<The Demon Lord of the Swordsmanship Family Chapter 171>
“You, what’s your relationship with that person?”
“……!!”
At my question, Euria’s pupils trembled.
Euria, who reflexively stiffened, was watched by me with a chilly gaze, while Jin Yu-ri, unaware of the situation, looked back and forth between me and Euria, utterly confused.
“Ki… Ki-hyuk?”
“Shh. I need to talk to this one.”
“I don’t know…”
“Don’t pretend. I can see everything.”
The child who was playing with Spring earlier—wasn’t her name Hena?
To cut to the conclusion, this child named Hena possesses Euria’s power. Not a mere imitation but genuine, 100% pure Euria’s power.
How could this be possible?
Numerous hypotheses raced through my mind, but most of them were unpleasant.
“Th-there, actually, it’s…”
Euria, clearly flustered.
Guardian Spirit, the nameless entity, even started sweating.
It was desperately scrambling for an excuse, mouth stuttering in a way that was pitiful enough to bring tears to my eyes.
If I pressed any further, it might actually burst into tears.
However, the crying began from an unexpected source.
Two children, who had been pulling each other’s hair moments ago, now lay in a mess, sobbing uncontrollably.
Heeek, heeek… Nngghh!!
Youu!! Yooouu…
Waaaahh!!
Scanning my body quickly… I’m fine. Neither Spring nor Hena seemed hurt either—they were just exhausted and crying for no apparent reason.
“Spring!!”
Startled by Spring’s cries, Jin Yu-ri was at a loss, but she had her hands full too.
Meanwhile, Euria, her shoulders shaking as Hena cried, looked equally overwhelmed.
“Hmph… Yu-ri, can you look after the kids for a moment?”
“Okay! Kids!!”
“I have to…”
“You, leave it. I need to talk.”
“But later! I’ll take care of Hena later…”
Euria was about to dart out, but I leaned over and whispered into her ear.
“You, that power you lost… is it with her, right?”
“…?!”
Apparently, I was correct. She could no longer hide her discomposure, her inability to maintain her composure obvious.
“Come along now. The kids will be fine with Yu-ri.”
My usual self would have grabbed her by the collar and demanded, “What have you done to that child?” but recalling not only Yggdrasil’s assessment but also my initial impression of Euria, she didn’t seem entirely bad.
I assumed she hadn’t done anything cruel to the child.
For now, I’ll trust her.
Though if she has, we might need to have a more… forceful conversation.
The origin of the Guardian Spirits remains an unsolved mystery to this day. No one knows when, where, or how they came into existence—perhaps not even the spirits themselves.
However, one thing is certain: their purpose.
A single proposition implanted in their minds by the God.
Protect humanity.
They had no choice but to faithfully carry out this mission, whether they wanted to or not.
Time passed, and humanity’s civilization continued to develop.
A people once required to watch the fire continuously could now ignite it with the press of a button.
Once confined to the places where they were born, humanity now traveled the world if they had the money and reached for the stars.
Education, philosophy, culture, science, mana studies… in all fields, humanity grew stronger.
In contrast, the role of the Guardian Spirits began to diminish. Humanity had become strong enough to protect themselves.
There was no issue up until this point.
If only their “influence” had diminished proportionally.
Role and influence are different things.
A role could simply be left unfulfilled, but influence involves raw power, “ryeok” (力). It touches the fundamental essence of strength.
God gradually reduced the influence of the Guardian Spirits as humanity evolved.
Restricting them from leaving their designated areas…
Preventing their easy intrusion into the human world…
Limiting their full use of power against humans…
All of these were part of God’s arrangement, and the process continued steadily to this day.
Needless to say, the Guardian Spirits couldn’t help but feel resentment toward this situation.
While some, like Yggdrasil, who viewed themselves as outsiders, were relatively content as “balancers,” others who wished for more direct intervention were extremely dissatisfied.
Something must be done.
At this rate, we will be forgotten.
The interventionists researched tirelessly to overcome this adversity. Naturally, Euria, as one of the interventionists, contributed considerably to these efforts.
But as these endeavors progressed, the research by the interventionists grew increasingly extreme.
“Too late, Yellow Dragon.”
