I woke up in the middle of my sleep.
I don’t really know why. There was nothing psychologically uncomfortable, and my bed was comfortable too.
To compare it would seem unfair, but the bedding in this villa was excellent. It might even be as good as the bed I saw when I visited the Central Church. Well, I don’t have the aesthetic sense to recognize fine furniture at a glance.
Hmmm. Is it because I’m thirsty?
It was definitely dry. Perhaps it was thanks to the air conditioner running at full blast, unlike the convent.
…Sleeping in a summer room with a winter blanket is a bit too luxurious, don’t you think?
After all, heroes’ children usually have a lot of money. Plus, since this villa is hardly used more than a few times a year, staying luxuriously for a few days shouldn’t be a big deal.
I got up carefully so as not to wake the deeply sleeping Linea and Aurora.
Even without turning on the light, the bright moon shining outside made the room very visible. As bright as the moon was, the stars were hard to see, though.
Far away, something was glimmering at the edge of the horizon. Probably a military ship patrolling the sea. Although it’s practically impossible for demons or monsters to launch a large-scale assault across the ocean, there have been instances before.
From the perspective of the demons, it was a major flop. Yet, it wouldn’t make sense to stop scouting out of the possibility.
I put on the slippers I had left next to my bed and tried not to drag my feet as I stepped outside.
The living room was bathed in blue moonlight. It was an eerie yet beautiful sight.
I took a 500ml plastic bottle from the fridge. The fridge that Seo-A had packed full when we arrived was filled with all kinds of frozen and refrigerated foods, as well as meats. Naturally, there were many drinks and bottles of water too.
However, taking out coffee at this hour felt a bit inappropriate.
“Ugh!”
As I turned around, I was startled by someone I totally didn’t expect to see.
“Oh, did I scare you? Sorry.”
The person awkwardly scratched the back of his head and smiled. It was Jian, the only male currently staying in this villa.
For the record, he obviously was alone in his room. No matter how much he might have a naked woman by his side, I was the only one confident he wouldn’t lay a hand on her without permission.
“…How about making a little noise while moving?”
As I calmed my startled heart and suggested that, Jian nodded his head.
“I’ll be careful next time.”
It seems he isn’t just specialized in swinging a sword. He might have talent as an assassin too.
Well, moving silently requires endurance and stamina, so if he had all that, it wouldn’t be too hard.
“…”
“…”
A brief awkward silence.
“Did you come out for a drink?”
When I asked that, Jian nodded as if he suddenly remembered something.
“Uh? Yeah, that’s right.”
I set down the bottle of water I was holding and opened the fridge to take out another one.
“Thanks.”
Jian, having approached, picked up the bottle. I shrugged my shoulders and walked over to the living room, choosing a spot where the moonlight streamed in best to sit.
Wow, the moon can be that bright.
Looking up for a long time, I thought it might leave an afterimage just where the moon was—it was a tremendously bright moon.
Swish, as I turned my head, I saw Jian sitting across from me, just like that. Did he deliberately make noise while sitting because I was startled? …That thought made it even scarier. Moving without a sound seems more normal, right?
As I thought of that, I opened the cap, and Jian suddenly spoke up.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Go ahead. If I can answer, I will.”
Since I had no real reason to refuse, I said that. I wondered what he was going to ask. Maybe about my earlier question related to Seo-A? If he asked why I asked that… I’d be torn between whether to share or not, considering that such heroines often see that discovery as an event itself. I couldn’t just meddle and ruin the relationship.
While I was internally overthinking and tried to take a sip of water,
“I want to ask about Demon God Baal.”
“Puhuh!”
I accidentally sprayed water all over Jian’s clothes.
“Ah! I’m so sorry!”
I jumped up and dashed to the nearest bathroom. I quickly found a towel and rushed back out to wipe Jian down but…
“Maybe it’s better if I wipe myself?”
Jian said, looking down at me with a slightly awkward expression.
I was already shorter than Jian, and sitting in front of him, considering the angle I sprayed from, it was inevitable that water from my mouth could have spilled onto his chest and pants. And indeed, it did.
…Hmm, that meant it might be an embarrassing situation that wouldn’t just end as a joke to others.
“Ahem.”
I removed my hands from the towel and returned to my seat.
So… what did he want to ask?
About Demon God Baal.
