Reincarnated Devil's Strongest Hero Training Plan ~The baby he picked up has grown up so well that his father is confused~ - Chapter 112

Reincarnated Devil’s Strongest Hero Training Plan ~The baby he picked up has grown up so well that his father is confused~

Chapter 112   The Truth

After receiving an apology from the Goddess of Creation and being accepted as I am, some time has passed.

Now, we were away from the audience chamber, in what seemed to be a private corner of the castle, presumably the goddess’s personal quarters, discussing the contents of the consultation.

That said, I had already heard the general outline from Preanis, the chief angel.

To put it bluntly, the issue was that my presence would make the trials in the Holy Kingdom of Ars too easy, so they were asking me to refrain from intervening.

Rather, if I were to intervene, they wanted to adjust the trials accordingly, so they proposed having a strategy meeting in the celestial realm.

Understanding these circumstances, I had followed them to the celestial realm, and had only cautioned the goddess about her bad habits.

“I apologize for earlier, Kakyu-san. And to you as well, Elsa-san. I caused you both great discomfort…”

“It’s fine. It was necessary to show the other gods what kind of person I am, right?”

Well, if they didn’t know the extent of my abilities and what kind of person I am—someone even the goddess called a demon god from another world—there’s no way we could have an equal negotiation.

Therefore, the goddess needed to put on the farce from earlier and make it clear to everyone to “not interfere.”

Both Elsa and I understood this, so we let it go.

Although, it’s undeniable that this goddess has a somewhat twisted personality.

“Still, I never imagined that my husband was a demon from a dimension who could stand up to the gods of the celestial realm… I’m still surprised and my heart is pounding.”

No, I’m not a demon god.

I’m just a low-ranking demon from Earth.

It’s difficult to clearly explain the differences since both belong to the realm of demons, making them hard to distinguish. However, the demons of this world are more biological in nature, whereas demons like me are more akin to spiritual entities.

For example, when demons from this world die, they don’t come back. In contrast, a demon like me can revive, albeit with diminished power.

Humans have a soul housed within a physical body. When that body gains some spiritual aspects and enhanced abilities or immortality, it becomes a demon of this world. Finally, when a being is almost entirely composed of spirit and soul, creating its own body to manifest in the world, that’s a demon like me.

Additionally, the gods and angels of this world are more similar to demons like me. That’s why someone like Chibisuke remains the same unless their inner nature changes, and why they don’t age visibly.

Of course, explaining all this to Elsa wouldn’t really help, so I keep it to myself. However, it seems the gods have noticed my true nature.

“So, specifically, how am I supposed to be involved in the trials of Ars? To be blunt, his real strength lies not in defeating enemies but in saving others. If you’re just asking me to be a powerful obstacle in the trials, I’m going to refuse.”

It’s a natural stance to take. The goddess seems to understand this, nodding with a cheerful smile. However, given her earlier deception, her smile feels suspiciously insincere.

Chibisuke, who is also participating in the meeting, is munching on the snacks laid out on the table and murmuring things like, “My intuition senses a nasty future,” and “I feel a bit sorry for the hero,” while tilting her head as if some special sensor of hers is at work.

Having observed her so far, her intuition has been unfailingly accurate, making her a handy ally in such situations. This calls for caution regarding the goddess’s actions.

“Oh dear. It seems I’ve made you quite wary…”

“Of course.”

“That’s true, isn’t it? I understand.”

You understand, huh? This is where you should put up more of a fight!

This goddess is oddly straightforward despite her nasty personality, making her difficult to deal with. Overprotective Preanis and the inscrutable Chibisuke are the same—aren’t the denizens of the celestial realm a bit too strong in their individuality?

Or is it that the demon realm is too straightforward? While they’re full of malice, their thought processes are earnest and easy to understand, unlike these celestial beings.

“What I’m asking is quite simple. It’s the classic ‘set up and solve’ scenario. I will prepare trials that push the hero to his absolute limits, and I want you, Kakyu-san, to save the hero when he’s utterly cornered and broken…”

Match-pump, really.

I’m not one to talk, but couldn’t you show a bit more resistance? You just naturally mentioned pushing Ars to his limits, didn’t you…?

Chibisuke’s intuition was spot on again. That flag got raised quickly.

Seriously, just how close to the edge are you planning to push things if it’s a situation where I absolutely have to step in and save him? And what’s the point of doing that, anyway? What are the trials for the hero even about?

I have so many questions. Elsa seems to have the same doubts, as she exchanges worried glances with Preanis, the chief angel who’s now her mom friend.

“Of course, normally we wouldn’t put the hero through such extreme trials. Under usual circumstances, it would be enough to test his power and resolve to defeat the Demon King, with a few minor gods providing some training until he reach the pass mark… However, this time is different.”

The Goddess of Creation said this while looking directly at me. What, am I the cause of this?

What does she mean by that?

“The reason a hero was born this time is not because of the Demon King’s increased activity. The primary reason for the hero’s birth this time is you. Yes, you, Kakyu the Demon God, came from another world and influenced this.”

“…”

…What?

…Me!?

“Making that face won’t help. You need to understand this clearly. Listen, first, when you came to this world—”

And so, for the next few hours, she explained why Ars was born as a hero, why I ended up finding him, and why the trials for this generation’s hero couldn’t be completed under the same conditions as previous heroes.

Elsa, who had been listening along, seemed unfazed by the shocking revelations and just laughed them off lightly when they pertained to me. Preanis, on the other hand, simply responded with, “That makes sense.”

What’s going on here?

What did I do to deserve this? Chibisuke, don’t you think the same?

“I want more of these snacks.”

“Hey, listen to the conversation.”

No use. She loses interest as soon as the discussion gets lengthy and focuses entirely on snacks. Just a moment ago, when the topic was mainly about Ars, she was eager to jump in, claiming to be “the leading authority on hero studies.” Such a fickle personality.

She’s like a child. Well, she really is a child, through and through.

“…So, that’s the situation. You understand now, right?”

“Yeah, yeah. I get what you’re trying to say. It’s true, this is all because of me. Basically, the world, sensing a threat due to my presence which disrupts its balance, sought the strongest possible countermeasure, right?”

That seems to be the case. So, the real ultimate goal behind Ars’s birth isn’t to defeat the Demon King, but rather…

“…to eliminate the threat, which is me.”

“To put it simply, yes, that’s correct.”

Well, this is surprising. I had heard that the role of the hero changes with the times, but I never imagined it would culminate in a parent-child conflict.

What to do now…

Yet, at that moment, somewhere deep inside, I was looking forward to a future where Ars and I would clash head-on.