Chapter 10
The Forest of Four Seasons (5)
There were many different races in the world, but whenever people were asked which race was the most specialized in combat, they all gave the same answer.
The demons.
Even the demons themselves acknowledged it.
Horns growing from their heads, blue-toned skin, and inverted eyes that sharply distinguished them from other races.
Mana they could naturally wield thanks to their innate physiques.
Magic of overwhelmingly greater power than that of other races.
All of these traits combined had earned them the name “the devil race,” and true to that name, they were fiercely devoted to their desires.
***
Title: I’ll Teach You Continental History
In the past, demons caused all the trouble.
Now it’s the elves.
History lesson over!
L Looking at history, demons were absolute thugs.
L There’s a reason a Hero appears in every era lol.
L If nobody keeps these bastards in check, the world is screwed lol.
L What kind of lives do demons even live?
Because they were so faithful to their desires, they had been infamous for their cruelty in the distant past.
Their tyranny had been so severe that a Hero appeared in every generation to kill or restrain the Demon King.
The Demon King was the ruler of Mephisto, the nation of demons, while the Hero was an elite warrior personally cultivated by humanity.
A noble character.
Outstanding talent.
Devout faith.
And overwhelming divine power granted in proportion to those qualities.
Because of these circumstances, the past had been filled with repeated clashes between the Demon King and the Hero, resulting in no small number of casualties.
But perhaps the demons eventually grew tired of that long conflict.
Or maybe they simply got bored.
L It’s not like they actually came to their senses. There was once a guy who killed a player for scoring an own goal lol.
L Holy crap, that’s insane lolol.
L Is that why they stopped calling it a “suicide goal” and changed it to “own goal”?
_ That’s why player protection is extremely strict in Mephisto.
***
Title: When Did the Demons Finally Come to Their Senses?
They suddenly got quiet at some point.
L They calmed down when they got bored of fighting and invented that weird ball game.
L Hey, don’t call it weird! Say that to a demon and they’ll tear you limb from limb.
L Those bastards are surprisingly serious about ball games lol.
The demons desperately craved a form of combat that did not involve fists.
They wanted something as exciting and tense as battle.
They had grown tired of simply punching and kicking each other.
So they put their battles against the Heroes aside and conducted study after study.
Eventually, they created an entire culture.
Ball games such as soccer, baseball, basketball, rugby, and American football.
In other words—
Sports.
At first, even the demons themselves thought it was ridiculous.
Why play with balls when they could simply fight?
There were already gladiators who fought each other, so why choose ball games of all things?
However, as time passed and society and law developed, violence gradually became taboo.
More importantly, there were far too few forms of entertainment.
When people gained peace of mind, they naturally sought amusement.
Because of that social trend, along with the limitations of an era lacking proper entertainment, the demons inevitably began to take sports seriously.
Thus, the demons—who were passionately devoted to every source of dopamine except drugs and gambling—became completely obsessed with mere “ball games.”
***
Title: Here’s How Serious These Bastards Are
You can mock demons for being weak in a fight and they’ll just laugh it off.
Why?
Because they know they’re stronger.
They’re naturally powerful enough to rival elves.
But ball games?
Call them weak at those and they’ll charge at you like they genuinely intend to kill you.
Especially soccer. Their pride was shattered when humans won the championship lol.
ㄴ How do you know that?
L I teased my demon friend while we were playing futsal and he broke my arm.
With demons potentially invading at any moment while blasting magic everywhere, there was no reason for other races to accept their culture.
Ironically, however, the first race to adopt demon culture was humanity.
One might ask why humans, who had suffered the greatest losses during the long wars against demons, would do such a thing.
The answer was simple.
Humans had short lifespans.
That meant their generations changed far faster than those of other races.
The generations that remembered the demons’ past atrocities gradually disappeared.
Eventually, only generations who remembered them as idiots obsessed with ball games remained.
As interaction with the demons slowly increased and humans began adopting their culture, humanity came up with a clever strategy.
ㄴ He brought it on himself lololol.
