Ch.170Resurrection Ritual (2)

“His Excellency has returned!”

“The only warrior who can save the demon realm has brought back news of victory once again.”

“Someday, I wish to join him on the battlefield.”

Durin was the object of admiration for the entire legion. After the period of rebellion and the unification of the demon realm, all demons followed him. Horn color didn’t matter. Everyone shared the same dream—to fight alongside him in the great war.

In a different sense, he had achieved unification.

“I couldn’t ask earlier because of the crowd of warriors, but I’d like to discuss the faith with you.”

“The Mother Goddess… I never thought I’d hear that forgotten name again.”

“They say the southern region has already reestablished the scriptures. We should hurry too.”

The judges who followed Mateus wanted to discuss different topics than the legion.

The intrigue of the forgotten goddess pulled them in. These were demons who had lived for a thousand years with no faith, relying solely on their fighting spirit. Scholars who had previously attributed the pleasure and joy of battle to instinct now believed this would undoubtedly open new horizons.

Death itself would be redefined as the embrace of the Mother, causing many to be unable to contain their excitement.

“Come, let’s go. I wish to hear the Regent’s wise words.”

“Wait! We should go first. The legion that serves the Regent most closely should lead the procession.”

“That would be the correct order normally, but now is different. We judges who must explore the Mother Goddess should take priority.”

“My goodness! You stay quiet most of the time but bring up formalities only on days like this!”

“Formalities! How irreverent to speak so before the Goddess’s name!”

With the appearance of a figure as significant as Durin in the demon realm, small conflicts arose between different classes. Without anyone needing to point out the problem, everyone insisted on going first, causing immediate chaos in front of the gate.

“Enough!!”

The one who stopped them was the Captain of the Royal Guard.

When the demon who assisted Serphin, who had personally come from the king’s hall, shouted loudly, everyone immediately fell silent.

“How dare you behave so disgracefully before the throne! In the presence of a noble demon, you should conduct yourselves appropriately, yet you who should be leading the lower demons act in such a deplorable manner!”

After the harsh rebuke, everyone became as silent as mutes. Once they realized the rudeness of their actions, shame followed.

The demons lowered their heads. They maintained silence, reflecting on their wrongdoing.

“Don’t be too hard on them. It was merely excitement getting the better of them.”

Serphin’s voice seeped through the silence. It was soft and comforting.

The Captain of the Royal Guard hurried to attend to her.

“Your Majesty. You must maintain your authority.”

“Does my power grow stronger by suppressing their commotion? They merely wished to follow Durin, so it is right to show them mercy.”

Serphin looked around.

“Today is a joyous day, so let everyone laugh and talk freely. Such silence doesn’t suit the day we meet the Regent.”

Her golden eyes looked straight ahead.

Beyond the numerous demons, she caught sight of the Regent walking majestically from the warp gate.

A subtle divine power, never seen before, rose like tendrils around him.

“Great Regent.”

“Praise be to you.”

The demons instinctively stepped back. On the path that formed like the parting of a sea, Serphin and Durin were connected.

“Your Majesty.”

Durin was the first to show proper respect.

Despite becoming the heir to divinity, he still maintained the hierarchy of the Demon King’s castle.

“I have returned with the head of the vile traitor.”

There were no empty formalities. He reported concisely that he had accomplished his purpose in the human realm.

It was quintessentially Durin. Serphin welcomed him with a smile.

“You’ve worked hard, Regent.”

“Your Majesty. It’s time to take the next step.”

The Regent didn’t rest. He spoke of what was next for the demon realm.

It was a familiar flow. Serphin accepted it without surprise.

“I know it’s time for a long discussion about the Goddess of Night.”

“I will escort you to the great hall.”

“No, that won’t be necessary.”

The Demon King raised the Regent who had shown proper respect.

“Let’s go to the observatory. The Witch of Prophecy awaits us there.”

She led him to the most appropriate place to discuss divinity.

#

The Observatory that traces the starlight.

Those who had been gazing at the hazy Milky Way gathered in one place.

“I suppose we won’t be coming to the observatory for a while.”

