"For starters, try thinking of this world as a single, giant human... No, that would be hard to imagine. Simply think that there is an absolute god who established the rules of this world."
It's not a metaphor I'm particularly fond of, but it can't be helped. I continued my explanation.
"The great principles created by that god make up this world. They make water flow, ignite flames, strike lightning, and move the world. And a Demon God is a human who possesses a part of those great principles as their Intrinsic Demonic Path."
"Intrinsic Demonic Path? Does that mean the power of a Demon God is the Intrinsic Demonic Path?"
"Yes. Essentially, it's no different from your Intrinsic Demonic Path. There is only one difference. Their Intrinsic Demonic Path resonates with the principles of this world. The principles you govern are only true around you. But Demon Gods have no such limits. A Demon God's Intrinsic Demonic Path belongs to the entire world."
That is why the world undergoes drastic changes after a Demon God is born. A Demon God's Intrinsic Demonic Path is permitted to all people. Of course, like all knowledge, actually using a Demon God's Intrinsic Demonic Path requires considerable effort and study.
"Is that the reason my gears cannot become a Demon God?"
"Yes. Well, if you covered this entire earth with gears and hung the moon and stars in the sky on gears to make them orbit, if gears were incorporated into the great rules that move the universe, you could become a Demon God too? If you could actually do it, that is."
For a very brief moment, Maximilien actually planned to do that. As he calculated the number of gears needed to cover the land, Maximilien soon realized that it was practically impossible.
"Then, is there no other way to become a Demon God?"
"You'll have to find that out by working hard yourself. But if I had to choose, I'd recommend a different path."
"What is it?"
"Do you really need to become a Demon God? A Demon God, is it really that great?"
Maximilien scowled, thinking I was mocking his dream. He's right that I'm mocking him. But it's not mockery for the sake of mockery.
"A Demon God is still just a human. A human who, while exploring the world, accidentally discovered a fragment of a great principle and made it their own Intrinsic Demonic Path. They're not so different from you. No, rather, you could be even greater. Demon Gods merely imitate and steal the Intrinsic Demonic Paths of the world, don't they?"
Whether to discover the great principles hidden in the world, or to walk a path that only you can understand but no one else can—that is your choice. No matter how I think about it, Maximilien suits the latter, but he himself didn't think so.
"Hmm. An impressive perspective. But, that's still not the direction I desire."
"Do you still dream of becoming a Demon God?"
"Yes. Because I will cover the world with gears!"
The human named Maximilien is a gear. The only way he can mesh with the world is by putting gears against it. If the other party is close to a gear, they will mesh, but if not, his gear will tear them apart.
Maximilien's desire is to turn the world, and humans, into gears. Enabling such rational thinking and efficient exchange of opinions is his true desire.
"That won't work."
"But that's no reason for me to stop. Above all, it's not like there's absolutely no method."
Maximilien looked at me over his monocle. Reading his thoughts, I answered with a grimace.
"...The King of Humans, you mean?"
"Of course. You said changing the King of Humans would be useless, but that's not actually true, is it?"
"No. I'm only speaking the truth. Changing me will be of no use. Just as painting and coloring a graph won't change reality."
"Hahaha! Is that really so? Then, why did you change? Why did you lose your power? How did Seonghwangcheong change humans!"
Tch. They all picked up bad habits. There's no need to pursue the standard approach for everything, but there's a limit to taking shortcuts.
"I clearly warned you. That won't work."
"You can say that. Because you lost your power, you cannot rule humans. But, what about the King of Humans who will soon open their eyes!"
"...Even if that one regains their power and opens their eyes, they won't rule the world."
"The world will want to be ruled!"
Laughing loudly, Maximilien felt a slight vibration from the floor and sighed.
"Ah, not even a moment to rest!"
His intuition was accurate. A single petal bloomed from the floor, and from the fully opened bud, Nebida walked out. Discovering me, Nebida brought both hands together and bowed their head.
"My Lord. Is there any discomfort in your dwelling?"
"Ah, yes. The room was nice."
"If there is anything you need, please tell me at any time."
Having formally expressed their respect, Nebida gestured to Maximilien. Though annoyed, Maximilien had no choice but to rise.
"Ah, I'm coming! What is it this time?"
"Let's go and talk."
So that reckless behavior wasn't directed only at me. That's somewhat of a relief. I would have felt wronged if it was only directed at me.
Maximilien glanced at me with regret and said.
"I'm sorry to leave when our conversation isn't finished. Unfortunately, I'm a bit busy. Let's meet again next time!"
"No need to be sorry. I hope you stay busy. Let's make this encounter our last, if possible."
At that moment, the Returnee's thin voice slipped out.
"Wait, Corporal...!"
"What is it?"
Whether pleased by the voice calling him, Maximilien quickly turned around. He looked eager to put off his work.
"What are... you doing here?"
"By the question of what I'm doing, do you mean asking what role I'm playing, literally?"
"Yes. You who handle gears... shouldn't have anything to do at the Tree of Vice."
"Hahaha! That's the biggest misunderstanding!"
Though Nebida urged Maximilien with a cold gaze, Maximilien, whose heart moved with gears, didn't seem to feel any fear. He brushed off Nebida's terrifying gaze lightly and spoke vibrantly.
"This great and arrogant blind clockmaker creates all sorts of things, but cannot make the tools that are actually needed! They create chimeras, paper trees, and meat fruit, but! They're actually fretting because they don't have a single mainspring to use right now!"
"...Mainspring?"
"Yes. Like in the military state, I am here to make a mainspring for them..."
"Shut that mouth."
Nebida didn't overlook Maximilien's attempt to spill information. Bamboo shoots that burst from the floor grazed past Maximilien threateningly. As if summoning a mountain of blades and forest of swords from somewhere, the sharply grown bamboo was so razor-sharp that if broken, it could immediately be used as a deadly spear.
