[For now, it's just a suspicion, so let's set that aside. In other words, the god named Harmon was a mortal a hundred years ago. And I've heard that right after becoming a transcendent being, their sense of self is often unstable.]
“And that became the reason to attack the demons?”
[That possibility can't be ignored. Gods are beings who often obsess over what's theirs. It's safe to assume that tendency just came out more aggressively. Antagonizing the Demon God is a risky move, but it doesn't matter if he never leaves his own world.]
“Even at the Demon God's level, they can't win against a native god.”
[Absolutely. A god within their own domain is monstrously strong. As far as I know, not even the Demon God, or any other powerful god, can interfere as long as the native god is determined to keep them out.]
“So that's why he called for me.”
[Probably, right? Since you're a human, not a demon.]
“Hoh.”
There were a few more things he was curious about. But nothing would change. His position was just to clear the Quest.
Taesan drew his sword. As always, he began his training to obtain Aura.
Time passed.
Taesan's routine remained unchanged. He ate, trained his Aura, and drove away the hunters who pursued him.
“Don't they ever get tired of it?”
Taesan flicked his sword clean with a fed-up expression. They came after him almost every day, and it was getting annoying. If there were strong ones mixed in from whom he could learn something, it would be a different story, but that wasn't the case.
It was just a waste of time. After cleaning up, Taesan returned to the cave. Inside, Anetsha was praying with her eyes closed.
Taesan left her undisturbed and went outside to catch some fish and birds. Two hours later, Anetsha opened her eyes and was startled to see Taesan.
“Oh, how long have you been here?”
“For two hours.”
“Ah… I'm sorry.”
“It's fine.”
Taesan, who was casually roasting some meat, shook his head and asked.
“Are you praying to the Demon God?”
“Yes.”
Anetsha calmly nodded. The Demon God had abandoned them. At least, that's what Anetsha must believe.
Taesan silently ate his meat. And that night, as always, the stories began. Stories about Taesan's world, and stories about what kind of beings the demons were.
All sorts of words flowed out. In the middle of it all, a story about the Demon God naturally came out.
“The Demon God is a very kind person. When I was young and couldn't sleep because I was scared of ghosts, he would sometimes come down and comfort me.”
Anetsha murmured with a nostalgic expression, and the Ghost let out a sound of admiration.
[A god came down himself to talk to you? You must have been quite outstanding.]
“Is it common for the Demon God to speak to people?”
“No. It's quite rare. My father was also very happy, saying it was the first time in a thousand years that the Demon God had spoken directly to someone.”
Anetsha said with a laugh. Looking at her, lost in memories, Taesan opened his mouth.
“And all that was shattered starting ten years ago?”
“…Yes.”
Anetsha lowered her head gloomily. Taesan poked at the bonfire.
“Did the god abandon you all?”
“No!”
Anetsha raised her voice.
“There must be some reason. Surely, surely there is.”
Anetsha said, biting her lip. But her eyes were wavering endlessly. Disbelief, denial, and faith.
Seeing the various emotions in her eyes, Taesan said no more. Since he sent him here, he probably hadn't abandoned them. But since he didn't know the reason for telling him not to reveal his identity, he couldn't be sure of anything either.
Amidst the questions, time flowed once again. And so, ten hols passed since Taesan came to this place. During that time, nothing special happened.
It was just a repetition of pursuers coming after them and him stopping them. Sitting on a rock, Taesan swung his feet.
“Should I change the plan?”
“I need to make a bigger scene.”
“Pardon?”
Anetsha, who was seasoning the stew, opened her eyes wide.
Taesan spoke.
“Nothing's going to happen if we keep going like this. So I'm going to change my methods a bit.”
“Is, is there a problem? If I did something wrong…”
“It's not you, it's a problem on this side, so you don't have to worry.”
Take Anetsha to a safe place. That was the Demon God's Quest. But in this world, a safe place did not exist.
Wherever he went, Harmon sent pursuers with a revelation. Even when he deliberately dug deep into the ground to hide, the pursuers pinpointed his exact location and started digging within three hours, so it was safe to say hiding was practically impossible. There were a few methods.
The first was to protect Anetsha until she died. As long as a god didn't personally descend, there was no one in this world who could stop Taesan, so it wasn't an impossible task. But it would take too much time.
Taesan wouldn't die of old age, but it would still be a matter of several decades. He didn't think the Demon God would want that kind of clear. Or he could go directly to the Divine Temple of Harmon, the main god of Bekweseta, the god of light born from the earth, and negotiate.
At first, he had considered that option. The gods he had seen so far were rational and valued their honor as gods, so he had expected they wouldn't recklessly touch him, even if he was close to being a subordinate of a hostile god.
But this too was ruled out, as the Ghost had mentioned the possibility that Harmon's mind wasn't sound. After some deliberation, Taesan realized a solution.
“You said all the demons went extinct, right? But you're on the run. Doesn't that mean there might be others like you who are hiding somewhere, having built a village?”
