Angel thought for a moment and decided to voice his doubts.
Perhaps due to the previous continual failures, Laplace, who used to be taciturn, now spoke calmly: "Humans always pride themselves on being smart, but in reality, when prejudice is deeply rooted, they often remain unaware."
Angel: "What do you mean?"
Angel couldn’t understand why Laplace suddenly mentioned "human prejudice." Could it be that the Awakening of the Demon People could actually occur twice, and it was merely human prejudice to believe that awakening once was the limit?
Laplace answered with a question instead: "Why don’t you share your understanding of the Panic Realm and the Demon People?"
Though puzzled, Angel narrated what he knew.
After listening to Angel, Laplace made no comment but continued: "This is just your own opinion. Can your opinion represent everyone? Why not ask your companions if they have anything to add?"
Angel was unsure of the implication, but instinctively glanced at the others.
Dox, having come to his senses, noticed Angel’s gaze and thought for a moment: "What I know, you’ve basically covered. However, I remember overhearing a conversation in a tavern where someone mentioned three theories about the origins of the Panic Realm’s demons..."
"But I didn’t catch the specifics of the three theories," Dox mentioned, unable to resist critiquing, "Those chatters looked like a caravan, yet they spoke mysteriously as if they were hiding something."
Vay retorted: "Before you criticize others, don’t forget what you were doing. You were eavesdropping!"
Dox: "I was openly eavesdropping!"
"Whether it’s open or sneaky, eavesdropping is eavesdropping, isn’t it?"
Just as Dox was about to argue back, Angel coughed, interrupting their dispute first.
While their focus shifted, Angel quickly looked at Black Earl, seeking any additional information.
Black Earl: "What was mentioned about the demon origins, I’ve heard of it. It’s recorded in the Prosperous Monthly’s century-old ’Winterfall Secrets.’"
"’Winterfall Secrets’?" Angel appeared puzzled, for he had no memory of such a publication.
Not only Angel, but everyone else also seemed unfamiliar with it.
Black Earl: "It’s an internal journal at the Winter Academy, accessible only to its professors."
Angel frowned, curious why Black Earl had read it if only Winter Academy professors could access it.
Black Earl, seemingly reading Angel’s thoughts, calmly explained: "Though it’s meant for Winter Academy’s professors, that particular issue was indeed intended for outsiders from the start."
Amid everyone’s perplexed expressions, Black Earl recounted the circumstances of those times.
The reason why ’Winterfall Secrets’ published messages on demon origins dates back several months before, during a minor conflict between the Frostmoon Alliance and the Extremist Faction.
Yes, the Frostmoon Alliance and the Extremist Faction. These two... hegemonic organizations in the Southern Domain Wizards’ Realm.
Back then, a small squad from the Frostmoon Alliance secretly transported a batch of demon carcasses from the Abyss back to the Southern Domain. However, while teleporting back to the Realm Island of the Begal Long Sea from the Abyss, they were ambushed by the Extremist Faction.
Originally, the Frostmoon Alliance and the Extremist Faction maintained a tacit mutual non-interference on these "smuggling" matters. Occasionally, the Frostmoon Alliance would even sell the smugglers’ information to them to avoid embarrassment.
However, this time, the smuggling was an entirely unilateral action by the Extremist Faction, without informing the Frostmoon Alliance.
It’s said that a gray-robed Bishop within the Extremist Faction acted on his own initiative. The reason, quite simple... some absolute extremists within the faction are only loyal to the ’World Will,’ not the Archbishop.
This faction’s style is extreme to the extreme, tolerating no flaws.
Coincidentally, a gray-robed Bishop from this faction was guarding the Realm Island, and "accidentally" someone leaked information about the Frostmoon Alliance’s smuggling squad, leading to this minor conflict.
In the end, the Extremist Faction seized all the demon carcasses, and a few apprentices from the Frostmoon Alliance were killed.
After this conflict, neither side openly tore down relations.
After all, the Extremist Faction represented "justice," wielding the banner of the World Will; resisting them equals opposing the world.
Nonetheless, while everyone remained silent on the surface, the Frostmoon Alliance still had some minor actions behind the scenes.
With Monty, the Southern Domain’s most potent wizard, backing them, accepting this "insulting incident" quietly wasn’t an option for them.
Thus began a series of covert reprisals. Though termed "covert," given the need to save face, there was some acting involved, so the covert operations were more high-level whispers, known to the Southern Domain’s upper-echelon witches but unknown to regular wizards.
It aimed to assert the Frostmoon Alliance’s hegemony while also signaling they wouldn’t swallow such indignities quietly.
Within these chains of reprisal was the Winter Academy’s blast via ’Winterfall Secrets.’
Winter Academy is one of the thirteen Witcher Organizations under the Frostmoon Alliance, and their ’Winterfall Secrets’ was originally only for internal use. But somehow, a high-level witch "accidentally" left the journal at a small circle’s Tea Party, leading to its spread.
Even then, the knowledge remained limited to upper echelons, with ordinary wizards remaining oblivious.
Why did Winter Academy proceed this way? Because within ’Winterfall Secrets’ was an article subtly mocking the Extremist Faction.
And this article was the ’Origins of the Panic Realm’s Demons’.
According to the article, the form of existence of Panic Realm’s demons is peculiar. Based on research conjectures, there might be three origins.
Yes, it’s merely a "conjecture," essentially saying it’s speculation anyone could call nonsense if they wished.
The first theory is the Void Theory, suggesting that Panic Realm’s demons originally came from the Void.
The argument being— they are too powerful. Compared to the intelligent life forms of the Panic Realm, these demons are overwhelmingly superior. Common sense dictates such mighty beings could not be native to the realm. Given how barren the Panic Realm is, it couldn’t possibly nurture such powerful demons.
Therefore, they might originate from the Void.
The second possibility is the Overlap Theory, indicating that the Panic Realm is an overlap of multiple worlds, much like the Fairy Tale World, divided into Outer World and Inner World. Demons mainly come from the Inner World.
Again, due to Panic Realm’s impoverishment, it cannot sustain such power, indicating another source. An Outer and Inner World dynamic is one possibility.
The third possibility is the World Will Nurturing Theory.