Chapter Text
"So it really was Aura-san. I'm glad. I was worried it might be someone else."
The human child showed a relieved, bashful smile. An ordinary human—I sensed no mana, nothing. The only difference was that his gaze didn't meet mine. He faced my direction but couldn't capture my form. Because—
"Right. So Linie really was coming here."
"Yes. For about a week now, I think. She seemed curious about me not being able to see. She kept me company."
The boy before me couldn't see my figure.
The blind boy's name was apparently Vill. Right now I was conversing with him face-to-face. The reason was what I'd extracted—confessed—from Linie last night. Apparently she'd been coming here for about a week, playing with Vill. Though "playing" seemed to just mean chatting like I was doing now. Still, it was a problem. There was danger of humans discovering a demon's presence. Even wearing a robe like I was now, her behavior could arouse suspicion. Especially with that child. Fortunately, he didn't seem to have noticed yet. Mainly because Vill couldn't see.
"But it must have been rough, right? She's more childish than she looks. Did she say anything strange?"
But I couldn't let my guard down. What had that child been saying? Revealing? Even I couldn't predict. Worst case, I'd have to use Subjugation magic to make him forget. That's why I'd had to come all the way here. True, I'd thought I should move around a bit, but I hadn't expected this. Naturally, Linie was staying behind. Bringing her along would obviously make things worse.
"Strange... well, she told me lots of interesting stories. About the village she lived in, the capital, the Holy City. But most of it was about you, Aura-san. Linie must really love you."
"Yes. I'm told that often. Did she say anything else?"
"Anything else...? Ah, but she's a funny one, making jokes like that. Saying she's lived for fifty years, that she's older than me so I should call her big sister. That was a bit embarrassing, so when I said we should be friends instead, she got really happy. She's a good kid."
"Right... She's always imitating others."
Apparently I'd avoided the worst case. Vill seemed to have doubts but didn't think she was a demon. Of course not. In a way, she was the least demon-like demon there was. I'd ordered her to keep being a demon secret, which might have helped. And apparently she'd been playing big sister again. It didn't work on Shutoro or Lily, so she'd tried it on Vill. With results as expected. Though perhaps she'd achieved something more.
Friends. That must have made her happier. She'd had friends in the village and Holy City, but those relationships formed knowing Linie's identity—that she was a demon. Being treated as a friend by a complete stranger might be a first for Linie.
"Is Aura-san Linie's older sister... or something?"
While I was thinking that, Vill asked. Lately I'd been seen overwhelmingly more as a sister than a parent. Nothing strange about that, supposedly. Oh right—Vill before me couldn't see my appearance. Just hearing. Then judging by voice alone might be difficult. How troublesome.
"That's right... Is something odd about that?"
"Well, Linie said you were her master. I thought she was teasing me, but it didn't seem like it."
"That child says strange things all the time, don't take her seriously. She's a liar. It's like playing pretend."
But the revealed reason made me grimace involuntarily. Good thing he couldn't see. That child really gave me trouble. Maybe I couldn't criticize Himmel after all. Having to call her a liar when she wasn't lying. Though playing pretend wasn't wrong either. Did leaving the village and Holy City create such problems? What to do going forward? Regardless—
"Also, call me Aura. The '-san' feels wrong."
"Eh? But using no honorific is a bit... Then, is 'older sister' okay?"
"Yes. That fits better."
I had him change how he addressed me. The '-san' was more uncomfortable than expected. Having him use '-sama' would be odd given the situation. I'd wanted him to use no honorific, but it couldn't be helped. I was used to being called sister. Though I wasn't that age.
"? What's wrong?"
"Eh? No, it's just... you seem more like a mother than an older sister."
I couldn't help my eyes widening. I never expected to hear such a thing here, from someone I'd just met. What about me suggested that? He couldn't even see. Like "friends," apparently even after being released I'd still be dragged around by those words. But strangely, I didn't feel displeased. Probably because unlike Himmel and the others, he wasn't teasing me.
"Right. I'm told that often. Want to try calling me that? I don't mind."
"?! I-I'm sorry. I said something weird. That's rude, saying that to a woman."
"Quite right. Be careful. Talking about age to women is forbidden. She might wail for three days and nights."
"Would you do that too, older sister?"
"I'd just ignore it."
"That's troubling too. I'll be more careful from now on."
But I pointed it out in return. Whether human or demon, mentioning age to women was unfavorable. That elf apparently wailed for three days and nights. What kind of creature was she? For even Himmel to fear it, it must be something. Compared to that, I was kind. Whether because he was a child or his personality, Vill accepted it honestly. Completely unlike a certain someone.
"But you really can't see. How did you get here? Did you come alone?"
"Yes. But I have a cane. I'm fine on familiar roads."
"I see..."