“But how did you know about the Demon God?”
As I clumsily asked that, Jian, who had been patting down his wet clothes with the towel, gave a bitter smile.
“Well, I’m a disciple of the Demon God.”
…I was thirsty, but it was a relief I didn’t drink more. If I had, hearing that answer would surely lead to another spraying incident.
I quickly looked around to survey the area. Luckily, no one had come out. I had made quite a ruckus when I jumped up shouting in surprise and ran to the bathroom, yet nobody seemed to have woken up, so this villa must be soundproofed well.
…Yeah, that’s really a relief.
I sighed deeply and pressed my fingers to my eyelids.
Demon God Baal.
One of the questions people often have about the church is that it always serves ‘gods’, yet the object of their prayers is limited to Goddess Ariel alone, and among the gods, only Ariel’s name and appearance are distinctly described.
Thus, curious people often ask, “So, where are the other gods?”
The other god is none other than Demon God Baal.
However, the humans of this world did not know him.
They were only aware that there was another existence equal to the goddess through the powers of past saints but didn’t know the true nature of that existence. They merely worshipped that equal existence along with another unknown second god.
Only the demons properly knew of Demon God Baal’s existence.
The Demon God was the creator of the demons.
And also the source of their magical power.
However, the magical power created by the Demon God and the demons didn’t manifest its powers just because one believed in the Demon God, unlike Holy Power. Rather, it exists as part of another law of the world, like the laws of physics.
There hadn’t been specific settings decided, but the demons had betrayed and apostatized from the Demon God and no longer worshipped him. However, the power created by the Demon God didn’t vanish just because they didn’t believe anymore, and the demons were wielding that power freely.
Naturally, from the Demon God’s perspective, the demons were traitors and could never be satisfied until all of them were eliminated, but he didn’t try to intervene in the world again. He knew that due to the painful evidence of the demons, if he created another race using the same methods, it would only lead to the same outcome.
While it was easy to make and set free, making those that had already become another law of the world disappear was nearly impossible. It’s like how Goddess Ariel can create a body for me and send my soul into this world, but it’s impossible to make the demons disappear directly for the same reason.
…However, the demons made by Baal were not just a singular instance like me.
In that sense, one could say that Ariel, who created the incredibly complex Holy Power, was incredibly clever. Of course, without the magical power created by Baal, Holy Power wouldn’t even function.
Therefore, I planned to unveil that Goddess Ariel and Demon God Baal were working together in the latter half of the story, but of course, since I hadn’t written that far yet, that setup had been buried.
But wait, did Baal really choose someone else as a disciple and grant them powers?
“…Jian, what score did you get in magical engineering on the last test?”
Trying to be cautious, I asked. Jian lightly shook his head.
“No, the powers I received aren’t that kind.”
“…”
Could it be that he didn’t get a magic-like ability, but instead some overwhelming physical power?
“What I gained was the ability to unleash my potential all at once—”
Upon hearing that, I slapped my forehead.
Right, it was like that.
No matter how strong the protagonist eventually becomes and how he becomes the strongest in the world, there was no way he intended to give such power from the start. Yet, the protagonist could slice incoming bombs with his sword and wield swordsmanship that wouldn’t lose to high-ranking demons—
“No, no, no. Wait a minute.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose and spoke. The slightly drowsy sensation I had just a moment ago had already flown far away. I doubted I could even sleep properly if I went back to bed like this.
Anyway, what was truly important now wasn’t that.
Wait, did gods start to seriously intervene in this world even before I came over?
“…Can I know how you became a disciple?”
“I received a revelation.”
“Directly from Baal?”
“Directly.”
Jian nodded seriously.
“He asked if I would lend my strength to protect the future.”
“Didn’t you have any doubts?”
I mean, it might be a demon intruding on his mind rather than a god, right? If he just went along like that, it could end badly!
“You didn’t doubt the revelation you received from the Goddess?”
Of course not!
Everything I claimed was all pre-emptive measures followed by notifications! Plus, I knew the Goddess’s face—
Wait, didn’t I?
As I tried to retort, my mouth slowly closed again. I placed my hand on my chin and seriously thought it through.
Now that I think about it, I had never seen the Goddess’s face directly. What I wrote was a novel, not a comic. Even if it was portrayed, unless it was an extremely realistic painting, I wouldn’t be able to recognize her on sight. If I had drawn it, it would have been in the style of a Japanese manga, not a portrait.
