Prime Originator

Leon's sharp placed the timid dark fae under heavy pressure, making it difficult for her to answer his question without stuttering with nervousness.

Nevertheless, the longer Leon interacted with the dark fae, the stronger he felt that Dark Fae Saresha was not so much different from humans—whether it was her intelligence or emotions.

He didn't sense any of the bloodthirst and malice that all demons were described to have. 

Of course, he couldn't speak for all of the Dark Fae Clan, and Dark Fae Saresha could even be feigning weakness to let his guard down and backstab him later. 

All in all, it was too early to come to a conclusion with regards to demons and required longer observation to sate his curiosity.

"Not all demons are evil, nor are they impure existences, so never regard them as such and discriminate them simply based on their origins." 

"Don't just listen with your ears, see with your eyes, and don't just see with your eyes, but listen with your ears. Don't be misled by others to see what they want you to see, hear what they want you to hear, and believe what they want you to believe."

"You must remember to use all of your being to understand another being for what they truly are and determine for yourself whether they deserve salvation or eternal damnation."

Leon vaguely recalled the words of his father, the Divine Medicine King, from a distant memory of his childhood in his previous life.

"Y-your Excellency?" 

Saresha's questioning tone snapped Leon out of his reverie as she continued to remain seated in a kneeling position obediently without the inclination to escape.

Leon recollected his thoughts before speaking calmly, "Sorry, my mind had wandered elsewhere. So, what was your answer to my previous question?"

"O-our group was the closest to the Abyssal Wood Forest, but also the furthest from the Bone Sea of Eternal Night, where the majority of demons have gathered. Lesser Demons like us have no hopes of competing with the stronger demons for lucky chances."

"Lord Suron, himself was unwilling to leave the Bone Sea. That is why he sent us to investigate the situation in the Abyssal Wood Forest. If we don't report back within the hour, death would have eventually awaited us either way, sir."

If a Lesser Demon like Lord Suron was unwilling to leave the Bone Sea, then it was more likely for the stronger members of the Evil Eye Clan to leave the Bone Sea to investigate the Ashenwood Forest.

Nevertheless, Leon learned that the demons called it the Abyssal Wood Forest instead.

"Lesser Demons of Low-ranking Clans have it pretty rough, huh?" Leon casually uttered. 

The trip from the Bone Sea to and from the Abyssal Wood Forest would have taken up most of the hour, leaving little investigation time to find anything. 

If the Lesser Demons report back late, they will die. And if they report nothing meaningful, they will most likely also die.

"Still, it's surprising yet strange to see the Dark Fae Clan in such terrible position when they are one of the ruling demon clans in Northern Devil Region of the Divine Realm…" Leon muttered to himself. 

Saresha overheard his words, and her soft eyelashes fluttered with surprise and confusion. 

Nevertheless, she didn't have time to think further as Leon asked her another question, "Why are the demons gathered at the Bone Sea? What exactly is it, and what is over there?"

"The Bone Sea is the largest and most perilous region out of all the regions in the Eternal Night Secret Realm. It is said that most of the higher-level inheritances are left there, but the Eternal Night Demon Emperor's inheritance is also hidden in there."

"The Bone Sea wasn't always called the Bone Sea, but it eventually got its name after countless beings challenged it and failed, leaving their remains behind to float on the sea surface instead of sinking to the seafloor as one normally expects to happen."

"If I have to guess, the Nine Great Clans are challenging the Bone Sea to locate the Eternal Night Demon Emperor's tomb of inheritance while the other clans vie for the tomb of inheritances found in the Bone Sea."

Saresha answered. 

Of course, bottom feeders like her Dark Fae Clan are either treated as cannon fodders for others or scrambling for leftover benefits in the outer rim.

"I see… How interesting…"

Leon rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a moment.

"What will you do? It must have been over an hour since you left. Even if I let you go back now, you will most likely die to that Lord Suron of yours."

"That is…"

The Dark Fae Saresha hesitated to answer with an unresigned look, finding that outcome to be unacceptable.

"If I am willing to become your servant, will you allow me to follow you, Your Excellency?" Saresha carefully inquired.

"You?" Leon glanced at her with an intrigued look and asked, "You're willing to become the servant of a human?"

"Eh?"

Leon's question seemed to have come as a great shock to the Dark Fae Saresha as her expression suddenly froze.

"You're a human, Your Excellency?" Saresha carefully inquired for confirmation.

"Now that's an interesting thing to ask," Leon smiled intriguingly and said, "Where on earth did you get the impression that I am not human with this kind of appearance?"

"A human doesn't necessarily mean one can't be a demon, Your Excellency. For example, in the deeper southern region, there's a group of humans that are natural-born demons. I thought that Your Excellency was one such being, given Your Excellency's fine control of darkness."

Saresha carefully spoke.

If her black feathered wings were ripped off, she would also appear no different from humans, and a beautiful one at that.

Leon immediately understood why the Dark Fae Saresha mistook him for a demon, but the fact that humans could also be born as demons was an astonishing discovery.

"In your general understanding, what is a demon?"

"Any being born from darkness is a demon—or at the very least, that is how the world sees it, Your Excellency."

"Hm, I see…"

Saresha's words left Leon pondering in deep thoughts.

In other words, anyone born with a darkness-attribute body that doesn't get harmed by Darkness Energy is regarded as a demon.

"Well, this is unexpected…"