The room was relatively small but well-kept and elegant—likely a reception room. There, the explanation of this world, which had been interrupted by our travels and the meal, finally resumed.
"Now, regarding this world... since the topic has already come up, I shall explain it by weaving in the legend of the First Hero."
As Lilia said this, Lunamaria placed what looked like a map on the table.
The shape of the continent reminded me of an enlarged map of Europe. There were white and black markings in the lower-left corner—roughly where Spain would be on Earth—and a spot near the center of the continent, some distance away, was circled in red.
"The area circled in red is the Kingdom of Sinfonia, where we are now. To the north is the Arclesia Empire, and across the sea to the south is the Hydra Kingdom. These three are the primary nations known as the great powers, and until roughly a thousand years ago, they encompassed the entirety of the known world."
"...Does that mean it’s different now?"
"Yes, exactly, Aoi. This map primarily shows the world where humans, elves, and dwarves—collectively known as humankind—reside. It is called the Human Realm. In addition to this, there is the Demon Realm, where demons live, and the God Realm, home to the gods."
With those words, she placed two new maps on the table. One was more than twice the size of the first and shaped similarly to Australia; even at a glance, its scale was clearly vast. The other was a map of a smaller continent shaped like a ring—or a donut, for lack of a better word.
"The large map is the Demon Realm, and the small one is the God Realm. It might be easiest to visualize them as being stacked like a sandwich. The God Realm, Human Realm, and Demon Realm are separated by invisible dimensional walls and exist side-by-side. Together, they form the true world of Trinia."
"...This is turning into quite a grand story."
"Hehe, yes. To those from another world, it might feel like there are three distinct worlds, but for us, they are places we can travel between freely via various gates. Our perception is a bit different from how we view the world you came from, which cannot be reached except through a summoning circle."
"I see."
When the world changed, common sense changed with it. It seemed that even these dimensional walls, which felt so alien to us, were no more remarkable to the locals than a mountain range or an ocean. I figured I just had to accept that this was how things worked here.
"Regarding the political systems of the Human Realm, the records of past Heroes suggest they are similar to the ones in your world... Can you form a mental image of them?"
"Hmm. Is it like there’s a king, and then nobles who govern their own territories?"
"Yes, that is exactly right."
Hina answered Lilia’s question with a touch of uncertainty. I had been picturing something similar, so it seemed we were on the right track. However, what caught my attention was that Lilia had specifically said "regarding the Human Realm." Did that mean the God and Demon Realms were different?
Lilia happened to glance my way, so I nodded to show I shared Hina's understanding.
"I will discuss the history of how the three worlds established friendly relations later. First, let me explain the God Realm and the Demon Realm. The God Realm is a world with the Creator God at its apex. It is, so to speak, a single-nation world, and the gods recognize the Creator God's will as absolute."
"The Creator God does not appear in public except during the Hero Festival once every ten years, so you will likely never meet them. In fact, they fundamentally do not interfere with the world, choosing instead to simply watch over its progress. According to legend, they haven't even exercised their absolute power since the ancient war with the Demon Realm."
Lunamaria added a few details to Lilia’s explanation.
Essentially, the God Realm was the ultimate vertical society. And the one at the very top, the Creator God, maintained a policy of observation over interference. If I had to say it fit my image of a deity, it certainly did.
"Next is the Demon Realm. Of the three worlds, it is the most vast and home to the greatest variety of races. While they are collectively called 'demons,' their appearances are incredibly diverse. Heroes often mistake them for monsters, but in the Demon Realm, a being that does not possess a certain level of intelligence is defined as a monster."
I’d honestly imagined demons and monsters to be the same thing, but it seemed the locals had a clear set of criteria. I suppose I wouldn't really know until I saw them for myself.
"The Demon Realm is a straightforward meritocracy; the strong stand at the top. However, let me clear up any misunderstandings: just because it is a meritocracy does not mean demons are inherently violent. On the contrary, the majority of demons are rational and do not resort to violence without cause, nor do they look down on the weak. It is simply a world that prioritizes individual capability over lineage."
