What exactly is a demon?
It is a difficult concept to explain, but if I were to use an analogy... they are like the sediment left at the bottom of a wine cask. If you imagine that wine cask as a vessel used by a god to store magic power, the image should become quite clear.
Indeed. Demons are masses of magic power that have spontaneously developed a will of their own.
However, because they are usually filtered out when a god pours magic power onto the earth, they almost never descend to the surface. Occasionally, a small one might make it down if they happen to be lucky. The large ones only descend during the creation of the world or when some great accident occurs.
These are the founders of demons. Or perhaps I should call them the essence of devils. After all, the total volume of all demons is essentially the total sum of this sediment, large and small, that has reached the ground.
Those who exist by drawing upon that essence of devils are the entities known as Ancient Devils or Primeval Devils. They are the true demons.
The race commonly referred to as the Devil Race is a different matter. They were born when a single large clump of sediment shattered into pieces finer than powder, which then mingled with other objects or magic power. In the beginning, they might have still been demons, but after thousands of years of intermingling, they have become a separate species entirely. Since they have no connection to the total volume of original sediment, they seem to multiply rapidly on their own. I have no interest in them, so I do not know any further details.
Now, my father—the Great Demon—was one of the massive clumps of sediment that descended to the earth during the world's creation. He maintained his power for an incredibly long time, but eventually, he lost his physical body and his form began to dissolve. My father had accepted this fate, but it appears someone attempted to resurrect him.
I was separated from my father at that moment and born into the world. Though I am a newborn, I possess my father’s knowledge and memories. As for power, he granted me a fair amount. I cannot defeat the great sediment, but I will not lose to the small ones. That is who I am.
............
And yet, I could not move.
What exactly had I inhabited? A statue in my father’s likeness? If that were the case, I should have been able to manifest a body and move freely...
I searched through my father’s knowledge and memories. I could not find an answer. I reached out to communicate with him.
"Help me—! I can’t move—!"
According to my father, he had been resurrected as the Devil Who Protects Artworks. However, because he himself was a work of art, he could not manifest a physical body that would destroy his artistic form, rendering him immobile. Since I had been born beside him during his resurrection, I was affected by the same restriction; I could not destroy the statue to move.
I see.
...Wait, what?
What was I supposed to do? Was I to stay like this? Forever?
"Calm down," my father said. "It’s okay. I’ll ask a friend to rescue you."
Um, searching my father’s knowledge and memories, I didn't see anyone who looked like a friend— "Ow, ow, ow, ow!"
I’m sorry! My father has plenty of friends!
Yes, so that friend was coming to save me. I decided to wait. But since I didn't even know where I was, I felt a wave of anxiety. To a newborn like me, a century or two feels like an eternity.
I trusted my father’s word that he would ask them to hurry as much as possible, yet while I waited, I was harassed by a phoenix—the natural enemy of demons. It was terrifying. There were so many other scary things out there, too. Please, save me soon—!
Finally, my father contacted me saying he had sent a friend who knew my location. As expected of my father! I love you!
After some time, that friend arrived. It was one of the great clumps of sediment known as Unchanging. Truly, only a friend of my father could be so strong.
Eh? Ah, she is no longer Unchanging, but goes by the name Knowledge now. Understood.
So, how was she to help me? She intended to transfer my soul from the statue into another humanoid figure. I see. If she did that, I would finally be able to move.
But where was this humanoid figure?
"Find it yourself," she told me.
She asked the impossible. How was I supposed to find it when I couldn't move? And yet... I felt a pull of destiny in a certain direction.
"Excuse me, but if you could just carry me closer to that sensation..."
According to my father’s knowledge, the vessel was a machine for civil engineering called a Multi-purpose Humanoid Mobile Heavy Equipment, also known as an Artie Horse. It didn't seem particularly strong. Its appearance was rugged and not cute in the slightest.
But I was drawn to it. I couldn't think of anything else. I begged Knowledge to hurry, but she told me to wait a moment. Hmph. She was teasing me.
The wait was brief, however. With the assistance of Knowledge, I transferred my consciousness into the Multi-purpose Humanoid Mobile Heavy Equipment.
Oooooooooooooooh!
What was this sense of omnipotence! I could do this! I could really do this!
Fuhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
"Good work, Knowledge!"
...
............
"Um, Knowledge, these chains of yours are a bit in the way. Can't you do something about them?"
"No," she replied. She told me that if I promised not to rampage... but I wanted to rampage!
