Mission and Destiny
A plain a short distance from the village.
A small water orb, just big enough for one person, floated into the air.
Pop!
“Ow!”
The orb burst, and the girl curled inside tumbled out, landing hard on her butt.
“Oof...”
The girl grimaced in pain, rubbing her sore backside.
“Is that all it takes to make you whine?”
The girl looked up at the demon floating beside her.
Ornate decorations adorned her entire body, exuding an aura of overwhelming dignity.
One glance made it clear she was no ordinary being.
As she'd said, by manipulating demonic energy, she could wield stealth magic and water magic.
Who could have imagined pulling off such feats in a place devoid of water, filled instead with flames?
“Who... are you?”
“......”
The Demon God gazed down at her innocent-faced past mentor, lost in thought.
Her teacher, always so composed and flawless—now in her childish form.
Cute.
...No, what the hell was she thinking right now!
The Demon God shook her head vigorously to clear the stray thoughts.
“I am Huph... no...”
She couldn't reveal her true name.
The Demon God quickly came up with a suitable alias. “I am Calros. The Demon God.”
“......”
“......”
Silence stretched between them.
“Are you really the Demon God? The god of demons who protects our kind?”
“Indeed.”
“The Demon God who reigns supreme over all demons and commands demonic energy?”
“Indeed.”
“Then... why didn't you save us?”
“......”
“If the Demon God had saved us... had saved us! My mom!”
Overwhelmed by sudden emotion, the girl unleashed her pent-up rage.
“If the Demon God had just gotten rid of those evil humans, my mom wouldn't have died! Why didn't you help? Why did you just watch?!”
Waaah!
The Demon God silently watched the girl sob uncontrollably.
She clenched and unclenched her hand, staring at her palm.
Then she balled it into a fist.
Never had she felt such profound helplessness.
After her mentor's death, she'd ascended to Demon King, united demons and other races, and risen to Demon God.
As one of the Five Lords, the ultimate demon no one dared trifle with.
Since claiming that exalted position, there was nothing she set out to do that she hadn't accomplished.
But... not in this world.
She couldn't even protect her mentor's mother.
She could only watch as her young mentor endured the exact same tragedy she had as a child.
Even if it was all just a play to resurrect her true mentor, it still left a bitter taste.
“...I'm sorry.”
The Demon God reached out to stroke the girl's back.
As a soul, her hand passed right through.
I am not omnipotent.
“It was... my failing. I couldn't save her.”
The Demon God, forged from unyielding pride that refused to acknowledge her own flaws.
Now, she recognized—and admitted—her own shortcomings.
Transcending her pride.
Before she knew it, the sun had set.
Gurgle.
The girl clutched her stomach at the rumble of hunger from within.
“I'm hungry...”
She'd spent the whole day crying, so of course she was starving.
The Demon God wanted to provide food and shelter.
In the divine realm, a mere flick of her finger would summon it all.
But this was a illusory world within the game, conjured by dream powers.
Even as mighty Demon God, there was nothing she could do.
[Possession Unlocked]
Temporarily possess a character appearing in the story. However, the target's consent is required.
At that moment, a game system alert chimed in.
Possession...?
Come to think of it, the game's goal was for her to aid her mentor in recreating history exactly.
Just offering advice from the sidelines wouldn't guide her mentor effectively.
So that's why this system existed.
The Demon God floated in front of the girl.
“Would you lend me your body for a moment?”
“To... you, Demon God?”
“If you stay like this, you'll soon lose consciousness and collapse. But this isn't a kind place for a lone demon child. It's extremely dangerous. I will take responsibility and move you somewhere safe.”
“...Okay. Do whatever.”
The girl gave permission and promptly fainted.
The Demon God absorbed into her body, cradling it like an embrace.
She inspected the girl's body.
“...You endured with a body like this until now?”
The state was miraculous; holding onto consciousness this long was nearly impossible.
Even as a child, a mentor was a mentor, it seemed.
[Come to Me]
The Demon God gathered the surrounding demonic energy.
Even as a soul, her stature as Demon God imprinted on her compelled it to obey.
“A bit lacking, but this will have to do.”
She began manipulating the surging demonic energy around her.
“Mmm... Mom...”
The girl mumbled in her sleep on the soft bed, then opened her eyes.
“...Huh?”
Reality crashed in as her eyes fluttered open.
The reality she refused to accept: her mother no longer existed in this world.
“...Where is this?”
But her surroundings didn't feel real either.
She remembered collapsing in the middle of the plain just moments ago...?
W-Wait, was it all just a dream!?
“Awake now?”
She turned toward the voice and saw Demon God Huphnis floating there, arms crossed.
“Demon God...”
Guess it wasn't a dream.
