Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint

Hilde disguised herself as Hughes and traversed the duchy. Since she had taken on the form of the Human King, Tyrkanzyaka’s favored companion, no one would find it odd if someone came looking for her.

But she had never imagined, not even in her wildest dreams, that someone from the Military State would show up.

Hilde was well aware that Hughes, Historia, and Lankart had studied together in Hameln. Though she had only learned later that Hughes was the Human King, she had never dismissed the Hameln incident as insignificant.

Lankart and Historia—two prodigies destined to become new stars. The Military State had investigated to determine whether a neighboring nation was responsible, but when the academy director’s breakdown was revealed, they concluded that it had simply been a case of failed stress management and closed the case.

But now... Hilde recalled a suspicion she had once deliberately ignored.

Colonel Lankart. Superintendent Historia. Exceptionally talented, remarkably fast-growing individuals.

And one who was inferior to them... but, for some unknown reason, had earned their trust.

Now she understood. The Human King naturally attracted the favor of humans, just as the kings of other beasts did.

But was that all? Would mere fondness explain Historia’s obsession? Was it enough to drive Lankart to betray the Military State and come looking for him?

"Lankart. A first-class threat who betrayed the Military State and allied with dangerous individuals. How did you get here?"

"Threat is a relative term. No one can harm me unless they're left-handed, and I have no reason to fight a left-handed person. But more importantly—"

Lankart cocked his head and gave Hilde a crooked look.

"If you’re going through all this trouble, disguising yourself as Huey and luring pursuers, that means you're one of his subordinates. So why the hostility? Didn't he tell you anything about me?"

"Not at all. What’s your relationship with him?"

"We’re friends."

Lankart’s blunt answer made Hilde’s careful attempt at extracting information seem ridiculous.

"I’m also his disciple. His sponsor, even. And his comrade in the hunt for the Demon Gods."

Demon Gods.

That unexpected term brought back memories of the intelligence Hilde had once gathered on Lankart.

Everyone in the Military State had dismissed Lankart’s betrayal as mere whimsy. But in reality, his defection had been the result of a meticulously planned scheme.

Tantalus, the Abyss of the Depths—the place where the Earth Mother Goddess was sealed away.

Saint Yuel had turned her back on the Holy Crown Church, deciding instead to use that place for the Military State’s benefit. She had sold that information to the Geomother’s followers in exchange for their unwavering support.

This was classified information, stored under the highest security within the Military State’s intelligence division. Only communications officers and those with access to the spirit archives could even glimpse fragments of it.

But Lankart, the rising star of the Military State, the youngest general candidate, and the embodiment of their future—he had been granted partial access. To a mage, knowledge and imagination were paths to greater power. No one had ever considered the possibility that he might betray them.

That was a grave miscalculation.

Lankart had taken what he learned and, as if mocking them, turned against the Military State.

Upon later investigation, it became clear that much of the confidential data he had accessed was related to the Geomother’s cult.

Even his capture and imprisonment in Tantalus had been part of his plan. The moment Hilde moved to transfer him, he had escaped, taking every other prisoner in the abyss with him.

He wasn’t searching for the Geomother.

He was hunting the Demon Gods.

Father also entered the abyss in search of a Demon God... Wait a moment.

If Lankart had been in constant contact with Hughes all this time—

"If you’re looking for the Demon Gods... Then the fact that he entered the abyss after your escape—was that all planned?"

"Oh? You figured that out?"

Lankart, treating Hilde as an ally, readily spilled his secrets.

"Yeah, we had a strategy in place. The Military State was already watching me, so I had to keep my investigation casual and then escape at the right moment."

To fulfill his contract with the Geomother’s followers, he needed to break the abyss’s seal. And for that, he had to ensure humans remained inside Tantalus. So, when an insignificant petty criminal was suddenly incarcerated there, it had all seemed too convenient.

That petty criminal had turned out to be Hughes, the Human King.

And thus, everything had begun.

"I figured that if I staged my escape and took every last prisoner with me, then Huey—who had just been locked up—would inevitably be transported elsewhere."

Lankart clicked his tongue, frustration creeping into his voice.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

"In truth, I wanted to find the Demon God myself before Huey ever got involved. But things never go that smoothly."

His self-deprecating mutter lasted only a moment. Soon, his eyes gleamed with excitement. The arrogance of a mage who had disregarded everything had vanished, replaced by admiration and awe.

"But Huey did it! The abyss vanished, the seal was lifted, and earth magic was granted to humanity! And on top of that, the Progenitor... The Progenitor was something even I wouldn’t have dared touch! As expected of Huey! He’s always a step ahead of me! I hate to admit it, but if there’s even a single human greater than me, it’s him!"

Lankart’s expression was not that of a friend but a fervent devotee. Hilde, caught somewhere between amusement and intrigue, found herself wondering—

Why was the Human King searching for the Demon Gods?

And if he succeeded in finding them all...

What would happen to humanity?

A massive change was coming. One that could never be undone.

Hilde didn’t know what Hughes was planning or where he was heading, but just imagining it made her heart race with anticipation.

"That was quite the fascinating story, Lankart of the Demon God's Sanctuary."

"Huh? Wait a second—you already knew about me?"

"My father didn’t tell me. I gathered that information myself. Though I wasn’t aware that you were still in contact with him."

The word father felt strange, but it was a minor detail. Lankart quickly pieced things together and narrowed his eyes.

