Ch.161Once More Helium (1)

As everyone knows, this is my second visit to Helium. However, last time I came to judge the manuscript theft incident and returned immediately, so I didn’t have time to look around.

So I plan to explore various parts of Helium during this opportunity. Cecilly also said I just need to arrive at the palace by evening, so I’ll make sure to get there on time.

The only disappointing thing might be that I can’t go with Adelia. I asked Gartz Balack, but he flatly refused, saying she wasn’t part of the plan.

He said Adelia is essentially considered an outsider, making it difficult to approve. When I told Adelia about this, she was disappointed but said she had expected it and responded cheerfully.

Instead, she encouraged me to be careful and enjoy myself thoroughly, saying she would be training under her father until I returned. I was somewhat relieved by her spirited send-off.

And so, using Gartz’s teleport and passing through immigration, I entered Helium. Afterward, using Gartz’s teleport again, I was able to arrive at Helium’s capital, “Pandeum.”

Pandeum means “cradle” in ancient language. Looking at the origins of demons, it’s a perfectly fitting name for the capital.

Pandeum is where the royal palace is located, as well as Cecilly’s villa where we resolved the manuscript theft incident, and being the capital, it’s a place with frequent comings and goings.

“It’s changed so much in just a few months, hasn’t it?”

“What do you mean?”

“There are so many other races now, not just demons.”

But I realized things had changed dramatically. First of all, a third of the pedestrians on the street aren’t demons but other races.

Most of them are humans, along with dwarves, beastkin, and surprisingly, even a tiny number of elves. When I came after the exhibition, there were only demons, but now various races are mixed in evenly.

This is completely opposite to how things were before the Biography of Xenon was published, when other races wouldn’t set foot here, calling it a place where devils lived.

“That’s only natural. Thanks to you, the perception of demons has improved daily, and during the exhibition, people learned that demons have excellent artistic capabilities as well.”

“You mean the Matrix Troupe? What are they doing these days?”

“The same as always. They’re traveling around the world performing plays using magic. By the way, they’ve announced they’ll only perform plays related to the Biography of Xenon at exhibitions.”

“There’s no need for that restriction.”

“I completely agree.”

For some reason, Gartz nodded vigorously in agreement. I was impressed by the collaboration between the Matrix Troupe and the Lirus Orchestra during the exhibition, so I can only imagine how much more impressed he must be as a demon.

While nothing has been officially confirmed about when the next exhibition will be held, it’s implicitly understood that it will be held once a year. Moreover, since I’ve already stated my birthplace as Mayshall territory, there’s a high possibility it will be held in the same location.

As I looked around the streets of Pandeum, which seemed brighter than before, something occurred to me, and I asked Gartz.

“By the way, what about Cecilly? Can you tell me when she’s coming?”

“Princess Cecilly is currently waiting at the palace. I’ve been ordered to escort you while you explore Helium thoroughly.”

“I should be there before dinner, right? I need to visit the temple as well.”

“Then I’ll inform the princess in advance.”

Gartz closed his eyes momentarily, as if transmitting a message to Cecilly via telepathy. After a short while, he opened his eyes again and relayed the message to me.

“The princess says she understands. She said she’ll come to pick you up personally when it’s time to go to the palace.”

“Thank you. So until then, I can go anywhere I want?”

“Yes. If there’s any food you want to eat or items you want to buy, I’ll pay for everything.”

“That’s not necessary…”

“You didn’t bring any money anyway, did you?”

“…”

Unnecessarily perceptive. As I laughed awkwardly, Gartz nodded as if he’d expected as much. In the end, I decided to borrow money.

With plenty of time until dinner, I began exploring Pandeum in earnest. I plan to reference anything useful for the Biography of Xenon.

First, the pedestrians on the street. As I mentioned earlier, there are various races among them, not just demons. Humans are particularly numerous.

While this might seem like an ordinary aspect of daily life, what’s noteworthy is the number of people who appear to be couples.

Walking arm in arm, chatting intimately, or displaying affection. Combinations of demons and other races seemed particularly likely to be lovers.

‘I heard interracial couples had increased, but…’

As I mentioned before, the romance between Jin and Lilly being highlighted caused demons’ popularity to soar. They were no longer seen as ticking time bombs, but as a race that suppresses their inner evil and gives their all sincerely.

And when that sincerity is directed toward love, it transforms into pure devotion. This has led people to recognize demons as representatives of pure love.

Moreover, demons are mostly beautiful men and women like elves, and their individual combat power is formidable. Until now, they were framed as devils, but objectively speaking, it would be strange if they weren’t popular.

‘Plus, their physiques are all so…’

The men are all tall with broad shoulders, and the women have notably prominent chests and hips.

This isn’t because I’m a pervert; these are characteristics you can observe whenever you look at demons. Even Gartz, who appears thin, is slightly taller than me and has broad shoulders.

I wonder if this is also closely related to the dark mana that only demons use. Even elves have various body types, but demons all have superior physical conditions.

