Hilde disguised herself as Hughes and crossed the principality. Since she was disguised as the King of Humans and the Progenitor's favored concubine, it wouldn't be strange no matter who came looking.
However, she never even dreamed that a person from the Military Nation would come looking.
Hilde already knew that Hughes, Historia, and Lankart had studied under the same master in Hamelin. She found out later that Hughes was the King of Humans, but she didn't treat the Hamelin incident lightly because of it.
An incident involving Lankart and Historia, two talents she was convinced would become rising stars. The Military Nation investigated to see if it was the work of a neighboring country, but once the training director's rampage came to light, they concluded it was a failure in stress management and closed the investigation.
However… Hilde recalled the question she had desperately ignored back then.
Colonel Lankart. Director Historia. The two who were exceptionally talented and grew exceptionally fast.
And one who fell behind them, but… for some unknown reason, was trusted by both.
She knows now. The King of Humans easily earns the favor of humans. Just like the kings of other beasts.
But is that all? Could mere favor make him the target of Historia's obsession, and bring Lankart, who even betrayed the Military Nation, all the way here?
"Lankart. A Grade-1 dangerous figure who betrayed the Military Nation and joined hands with dangerous people. How did you get here?"
"Danger is relative. If you're not left-handed, you can't harm me, and I have no reason to fight left-handers. More importantly."
Lankart looked at Hilde askance and asked.
"If you're disguising yourself as Huey and luring pursuers to that extent, it means you're his subordinate. Why are you wary of me? Did he not say anything about me?"
"Not at all. What is your relationship with him?"
"A friend."
Making Hilde's efforts to squeeze her wisdom for information look futile, Lankart answered refreshingly.
"A disciple, and a patron. Also a comrade chasing the Demon God."
Demon God. Hearing the unexpected word, Hilde recalled the information on Lankart she had investigated in the past.
Everyone in the Military Nation thought Lankart's betrayal was mere caprice. But his betrayal happened under a meticulous plan.
The Bottomless Chasm, Tartarus. The place where the Earth Mother Goddess was sealed. Saint Yuel turned her back on the Holy Court and decided to use that place usefully for the Military Nation, selling that information to the Earth Immortal and obtaining the full support of the Earth Mother Goddess cultists.
This fact was treated as top secret and was strictly kept as a classified document of the Military Nation's Intelligence Department. The fragmented and scattered information was impossible to access unless you were a signal soldier or a Spirit Vault.
However, such information was partially disclosed to Lankart, the comet of the Military Nation, the youngest general-to-be, and its hope. This was because knowledge and imagination were means for a mage to grow stronger. It was also because they never dreamed he would betray them.
'But that was a handshake. Lankart, having obtained the information, proudly betrayed the Military Nation. Later investigations revealed that a significant portion of the classified documents he had accessed was related to the Earth Mother Goddess.'
Even being captured and imprisoned in Tartarus was part of the plan. The moment Hilde, having grasped that fact, moved to transfer Lankart, he escaped as if mocking her. Taking all the prisoners locked inside with him.
'He wasn't looking for the Earth Mother Goddess. He was chasing the Demon God. Father also came to the Bottomless Chasm to find the Demon God.... Wait.'
If Lankart had been in constant contact with Hughes.
"If you're looking for the Demon God... him entering the Bottomless Chasm after your escape. Could it be that it was planned together?"
"Oh, you know that?"
Considering Hilde as his comrade, Lankart willingly shared the secret.
"That's right. We planned the operation in advance. I was under the Military Nation's watch, so I had to investigate moderately and slip away at the right timing."
To fulfill the contract with the Earth Immortal, the seal of the Bottomless Chasm had to be broken, and for that, it was necessary to keep humans stationed in Tartarus. So they hastily imprisoned a petty criminal who happened to be arrested into Tartarus.
By coincidence, that was Hughes, the King of Humans, and everything began....
"If I use my escape as bait and take all the prisoners out with me, Huey, who was held in the detention center, would be transported then. Tch, I would have liked to find the Demon God with my own hands before Huey came in. But things weren't that easy."
Muttering self-deprecatingly, Lankart's eyes soon sparkled. Unlike just a moment ago when he ignored everything with mage-like arrogance, his eyes were now full of admiration and longing.
"But Huey succeeded! The Bottomless Chasm disappeared, and the sealed enlightenment was released, allowing earth magic to be permitted to humans! And even the Progenitor... I didn't even dare to touch the Progenitor! As expected of Huey! He always steps one pace ahead of my expectations! I hate to admit it, but if there is even one human in the world superior to me! It's none other than Huey!"
Lankart's appearance praising the absent King of Humans looked closer to a believer than a friend. Hilde was so dumbfounded that she rather became curious.
Why does the King of Humans go around finding the Demon God?
And if he finds all the Demon Gods, what on earth will happen to humanity?
A great change will come to the human race. And that change will never be reversible. She didn't know what the King of Humans was planning or where he was going, but just imagining it made Hilde's heart pound and thrill.
"It was an interesting story. Lankart of the Demon God Hall."
"Huh? What? You knew about me, didn't you?"
"Father didn't tell me. It was information 'I' obtained on my own. Though I didn't know you were still in contact with Father."
The title 'Father' was unfamiliar, but it was a trivial matter. Guessing that it referred to Hughes, Lankart asked back with a little curiosity.