_ Did he at least pay your medical bills?
ㄴ Yeah, he did. But he warned me not to say that to any other demons. Apparently, I might actually die.
L Just how serious are they about this? lololol.
Naturally, sports had originally been a culture enjoyed only by demons.
The other races had shown no interest.
***
Title: An Unavoidable Trap from the Demons’ Perspective
Human: If we have a problem, let’s settle it through ball games. You’re already insanely strong anyway.
Demon: Fair enough lol.
Human: But you know how pathetic it would look if you started causing trouble just because you lost, right?
Demon: Why would we lose? lol.
And ten years later, the humans completely crushed them.
Human: We won, you losers lol.
Demon: Screw this. It’s war.
Human: Wow, you’re starting a war because you lost a ball game? Have you got no pride?
Demon: Ah, damn it... This pisses me off, but I can’t argue with that.
L Lololol, there’s literally nothing they can do.
_ Does diplomacy really work like that?
L It’s summarized, but that’s genuinely what happened lol.
The demons were a race whose pride rivaled that of the elves.
They had a history of tormenting neighboring nations using their natural strength, but that had been during a more barbaric age.
After spreading the culture of sports across the world, their reputation gradually improved.
Their pride, however, remained unchanged.
Humans cunningly took advantage of that pride, provoking it little by little to gain benefits.
The demons had effectively trapped themselves in a contradiction, so they had no choice but to grit their teeth and focus on diplomacy.
L That’s a fact.
L It only worked because their strength was roughly equal lol.
L But what were the elves doing?
ㄴ Those bastards just stood back with their arms folded until it was all over lol.
L That’s because Mephisto is close to the human kingdoms.
L Elves are useless as always.
ㄴ And now those same damn elves are causing trouble, right?
L What the hell did we humans ever do wrong?
L Our ancestors founded the country in the wrong place lol.
L We’re surrounded by nonhuman nations on all sides lolol
***
Title: One Important Fact
Without the Hero, the demons would still have started a war.
Of course, most of this was spoken half-jokingly.
Sports remained sports.
Its popularity, however, rose to the heavens because it allowed different races to overcome their natural differences and compete fairly.
Mana could not be used.
Victory depended solely on physical ability and skill.
Most importantly, sports embodied the chivalric spirit appropriate to the age.
Sportsmanship.
That romantic ideal captivated people as well.
***
Title: What Are Dwarves Even Good At?
They’re too short for soccer and basketball.
They don’t have the physique for rugby or American football.
Even baseball is difficult because their strike zone is weird.
What can they even do?
_ PassingDwarf) We make the balls, asshole.
ㄴ Do you earn a lot?
L PassingDwarf) We make a shitload whenever there’s a major tournament.
_ Did dwarves make the balls in ancient times too?
L I heard they used human heads as balls back then.
L What the hell ;;
***
Title: Something Interesting About Beastfolk
The race that loves both the quietest sport, baseball, and the roughest sport, American football, the most.
Why?
L SuspiciouslyFurry) What are you talking about? In baseball, they smash people’s heads with bats.
L That’s a gang fight, you idiot lololol.
L Bench-clearing brawls lololol.
L Beastfolk are built tough, so they’re fine even after that lol.
Dwarves were disadvantaged by their stature and could not participate in many sports directly, but they still gained plenty of related opportunities.
Balls, uniforms, and all kinds of equipment.
Given the technological level of the age, every form of precision craftsmanship was entrusted to dwarves.
As industrialization and commercialization rapidly progressed and various tournaments began to be held, Mephisto transformed into a nation of culture.
Sports could make people feel joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure simply by watching.
At the same time, they were a drug capable of driving people insane.
Popular sports differed from nation to nation and race to race, but the fact that Mephisto had invented them never changed.
For that reason, sports were deeply woven into everyday life in Mephisto.
A form of entertainment enjoyed by everyone, regardless of age, sex, or social status.
“No! How could he miss that?! Are you kidding me?!”