With curious eyes, I scanned each demon one by one, and unable to contain my curiosity, I asked Gartz. It might be a bit embarrassing, but I need to satisfy my curiosity.

“Gartz. This might be an awkward question, but may I ask?”

“Anything is fine. What are you curious about?”

“Um… do all demons naturally have good physiques? Looking around, even ordinary people seem to have excellent figures…”

“Ah. That’s deeply connected to our history and way of life.”

“History?”

At first I was embarrassed, but when he said it was related to history, those feelings completely disappeared. Only curiosity remained.

Gartz seemed to organize his thoughts for a moment, looking at me intently and blinking before speaking. Of course, since his face was covered with a mask, I couldn’t see his mouth opening.

“As you know, our beginnings were very arduous. We helped each other, but we were like ticking time bombs that could explode at any time. After all, we were the generation directly influenced by devils.”

“Right.”

“In those early days with nothing, only the strong could survive. The anxiety of not knowing when one might become a devil. Severe checks from other races. Barren land. And monsters that remained in the land we fled to. All these factors combined meant that only men with strong power survived, and only women who could bear children well with the seeds of such men survived. Many people died, but there were far more second-generation demons being born.”

Even without being demons, humans in ancient agricultural societies had many offspring. Moreover, this custom can still be seen today in rural areas where farming predominates rather than urban life.

However, one question arose here. Cecilly said the pregnancy rate for demons was extremely low, but from Gartz’s explanation, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

What happened here? I asked him with curiosity.

“I heard that demons have a very low pregnancy rate? And that it’s even harder due to the evil cycle.”

“That’s why only those who could have many children survived. They were probably savages with nothing back then. Also, being first-generation, their bodies were closer to humans, and their evil cycles were very short. Now, after a long time has passed, the demon race has been born.”

“Hmm. That makes sense.”

Although I understood immediately. In any case, the framework itself seems to have continued through the principle of survival of the fittest.

While the genes themselves could be described as excellent, the desperation contained within them cannot be ignored. The superior physiques of demons could be said to be wounds carried from the past to the present.

“As we continued to survive and civilization gradually established, the time came when we had to suppress our inner evil. Have you heard from Princess Cecilly about how to suppress inner evil?”

“I heard it’s usually done through meditation to exercise self-control.”

“That’s correct, but to meditate deeply, one must stimulate or cause pain to the body. Since self-harm wasn’t an option, we had to exhaust our bodies.”

“In what way?”

“It’s simple. You’ve probably done splits to improve flexibility. Usually called stretching.”

“I do that regularly too.”

“We do something much more advanced. Balancing on one leg while extending the other leg straight up to the sky, or pulling one leg behind the head. There are many other poses as well.”

Is he talking about yoga? Indeed, yoga has excellent benefits for mental training.

Usually, if you deliberately make your body uncomfortable and meditate, concentration is easily broken due to the pain. But if you endure that pain and continue meditating, your mental strength naturally increases.

As mental strength increases, patience also rises, so it’s natural that this would develop among demons.

‘No wonder their physiques are so good.’

It’s no exaggeration to say that demons have consistently developed yoga literally ‘to survive.’ Add to this the genes that have been passed down through survival of the fittest since ancient times.

It’s perhaps only natural that their physiques are exceptionally good. I expressed my gratitude to Gartz for this new insight into demon origins.

“Thank you. I’ve learned something new.”

“This is nothing. I’m happier that it was helpful to you.”

“Then demons must be very flexible? Since they meditate while doing advanced stretching.”

“Yes. If you wish, I can guide you. It’s also very helpful for mana circulation.”

“I’ll ask Cecilly about it later.”

I should include this in the Biography of Xenon. Now it’s time for the spotlight to fall on Jin as well, not just Xenon.

If it becomes known that the reason for demons’ excellent mental discipline is yoga, wouldn’t it spread worldwide? Or perhaps it’s already spreading by word of mouth.

Afterward, I began walking the streets with Gartz as my escort. My red hair drew some glances from passersby, but I ignored them cleanly.

“By the way, Gartz. You mentioned that Helium’s security isn’t very good at night? That there are demons who can’t withstand the evil cycle and come out?”

“The situation has improved recently with the invention of medicine. Even if someone crawls out due to the evil cycle, Mora’s followers quickly take them to the temple. Still, given the nature of night, it can be dangerous, so it’s best to avoid wandering around.”

“Hmm… Doesn’t Mora’s temple open around 6 o’clock?”

In the Empire of Minerva, Luminus’s temple opens at 6 AM and closes at 6 PM. Of course, they operate 24 hours for emergency patients, but prayer is not possible.

So I thought that conversely, Mora’s temple might operate from 6 PM, since Mora is a god of darkness unlike Luminus.

“No. Mora’s temple, at least in Helium, is always open. After all, demons can be consumed by their inner evil anytime, anywhere. Plus, like elves, they can go without sleep for days without issue.”

“I see.”

“Oh, by the way, didn’t Mora say she was looking for you?”

