As I said before, the Golden Mirror does not know what the Gold Nation is. Not knowing what it is, he keeps making it, keeps fixing it, wandering the country. The greatest problem the Golden Mirror creates stems from that ignorance.
Even the Golden Mirror, who realized one of the great truths and became a Demon God, cannot escape the massive delusion created by the first saint.
"Let me ask again. Have you seen everything in the Gold Nation? Have you taken in all its territory and facilities? Or have you interacted with all the people of the Gold Nation? Have you grasped how the Gold Nation functions?"
[You don't need to see everything to make it. If only you awaken to the penetrating principle.]
"Don't delude yourself. What you've awakened to is only one great truth. Do you think the truth that forms nature and the concept of a nation created by humans are the same? Not at all! How could something hastily cobbled together by humans, who are merely beasts, be so beautiful and precise that a penetrating principle emerges? That's not the Gold Nation. Your Gold Nation?"
I answered him in a mocking tone.
"You're just naming the times you were happy as the Gold Nation and longing for it as you please."
If he's a beast, he should think like one, but thinking above his station led him to delusion.
"It's a box to contain your emotions—longing and happiness, love and friendship. You name all the good times you experienced as the Gold Nation and put them inside. Bad experiences and painful memories are given other names—sin, responsibility, the Fallen Nation—and shoved aside to the other side. Then you keep watching, longing for that beautiful time capsule called the Gold Nation. And so you fall into delusion."
Even though he awakened to a great truth, he is human. What humans create is not perfect. Because humans are not perfect. At the very least, even the relic forged from that truth falls into human delusion.
"What you truly want is the times when you were happy. Yet you believe as if rebuilding the Gold Nation will bring that back."
How pitiful. No matter what he does, it will never return.
"Now the Gold Nation is gone. King Elik, the people of the Gold Nation, its identity—none of it exists. Some of it you destroyed yourself. As long as alchemy exists, the metallurgy that fed the Gold Nation no longer holds its former value. The Gold Nation will never return as it was."
What is already lost cannot be reclaimed. The only thing the Golden Mirror can do is find new happiness.
He should find something better than making a puppet of King Elik to seek comfort from her. Mental masturbation is no different from warming your body by burning happy memories as fuel. The little match girl's warmth may seem real, but upon opening your eyes, it is nothing more than a mirage-like illusion that vanishes.
"Break free from the illusion and return to reality. See what is before your eyes, hear what reaches your ears. Listen to the words of the human who has come close to your side."
The Golden Mirror followed my words.
The Guild Master. Those who inherited the advancement of alchemy. The Golden Mirror's disciples, and the few beings who could communicate with him.
Peru devoted his very life to reach the Golden Mirror.
When disciples came to him, the Golden Mirror would make them Juggernauts. He would gift them, without any price, mechanical devices full of romantic ideals, designed to suit each disciple's abilities. What meaning could there have been in that? Was he simply imitating King Elik? Or did he enjoy it too?
Spoken words do not return. Perhaps the Golden Mirror welcomed him, who was too outstanding, and those few with whom he could at least converse.
[...I now understand, at least a little, why His Majesty kept disciples.]
Muttering a single phrase as if longing, the Golden Mirror did something. Exactly what he did, I could not perceive because I cannot read thoughts. By the time I came to my senses, all the surrounding scenery was collapsing. The Golden Palace crumbled into fragments like a waterfall, flowing down to the ground. It feels as if the world is ending.
Buried under the debris, I screamed inwardly.
Ah, how deeply I regret not being able to read thoughts.
When gold became too abundant, gold lost its value.
Until that phenomenon occurred, people did not even know it was possible. The proverb to "treat gold as stone" was meant as a warning not to be consumed by gold's value, not a prediction that it would become equal in worth to actual stones.
Only after experiencing it did humans attach names like "the curse of gold" and "inflation," struggling to explain the phenomenon. Once the Holy Emperor's Court grasped the situation, they hastily consecrated "clean" gold to guarantee its value, and until alchemy spread and alchemical transmutations came into wide use, Holy Gold remained the continent's only valuable currency.
Other nations also watched the Gold Nation's downfall, adjusting their systems and creating countermeasures. People who professionally studied the field called economics appeared. Thus, humanity learned one more thing that did not previously exist in the world.
However, all that foundation was built atop the ruins of the Gold Nation.
A few months after Demo's execution. The Gold Nation's chaos grew uncontrollable.
The craftsmen who had been pushed from power took up arms and rose up. Colluding with regional forces, they provided high-quality weapons and pushed toward the capital to reclaim power. Marching while executing every alchemist they found, there seemed to be no one who could stop them.
However, after Demo's death, the alchemists no longer sat idly by.
The alchemists used alchemy to create weapons that could kill people. They didn't necessarily have to be weapons like spears or swords. Poison, gunpowder, mechanical devices, traps, and more. Alchemists continued to develop, to survive and to kill their enemies.
