The Demon God traveled the continent alongside the girl.
“Demon God! The water here is so clean!”
“Yes. It will be safe here.”
Camping alone with my mentor... This brings back memories.
Although Huffniss initially worried the girl’s fragile mental state would make her vulnerable after losing her mother, the young mentor-to-be had regained her vigor, driven by the purpose bestowed upon her.
“This isn’t working...”
“You can do it.”
This method of mana manipulation... it’s the same one my mentor taught me.
With the Demon God personally guiding her, the girl’s progress was rapid.
The girl’s extraordinary natural talent, paired with the perfect teacher, led to growth that even Huffniss found astonishing.
“Demon God! Isn’t this creature adorable?”
“It’s a survival strategy. It uses its appearance to evoke sympathy from other animals and secure its survival.”
“Can’t I keep it?”
“Think carefully. How will it handle the drastic change in environment if it’s suddenly taken? And how will its family react, searching for their missing member?”
“...I guess I can’t take it, then.”
The girl still retained her youthful innocence.
“...”
“Don’t dwell on it too much. They’re vile creatures who delight in slaughter. There’s no hope for redemption in monsters like them.”
“But still...!”
Despite her hardships, the girl remained a child, her innate kindness making it difficult to reconcile the cruelty of the world.
“You are the one who will change this world.”
Each time doubt clouded her mind, the Demon God was there to support her.
“Demon God, when I become the Demon King... will I be able to change this cruel world?”
“You will... if anyone can, it’s you.”
Huffniss spoke with mixed emotions.
After her mentor’s death, the demons had joined forces with other races to stop the massacre. This unity ultimately led to harmony between the races, erasing the old cycle of hatred.
The fact that the slaughterer herself had been the Demon King—a demon—could have fueled further anger against her kind. However, the other demons’ joint efforts with the continent’s inhabitants to stop her had created a shared bond, dissolving the animosity.
Could my mentor have planned this?
The thought crossed her mind.
No... that’s impossible.
If that had been her mentor’s intent, why would she have kept it from me?
It must have been a coincidence.
The wall of [Pride] that once clouded Huffniss’s judgment began to crack.
Time passed quickly.
The game’s fast-skip function allowed players to bypass less important moments to keep them from growing bored.
But Huffniss didn’t skip anything.
She stayed by the girl’s side, watching her grow, moment by moment.
At the beginning of the story, Huffniss had intended to rush through this “foolish play” and focus on resurrecting her real mentor.
But now, for some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
Even though she knew the girl in front of her wasn’t real.
The girl and Huffniss arrived at yet another village.
“Kill the demons!”
“Drive out those cursed creatures!”
“Waaaaa!”
As they approached the village entrance, they could hear the sounds of battle between humans and demons.
“Demon God.”
“Go. End it.”
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At Huffniss’s command, the girl’s body became enveloped in a dense, black mana, her figure melting into the shadows.
Shraaaak!
A pillar of mana erupted between the human and demon factions.
From within the pillar, the girl emerged, standing at the heart of the battlefield.
[Stop.]
Woom!
Her voice, laced with power, resonated through the air, dominating the space around her.
The humans, charging at the demons with bloodlust, froze in place.
[Kneel.]
Thud!
All the humans dropped to their knees.
Even the hardened mercenaries among them, accustomed to countless battles, were subdued without resistance.
A small, cloaked figure had appeared and subdued an entire faction with just two words.
The demons could only gape in astonishment at the incomprehensible sight.
“Your skill is impressively steady.”
The Demon God Huffniss crossed her arms and smiled in satisfaction.
“Who... are you?”
The demon leader, who appeared to be the village chief, stepped forward cautiously, fear evident in his expression.
“I am Lina,” the girl said.
As she lowered her hood, revealing her youthful face, the demons gasped again.
Once they confirmed she was one of their own, their fear turned to joy.
“Thank you for saving us!”
“We thought we were done for!”
“We thought the Demon King had descended!”
The girl exhaled a sigh of relief as the demons expressed their gratitude.
Thank goodness... this time, I wasn’t too late.