“…Yes.”

I remember that mischievous goddess throwing a tantrum(?) asking people to find me. Unlike Luminus, who has a gentle and affectionate personality, Mora is playful and somewhat scattered even in normal times.

She’s clearly a goddess of darkness, but has a much brighter personality than the god of light.

“What was Helium like at that time?”

“It was a bit chaotic, but since it was Mora, we just accepted it. Mora often plays mischievous pranks on her followers. Still, we did report it to the media.”

“What is Mora usually like…?”

“Well… just… yes. Anyway, she’s a merciful being.”

Even Gartz seems disgruntled, suggesting she has quite a unique personality. For a moment, I considered postponing my visit to the temple, but Mora might get upset, so I decided against it.

Being revered as the goddess of darkness and rest, she wouldn’t harm me. Though there’s a high possibility she might play some strange pranks.

‘Don’t dark elves also worship Mora?’

I was wondering if dark elves were also looking for me when a certain smell entered my nose. A savory aroma that made my mouth water.

Turning my head, I noticed a street vendor, common on streets everywhere. You might wonder why there’s a street vendor in Helium, but street food exists all over the world.

Drawn by the smell, I slowly made my way over. Seeing the line of people waiting, it must be popular.

And then…

“…W-what is this?”

I couldn’t help but be shocked when I discovered the identity of the savory food. I had expected the savory aroma to come from meat, but it was something completely different.

Insects. Yes, insects. And not just simple insects.

Would you believe me if I said they were bigger than mice, even larger than rabbits? Occasionally, you might see images of dog-sized insects circulating on the internet.

Well, right in front of my eyes, such an insect was being cooked as if it were a lobster, and its flesh was being sold to people.

I’m not sure what kind it is, but judging by its hard exoskeleton, it might be similar to a stag beetle or rhinoceros beetle.

The savory smell was appetizing, but the visual was so horrific that my appetite rapidly decreased.

“Ah. This is Lapkerk. It’s one of the most popular street foods in Helium.”

“…People eat this? An insect the size of a rabbit?”

“Why not? If you think about it, shrimp and lobsters in the sea are also bugs.”

It’s annoyingly convincing.

“…Is this also related to history?”

“Of course. With barren land and nothing to eat, we had to eat whatever we could. Not just insects, Helium has a variety of dishes. To be frank, anything with legs can be eaten.”

This isn’t China. I hope they don’t end up eating bats and contracting some terrible virus.

Still, it’s not completely incomprehensible. After the Korean War, South Korea had so little to eat that people made “honey-honey porridge” using leftover food discarded by American soldiers.

Helium must be similar. And given their emphasis on hygiene more than other countries, they probably don’t eat all sorts of bizarre foods like China.

The insect dish before me, while creepy, didn’t give off a dirty impression. Rather, the flesh itself had a light pink color and looked delicious.

“Despite its appearance, it tastes good, so try it. I’ll pay for it.”

“…Is it delicious?”

“If it wasn’t tasty, it wouldn’t have become famous in the first place.”

Dubious, but it wouldn’t hurt to try. I hesitated before joining the long line and waiting my turn.

Telling myself this is just a different experience and a way to truly understand what kind of race demons are was a bonus.

Eventually, the long line moved quickly, and finally, it was my turn. Naturally, the vendor was a demon, and seeing my red hair, he smiled cheerfully and said:

“Welcome, red-haired gentleman! Which part would you like?”

“There are different parts?”

“Of course. Just as some people prefer the legs of crabs from the sea and others prefer the innards, the same goes for Lapkerk. There’s the head, body, and legs.”

“…I’ll take the body part.”

I feel my appetite dropping more and more. Do I really have to eat this?

Regardless, the vendor skillfully separated the flesh and shell from the body part and handed it to me. He wrapped it in paper to prevent burns, which was a nice touch.

Honestly, with steam rising and its light pink color, it looked delicious. If only it hadn’t come from an insect’s body. I looked at the Lapkerk while Gartz paid for it.

‘…Let’s just think of it as a silkworm pupa.’

Silkworm pupae may look hideous on the outside, but they have a nutty flavor. Maybe Lapkerk is similar.

With that thought, I closed my eyes tightly and took a bite.

“…Oh?”

It’s delicious? I’m not lying, it’s really delicious. The savory aroma fills my mouth, and whatever spices they used, there’s even a umami taste.

I’m not usually picky about food, but even setting that aside, this definitely suits my taste.

“It’s delicious, isn’t it?”

“Didn’t I tell you it was? You shouldn’t judge by appearance alone.”

“Hahaha. I’m pleased to hear you find it delicious. Would you like to try the head part as well?”

“Ah. That’s a bit…”

Some things just don’t work. As I chewed on the Lapkerk, a question occurred to me, and I asked Gartz.

“Are there other options besides this?”

“There’s fried food.”

“…”

“Besides insects, there are dishes using monsters…”

“That’s enough.”

Such is the difference in culture.