"You seem to be suspicious."
"No, that's not it..."
The Fairy King brushed aside the human's negativity as he organized the box of herbs. Since he didn't say it with any particular intention, it didn't matter what answer he got.
Instead, he grabbed the person who was trying to retreat and slowly examined him from head to toe.
A body that looked weak in addition to its small size. What differentiated him from other humans, namely his red eyes, was that they are weak to light, which actually acted as a hindrance to his activities, so in the end, there was no positive aspect.
'... I won't know even if I look at it again.'
Why was the World paying attention to this man? He couldn't understand at all.
He could tell from the first time he saw him since he was the head of the fairy race who was sensitive to the will and flow of the World. The World was expecting something from this man.
He didn't know what that was. The World didn't tell him directly, and there was no way to know what it was because it didn't go in and out of the world's head – the 'head' didn't exist in the first place. All he could do was guess.
'Since when did it start, that the World paid attention to this guy?'
He didn't know, but it must have been quite a long time ago.
Because this movement of the World was observed a long time ago. The first time he discovered the change in flow was about 10 years ago.
Still, it was only recently that the he met him in person. Since he didn't really plan on meeting him, it just passed by.
An unexpected first meeting. Although it was very short, the Fairy King studied him for enough time to define his opponent, and what came to mind was doubt.
Was the person in front of him really the person the World was paying attention to? He was just a weak human with a slightly strong smell of blood. Did the World make a wrong decision?
He narrowed his eyes. He could see that the World was working hard to supplement that weak body without being noticed.
... That would be the equivalent of pouring water into a bottomless pot. The Fairy King clicked his tongue lightly and looked away.
'If there's nothing special about him physically, is it only focusing on him because of a special situation?'
It was still too early to doubt the World's judgment. Because the World was a system, not a person with a body and emotions. There had only been one case so far where a system that calculates and judges the situation more calmly than anyone else has made a mistake.
Let's see, what was his situation?
The only human who travels between the human world and the demon realm. He heard that both the Emperor of the Empire, which could be seen as the center of the human world, and the Demon King put him in important positions and cherished him.
'... Oh wait.'
There, the Fairy King was able to think of one possibility. He shifted his gaze again, examined the human, and rolled his head.
He looked a little closer and saw it. That body that the World was complementing. That was not a supplement that made the body strong or healthy.
'Supplementation and modification of classes that allow him to better accept the forces of the World.'
If his health had improved, it may have been a side effect of this process.
'That's right.'
That was it.
Now he understood why the leader of the mermaids bothered to touch his shoulder while saying that.
'The Demon King will die at the hands of the hero born this time.'
He looked at the human in front of him with new eyes. White hair, pale skin, blood-red eyes.
The Fairy King looked into the eyes, which at first glance seemed to contain ordinary emotions, but felt a sense of discomfort, and quietly agreed.
'The next hero is you.'
The World had chosen him as a candidate for a hero for a very long time.
***
Not so long ago, there was a warrior who cared about a comrade even until his death.
Even in death, he cared about his comrades.
'If I die, my comrade who does not even have the fragments of a hero will die at the hands of the Demon King.'
So he devoted his whole heart to it and made a strong wish.
'Please save him.'
The World answered.
'I have been watching him for a long time.'
***
But there was an unresolved question.
'It wasn't that long ago that the human Deon Hardt began traveling between the demon realm and the human world. Only about two years at most.
The World paid attention to him 10 years ago. What on Earth happened then?
'... Let's not think about it like this.'
The Fairy King stopped thinking.
Even if he thought about it any longer, he wouldn't find an answer.
'Rather than that, it chose this human as the next hero...'
He had no idea what the reason was, so all he could think was that the World was suffering for the sake of it. It was said that previous warriors also their bodies modified without realizing it in order to accept the power given by the World, but they did not undergo this much modification.
It's just a modification to accept the 'power of the hero', but it's almost like it's remodeling the body instead.
"You must have felt it subconsciously too. Have you ever felt strangely lucky?"
"..."
"Even if you're in a situation where you feel like you are going to die and suffer permanent injuries, you end up with recoverable injuries."
He removed the muscle herb that had been attached. Clean hands and wrists were revealed. As if checking the condition, he gently swept the area around his wrist and then grabbed it and pulled it. The light body was dragged helplessly. For some reason, the red eyes that had sunken into silence were still looking up at him. As the distance between them got closer, the Fairy King growled lowly.
"Honestly, you might be inclined to believe this and act accordingly."
"..."
The World's protection was strong. It's wrapping this person up tightly.
This probably meant that he had overcome the danger of death many times and that the World had directly shielded him from death many times.
The World rarely intervened directly. It had already suffered greatly from unexpected side effects, realized the dangers, and was still working to resolve the side effects.
How could this person think that a World like that would directly protect his life?
"Have you ever felt like your body was in a strange state? At some point, a force stronger than your natural capacity could be generated or shocks could be withstood better than expected. Especially in a life-threatening situation, your physical condition must have fluctuated from bad to good. However, if you look to see if your body has become healthier, you will see that it is no different from usual."
"..."
