HBWnovel Chapter 22
Chapter 22
The Demon God traveled the continent alongside the girl.
“Demon God! The water here is so clean!”
“Yes. It will be safe here.”
Camping alone with my mentor... This brings back memories.
Although Huffniss initially worried the girl’s fragile mental state would make her vulnerable after losing her mother, the young mentor-to-be had regained her vigor, driven by the purpose bestowed upon her.
“This isn’t working...”
“You can do it.”
This method of mana manipulation... it’s the same one my mentor taught me.
With the Demon God personally guiding her, the girl’s progress was rapid.
The girl’s extraordinary natural talent, paired with the perfect teacher, led to growth that even Huffniss found astonishing.
“Demon God! Isn’t this creature adorable?”
“It’s a survival strategy. It uses its appearance to evoke sympathy from other animals and secure its survival.”
“Can’t I keep it?”
“Think carefully. How will it handle the drastic change in environment if it’s suddenly taken? And how will its family react, searching for their missing member?”
“...I guess I can’t take it, then.”
The girl still retained her youthful innocence.
“...”
“Don’t dwell on it too much. They’re vile creatures who delight in slaughter. There’s no hope for redemption in monsters like them.”
“But still...!”
Despite her hardships, the girl remained a child, her innate kindness making it difficult to reconcile the cruelty of the world.
“You are the one who will change this world.”
Each time doubt clouded her mind, the Demon God was there to support her.
“Demon God, when I become the Demon King... will I be able to change this cruel world?”
“You will... if anyone can, it’s you.”
Huffniss spoke with mixed emotions.
After her mentor’s death, the demons had joined forces with other races to stop the massacre. This unity ultimately led to harmony between the races, erasing the old cycle of hatred.
The fact that the slaughterer herself had been the Demon King—a demon—could have fueled further anger against her kind. However, the other demons’ joint efforts with the continent’s inhabitants to stop her had created a shared bond, dissolving the animosity.
Could my mentor have planned this?
The thought crossed her mind.
No... that’s impossible.
If that had been her mentor’s intent, why would she have kept it from me?
It must have been a coincidence.
The wall of [Pride] that once clouded Huffniss’s judgment began to crack.
Time passed quickly.
The game’s fast-skip function allowed players to bypass less important moments to keep them from growing bored.
But Huffniss didn’t skip anything.
She stayed by the girl’s side, watching her grow, moment by moment.
At the beginning of the story, Huffniss had intended to rush through this “foolish play” and focus on resurrecting her real mentor.
But now, for some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
Even though she knew the girl in front of her wasn’t real.
The girl and Huffniss arrived at yet another village.
“Kill the demons!”
“Drive out those cursed creatures!”
“Waaaaa!”
As they approached the village entrance, they could hear the sounds of battle between humans and demons.
“Demon God.”
“Go. End it.”
At Huffniss’s command, the girl’s body became enveloped in a dense, black mana, her figure melting into the shadows.
Shraaaak!
“We’ve all lost someone dear to us because of these humans. There’s no undoing what’s been done.”
“But...!”
Lina clenched her fists tightly—then slowly released them.
She had no right to stop their revenge.
If the mercenaries who had killed her mother were tied up in front of her, wouldn’t she act the same way?
Perhaps she would be even more ruthless.
“Demon God.”
“What is it?”
“If you were in my place, would you leave this unchecked?”
“Are you asking about them?”
Huffniss recalled a memory from her own youth—a time when her hatred for humanity had driven her to attack any human she encountered, blinded by rage over the loss of her family.
Her mentor had always stopped her.
Perhaps my mentor saw a reflection of her younger self in me back then.
“What did my mentor say at the time...?” Huffniss murmured to herself before speaking aloud.
“I have no right to stop them.”
“Then...?”
“But as history has shown, revenge begets more revenge.”
“S-Stop! Please, I have a family at home! Aaaah!”
Another human fell, blood spraying as his head rolled across the ground.
The man’s pendant tumbled with it, coming to a stop at Lina’s feet.
“...”
Lina picked up the pendant and opened it.
Inside was a picture of the man who had just been killed, holding a little girl no older than five. He was smiling brightly.
It was likely his daughter.
If she found out her father had been killed by demons, wouldn’t she seek revenge against them?
And wouldn’t the demons, in turn, retaliate against her for the harm she caused?
An endless cycle.
“So this is what my mentor meant back then...” Huffniss mused.
“The ones killed in revenge are often precious to someone else. And so, there will be new revenge to avenge their deaths. There’s no stopping it.”
“...”
“An unending cycle of revenge and its offspring—a vicious loop that perpetuates itself.”
When Huffniss first entered the game, she had dismissed this world as fake, a mere fabrication.
The lives of these NPCs had seemed insignificant, not worth considering.
When she first began mentoring the girl, her priority had been to shield her from trauma, to prepare her for what lay ahead.
But now, somehow, this world no longer felt like a fleeting illusion.
“A chain of hatred,” Lina said softly.
“Exactly.”
“...I’ll end it.”
This endless cycle of evil—Lina would be the one to break it.
She clenched her small fists with determination.
“I’ll become the Demon King and put an end to this cycle.”
Turning to Huffniss, Lina’s eyes burned with resolve.
“Will you help me?”
She held out her hand, her gaze pleading.
“I am always with you. Only you have the right to carry out this task.”
Huffniss extended her hand, clasping it over Lina’s.
Though she remained in her spiritual form and couldn’t truly touch the girl, for a fleeting moment, she felt the warmth of that tiny hand.