Yes, I wanted to rampage. That is the nature of a demon. We exercise our power freely; it is an instinct. Since I was a newborn, I had no idea how to suppress it. There was nothing I could do.
I thrashed about, trying to escape the chains of Knowledge. But it was futile. The difference in our power was far too great. Gunuuuu! I wouldn't lose to any ordinary demon! What kind of monster did my father ask for help?
Geez! Geez! Geez! Just blow away already!
Just as I was about to try and blow Knowledge away, an existence I hadn't even noticed until then erased my right leg. Literally, the leg vanished. It was incomprehensible. I had no idea what had been done to me.
Then, I realized that the existence I had ignored was winding up to strike again. I learned later that the object in his hand was a hoe, but to me at the time—influenced by my father’s memories—it looked like the Hammer of the Thunder God wielded by the celestial deities.
It was swung down toward me. There was no physical impact. And yet, my soul was being sheared away! A massive, jagged chunk of it was gone!
Demons do not fear death. But... I didn't want to vanish!
I frantically sought a way to be saved. I had to escape this place. But I couldn't move; the chains were in the way! Do something about the chains? Impossible!
Ah, it was being swung down again! I couldn't think of a single way to escape. I was going to vanish. I could do nothing but tremble in terror.
However, there was an existence that saved me. It was the Multi-purpose Humanoid Mobile Heavy Equipment I was inhabiting. The machine gathered what remained of me from within its frame and manifested me inside the cockpit. Then, it ejected me. Perhaps it was a programmed directive to save the pilot. Even though it was half-destroyed itself...
I was grateful. And I would repay the favor. I would not abandon the machine that was now half-broken.
"Come with me."
Even if it had refused, it was already a part of my body. I absorbed the Multi-purpose Humanoid Mobile Heavy Equipment.
Afterward, I was given the name Crim, and the Authority of Hope was established within me. As for my form... it seems to have been fixed as a small girl. I have almost no power left. It was all because my soul had been hacked away by that hoe. Now, I have only about as much strength as the children around here.
Hmm...
Actually, most of the children around here possess terrifying levels of power. They are far stronger than I am now. Furthermore, there are dragon children. Dragons... the natural enemies of demons. Our compatibility is disastrous. I must try not to stand out. There are dragon parents here as well, after all.
I was happy to find that Affection and Benevolence, who are of the same kind as me, were here. It was enough to make me shed tears. But I didn't know what to do about the dragon child taking a liking to me.
Knowledge is an enemy. She put me through such a terrifying experience. I will not forget my grudge over those chains. Yor is scary in her own way, but she does treasure me. I think it isn't so bad. The food she makes is delicious, too.
The wielder of the hoe is still the most terrifying of all. Every time I catch sight of him, I start to tremble, so I end up glaring instead. Just what is he? The man who resurrected my father? Ah... I recall the description in the memories I received: "A devil more than a devil." I see. Yes, that makes perfect sense.
I will not be hostile toward him. Never. Absolutely not.
Run away from the village? No, I won't run. Running away would be seen as a hostile act. Therefore, I will stay.
It’s okay. I have found the hope I need to survive here.
Fufufu. It is agriculture. If I master agriculture, the wielder of the hoe will not be my enemy. After observing him for a while, I reached that conclusion.
Fortunately, I can still summon and operate the Multi-purpose Humanoid Mobile Heavy Equipment, though it has become quite small. On the contrary, I think its size will make it even easier to farm!
For now, the next season seems to be the harvest. While I was practicing how to harvest using the machine some distance away from the fields, a dragon taught me the proper way to pull a daikon. There really are such things as kind dragons. I am grateful.
Oh, that’s right. I’ve become so weak that I can no longer communicate with my father directly, but since I was given his statue, I can talk to him through it. I’m happy about that. My father is usually sleeping, but we can still talk.
Come to think of it, he was complaining a while ago about being offered bitter food. When I get my hands on something sweet, I think I’ll go and offer it to him.
Crim: "Father’s knowledge and memories didn't contain anything related to agriculture..." Devil Who Protects Artworks: "I-I’m sorry."
Versa: "Here is some bitter melon." Gucci: "How about some green peppers?" Bulga: "This vegetable is called kale." Stifano: "Please eat this celery as well." Devil Who Protects Artworks: "I told you I wasn't setting up a punchline!"
Crim: "Practice, practice..." Draim: "You show promise." Village Head: "She’s a promising new recruit."