Chapter 3 : Chaos all around

Demon Realm.

Demon Monarch’s Castle. Demon Monarch’s Office.

[“Now, if you push a low-grade Mana Stone into the visible window, you’ll be able to enter a short text.”]

“Hmm? Does this mean two-way communication is now possible, rather than just one-way?”

The Demon Monarch’s lips curled up in amusement. Indeed, if it could only transmit one way, it couldn’t be called a ‘connection’.

She sent a message as a test.

And the mage actually read it and responded.

[“Are you really the Demon Monarch? Oh, connecting the entire world is my goal. The Mana Stones you send will be used for server maintenance, so send lots of messages.”]

“Ooh! It’s real! But what is a ‘server’? Is that the name of this magic?”

The Demon Realm had Mana Stones in abundance. Low-grade Mana Stones were like pebbles; you could find them just by digging a little.

If she had questions, she could just ask.

The Demon Monarch brought a pile of low-grade Mana Stones from the storage room and stacked them on her desk before asking,

[I am the Demon Monarch. You said Mana Stones are used for server maintenance, but what is this ‘server’?]

But this time, there was no answer.

[“The next message is from a civil servant in the Hyrule Kingdom. ‘I want to retire, but His Majesty the King won’t approve my resignation…’”]

‘Hmm, it seems they didn’t see it because too many messages arrived.’

Surely, they wouldn’t ignore her just because of the name Demon Monarch.

A suitable message arrived, so this time she wrote and sent a brief piece of advice.

[I am the Demon Monarch. It is the monarch’s duty to appoint capable vassals, and it is the vassal’s duty to be loyal to the monarch. Thus, it is right to willingly withdraw your resignation and dedicate yourself.]

[“So the problem is they’re too competent? This is bragging, isn’t it? ‘Look how much the King favors me.’ Still, if His Majesty the King of Hyrule is listening, I hope you’ll consider your vassal’s personal time. Work-life balance is important. No matter how competent a vassal is, if their heart isn’t in it, they’re bound to make mistakes. That’s why guaranteeing rest is necessary for improving efficiency. Greater efficiency with less effort. It’s an important value!”]

Hmm. Indeed, this advice was better than her own.

The Demon Monarch nodded in agreement and sent another message.

[I am the Demon Monarch. However, if vassals become accustomed to rest, wouldn’t they become lazy? I am curious about your opinion on this.]

[“Oh, Tutankhamun Desert? This is another interesting place to receive a message from.”]

Again, no answer came.

[I am the Demon Monarch, why aren’t you answering me?]

[“This message is from the Holy Nation.”]

[I am the Demon Monarch. Don’t ignore me.]
[It’s me, the Demon Monarch.]
[Mage-nim! The Demon Monarch is begging you to answer!]

Finally, she even tried using honorifics to see how far they would ignore her, but there was no response.

To not even react to the ‘Demon Monarch’ using honorifics…

For the Demon Monarch, who had only received the adoration of demons since ascending to the throne, it was a tremendous shock.

“…Ignoring my questions? Me? The Demon Monarch? I’m the Demon Monarch!”

Humiliation she had never felt before.

The feeling of being reduced to less than dust.

“Ha, haha…! Funny! Very interesting! Yes, a mage who casually uses large-scale magic like this should have this much spirit!”

The Demon Monarch had lost it.

Holy Nation.

St. Sixtina Cathedral. Prayer Room.

The Saint prayed diligently every day. Rain or shine, she visited the prayer room without fail, seeking wisdom from God.

The Saint was God’s representative. It was her duty to convey God’s words.

So, she was curious.

How and when would God respond if they answered her prayers?

And finally, she received an answer.

[“Do you desire power?”]
“…No? I don’t.”

[“Ah, sorry. I was joking.”]

…It turned out to be a mage, not the God she was expecting.

She was slightly disappointed, but soon she began to listen intently. The fact that she could hear an outsider’s voice was fascinating in itself.

[“My goal is simple. To connect the entire world. To enable communication from anywhere. To give everyone a fair opportunity to access information.”]

‘Is such a thing possible?’

The only thing given fairly to everyone was Heaven. Only in the afterlife could they learn the language of angels and understand each other.

