Chapter 162
Helium’s diet was indeed diverse. From the food of insects that came from a life of poverty to the food that came with the development of civilization.
The demons started so miserable that it was not enough to even say that they were terribly poor, and traces of them were left everywhere. Not only food, but also different cultures.
3000 years ago, the demon war ended, and the demons literally built a civilization to live, so there were many differences from the basics. First of all, people have a positive, optimistic and bright personality.
When I asked Gartz the reason, he said that most of them have a positive mind because negative thoughts can lead to inner evil. If this makes the demons angry, it’s usually the other person’s fault.
Second, I don’t get angry. As you might have expected, this is because the measure of mental discipline is very high, as the training method that requires patience like yoga continues from an early age.
Lastly, this has been changed recently, and the original demons were very careful when dealing with different races rather than their own. I recognized myself as a risk factor that could turn into a demon anytime, anywhere.
However, since Xenon’s biography appeared, he developed a kind of pride and became more active in dealing with different races.
Of course, not all demons are like that, as each human has different personalities. Just like there are people who are as blunt as Gartz and control their emotions as much as possible, the personalities of demons are also different.
Think of it as a kind of stereotype. For example, Koreans tend to eat spicy food and have a quick temper due to the ‘quick quick’ culture.
“Mr. Gartz.”
“Yes. Please tell me.”
“I haven’t asked you until now, but does Gartz have a family?”
I paused my exploration of Helium and sat down on a nearby bench and asked Gartz. Gartz, who sat next to me at my request, blinked a couple of times as he listened to my question.
“Family… you mean?”
“Yes. I’m actually asking about the demons, but the people next to me don’t know about it. That’s why I was curious.”
Thanks to Gartz, I got to know Hellium and the Asmodian culture well, but I know very little about it.
He only knows that Cecily is an escort knight called by himself and at the same time has excellent skills. I don’t know much more than that.
There must have been a lot of time left anyway, and it didn’t seem bad to ask him before heading to the temple.
“I have parents and a younger sister.”
“Are you not married?”
“I have a fiance with a promise to the future.”
“How old are you?”
“I’m 132 years old.”
When demons turn 100, they will be recognized as true adults. It’s proof that he didn’t become a demon and lived as a human until he was 100.
Physical growth is no different from that of humans, and socially, each has a job around the age of 25. A 100-year-old can only be said to be an adult in a spiritual sense.
For this reason, demons can marry after the age of 100. This is because you have to thoroughly manage yourself first before taking responsibility for one person.
By the way, he was also a representative of the longevity clan along with the elves, so he was very old despite his appearance. She said Cecily that she was 105, so she’s much older than her.
“I don’t know if it’s because I’m a human, but you’re old. Among the demons, you’re the youngest, right?”
“He is a young man who has just become an adult. In particular, as demons have a culture that is respected the older they get, they are also really young.”
The reason the old demons are respected is probably because they haven’t turned into demons for so many years.
Still, 100 years is too long for me to imagine. It’s like the word far-fetched.
I watched closely the people of Hellium wandering the streets. Smiles are blooming on their faces, and children are running around the streets.
As I felt last time, Helium is bright and lively. It was not a place where demons live, only horns, but it had a strong human smell.
If so, was it like this before the publication of Zeno’s biography? I looked at the demon children happily walking while holding their parents’ hands, and then asked Gartz.
“Mr. Gartz.”
“Yeah.”
“Was Helium so bright before Xenon’s biography came out?”
Gartz answered my calm question with his characteristic blunt tone.
“It was bright. But I lived with fear, knowingly or unknowingly. No matter how much patience I develop or how positively I live, the evil inside is a real threat to the demons.”
“… …”
“But not now. Instead of avoiding evil, I have gained the courage to face it head on. I have the confidence that I can do it and the pride that I will not succumb to evil.”
In the past, Helium had a defense mechanism to somehow avoid the threat, but now it is bright in a pure sense.
There is a difference between a pure smile and a smile with intention. And the citizens of Helium are enjoying life with a pure smile.
“…yes?”
“… …”
As I was raising the corners of my lips in an unexpected sense of pride, I suddenly felt a smile on my side. He turned her head to find a little girl standing still.