Even Maximilien was a bit frightened by this, as he clamped his mouth shut and raised both arms. Having silenced Maximilien, Nebida warned the Returnee.
"You being alive is the Lord's will, and that alone. If you don't want to die, stay out of my sight as much as possible."
Born in an age of savagery, Nebida doesn't do things halfway. It's a harsh hand that even half-baked delinquents couldn't dare show their faces to. Nebida's warning, which silenced even Maximilien, was terrifying enough to send chills down the spine.
That being the case, the Returnee instead scoffed and replied.
"Try and kill me."
...Right. You weren't the type to back down from words either. Even while unable to move both arms, the Returnee faced Nebida defiantly.
"Go ahead and kill me, ignoring your king's orders! Try defying the King of Humans you so fervently cried for head-on. Then I'll die satisfied."
Their gazes clashed. The standoff was brief. Nebida turned away coldly. There was no need to test their own loyalty by eliminating an already neutralized opponent.
Instead, Nebida gave a low warning to the Great Witch's parrot.
"Hexia. It would be better not to speak with her."
The parrot tilted its head.
[Is that an order?]
"No. I cannot give you orders. This is, advice. It's not only the Saintess who is hostile to you."
[Huh? Oh, I'll give it some thought.]
"That is enough."
Having finished speaking, Nebida boarded the petal with Maximilien still skewered on the bamboo. The petal instantly curled up, and Nebida and Maximilien disappeared from this place in an instant.
The Returnee seemed to have relaxed, letting out a sigh, and the parrot flew around the room with relief.
[Kyah! The nuisances are gone. Gears? I don't like it. That's cold and hard, you know. I like things soft and squishy. If that thing becomes a Demon God, the world will become hard.]
"Don't worry, that won't happen. To become a Demon God, you'd at least have to be like Tir."
[I hate that too! Kyah! Why Tirkanjaka! Why does it have to be her who becomes a Demon God!]
The parrot's question was only one. Why did Tir become a Demon God instead of herself.
[Tirkanjaka was a brat swayed by her own power! All she had was power beyond her station and the talented people drawn by that power! She was never a vessel for a Demon God, and if I kept researching this blood, someday I could surpass that guy and become a Demon God!]
"That's just trying to snatch someone else's achievements entirely. Isn't that too shameless?"
[Tirkanjaka had no intention of becoming a Demon God anyway! She was an avenger with nothing but revenge in her head! Then I should be able to become a Demon God! There's no problem!]
"There wouldn't be a problem, but hasn't it been hundreds of years since you took Tir's blood? If there was no progress even after researching all that time, it probably won't work anyway."
[That's the same for Tirkanjaka! For a thousand and two hundred years she didn't even dream of being a Demon God, so why did she suddenly awaken as one? The one who should be beaten to death by Seonghwangcheong, why did she delve into her own power? Who put what wind in her...]
The grumbling parrot discovered me, who was avoiding eye contact and whistling, and immediately flew over.
[It was you! It was you who seduced Tirkanjaka into becoming a Demon God!]
"I didn't make her a Demon God. Tir became a Demon God on her own."
[You must have been the trigger! Tirkanjaka wasn't stupid... well, maybe she was, but she didn't care about such things. It has to be you!]
"Being the trigger is impressive enough. Meanwhile, you aimed to be a Demon God from the start and still couldn't do it."
[Hey!]
The parrot grabbed me as if to peck at my arms and flapped its wings. It seemed to plan to lift me into the sky and drop me.
"And, shouldn't you be focusing on something else right now? Who cares about who helped Tir become a Demon God, how she became one is more important."
[Kyah? You know?]
"Roughly. I was nearby when Tir became a Demon God."
The parrot that had been pulling me stopped in midair. Taking advantage of the moment the parrot was shocked, I was set down, and I briefly explained what happened to Tir.
"One thing led to another, and Tir achieved her wish and lost her power. To be precise, she lost control over the blood. She lost the massive dominion that ruled all Yehlings, Ains, and Elders, and became just a girl with Blood Weaving Art."
[Really? Then there's no need to avoid dominion through the puppet ritual anymore. And?]
"Then some Elders plotted a rebellion. There were several reasons. Disappointment that the great progenitor Tirkanjaka had abandoned her dominion, a desire to seize that power, but most of all, the fact that losing dominion made rebellion possible was the biggest factor. When something becomes possible, people want to do it—that's human psychology."
[Haha! Serves them right. I knew it from the start. Tirkanjaka was only strong in power, she wasn't a respectable leader like me!]
It's funny hearing someone who possesses a parrot because of severe shyness talk about respect. I wish she'd look at herself in the mirror.
"So Tir, to overcome the Elders' rebellion, learned every power and skill she could get her hands on. Those skills included what the Elders had honed and cultivated for hundreds of years. Even though her dominion was gone, the skills they used originated from Tir. Tir absorbed the power and skills of all Elders and became a Demon God."
The Elders were all powerhouses who would be recorded in history. The skills and knowledge gained from developing their own Blood Weaving Art over hundreds of years were immense. Gathering all the knowledge that had branched out in twelve directions was enough to become a Demon God.
[Kyah! See! In the end, it wasn't achieved by Tirkanjaka's own power! That's cowardly!]
"A cowardly Demon God is better than a Demon God candidate who tried to snatch someone else's blood."
[What was I lacking? Hey. What was Tirkanjaka's enlightenment?]
"Enlightenment?"
[The final piece that was lacking to become a Demon God. The enlightenment that led Tirkanjaka to become a Demon God!]
Ah, that? It's nothing grand. Tir already knew it. She just didn't have an opportunity to reaffirm it.
"Being alive is, surprisingly, not such a big deal."