A world full of adventure and romance, Silias.

With a sword at your side, you set off on an adventure, and you face off against powerful monsters with dazzling magic from your staff.

There are elves living harmoniously with nature, and dwarves forging iron beside the heat of their furnaces.

It’s truly a picturesque otherworld.

However.

The world of Silias was not as filled with romance as players might think.

Races who could barely meet eyes without fighting.

The constant threat of monsters, who could appear at any moment.

The violence of wandering rogues with swords at their hips.

The history of the Ardina Continent was always filled with blood and screams.

But if you asked what had claimed the most lives, the people of Silias would all answer in unison.

The two Race Wars.

The First Race War, though shorter than the second, caused tremendous casualties, as all races fought each other as enemies.

In contrast, the Second Race War involved only the demons and humans.

The other races supported the humans, but only a handful participated in the actual battles.

However, because the war dragged on for more than fifty years, it claimed more lives than the First Race War, where all races were involved.

No one had officially tallied the number of victims, but one thing was certain—it wasn’t a small number.

And the cause of both wars was the same.

The demons.

The two tragic wars began when the demons crossed from Raxia to the Ardina Continent.

The wars, which lasted for decades, finally came to an end thanks to the mediation of the Sacred Nation of Sedes.

At the peace conference to end the war, someone from the human side asked the demons:

‘Why did you come to Ardina and create this chaos?’

The demons' response was simple.

‘To survive.’

The demons crossed from Raxia to Ardina to survive.

And the people of Ardina desperately fought to stop them in order to survive.

The beginning of the horrific wars that claimed countless lives and ruined so many was simply that.

 

To think that the place we chose after the Sacred Nation is the demons' home, the great continent of Raxia.

Thinking about it that way, it feels a little strange.

“…Are you going to cut off the Demon King's head or something? Was Kana actually a hero all along…?”

It seemed like Da-eun shared my mixed feelings, mumbling nonsense under her breath.

“Of course not.”

There are people in Silias who are called heroes.

But just because I said we’re going to Raxia, it doesn't mean we’re going to cut off the Demon King's head. The image Da-eun had of a hero was very different, but whatever it was, it was a title that certainly didn’t suit me.

“Why would I kill someone who’s just living their life peacefully?”

“…Huh? Aren’t demons bad?”

“…Why?”

“What do you mean, why? They started wars, killed people… I heard they control terrifying monsters, too.”

Da-eun counted on her fingers as she replied.

While I could agree with most of what she said,

“I’ve killed people, too.”

“Ah… That… Kana, you did that because it was during a war, so you had no choice.”

“I’ve killed after the war, too.”

“…I’m sorry. I was wrong.”

Faced with my consecutive rebuttals, Da-eun raised a white flag.

It wasn’t like I was really upset, so I accepted her surrender without issue.

…Well, Da-eun’s image of demons wasn’t particularly unique.

If you asked people in Silias about demons, ninety out of a hundred would probably say something similar to what she did.

Though fifty years have passed since the end of the Second Race War, that’s also another way of saying that only fifty years have passed.

There are still people alive who directly experienced the war, so how could fear and hatred disappear?

So, it’s like this.

People who lived through the war don’t think highly of demons, and those who have never seen them judge them based on stories they’ve heard.

Even information that was somewhat accurate gets exaggerated and distorted as it’s passed from mouth to mouth, turning into groundless rumors.

They say demons enjoy eating people, or that they’re plotting to conquer the world.

And there are always people who believe those rumors.

It’s a cycle that keeps repeating.

“…Wasn’t that true?”

“…Sigh.”

Just like the person standing beside me now.

Garid… my father, was one of those who didn’t like demons.

But it wasn’t because he believed rumors or had a prejudice like most people.

It was quite the opposite.

He didn’t like demons simply because of the time he lived in. He couldn’t bring himself to like them.

Thanks to him, I learned the real story.

And why such rumors came to be.

“This is complicated…”

Da-eun, who had just seen all her preconceptions shattered, had a perplexed look on her face.

“So, are you saying the demons were actually good?”

“No. From the perspective of the people of the Ardina Continent, they were definitely bad. They did invade the continent, after all.”

“A reason?”

She tilted her head in confusion.

“What reason?”

“To survive.”

I didn’t know the exact reason the demons had invaded the continent, crossing the ocean from Raxia.

Not until I met and talked with Edel.

After hearing from Edel why the demons had no choice but to do so, I understood why they had made that decision.

The creatures of the Ardina Continent wield a mysterious force called ‘mana.’

On the other hand, demons wield a mysterious force called ‘magi.’

As a result, the lands where the demons lived were always filled with magi, and if you had no resistance to magi, just being near them would put your life at risk.

To non-demons, magi was as poisonous as any toxin.

That was why the people of Ardina fought so desperately to prevent the demons’ migration.

