Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 204

204

“Surveillance, Deron?”

“I’ve heard rumors about it. That there are watchers in the Demon Realm.”

“Watchers?”

Deron nodded, his expression tense. He was alluding to a part of the Demon Realm’s ancient history.

“The Demon Realm, immediately after its separation from the God Realm, was extremely chaotic. Back then, the dimensional pathways weren’t completely blocked, so travel was possible. In that era, a demon legion, driven by excessive competitiveness, unilaterally attacked the Heavenly Army composed of gods. This sparked a massive conflict between the two races, later known as the Great War between Heaven and Demons.”

Initially, it was just a battle between gods and demons. However, as countless gods perished, it soon led to widespread damage throughout the God Realm. Gods are beings deeply connected to the divine, so their pain and death profoundly impacted the others. Eventually, even those gods who couldn’t bear to watch joined the war, and the situation spiraled out of control.

Later, thanks to the intervention of the higher gods, the conflict was barely contained, but the animosity towards the demons, who were seen as the main instigators, did not easily dissipate. In particular, the Heavenly God Iowen, the creator of the gods, harbored the greatest anger.

The gods were deeply concerned about the demons’ aggressiveness and feared a repeat of such events. Some even advocated for exterminating the demons and destroying the Demon Realm entirely. What prevented this was the Demon God, Kanos, who had been silently observing the situation. The Demon God wielded immense influence, even in the God Realm, so no one dared to defy his opposition. Instead, the Demon God offered a compromise to appease them: he would place restraints on the demons to prevent them from running wild.

“Restraints?”

“Yes, there were many different theories about these restraints, but the most prevalent one suggested the presence of watchers in the Demon Realm. Someone appointed by the Demon God, who would subtly regulate the power of the demons from behind the scenes.”

“……!”

“Of course, it was just a rumor, so I never truly believed it. But now, I’m starting to think it might be true.”

So, the Demon God himself played the role of the watcher, and created Lucarim for that very purpose?

Certainly, this explanation was far more convincing than the excuse of mere boredom. In essence, according to Deron, the Demon King is just a figurehead, and Kanos was directly controlling the Demon Realm. And not in a benevolent way, but in a restrictive one. If the purpose of the restraints was to prevent the demons’ power from growing or developing…
The Demon God, who created the demons, was acting as a control mechanism to stifle the expansion of the Demon Realm.

Deron glanced at Kanos, as if trying to discern his true intentions. But Kanos simply looked back with a smile, revealing no particular reaction. Instead, Deron, who had made eye contact, flinched and quickly lowered his head to the ground.

“I… I’ve also heard that the reason why our hair and eye colors are all the same is due to a promise made back then. They deliberately gave us the same characteristics so that everyone could easily identify us as demons… To make it easier to kill us.”

“……!”

My body involuntarily recoiled at those final words. I remembered Lucarim’s complaints. He said that the reason all demons share the same hair and eye color was at the request of the other gods. To unify their appearance so that everyone could easily recognize and avoid them.

I had dismissed it as a common legend or folktale, but it was all true. I hadn’t paid much attention to it at the time, but I never realized it carried such a brutal implication. When I think about it, being easily recognizable meant that it was also difficult to hide. That meant you would be a target anywhere. In a way, it would be the easiest way to avoid demons. If you eliminate potential problems in advance, then of course problems won’t arise.

“Can I assume that my guess is correct?”

“What are you going to do if it is?”

Kanos casually responded to the cautiously posed question. It was a probing tone, but it was a reaction close to confirmation. I swallowed hard, and at that moment, something unexpected happened. Deron knelt down on the spot.

“Please kill me.”

“De, Deron?”

Startled, I looked at Deron. Kanos simply looked down at him with an intrigued gaze, without any particular reaction.

“Kill you?”

“I have no desire to live, knowing the Demon God’s plan. I will gladly die before I become an obstacle to your work. However, please grant me the final favor of allowing this insignificant life to be taken directly by your hand.”

What? Why is the situation unfolding like this? I was dumbfounded by the unexpected turn of events. Originally, Deron was the type to easily accept and adapt to any situation. But that was simply making a more rational choice, not a lack of pride. Rather, I thought it was closer to revealing a rebellious psychology against the orders of the higher-ups by handling this side’s work carelessly. He didn’t seem very favorable towards the Demon King, so my guess was probably correct.

But he completely humbled himself before the Demon God. He doesn’t protest or get angry about being deceived by everyone until now, or being treated harshly. He just sought answers to his questions and readily accepted them. The words that he would be honored to die by his hand were also by no means false. How will the Demon God accept that?

I glanced at Kanos, trying to read his expression. He was looking down at Deron with interest. I still couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but the smile that had been on his face was gone. With just that, his entire demeanor shifted. The innocent and playful man vanished, and the cool and imposing Demon God stood in his place.

Just by not smiling, the atmosphere changed this much. I even wondered if he kept smiling to conceal this side of himself.

“Geez, there are only nasty guys around here.”

Deron flinched and raised his head at the muttered words. At that moment, a jet-black aura began to emanate from Kanos’s hand like smoke. It was an aura that gave off an ominous feeling at first glance. Deron swallowed hard when he saw it.

“Well, if it’s a wish, there’s nothing I can’t grant. But are you really okay with dying?”

“Yes, I’m okay with it.”

“Are you really going to die like this?”

“Yes!”

His expression, nodding without hesitation, was resolute. Kanos tilted his head at the repeated answers.

“That’s strange. The Deron I know isn’t the type to allow himself to die so futilely.”

“Yes?”