That’s why she was interested in the ideal this mage pursued. Perhaps it aligned with the Church’s teachings.

[“Captain Hans of the Imperial Navy, currently sailing the Western Sea. Your wife asked me to relay a message.”]

And she was quickly captivated.

Born and raised as a Saint within the sheltered walls of the Church, she knew nothing of the world’s vastness, its twists and turns, or its hardships.

For such a Saint, the stories the mage told were a great shock.

‘So this is what it’s like outside the Church.’

Listening to the stories, she felt a desire to send her own.

Fortunately, sending a message wasn’t difficult. Anyone could do it with a Mana Stone.

‘What should I send…’

Now that she was about to send a message, she didn’t know what to say.

She couldn’t talk about life’s hardships; every day was the same for her. She couldn’t write a letter to someone; she only knew the priests at the Church.

Finally, after much deliberation, she sent the question she always pondered.

[Hello. I am one of God’s people living in the Holy Nation. I pray to God every day, but for some reason, He doesn’t answer me. How can I receive God’s answer?]

And unlike her daily prayers to God…

The mage’s response came immediately.

[“This message is from the Holy Nation. ‘I pray to God every day, but I’ve never received an answer. How can I receive an answer?’ Well, I’m not God, so I can’t tell you how. But I don’t think you need to strive so hard to receive an answer.”]

No need to strive so hard to receive an answer?

That’s absurd.

The Saint’s duty was to convey God’s words. That’s why she prayed every day.

[“The scriptures often say, ‘What you do to the least of these, you do unto me.’ It might be an overinterpretation, but then receiving an answer from the least of these is also receiving an answer from God. If the person who sent this message is truly a devout believer… why not start with volunteer work? Prayer alone might only get you a ‘Well done’ from God, but through volunteer work, you can hear God say ‘Thank you.’”]

“…That’s… that’s true. Right. God always told us to serve the least of these…”

[“Then I’ll end today’s broadcast with a verse from the scriptures. Your God is not the God of those who pray. Your God is the God of the lost. Thank you for listening, and sleep well.”]

“…”

The Saint, who grew up sheltered within the Church.

The Church’s treasure. The Church’s flower. The Church’s jade seal. The symbol of God’s eternal watch over His Church.

‘Who are my prayers for?’

The Saint pondered blankly long after the broadcast ended.

She pondered, and pondered, and then…

“…High Patriarch.”
“Yes, Saint.”

“I… I want to see the world outside the Church… outside the Holy Nation.”

She took her first step outside the Church.

Magic Kingdom.

The Academy.

“Whoa, crazy crazy. Did you guys hear the news?!”

The academy was abuzz with a piece of news that had suddenly arrived.

“The Saint is transferring to our academy!”
“What?”

The Magic Kingdom’s academy was a cradle of learning, where talented individuals from all over the world gathered.

Naturally, the students’ backgrounds varied, from princes of kingdoms to daughters of great nobles and successors of large trading companies. One of the reasons nobles from various countries sent their children to the academy was to build connections.

“I heard the Saint herself requested it! She said she wants to experience life on the same level as her peers.”
“Gasp.”

“And this is top secret… but I think she’s coming to our class!”
“Choke!”

However, no noble title could compare to the name ‘Saint’.

The Saint was God’s chosen representative.

It was not a position that mere human lineage could aspire to.

“Yawn…”

Of course, I wasn’t interested.

I entered the academy to access the magic books in the Magic Kingdom’s library, not to build connections.

‘Strange things happen.’

It was just another curious event in life.

I couldn’t be bothered with such things; the network magic wasn’t even properly stabilized yet.

‘To maintain it stably for a long time, having someone manage it directly is the most efficient… But if I borrow the academy students’ brains all day, something could happen outside my view.’

The biggest drawback of swarm consciousness magic was the difficulty in reacting to sudden events.

After all, it forcibly stole resources used by the unconscious.

‘Should I buy a s*ave?’

After a brief consideration, I concluded that buying a s*ave would be the most efficient.

If I cast a spell on a s*ave and let them rest at home, I could stably acquire their brain resources.

The s*ave would be happy not to work, and I would be happy to gain freely usable spiritual resources.

Wouldn’t this be a win-win?