“My apologies. The Taesa (Young Lords) of the Martial Arts Alliance made a mistake.”
“Tsk, what do you give to humans? Rather, ‘mind control’ is much more efficient.”
“Mind control? You, Taesa. Are you serious?”
“Ah, it seems there’s a humanitarian like Euria among us. My apologies.”
In the midst of this, Euria achieved a certain success.
‘Bloodline Succession’
The phenomenon where strength is passed down from generation to generation.
While delving into this mysterious phenomenon, unknowable even to the all-knowing Guardian Spirits, she stumbled upon the foundation of human advancement.
The secret of heredity.
“…Do you mean you had a child?”
Guardian Spirits fundamentally lack reproductive capabilities.
However, Euria possessed a unique power—the ability to create familiar insects, ‘Oviposition’, which allowed her to produce eggs that stayed by her side.
These eggs harbor human fertilized eggs.
When Euria continuously infused power into these eggs, the fragile human chromosomes would mutate entirely into hers.
A true offspring of Euria would be born, human in form but bearing her power.
And that child was…
Hena.
“…That’s how it happened.”
“….”
Tap, tap.
I tapped the table with my fingers, lost in thought for a moment.
Am I surprised that Hena is Euria’s child? Indeed, it’s fascinating, but this isn’t the biggest revelation.
Because I’ve done the same thing already.
“Apparently, we think along similar lines, huh.”
“Huh?”
“Shh. Be quiet for a moment.”
Although the process was complex, it closely resembled the way my daughter Spring came into being.
The only difference being that she was an egg then, and this one is a child now. But at its core, the principle of inserting a piece of myself into the origin of life remains the same.
I guess it makes sense that our Spring would naturally feel such an aggressive connection to an individual similar in nature.
Alright.
Thoughts finished.
Clap, clap.
I applauded lightly, my gaze fixed on Euria.
Though her story of Hena’s creation intrigued me, it ended there for me.
The important question is…
“So what do you plan to do with Hena? There must be a purpose, right?”
What is that purpose?
Just an attempt to increase your followers?
It doesn’t make sense.
After losing so much of your own power, just creating followers wouldn’t justify it. Honestly, as remarkable as Hena is, she’s not exactly ready for immediate deployment.
Euria hesitated, unsure how to answer, but eventually conceded and closed her eyes as if accepting defeat.
“Initially, it was purely for research. Of course, I did feel some sympathy because she was from a human lineage I knew, but it was just that.”
“Then…”
“As time went on, my feelings changed.”
At the beginning, it was mere curiosity.
Just another typical research subject. Not more, not less.
However, the moment she felt Hena’s movements within the egg, Euria’s heart began to flutter.
“This was the first time I felt like this. It was thrilling. This was a feeling that transcended curiosity or interest. Later, I realized this truth: all my attention was fixated on that egg.”
From that moment on, Hena wasn’t just a test subject to Euria anymore.
She was her child.
My offspring.
The most poignant and passionate form of love.
Maternal love.
Euria now possessed maternal love.
“But, unfortunately, Hena inside the egg was unstable.”
“It was inevitable. It was the first try, after all.”
Of course.
The first attempt at research. In my experience, the chances of success in the initial trials are slimmer than winning the lottery.
And so, Euria threw herself into the task.
“At every sign of irregularity in Hena’s condition, I poured more of myself into her.”
“So, the power you lost…”
“Quite a lot of it is gone. I had no choice. At that time, I didn’t think about anything else but protecting Hena.”
By the time Hena was ready to hatch from the egg, Euria had lost almost a third of her own power.
But by then, this was no longer important to Euria.
Because she was holding Hena in her arms, feeling overwhelming joy.
“Know what? It truly… is a miracle. The thought of having a reincarnation of myself.”
“I know. That’s how I felt when I held Spring.”
“It’s exactly the same, isn’t it!”
What mattered if a little piece of me was lost?
As long as Hena was healthy, it didn’t matter.
Euria’s world revolved around Hena.
Hena grew rapidly every day, and Euria’s happiness blossomed watching her. She had never felt such profound joy in her life.
However, there was also a sense of concern.
Will Hena grow properly by my side?
Euria is a Guardian Spirit. The African Union she created was fraught with complications every day.
