Chapter 230

Posted by Kuze, ? Views, Released on January 26, 2025

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Demons have no color or life, so they can’t produce descendants.

Life itself doesn’t exist, which means there’s no natural death, like dying of old age.

Thus, compared to humans, they boast an overwhelming lifespan, and there are even demons who have survived since the Demon War until now.

But as I’ve mentioned consistently, there’s no natural death; they can only rely on the hands of others. Otherwise, they must end their own lives.

No matter how you look at it, even demons have a hard time enduring the passage of such vast time. They’re beings whose future has been erased, unable to even produce descendants.

“So, Sivar… is a descendant of demons?”

“Yes. It’s hard to believe, but it’s true.”

“Then is that what caused a rejection reaction to Lady Gaia’s divine power…?”

“Because there is no life.”

“…..”

Luna fell silent. The doubts that had settled in her heart turned into conviction in that moment.

From the time she swung the Blood Blade freely, she had a vague suspicion. Sivar was a being without life.

But it didn’t make sense. Even without life, Sivar maintained his color just fine.

It was contradictory, a complete bundle of contradictions. Luna posed a question.

“But Sivar has color, right? All demons are black and white…”

“His skin is exceptionally white, and his hair is black. Very black.”

“…..”

Luna turned her gaze to Sivar, who lay there as still as a mouse.

As she said, Sivar’s skin was so white it was almost pale.

He was even whiter than the northern people from places like the Frozen Principality. Initially, it had simply sparked her curiosity, but that was no longer the case.

What fascinated her was not just the skin. Luna hesitated and cautiously asked in a careful voice.

“… I have so many questions; is it okay?”

“That’s fine. However, I’ll dodge sensitive questions.”

“Then… what about Sivar’s Red Magic? It must be related to his bright red eyes, right?”

“There’s a saying that the primordial humans used Red Magic. You’ve heard of it, I’m sure.”

I have heard of it. It’s deeply connected to mythology.

The first magic color used by humans was red. As humans evolved, it changed to the blue color we see now.

“Sivar and his brother are no different. If we look only at their origins, they’re the most similar to the primordial humans. Red Magic is part of that.”

“What’s the difference between primordial humans and modern ones? They don’t seem different at a glance…”

“There’s one significant difference. It’s the amount of food they need to eat.”

“Amount?”

Luna tilted her head. What does the amount of food consumed have to do with Red Magic?

Since her thought was quite relevant, Rize began to explain patiently.

“Past humans were physically superior and very large compared to modern humans. As civilizations formed and they began to live in groups, their size gradually decreased.”

“…..”

“But that’s not degeneration. Just like some people gain weight while others remain the same even consuming the same food, those suited for survival tend to gain weight. Primordial humans had strong bodies, but they were unsuitable for ‘survival’.”

In other words, it meant that the surviving humans were bodies specialized for survival. Conversely, Sivar had swapped his physical abilities for that purpose.

However, Sivar had survived in the Chaos Forest. If it was disadvantageous for survival, he would have died long ago.

“The Chaos Forest is rich in magic, so as long as hunting is successful, survival wouldn’t have been difficult. It was the perfect environment for Sivar and his brother.”

“One could say they were lucky.”

“Yes. And there’s one more difference: their instincts are exceptionally strong.”

“Instincts…?”

Sivar often heard the term “beastly man.”

Beasts often act on instinct, and Sivar sometimes displayed such tendencies.

Especially when he cuddled with Eli, he acted purely on instinct. He jumped into her big embrace without caring about his surroundings.

“But curiously enough, he doesn’t seem to have… any urges?”

Typically, for a male, or rather a male animal, experiencing urges would be normal. Sivar was not like that.

Whether it was due to his ignorance about sex or for some other reason, she didn’t know.

“You mentioned instincts, but if Sivar is instinctual, shouldn’t he have shown urges by now?”

So she asked directly. She couldn’t help her curiosity.

It seemed Rize was a little taken aback by that comment, blinking her eyes. After a brief pause, she smiled wryly and started to explain.

“He’s still young. Judging by his age, he hasn’t reached puberty yet, so he’s unaware of that area.”

“Young, you say?”

“Yes.”

“How do you know that, Saint?”

“Well…”

Rize hesitated to answer Luna’s sharp inquiry. Luna looked on with a puzzled expression.

There were indeed several strange aspects. For starters, Rize knew way too much about Sivar.

Was this part of Chaos’s prophecy, or was it personally linked to Sivar? She wanted to understand.

Of course, it wasn’t that she didn’t trust Rize. If she had malicious intentions, she would have acted on them long ago.

“If it’s difficult to say, you don’t have to. I understand that you have your reasons as well, Saint.”

“Thank you for your consideration. Still, I think I need to share this.”

“What is it?”

“I was once a believer of Gaia, but I transitioned to Chaos. Please keep this in mind.”

Even Luna, who was not very perceptive, could grasp the meaning behind those words.

It was similar to what the spirit of Gulrak had told Sivar.

“Does this mean not to trust Lady Gaia? Or the Gaia Church?”

There are plenty of ways to interpret that statement. But one thing remained unchanged—Gaia seemed suspicious.

What on earth had Rize experienced to change her faith completely? Is this related to her past?

Peeling the onion only led to more layers of headache-inducing complications.

“So to summarize… demons can’t produce descendants, yet they birthed Sivar, cherished him, and then he suddenly vanished? So the demons are angry and aiming to attack the Academy?”

“That’s correct.”

Luna could piece together the overall narrative. In such a case, she could understand the demons’ perspective well enough.