"Are you an informant? I don’t know where Huey picked you up, but... where is he now?"

"I don’t know his exact location. He’s probably already crossed the mountain range at the border of the Warring Nations."

"Figures. If you lured me all the way here, then he must have gone the other way."

With an annoyed click of his tongue, Lankart scratched his head. Hilde, watching him, ran a hand over her face and shook her head. As she flicked her head from side to side, her short, Hughes-colored hair lengthened.

Like air escaping from a balloon, her body shrank, shifting back into her true form.

"A changeling? Well, I’ve seen stranger things."

Even Lankart looked mildly impressed. Hilde tousled her now-long hair and spoke.

"I don’t have any particular fondness for a traitor to the Military State... but given the circumstances, it seems we might have to work together."

Lankart scowled slightly.

"I don’t know what you are, but don’t mistake me for an ally. There’s only one reason I’m even tolerating you—you’re Huey’s subordinate."

"The feeling is mutual. I wouldn’t have revealed my true form if you weren’t one of my father’s friends. You and I only share one connection—Hughes."

Hilde’s cold response, surprisingly, seemed to please Lankart. If anything, he looked more satisfied knowing her focus was on Hughes rather than himself.

"Hah. I like that. We’ll get along just fine. And since I need information on Huey anyway..."

"Oh, it'll cost you dearly~. You’re not the only one searching for my father."

"Not just us? Who else?"

The Holy Crown Church immediately came to Hilde’s mind. If they sought to maintain order, they would surely try to stop the Human King.

But whether Lankart knew Hughes’s true identity was another matter. That was information too valuable to reveal just yet. Instead, Hilde mentioned the closest threat.

"Tyrkanzyaka is also hunting for him."

"Oh, the Progenitor? She’s no problem."

"You shouldn’t dismiss her so easily. Sending Elders after him was just the beginning. If she’s serious, she’ll hunt him down herself."

"It’s already settled. A Demon God has gone to her."

Hilde’s breath caught at Lankart’s offhand remark.

There were only a few Demon Gods left in the world. Most were long dead, their remnants all that remained.

And yet—

"A Demon God...? Don’t tell me—"

***

A single tree requires many elements to grow: fertile soil to take root in, fresh winds to pass through its leaves, water to nourish its veins, and sunlight to rest upon it. These common yet invaluable gifts nurture a tiny seed, allowing it to grow into a towering tree.

Put differently, nothing matters except the seed.

Land is everywhere, wind always blows, and unless one deliberately seeks the most barren of places, water and sunlight are impossible to miss. The great trees that humans admire are made up of mostly mundane, worthless components. The only thing that truly determines what they will become—the key to whether they grow into a mighty tree or a mere weed—is the seed.

And so, one must ask:

Where does the seed come from?

"You can halt the flow of a river for a moment, but you can never make it run backward."

Before the Progenitor, a tree sprouted, its branches extending and leaves unfolding at a speed visible to the eye.

"Just as enlightenment will always find those who seek it, no matter how blind they are... in the end, the seed of the Demon God has also taken root."

From within the tree, a woman clad in a flowing robe stepped forward with unhurried grace.

Her horns resembled twisted branches, her movements evoking the serenity of plants rather than animals. Her hair blended seamlessly with the leaves, and her smile—both gentle and unyielding—was akin to the presence of an ancient tree.

She was the living Demon God.

Druid of One, Nebida. The Primal Druid.

She welcomed the newly awakened Demon God.

"So, this is the body that has been forged... fascinating."

With a voice tinged with admiration, Nebida gazed at the shadow cast by the Progenitor.

The shadow simply stood there, arms hanging at its sides, watching her in silence. It twitched, as if ready to bolt at any moment, yet at the same time, it cowered, as though afraid. Though motionless, it was constantly shifting—dissolving and reforming itself in response to Nebida’s slightest movements.

"Humans... they can now craft their own bodies. Unlike me, they no longer need to wait for time to shape them."

This was not a human.

It was a being dismantled and reconstructed from every element that made up a human. Muscle, nerves, and blood—all remade with an efficiency that surpassed human limits.

And yet, it was still human.

Its form, its function, its movements—all adhered to human logic. If someone were to don this shell, they would wield it as naturally as their own body, never feeling the slightest discord.

Created by Tyrkanzyaka and bound to her will, it was—aside from its subservience—a species superior to humans in every way.

"But hear me, O Demon God... The world of °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° today is shackled by fate. Your power will never change the world, nor humanity."

At the mention of humanity, the Progenitor stirred, ever so slightly.

In the echoes of those words—change humanity—she almost thought she heard another word following it. A name.

King.

No matter how much she had tried, she had never been able to change him.

"The detestable Saint has bound humanity’s fate in chains. The knowledge they have found, the enlightenment they have achieved, belongs to all... and that is what makes a Demon God. But so long as their understanding remains hidden, the power of a Demon God will remain a privilege of the few.

Because of the lie—that humanity is absolute, that they are the most sacred beings of all."

Nebida extended her hand toward Tyrkanzyaka. Toward the shadow.

And the tree that had brought her here stretched out a branch, as if offering a handshake.

"O Demon God, we who have awakened must bring liberation. For humanity. For ourselves.

Surely you, too, hold resentment toward the Holy Crown Church.

So why not share wisdom with me... and together, blaspheme against the gods?"

It did not take long for the shadow to grasp the branch and shake it.