And, Japanese manga style art often deviates from reality.
I believed what Goddess Ariel said because she seemed to know me well and possessed my notes. And the place around me matched what I had described.
“…”
“Yeah, I felt the same way.”
Well, even so, Jian’s and my situations were quite different.
Of course, I couldn’t explain it all from here. Even if I did, it was unlikely that he would believe me. Saying “You’re actually the protagonist of the novel I wrote! You’re strong because I say so!” would lead to the fact that Baal began intervening before I even came into this world.
When an originally non-appearing character shows up, the flow inevitably changes. The reason a parody novel diverges from the original author is precisely because of the self-created character appearing in that parody. In that sense, I thought all the parts that deviated from what I knew were all my fault—
But if the flow had been disrupted even before that, all of my assumptions would be meaningless.
And from Jian’s perspective, he could provide a counter-argument like, “That’s not how it is! This doesn’t match what you’re thinking!”
Then, couldn’t it be easier just to intervene with all humans and distribute divine powers to wipe out the demons and everything else?
…No, forget that thought.
Think about what Jian just said. Saying he “unleashed his potential all at once” means he had the potential to gain power, to begin with, which would certainly be far more useful to the gods if they could awaken it in advance.
On the other hand, meaning that awakening all the talents of all other humans would be of lesser significance compared to awakening Jian’s.
It’s a harsh reality, but fighting ordinary demons or beasts is fundamentally different from going up against the demons themselves. The demons were once worshiped as gods by the elves and were virtually half-divine beings. While they might get beaten in a head-on fight against “the science of all humanity,” they wouldn’t come close to matching the power of true gods, yet,
In that sense, it meant they could wipe out all the few humans who appeared in front of them with that level of power.
Humans have united to form a country, armed with cutting-edge weapons to fend off demons and beasts.
And the moment they stop fighting, they would be swept away by the rapidly increasing tide of demons and beasts.
…The number of demons is laughably small compared to humans.
And every demon and beast are creations of that minuscule number of demons.
Since the demons wiped out a whole world, if an actual confrontation were to happen, it would be pointless for them to awaken the normal human’s talent.
Well, being hit with something like a nuclear bomb would probably mean that even the demons wouldn’t stand a chance, but right now, there’s no way to hit them with one.
Demon God Baal was, in terms of setup, collaborating with Ariel, and if Ariel read my notes… Jian would certainly know he’s the strongest in this world.
So if they awakened Jian’s talent in advance, then indeed, a rough narrative would line up properly.
…Is this story for real?
[Yes, it is. I apologize for not informing you beforehand.]
“…”
I wrapped my hands around my head.
“…Well, it’s fine.”
After sitting like that for a while and finally gathering my thoughts, I raised my head again and asked Jian.
“For now, I understand that you’re a disciple of Baal. But, what is the reason you want to ask me about him?”
“Uh…? Aren’t you also the disciple of the Demon God?”
What in the world is this nonsense?
“I have never seen the face of Baal even once.”
“…Have you seen the face of the Goddess?”
Uh-oh.
“…”
As I pressed my fingers against my eyelids, Jian looked at me with half-open eyes before ultimately deciding to ignore that and continued speaking.
“I was told there were two disciples of the Demon God. One is me, and the other, I thought long and hard about, but no one else besides Clara seems to fit.”
“…Can I hear the reason you think that?”
“First, I’ve seen the Demon God manifest in you.”
“…Huh?”
“When we defeated the Witch of Jealousy, I saw a dark glow on your face. Others might not have seen it properly, but I have good eyesight and the grace of the Demon God.”
I had no idea of that. When the god manifested in my body, I must have lost consciousness for that duration.
“…So, let’s count that. Do you have any other reasons?”
“Another reason is… this.”
As he spoke, Jian placed something on the table between us: it was the cup noodle I had eaten during the day.
Ah, of course, he didn’t just grab the trash from the garbage can. This one was unopened and new. I must have had another one lying around?
“…What about this?”
“Can you read what’s written here?”
Taking what he handed over, I saw the lid of the cup noodle read, “12,000 Scoville…”
Wait, wait, wait a minute, 12,000 Scoville?
