A Demon Lord’s Tale: Dungeons, Monster Girls, and Heartwarming Bliss-Chapter 604.1

The Meaning of the World (2)

My vision was distorted.

It was a strange sensation, as if my consciousness was spinning around.

I was here, but also not here.

Was I standing, or sitting?

Was I lying down, or doing a handstand?

The only thing I was sure of was the weight of Sakuya in my arms.

Even the feeling of Enne, who I should have been holding too, grew distant. But my son’s warmth remained unchanged, and I continued to hold his body with all my might.

Before I knew it, I was standing with Sakuya in a white void.

Everything was white, and I couldn't tell up, down, left, or right. It was a place with no sense of width or depth. I had no idea if this place was wide or narrow.

"This place…" (Yuki)

… It looked familiar.

It looked just like the place where I once spoke with Ruin.

The only difference was that when I looked around, there was no one here.

I guess passing through the door was the trigger that brought me here… but there was nothing here.

No, there was also another difference.

The last time I went to that place, I was alone, but now I had Sakuya in my arms.

… Did Sakuya ask me to hold him so that we could come here together?

When I looked at my son, he smiled and touched me with his small hand, as if to relieve my tension.

"… Haha, well, I guess, it's another adventure, so let's have fun." (Yuki)

"Auh!" (Sakuya)

"Yeah, a man’s true worth is shown in how he faces the unknown. Still… Sakuya, I have no idea where to go. There’s nothing here." (Yuki)

"Auh?" (Sakuya)

"Well, with everything so white, I don't even know where I'm standing…!?" (Yuki)

Then I looked down and noticed.

There was a ball of light.

It seemed I was wrong to think that this was an empty space.

The ball was so huge that I didn't realize the ball of light was there.

Just a glowing ball of light…

I didn’t know what it was, but I understood instinctively.

"Dominus… is it…" (Yuki)

Dominus…

The world itself…

Dominus didn't say a word when we appeared.

Since it was a life form different from us, we didn't know if it even recognized us as "individuals".

…or rather, Dominus was this world itself, which meant it was like the core of this world, right?

So then, what exactly was this place…

Then this place would be, the spirit of this world, the location of its core existence.

Then a faint sound made me turn around.

Before I knew it, a small figure was there.

A girl…

Long, lustrous black hair cascaded to her waist.

She had beautiful, doll-like features.

However, it was clear that the girl was not a living being because her body was translucent…

She might also be a race similar to the Wraith girls, but from her appearance, I doubt that was the case.

I had never encountered this girl before, but there could most likely be only one woman who could be so near Dominus. That was…

"–Gaia, is it?" (Yuki)

[Correct.]

The Earth Goddess [Gaia] grinned.

◇◇◇

"You are… wait, what that bones, Ruin, you were the person that was shown to me during that time, right?" (Yuki)

[Hmmm, By Bones, you mean… indeed.] (Gaia)

It might have been rude to ask that.

N-no, well, it was just speculation.

So, she could choose whether to appear as a shadow or a translucent being.

"… In Ruin's shadow play, Gaia was represented as an adult woman." (Yuki)

[Do I not look like an adult?] (Gaia)

"… Um…" (Yuki)

[I am an adult, you know?] (Gaia)

"… Yes, of course." (Yuki)

[Hmm, good.] (Gaia)

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