The same applied even to Mephisto’s highest-ranking figures.
A woman with the blue skin and inverted eyes unique to demons, yet possessing exceptional beauty.
Her glossy hair was as black as midnight, while the curled horns growing from her head gave her a strangely captivating charm.
And finally, she had a figure capable of setting countless men’s hearts ablaze.
There was not a single flaw to be found.
“Wow. Even I could’ve scored that.”
She was Keirin Rondel Archive, princess of Mephisto and heir to the title of Demon King.
She cursed as she watched the soccer match being displayed through a magical broadcasting orb.
After the creation of sports, Mephisto had invented various forms of magic to properly industrialize them.
The broadcasting magic Keirin was currently watching was one such invention.
Its coverage extended across an enormous area.
“That piece of garbage cost one hundred billion yura? Are the people running Chae-U blind?”
Keirin clicked her tongue and furrowed her elegant brow.
Her expression was filled with displeasure.
As the princess of Mephisto, she was revered by countless people.
Thanks to her innate strength and background, she faced almost no political pressure.
If something displeased her, she could apply pressure whenever she wished.
But doing so in sports would cause a massive scandal.
I know there’s nothing I can do, but it’s still frustrating.
A noble could own a club.
However, the moment they used political influence, they would be expelled immediately.
It was not formally written into law, but it was an unspoken rule.
Sports were a culture enjoyed not only by nobles, but by everyone.
Unless it involved something unavoidable, like war, not even the highest-ranking members of society could completely control it.
They could exert some influence through policy, but interference beyond that was impossible.
[The match is over! Chaemes United suffer a two-to-one defeat at home!]
[It’ll be a festival in Moss Village tonight. They’ve taken another step closer to their long-awaited promotion to the Challengers League!]
[Meanwhile, Chaemes United are now barely holding on to their position in the table. How will Manager Horen respond to—]
“Damn it.”
Click.
Keirin irritably shut off the broadcasting magic.
They had thrown away a match they had practically won because someone got sent off.
She covered her face with both hands for a long moment before slowly lowering them.
Then, with a blank expression, she accessed the gallery.
[Chae-U are mid-table trash! Chae-U are mid-table trash! Chae-U are mid-table trash!]
[The Cheonggu bastards are trembling~ The Cheonggu bastards are trembling so hard~ The Cheonggu bastards are trembling~]
[???: Better start sucking up now, huh?]
[Cheonggu fans eliminated lololol.]
The moment the match ended, lunatics flooded the gallery.
It happened every time.
Keirin let out a hollow laugh and made a post.
***
Title: Revealing My Asshole
CheongguPrincess
(Picture of an emblem bearing a deer symbol.)
This is my asshole.
L Lololol, did Cheonggu lose today?
L CheongguPrincess) Those motherless bitches conceded two goals in stoppage time lol.
L No wonder the lunatics came crawling out.
After making the post, Keirin rose from her seat.
Her head felt far too hot.
She needed to cool down.
Before that, I should clean the room.
She looked around.
Chaemes United jerseys, replica trophies, and countless other pieces of Chae-U merchandise filled the space.
It was exactly the kind of room someone utterly obsessed with soccer would decorate.
And that was precisely what she was.
Snap!
Keirin snapped her fingers.
Every item disappeared, leaving behind a completely barren room.
This place had originally been designed as a training hall.
It was a private training facility constructed solely for Keirin.
She looked around the empty hall several times before lowering her gaze.
Instead of a dignified dress, she was wearing an almost painfully ordinary jersey.
The name printed on it belonged to a former legend of Chae-U.
Snap!
Another snap of her fingers transformed the jersey into a beautiful black dress.
All of it had been done through magic.
Normally, a mage would need to chant an incantation.
Keirin had no such need.
She could manifest magic with a simple gesture.
After carefully checking that nothing was out of place, she walked toward the exit.
A door protected by numerous security spells and locking mechanisms stood there.
Clunk!
Keirin disengaged every lock and stepped outside.
A middle-aged butler was waiting with several knights.