Just being there caused harm, so it’s obvious how dangerous the demons’ homeland of Raxia, filled with thick magi, must be.

Ironically, the demons crossed to the Ardina Continent because their homeland, Raxia, was overrun by magi.

“Huh? Isn’t having more magi a good thing? Don’t demons control magi?”

“Mana…”

I was about to say that too much mana would kill you, but I held my tongue.

There was no way Da-eun, who came from Earth, would understand.

“…Humans need water to live.”

“Yeah.”

“But if there’s too much water, you can’t survive.”

“…Oh, I get it?”

The demons, unable to survive due to the thick magi, left Raxia and settled on the Ardina Continent.

It wasn’t a perfect analogy, but it was enough to help her grasp the context.

Da-eun’s face lit up with understanding as she chewed over the explanation.

But then she fell into thought as if something was bothering her.

“But… if the demons couldn’t withstand it and had to flee, wouldn’t that mean I definitely can’t withstand it either, right?”

“…Probably?”

“Then I’ll just have to wait for you to return, Kana! Be careful out there… N-no, I’m joking!”

“…Joking?”

“Y-yes! I was just joking, so please don’t look at me like that. You’re making me feel like garbage…!”

“…That kind of joke isn’t funny at all.”

“I-I’m sorry…”

When I loosened my grip on her clothes, Da-eun groaned in a pitiful voice.

“I’m garbage… not even recyclable garbage…”

“Are you going to stop making those jokes?”

“I’ll stop! I won’t make them ever again!”

“Good. Then it’s fine.”

“Kanaaa…! How could I do this to such a kind person…!”

Suddenly!

“…Sigh.”

Da-eun hugged me tightly.

I was about to shake my head but ended up sighing instead, blocked by her body.

“Don’t worry. I’ve already made preparations.”

Though Apostles’ bodies were durable compared to their skill level, Da-eun was still not strong enough to withstand the magi of the Great Continent.

Even Edel said that the magi in the deepest parts of Raxia would be hard for even me to endure.

It was at that moment that Da-eun, tilting her head, asked.

“Preparations?”

Knock, knock.

“May I come in?”

“Huh, Celine?”

At the sound of knocking, followed by Celine’s voice, Da-eun, though puzzled, opened the door.

“Oh, good morning. Did you both sleep well?”

“Thanks to you. Did you sleep well too, Celine?”

“Fufu, yes.”

“But what brings you here…? It’s not time for breakfast yet, is it?”

“Oh, haven’t you heard?”

“…Heard what?”

Da-eun tilted her head again.

“Lady Edel has asked me to accompany you both. Of course, if Lady Journey doesn’t want me to, I’ll respect that…”

Would you not like that?

Celine’s voice took on a slightly sad tone, and Da-eun quickly waved her hands in protest.

“N-no! It’s not that! It’s just a bit sudden…”

“Fufu, that’s a relief. I was worried Lady Journey didn’t like me.”

“Why would I not like you?”

Da-eun, speaking with Celine, suddenly bent down and asked me.

“Kana. Is this the preparation you were talking about…?”

“Yes. It’s Celine.”

“I see… Wait, what!”

Da-eun grabbed my shoulder, firmly but not painfully, and asked.

Da-eun grabbed my shoulder, firmly but not painfully, and asked.

“Celine says that Edel herself told her to accompany us. Does that mean… Kana, did you also…?”

She swallowed hard before asking her next question.

“…Did you speak with Edel?”

“Yes.”

“…Really?”

“Yes.”

“In the prayer room? Alone?”

“Yes.”

There was nothing to hide, so I answered honestly.

What mattered was the content of the conversation.

Just in case, I had asked Edel, and she said there was no need to keep it a secret.

On top of that, Edel had informed the higher-ups of the church that she had spoken to me and told them to offer me convenience. So, I had unintentionally become quite famous.

A divine revelation after decades, instructing them to accommodate me—there was no way that wouldn’t cause a stir.

If she was going to say something like that, she should have done it when I first arrived at the Sacred Nation.

Then I wouldn’t have had to pretend to be a nun.

‘Surely she didn’t do it on purpose, right?’

Even though I told myself it couldn’t be the case, remembering Edel’s behavior made me suspicious.

“Am I the weird one? Is talking privately with a god something you can speak about so casually?”

Da-eun mumbled, half in shock.

I waved my hand in front of her face, but her eyes remained somewhat vacant.

It was surprising news, but was it something to be this shocked about?

I could understand if the people of Silias were caught off guard.

To them, Edel wasn’t just a distant idol—they saw her as a real, living god and the mother of all.

But for Da-eun, who came from another world, it shouldn’t have the same impact.

Despite my thoughts, I decided to remain quiet and just watched Da-eun.

Honestly, seeing her flustered like this was pretty amusing.