However, Rize had overlooked one particular detail. Luna pointed it out accurately.

“Saint.”

“Yes?”

“I never said that demons would attack the Academy.”

“…..”

Above all, what baffled her most was Rize’s level of information. Where did she gather all this information?

She seemed to know way too much, to the point of questioning the source.

“I don’t want to ask sensitive questions, but you sure know a whole lot. It wouldn’t be out of place if you claimed to come from the future.”

“…..”

“Especially about my unique eyes. How did you know about that?”

She hadn’t mentioned anything other than that. Except for Sivar, who shared the same situation.

It was an ability that could be called a blessing. Yet Rize seemed too well aware of her own powers.

Would Rize spill the beans? Luna felt a tinge of tension as she waited for Rize to speak.

As a brief silence lingered, Rize’s previously closed lips opened heavily.

“… I can’t explain that just yet. I’m sorry.”

“Could you at least share the reason?”

“Right now, Luna, you don’t fully understand the true meaning of Chaos.”

That was a thoroughly fitting answer for a disciple of Chaos. Luna wrinkled her forehead before ultimately relaxing her tension.

With such a gap in knowledge, Rize held the upper hand in the information game. It was probably better to drop this matter altogether.

“But please keep this in mind. I’m on your side, and if you need help, you can request it anytime.”

“That’s kind of you.”

If Rize is a strong ally, demons won’t be a concern. Plus, with the Sword Saint, Rod, by their side.

They couldn’t afford to just wait until the demons attacked the Academy; it would be wise to prepare in advance.

“Oh, right. Saint.”

“Go ahead.”

“Um… it’s because of the wrathful demons that they’re attacking the Academy because Sivar was taken away, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then conversely, if we hand Sivar over to the demons…?”

It was a rather sensitive topic, so Luna couldn’t help but be cautious. But it was a reasonable thought.

If it were to be considered a mistake, the demons were undeniably unjustly victimized. They had practically had their hope and future snatched away.

She had no intentions of defending them, but she wanted to point things out. Of course, Sivar’s opinion mattered most.

“Absolutely not.”

She got the expected reply. Not only was it adamant, but Luna could also sense a hint of unyielding anger.

In response, Luna hastily opened her mouth. She felt as though that anger might be directed towards her.

“Y-you’re right? Because they’re demons and would make it hard for Sivar…”

“No. If he grew up in their hands, he would have been raised with love. Happier than anyone else.”

“…..?”

But this was unexpected. The idea that Sivar, raised among demons, would have been nurtured with love seemed absurd.

Who were the demons, after all? They were the terrifying beings that engaged in all manner of evil, just as their name suggested.

It was ironic that they could nurture love.

“The issue lies in their mindset. From the perspective of demons, we humans are beings that have taken away their color and life. In other words, they’ll see themselves as victims. Think of it as a country that lost a war.”

“So then…?”

“What do you think the descendants of that country would think of humanity? Besides, the demons have been alive since the time of the Demon War until now. So Sivar won’t be able to differentiate right from wrong.”

“Ah.”

She suddenly grasped the implications. Regardless of love, they could not discern good from evil.

Moreover, the reasons were equally justified. Sivar could adopt the wrong mindset and become a demon in another sense.

“In a way, finding Sivar and Eli was a stroke of luck.”

At that moment, Sivar appeared blank, devoid of any written script on a clean slate.

“But he’s a good kid, isn’t he?”

Simultaneously, his nature seemed endlessly kind. Even without formal training, he occasionally displayed traits that shone through.

He treated Kara as a friend without discrimination, and he listened well to Rod’s words. He had received etiquette training a few times, though.

“Yes. Sivar is kind. He possesses a childlike purity. The issue lies precisely in that purity.”

“Purity?”

“Have you ever torn the wings off a sleeping insect? Or played with ants or bugs?”

“Quite often.”

Growing up in the countryside, she had encountered those experiences countless times. She often played with peers.

Although as she grew older, she preferred to avoid bugs due to the creep factor.

“That’s exactly it. Sivar is kind, but he can commit violence willingly because of that kind spirit. Haven’t you seen that?”

“…..”

Suddenly, she recalled a student who lost his tongue after a verbal altercation a few days ago. At that time, Rod had informed her.

He didn’t mind insults aimed at himself, but he couldn’t tolerate insults directed at his friends. Back then, she let it slide without much thought.

But upon hearing Rize’s words, she realized how terrifying that was. If his ideology was injected, he’d readily commit murder.

“Sivar is a life, a human being. I want to share the mindset of being human with him.”

“Then that means demons must be fought at all costs.”

“Yes. Moreover, since Sivar was taken away, there’s likely a significant amount of hatred towards humanity. One can be sympathetic, but demons are enemies.”

Be sympathetic, yet acknowledge that demons are indeed enemies. A classic response from a saint of chaos.

“It’s gotten long-winded. Do you have any other questions?”

“I have many, but…”

If it were up to her, she would love to tell Sivar about the future too. However, she doubted that Rize would explain this clearly.

Rize mentioned sharing the true meaning of Chaos after she comprehended it, but it was unclear when that would be.

So for now, it seemed best to keep those thoughts close to her heart. But there was one thing she wanted to ask.

“Is this story not to be disclosed to anyone?”

“Not for now. It could only create confusion.”

“Sigh… understood. Any other points of caution?”

At Luna’s question, Rize turned her gaze to Sivar, who was still deeply asleep.

Then she reached out her hand only to hesitate. She seemed to be contemplating something.

When Luna looked at her with curiosity, Rize grabbed her own outstretched hand with the other.