The Evolution of Demons
1095 Words
"Ira, what are you looking at?"
Satanleaf, who was being carried by Shirina on horseback, asked curiously as she noticed Ira sitting behind the Black-Flamed Headless Knight.
At that moment, Ira was holding a heavy parchment book. Though it was cumbersome, it was the only form of paper available in this world.
Ira had once thought about the idea of paper-making back when he was still a wizard, but after researching the subject, he had found something surprising…
More often than not, parchment wasn't just a medium for writing. In fact, writing itself wasn’t just writing.
Only leather—whether sheep, cow, magical beast, elf, or even human skin—could hold any form of supernatural power.
Many magical books required leather that was peeled from the animal while it was still alive to store mana for spells or ritual demonstrations. Blood magic books were especially common with such requirements.
"Hm?" Ira muttered as he flipped the book over, showing the cover to Satanleaf, Shirina, and the Headless Knight. For the love of all things sacred, don’t turn your heads to look, you horseback riders!
Ira inwardly grumbled but then briefly explained the book’s content. “This book, The Beauty of Symmetry, mentions that the Demon Lord’s domain was once just a castle made of stone.”
“It was smaller than the current Demon Lord’s domain, with no farming or livestock zones. It was divided into an inner city—the Demon Lord’s castle—and the outer city, which was the territory of various lords.”
Ira casually explained, but his words caught everyone’s attention. This wasn’t unusual, as people in this world didn’t often care for history. Records of the past were often sparse and fragmented, so the only way to learn about it was through these types of obscure books. Few people were even interested.
"Back then, the enormous Demon Lord's castle was only accessible to high-ranking races. It was a highly stratified society. From this perspective, it wasn't as logically structured as the current Demon Lord's domain."
Ira casually commented and then pointed to a particular passage, reading it out loud, “It says, There were two Demon Lord castles: one above ground and one underground, presenting a perfect symmetrical beauty. Two kings, two thrones, equal in stance, but without external enemies, they created a beautiful ‘King Not Seeing King’ phenomenon.”
“…”
“Does that mean… our Demon Lord’s domain has another underground Demon Lord’s castle? Another Demon Lord beneath us?”
Satanleaf asked, surprised. She instinctively thought this was impossible, since no underground Demon Lord had appeared in the face of an external enemy.
Shirina also looked taken aback.
“No.”
Ira smiled apologetically, a bit out of breath, and said, “The book goes on to say, Unfortunately, in a great betrayal by demon-type creatures, the underground Demon Lord’s castle was separated and descended into hell. After this betrayal, only a few demons remained in the material plane.”
“…”
As Ira recounted the events, the others turned their gaze to Shirina.
“Hm, were we one of the demons who stayed in the material plane after that?”
Shirina murmured, thoughtfully. After a moment, she shook her head and said, “The content of the book might be credible, but it no longer has anything to do with us.”
That was true. Ira had merely been casually reading the book.
“Demons that stayed in the material plane, such as the Imps, could still grow stronger through battle and evolution. So the impact isn’t that significant. That’s why I suggested bringing Imps to the battlefield,” Ira added.
Shirina had previously asked Ira to bring the Imps, and she now explained, “The Demon Lord’s army has been completely wiped out. After the Arbiters joined the battle, demons became extinct.”
Indeed, if Imps needed battle to evolve into higher-tier demons, then after the Arbiters entered the battlefield, they had no chance to survive and evolve.
Ira recalled that in the early stages of the war, he’d seen Imp Minions, Demon Dog Trainers, Baalphoenixes, Eye Demons, Baroks, Demon Lords actively engaging on the battlefield. However, as time went on, they had become increasingly rare.
It seemed demons weren’t born—they evolved.
But then, a thought crossed Ira’s mind.
“If a Baalphoenix and a Baalphoenix have offspring, what would they give birth to? An Imp or a Phoenix?”
Ira asked, looking thoughtfully at Shirina. “And if a Succubus and another demon have offspring, what would that be?”
“…“
This question felt a little inappropriate, like asking, “What would happen if you and I had a child?”
Rather than offensive, it was more embarrassing.
So embarrassing that Shirina covered her face, but she still explained, “Imps evolve from Demon Worms, which are birthed from flesh and blood in the Demon Pools. Except for Succubi, demons don’t have the ability to reproduce.”
How shameful.
“Oh, just like me then…”
In that instant, all of Shirina’s embarrassment disappeared, swept away by Ira’s casual words. She glanced at him in surprise, her eyes now filled with pity for him.
“Don’t look at me like that. It’s not just me… all Arbiters can’t reproduce,” Ira said, seeing the look in Shirina’s eyes.
He turned to the surprised-looking Satanleaf and the Headless Knight Commander, saying, “How much farther to the Harpies’ territory?”
The people of this world seemed to put a lot of importance on offspring, perhaps a reflection of their obsession with legacy.
“…”
Shirina, a bit melancholic, shook her head and looked at the distant mountains. “There’s still quite a bit of distance… Hm, Ira, you probably want children, don’t you?”
“I don’t. Once you become an Arbiter, desires and emotional fluctuations become much more subdued,” Ira replied, rolling his eyes. He didn’t understand why Shirina was still talking about this topic.
“…”
“Actually, Succubi can bypass some of those restrictions.”
Shirina said, unaware of Ira’s increasingly speechless expression. She continued, “At least gender and s****l activities can be bypassed, but that requires a higher power level. If I grow a bit stronger, I can at least bring you some pleasure.”
Satanleaf: “…“
Headless Knight Commander: “…“
Ira: “I’ve already said, I don’t need that!”
- Writer
