episode_0106

Closing my eyes, scenes emerged vividly, as if they were my own memories.

Stories from mythology, from over a thousand years ago.

The reward for clearing Chapter 3 was my mother’s second magic stone.

Instead of meeting her again, this stone was completely absorbed by me, conveying her ‘memories’.

Therefore, I can now see her life story at a glance.

Like walking through an art museum and slowly appreciating the works, I could examine my mother’s traces within a corridor of memories transcending time and space.

Born on the Ma Continent as a half-human, half-demon, her extraordinary beginnings.

She fled the same kind of power struggle I experienced, escaping to the Central Continent.

There, she entered the society of a small minority group, using her unique mana to establish a world-leading magical superpower.

Artemis.

Recognized for its unparalleled magical advancements that raised humanity’s standards beyond national borders, it was later called a civilization.

A country of misfortune that sank into the annals of history during her temporary absence from her territory due to unavoidable circumstances.

Those circumstances were the incessant territorial disputes among the demons on the Ma Continent.

To end the centuries-long conflict, my mother returned alone.

But they had changed too much.

In the long war, demonic energy had grown uncontrollably strong.

Because of it, they were captivated by an instinct that craved only power and combat, staining their bodies with blood.

Killing enemy soldiers, killing generals, killing tribal chiefs.

Their eyes bloodshot, they killed allies, superiors, and kings.

They killed brothers, parents, and wives and children.

An unstoppable bloody storm raged, and the urge to kill became contagious.

Amidst the despair, only my mother clung to hope.

The power that was the antithesis of the destructive demonic energy.

It was the essence and truth of the world, ‘Ether’.

Even the insane legions who defied death were helplessly defeated by this natural enemy.

She was able to unify the entire Ma Continent.

But… her country, upon her return after fulfilling her mission, had become a haven for ghosts.

Fate forced her to choose only one of two things, and she chose her people.

But ‘Lea Flora’ was not a cold-blooded ruler, but merely a sensitive tomboy,

She couldn’t withstand the echoes of the souls.

They kept saying they wanted to die, to rest,

Stuck in the cracks of the world, scratching at the past with nonexistent fingernails.

How could a ruler who abandoned them bear to hear the voices of the dead, filled with regret over their mistakes?

In the end, she decided to leave the Central Continent, where she had lost all her good memories and return to the Ma Continent to live as the ‘Demon King’.

However, was it a cruel twist of fate?

Remnants from the great war remained unpurged.

The faction that worshipped demonic energy and its manifestation, the demon god, continued to indulge in slaughter, still enslaved by instinct.

Thirsting for blood, they began to covet the Central Continent.

The Demon King couldn’t idly stand by.

However, the number of demons had increased enormously in a prosperous era, and she was already overburdened ruling the masses.

But my mother felt that completing the task she had failed to finish in the great war,

That staining her hands with every last drop of blood, was her true mission.

So, after appointing her most trusted subject as the new Demon King, she set off once more for the Central Continent.

Humanity, having built a new civilization, had established a kingdom, and now the people of that kingdom suffered from the betrayal of the demons.

My mother saved them, was hailed as a hero, and started a new life.

Having fulfilled her mission, with no lack of money, honor, or power in her life that was nearing its end.

Only one regret remained… that she had no child to inherit everything.

For some reason, she couldn’t have children, and she believed there was only one reason.

Hermaphroditism.

A unique body possessing a complete male and female reproductive system.

While it couldn’t be definitively determined, her arduous research concluded that—as a life form with a perfect body, she apparently had no need to create offspring.

Still, she wanted a child.

Her soul longed for a son—no, if possible, a daughter who resembled her.

She devoted herself to research day and night, and came up with a method.

It was…

.

.

.

“Ssu-huit- Hoo-oo-”

…for some reason, that final crucial method doesn’t come to mind.

My mother’s magic stones each have a role, and this stone’s role seems to be to convey only this much.

That said…

“Ssu-huit- Hoo-oo-”

I gave Nyx, who was soundly asleep leaning on my shoulder, a hearty Ether-infused smack on the head.