There had been so many times when she couldn’t save everyone.
But this time, she had arrived just in time.
***
“How did you do that?”
“You’re so cool, big sister!”
Lina was talking with the villagers, basking in their awe and gratitude, when—
“W-Wait! Let’s talk about this! Aaaah!”
A human’s scream pierced the air.
Startled, Lina whipped her head toward the sound.
“You filthy humans! Die!”
She turned to see demons armed with farming tools, stabbing the immobilized humans who couldn’t resist.
From young children to strapping youths, the demons all took part, venting their rage by cutting down the humans who had once sought to kill them.
“W-Wait...!”
Panicking, Lina reached out her hand, but no words came.
Should I stop them?
Why?
Because the humans were defenseless and unable to resist?
But from the demons’ perspective, weren’t these humans the ones who had come to kill them? Weren’t their actions justified?
Yet, was it truly necessary to slaughter humans who no longer posed a threat?
Lina was confused, her thoughts a whirlwind of conflicting emotions.
The demons’ frenzy of hatred spread, an unrelenting wave of violence fueled by pain and loss.
Seeing Lina’s hesitation, the village chief approached her.
“It’s a tragic situation, isn’t it?”
“...Chief.”
The chief’s eyes were heavy with sorrow.
“That one over there, Kelbek—he lost his beloved to these humans. She was four months pregnant. And Disah, over there—he lost his only daughter. She was his pride and joy, born late in his life.”
“...”
“We’ve all lost someone dear to us because of these humans. There’s no undoing what’s been done.”
“But...!”
Lina clenched her fists tightly—then slowly released them.
She had no right to stop their revenge.
If the mercenaries who had killed her mother were tied up in front of her, wouldn’t she act the same way?
Perhaps she would be even more ruthless.
“Demon God.”
“What is it?”
“If you were in my place, would you leave this unchecked?”
“Are you asking about them?”
Huffniss recalled a memory from her own youth—a time when her hatred for humanity had driven her to attack any human she encountered, blinded by rage over the loss of her family.
Her mentor had always stopped her.
Perhaps my mentor saw a reflection of her younger self in me back then.
“What did my mentor say at the time...?” Huffniss murmured to herself before speaking aloud.
“I have no right to stop them.”
“Then...?”
“But as history has shown, revenge begets more revenge.”
“S-Stop! Please, I have a family at home! Aaaah!”
Another human fell, blood spraying as his head rolled across the ground.
The man’s pendant tumbled with it, coming to a stop at Lina’s feet.
“...”
Lina picked up the pendant and opened it.
Inside was a picture of the man who had just been killed, holding a little girl no older than five. He was smiling brightly.
It was likely his daughter.
If she found out her father had been killed by demons, wouldn’t she seek revenge against them?
And wouldn’t the demons, in turn, retaliate against her for the harm she caused?
An endless cycle.
“So this is what my mentor meant back then...” Huffniss mused.
“The ones killed in revenge are often precious to someone else. And so, there will be new revenge to avenge their deaths. There’s no stopping it.”
“...”
“An unending cycle of revenge and its offspring—a vicious loop that perpetuates itself.”
When Huffniss first entered the game, she had dismissed this world as fake, a mere fabrication.
The lives of these NPCs had seemed insignificant, not worth considering.
When she first began mentoring the girl, her priority had been to shield her from trauma, to prepare her for what lay ahead.
But now, somehow, this world no longer felt like a fleeting illusion.
“A chain of hatred,” Lina said softly.
“Exactly.”
“...I’ll end it.”
This endless cycle of evil—Lina would be the one to break it.
She clenched her small fists with determination.
“I’ll become the Demon King and put an end to this cycle.”
Turning to Huffniss, Lina’s eyes burned with resolve.
“Will you help me?”
She held out her hand, her gaze pleading.
“I am always with you. Only you have the right to carry out this task.”
Huffniss extended her hand, clasping it over Lina’s.
Though she remained in her spiritual form and couldn’t truly touch the girl, for a fleeting moment, she felt the warmth of that tiny hand.