“Even if she continues to grow this way…”
“Indeed, she’ll get used.”
“That’s correct.”
Moreover, Euria’s influence had decreased significantly after transferring power to Hena. It was no longer possible for her to wield the same kind of influence as before.
Thus, the conclusion was clear.
“You entrusted her to Yggdrasil?”
“Guardian Spirits I’m close to are rare. Most of them don’t care about the human world, so Yggdrasil was my only option.”
“Yggdrasil doesn’t care about humans either.”
Though people generally think Yggdrasil is benevolent toward humans, I’ve observed her closely, and she draws a distinct line.
Like an art gallery visitor.
Yggdrasil observes the growth of humanity from beyond that line, like an audience.
That audience is Yggdrasil.
“I know. Even considering that, she’s better than the rest. Yggdrasil does take in humans who catch her interest. I believe Hena is interesting enough for her. Don’t you, Mr. Park?”
“Hm, Hena certainly is…”
“And…”
Euria’s expression turned sorrowful.
“Hena must leave me for the future.”
“Why?”
“Because she’s human.”
Because she’s human.
In this simple answer, all I could do was nod silently.
Humans cannot survive alone.
While Hena may accept the world around her as she grows up, would she be able to accept her true position as she matures?
It was unlikely…
And that’s when it clicked.
Then, the next topic:
“Transition to the balancing faction?”
“That, too, was influenced by Hena. Watching Hena made me rethink a great many things.”
As a child learns from their parents, so parents learn from their children.
Euria thought deeply about many things as Hena’s height grew day by day.
“I still believe it’s right to intervene for the peace of humanity. However…”
Euria came to her own conclusion.
“The direction of the current interventionists is wrong. What they’re doing isn’t really protecting humanity. It’s merely… ‘preservation.'”
To preserve.
This term has many meanings.
Generally, ‘to protect’ means shielding from external oppression.
But, viewed another way, isn’t controlling humans and preserving the human species as a whole also a kind of protection?
Judging from my perspective, the current interventionists are clearly walking the latter path.
“Is that all? Is it truly that?”
“Hah. You’re persistent. Alright, yes. It’s because I lack the power.”
Certainly, intervention takes strength. And right now, Euria lacks the necessary power.
“Back in the day, I occasionally ventured out, but now I rarely leave my realm. Within the Guardian Spirit’s domain, they cannot d*e.”
“I know. I’ve fought Red Dragon.”
“Wow! Red Dragon is really strong, right.”
“Yeah, but he’s still green behind the ears.”
“Haha. True, Red Dragon does have a childish side.”
With this, I now understand the entire truth.
Let’s go back to the beginning.
“The human to protect is Hena. Right?”
“That’s correct.”
“Can we deliver Hena to Yggdrasil once she’s safe?”
“That was the plan, but… I’ve changed my mind a bit.”
Then, Euria fixed her gaze on me.
A completely different look than before. The real Guardian Spirit Euria was looking at me.
The image of me in her eyes shattered into pieces and proliferated, like an insect’s vision… and I met her gaze steadily.
And after a while,
Euria uttered shocking words,
“Mr. Ki-hyuk, could you take care of Hena?”
“…What did you say?”
“Mr. Ki-hyuk, can you please take charge of our Hena? It seems like I can trust you. Please help. I’ll offer you anything in return.”
With a deep bow, Euria pleaded.
“Huh…”
I could only stare blankly for a long time.
*
Meanwhile.
At the outskirts of Cairo. In a certain household.
A group of turban-wearing individuals had gathered.
“Have you finished identifying her source?”
“Nothing has come to light.”
“We’ve searched every African Union nation, but there was no trace of this child.”
“Really… Is she truly Euria’s daughter?”
Can a Guardian Spirit even have children? In light of this unfathomable truth, everyone fell silent.
But the man seated at the head of the table slammed his hand on the table, shouting loudly.
“Get your wits about you. Does her identity matter? Rather, it’s advantageous that she’s the daughter.”
“True, according to the original plan, we can restrict Euria further this way.”
“Correct. Our focus must be on how to fully bring the African Union into the embrace of Allah. Think only of that.”
The land solely for Allah.
On that land, Euria was no longer needed.
