Ch.286Impersonation (1)

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After Cecilly’s speech, everyone might have one concern. It’s easy to say, but how easy would it be to subdue the inner evil?

They say demons are a cursed race because they can’t overcome this inner evil, but is that really possible?

Actually, all of the above statements are correct. Even Cecilly, the next Demon Lord candidate, devoted three days to subduing her inner evil.

As a result, the training ground that had been solidly designed was nearly half-destroyed, and her desires were fulfilled as she completely accepted it.

Thus, subduing one’s inner evil is a very arduous and dangerous task, but there’s room for reconsideration.

Let’s examine the inner evil in more detail. The inner evil is something demons carry deep in their hearts from birth, essentially remnants of a devil.

When demons experience extreme emotional changes, their inner evil amplifies and they become devils. This principle is currently widely known.

This is an undeniable fact, but it’s worth noting that demons rarely actually become devils.

Do they transform into devils simply because of irritating incidents or arguments? If that were the case, Helium would have collapsed long ago or become a den of devils.

Moreover, thanks to Mora’s divine power across generations, the phenomenon of inner evil constantly tormenting demons has almost disappeared.

Therefore, unless one experiences a truly horrific tragedy, like losing family or a beloved partner right before their eyes, they won’t transform into a devil.

What this means is that the premise of forcibly drawing out and subduing the inner evil is difficult to establish in the first place.

At most, one can directly feel the inner evil stirring during the evil cycle, but amplifying it is extremely challenging.

As Mora said, the inner evil can only be directly confronted if one can look into their mind, that is, their heart.

Naturally, reaching this state requires meditation—the “restraint” that has been considered a virtue until now—and takes a considerable amount of time.

It’s meaningless for young demons entering puberty, the little devil stage, to blindly attempt to subdue their inner evil without understanding.

The inner evil has been diluted by Mora’s divine power for centuries, so it cannot even be confronted with “merely” such a mindset; only extreme emotional changes can be the key.

Of course, this doesn’t change the fact that parenting becomes more difficult. Also, I realized that Cecilly’s feelings toward me are much stronger than I expected.

Anyway, Cecilly’s speech gave demons hope that “they can do it,” a kind of solidarity reinforcement.

The demons were already tightly united, and now they’ve become even stronger, likely gaining confidence that they too can succeed.

This could potentially turn into something extreme like some past life faction or become filled with superiority complexes, but currently, the demons are closer to confidence than arrogance, so it’s not an immediate concern.

‘But why did Arwen say that?’

The day after Cecilly’s speech. Having returned to the academy with Helium’s help, I pondered Arwen’s words in the newspaper several times.

Her statement that if Lillis was modeled after Cecilly, then Elisha was modeled after herself.

As everyone knows, Elisha is Kayre’s lover and the Elf Queen in the Biography of Xenon.

An elf who is constantly checked by the council and ultimately collapses mentally without even properly confessing to her beloved human man, Kayre.

Looking at it in detail, it’s not wrong to say she was the model. The council was modeled after the senate, and I described Elisha based on what I heard from others.

Moreover, in the Biography of Xenon, a racial war broke out, and even the Dark Elves were exiled.

This means that being a model isn’t nonsense since the novel is based on reality.

However, while characters or organizations might be based on reality, the story itself came from my imagination.

It’s ambiguous whether to say it was modeled or not.

‘Should I take it as a check?’

Currently, Helium’s stock is soaring day by day. Their reputation was already rising, and Cecilly’s speech gave it wings.

From the elves’ perspective, it makes sense to check the demons who are now their equals.

It’s even awkward for me to write a letter saying I lied to them. It’s a fact that they were the models, and Arwen has romantic feelings for me.

Moreover, Arwen has many elements that could lead to misunderstandings. First, she mistakenly believes she came from another world, a world without heroes, a different Biography of Xenon world.

In such a world, characters and stories modeled after her emerge? In this era, not Earth, she would firmly believe it.

She even showed goodwill during Rain’s manuscript theft incident and the half-blood situation. There are many, many reasons for misunderstandings.

‘If that’s the case, shouldn’t she also know who Kayre is?’

Cecilly and Arwen. The two women are different from birth to upbringing, but they have one thing in common.

They both go beyond projecting book characters onto themselves and confirm them as future events.

If that’s the case, they should also be looking for their lovers, but while I don’t know about Arwen, Cecilly thinks it’s me.

Perhaps Arwen also thinks Kayre is me, judging by her behavior so far.

However, unlike Lillis whose past has been somewhat revealed, Elisha shared her past with Kayre.

Especially Kayre, who lost due to the “weakened strong” cliché but still possesses considerable power even by the Biography of Xenon world standards.

As for me? I may have divine power, but I’m just a human with ridiculously strong hardware (physical strength).

The physical talent I inherited from my father is manifesting late, but I can’t utilize it properly since I’ve never learned proper martial arts.

‘Still, it would work well for propaganda.’

The social culture of this world is close to medieval, but looking at the daily newspapers, it has a culture beyond the Renaissance.

As I’ve mentioned several times, thanks to the unbalanced civilization by my standards, if propaganda succeeds properly, a country’s cohesion becomes even stronger.

Especially if it’s deeply related to the Biography of Xenon, which is revered as scripture, the effect will be doubled.

‘Now I don’t mind if it’s used politically…’

I thought as I opened the newspaper. As soon as I opened it, debates on various topics were ongoing.

Just a few months ago, I was reluctant to see the Biography of Xenon being used politically, but now it doesn’t bother me.

Even I am speaking through letters for the Xenon exhibition and our territory, so it would be hypocritical to be reluctant.