The appearance of the heir imposed a duty. There was no longer a need to gaze at the sky.

The sky that should have been bright was dark. A void without a single point of light spread across the night sky.

“With the battle for the world approaching, Fate will no longer show us the future.”

It was a great war fought in the name of divinity. Even Fate couldn’t determine how the world would unfold. It was merely prepared to accept whatever outcome emerged.

The Witch of Prophecy, who had transcended sorcery over a thousand years to glimpse beyond, could sense it.

The divine being smiling from beyond the world.

“Durin. Everything will ultimately begin with you.”

The Witch of Prophecy turned around. At the entrance of the observatory, the Regent who had arrived with Serphin was waiting for the conversation to end.

“The revival of the Goddess will take place in the ancient ruins of the south.”

The wasteland that was the most underdeveloped in the demon realm but preserved the old memories all the more. Including the ancient ruins discovered during the rebellion suppression, it maintained the will of the ancestors the most.

“The day the first Demon King brought the Goddess’s body. Don’t you want to meet those memories?”

The Witch of Prophecy asked Durin, who was now the Regent and would advance to become the heir.

“I will prepare to transcend with the power of death.”

“Is that necessary? I remember the last words left by the primordial Demon King.”

The witch approached closer. As Serphin stepped back, she slowly circled around the heir as if performing a ritual.

“Child of the red horns. The day you reclaim the sacred relic. The demon realm will once again turn toward the heavens.”

A benevolent voice carried traces of the Demon King. As if already assimilated, golden light flowed from her eyes.

“I will piece together the fragments of memory to convey to Mother that you are the true heir…”

A circle formed around Durin. Primordial demon energy surged around him.

“Go forth. I have buried everything there under the name of oblivion.”

A beam of light shot forth. It formed a golden Milky Way in the dark night sky of the observatory.

Instead of the vanished future, the past of the demon realm was engraved.

“The primordial memory…”

Serphin, possessing golden demon energy, saw through the essence. Though she couldn’t understand the inner thoughts, she could feel the sacred duty recorded in the sky.

“A space only the blood of the Demon King can enter.”

“It’s a hall that only Durin, who claims to be the descendant and heir of the primordial Demon King, can enter.”

“Witch, I have one question. Durin may have red horns, but wasn’t he of lower demon origin?”

Durin was not from a noble family. He was a former gladiator from the bottom ranks. That was also why he served as regent rather than king.

Now he was of royal blood?

She suddenly wondered if a different future might have unfolded had she entrusted the demon realm to him rather than herself.

“Your Majesty.”

The witch looked at the confused Serphin. With so much information she hadn’t encountered in the human realm coming in at once, the young demon couldn’t fully comprehend it.

“You too are of royal blood.”

Though not primordial, the green horns also had access rights.

“Head toward the golden Milky Way.”

“What?”

“If you go and observe Durin directly, you will understand how the flow of the world has come to this.”

“I would like that, but…”

Fear came first. She hesitated, worried that if she learned a secret she couldn’t handle, an ungraspable choice might pass by.

“Serphin Del Istria. Demon with the qualification to rule.”

The Witch of Prophecy cared for the Demon King. The gentle touch caressing her cheek reassured Serphin.

“The task is Durin’s. You will merely watch from the position of an assistant.”

Fate had chosen one. There was no need to feel burdened.

“Move as your heart guides you. What happens after you learn the truth depends on the king’s choice.”

At that moment, the world receded. The Witch of Prophecy became blurry. Serphin looked around in alarm.

Everything was the same.

The entire world was dyed in golden light, sparkling brilliantly.

The star embedded in the observatory.

She had entered there.

“Du-Durin?”

Serphin anxiously looked for the Regent. Since the witch had told her to stay with him, she intended to stick close.

“Durin?”

She called once more. But there was no answer.

She was left alone in the shining space. She had expected the Mother’s revival, but never thought she would be left so bewildered.

“……”

What should I do now?

The result that followed the grand ceremony seemed too meager. She couldn’t go back either. She didn’t know how, and even if she somehow returned, she didn’t have the confidence to handle the awkward atmosphere.

What should I do?

That was all Serphin could do.