War breeds technological advancement. Alchemy, which had been used only to create gold for the past few years, gradually expanded its scope. All sorts of bizarre and ingenious devices emerged, and more than half of them were meant to kill humans. Alchemists who could create mechanical devices without forges or workshops committed all manner of terrorism, plunging the Gold Nation into even deeper chaos.
The gap in technology was clear. But how could the craftsmen accept alchemy? The craftsmen tried to kill the alchemists using classical methods, while the relatively weaker alchemists evaded them in outlandish ways, continuing their resistance. Battle, destruction, death, chaos. It did not take long for the Gold Nation to be engulfed in blood and fire.
Though the entire nation became the enemy of the alchemists, the alchemists stubbornly maintained their existence. This was partly due to their superior abilities, but more than anything, it was because of a certain ghost wandering the Gold Nation.
"King Elik! Stop him!"
The craftsmen who drove out the alchemists and reclaimed power no longer respected the king as much as before. No matter how outstanding the king's techniques were, they paled in comparison to alchemy. To those who had witnessed a greater mystery, the pinnacle of craftsmanship was not particularly impressive.
Above all, this was an era of power. The things King Elik created were excellent but not powerful. What good is even the sharpest legendary sword if the one wielding it is weak? Warlords held the power, and the king was treated as a puppet.
If not for her ability to comprehend complex alchemical devices just by looking at them, the warlords would not have treated her as a king at all.
"They said the traitor Demo was surely dead! Yet he still roams the Gold Nation, using alchemy!"
Though it was hard to say they treated her as a king now either.
Elik, who had also been exhausted from overwork yesterday, rubbed her eyes hard and answered the general's demand.
"Is he not restoring destroyed buildings and purifying contaminated land? There are more urgent matters to handle immediately."
"Hah. The king has lost her nerve too! Do you truly think so?"
Even at the insolent words, she lacked the power to reprimand him. At this point, the most powerful person in the Gold Nation was the Grand General, and King Elik had been reduced to a crown placed on his head. King Elik waited for his words with an exhausted face.
"Alchemy. He is using alchemy right now! The ignorant people express gratitude to him for returning buildings to their original state. Sometimes foolish ones even revere the alchemists and help them! The country fell to this state entirely because of them, yet they believe only what they see with their own eyes and praise him! Without even knowing it's a cursed power!"
Of course they would be grateful for having their buildings returned. If the people's cheers are a problem, should he build buildings for them instead? King Elik swallowed her mockery and replied.
"Then go and stop Demo yourself. Would that not solve it?"
"That is..."
The general hesitated for a moment.
Nothing worked on Demo. No matter what weapon was swung, no matter what poison was used, he did not die. He wouldn't even pretend to listen when spoken to, merely roaming the Gold Nation and constantly making things.
Once, a subordinate general swung his sword at him. It was to kill Demo again and make an example of him.
But what followed was... the sight of the obstruction being "dismantled."
Recalling the memory, the general squeezed his eyes shut and answered.
"...He has departed from reason. He is possessed by a demon."
There was no other way to describe it. Blades that would not be insufficient to be called legendary swords of the century appeared in an instant and dismantled a human. The sight of a mighty general being decomposed strand by strand and scattered on the ground was enough to induce convulsions beyond terror. Even the priest who came from the Holy Emperor's Court muttered about a Demon God and withdrew. From the standpoint of those who must oppose alchemy, it was exceedingly irritating. That was why the general made his demand to King Elik.
Of course, from King Elik's perspective, it was an outrageous demand. If King Elik had power, the first thing she would do was sweep away the jackals greedy for power. Yet suddenly telling her to go deal with the ghost. She cursed inwardly and sighed.
"How am I supposed to do that."
"Solving that is the king's duty, is it not? Kings have had mysterious abilities passed down through generations."
He sends a baseless belief that if she is the king, she should be able to accomplish it somehow, even though he cannot solve it himself. Does he believe in the king, or does he not?
King Elik laughed hollowly but decided to follow the general's will.
"I will go. Make the preparations."
Perhaps not expecting her to agree so readily, the general paused before shouting.
"His Majesty departs! Everyone, prepare!"
Riding in the palanquin, King Elik pondered deeply.
As the king of the Gold Nation, she too had no method to deal with Demo. Originally, she didn't even particularly want to deal with Demo, who even in death was trying to restore the Gold Nation.
Those who claim loyalty while exploiting the king, those ruffians who break the Gold Nation while claiming to protect it, fill the country. The collapsed economy shows no signs of recovery, and even the remaining craftsmen only make weapons instead of doing productive work. Meanwhile, their leader is dead, and the alchemists harboring malice are raining indiscriminate attacks across the Gold Nation.
If King Elik were to deal with Demo in the midst of all this, the situation would only worsen.
Then why did she head toward Demo? The reason was simple.
Simply because seeing Demo was more bearable than seeing the general.
After searching for a full day, she received word that he was found in a secluded mountain village. As she went to find Demo, King Elik took a moment to choose her words.
Thinking that seeing Demo was more bearable than the general was a terrible delusion. He was the disciple she taught, she raised, and she killed. Even while bearing the stigma of a traitor and dying, he rose again to fix what was broken—what could she possibly say to him?
