At the center of the human settlement—within the plaza usually used for training and important gatherings—the entire population had assembled. All 3,856 of them. Su Mo, who had just returned from the mist realm, nodded as Riku and Iwan finally joined the crowd. Everyone was now present. He reached out to gently pat Nona's little head as she stood in front of him, clearly proud of having relayed the message. She beamed with joy. But moments later, her mother whisked her away by the ear—clearly not wanting her daughter to cause trouble at such a serious moment.
With everyone gathered, Iwan obediently moved into the crowd, though confusion lingered on his face. Riku, however, approached Su Mo with concern.
"Lord Su Mo, what's going on?" he asked in a low voice. "Even if you needed to summon everyone, what about the watch posts…?" As someone naturally cautious, Riku was unsettled by Su Mo's order. There always had to be someone on watch—that had been Su Mo's very first decree when he took leadership. That simple policy had helped them avoid countless dangers. And now, he had called back every single person, leaving the settlement entirely unguarded. If a group of demon or beastfolk were to attack right now, it could be catastrophic. This was unlike Su Mo. Riku had obeyed immediately, of course—but now that he was here, he needed to understand the reason.
Su Mo didn't answer him directly.
With his Observation Haki alone, he could easily perceive any disturbance within a hundred kilometers. And even without that, there was no longer any need to worry. The throne-bound Artosh hadn't stirred in twenty thousand years, and aside from him, no force in this world posed even the slightest threat to Su Mo. There was no need for a guard. With a relaxed tone, Su Mo looked at Riku and asked, "Do you believe in miracles?"
"Huh?"
Riku blinked, recalling his earlier conversation with Iwan—how they'd just been talking about this exact thing. He had said that only a miracle could let them see the sky and the sun Su Mo had spoken of. But that was a private conversation far from here… there was no way Su Mo could have heard it. It had to be coincidence.
Still, he replied with the same words he had used before. "If there are miracles in this world, I doubt they'd ever fall upon humanity." In truth, what he wanted to say was—Su Mo himself was already a miracle to humanity. But he wasn't someone good at flattery, so he just shook his head.
Su Mo, however, smiled—and with that calm certainty that always filled people with awe, he said clearly to everyone present: "No. A miracle has already happened. It stands right before your eyes."
At the same time as his words, a sound echoed—soft but distinct. The sound of fire burning. A flame ignited in Su Mo's outstretched palm. It wasn't destructive, nor did it radiate heat meant to harm. Instead, it shimmered with golden light, radiating vibrant warmth and life. Riku immediately thought back to Su Mo's descriptions—the sun, brilliant and golden. If it truly existed, then surely it must have looked just like the fire before them. The golden flame was dazzling.
But even more astonishing than the flame… was the fact that Su Mo could create it at all. Humans had no magical aptitude. Everyone knew that. It was a fundamental truth of this world—human beings, with almost zero affinity for spirits, could not use magic. It was common sense—a law of the world—that humans could not use magic. That was an unshakable truth. And yet, the sight before them now defied everything they believed. If that rule were truly absolute… then what exactly were they witnessing? Why was Su Mo, a human just like them, wielding a flame that radiated with such divine brilliance?
Everyone stood frozen, eyes wide in disbelief, gazing at the golden flame burning softly in Su Mo's hand. It wasn't a flame of destruction—it was life-giving, beautiful, and warm. It didn't feel like magic... it felt like a miracle. Only Riku reacted swiftly. His usual composure shattered in an instant. Trembling, he stared at Su Mo, emotions threatening to spill from his eyes. Tears welled up, but he forced them back. He clenched his fists and took a deep breath before bowing deeply. His voice trembled as he spoke.
"Please tell me, noble higher being… what have you done with the real Lord Su Mo?" His words struck like thunder. He didn't speak lightly. There was blood in his eyes, fury in his chest—but he swallowed it all. Humans couldn't use magic. That was a constant. And if that rule hadn't changed, then the one thing left to doubt… was whether the man standing before them was truly Su Mo. What if a higher race had taken on Su Mo's form just for amusement? What if, in the process, they had killed the real Su Mo? If that were true, then humanity's final hope was lost. And that was something Riku couldn't accept.
He could accept sacrifices. He could accept death. He could even accept the loss of half their people if it meant survival. But not Su Mo. As long as Su Mo lived, there was hope for humanity. But if he was gone… then their future would be swallowed in darkness. So even if rage burned inside him toward the one standing before him—whether they were real or not—Riku endured it all and asked for the truth. The murmurs spread through the crowd. Panic crept into their voices.
