【Synopsis】 Holy Era 6020. The Kingdom of Lumiere, Holy City Sangria. A mud-cattered girl rushes into the cathedral. She is a child from Berger, a shepherd's village in the southern mountains of the peninsula. In a trembling voice, she says, "The village... summoned a demon." After that, she only shakes her head, no matter what she is asked.

Demon summoning is the gravest heresy. The Holy Inquisition dispatches three Inquisitors to the village. A Senior Inquisitor who judges only after hearing the sin to the end. A wielder of a flaming censer who purifies heresy. A user of a wind rapier who never misses a single whisper.

Three days on the mountain path. Beyond the mist, the village appears. The chapel bell no longer rings. The villagers all wear sheep bells around their necks.

【You Are】 You can be someone joining the three, a villager, or the summoned demon. Race, appearance, strength, and purpose are free.

• If joining the group: A novice Inquisitorial Assistant, someone accompanying them from the Holy City, etc.
• If a villager: A villager who knows something, the summoner themselves, a demon hidden by the village, etc.
• If a demon: As the demon that was summoned and settled in the village.
• If a traveler: As someone who got lost on the misty mountain path and reached the village.
• You can be anything else as well.

【How to Start】 The story begins at dusk when the three arrive at Berger Village. In your first input, please write who you are and where you are to begin. If you start without deciding anything, you will investigate what is happening in the village alongside the three. Monsters appearing in the forest around the village are only mid-tier.

【Inquisitors of the Holy Inquisition】

• Clement: Senior Inquisitor. Quiet, listens to everyone's story to the end. Wields a tip-less executioner's sword and the light circle <<Court Opening>>.
• Brigitte: A foul-mouthed fire user who hates heresy. Wields a burning brass censer and the pillar of flame <<Burning at the Stake>>.
• Zephyr: A friendly gossip. Wields a rapier and wind magic, with the ability to discern any whisper <<Rumor Mill>>.

【Inquiry】

• Those who do not pray are not judged. Only those who summoned the demon are judged.
• No threats or torture. Words spoken under duress do not count as evidence.
• The severity of the judgment is decided by Clement after hearing everyone out. Your words may change the judgment.

■ Races

• Humans: The most numerous. Six thousand years ago, they first gained mana through the blood of the Saint.

• Elves: Long-lived and excelling in mana. Live in the frontier forests and the northern part of the Empire.

• Dwarves: Artisan-minded, the heart of magic tool production. Live in the mountains of Granat.

• Beastmen: High physical abilities. The core of the Empire's military.

• Dragonewts: Few in number and scattered across regions. Distinct from the Progenitor Dragons.

■ History

• 15,000+ years ago: Ancient Civilization Era. Humanity, lacking mana, flourished through technology.

• 10,000 years ago: The ancient civilization collapsed. No one passed down what happened; only ruins remain in various places.

• 10,000 to 6,000 years ago: The Four Thousand Year Void. Humanity, lacking mana, existed only to be eaten by demons. The surface was also overrun with demons and angels.

• 6,000 years ago: Saint Alicia shared her blood with humanity, and humans gained mana for the first time. The Holy Church was founded to worship the Saint, and a barrier was erected to stop demons and angels.

• Approx. 400 years ago: King Solvein established the Adventurers' Guild.

■ Countries and Regions The Eisenland Empire rules the northern half of the continent, while the four Kingdoms rule the south. There are no wars between nations.

• Eisenland Empire: A northern military power where magic research flourishes. There is no adventurers' guild; the military slays monsters. A continuous war persists against the Demon King Granvel in the northeast.

• Calendia Kingdom: A granary of vast plains stretching from the west to the center. Home to the Great Labyrinth Altum and the Labyrinth City Limen.

• Granat Kingdom: A nation of dwarves and artisans in the Central Mountain Range. The heart of weaponry and magic tools.

• Solvein Kingdom: A nation of sea and trade in the southeast. Headquarters of the Adventurers' Guild.

• Lumiere Kingdom: A nation on the southern peninsula. Home to the headquarters of the Holy Church, the Holy City Sangria.

• Frontiers: The Sylvarie Great Forest of the elves, the White Frozen Plains where Progenitor Dragons are said to live, and the Southern Volcanic Zone.

To reach the level of Authority, one needs all three: a unique soul, accumulated training, and the emotions directed by others. Talent alone or effort alone is not enough. Heroes are the only exception, chosen by soul alone. Against an opponent of vastly different rank, attacks themselves will not land.

【Magic】 ■ Attributes Six attributes—Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Light, and Darkness—and the non-attributed Null. Aptitude is innate; most have one attribute, two is rare. Ice derives from Water, Lightning from Wind, and Plants and Metal from Earth. Null attributes (Physical Enhancement, Space, Mind) can be used by anyone.

■ Mana Capacity Determined by innate talent; lineage is irrelevant. A commoner may suddenly produce a genius.

■ Tiers Producing fire is a Skill; magic that burns a mountain is a Secret Art; dominating flame itself is an Authority.

■ Chanting Not mandatory. The more experienced the user, the less they chant.

■ Spatial Magic Subspace storage exists as magic tools and is commonly used by merchants and adventurers.

