HBWnovel Chapter 20
Chapter 20
Three Days Later
The promised date.
The Demon God's Domain
“Are you ready?”
Descending from her towering throne, the Demon God Huffniss glided down gracefully.
I extended a device toward her, infused with the power of dreams.
“Of course. As I mentioned before, this episode revolves around the story of the former Demon King, Perlerina. I believe you’ll find it to your liking.”
The save data was prepared to begin at Act 2, with Act 1 already cleared. This setup would ensure immersion right from the start.
“Before we proceed, allow me to explain a few things. If you disrupt the episode, the perception mechanism won’t function as intended. Thus, regardless of how the story unfolds or whether it meets your expectations, you must follow through as presented...”
“Hm...”
The Demon God propped her chin on her hand, listening to my explanation.
The device floated into the air and landed in her grasp.
“So, if I enter this and complete the episode as given, the former Demon King will be resurrected, correct?”
“That’s correct. It worked for the Magitech Engineer, and it worked for Sacrifice.”
Of course, that’s not going to happen.
You won’t be completing this episode.
And even if you did, the Demon King’s resurrection wouldn’t occur.
The version of Act 2 distributed to other players included a pivotal choice at the highlight moment: whether to assist the Demon King’s massacre or stop it.
This additional choice not only diverges from the established history but will also split the perceptions of the players who experience the episode. It’s entirely different from the case of the Ten Heroes and Saintess Kate.
“If the Demon God plays directly, I imagine you’ll reach the ending in less than half a day.”
A little flattery never hurt.
“Good. It is I who shall play, after all. I’ll complete it faster than anyone else.”
True to her arrogant nature, she activated the device without a shred of doubt.
Woom
As the Demon God powered up the device, the dream’s authority enveloped her completely.@@@@
Watching her, I entered the developer mode of [Akashic Archive] through the power of dreams.
***
Fwoosh!
“It’s finally time for the third trial.”
“...?”
Immersed in the power of dreams, the Demon God Huffniss found herself inside the game. Before her stood a black-haired human boy, addressing her directly.
“This is the final trial. If you pass this one, you’ll become the official curator of the [Akashic Archive].”
The words spilled out, dull and uninteresting.
She felt an overwhelming urge to overturn this nonsense and grab the boy by the neck. But the cautionary advice from the Apostle of Dreams echoed in her mind. Huffniss decided to restrain herself, for now.
Snap.
The curator snapped his fingers, and a book flew off a nearby shelf, landing in the space between them.
“This story will be a little different from the previous ones.”
The pages began to flip on their own, one by one.
“As before, the Abyss has begun its erosion. However, this time it isn’t through monsters. The erosion has targeted the protagonist’s very thoughts.”
Divine energy flowed from the curator’s hands, forming a vivid projection in the air.
‘...Perlerina?’
The sudden appearance of the former Demon King left Huffniss startled.
“She’s the central figure of this story and the one you must guide along the correct path.”
“...What do you mean by that? I must guide her along the correct path?” Huffniss questioned, irritation evident in her tone.
The curator crossed his arms, meeting her gaze.
The demon you must aid is still a child. Her village has been attacked by demon hunters. She is the only one in this world who can see your soul. Guide her to survive.
One mercenary thrust a jagged blade into her abdomen, twisting it mercilessly.
“Aaagh!”
Despite her efforts, the searing pain forced a scream from her lips.
Her scream echoed through the house.
“Mom!”
The voice of her daughter, muffled but clear, came from the basement.
“...Huh?”
“Is there another one?”
“Over there!”
“Find it!”
The mercenaries dropped the dying woman and followed the sound toward the basement.
The demon woman, barely conscious, crawled toward them and grabbed one mercenary’s ankle.
“Persistent wench.”
Crack!
A kick to the head silenced her forever.
In the basement, the young girl sobbed quietly, her hands clamped over her mouth.
Bang! Bang!
“Bring the hammer! We’ll bust it open!”
The mercenaries began smashing at the hidden entrance above her. Death was moments away.
“You.”
A mature, imposing woman suddenly appeared beside the girl.
“Huh?”
The girl stared at her wide-eyed.
“There’s no time. If you don’t want your mother’s sacrifice to be in vain, you must listen to me.”
The figure before her was none other than the Demon God Huffniss, appearing as she envisioned herself in reality.
To the girl, Huffniss looked like a great being straight out of a fairy tale.
Without a word, the girl nodded.
“Good. Now, try to move your mana essence.”
“...?”
“We don’t have time for questions. Focus on the lower part of your abdomen. If you truly are Lina, you can do this. Concentrate.”
Under Huffniss’s guidance, the girl quickly learned to manipulate her latent mana, her body flickering and disappearing from view.
“Good. Now, use it!”
As the mana enveloped her, the girl vanished entirely.
Crash!
The mercenaries broke through the basement entrance.
“...What the? There’s nothing here.”
“That can’t be right.”
“Did we imagine it?”
“Damn it. False alarm, I guess. Let’s move on.”
They spat on the floor before leaving the house.
Moments later, they set the empty house ablaze.
***
I possessed the curator in the version of the story that the Demon God was progressing through, taking on the role as its developer.
Everything was proceeding as planned.
The Demon God, tethered to her mentor’s side, would witness the entirety of her life unfold. She would see the truths hidden behind the surface.
What would happen when everything she believed about her mentor was upended, and the truth came to light?
This episode wasn’t a tale of vengeance against a betraying mentor.
It was a bittersweet journey of farewell—a poignant and precious goodbye to the one she revered.