... Well, he was confused, too.The World's attention was both fortunate and unfortunate in itself. Convinced that the life of the human in front of him would not be smooth in the future, he let go of his wrist and turned his back with some sympathy.
Since he had healed a human that the World was paying attention to, he didn't have to worry about ruining the seed he was entrusted with.
"Then now, let me guide you..."
"King, King!"
He made a promise, and he felt pity at the same time. As he was about to guide him through the forest as planned, small fairies came flying in.
A face that looked urgent, unlike its usual playful and bright appearance.
"It's monsters! Monsters have invaded!"
"... Demon King...!"
He gritted his teeth.
***
The monsters invaded. This was where the Demon King was!
It was a place where there were even heads of other tribes.
Have they lost a lot of sense? Or did they suddenly turn around and lose your head?
I quickly followed the Fairy King and returned to where the Demon King was, without even realizing the gap in memory that had occurred in the previous conversation. I stopped in shock when I saw the Fairy King glaring at the Demon King as if he were going to kill him. The force was so terrifying that it made even the Demon King, who always kept his composure, waver his smile.
"... I'll handle it."
"Of course. Rather, it seems like they have lost their survival instinct..."
They invaded the place where the leaders of each race were gathered.
To the Fairy King's mutterings, the fairies flying around him added their words one by one.
"I got stronger!"
"I got more scared!"
"That's what happened after it ate some strange brown liquid!"
Huh? Wait, the last one... what?
There is no way the leaders of a race would miss what I noticed. Realizing the importance of the last words, they all looked at the fairy child.
"Brown liquid?"
"Yes! It drank some strange brown liquid and it got stronger!"
"... So, is this a conspiracy targeting our clan?"
Oh, I feel like I'm caught up in something I don't want to be involved with at all. Can you please send me home right now? The Demon King tilted his head without even looking at me, perhaps because he couldn't feel my gaze, or because he noticed but was pretending not to notice.
"At a time when I and the head of the mermaid tribe are here?"
"That's strange, too. I'll have to do some more research. Of course, after dealing with the damn monsters."
Do it quickly.
At my silent urging, the Demon King sighed, nodded, and looked back at me.
I'm sure you're not asking me to go with you. Unlike how nervous I was, he smiled and told me to stay here.
"I'm not doubting your skills, but since it's my first time here, there's a chance I could get lost. It can be difficult to control when using wide-range magic."
Then, of course, I should be waiting here. I was planning on happily complying without him having to explain it that way in the first place.
But wasn't widespread magic prohibited? He gave the order himself...
'That's right, he gave the order himself.'
In other words, the authority to withdraw orders or make some exceptions was also in his hands.
Was he saying he could do it and others can't? The mindset was exactly like that of a true Demon King. Anyway, since it had nothing to do with me, I lost interest and nodded obediently.
"Please come back."
After the Demon King disappeared, I looked around to check the atmosphere. Maybe it was because he was the one I encountered most often out of all the people here, but the first person I noticed was Hien, who was rolling his eyes nervously while holding the seed in his arms.
'... Even in this situation...'
It was only for a moment that the damn gardener was in sight. Just don't think about it. It's better not to worry about it here. I complied with the familiar urge to turn away and glanced at the Fairy King.
As if he sensed my gaze, he glanced at the source, checked me, turned his head, and snapped his fingers. The fairies, whom I had already seen once, appeared silently again and showed their courtesy.
"Bring me that brown liquid."
"All right."
Due to my previous experience, I was able to watch the entire process leading up to their disappearance without being surprised. This time, I made sure to join quickly, so there were no mistakes like before.
In the quiet space again, the Fairy King turned around without regret and saw the Mermaid Queen. I don't know when she went in, but she was in the pond, flapping her fins and leaning her arms on the water's edge.
"Who did this and with what intention?"
"I know, right. Even if we try to suspect humans, it is questionable whether they would be able to get this far. In the first place, humans only know the existence of demons and do not know much about the existence of other races, so they are not suitable as suspects."
"Even if you try to assume that someone in the demon clan did it, there is no reason to do so. There is no basis for that."
"There is insufficient reason to suspect the Demon King as the culprit. The Demon King is the type of person who uses force to suppress any dissatisfaction, and since he had now gone to kill the monsters..."
"What about you?"
This was something I felt every time the Fairy King opened his mouth, but his tone was very sharp. Should I say that it makes the listener feel bad?
If I were that mermaid, I would feel pretty dirty. It's not like he's saying it back, but he's saying, 'What about you?'
It seems like fights that shouldn't happen like this will break out...
Fortunately, the Mermaid Queen, who had a good personality, took his tone of voice without much offense. A calm voice came out quietly.
"I don't have any good reason for that either. What would be the use of making monsters that can't be controlled stronger? Even I am here. If the monsters came all the way here, the one most in danger is me."
"That... too."
"Then the rest of those here are..."
Hien and I.
Their heads turned towards me and then towards Hien.
Seeing him holding a moldy... or rather, contaminated, seed carefully, they shook their heads at the same time as if they were thinking the same thing.
"It's not him."
"Definitely."
You got rid of all their doubts right away. Congratulations, Hien.