“You’ve worked hard, Princess. Have you finished your training?”
“Yes. You have worked hard as well.”
“Not at all. It is my duty to serve you, Princess.”
The butler bowed deeply as he answered.
Keirin walked past him and gently patted his shoulder.
It was her way of acknowledging his efforts.
Emotion immediately appeared on the butler’s face.
A warmth that could not be found in the current Demon King.
That warmth drew people toward her.
She had every reason to become arrogant as the next heir to the title of Demon King.
Keirin’s personal strength also ranked among the five greatest on the entire continent.
Despite that, she was neither arrogant nor unkind.
Her heart was gentle as well.
One might wonder whether such a small gesture really mattered.
However, it was necessary to remember that these people were demons.
Besides, Keirin only spoke stiffly. She was kind and considerate not only toward the butler, but toward everyone.
Her Highness seems to be in a poor mood today. Did she fail to gain anything from her training?
The butler thought as he followed behind Keirin.
After serving her for many years, he had learned to read her emotions to some extent.
Today, she was in a terrible mood.
An exceptionally terrible one.
At times like this, the wisest course of action was to remain silent.
She might be kinder than most demons, but Keirin was still a demon.
If someone irritated her, magic would come flying.
Even emotional-control training, which she only does once or twice a week, must be difficult.
Demons were a warlike race, rivaling even beastfolk in that regard.
They enjoyed the act of competing to determine victory and defeat.
In the past, that nature had manifested as violence and caused tremendous damage to those around them.
But things were different now.
As violence became taboo, controlling one’s emotions grew increasingly important.
This was especially true for those of high status, since a single impulsive outburst could ruin everything.
For that reason, emotional-control training was extremely important.
And because of that, it was also difficult and painful.
Damn it. Seriously. How the hell do you concede two goals in stoppage time?
Keirin had indeed been practicing emotional control.
Her method, however, differed from the usual one.
As an ardent Chaemes United supporter, simply watching a match sent her emotions surging up and down without warning.
In the past, she had struggled to control herself and smashed the training hall whenever she got the chance.
That was no longer the case.
Now she had reached the point where she could simply think, Sigh. You useless bastards. Of course you’d do that, and move on.
Whatever else might be said, her mental fortitude was slowly reaching a level comparable to that of a Saintess.
“Why am I a Chae-U fan?”
After returning to her bedroom, Keirin lay on the bed and thought back on the past.
Why had she become a fan of soccer, and Chaemes United in particular?
Originally, she had lived a life far removed from soccer.
No matter how widely the culture had spread across the world, she was still a member of the upper class.
Soccer, in particular, had spread upward from the lower classes, so the aristocracy had harbored a fair amount of hostility toward it.
However, not even the upper class could ignore the wealth generated by culture.
Culture itself was also impossible to suppress.
The moment someone tried to stop it, it only spread further.
Without it, things probably would have been even harder.
Keirin had been educated to believe that soccer was something watched only by ignorant commoners.
Yet many clubs were owned by nobles.
Only royalty and a handful of particularly old-fashioned aristocrats truly disliked it.
Even they viewed sports in a generally favorable light.
It was soccer alone that drew their hostility.
Because of that, Keirin had once looked down on soccer as well.
Then, little by little, she became obsessed with it.
The cause was none other than the gallery.
Everything changed when she happened to gain access to it.
Knowledge she had never encountered while being raised like a flower in a greenhouse.
And the strange, addictive quality found only in soccer.
For Keirin, who had been born a demon, it was no different from trying a new kind of drug.
Naturally, she began supporting Chaemes United, the club representing her home region.
She even created the gallery username CheongguPrincess.
Damn it. It’s frustrating that I can’t even attend matches in person.
Keirin did not express that frustration in reality.
There were political reasons.
One might wonder how something as trivial as soccer could become a political issue.
Strictly speaking, it was closer to a generational conflict.
Demons might not live as long as elves, but their lifespans were still considerable.
As a result, generational turnover was slow.