[Currently, the number of followers of the Church of Mora is increasing day by day.]

[Due to Helium’s potential and the existence of a corrupt Cardinal in Sabre…]

[Luminus gives energy to warriors, and Mora provides them with peace.]

[People suffering from terrible trauma should worship Mora…]

Helium has gained much more than expected from this speech. Among them, the biggest proportion is “religion.”

Helium has Mora as its state religion, and like Sabre, most of its citizens worship Mora.

From Sabre’s perspective, they should check Helium, which corresponds to them, but the situation is not favorable.

A few months ago, the revelation that a corrupt Cardinal actually existed has led to a significant increase in clergy who question Sabre.

Until now, Mora was considered a god of darkness opposing light, and humans were reluctant to worship her because demons did, but not anymore.

As seen in the newspaper, the number of humans who have begun to worship Mora is gradually increasing.

In this world, there is no law that one must believe in a specific religion, so it doesn’t matter if one believes in both Luminus and Mora simultaneously.

Especially among soldiers and warriors suffering from PTSD like my father, rumors about the benefits of Mora’s divine power are spreading.

‘So they receive Luminus’s blessing when going into battle, and Mora’s blessing when suffering mentally?’

Anyway, as many humans have begun to have faith in Mora, her influence will grow.

Perhaps in the distant future, there could be ideological conflicts called “religious wars,” but Alfheim won’t just sit back and watch.

Alfheim had the pain of the Dark Elves, who shared the same roots, breaking away due to their own mistakes.

Indeed, with just one speech from Cecilly, the world is undergoing rapid changes.

What have I been doing? What else, just writing.

The world may change, but what I need to do doesn’t. I’m writing the 22nd volume of the Biography of Xenon and occasionally writing letters to clear up misunderstandings.

Fortunately, the current world is focused on the complex political situation rather than Xenon.

Occasionally there are articles saying all these events are influenced by the Biography of Xenon, but I see this regularly so it doesn’t excite me much.

‘The only one I’m worried about is Hyria…’

Looking at the newspaper, I thought of Adelia, who returned to the academy as a guard knight rather than a dedicated maid.

Normally, she could have returned with the authority of a dedicated maid, but a dedicated maid must always assist the person they serve.

This is not a right but a “duty” designated by the Empire, so I cannot refuse. Moreover, Marie would be very uncomfortable if Adelia and I were in the same room.

So now she has returned as a guard knight and is living separately, no different from before.

‘There’s been no unusual movement so far.’

I clearly remember Hyria’s gaze fixed on me during the speech. She definitely seemed to have noticed something.

It’s frustrating not knowing what it is. Given her personality, I thought she would ask directly, but there’s no sign of that.

For now, I’m somehow avoiding her, but if she becomes certain, she’ll approach me.

Perhaps with a mindset of “let’s get screwed together,” she might target Adelia instead of me.

‘Let’s just write Volume 22 for now.’

I threw the newspaper far away and moved to the desk. On the desk was a typewriter that had been moved in advance with Gartz’s help.

Thanks to Adelia’s assistance during the vacation, I can take a break every hour even when deeply concentrated.

If I stretch during each break, the work speed accelerates even more.

Even now, having returned to the academy and started writing Volume 22, I’ve already reached a quarter of the page.

‘The Battle of Envy seems like it will last quite a while.’

Originally, Envy was planned as a pathetic villain, but after Adelia’s permission, he could become a three-dimensional villain.

A perfect antithesis to the protagonist, Xenon, and a past that anyone could sympathize with.

Above all, a jealous roar toward the world and Xenon that suits the sin of “envy.” All these elements combined to create an excellent character.

‘At this rate, Envy could be the true protagonist?’

It would make for quite a good presentation. I’ve already shown the cliché of the final boss becoming the true protagonist through Sacran.

Readers will vaguely realize that Envy is the true protagonist when they see his end.

It would be perfect if I also include a signature line representing Envy. And there’s a character from my past life that suits Envy’s character.

A bald god-slayer who lost everything, including his family, to the gods, but fueled his inner revenge to eventually massacre all the gods.

[Behold! Wilhelm! And Kesta! Your family has returned! I’ll reduce this kingdom to ashes!]

This is the first time since his appearance that Envy, who usually shows no emotional changes, roars with an excited voice.

Envy’s hatred toward his blood relatives is much stronger than Satan’s. He would try to kill his family even if it meant destroying the world.

Seeing only this, one might say it suits “Wrath” rather than “Envy.” Readers would probably think the same.

Successfully unraveling this would once again prove my capabilities. It also means that Envy is a three-dimensional character.

‘If Hyria comes to me after Volume 22 is released…’

She would have definitely concluded that I am Xenon. She’s still in the doubt stage, but she’ll be certain once Volume 22 is released.

I have no idea what will happen after that, but Mora told me. That I would stand at a crossroads of choice.

Whatever choice I make, a path of hardship will open. I should prepare from now.

‘It’s about time…’

Time to reveal it. I smirked as I typed.

‘For now, let’s just watch since the political situation is chaotic.’

There’s a saying: watching a fire from across the river is the most entertaining.

Moreover, currently, I, or rather Xenon, am in the eye of the storm. Everything around is in chaos, but I alone am calm.

‘What news will come next?’

I thought about that for a few days.

[Breaking news! A human man claiming to be the model for Kayre appears in Alfheim…!]

The world is wide.

[Famous adventurers and mercenaries claim themselves to be Kayre…]

[Currently, they are courting Arwen, the Queen of Alfheim.]

[Multiple individuals have appeared, becoming Alfheim’s new headache…]

[Could Kayre be among them?]

Once again, I realized there are many crazy bastards out there.