Ch.174Golden Memories (3)

The green horns captured the young demon with the magic of dominance.

Every day, as they were pushed back in war, it gave them hope that they could regroup their legion and advance once more.

However, the red horns still had strength remaining. Those who held the nostalgia of heaven still remained in power. Only the royal bloodline had weakened. The lineage continued as formidable figures still held their positions.

They still remembered the glory of dwelling in the heavens.

They were a tribe that understood better than anyone the will to advance toward the celestial realm written in the scriptures. It wasn’t just some vague fighting spirit that they must win.

“There are no children born in this world without a god.”

Remembering one’s roots. It was the most important virtue for those who lived.

“We may have lost it now, but we must live with the hope that it will be possible someday.”

“If gods emerge, would life unfold differently than it is now?”

“Not different. We would still enjoy fighting, challenging others or being challenged.”

“Then I don’t understand why we need to advance to the celestial realm. Couldn’t we just live well on this land, like the green-horned demons do now?”

“Haha. Since stepping down from the throne, you’ve grown quite skeptical.”

The conversation continued.

The old man and the young demon exchanged opinions tirelessly.

“When I sat on the throne, I simply thought I should carry on the will of my ancestors. My grandfather and father followed without doubt, so I did the same. But now… I’m not sure.”

This was a question that young demons had been harboring one by one.

“Must we leave the demon realm? I often think it’s more valuable to protect our land from celestial invasions and cultivate our territory.”

“That’s not wrong. As long as we breathe, we’re destined to chase happiness that lies far away.”

“I don’t like that fate either. Life is about forging ahead. We who live on this land are the center.”

“But this world isn’t like that. We must follow the demands of those absolute beings who occupy the high places.”

“But your life wasn’t like that. You overcame everything according to your will and achieved what you wanted.”

The young demon spoke passionately. The red-horned youth envied the old man sitting quietly.

“You said you’re returning to the human realm now. Do you think there’s nothing left to achieve after seeing how the demon realm operates?”

“Young one. Your passion, like fire, is struggling against frustration.”

The answer that came back was one of sympathy.

“With time, you too will naturally come to understand. The reason why we must return to the celestial realm.”

“…I hope so.”

The youth’s shoulders slumped. The fruitless conversation ended. The red-horned youth turned away.

“…Ah. There you are.”

At the end of his gaze stood a young demon. Though old enough to be considered an adult, he had just stepped into the world, appearing infinitely tender in the youth’s eyes.

“I’ll leave the rest to you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Keeping the old man company. Wasn’t that a task you were particularly good at?”

With a playful smile, the youth walked away.

“Now that I’m no longer king, I’ll wander the world aimlessly, away from the center. I hope you’ll fill the void I leave behind.”

The broken king of the red horns looked at Durin.

Eyes full of relief rather than sadness. Within them lay endless curiosity about the world.

“Meanwhile, I’ll be searching for answers.”

“I hope to see you again someday.”

“That’s possible if you don’t die on the battlefield, Gladiator Durin.”

It was the last conversation Durin had with the first king he served.

Creeak- Thud.

The tower door closed. Silence returned.

Only the old man remained by Durin’s side. Turning his gaze, he saw the aged demon leaning against the wall, chuckling at something amusing.

“Welcome. You must be busy these days, yet you still come to visit.”

“No matter how busy I am, I must attend to my master.”

“There’s no demon with a heart as deep as yours. Others tend to drift away once they achieve their goals…”

The old man paused mid-sentence. Only then did he grin at Durin.

“I momentarily forgot that your goal is to protect the demon realm.”

“Tantalos. It’s the duty you instilled in me. How could you forget that?”

“When you reach my age, that’s what happens. You drift away from clarity and keep reminiscing about the past.”

“…Is that why you keep talking about the human realm?”

Durin remembered this moment. Tantalos had always spoken of needing to return, though he never mentioned to whom.

“Once you’ve completed your duties, you should live as your heart guides you.”

“Should I follow the king who left the aftermath to the green horns?”

“That would be wise. Old ambitions can only wither ungracefully.”

“When the one who first raised the banner of protecting the demon realm speaks like this, other demons are left speechless. Wasn’t rebuilding the demon realm your only desire?”

Tantalos had never demanded any position.

“You suddenly appeared in the demon realm, rallied the legions, and drove out the celestial invasion forces. That sight is still etched in my mind.”

“Back then, you were just a low-ranking legion soldier.”

“Though I inherited the blood of the red horns, I was pathetic, showing no strong power. Even my path as a lowly gladiator was a struggle to prove myself.”

“That effort made you a warrior of Istria. That lord seems to favor you greatly. If you do well, it could even lead to marriage.”

“I declined that. I chose duty over starting a family. I’ll become the defense captain and fight endlessly on the battlefield.”

“You’ve forgotten your weak past while embracing a grand dream. Excellent, Durin.”

Tantalos acknowledged him. He considered him a pillar of the future. Despite not having the aid of bloodline, he rose from the bottom to become the greatest gladiator of the demon king’s castle, and Tantalos spared no advice for him.

“But this is just the beginning. This world doesn’t run on power alone.”

“I’ve seen Belial. The Istria family is trying to use my friend as a chess piece for power.”