"If anything, they are far more mild-mannered than humankind. Both my lady and I have visited the Demon Realm for tourism several times, and we were treated with great kindness."
"Yes, I would love to visit again when I can find the time. The Demon Realm has no national boundaries; instead, it is divided into six territories. Reigning over them are six demons collectively known as the Six Kings: the Underworld King, the War King, the Death King, the World King, the Dragon King, and the Phantasm King. Each is a demon who has lived for millennia, and their power is said to be great enough to easily lay waste to the entire world."
The Six Kings sounded like something else entirely. Just hearing those titles stirred up memories of my cringeworthy past—the "dark history" of my youth—but in this world, they were clearly entities you could never afford to cross.
Still, one point in the explanation bothered me. Lilia and Lunamaria had both said demons were fundamentally peaceful, but hadn't humankind fought them in the past?
"Um, can I ask a question?"
"Yes, of course."
"...You said demons are mild-mannered, but does that mean a thousand years ago, one of those Six Kings became a Demon King and invaded the Human Realm?"
"Hmm. How should I put this... It seems the Demon King who once wreaked havoc was actually regarded as nothing more than a common thug in the Demon Realm."
"Huh?"
Lilia gave a troubled, wry smile. After everything had been following the typical fantasy tropes so far, this sudden revelation—the Small-fry Demon King theory—was incredibly intriguing.
"As I mentioned, demons are fundamentally peaceful. The Demon Realm is vast and rich in resources, and the Six Kings at the top are on excellent terms, interacting frequently. While there are minor skirmishes within the Demon Realm, the only time they fought another world was that single instance against the God Realm in the distant past. Until the Demon King and the First Hero appeared, the demons knew humankind existed but had no reason to fight them."
"In any world, there are those who aren't content with peace and harbor foolish ambitions," Lunamaria added with a sigh. Unlike the First Hero, who was still revered after a millennium, it seemed the Demon King’s reputation was in the gutter.
"Exactly. The Demon King was someone who gathered hot-blooded demons to try and overthrow the Six Kings of that era to claim the top spot. In Human Realm terms, he was like a bandit... or a leader of a rebel army. Since the total population of demons is so massive, his Demon King Army ended up exceeding a million soldiers. Even so, from the perspective of the entire Demon Realm, it was considered a small-scale uprising."
I guess if the total population was huge, even a fringe group would be massive. I couldn't really wrap my head around an army of a million, but that was apparently how the Demon King came to be. So why did he invade the Human Realm instead of challenging the Six Kings?
"...And so, to gain control of the Demon Realm, the Demon King Army challenged the Underworld King to a battle."
"Ah, so there was a war in the Demon Realm first."
"...What happened then?"
Since he invaded the Human Realm afterward, he must have lost, but the story was getting interesting. Hina and I both leaned in, eager for the rest.
"It was one against a million, and they were reportedly laid low by the Underworld King in a matter of minutes."
"...Um..."
"That’s... well..."
"...I actually feel a little sorry for him," Aoi muttered.
Even Aoi couldn't help but feel pity at such a pathetic, overwhelming defeat. Was the Demon King Army weak, or was the Underworld King just that powerful? As Aoi said, I was starting to feel bad for the guy. A million soldiers wiped out in a few minutes? He must have been taken out in a single hit.
"The Underworld King is an exceptionally kind person, you see. They didn't kill anyone, but simply released the Demon King Army after a warning: 'It's good to be energetic, but you mustn't cause trouble for everyone else.'"
He was shown mercy, and on top of that, he was treated like a neighborhood delinquent?! Please, stop! My image of the Demon King was currently in freefall.
"After that incident, realizing they were no match for the Six Kings, the Demon King decided to invade the Human Realm—which the Six Kings had established a policy of non-interference toward at the time."
" " "..." " "
He fled?! The Demon King ran away from the Demon Realm?! I was actually starting to feel a sense of kinship with him—it was less like an epic invasion and more like a child running away from home after getting a lecture.
I really didn't know how to react to this.
Dear Mother, Father—Demons are apparently rational and peaceful. And the Demon King... was a total small-fry.