and out, and he knows me just as well. I couldn't ask for a better friend.

Upon our arrival, we were tasked by the king of this land to defeat the demon lord—the cliché-est goal there is in a setting like this, to be sure.

The fact that the isekai I've always read about and enjoyed watching had just happened to us got me super livid and flipped out.

Aside from concerns about our families, of course.

We didn't even have the chance to say goodbye. It was hard, and honestly, still is... But, it is what it is.

With nothing on our plates but this demon lord, we just had to move forward.

But the truly exciting discovery was the existence of a status window, along with skills, leveling, and talents in this new world.

Apparently, the reason we got the task was due to that. Seeing your own skills and abilities in the form of numbers and stats is something only we had, in addition to the skills related to subduing the Demon Lord.

When we realized what this meant, we were really hyped. It was the best day of our lives...

Well, at least it was the best day of his life.

"DUDE... I'M GONNA BE THE STRONGEST MAGE EVER!!" He screamed, his face alight with excitement as he began detailing his skillset.

It was more than just impressive for sure; he had a slew of buffs and a solid foundation for magic. Initially, we both received passive skills and gradually acquired active ones as we progressed in our quest. While I was the only one to receive an active skill immediately, I'd say his starter passives were slightly more overpowered though...