What is the meaning of living in this world?

A·Gedora felt he was qualified to answer this question.

It should be his second time being a human. If the memories of Hero A·Gedora count as the first, then for him, a counterfeit, being asked to live his life, pursue his destiny, might as well be counted as the second time.

His feelings were actually very complex.

When some girls created him, they made him become A·Gedora, yet they knew better than anyone that he could never truly be A·Gedora. Despite granting him the same memories, they clearly distinguished that he was supposed to replace that person, yet uniquely believed that person was irreplaceable, even though it was the creators themselves who thought so.

This was not surprising; some things are irreplaceable, which is why people frantically seek substitutes. If a substitute already existed, then there would be no need to create him.

Logically, he should resent them.

The girls, thinking only of their own feelings, created him on a whim, rejected him on a whim—what meaning did such a person have living in this world?

This was no less than a betrayal to himself. He knew what happened to Doro. These girls did the same thing as before, considering only their own feelings, not the feelings of others—they always thought about things from their perspective. They never truly considered the thoughts of either Doro or A·Gedora.

No wonder Doro would abandon this name, leave those women, and choose a different way of life.

So, logically, he should resent those women, just as Doro once did—decay and disappointment were inevitable, and it was said that Mr. Doro had been despondent for many years because of it.

But he did not.

Perhaps because he knew from the start that he was a counterfeit, even though those vivid past memories with the girls existed in his mind as if they really happened, he was also very clear that they were nothing but fantasies that never happened to him. He also knew the meaning of his creation; he knew he was not truly loved nor cherished—he was a "non-important thing."

Therefore, he didn't really feel sad.

In this respect, he was indeed not A·Gedora. He was fundamentally different from the real Doro, from the prototype of this body. They seemed alike, but actually, they were two kinds of people.

They couldn't be entirely the same.

He laughed at himself. In the end, if they were completely the same, he should have leapt to a higher realm in that battle, but such a thing did not happen.

So, at this moment, the existence named A·Gedora is a completely new life, an independent individual, not a replacement for anyone. He merely possesses some unique memories and need not be troubled by those memories... On the contrary, he should thank those girls, like a mother bringing him into this world. How can a child blame their mother?

Besides, he not only had life but also power.

A power strong enough in this world to be called formidable.

"I acknowledge your will as a Hero—"

The man named Doro had said this... He truly was a formidable man, knowing he was a substitute yet still holding expectations for him, the counterfeit. He gave him enough space to showcase his power and enough pressure to try to make him grow.

Even if his performance disappointed him, he never blamed him—A·Gedora could feel it, feel Doro's expectations for him. He truly hoped he could reach his domain, genuinely hoping he could exist under the name of Hero.

But he couldn't. He couldn't do it.

In the wake of his failure... that man chose to take the responsibility, unhesitatingly moving forward, choosing to become the "Human King."

So, in fact, he never changed, A·Gedora and Doro were actually always the same person.

So, does he still need to use the name A·Gedora?

It seems unnecessary.

Mr. Doro named himself for his rebirth or perhaps to forget the past, so what about himself?

He seems to also need to name himself for his rebirth, for a brighter future.

What should he be called?

Since he was originally an imitation of Mr. Doro, perhaps he should be called "Feiker."

That's a good name.

He decided to use this name as his new identity.

In his memory, he knew a lot about this world, but he already knew that Doro's feelings were not his feelings, the things Doro would think of were not what he would think of, the decisions Doro would make were not the ones he would make, so he should listen with his own will, view with his own desires, and think with his own mind...

As for the eventual outcome, what path he will take, and in what form he will eventually die... that's another matter.

He ought to see what the world is like.

...

"Nature Ranger, seeing you like this, you must have become the new ruler of the Elves." A crow landed on a flower, speaking in human tongue to the Nature Ranger present at the banquet, "You should know why I have come."

"I know, Demon King, but for the Elves to side with you is a very dangerous option. After all, you once lost to the Hero; do you now have the confidence to achieve victory?"

The crow's black eyes showed no change in emotion, only saying, "If you think I will lose, you can go to the Hero. I think the magnanimous Hero won't mind. At most, he would just kill the Elf Queen and want to wipe out the Land of the Ancestors entirely, which isn't a big deal. The Elves have a large foundation; I think they can withstand such damage."

The Nature Ranger's expression was not very pleasant. She was not a competent politician but a temporary choice; she struggled to cope with someone like Mohe: "The issues between you and Doro are not why we would side with you."

"So I said it doesn't matter."

"..."

The Nature Ranger said nothing more; she just stared at the crow.

After a while, the crow sighed: "Who pushed someone like you to become the new Queen? You lack even the slightest political wisdom and can't change the topic under these circumstances—are you trying to negotiate some interests with me?"

"That's what the elders taught me."

"You are indeed honest. If I were the only existence in the world like this, negotiating with me would only lead to your destruction, just like the wise species in history, but now that Mr. Doro also exists in the world, I cannot use such means against you but must genuinely offer you some benefits to make you willing to side with me. It's truly bad news."

She thought for a while: "Your Elf Mother Tree is done for, but if you can take Butuo City, I can help you transform that World Tree into something akin to your Elf Mother Tree; it is a nature inherent to a World Tree. Your original one also came into existence in this way."

The Nature Ranger looked at the crow in shock. Naturally, she was surprised by this information, and she looked at Mohe incredulously: "Aren't you afraid we'll try to transform the World Tree ourselves, now that you've told me this?"

The crow flapped its wings: "I already told you before, do as you wish, whether siding with Mr. Doro or transforming the World Tree. As the new Elf Queen, you have the qualification and authority to do so. Of course, correspondingly, you should also bear the responsibility. When doing things, you can't only think about the benefits of success; you must also consider the consequences of failure—what do you think?"

"…Understood."

The crow immediately flew away.

The Elf who once traversed the world by the name of the Nature Ranger showed a bittersweet smile.

She knew what kind of existence the Demon King was, and she knew the world harbored numerous misunderstandings about the Demon King. How the world perceived the Demon King and how the Demon King viewed the world were entirely different. Different races depicted different terrifying legends of the Demon King, while within the Demon Race's realm, many didn't even regard other races as important and might disdain interacting with them.

The more she witnessed the many facets of the world, the more she understood the meaning of the world to the Demon King.

She should not become a ruler—this conclusion came to her when she ended her travels. What is the point of becoming the ruler of the Elves? It's better to be a free Elf—until she was forced to take charge. Then she realized the significant upheaval the Elf race had undergone.

In truth, she didn't even know when the Demon King died.

Behind the times...

The Elves had no choice; the death of the previous Elf Queen, the fragmentation of the Land of the Ancestors, and the withering of the Elf Mother Tree left the Elves with no retreat; they actually had no choice.

Choosing Doro was meaningless.

Even though he had power equal to the Demon King, he did not show the "omnipotence" of the Demon King. For the Elves, the loss of the Elf Mother Tree meant an immediate extinction crisis; each death was irreplaceable.

The threat of extinction was right before their eyes; only the Demon King might have a method to ensure the Elf race's survival, so this was the condition they must secure.

Other than that, they could agree to anything.

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