Long straight hair, dazzling red eyes, and a pink rabbit doll hugging tightly. It had a sheep horn similar to that of a Gartz, but its size was very small.
A little lady, who deserves the nickname of being cute like a doll, is staring at me.
I blinked my head at the girl who came silently and said with a friendly smile.
“hi?”
“hot.”
When I greeted you warmly, the girl hesitated and backed away. He hugged the bunny doll tightly, giving him an unbearable cuteness.
Then she looked at me, pointed her finger at me, and shouted.
“Red!”
“Red?”
“Mom said! It’s dangerous when black turns red! We have black hair, but you are red!”
Are you the first child to see a human? Recently, the frequency of visits to Helium by different races has increased, but it might be the first time you see it.
As you can see, all demons have black hair, but I have red hair, so it seems to be mistaken for evil spirits.
But does that mean that it is only for the horns and the hair doesn’t matter? I continued talking to the girl while biting Gartz for a moment.
“Is it because my hair is red?”
“yes!”
“But dear. I don’t have horns?”
“Ugh?”
The girl blinks when she says she has no horns. Then he looked me in the face and said in a very bewildered voice.
“Huh? Pu, why don’t you have horns? And your eyes are shiny?”
“Glitter color? What is that?”
“The color of glitter is the color of glitter. It’s sparkling.”
Also, the innocence of children cannot be followed. You see, gold is called glitter.
I continued the conversation with the girl without being able to hide that my father’s smile came out. I don’t know when the children’s parents will come, but they will come soon.
“May I ask the name of the cute little lady?”
“My name is Aimiya. What’s your hornless brother’s name?”
“Call me Isaac. And he’s human, so he doesn’t have horns.”
“human?”
“A man without horns like your brother.”
“Then humans don’t have horns like their brother, and their hair is bright red? Are their eyes shiny?”
All demons have black hair and red eyes, so it seems that they asked such a question.
“No. There are people who have red hair like my brother, and there are people who have white or shiny hair. Unlike demons, humans have different hair and eye colors.”
“What’s the motley?”
“It means different colors. And…”
“Amy!”
While talking to the girl, I heard a woman’s urgent cry. When she lifted her head, a demon woman who looked exactly like a girl was approaching this way.
As soon as the woman saw Amy, she hugged her tightly and met me face to face. It was as urgent as a voice.
“I’m sorry. Did Amy ever say anything disrespectful?”
“No. There’s no such thing. My daughter must have been curious about my hair.”
“Mom. Mom. That oppa’s hair is red, isn’t it okay?”
“Ha… Amy. I’m really sorry. It’s the first time I’ve seen a human since I spoke…”
“It’s okay. Thanks to you, it was also fun.”
When Lily is born in the future, wouldn’t it be as cute and adorable as that child? Her lady repeated her apologies and took her Amy away, who held her in her mother’s arms and waved her hand.
I also waved to Amy, who was walking away. I think it will remain as one of the most impressive situations after coming to Helium.
‘Shall we go to the temple soon.’
As I wandered around the helium, the sky was gradually turning indigo blue. Unlike the Minerva Empire, which has four distinct seasons, Helium is on the cold or cold side all year round.
Although it is a very barren environment for humans to live in or to do basic farming, the demons have built a civilization with tenacious vitality and excellent magic.
In many ways, as much as ‘guts’, he does not bow down at all, even when dealing with humans. I don’t know if it’s natural because they are human in the first place.
“Shall we go to the temple first?”
“all right.”
“By the way, Gartz-san. As I was looking at that child, a sudden thought came to me. Does the demon have puberty?”
“It’s usually called the ‘goblin’. It’s also an emotionally unstable period, and it’s a very dangerous part of the growth process, so I call it that.”
“Something sounds cute.”
“I sound anxious.”
After that, I followed Gartz’s guide and walked to the temple of Mora. As the evening approaches, the weather gets colder and the breath comes out.
Fortunately, it wasn’t cold because he came wearing clothes with thermal insulation magic. By the way, this outfit was a gift from Cecily herself, but it’s a widespread outfit in Helium. The design is pretty and the price is high.
If it was the Minerva Empire, it would have to pay a high price, but since even ordinary civilians can easily use magic, it is natural for helium to become common.
“I heard that Helium started diplomacy a few months ago? I heard that the delegation gave you magic woven silk as a gift.”