Could something have happened to Lord Su Mo? The possibility alone shook them. Unease spread like wildfire. Yet… they didn't immediately believe Riku's accusation. Call it foolishness. Call it loyalty. But most people there were far more willing to believe in Su Mo than they were to accept that he had been replaced. Even if the man before them used magic, they still clung to the belief that it was Su Mo—perhaps someone so extraordinary that he had shattered the limits of humanity. Perhaps, they thought, if anyone could break the rules of the world, it would be him. Su Mo, seeing the reactions, let out a helpless sigh. At least, his reputation was enough to maintain order.
"Riku," he said dryly, "for someone who usually seems smart, you really are a fool when it counts." He didn't affirm or deny anything outright. Instead, he simply mocked his ever-faithful second-in-command. Hearing that familiar tone, Riku's eyes twitched. It sounded… just like him.
At that moment, another figure stepped forward—Cheerful and lively, Couronne Dola, Su Mo's most outspoken aide and the one who managed communication across the settlement. "I'll confirm it myself!" she declared with a gleam in her eyes. And then, without hesitation, she darted up to Su Mo, touching him here and there, circling around him, inspecting every inch like an overenthusiastic child… and then suddenly threw her arms around him, nestling against his chest.
"Hehehe~ still not convinced. I need a bit more testing!" It was obvious this wasn't confirmation—it was pure indulgence. No one was closer to Su Mo than Couronne. That much was true. So, when she volunteered to verify his identity, no one objected… at first. But when she clung to him, refusing to let go, a wave of discontent spread through the crowd—especially among the young girls.
"Objection! Couronne-sis is abusing her position!" Little Nona stomped her feet in frustration. "I want to snuggle with Lord Su Mo too!"
"She's cheating!"
"Let me try next!"
"Yeah! We want turns too!" The crowd quickly devolved into playful chaos. Seeing the ruckus getting out of hand, Su Mo lightly tapped Couronne on the head.
"That's enough. If you don't stop, they'll start dragging you off." Only then did Couronne let go, stepping back with a triumphant grin.
"There's no doubt about it!" she declared with utter confidence. "This is the real Su Mo! I'd never forget his scent!"
"…Wait, why do you know what Lord Su Mo smells like?" someone asked. Couronne puffed out her chest proudly. "Because I wash all his clothes, obviously! Smelling them is totally normal!" That, naturally, sparked a whole new wave of protests.
"Let's redefine what's normal…"
"What did you do to those clothes?!"
"You only smelled them? Wasted opportunity!"
"Couronne-sis, share one next time!" It became complete madness from there. Su Mo, expressionless, coughed lightly.
"Quiet." And just like that, silence returned. He hadn't used a spell or any sort of mystical power—just his voice. But the weight of his authority was more than enough. His people listened. They also trusted Couronne's intuition. After all, even a fool's gut feeling could be spot-on, and if anyone could sense who Su Mo really was—it was her. Even Riku started to waver.
He didn't believe anyone could fool Couronne, not even with the most elaborate of illusions. Her instincts were oddly sharp in that one area. Still, the question remained—how could Su Mo, a human, wield magic? Perhaps sensing his lingering doubt, Su Mo turned to the crowd. "There's no need to prove myself," he began, "but if it helps ease your minds, I'll do so anyway."
"A higher race could mimic appearances, mimic words and gestures—but they would never stoop to remembering the little things. The small human secrets… they wouldn't care."
"So, I'll prove it with something only I could know. A little… embarrassing truth."
"This is a secret so obscure that not even most people in our own settlement know it—let alone any other species. Once you hear it, I'm sure you'll have no doubts left." With that, Su Mo turned to Riku and gave him a smile. Later, when Riku recalled that moment, he would describe it as "a demon's grin." Everyone was full of curiosity. After all, gossip was practically a human instinct. So, when Su Mo loudly revealed the so-called secret in front of the entire crowd, anticipation was high.
"Riku is a virgin!"
The crowd froze for a second. Then—
Pfft!
"Hahaha!"
"No way, Riku?"
The people, who had been expecting some earth-shattering revelation, burst into laughter as they processed the actual content. One by one, they turned to Riku with teasing expressions. In a world like this—ravaged by apocalypse and devoid of many rules—the age of marriage was drastically low, and cases like Riku's were exceedingly rare. And so, right then and there, Riku suffered a complete social death. Strangely enough, it was at that very moment that everyone became absolutely certain of Su Mo's identity. Not because of the secret itself—but because only one person in the entire settlement could deliver such an absurd statement with a straight face. This blend of humor and authority was uniquely Su Mo's. That lighthearted charisma was something no other race could ever hope to imitate.
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