When he was alive, she hated him and considered him the source of all problems, but now she missed him most of all. If it had been Demo, if he were still alive... Just as when he turned the bell into gold, he might have revived the Gold Nation in an outlandish way no one could have imagined...
But that is already in the past. Demo is dead. Only lingering thoughts remain in an unburied corpse, roaming the Gold Nation. That he even uses alchemy is unexpected, but perhaps that too was a miracle created by Demo's obsession.
King Elik bowed her head. What face could she bear to see him again? She rather wished she would never arrive.
Contrary to the king's hopes, the palanquin carrying her reached Demo. King Elik took a deep breath in the stopped palanquin and opened the door.
In the distance, she sees him repairing a collapsed house. Yuria Elik swallowed her sorrow and longing and called his name.
"...Demo."
There is no answer. Demo does not react. With a face as pale as a corpse, he waves his hands. The crumbling roof is reassembled.
I thought I wouldn't have the face to see him, but now that I'm actually seeing him again, all the agonizing I've done vanishes like a mirage. Yuria approached him cheerfully and spoke.
"The master has come, and you don't even offer a greeting. I'll have to punish you."
Her voice does not reach him, who moves only by lingering obsession. Knowing it wouldn't reach him, Yuria was not disappointed. Instead, she watched him intently.
There is no color in his pale face. His eyes have lost their former brilliance. He reacts to no other stimuli, wandering only to find what is broken. When he discovers something broken, he uses alchemy to restore it.
The ruined village gradually transforms as if new. How long has it been since witnessing such a productive sight in the Gold Nation, where destruction and death are rampant? Though it was what he always did, seeing it anew brings fresh emotion. Yuria, who watched the process blankly for a long time, suddenly spoke.
"What grudge keeps you from closing your eyes... Does the nation that killed you haunt you so?"
There is no need to ask. The remaining obsession must have persisted even after death. Even while dying, rather than hating the king, he must have worried about the broken Gold Nation. Yuria tightly suppressed the overwhelming emotion surging in her chest, grabbed Demo's shoulder, and sobbed softly.
"It's only you. Even in death, the only one who serves the Gold Nation is you. Everyone else, instead of thinking of fixing things... looks only to their own safety."
Then something miraculous happened. Demo stopped moving. As if recognizing his king, he ceased his movements and quietly stared at Yuria.
In truth, from the Golden Mirror's perspective, he simply could not determine whether she was an obstruction or not, but Yuria did not know this. Thinking that a sliver of emotion had been conveyed, she only held him tighter.
"...Too much has happened. How can I, no, how can I ever repay this debt to you..."
It was the moment she conveyed, in a voice that seemed to break, the apology she could not make when he was alive.
Slash. Something sliced Yuria's back. Her back burned as if seared by fire, and Yuria's body, struck by the unexpected impact, staggered greatly. A cold voice followed the blade.
"I knew this would happen. With the king being so half-hearted, the alchemists won't disappear."
Behind her as she collapsed powerlessly, the general appeared, raising a bloodstained sword. The general looked down at the dying king with cold eyes and muttered.
"If His Majesty is found as a corpse here, they'll think she was killed in an alchemist attack. I can move the self-proclaimed loyalists who serve the nominal king."
Only then did Yuria realize she had fallen into a trap. The general had intended to kill her from the start, and urged Elik to go find him despite knowing Demo was in the borderlands. He planned to kill her and then pin the crime on the alchemists.
King Elik's authority was inherited from ancient times. No matter how chaotic the Gold Nation was, no matter how much the king's incompetence was revealed. There were still many who paid respect to the continuing bloodline. The general intended to use them.
"To root out the alchemists hiding throughout the country, the nation must move with one mind. I shall put His Majesty's life to good use."
When the general coldly turned away, the motionless Demo moved.
Death is the collapse of the boundary between the world and oneself. Yuria was dying and becoming a thing, and alchemy reached her body as well.
Humans become things when they die. No, even when alive, they are originally things. It is only because of their resistance that external forces have difficulty reaching them.
Demo recognized the broken Yuria, and initiated the procedure to repair her.
Without any consideration, from a purely mechanical perspective.
"Ugh...!"
It was impossible. The parts of the body that had lost their vitality became subjects of alchemy, and they occupied her body while pretending to be her body though they were not. Severed muscles were forcibly knotted, and broken bones were joined together like plastering. Every time she writhed in excruciating pain, the hastily assembled flesh suffered even greater damage. Every time his attempt was repeated, Yuria endured the pain of having an entire side of her body torn away.
In the distant future, the Golden Mirror who created crops through alchemy would learn how they form a body. But the Golden Mirror, whose collection was still incomplete, was not that omnipotent. Yuria Elik, the Steel King, screamed in the agony of being dismembered alive.
Nevertheless.
Even amid the excruciating pain, Yuria felt a strange sense of relief. Even this pain, which no one could bear to describe, felt like something she deserved to receive. Even as his power kneaded every corner of her body and altered it arbitrarily, rather than revulsion, a perverse pleasure came first.