The death of the great hero Althea. The servant was the only one she ever loved, Oufru.

　Why Oufru killed Althea, Dohasura still doesn't understand.

　He had been her companion on her journey for many years, and had earned Althea's trust. He never showed any sign of disliking Althea. In fact, he must have trusted him more than anyone else. They shared the same ideals and swore to be together.

　That's why Dohasura was with them as an ally. Even though they were hexenbiests, he respected their nobility. He thought they were worthy.

　Why did that man become a traitor and a traitor? I can't imagine a single thing. At the time, I remember thinking it was the most improbable thing.

　It was not only Dohasura's case. None of Althea's allies who were still alive at the time understood the intent of Oufru's act.

　But no one could question Oufru. He had taken his own life after killing Althea. What happened and what happened to him? Where did the buttons get crossed and everything get screwed up? No one knows.

　Maybe Althea told something only to Oufru. Maybe it was something that was enough for Oufru to kill Althea.

　Or - perhaps Oufru's goal from beginning to end was to kill Althea.

　In any case, the cause of Althea's death was covered up until the end.

　It was a given. There was no way to tell. The great hero of the founding was murdered in his bedchamber by someone he loved. There was no way she could talk about it with impunity.

　So she died of natural causes after a long and grueling battle. It was a happy ending.

　It was surely the prayer and wish of all those who knew the truth. I wanted her end to be happy, for she had borne more pain and suffered more wounds than anyone else. Even if it was on record.

　And so, the greatest era of humanity comes to an end. With Althea's death, the bedrock of the unified empire began to creak and crack.

　The absence of a great hero who had been an absolute pillar of support. It was an unbearable temptation for kings with unbridled ambition. It was also a blow at a time when they still relied on the authority of Althea for everything.

　Some of the kings who had held the union together declared their independence, and people turned their backs on unification. People who had held hands and smiled at each other during the Altaian era began to talk to each other with swords.

　--Emperors outside of Altia are not emperors.

　That was what everyone said at the time. It was then that DohaSura understood the human heart.

　They can only be united by an overwhelmingly powerful person. And when the strongman is absent, they talk of themselves as the strongman.

　The empire that Althea built was lost within a dozen years of her death. But that does not mean that nothing was left.

　Humans became the champions of the continent and gained the freedom to walk the earth on their own feet. They enjoyed a happy era in which they could build their civilization and culture.

　It was not the time Althea spoke of, where all men were under a unified banner, where everyone was saved and everyone was happy. Even so, Dohasura came to think that it was better than the time when spirits ruled, dragons glared at them, and giants ruled.

　She didn't like anyone but Althea and her fellow humans. Still, she didn't hate them as much as she used to.

　Then, after Althea was lost, he had nothing to do. Days without an enemy to hate or a master to believe in. A life of utter emptiness.

　That's why he wanted to end it all in the south, his homeland, back then.

　DohaSura will never forget the voice she heard.

　--Doo. I guess I was wrong. Let's start over. Let's paint it all over and repaint the world.

　Dooh. A nickname for Doha Sura. Only my friends from back then call me that, and only one of them talks about me in such a friendly way.

　But the quality of his voice is different from what it used to be. I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not, but it's a good idea.


　I'm not sure what to say.


I'm not sure what you're talking about. I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not. She became the main being of the great demons and continued to exist.

　Dohasura looked into his eyes and said. His tone was his own, but was it my imagination that his voice sounded somewhat sad?

　He nodded in response to those words. And then... I urged him to continue. The angle of the scroll tilted lightly and his eyes narrowed.

There's not much to go on from here. Althea's demonic spirit continued to influence the world.

　He transformed a primitive religious organization into a great saintly religion, unifying people through faith. Perhaps in the course of this process, as she passed through the mouths of men as a god, her name was transformed from the great hero Altia to the male name Altius, the god of salvation.



　Althea realized, says Dohasura.

　People will not be unified by the state. They all do things for their own savage desires and needs, and think nothing of the whole. Even if they are subdued with authority and power, they will eventually come to ruin.

　Then you can't rule anymore. We can only rule.

　Let them do nothing, let them think nothing, let them only hope and wish. They will lie down, abandon their wisdom, and become as helpless as babies. Learning dies and books are burned.

　Then, at last, man will know dominion. Unity is achieved. The time will come when everyone will be saved and everyone will be happy. Then they will wish.

　--Hopefully, happiness in their hands.

　So said Dohasura. He opened his lips with amusement.

Just like that. In it I was ordered to protect this place. For as long as it takes for the heroes to come after me.

　I chewed on his words and rested my head on my cheek. My eyelids were strangely hot.

　My eyelids were strangely hot, and when I opened my mouth to ask if it was to protect the ring, he opened his eyes lightly and said he could not answer. He bent his fingers lightly.

　I can't. I don't understand.

　There's so much information crammed into my skull, it's a mess. I can't process what's right and what's not.

　Altius - Altia's past. His purpose is too fierce to be summed up in a single word. A person's life is not so easy to tell in a few words, of course.

　But even so, it's too thorny to swallow. Of course, it is possible that Doha Sura is not telling the whole truth, and that there are some missing or embellished information. But still.

"Unity in faith... It's too far fetched. Besides, even among the Great Saints there are forces that don't like the exclusion of wisdom.

　Fialaert said, trying to find the right words. It was a good argument, one that should have cut through Althea's thoughts.

　But I had a bad feeling in my skull. I ask myself if that's too much of a bad imagination.

　But at the same time, I have a hunch. A numb crawl down my spine. An imagination so ugly it stinks of rot. Dohasura says, in response to Fialat's question and my hunch.

"It's simple, isn't it? You humans will always unite in a pinch. That's how it was before. Then all you have to do is do it again.

　That's what all of humanity needs to do before an irresistible disaster. Everything will fall into place. The first time I saw him, his eyes were shaking.

　The first corner of my eye went up with a shiver.

　You can see the dead snow butterflies outside the window.