No, no, no, hold on, I remember I barely held it together trying the spicy ramen in the army that didn’t even reach 10,000 Scoville, right?
Did I somehow manage to eat something like this?
…That aside,
“Is it the Demon God’s power that makes me less sensitive to spicy food?”
That sounds pretty useless. It’s not like I’m going to have a spicy food contest with demons.
“Rather, I’d say it’s the ‘ability to endure pain’.”
Jian said.
“The ability to endure pain…?”
I recalled the moments of suffering I experienced since coming to this world. Of course, spicy food is related to the pain receptors of the tongue, so I thought of physical pains rather than mental ones.
Hmm, the most impactful would be the moment when I got smacked by a high-ranking demon.
I was launched with my spine apparently breaking.
…But didn’t that hurt like hell?
“I saw that scene happen.”
Jian nodded. That time, he was with me and Andrea, working together against the high-ranking demon.
…But knowing the reality, I thought he could have won easily even alone, but anyway.
“You were in such a state that it looked like your insides were about to burst and your lower body was about to fall apart.”
Jian spoke matter-of-factly, but the expression on his face turned a bit pale with that.
“Yet it didn’t appear to me…”
“You were looking down on it.”
Ah.
Indeed. I was wearing armor then. It had a shape similar to a nun’s outfit, and it widened toward the bottom.
The perspective I saw and the time I glanced down at my own body must have looked entirely different.
So, that high-ranking demon we faced wasn’t holding back at all. He swung his arms intending to actually kill me.
Now thinking about it, compressing the spine from an impact like that would be quite tremendous on the surrounding organs and skin.
“…”
“At that time, how do you think you would fare had you not had that ability?”
To Jian’s question, I fell silent.
I would probably have immediately lost consciousness. There wouldn’t have been a single thought like ‘Ah, it seems my spine is broken.’
And if I had lost consciousness, I might have died right there and then.
Because I was the only one who could heal that level of injury.
“…So why did you keep that to yourself?”
“…It was just that there hadn’t been a chance. After all, it’s not something you can simply speak about.”
The times when Jian and I were alone… were during the fight to catch the Witch of Jealousy when I was so busy throwing up, and just earlier today in the pool with everyone else.
…So it was. There was truly no time to discuss something that serious until now.
“Did this come out now because you heard it from Baal?”
Just like how I could communicate with Ariel?
Jian simply nodded silently.
“Ha.”
I relaxed my tension and slumped back into the couch. A flood of information overwhelmed my brain, leaving me in a complex state.
“So… what do you want to ask me?”
Having gone through so much, it seemed Jian felt relieved to finally return to the main topic.
“I… want to know if I can trust the Demon God?”
“…”
Wait, just now, didn’t he question me with that same thing?
“What kind of thing can a disciple of the Demon God say?”
“Actually, I’ve asked myself several times since gaining this power.”
But it was impossible for him to get an answer. Even if he did receive a reply, it would have been Baal’s own answer, which would be frustrating.
He suddenly gained immense power and became a disciple of a god he didn’t even know existed. If he couldn’t hear the voice of the goddess he actually believed in, it’d be only natural to have doubts.
Maybe my question was his way of testing how I felt?
Alright then, let’s ask him.
Can I trust the Demon God?
[I do.]
Of course.
While I had never personally met him, I still did believe in the Demon God.
Because I had written that setting myself.
The disappointment towards the demons, who betrayed him, and the anger towards those who would carelessly treat the creations of another.
The respect for beings he himself created and the amicable relations with other gods, at least, I had vigorously written down the reasons why Demon God Baal wouldn’t betray humanity.
If this world indeed originated from my notes, then the Demon God was someone I could trust.
“Can you tell me exactly when you became a disciple?”
“…It was then, in that forest.”
“…”
I see.
That’s how it happened.
The place he never intended to go, where Jian couldn’t die.
Once he received that power, he wouldn’t have had time to question its trustworthiness; otherwise, both his life and that of his friends could be forfeit.
And if that happened, the protagonist of this world would vanish altogether.
The phrase “to protect the future” was quite literal.
And once again, I could breathe a sigh of relief.
It meant that the deviation indeed fell squarely on my shoulders.
So—
“You can trust him.”
I affirmed that.
“Because the Goddess trusts him as well.”
At my words, Jian smiled and nodded.
“Then, I will trust him.”
