[Few hours before the Battle of the East Gate]
"Mira... can you tell me more about the Demon Kingdom... and the Demon Queen herself?" Alex asked Mira with a serious expression.
Mira was a bit surprised by Alex's sudden question. She paused for a moment, averting her eyes from his gaze. "I could tell you, but... is there any particular reason why you want to know, Sir Alex?" Mira replied, countering his question with one of her own.
Alex closed his eyes, lost in thought. "…from my world, demons in many tales and legends…" he began, sharing what he knew about them. "They were always perceived to be evil creatures known to harm humans." Mira was shocked by Alex's words. Her expression darkened as she looked down, solemnly reflecting on his world's perception of her kind. She wanted to deny it, but... she couldn't completely refute it because some of it were true in certain cases.
Alex paused, sensing Mira's saddened state. "But…" Gathering his resolve, he voiced what had been weighing on him. "I don't think you guys are truly evil."
Mira was taken aback by Alex's statement. She looked up and met his determined gaze, finding sincerity in his eyes. "I want to know... I want to learn more about you guys," Alex confessed to Mira, his voice filled with earnestness. Within her heart, she felt happiness as she realized she had finally found a human was willing to empathize with her kind.
Mira finally acquiesced to Alex's request. She nodded and smiled at Alex. "I understand. I'll tell you more about us... about the demons."
< | X | >
Long ago, demons emerged from the darkness of the world,
distinct from the human inhabitants who walked under the sun's light.
They possessed strength unmatched, their forms varied and ever-changing.
Yet, they were also slaves to their desires, consumed by their own darkness.
~ ~ ~
The humans harbored a deep-seated hatred for the demons,
not only for their superiority but for the pain and chaos they willingly inflicted.
United against this common enemy, humans pushed the demons back,
forcing them into the shadows from whence they came.
~ ~ ~
But one fateful day, a powerful demon born inside the abyss,
The First Demon King, born of darkness and longing for unity.
He witnessed his kind's suffering, banished to the shadows,
and so, he forged the Demon Kingdom, a realm for his kin.
~ ~ ~
With the Demon King at the helm, demons rose from the abyss,
marching forth to claim dominion over the world.
Their conquest nearly complete, victory within their grasp,
until humanity rose up, summoning a hero from distant lands of light.
~ ~ ~
The First Hero arrived, standing against the Demon King,
driving the demons back to the confines of their kingdom.
In their final battle, hero and demon clashed,
their struggle ending only with their last breaths.
~ ~ ~
As the First Demon King faced his demise,
he cast a mighty spell, passing his strength to his successor.
Thus, another Demon King would rise in his place,
continuing the eternal cycle of Darkness.
~ ~ ~
And so, the humans, fearing the terror of the demons,
continued to summon heroes, perpetuating the eternal cycle of Light.
Thus, the cycle of Light and Darkness endured,
a timeless tale of eternal conflict.
< | X | >
Mira finished her tale about the origin of the Demons, the Demon King, and even about the summoned Hero, while Alex listened attentively, absorbing every detail.
"Then... what about the Demon Queen... Anna? Is she some sort of reincarnation of the previous Demon King or something?" Alex inquired, his curiosity piqued by Mira's tale.
"That's a yes and no, Sir Alex," Mira replied. "It is indeed true that the Demon King's power would be passed to the next Demon King when they died, but it's not that they are reincarnating their soul." She explained further, "The power of the previous Demon King would transfer to another demon, preferably a young infant demon that was just born at the same time as the current Demon King died, inheriting not just the strength, but also the ambition of the previous Demon Kings before them."
Alex nodded, beginning to understand. "So... Anna just happened to be born at the time the previous Demon King died?" he clarified.
"Yes, Sir Alex," Mira confirmed. "The previous Demon King, Demon King Asmo Daiga, died 20 years ago battling the heroes. At the same time, Demon Queen Anna Bael was born to commoner parents." Mira continued, "According to the midwife who assisted her birth, a burst of dark energy suddenly emerged and enveloped the young infant Anna. Then, a mark, The Demon King's Mark, appeared on her chest. Everyone present on the day of her birth understood the significance of this sudden event, including her own parents... She was chosen to be the next Demon Queen of the Demon Kingdom."
