Demon Bible

Chapter 211: Let the Challenges Rain Down!

Nemus was completely unaware of the changes happening to Zoven, nor did he care.

Nemus vaguely sensed that something was off with Zoven.

Baiter had shown up halfway through the pursuit to kill Zoven.

Thus, Zoven's escape was highly unlikely to be Baiter's doing.

In fact, Baiter's appearance entirely ruled out the possibility of his assistance.

If that was the case, Zoven breaking free from his control was almost certainly due to his bloodline.

The power stemming from the Fey.

If so, capturing the boy would become exceptionally difficult.

Just like before, Westbin had been able to recreate history to a certain extent.

He had even recreated the history of his own successful escape, which allowed him to safely flee to the outskirts despite having entered the North District.If not for Angel A's special trait, finding Westbin so quickly back then would have been a massive headache.

If Zoven had awakened the power of the Fey just like his father Westbin, sending regular subordinates after him was bound to fail.

It would likely just create more enemies.

During a Historical Transition Period, taking too much action only led to more mistakes. This was especially true when dealing with an individual so deeply tied to history.

As it stood, Zoven would probably get tangled up with Baiter. Reeling him back in anytime soon would be impossible unless Nemus acted personally or dispatched Angel A.

Therefore...

Let the challenges rain down.

There was no need to waste time on pointless endeavors; he just needed to quietly build his strength.

Since he could tolerate both Isabella and the Saint Child, one Zoven was nothing. He would let the boy grow and wait for the day he stood before him once more to issue a challenge.

Angel A was a trump card that couldn't be casually revealed right now.

He had to be saved for a critical moment.

Fate was both the tailwind pushing him upward and the massive wave capable of crushing him at any moment.

He needed an anchor to help him navigate it all.

Currently, that anchor was Angel A.

The unique Precept of Maverick from his original body provided feedback that made it difficult for fate to lock onto his existence.

In other words, Angel A was a wild card capable of influencing the flow of fate at critical moments.

Following Nemus's decision, things seemed to quiet down on Zoven's end.

That was until Anse arrived once again to rush him.

"The bounty hunters have already found this place. I am ordering you to leave right now," Anse demanded. However, his hostile tone didn't anger Zoven in the slightest.

He simply nodded. After finding Grandma Bird and bidding her farewell, he packed up and left.

Walking down the road, watching Grandma Bird and Anse shrink into the distance, Lilian felt that something was horribly wrong.

"This isn't right." Lilian's palm-sized body fluttered into the air as if she were searching for something.

Zoven looked at her in confusion.

"You were supposed to be attacked by Nels's subordinates while Grandma Bird was recovering."

"Grandma Bird, a genuinely good person, dies. You confirm that Nels is an evil villain. After clashing with Anse, you completely win him over and have him join your party to seek revenge against Nels. That's how it was supposed to go!" Lilian muttered to herself.

"That was the most logical development! Otherwise, Anse absolutely won't get involved in your affairs, and you'll lose a valuable companion."

"I think this is perfectly fine." Zoven paused for a moment before bursting into laughter. He knew Lilian harbored no ill intent; one simply couldn't judge a Fey by standard human morals.

To her, anyone outside the scope of a Heroic Epic was merely a prop.

And the sole purpose of that prop was to serve as a driving force for the hero's growth.

Therefore, in Lilian's eyes, if Grandma Bird died, so be it. It would have been a worthy death to fuel the plot. And if she didn't die, that wasn't a big deal either.

But the fact that Anse—the hero's destined teammate—failed to join the party was a massive problem.

Zoven hadn't interacted much with Grandma Bird. In fact, he had almost mistaken her for Nemus's subordinate and nearly killed her.

Yet, it was Grandma Bird who had enlightened him, snapping him out of his chaotic spiral.

There was no need to overthink so many things.

As long as he was certain something was right, he just needed to do it.

It wasn't as if Grandma Bird had never saved terrible people before.

Some criminals, after getting injured, intentionally came to seek her asylum.

Once they recovered from their weakness, they would immediately leave and resume their wicked deeds.

A victim had even come to confront Grandma Bird once, tearfully demanding to know why she had saved the monster who slaughtered his entire family.

They saw Grandma Bird as an accomplice to the murderer's crimes.

However, Grandma Bird never let it eat away at her. She didn't blame herself; she merely comforted the grieving victims.

Of course, if those victims sought revenge against the criminals, she wouldn't blame them either.

"Because saving a life is inherently right, my actions are right. Don't complicate things."

Zoven gradually came to understand this philosophy. He needed to judge matters as they were, without dragging unrelated complexities into the equation.

Otherwise, nothing in this world would ever be considered right.

His desire to become a hero was right, so he would keep moving forward. As for any mistakes he made along the way, he would acknowledge them, take responsibility, and carry that burden forever.

His desire for revenge against Nemus was also right. Regardless of whether Nemus acted like a great saint to others, he was still the monster who had slaughtered Zoven's entire family. If his revenge succeeded and a crowd of people hated him for it, then he would simply shoulder their hatred!

With this conviction, Zoven's heart became clear and unburdened.

Grandma Bird was a good person, so her safety was something to celebrate.

Even if it meant missing out on Anse as a potential teammate, it didn't matter.

Seeing Zoven's demeanor, Lilian tilted her head in confusion. She felt that, at this very moment, Zoven inexplicably possessed far more of a hero's aura than before.

But regardless, it was a good thing, so she just let it be.

Meanwhile, Zoven was completely unaware that shortly after his departure, the bounty hunters guarding the perimeter also packed up and left.

Right after the bounty hunters vacated the area, a black mass rolled across the ground and slipped into the small courtyard.

The black mass leaped directly into the water vat. After washing away the dark filth clinging to its surface, it revealed its true form—a massive white egg.

It was the very egg that Ahriman had spat out.

The Church had been searching for it for nearly a month.

Yet, this egg seemed entirely invisible to their tracking. It possessed not a single trace of demonic aura, leaving behind absolutely no clues.

They had only managed to find some signs of battle and lingering bloodstains near its initially estimated landing point.

"Who's there?" Grandma Bird's confused voice called out. Anse had only just left, and normally, the children she rescued wouldn't come to visit at this hour.

Pushing open the door, Grandma Bird laid eyes on the massive egg that had just hopped out of her water vat.