“Your dream, wasn’t it to start the Great War between Heaven and Demons again and fight the Heavenly God one-on-one, and meet a glorious end at his hands?”

He had such a dream!

Everyone, including me, looked at Deron with dumbfounded eyes. He was sweating profusely.

“Th, that’s…….”

“Wow, were you deceiving me all along? That’s a bit annoying, isn’t it? When I heard that story, I thought you were a manly man with a pretty grand ambition.”

“Ah, no! I didn’t deceive you! Of course, I’ve thought about it, and I still want to meet that kind of end if possible. But that’s impossible…….”

“So you’re just going to die by my hand? All you had to do was die by the hand of a god somehow? Deron, I didn’t know you wanted to die that much. I didn’t know that.”

“Wa, wait a minute. Doesn’t it seem like the flow of the conversation has changed strangely? Why does it sound like I want to die?”

“Huh? But you asked me to kill you. Didn’t you want to die?”

“I don’t particularly want to die!”

After answering with a straight face, Deron soon made a miserable expression. It seemed to be because of the realization that he had been caught up in the Demon God’s rhetoric, and the self-reproach that he had not been able to keep his convictions until the end. But on the contrary, Kanos’s face looked happy. When a smile appeared on his face, his unique innocent atmosphere returned. He said playfully, with a sly expression.

“You’re a bad boy. Why are you lying when you don’t want to die?”

“I, it wasn’t a lie. Isn’t it natural that anyone with breath doesn’t want to die? But I’m saying that I can die for you.”

“Haha, you’re a fool? Then you should live.”

“Yes, yes?”

“The thing you have to do for me isn’t dying.”

Deron’s eyes widened at the lightly dropped words. But Kanos didn’t seem to have any intention of continuing the explanation kindly. He ignored the bewildered Deron and turned his head.

“Well, then who’s next? Is it that kid’s turn?”

Saying that, Kanos stared at none other than Isana. I was a little embarrassed because I didn’t expect him to point him out. Isana was also swallowing hard.

“Me, are you talking about me?”

“Yes. There was something you wanted to confirm with me, right?”

Isana’s eyes widened, and then the bewildered look disappeared from his face. Instead, a calmly sunken gaze seriously stared at Kanos. Kanos smiled more deeply when he saw that.

“That’s a really good expression. It’s not easy to have those eyes at that age.”

“…….”

“Okay, ask me anything. As an apology for deceiving you all this time, I’ll answer anything I can.”

“……Then I won’t hesitate to ask.”

Unexpectedly, Isana did not flinch and boldly responded. No, perhaps it was because he knew exactly what he had to do. He had been running towards only one thing for a long time.

“The oracle… I want to know the true meaning of the oracle.”

As expected, what Isana asked was related to the oracle that the late emperor had received. It was the beginning of this entire journey, and it was also an answer that only the Demon God could solve. Because he was the one who gave the oracle.

“An oracle……?”

“The Demon God gave an oracle announcing my father’s sins. I wanted to know the reason. Please tell me. What exactly is the sin he committed that such a harsh punishment was given? And did my father receive forgiveness by paying the price?”

As if reflecting the weight of the heart he held, the air around him sank heavily. Only Alisa, who didn’t know the situation yet, was busy looking around, puzzled by the atmosphere.

Even Kanos seemed to have difficulty with this atmosphere. He scratched his cheek with his finger, looking a little embarrassed.

“Ah, you mean that. Well, it’s something that will be known someday, so it’s better to tell you. But you might be surprised if you know this. Are you sure you want to hear it?”

“……I will listen to any words.”

“You might be really shocked?”

“It’s okay.”

“Hmm, okay. Then I’ll tell you. But I warn you, the truth will be more painful than you think.”

He said it with a smiling face, but it wouldn’t be a joke. Isana clenched both fists tightly as if he was extremely nervous. I also prepared myself to withstand the shock, wondering what kind of terrible truth would fall. But the words that followed lightly surpassed all those expectations.

“It’s all news to me.”

“Yes?”

“I don’t know anything about the oracle or anything. I haven’t given an oracle to anyone in the last 50 years.”

“……!”

A suffocating silence descended, leaving me feeling lightheaded. I was so taken aback that I couldn’t even process my thoughts for a moment. I truly didn’t imagine that I would hear this kind of answer. When I barely grasped the situation, my fingertips rapidly turned cold.

The Demon God has never given an oracle.

The implication of that fact was only one thing.

The oracle was fake.

“Isana!”

Isana’s body staggered, perhaps because the shock was so great. Alisa, who was surprised, quickly supported him from the side. Only after seeing that did I barely come to my senses. When I barely looked at Kanos, he immediately met my gaze and smiled. It was as if he had been waiting for me to react.

“That’s… really? Was that oracle really fake?”

“Since I never gave it, it must have been forged.”

“Is it okay for a priest to do that?”

“Of course not. A priest should never use the name of God for personal gain. If you do that, you will be cursed to death or at least lose your qualifications as a priest. It’s a destiny that a priest must unconditionally endure.”

“But the Grand Duke is fine?”

“Yeah, so I’m saying, if it’s a priest.”

It was a little late to understand the meaning because he answered so casually. I was completely stunned by the truth that I suddenly realized.

“…The Grand Duke isn’t a priest?”

The divine emblem he had was also fake.

Oh my gosh. What kind of situation is this? It seems like only things that are not good for my lifespan are happening all day today. Even though I couldn’t feel the temperature, the surroundings felt stuffy. Isana was just blankly opening his mouth, wondering how surprised he was. His complexion was so pale that it looked like it would crumble at any moment.