"What did you say!?"
At that moment, Shien could not help crying out.
"W-What's wrong?"
Vivian was frightened by Shien's reaction instead.
"N-Nothing." Shien tried his best to suppress the shock in his heart, yet he could not help asking, "You said the Demon King was defeated long ago?"
"Y-Yes." Vivian stared at Shien in astonishment, as though confirming his expression. After a while, perhaps realizing that Shien was not joking, she said strangely, "The Demon King was defeated by the Hero of the Kingdom of Mithra in the war a thousand years ago. That was why peace returned to the world. The adventurer profession only emerged then because the damage caused by the war led to a shortage of manpower. Isn't that historical knowledge even children know?"
Upon hearing that, Shien's expression turned rather unpleasant.
No, it should have been said that it became downright terrible.
"What exactly is wrong with you?"
Shien's behavior made Vivian seem worried, and a trace of unease entered her voice.
"Nothing."
Shien wanted to say something, but in the end, he held it back.
Still, he asked what needed to be asked.
"Can you tell me about this in detail?"
Shien made a request of Vivian.
Vivian frowned and was about to ask something, but she stopped when she saw Shien's expression.
Because at that very moment, Shien wore a look of restraint she had never seen before.
He looked as though he had discovered that the meaning of his life had gone wrong, that he had nearly taken the wrong path, and that this situation had arisen because someone had deceived him. It was as though he had been betrayed and urgently needed to know the truth.
Vivian hesitated to speak, ultimately choosing silence.
"This is something everyone knows."
Vivian began with that.
"You should know that ever since the world was born, the God Race and the Demon Race have always been hostile, waging an ancient war that subsequently led to the emergence of humans, Elves, Beastfolk, Dwarves, and even monsters, right?"
Shien responded to Vivian's question with a nod.
This was indeed the history of this world that Shien had learned from Nien.
Vivian's explanation did not differ much from that of the Goddess.
"Because the God Race was generally weaker than the Demon Race and was inherently limited in number, it had always been at a disadvantage in the war since ancient times. Even after creating races such as humans, Elves, Beastfolk, and Dwarves, the God Race still could not gain the upper hand against the ever-multiplying Demon Race."
"Therefore, in order to defeat the Demon Race, Supreme God Omnis, the pinnacle of the God Race, eventually created a ritual capable of summoning Heroes from Another World, thus calling Heroes here."
"Heroes were born with powerful Unique Skills and their own Holy Swords. Every one of them displayed astonishing potential. Even compared to the highest-ranking demons, as long as they could grow, they would eventually become stronger than them with ease."
"Every time one joined the war, the situation on the battlefield changed, allowing the God Race and the Human Race to reverse the tide and begin gaining the upper hand."
"Unfortunately, the Demon Race had an existence standing at its very pinnacle—the true king, the Demon King."
Even Supreme God Omnis was deeply wary of the Demon King's strength.
Even Heroes could not easily defeat the Demon King.
Therefore, although several Heroes had appeared throughout history and once reversed the situation on the battlefield, the God Race still could not overwhelm the Demon Race and win the war.
Up to this point, Vivian's explanation had not differed from Nien's.
Until—
"A thousand years ago, the final Hero, hailed as the strongest in history, appeared."
"That Hero possessed a Holy Sword and Unique Skill far more powerful than those of all previous Heroes. The Hero easily defeated the Demon King's strongest direct subordinates and was ultimately brought before the Demon King with the help of the God Race and the Human Race."
"Only then did the Hero and the Demon King truly enter their final battle."
That battle did not involve only the Hero and the Demon King. Supreme God Omnis, who stood at the pinnacle of the God Race, the other three highest-ranking Goddesses, and the Six Great Demon Lords directly under the Demon King all took part as well.
The strongest humans, Elves, Beastfolk, and Dwarves also participated in that battle.
"In that battle, the Hero defeated the Demon King. The Demon Race suffered a complete defeat, while the God Race was also severely weakened and could no longer sustain the war."
"Thus, under the Hero's leadership, the God Race and the Demon Race declared that the war would continue no longer, and peace returned to the world."
"Later, in order to give the various races a chance to ease their relations, Supreme God Omnis exercised her authority and divided the world into three. She led the God Race to one of those worlds and named it the Divine Realm. The Demon Race, led by the surviving Demon Lords, also withdrew to another world and turned it into the Demon Realm."
"As for the Human Race, formed from many races including humans, Elves, Beastfolk, and Dwarves, they remained in this world, which became the Human Realm."
"And so, the war that had lasted for thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of years, came to an end. The God Race and the Demon Race entered a state of mutual nonaggression, while the Human Race began to recuperate under the Hero's leadership. The Hero even founded a nation and became its King—the Kingdom of Mithra."
For that reason, the war had ended a thousand years ago, and the Demon King had long since been defeated and no longer existed.
"Nowadays, the Human Realm, the Divine Realm, and the Demon Realm all interact with one another."
"The God Race still protects the Human Race and grants blessings to human children."
"In order to help the Demon Realm prosper, the Demon Race also maintains ties with the various kingdoms of the Human Realm."
"Sometimes, the God Race and the Demon Race even exchange what they have with each other. Although the hostility caused by the war of the past has not been completely dissolved, it has already eased somewhat."
"Perhaps in another thousand years, the Three Races will no longer distinguish between one another and will coexist peacefully. That is what many people hope for."
Vivian's account left Shien completely speechless.
"Then the Hero..."
Shien's voice was somewhat hoarse.
In response, Vivian stared steadily at Shien. Only after a long while did she speak.
"After the founding King of the Kingdom of Mithra passed away, Heroes never appeared again. The God Race also sealed the Hero Summon ritual and no longer used it."
That was only natural, was it not?
"Heroes were the trump card the God Race used to defeat the Demon King and even the Demon Race. Now that the war has ended and the Three Races need to move toward peaceful coexistence, Heroes are no longer needed."
"Rather, it would be a huge problem if a Hero appeared again."
"Because that would mean the God Race was preparing to strike at the Demon Race again. Naturally, the Demon Race would not ignore a Hero, who posed the greatest possible threat to them. When that happened, the Human Race would certainly be unable to stay out of it as well."
"Therefore, if a Hero appeared, peace between the Three Races might be broken, and war could return."
"To this world, a Hero is the greatest fuse for war and must never appear again."
The biggest twist had arrived!
This part was originally supposed to appear much later, but since everyone had grown impatient waiting, Ru Qing brought it forward.
I hope everyone will be satisfied and offer some support. Otherwise, Ru Qing's first original novel and future path as an original author may have to be declared failures.
To be honest, the recent results have not been ideal. Some people are already telling me to drop it, and Ru Qing is feeling very lost.
So, I hope everyone can support it more and let this book continue.
----With thanks.
Before you continue