"Were you an information broker? I don't know where Huey picked up something like you, but... so where is Huey?"
"I don't know the exact location. He probably crossed the mountain range that borders the Allied Nations."
"I suppose so. If you lured them this far, Huey would be on the opposite border. Tch. I came to meet him since his whereabouts were figured out."
At the obvious deduction, Lankart scratched his head. Hilde looked at him, covered her face with her hands, and shook her head. Every time she shook her head vigorously, her short hair, colored like Hughes's, gradually grew longer. Like air escaping a balloon, Hughes's body gradually shrank and transformed into Hilde's figure.
"Are you a changeling? I'm seeing all sorts of bizarre abilities."
Even Lankart looked intrigued. Hilde roughly tousled her long hair and spoke.
"I didn't have good feelings toward you, who betrayed the Military Nation, but... if the situation has come to this, we could join hands."
Lankart deliberately frowned and answered.
"I don't know what you are, but please don't think of me as your comrade. There's only one reason I look favorably upon you. Because you are Huey's subordinate."
"Same here. If you weren't Father's friend, 'I' wouldn't have shown my true form either. Because Father is the only point of contact between you and 'me'."
Hilde's frosty reply surprisingly satisfied Lankart. He seemed more pleased with her interest in Hughes than in himself.
"Hmm. I like that. We can communicate well. I happened to need information about Huey too..."
"You'll have to pay a high price~. You're not the only ones looking for Father right now."
"Besides us? Who else is there?"
Hilde thought of the Holy Court first. If they were the ones trying to uphold order, they would want to stop the King of Humans.
But she couldn't know if Lankart knew Hughes's true identity. If it was such important information, she had to hide it for now. Hilde mentioned the closest entity.
"Progenitor Tirkanjaka is also after Father."
"Ah. The Progenitor? That side is fine."
"I wouldn't say it so simply. Dispatching Elders won't be everything. If it's the Progenitor, she'll probably try to find Father directly."
"Simple or not, it's over. A Demon God has already gone to that side."
Hilde paused at Lankart's dismissive remark. There are very few Demon Gods in the world, and most of them are dead, remaining only as traces. But a Demon God went to the Progenitor?
"...A Demon God, you say? Could it be?"
****
For a single tree to grow, several elements are needed. Ground to take root in, fresh wind, water to fill its leaf veins, and sunlight to settle upon it. Common but incredibly precious things nurture a small seed, transforming it into a lush, giant tree.
Put differently, nothing is important except the seed.
The ground is everywhere, the wind always blows, and water and sunlight are harder not to find unless one deliberately searches for barren places. In other words, the giant trees that move humans are mostly made of common and worthless materials, and only the seed that first sprouted them is the core that decides what it will grow into.
The seed. That tiny, fragile dot determines whether it will produce a giant tree or sprout a weed.
If so, a human who has pondered this far encounters another question here.
Where did this seed come from?
"The flowing water can be held back for a moment, but it can never be reversed."
A tree grew in front of the Progenitor. Growing at a visible speed, the tree spread its branches lushly and formed leaves.
"Just as enlightenment inevitably finds those who approach knowledge even if their eyes are covered. So the seed of the Demon God has finally sprouted."
And from within the tree, a tranquil woman wearing a daoist robe slowly stepped out.
Horns like tree branches. A calm demeanor reminiscent more of plants than animals. Hair indistinguishable from leaves, and a smile both benevolent and firm like an ancient tree.
A living Demon God, the Druid of One, the Primeval Druid Nebida.
She welcomed the newly born Demon God.
"Is that the flesh body it created. Indeed, I see."
Nebida stared at the Progenitor's shadow with a voice mixed with admiration.
The shadow hung its two arms low and stared quietly at Nebida. Flinching as if about to dart away at any moment, yet shrinking its body as if terrified. The shadow was still, yet simultaneously busy moving. Matching Nebida's small gestures, the shadow dismantled and reconstructed itself.
"Humans can now, even create their own flesh bodies. Without leaving it to time like me..."
That is not human. It is the result of dismantling and reassembling all the components of a human. Muscles, nerves, blood. It was made overwhelmingly powerful, incomparable to a human.
At the same time, it is human. Its form, function, and movement all follow human logic. If someone were to wear that shell, they would control it without feeling any sense of incongruity.
Tirkanjaka created it and it is subordinate to her, but excluding that... the shadow becomes a race superior to humans in every way.
"However, O Demon God. The current world is bound by fate. Your power can never change the world, nor humans."
At the words that humans cannot be changed, the Progenitor reacted slightly. It was as if she heard the voice 'King' behind those two letters, human. The Progenitor recalled him, who never changed no matter how hard she tried.
"The detestable saint tied down the destiny of humans. The enlightenment found and obtained by humans belongs to everyone. That is precisely the Demon God. However, until it is revealed, the power of the Demon God remains exclusive. Because of the lie that humans are absolute and above all, dignified."
Nebida reached out her hand toward Tirkanjaka, and toward the shadow. The tree that had brought her also extended its branch as if offering a handshake.
"O Demon God. We who have attained enlightenment must bring liberation. To humans, and to you. You must hold a grudge against the Holy Court. I shall share my wisdom, so how about we blaspheme against the gods together?"
It did not take long for the shadow to grab the branch and shake it.