Demonic Advent!
A festival to honor the Great Demon King who once conquered the middle realm!
During the festival period, the demons would have a blast, enjoying it to the fullest, and the highlight of the festival was undoubtedly the Demonic Advent ceremony!
The current demon world and the middle realm were almost entirely disconnected, which rendered the demon world's influence on the middle realm almost negligible. Yet, the demons still forcefully held the Demonic Advent ceremony from time to time, inflating their dreams of conquering the middle realm by pushing demon king candidates into it!
To put it simply, these demon king candidates were merely sacrificial lambs for the ceremony!
It was said that among the demons sent into the middle realm, not a single one survives! Why? Because none became the demon king! Naturally, they ought to die then, damn it!
These damn demons didn't have any sense of propriety or decency, so they didn't care at all whether the ones they sent to the middle realm live or die! They were simply indifferent! It was good if one became the demon king; if not, they were simply disposable!
With such a pathetic mentality, they were screwing around even as all the sacrificial candidates were dying off!
"Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
Who would tolerate such a crazy ceremony?!
Hearing my mother's explanation, it seems these insane demon bastards have been shoving sacrifices into the middle realm for almost a thousand years, all under the pretense of preserving tradition, regardless of whether they died or lived!
"What the hell?!"
True to demonic nature, they had no respect for life! They had been mindlessly offering sacrifices without a doubt, thinking it was just something they had to do!
They lacked any sense of the problem nor any inclination to make improvements!!!
And there was virtually no support for the demon king candidates! There was just this careless thought that a powerful demon would naturally become the demon king!
"Ah, no! Mom! Am I going there?! Me?!"
"Yes."
This was absurd!
There must be some misunderstanding!
"Why are you doing this?!"
I asked, filled with despair!
"Is it because Kyuse is incompetent?"
The Duchess said this with a seemingly sympathetic face.
"No!"
The fact that I was incompetent was true! If I said as a demon I was not, then that was just a blatant lie!
But this didn't make any sense!
I was just a guy stuck in the southern fortress, secluded and isolated!
Why go out of their way to find such a guy for this kind of ceremony? Why me, of all people? So many in this duchy were born as slaves, living and dying as slaves!
Statistically, shouldn't it be more likely for one of them to be chosen? It was a cruel thought, but considering my current predicament, it seemed fitting! Above all, the Duchess had numerous offspring with her prolific egg-laying!
"Son… I'm sorry. But you're of no use, are you? If one has to be singled out, our Kyuse is the perfect candidate."
With a very sorrowful face, the Duchess gently touched my face and spat out such ridiculous words…!
This wasn't something a mother, who considered me her son just moments ago, should say!
"Why, why! Why me of all? What about the others?"
"Oh, do you wish for the other children to die in your stead? Such a noble thought."
To be frank, yes!
I'd prefer someone else dying over me!
Having the memories of a human, I couldn't possibly consider these demon bastards as family. To add, with their disregard, they had made my life miserable!
I'd think it would be great if just all these other bastards died!
"But we can't do that. As I said, our Kyuse is the most suitable."
"There's no way I'm suitable! Isn't this a rather important event? If someone like me participates, won't it harm your reputation, mother?"
"Hmm… I need to explain that."
"Pardon?"
The Duchess touched her head.
"Actually, you have a decent lineage."
"Pardon?"
"Obviously, for such an important festival, we need to send someone decent to maintain my reputation. But with the ongoing war with the heavenly realm, we can't send someone genuinely valuable to such a nonsensical and traditional ritual… Naturally."
Her tone was warm, but the content was cold-hearted.
"It's natural to send the child who hasn't shown any promise, isn't it? One that's useless. You happened to be of the right age for the ceremony. That's why we chose Kyuse. It pains my heart to send Kyuse away like this."
"Ugh, ugh…!"
I felt like I was about to throw up!
Female demons were fatally beautiful, but they were no better than monsters! To send off their own child this way!
But she said my origin was decent?
Was that true?
"You're saying I come from a good lineage?"
"Yes."
A firm answer.
Then… did I have some kind of power? A power that hadn't yet manifested? Since the Duchess Mother confirmed I had a decent origin, there was a high chance of that.
But then, why was my power so weak?
As I was contemplating this, the Duchess called out to me.
"Son."
"…Yes?"
"I lay eggs."
Pardon?
"Alone, at that."
"Oh… I'm aware."
My mother, the Duchess, with a beauty that could be called divine and dark, was a hybrid of succubus and Baphomet origins. I was not entirely sure, but she possessed multiple unique abilities.
One of those abilities was laying eggs.
The Duchess could lay eggs. All on her own. Without a partner, she can hatch the eggs to create her own minions. I might not understand completely, but she probably expanded the duchy using that power. It was inexplicable, but it was demonic, so it was expected.
"I usually lay eggs every night. When I kneel on the bed, the eggs naturally… come out. Eggs about the size of a child's fist. Sometimes, they keep coming out all night."
"…"
This was a rather awkward conversation to have.
The thought of such a beautiful being laying eggs made me unable to raise my head.
"You were born from such an egg, too."
"Did I… come from a good egg?"