“You remember. The news has spread, and many ships are traveling to and from Helium.”
“I think there will be a lot of demand for this outfit alone, right?”
“Yeah. I’ve already ordered a ton of warm clothing from the Minerva Empire. They said they’re for military use.”
I was able to nod my head as it was a phenomenon I had seen often in my past life to go through the military before it became popular. You can see the importance of keeping warm by looking at the endless appearances of verbs in the war against toxins.
Perhaps Helium will have a position comparable to that of the Dwarfs’ land, Machina, for humans. Dwarves have weapons, and demons have basic items such as medical supplies.
For reference, Albenheim’s main trade item is the dew of the world tree, the undiluted solution of Elixir. The country of beasts, the Animers… The civilization is not yet so developed, so it is ambiguous.
“If you started trading, were there any useful trade items for the demons?”
“Once the trade has started itself, I don’t know much about it. And the Queen granted Albnheim permission, but the opposition from the Senate is so severe that it’s causing trouble. There’s still a long way to go. It’s not going to happen.”
“Is there any suggestion to collaborate on a magic locomotive in Machina? It would be helpful enough if it were a demon.”
“I don’t know about that part.”
As we walked while sharing these and other conversations, we arrived at Mora’s temple. As it was the twins of Luminus, the shape of the temple was also similar.
What is different is the distribution of space. The temple of Luminus was a structure that allowed more light to enter, but the temple of Mora was blocked from all sides.
If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be dark even on a bright day? Still, it was a design worthy of the god of darkness and rest.
‘Will the funeral be held here?’
Mora also organizes funerals as much as she is the god of rest. Even the followers of Luminus do not have any disagreement with Mora’s followers in conducting the funeral.
Rather, if Luminus followers interfere, in severe cases, Luminus, not Mora, may sting directly. Thanks to this, the authority between the two denominations is strictly separated.
“Welcome. Welcome to Mora’s haven.”
As soon as we entered the rather dark looking temple, a goddess greeted us warmly. She was a beautiful woman with sagging eyes and a drowsy impression, and of course she is a demon.
If the Luminous nuns had a white background, Mora was very similar to the nuns in her previous life. Instead, it becomes darker and more black.
I looked at the goddess who seemed to be sleeping somewhere and greeted me politely.
“Hello. I’m here to worship Mora. Do you have a private chapel?”
“Of course there is. You only need to pay 5 silver.”
“Then I’ll be waiting outside during the service.”
Gartz paid 5 silver to the goddess and moved out of the temple. Then I followed the goddess and looked around the darkened interior of the temple.
It was an atmosphere befitting the title of the god of darkness and rest, but it was not completely blocked from the light everywhere. Through a small hole, enough light to be able to discern the front came out.
Moreover, lit candles were placed all over the place, giving it a gloomy feeling in many ways. But strangely, if there is only one bed that makes me feel comfortable, I think I’ll fall asleep right away.
“This is the chapel. If it’s dark, you can light a candle, so you can do whatever you want.”
“thank you.”
“It’s the first time I’ve ever seen a human worship Mora-nim. I hope you have a comfortable time.”
The goddess with a drowsy impression nodded her head and firmly closed the door of the chapel. As soon as the door closed, I looked around Mora’s private chapel.
Unlike Luminus, it is a dark sky except for the light leaking out from a small hole. As the goddess said earlier, there were several candles standing in front of Mora’s stone statue.
Unlike her twin brother, Luminus, Mora has a naive and naive personality, and she is portrayed as it is in stone statues. If her older brother is wearing a benevolent smile, the point is that the corners of her mouth are raised.
However, the tea sculpted with great care so that the appearance of the stone can be guessed is revealed. The demons are also well versed in art, so the gods they worship must have been carefully sculpted.
‘I don’t need to light a candle right now.’
Wouldn’t it be better to just put your head on the side of the light coming out of the hole and pray? I slowly knelt on the floor as if praying to Luminus.
It was a little awkward because the atmosphere was 180 degrees different, but the prayer itself shouldn’t be a problem. Then he put his hands together and closed his eyes.
‘…Mora-sama? Are you here…’
[come!!! It’s finally here!! Why are you so late!!]
It’s a surprise.