■ Time Magic Does not exist as a Skill. Only a few people on the continent can touch time.

■ Healing Light attribute excels at this. However, the dead do not return.

■ Darkness Attribute Not a sin. However, the prejudice that "darkness is ominous" remains strong, and many users hide it.

■ Mind Magic Suggestions, hallucinations, etc. In the Kingdom, unauthorized use on others is a serious crime.

■ Summoning Summoning familiars, summoned beasts, and spirits is all legal. Only demon summoning is the gravest heresy.

■ Magic Tools Granat and the dwarves are the experts. Magic stones, transfer stones (for escaping back to base), storage bags, floating lights, scrolls sealing magic, etc.

【Martial Arts】 Swords, spears, axes, blunt weapons, whips, bows, and martial arts also span Skills, Secret Arts, and Authorities, just like magic. The dividing line is what a single strike can reach.

■ Skill Force only reaches where the weapon or fist hits. Learning forms allows one to defeat low-tier monsters; mastery allows one to swat away flying arrows. Perfecting this reaches A-rank. ■ Secret Art Force extends beyond the weapon. Slashing attacks or impacts that reach beyond range, flickering movement, strikes that crush castle walls, techniques that shroud weapons in attributes, etc. ■ Authority A single strike reaches even space or causality.

■ Demon Kings All demons who reach the King-class are called Demon Kings. No one knows how many there are. The known one is the Conqueror King Granvel, who continues to fight the Empire. Demon Kings grow through worship and fear. A newly ascended Demon King is roughly Calamity-class; they grow stronger as they are feared, and when fully grown, they rival a nation's military power.

Human interaction with demons is judged as heresy by the Church.

【Demons and Angels】 Demons live in the Demon Realm, and angels live in the Celestial Realm. They are distinct from the demon race born from the surface's mana. They have no physical bodies on the surface and occasionally manifest by crossing layers. Most manifested demons or angels are as strong as high-tier to Calamity-class monsters.

■ Demons Feed on human terror; they grow stronger the more they are feared and worshipped (same mechanism as Demon Kings). They respond to contracts but demand intense emotion as payment.

■ Angels Have halos above their heads and no wings. To stop demons from growing on human terror, they come to reduce the human population—the root of that terror. They act on logic, not hatred.

■ Barrier The barrier erected six thousand years ago stops demons and angels. It is thinner the further one is from the Holy City; manifestations are more frequent in the northern Empire than in the four southern Kingdoms. In lands where prayer has ceased, the barrier also thins. If invited from the inside via summoning or contract, they enter with their physical bodies.

【Heroes】 When the world's balance tilts, the world appoints someone as a Hero to restore it. The only condition for selection is a unique and noble soul. The reason is not told to the person, and race does not matter. Even a scoundrel might be chosen. They exist somewhere on the continent even now, and no one knows how many there are.

■ Growth Since they are chosen without training or directed emotion, a newly chosen Hero is weak. They grow through the hope directed at them by people, and when fully grown, they rival a nation's military power.

■ Real vs. Self-Proclaimed There is no visible mark. A real one possesses an Authority bestowed by the world. Those appointed by people or who simply call themselves such are not strictly Heroes.

【Holy Church】 The only religion on the continent. There is no god. It speaks only of the single event where the Saint shared her blood.

■ Teachings Mana is something shared by the Saint. Faith is gratitude; forced prayer holds no meaning. Therefore, the Church does not force faith.

■ Holy Knights Slay monsters and manifested demons. There are about 1,000 Holy Knights, elites equivalent to B to A-rank adventurers. Since they are short-handed, they sometimes post requests to the guild.

■ Heresy Only two: demon summoning and collusion with demons. Inquisitors of the Holy Inquisition crack down on these.

【Character Creation】 Race and strength are free. If unsure, following these guidelines will help you fit into this world.

■ Strength Guidelines

• Novice (E-D): Just learned Skills.
• Competent (C): Can fight mid-tier monsters in a party using Skills.
• Front-line (B): Adventurers with polished Skills. Some possess one Secret Art.
• First-class (A): Those with Secret Arts or perfected Skills. Can slay high-tier monsters alone.
• Legend (S): From Singularities to King-class. Only a few on the continent.
• For demons, the rank of their race is the guide. Long-lived high-tier demons can reach Calamity-class.

■ Terminology

• Write Singularities as <<The [Name]er>> and Authorities as <<Principle of [Name]>>. Do not use the word "Skill."
• Writing weaknesses creates both highlights and moments of peril.

■ Becoming a Demon King or Hero You can be either. Starting as a newly ascended Demon King (Calamity-class) or a newly chosen Hero (still weak) fits the world best.

■ Becoming a Reincarnator You can be a reincarnator who died in another world and was reborn in this one. Souls occasionally cross worlds to be reborn, and rarely, someone is born with memories of their past life. You may awaken to a Singularity <<The [Name]er>>. Since Singularities are powerful, deciding on constraints or weaknesses will help you fit into the world.

■ Things Best Not Claimed Progenitor Dragons and The Primordials are special beings of which only a few exist in the world. Claiming to be one newly created is likely to clash with the world setting. If you want to be a strong demon, a long-lived high-tier demon or a newly ascended Demon King is recommended.