The Duchess nodded to my question.
"Most of the weak eggs are sent to the incubation area, but as a mother, I can discern, you know? The grade of an egg. Kyuse's was quite decent."
But…
"So I kept it separate and hatched it with great care… but for some reason, your magic power was too low. That's why, after raising you for a bit, I sent you to the southern fortress. I couldn't waste time on a failure. There are sometimes kids like that."
Damn it.
So, I was merely a failure with low power? And that's why I was deemed useless and raised in the southern fortress? I was so embarrassed that I couldn't even speak.
I just wanted to collapse and cry out loud.
"Anyway, Kyuse's origin is quite good. Having been born from such an egg gives you some dignity. That's why you were chosen."
"…"
"Regrettably… all the incompetence is entirely your fault. It's admirable that you managed to learn to speak with great effort, but other kids usually get it in about 2 years, right?"
Damn it again!
Due to my reincarnation, I couldn't learn the demon language properly, and this was how it snowballed! I was so aggrieved that I was going mad!
"While it pains my heart as a mother, it's the harsh reality. It's natural for the weak to perish in the demon world."
The Duchess spoke as if she deeply regretted my situation, but her words showed no mercy!
So, was I really going there to die? There was no way I could survive in the middle realm! I was bound to die for sure!
Begging was my only option now!
"Oh, mother!"
"Uh, hm?"
I immediately grabbed onto the Duchess's ankle, rubbing my face against it, clinging desperately! It was humiliating and terrifying, but if there was nothing else to do but beg, I would pin all my hopes there until the very end!
I couldn't just sit and die!
"If it pains your heart! Please! Please, find a way! Can't you do something about it? Please! Please save me, Mother! I don't want to die like this!!!"
"Sigh… This is complicated… It's already been decided. Accept it gracefully. At least you got to speak with me one last time, right? With that memory, you should be okay."
It was not okay at all!
"I'm not okay! And you call yourself a mother? Please, save me!"
"Oh dear, such hurtful words."
"It's me who's truly hurt! I'm about to die! Please! If you're my mother, save me! I'll do well! Surely, there are others! I'm a late bloomer*! I may be an idiot at first, but I shine more than anyone in the end!"
I begged and begged again!
While the Duchess was currently coldly sorting me out, it was not as if she lacked sympathy! If she had no sympathy at all, she wouldn't have played the role of a mother!
But she treated me with some warmth because I was her flesh and blood! So, I will keep begging! To trigger that maternal instinct!
"Mother, please…! Are you without blood or tears? Aren't you sad to see me beg like this?"
"Although, as a mother, I use and discard my children as needed, it doesn't mean I don't feel sadness. Look now."
She slightly raised her head.
Swish.
The Duchess brushed her delicate, beautiful fingers over her eyes.
"See, I am crying."
"Oh…!"
You're crying, so you should spare me!
Damn, it must be because I was originally human that I couldn't understand this. I couldn't follow the thought process of these demon beings.
"You're not a mother…! Aaahhhh!"
Having clear memories from my previous life, I couldn't accept this madwoman as my mother! My mother was a full-time housewife named Gang Mikyung, a Homo sapiens living in Gyeonggi-do.
Definitely not this kind of monster!
"Are you going to make me even sadder? Enough with the tears. You were given the honor of spending this final time with me out of pity for Kyuse. Most of my children finish their lives without ever having a conversation with me. Now, stop your tears and get up."
Whoosh.
Suddenly, some intangible force enveloped me, and while I was rubbing my face against the Duchess's ankle, I found myself being lifted up by that force!
Magic!
"I'll hold you."
"Aaaaah!"
And with that, the Duchess stood up and held me.
This insane woman!
"Son, if you're useless, you're destined to be discarded. The only reason Kyuse has survived till now is… because he was born from a good egg. If not, you might have been discarded or demoted to the slave class without a chance to speak."
Pleading didn't work with this cold-hearted woman!
No matter how sad, she was not the type to reverse her decisions!
"Heukheuk…!"
I died unjustly once, and now again, I was about to face an unjust death!
"Sigh… What to do with you. Such a malicious character. It's so unique I don't even know what to say…"
"Heuk, heuk…!"
"But you're still my son. Don't worry too much, okay?"
"Pardon…?"
"If you manage to stand out in the human world, I might sneak you out."
What?
Stand out?
Sneak out?
"I won't waste a child with potential. If Kyuse shows any talent in the middle realm."
"You'll save me…?"
"Yes. I'll do that. So stop crying, okay?"
"…"
In that case.
"Are you serious?"
"I don't lie."
Thump.
The anger, sadness, and tension that made my heart race finally calmed down. She would sneak me out. She would save me. That thought circled in my head, and I made a judgment to live. Even though the chances might be slim…
If there was no other way… then I had nothing else but to struggle.
Then, I should struggle.
"Have you stopped crying?"
"…Yes."
"Good job. As a reward, I'll give you a kiss."
Smooch.
The Duchess's lips touched my forehead.
"Now you can gather your strength, right? So, prepare yourself. I'll issue instructions for someone to guide you, so make sure you get along until the Demonic Advent."
That concluded our time in the real world.