“Having developed the magic of dominance to gain legitimacy for kingship, they need to fill in the legitimacy. Azmosa, was it? Her daughter seems to be the sacrificial lamb.”

“I’m worried that trouble might reach the court.”

Though he knew the future, he recited his lines according to the flow shown by the Milky Way. The catalyst for Istria’s downfall—gaining the throne but ultimately failing to secure legitimacy—would soon unfold.

“I pray it’s just a passing wind.”

It is not.

The castle will be greatly shaken.

Tantalos patted Durin, who knew this.

“As always, you will overcome it, Durin.”

He patted the shoulder of his disciple, who sought to carry on the will of the red horns.

“Stay strong. Like a warrior.”

A scene recorded in the past.

It left a small resonance in Durin’s iron-clad soul.

#

“Tower, tower, tower.”

It had been 30 minutes since Serphin went out to find Durin.

Using the magic of dominance, he sent away or cleared the path of all wandering low-ranking demons.

Knowing that reports from soldiers would lead to troublesome situations, he strived for perfection.

“It was definitely that way.”

A familiar corridor appeared.

Past the long reception hall corridor, across the entrance to the beast farm, beyond the training ground leading to the king’s hall, was the tower.

The place known as the punishment room in the future and currently a guest house for nobles.

Durin would be there. This time, he needed to meet him as Serphin, not Azmosa. He intended to find the path to answers in this world intended by the golden Milky Way.

“Now, carefully again…”

Serphin moved stealthily. The silence of night amplified even the slightest movement.

Just like now.

“I entrust Durin to you.”

Halt.

Serphin stopped in his tracks. He channeled magic to his ears to capture the sound.

“Since you can fulfill his dream.”

“Are you referring to appointing him as defense captain? Anyone who ascends to the throne would do the same. Durin is the strongest warrior in the demon king’s castle.”

One was the former red-horned demon king, the other was the newly enthroned Belial.

The two were conversing in an empty corridor at this late hour.

“Hahaha. How strange to hear you say that. There’s never been a case of a low-ranking legion soldier becoming the top warrior of the demon king’s castle.”

“It must be the first time in the 400-year history of the demon realm. The red horn bloodline truly seems different.”

“Bloodline?”

The red-horned demon king expressed doubt.

“Do you really think so?”

“Isn’t it? Are you saying someone who left a mark in history achieved great deeds through effort alone?”

“Pure effort, I assure you.”

The king said so. One who didn’t speak lightly added weight to his words.

“Then how did he become strong? If one could become a high-ranking demon through mere effort, our demon realm wouldn’t be pushed back so much against the celestial realm.”

“Will, and mental strength. Only those who can surpass their limits can achieve it.”

“I still don’t understand.”

Belial still tilted his head.

“Surpassing limits. What exactly did Durin surpass?”

“Well, that is certainly different from others, I must say.”

Finally, a different answer emerged. Like Belial, Serphin also focused.

“Since no one is around, I’ll speak here. You must know too. That Durin is of the primordial bloodline.”

“Yes. The blood of the first demon king flows in him, which is why our Istria is targeting him.”

“Then we must return to the original question. How was someone who received the primordial blood so weak?”

Belial couldn’t answer. Someone with the demon king’s bloodline should have good basic abilities. But Durin wasn’t like that. He was so weak that he started as a low-ranking legion soldier.

It meant he grew solely through tenacity.

“What was holding him back?”

“The primordial curse.”

“Curse?”

The red horn brought up a story he hadn’t told before. A memory not recorded in the scriptures.

“If you’ve heard from your ancestors, you’d know. The sorrow not inscribed in the scriptures.”

“Of course. Having dismembered a god with my own hands and fled, I vividly felt the horror that I didn’t want to pass down to future generations.”

“If just hearing the story made you feel such emotions, the pain of the one who had to dismember the god directly is unimaginable.”

Serphin shuddered. He felt the emotion that Belial had received. He glimpsed one hidden truth.

“Could it be…”

The sinner who dismembered his mother.

The child of night who had to engrave the suffering expression vividly in his eyes.

“Yes. Durin is the descendant of that person.”

“……”

“As a price for cutting his mother’s body, he was covered with the death that flowed back, causing his descendants to suffer terrible pain for generations.”

The weakness lay in the original sin of his ancestors.

“What Durin had to overcome was the pain and death spewed by the god.”

“H-how did he overcome that?”

“A vow.”

The red-horned demon king described Durin.

“And, the determination to completely wash away the sins of his ancestors.”

“…Fate couldn’t help but take interest.”

“Did you hear from old Tantalos? Yes. The absolute being took interest in him. Chose him as material to cause a great disturbance in a static world.”

“So that’s why he was obsessed with the duty inscribed in the scriptures.”

Returning to the celestial realm. This means reviving the god and reclaiming the rights that were taken away. Atoning by reclaiming what Durin’s ancestor failed to protect.

“It’s a great undertaking that we dare not perform.”

The red-horned demon king gave a bitter smile.

“And it’s a task that only that child, bearing the original sin, can accomplish.”

Serphin was momentarily speechless.

He couldn’t follow the conversation between the kings.

“……”

What exactly did I just hear?

The golden Milky Way gave no answer.