Pak-!

“Kyah-huit- Hyau-oo… It hurts…”

“Who’s falling asleep while I’m telling an important story?”

“I heard everything… Woo.”

On closer inspection, her black mist was automatically recording my story.

…That’s useful magic.

I should learn it beforehand so I can use it to skip Academy classes later.

Anyway.

“…So, there’s no way for you to get pregnant with your sister’s sperm.”

“Well, that’s right.”

Yuri sat upright in her chair, listening intently to my story, perfectly understanding the content before.

She sighed deeply, genuinely disappointed.

“Don’t worry. In the end, my mother did bear me, right?”

“There is a way, but…”

And this time, I sighed.

“Hoo… I don’t know yet.”

Since I had brought up an important topic, I decided to tell her my honest thoughts.

The effort my mother put into giving birth to me would far surpass anything an ordinary person could imagine.

Perhaps it’s natural… even if she decided to quit her main job and pursue a new life, she is undeniably the ‘Demon King’.

My mother’s boldness and immense power, which I had never understood until now, were perfectly explained by that title alone.

So, how could someone who couldn’t even touch the edges of the Demon King’s realm emulate her?

“That’s not the only problem.”

I felt that what mattered was the heart.

My mother’s ‘why.’

Why did she give birth to me?

I think it’s because she didn’t meet anyone who understood her.

Because beings with hearts inevitably seek happiness.

However… I am already happy.

I have several purposes in life, and loving women are by my side.

I am quite happy just living like this.

Perhaps this attitude is the problem.

“And… it might cost you your life.”

It’s definitely not an easy task, and the fact that my strong mother passed away right after giving birth to me, that fact too.

In any case, there’s no point in agonizing over it now. It will require significant time, preparation, and endless effort.

“Still, you’ll do it with me, right?”

“…Of course.”

Resting her head gently on my chest, Yuri squeezed my hand tightly.

Having shared all our accumulated stories and revealed our hearts completely, there was nothing left misunderstood.

Her desire for a child was as strong as her love for me.

I received that clearly.

“I- I’m curious too… Naris already has the blood of a Demon King, so what if we mix in the blood of a spirit? Khihih-”

Nyx, eyes gleaming as she giggled, seemed to be imagining something like a demon spirit.

‘It’s just a hybrid.’

Suppressing the words that were welling up in my throat was rather difficult.

Well… everyone seems to be full of heart.

Once again, I embraced them both.

“Kyaat-”

“Hyau-t-”

Didn’t I say? Sufficient ‘preparation’ is necessary.

“Since we can’t do anything yet… shall we practice making a baby tonight?”

Two heated bodies.

Four hearts.

And twenty fingers gripped me.

“Yeees—♡”

“Okay…♡”

It’s plain water… I thought that I could freely spill my seeds without the burden of responsibility.

Not that I felt burdened before, but.

* * *

Paat—!

Feet moving swiftly, invisible to the eye.

Hwirik-

Sky-blue hair dancing with the movement of her clothes.

Even in the early morning, a girl diligently performed her basic training in the academy’s training grounds.

“Haa… Haa…”

Eve couldn’t let go of what she had seen that day. She couldn’t forget it from her mind.

A dazzling color.

As if it contained all the light, capable of shining with any color.

Nari’s mana, which had erupted in pure white.

Since she had only thought of her as a fellow user of the four elemental manas, she initially thought it was a stage she could also reach.

Drawing mana of all attributes from her toes, and letting it flow along every meridian to her dantian.

Accumulating it slowly at a perfect equal ratio… and then drawing it out.

Hwaaat—!

Mana of a previously unseen pure white shone from her hand.

“…!!”

However.

Paat-

The imperfect ‘pseudo-Ether’ quickly dissipated.

“…This won’t do.”

This won’t do. To reach her goal… she couldn’t lag behind Nari.

But after the excitement of the adventure wore off, what remained for Eve was a cold inferiority complex.

She continued her training silently,

With the same frozen expression that terrified the other cadets.