Many members of the older generation who remembered the demons’ brutal past were still alive.
That older generation firmly controlled the existing power structure, creating a politically delicate situation.
One generation regarded glory stained with violence as a form of honor.
The other had embraced a new form of entertainment called sports.
As the two generations clashed, nobles naturally had no choice but to pay attention.
Since soccer was the most popular sport of all, it inevitably became entangled in politics.
Why did I do that... I only did it because I hated seeing Chae-City grow...
On the surface, Keirin was regarded as someone belonging to the generation distant from soccer.
That was because of one of her policies.
She had imposed certain restrictions on Cetan’s gold money.
Part of the reason was that those damned dark elves were notorious for swallowing famous clubs with their obscene spending.
But the biggest reason was the Noisy Neighbor.
Chaemaster City had once been a third-division club.
Then it received an injection of gold money and rose into a powerhouse almost overnight.
It had even won the biggest tournament in the world last year.
Meanwhile, Chae-U continued to struggle.
Keirin’s pride had been thoroughly crushed.
Naturally, it made her blood boil.
That was why she had spoken up just once.
***
Title: Poll—Who Do Chae-U Fans Hate the Most?
The Medes FamilyPrincess Keirin
L I know why people hate the Medes Family, but why Princess Keirin?
L She made the acquisition process much stricter. Otherwise, Chae-U could’ve enjoyed that sweet gold money too.
***
Title: Basically, It Went Like This
Medes Family: We’re selling Chae-U~ Huge bargain sale!
Cetan: Oh! We’ll buy it! Here’s the money!
Keirin: Hell no! Not happening! Policy enacted immediately!
Medes Family: Oh no. The policy means we’ll have to raise the price lol.
Cetan: Fuck this, we’re not buying.
ㄴ Lololol, now I understand perfectly.
L But doesn’t Keirin’s position make sense too?
L Opinion is split about fifty-fifty. Still, to Cheonggu fans, she’s an enemy they want to tear apart lol.
L Doesn’t Keirin hate soccer too?
_ There’s no official statement, but she probably does.
For Keirin, it was enough to make her explode in frustration.
Her love for soccer went beyond even her love for Chae-U.
If she were ever allowed to cut loose, she would attend matches every week.
She might even become a hooligan and cause trouble now and then.
Since she could not do that, she secretly bought jerseys and merchandise to soothe herself.
Of course, watching the matches only made her angry again, but that was beside the point.
Just wait until I become Demon King. I’ll attend matches openly while wearing the jersey.
With soccer at its core, sports had become an area not even the Demon King could recklessly interfere with.
The moment the ruler touched it, they would effectively be declaring hostility toward the people.
That was both the terrifying power of culture and one of its side effects.
Was that not why demons and other races alike had become completely absorbed in it?
Countless forms of magic had been invented merely to develop that single culture.
Broadcasting magic was one example.
Amusingly enough, Mephisto was moving closer and closer not toward victory through conquest, but toward victory through culture.
None of that matters. I just wish they’d stop making such terrible signings.
Keirin sighed inwardly and made a gloomy face.
She no longer looked like the ever-dignified princess of the demons.
She looked like nothing more than a troubled Chae-U supporter.
The gallery was the best place to soothe feelings like these.
There was still plenty of time before the next match anyway.
Wild Grylls... Why did this human end up in the Forest of Four Seasons?
Normally, she spent the days before a match writing about Chae-U or posting nonsense.
Recently, however, that had changed.
Among the endless posts and countless kinds of people, Wild Grylls’ posts stood out.
He was the person who claimed to have fallen into the Forest of Four Seasons.
At first, she had not believed him.
She could not have believed him.
But as time passed, she found herself paying more and more attention.
The biggest reason was that his posts received overwhelmingly more recommendations than others.
He says he came from another world? What a joke.
Whether it was a character gimmick or the ramblings of a lunatic, it was still interesting enough to hold her attention.
She had nothing else to do in her free time anyway.
There were still several days until the next soccer match.
So, partly to pass the time and partly to help him, she had sent him a compass.