"The would-be Demon Queen Anna was then adopted by the Bael Family, an upper echelon demon family, to be raised as the next Demon King," Mira concluded, making it sound as if Anna's story was common knowledge.
After absorbing all the information, Alex fell into thought, prompting Mira's curiosity.
After a while, Alex broke the silence, "Mira, can you tell me about Demon Queen Anna herself? Not like before, but... more personally?" He wanted to delve deeper into Anna's character, beyond just her history.
Mira also pondered a bit from Alex's recent question. "Well... to be honest, I can't vouch for how she is in her own private life, but... I can at least tell you things that I heard about her and from what I've seen about our Demon Queen Anna."
Alex nodded, "That's fine. Please tell me." He said with a serious expression.
"Alright... Demon Queen Anna appears to be quite aloof and sometimes scary, but... I believe that she is quite the opposite of that," Mira started her explanation about Demon Queen Anna on a personal level.
"Really? Then what's up with earlier then...?" Alex retorted, remembering when she almost tried to kill him (and Mira) for knowing her secret.
"Well, everyone has something that they want to keep secret. I imagine she is also the same, so it makes sense that she almost tried to shut us up for that," Mira explained, trying to rationalize Demon Queen Anna's behavior.
"Yeah... I guess that makes sense..." Alex conceded, understanding her point.
"Anyway, like I said, I believe that she is the opposite of what you see firsthand. From what I heard and have witnessed myself, she is very kind and thoughtful to many of us demons. In general, one of the main duties of a Demon King is to protect their subjects, the demons, so that is always expected for every Demon King to aid the demons under them. But in the case of Demon Queen Anna, I know that she put extra effort to be attentive and caring to us demons."
"Such as?" Alex inquired, intrigued by Mira's insight.
"Well, for example, Demon Queen Anna always goes out of her way to ensure that every demon in the Demon Kingdom has a place in our society," Mira continued, providing more detail.
"What do you mean by that?"
"As you might already know, every demon here is different in size, shape, form, and personality. There are those demons that could easily blend in with demon society, and there are also demons that can't easily do that. Some demons have special needs or certain conditions. She always strives to ensure that every demon in the Demon Kingdom becomes a respected member of our demon society, so that those demons do not become outcasts, rejected not just by humanity but also by demon society."
"Huh..." Alex pondered Mira's words, feeling a strong connection to what she was saying about Demon Queen Anna.
Alex knew what it was like to be rejected by society's standards. He remembered being a NEET, someone who had nothing going on in their life and could be considered a societal outcast. He knew firsthand the suffering of having almost nothing in his life, of how empty he had felt.
Then, he remembered something... someone who had given him the push to change for the better.
"Everyone needs motivation to keep going. If you can't find it yourself, then let me help you by being your source of motivation."
"... ... ..." Alex fell into a thoughtful silence as he remembered the words of someone that was very dear to him.
"Sir Alex?" Mira noticed that Alex had been quiet for a while.
"Mira..." Alex broke his silence.
"Yes, Sir Alex?"
"Can you tell me... the ambition of the Demon Kings?"
"... Yes... I can. Every Demon King, from the First Demon King to our current Demon Queen Anna, has the ambition... to create a world where demons can live in peace." Mira informed Alex, with hope in her voice that this ambition of every Demon Kings could come true one day.
"... ... ..." Again, he fell into another silence, contemplating what Mira had just said.
"Does that satisfy your curiosity, Sir Alex?"
"... yeah."
"Glad to hear."
"Mira." Alex called out Mira again.
"Yes, Sir Alex?"
"Take me to the battlefield."
"As you wish- wait, what?!" Mira was about to agree with his request before realizing that he was asking for something quite outrageous given his condition.
"What's wrong?"
"I can't do that! It's dangerous there! You are still Level 1, Sir Alex! You're barely stronger than the average human civilians!" Mira bluntly stated the harsh truth about Alex. While he was indeed the summoned "hero," he was still at Level 1 with an unknown odd "Job".
"It doesn't matter. I know that I'm nowhere near your Level, and not even close to the Demon Queen herself, but... I want to do something. I'm not just going to sit pretty here." Alex said to Mira with determination in his eyes.
"But..."
"Don't worry, I have a plan." He tried to reassure Mira of his wild idea.
"But still..."
"Trust me on this, Mira. I'm going to show you... No... I'm going to show EVERYONE the Job of an IDOL PRODUCER!"