(Wilwatikta Kingdom, Throne Room)

(Moku’s 3rd POV)

Hearing Moku’s account of his encounter with Furfur, all the monsters in the throne room fell silent.

They were lost in their own thoughts, and for several minutes, the room was so quiet that not even an insect dared to make a sound.

Finally, Ez broke the silence, "We likely have very little time before the demons uncover the falsehoods in Moku’s story."

"Hmm? Why do you think that? Isn’t Moku’s story plausible enough to be believed as the truth?" asked Goku.

"No, Ez is right. We’ve underestimated the demons, assuming they have the same arrogance as the other Mana Species," Mige said, shaking his head, still deep in thought.

"What do you mean?" Swa asked, puzzled.

"What Mige and Ez mean is that demons are not like humans and elves, who never consider the possibility of other beings becoming as strong as they are, aside from Mana Species.

"They are not so conceited as to believe only Mana Species can rule this world. They still allow for the possibility in their minds that there could be other beings besides Mana Species who could rival them," Nevare explained.

"But they do not think these beings are from this world," added Nerphyl.

"That’s why Furfur’s questions were ’Where do you come from?’, ’When did you arrive in this world?’, and ’What is the purpose of your arrival?’. Furfur thinks we are aliens from another world," Nedira chimed in.

"More precisely, it’s not just Furfur who thinks this but also the leaders of the demon species.

"From the information Moku gathered from Foras and Furfur, the demon named Lucifer is one of the seven demons known as ’Those Who Came Before’.

"They are the supreme leaders of the demon species, with power equivalent to a Level 9 Constellation Mage!" Nezena added, not wanting to be left out of the explanation like her sisters.

"What our Main Queens say is true. They have already drawn their own conclusions about who we are, making it very difficult to change their minds," Boku stated.

"A crooked bone will remain crooked if left alone and will break if forced straight. That’s how it is with someone who has their own version of the truth.

"Even with strong evidence in front of them, they won’t believe it!" Widya, pregnant and seated on Mige’s lap, added.

"’It is not the eyes that blind but their heart,’ your words remind me of that verse," Nedira nodded in agreement with Widya.

"Chapter Migration verse 46," Nezena clarified.

The throne room fell silent again as the monsters pondered the meaning of the verse from The One’s holy book.

However, the silence didn’t last long because the monsters in the room were not just philosophers but also politicians who understood the importance of addressing the core issue.

"If that’s the case, then Lucifer will dismiss Moku’s story as mere fantasy. But if Lucifer doesn’t believe Moku, why did he ask us to attack the Human Alliance?" Goku asked, bringing the conversation back to the main issue.

"You mean Furfur, right? Since Moku was talking to Furfur at that time. Ah... could they have been connected through a message spell?" asked Swa.

Moku shook his head. "I didn’t sense any Mana activation from Furfur. However, if he has another way to connect with Lucifer or can mask his Mana usage, I wouldn’t know. He is too powerful for me to analyze." Moku spoke honestly.

He didn’t want the monsters to have any illusions about his ability to defeat Furfur. He wanted them to understand the true strength of their enemy and the gravity of their situation.

Although this could drastically lower the monsters’ morale, Moku trusted in their resilience. They didn’t just once face a danger capable of wiping out this species before.

To strengthen their resolve, Moku maintained a confident smile, showing them that everything would be alright under his leadership.

"Would it be wrong to assume that Furfur didn’t contact Lucifer at that time?" Nedira asked.

Mige shook his head. "It wouldn’t be wrong. We might worry about unknown enemy information due to our current weakness, but including it in our planning would be a bigger mistake. We must use the information we have and make contingency plans in case it is incorrect."

Boku and Ez nodded in agreement with Mige’s statement.

They understood that fearing something unseen would keep them in darkness. Even if the spark seemed minor and possibly just an illusion, it was better to follow any glimmer of light they could find.

Even if they were wrong, they would still gain hope to keep moving forward.

"So, does that mean Furfur made his own decision without informing his superiors?" Nedira continued, not disputing Mige’s point.

Before the monsters could delve back into their thoughts, Moku shared his perspective.

"I don’t think so. From what I observed, Furfur is not someone who acts on his own decisions. He is very militant and highly obedient to his superiors. And as you know I’m good at judging people." Moku glanced at the monsters with a smile, particularly at Ez, making his smile even broader.

"Ah, Ez was so brave back then. Even now, I still can’t believe a small goblin dared to come to the orc tribe intending to deceive them, hahahaha!"

Ez could only smile wryly, remembering the time they met again when Moku had become the chieftain of Dawnmist.

For a moment, small chuckles filled the throne room, slightly easing the previously tense atmosphere.

The memory of Ez trying to deceive Moku and the other orcs to attack the goblin tribe was truly funny.

Although the situation was tense back then, with a high possibility of a war that could have wiped out one of the tribes, it now served as a sweet memory for them.

Moku allowed the monsters to laugh heartily, easing the tense atmosphere. His teacher had once told him that a relaxed mind can solve problems that a tense one cannot.

Sometimes, a person becomes so caught up in their troubles that they can’t see things from a different perspective. That’s why Moku always joked and made the group laugh whenever meetings became too serious and tense. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Nevare, who understood Moku the best, joined in the laughter and banter with the other monsters. Of course, their beloved Prime Minister became the subject of their jokes once again.

Once Moku saw that the monsters were relaxed, Nevare steered the discussion back on track.

"In that case, it seems that no matter how Moku answered those three questions, Furfur’s demands would have remained the same," she said, summarizing their earlier discussion.

"That’s exactly right," Ez agreed.

As the conversation turned serious again, the monsters stopped teasing Ez and listened attentively to their Prime Minister.

"Then why did you say that we have little time before the demons uncover the falsehood in Moku’s story? Wouldn’t it be the same whether the story is true or not, since they still need us to attack the Human Alliance?" Goku asked.

Ez shook his head. "Even though Lucifer isn’t as arrogant as the leaders of the Mana Species, he still has a certain level of arrogance."

"What do you mean?" Goku asked, puzzled.

"Ez means that even though Lucifer believes there could be beings stronger than the Mana Species out there, he still thinks the Mana Species are the rightful rulers of this world. Isn’t that right, Ez?" Mige said.

"Mige is correct! Lucifer currently thinks we are aliens from another world. That’s why he wants to ally with us against the Human Alliance. But once they realize we are not aliens but evolved monsters, Lucifer won’t hesitate to exterminate us all."

"Why is that? Wouldn’t it be the same whether we are aliens or evolved monsters, since we are both enemies of the Mana Species in this world?" Nedira asked, confused.

"The difference lies in our perceived strength. Is that what you mean, Ez?" Nevare inquired.

"Exactly! The rule of the strong still applies to all creatures. If we are aliens, there’s a high chance we have individuals or groups as strong or stronger than Those Who Came Before. But if we are merely evolved monsters, that likelihood is very small," Ez explained.

"How did you come to this conclusion?" Boku asked, probing further.

"From Furfur’s response after hearing Moku’s story about us being the result of illegal human experiments.

"Even if someone has already made up their mind, we can understand the core of their beliefs by how they respond to counterarguments.

"Although Furfur is obedient to his superiors, he must have his own thoughts influenced by his leaders’ words. We can infer how the demon leaders view us from Furfur’s reaction."

"You mean Furfur dismissed Moku’s story as mere fantasy?" Nezena asked.

"Not exactly. Furfur’s reaction to Moku’s threat to annihilate all Mana Species was not dismissive but rather as if he already knew that was our true goal! From the start, Furfur has seen us as a threat," Ez concluded.