“Did you... bring me here?”
“Yes. If you'd collapsed there, you'd have ended up as beast or monster fodder.”
“Thank... you.”
The girl glanced around curiously.
“Where... is this place?”
“A nearby forest. I found the closest empty house and remodeled it with demonic energy.”
She could clean up an abandoned house this thoroughly with demonic energy?
The power of the Demon God, indeed.
But if she could control my body to do this... couldn't she have saved my mom too?
“......”
The Demon God could guess what her young mentor was thinking.
If the episode had started just a bit earlier, maybe she could have saved her too.
...Should she quit the game now, leave, and order the Apostle of Dreams to change the story?
No.
What was she thinking?
This wasn't her real mentor.
It was just a ritual using a fake to revive the true one.
Still, confusion began to creep in.
“What should I do now?”
“What... do you mean?”
“Everyone in the village is dead. My friends were all murdered. My mom, my only family, is gone from this world. I have no one to rely on. So how am I supposed to live?”
“......”
In the despairing girl, the Demon God saw echoes of her past self.
She too had lost her family and loved ones to other races.
Her mentor had been no different.
What had her mentor said to her back then?
Something that made her sound like an extraordinary being.
“...You are special.”
“Huh?”
“You are the only one in this world who can see me. The only one who can accept my power.”
“......”
“Soon, you will stand above the demons and lead them. As the king who saves your persecuted, suffering kin.”
The Demon God recalled her mentor's radiant figure as Demon King, rallying the demons.
“Only you can save the demons.”
“Is that... true?”
The girl pondered for a moment.
Then she shook her head firmly.
“I'm just a dumb kid who can't do anything alone. Me, saving the demons?”
“Yes.”
“I can't believe it.”
Nothing for it, then.
She'd have to enter her body and show an illusion of the Demon King future she'd witnessed.
It seemed the only way to ignite motivation in this utterly broken girl.
“In that case...”
As the Demon God moved to enter the girl's body—
“Where's the demon supposed to be around here?”
“No, I'm telling you, I smell demon.”
Strangers' voices came from outside.
Shiver shiver.
The tone and vibe reeked of demon hunters.
The girl panicked at their voices, trembling violently.
The Demon God peered out the window.
Two mercenary men.
They were transporting three demons crammed in a large cage: two adults and one child.
Not the type who killed demons for fun, but slavers or soap-makers.
‘...Hm? But those demons...’
Examining the captured demons, the Demon God recognized the child as one from the nearby village.
“That child. Is she your friend?”
“...?”
The trembling girl looked up at the Demon God's question.
Following her pointing finger, she spotted the demon child being dragged away by humans.
“M-Meyru!”
The girl shot to her feet.
“D-Demon God! Meyru's my close friend! Can you save her?”
The Demon God looked at her, closed her eyes briefly, then opened them.
“I can save her.”
“D-Demon God!”
The girl's face lit up.
“But I cannot exert power directly on the earthly plane.”
“...Huh?”
“Only through your body. So you must do it.”
The girl now could easily handle those two hunters.
Thanks to the Demon God entering her and channeling demonic energy, all her meridians were open, infused with it—granting affinity rivaling a grand archmage.
“Wh-What do you...?”
“Fear not. I am with you. With me at your side, there is only victory.”
The Demon God whispered in her ear.
“Do not be afraid.”
Bang!
The cabin door flew open.
“Wh-What the—?!”
The two hunters approaching the cabin jumped in shock.
......
But no one emerged, no matter how long they waited.
“Hey! Come out! You opened the door, so someone's inside!”
Were they being mocked?
As one hunter stormed toward the door in fury at being startled—
“Gack! Grrrk...”
A gurgling rasp came from his partner behind him.
“...Huh?”
The startled hunter whirled around to see a black dagger plunged into his comrade's throat.
The sound was his death rattle.
“F-Fellow!”
The hunter drew his sword instantly.
His partner downed in a blink.
No ordinary foe.
What the hell—!
As he summoned mana—
Crunch!
“Guh!”
A pitch-black sword erupted from his chest.
“H-How...?”
At the same instant, the stealthy girl revealed herself.
“Hah... huff...”
Still buzzing from the fight's adrenaline, the Demon God spoke to her.
“See? You can do it.”
She gestured to the three wide-eyed demons in the cage.
“You saved them. You rescued those who faced only a grim future.”
The girl, flushed with excitement, met her friend's gaze.
“Now do you understand? You are fated to be the demons' savior.”
“...Really?”
The girl stared down at her hands.
Savior.
What she had needed most.
What came too late for her.
“Guess I'll give it a shot.”
But with this power, she could offer it to others.
Perhaps her mission.
And her destiny.