Those who know her. Those who can protect her. Those who are in hiding.
He had learned from the pursuers that there were places in this world that a god's gaze couldn't reach, and if one hid there, they couldn't be found. He didn't know where that place was, but everyone he met knew it existed. The demons were probably hiding there.
“That is…”
Anetsha closed her mouth. She knew about that as well. But there was a problem.
“A god is personally tracking me. Even if I go to their hiding place from here, we will only die together.”
She said sorrowfully. It wasn't that she didn't want to see her own kind. She believed there must be survivors.
But she was being watched by the world. No matter where she moved, pursuers followed, so she couldn't meet anyone.
“If that problem is solved, do you want to do it?”
After hesitating for a long time, Anetsha nodded.
“……Yes.”
“That's enough.”
“B-but how do you plan to solve it? The enemies come endlessly…”
“It's simple.”
Taesan said indifferently.
“I'll show them my power.”
“A lot of them have come, haven't they?”
A man with a spear slung over his shoulder whistled. At the end of his gaze were over a hundred people. And all of them were people who had made a name for themselves.
“Wow, even a high-level mage came?”
“He's probably from a School of Magic that was established not too long ago. The intention must be to capture the Demon Princess and gain fame.”
A red-haired woman holding a whip spoke calmly. The man scanned the surroundings one by one and expressed his admiration.
“What a spectacle. The people here could destroy a city, couldn't they?”
“Be quiet and just confirm it. Did you forget why we came here?”
“Yes, yes. Gotta work.”
The Demon Princess. Anetsha and her bodyguard. That story was currently the most talked-about topic in the entire world.
The destruction of the demons itself had happened less than ten years ago, so it was still a hot topic. Information about the last surviving Demon Princess had been a big deal for a while. Everyone thought the princess would die soon.
A frail young girl couldn't possibly survive the world's pursuit. Some looked on with pity, while others watched with amusement. But one day, the Demon Princess gained a bodyguard.
That in itself wasn't a big deal. It was common for demons who had fled the massacre to seek out Anetsha to protect their princess. But they all died without lasting long.
They only bought time against the pursuers and failed to actually protect her. Then, someone who could truly protect the princess appeared. And this bodyguard was monstrously strong.
He killed a mage from the Magic Tower and shook off all the top-tier hunters. Even a skilled Swordsman who went to capture the princess never returned. Rumors even spread among the public that he was someone who had reached the level of a renowned Sword Master.
The man and woman were dispatched from an information organization to figure him out. The man let out a groan.
“No matter how much our small organization needs a big score, isn't this too dangerous? All the pursuers so far have died.”
“Quiet. Don't you know we'll all starve to death if this continues? We have no information to sell! And we're an information organization!”
The woman grumbled.
“And with this many people, are we going to lose?”
It was that many people, and of that caliber. With these numbers, even if the opponent was truly a Sword Master, they had a chance of winning.
“I guess this is the end of the princess's story.”
The woman muttered. With serious faces, they slowly entered the forest. A gathering of only strong individuals could have led to discord, but perhaps because they knew the danger, they compromised with each other and were able to advance without any major issues.
And they were able to find him.
“So many of them.”
In front of a small hill, Taesan greeted them.
“Hello?”
Chajajang!
They quickly drew their weapons. The mages raised their staffs and prepared to chant, and the archers drew their bowstrings. The man observing Taesan frowned.
“A demon?”
Because Taesan had killed everyone who came for him, no information about him was known. Rumors had been exaggerated, saying he had multiple arms, was a demon sent by the Demon God, or was a dragon. Seeing this being of wild rumors, their first thought was: a demon.
Black hair and black eyes. Their thoughts naturally went in that direction. But upon closer inspection, they realized.
It was just black; it was too faint to be a demon. Moreover, they didn't feel the unique energy of a demon. They realized Taesan was a human.
The man carefully observed Taesan. He had a cold impression. The material of his clothes was unknown, but they looked quite good.
His weapon was especially good. Even at a glance, it was a fine sword. Facing over a hundred people, there was no fear or agitation in his expression.
“Ahem.”
An old man in a robe stepped forward. He was a high-level mage from a School of Magic founded less than a hundred years ago, and he was quite strong. The old man spoke to Taesan.
“Are you the bodyguard of the abandoned princess?”
“What if I am?”
“Step aside. Our objective is the princess. We have no intention of fighting you.”
The old man held his staff. His magic power created rough ripples. At the mage's threat, Taesan smiled faintly.
“No.” “…Are you really going to fight us?”
The old man, who thought Taesan would obediently step aside, was flustered. Over a hundred people had come, and all of them were high-ranking members of their respective groups. It was a situation where even a Sword Master would have a hard time winning.
“I won't kill you, so don't worry. You all need to spread the word far and wide.”
Taesan rose from the rock. He extended his hand.
Jjeojeok.
A Frost Arrow was drawn in the air.
“There was something I wanted to test anyway, so come on.”
Leveling up through battle