Then—
[CheongguPrincess: Then cheer for our Chae-U. That’ll be enough.]
[Wild Grylls: I don’t know much about this world. What kind of team is Chae-U?]
“What?!”
Keirin was horrified.
How could anyone not know the famous Chae-U?
Someone living in a remote countryside village might be excused.
But Grylls was a gallery user.
Ninety percent of gallery users were abnormal, but among them, sports fans were unquestionably the most conspicuously abnormal.
Sports fans were not merely insane.
Their minds had rotted beyond repair.
Some had even rotted so completely that they attained enlightenment and became Buddhas.
“He doesn’t know Chae-U? Then I’ll have to teach him.”
Keirin began preaching the greatness of Chae-U and even gifted him several jerseys.
Grylls accepted them, albeit somewhat reluctantly.
Keirin did not stop there.
Deciding that she should upload a special highlight reel, she posted a collection of Chae-U highlights on the gallery.
The gallery had a storage function and allowed users to upload videos from outside sources.
That was also why sports highlights could be posted at regular intervals.
Not long after she uploaded the Chae-U special
***
Title: Starting Today, I Am a Chaemes United Fan
(Photo of a thumbs-up directed toward the jerseys laid on the floor.)
Thank you, CheongguPrincess.
Thanks to you, I don’t have to worry as much about clothes anymore.
L Ahhh. The whole world is Chae-U.
ㄴ Of all teams, it had to be Chae-U lololol.
L He’s alone anyway, so does it really matter?
L Better than walking around naked.
L From this day forward, this is the Chaemes United Gallery.
L KingLeor) Why would you give him that garbage? It must smell awful.
Satisfying.
Extremely satisfying.
Keirin smiled proudly as she read Grylls’ post.
As of today, Chae-U had gained one more supporter.
He might be trapped in the Forest of Four Seasons, but a fan was still a fan.
More than anything else, that pleased her.
Now she could support him as much as she wanted.
If a fan dies, Chae-U will be sad too. I need to support him properly so he doesn’t die.
If a Chae-U fan became sad, then Chae-U would be sad as well.
And that might even affect their performance.
It was a one-track line of reasoning, but people were like that.
Once they became deeply obsessed with something, their thoughts naturally grew simpler.
Just as Keirin was about to close the gallery in satisfaction, a comment appeared that immediately irritated her.
Her elegant brow furrowed.
She knew this permanent-name user.
He was a supporter of Leor, Chae-U’s greatest rival.
He was also the user Keirin hated most.
Mocking Chae-U by calling them “Cheonggu” whenever he had the chance was only the beginning.
He also had a talent for scraping at her nerves in countless other ways.
L CheongguPrincess) You’re here again? You really must have nothing better to do.
_ KingLeor) As if you’re any better lol. So, did we win or not?
“You bastard.”
Keirin swore.
Chae-U had recently lost three-nil to Leor.
The score could only be described as completely one-sided.
That was precisely why the user could mock her.
Those bastards used to be mocked as mid-table trash...!
Ten years earlier, Leor had been a fallen royal house.
But after changing managers, it regained its former prestige.
Meanwhile, Chae-U continued its endless decline.
Changing managers had made no difference.
L CheongguPrincess) Hehe. Once our owner changes, we’ll beat you too.
_ KingLeor) Nope. Keirin is still there~
L Lololol, look at him scraping her nerves.
L After the Medes Family, it’s Keirin lol.
L This rivalry is intense lololol.
_ But isn’t Leor more famous worldwide?
L What the fuck did you just say?
ㄴ I only stated a fact lol.
How could someone be so skilled at getting under her skin?
Keirin clenched her fist.
Unable to control her emotions for a moment, mana began seeping out around her.
She barely managed to suppress it.
Nothing good would come from getting angry now.
She struggled to calm herself.
A sudden fandom war erupted.
“Hmm... I should probably just keep my damn mouth shut.”
Grylls silently watched from the sidelines.
It was an exceptionally wise decision.