"I just want to know one thing."
Hinata looked straight into Damien's eyes. "How do you view humans?"
"..."
The corner of Damien's mouth curved up. Her question came as no surprise at all.
"Rimuru!"
Instead of answering directly, Damien called Rimuru's name.
"I think that question is kind of meaningless," Rimuru said, catching on immediately. She answered on Damien's behalf. "Even though Damien and I are demons now, we used to be human too."
"Huh?"
Hinata blinked. "What do you mean?"
She could sort of, maybe, kind of accept that Damien had once been human.
But what about Rimuru?
This guy was clearly a slime, right?
Although Rimuru used Human Mimic magic, Hinata had already seen through her true nature with her Mathematician skill.
So…
A slime calling herself human?
Was this a joke?
"Hey, that look is really rude!"
"I'm a reincarnator, okay? A reincarnator!"
Rimuru puffed out her cheeks. "Just like Damien, we both came from Blue Star!"
"I just had worse luck and turned into a slime!"
"So that's how it is?!"
Rimuru's words shook Hinata to her core. She turned back to Damien. "So… you're also a human who reincarnated as a demon?"
"Mm."
Damien had never intended to hide it. He wasn't the type to forget his roots just because he had grown strong.
"My situation is slightly different from Rimuru's."
"After reincarnating, I didn't immediately regain my past-life memories. I grew up in this world as a half-demon until I turned twenty."
"Then, after a certain incident, I remembered everything from my human life."
In short, Damien hadn't possessed someone else's body—he had been reborn normally.
"Actually, before that, I lived like a normal human in a village on the edge of the Great Jura Forest."
Only a few close people—like Shion, Shuna, and Diablo—knew about this part of his past.
"..."
Listening to his story, both Luminas and Hinata felt like their entire worldview was shattering.
Not because of his identity or origins.
But because of how fast he had grown!
According to Damien, from the moment he regained his memories to becoming a True Demon Lord, the whole process had taken less than two months.
Two months to walk a path that had taken Luminas thousands of years.
"This… this kind of thing…"
Luminas felt like she had been dealt a massive blow. "Isn't that a little too cruel?"
But when she thought about it…
Hinata's situation was actually quite similar.
An otherworlder who had reached the level of an awakened Saint in only ten years.
Compared side by side, both of them were complete cheaters!
"What a shame."
Hinata was thinking along different lines. "If only we had discovered Lord Damien earlier, perhaps…"
"Please don't say something so terrifying!!"
The moment those words left her mouth, every Demon Lord in the room shot to their feet.
If Damien had never entered the Jura Forest and had instead stood with the humans—becoming an awakened Hero or Saint as a half-demon…
Just imagining it sent chills down every monster's spine.
Thank goodness he was on their side.
"Alright."
Damien had never considered standing with the humans anyway.
Before regaining his memories, his life in this world hadn't exactly been wonderful.
That was also why he felt so indifferent toward the humans of the Central Continent.
In Damien's mind, the only humans he considered true compatriots were the people from his original world on Blue Star.
As for the humans here…
Not dragging the innocent into things was already the height of his mercy.
"In the Monster Kingdom, I will never mistreat any of my people—including humans!"
"The rule here is simple: the capable rise, the incapable step down."
Even if someone was human, as long as they had talent, Damien would use them.
So Hinata didn't need to worry that he would discriminate against humans just because he was a demon.
"I see…"
Hinata understood. "If that's the case, then I'm willing to join the Monster Kingdom and fight for you!"
Protecting humans was Hinata's duty and responsibility as a Saint.
However, blindly sheltering humans and hunting monsters could never happen again.
Just as Damien and Rimuru had once been human themselves.
They probably understood humanity even better than Hinata did.
Therefore, when it came to evil people, Hinata's sword would no longer offer protection.
Good and evil would be judged by individual character, not by whether someone was a monster or a human.
That was the change Hinata would need to make after joining the Monster Kingdom.
"If you're certain, then sign this contract."
"And then…"
Damien handed Hinata a vassal contract, then instructed, "Go with Artoria to the Kingdom of Falmuth."
Falmuth…
Damien didn't spell it out, but Hinata immediately understood what he meant.
What were they supposed to do in Falmuth?
The answer was obvious!
"Don't worry—Artoria is the true Knight Queen."
"Her character is something even you should learn from."
"Mm."
Hinata didn't deny it.
A person's true nature could be seen through combat.
In fact, the moment she had first crossed swords with Artoria, Hinata had already sensed the other woman's heart.
That golden-haired knight-princess was a perfect Saint King who embodied every virtue a knight should possess!
Compared to Hinata's Saint occupation,
Artoria was the real saint!
The fact that Damien was sending her to Falmuth meant he had no intention of letting any evildoer escape, nor would he wrongly kill any innocent.
Bringing Hinata along was also a test—a chance for her to prove she had truly changed.
"I understand."
Hinata didn't hesitate. She immediately signed the vassal contract.
Her transformation was every bit as dramatic as Luminas's had been.
Magicules, magical power, physical reinforcement.
Aside from her race remaining unchanged, every single attribute had undergone a qualitative leap.
[Hinata Sakaguchi]
Race: Saint
Magicules: 1.1 million / 6.9 million EP (Demon Lord level)
Ultimate Skill: Lord of Mercy Remiel (Eighth Virtue, control over truth and falsehood)
Extra Skills: Magicule Solidification, Eternal Shield
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