Looking, there was a cane leaning against the rock he sat on. He'd used that to come here. Himmel had used it as a third leg, but this child used it as a substitute for eyes. Quite dexterous. Though it must still be troublesome. While I was thinking that—
"By the way, what do you do, older sister? I asked Linie too, but I didn't really understand."
Vill asked the obvious question, belated as it was. Couldn't blame him for Linie—expecting that of her would be cruel.
"I'm an adventurer. Half traveler, really, but I'm a mage."
I lied smoothly, having prepared the answer. No—it didn't even count as a lie, just obvious misdirection. I even felt nostalgic. Before being subjugated, I'd pretended to be one to make humans let their guard down. What was unexpected was—
"An adventurer! That's amazing. I dream of becoming an adventurer."
For the boy before me, that had far more effect than I'd imagined. Along with intense déjà vu. But more than anything—
'Even though you can't see?'
I swallowed the words that almost escaped. A natural question, in a way. Pointing out something futile. Simultaneously, something Vill would find unpleasant. I suppressed it. He posed no threat, but no point needlessly offending him.
"...I see. But why do boys always dream of being adventurers? A child I knew was the same."
Instead I asked a different question. I remembered Shutoro from long ago. He'd reacted similarly when we first met. Why did human boys dream of being adventurers? Was it their nature? Skirt-flipping must be a unique habit of theirs too.
"Because it's cool, I guess. I admire Hero Himmel. Since I was little, my mother told me adventure tales. There's even a statue in the village where I live now."
"I see. But you shouldn't take those too seriously. Biographies aren't reliable."
"I wonder... But they really excited me. That child probably felt the same. I'm sure we could be friends."
"Right. I'll tell him when I see him next."
In an unexpected place—or rather, that man's topic came up even here. Apparently that wouldn't change even after being released. Giving up on statues was one thing, but biographies too? Surely riddled with lies. Future embarrassment. Friends again, huh? Introducing Shutoro to this child might be interesting. What kind of reaction would they have?
The conversation continued naturally. No—partway through I ended up just listening. Apparently this child liked birds. The moment that topic came up, his previously un-childlike atmosphere changed and he became eloquent. Just like young Lily. Birds instead of flowers, but perhaps they were similar types. The content was specialized too. Birds that mimicked calls to lure prey, mimicked human speech—types I'd heard of somewhere. I'd never paid attention, but like flowers, there were probably many bird species. To know this much despite just liking them—Vill must be knowledgeable. I thought scholar or researcher suited him far better than adventurer, but no need to say so.
"Sorry, I did all the talking."
"It's fine. I'm used to it. A child I know loves flowers. Shy normally, but became eloquent like you when talking about flowers."
"Really? Are you knowledgeable about flowers too, older sister?"
"Somewhat. Not like her, but I was dragged along enough."
"Could you tell me about them? I'm interested too."
"You're curious. Well, fine..."
Interested in flowers too, not just birds? Really suited to being a scholar. No particular reason to refuse, so I shared knowledge received from Lily. Vill's unseeing eyes sparkled. Really a curious child. Partway through I realized talking was pointless since he couldn't see flowers, but kept going anyway. He was especially interested in the blue moon grass. Apparently several bird species were also near extinction. Weak species would be culled after all.
How long did that continue? Bit by bit, Vill revealed his circumstances. His parents killed by demons. Losing his sight then. Nothing new, a common story. Why reveal it to me? I hadn't even asked. Perhaps he wanted me to hear. Something close to confession.
"—Why do demons attack villages?"
Quietly, somehow flatly, Vill let that slip. None of the emotions normal humans would express. Anger, hatred, sadness. Confessions had such outbursts. But this child had none. Just looking somewhere else wearily, though those eyes couldn't see anything. Just wanting to know the reason. To such a childlike question—
"There's no reason. They just did it because they wanted to."
I simply told the truth. Without falsehood. Yes—even I as a demon didn't understand. There couldn't be such a thing. Surely humans were the same. I'd seen enough of that in these fifty years.
"..."
"What? Something wrong?"
"No, it's just that you talk like you're a demon yourself, older sister."
"Right. Probably no human understands demons better than I do."
Not "like"—exactly so. Laughable. Pretending to be human while answering as a demon. Vill surely never dreamed he was talking to an actual demon. Yet he seemed to accept my answer. Perhaps thinking that as an adventurer, I'd know about demons. However—
"Then do you think we could understand each other—us and demons?"
At that question—no, that foolish question—I lost my words. Of course. I never thought there'd be another human besides him spouting such fairy tales.
"...That's impossible. Besides, you had your parents killed by demons and lost both eyes, right? Why are you thinking such things? Don't you hate demons?"
I closed my eyes once, then answered after a while. Yes, that was the answer. He'd said it was fulfilled, but I couldn't understand how. Then it probably wasn't fulfilled after all.
More than anything, Vill was the strange one. If his confession wasn't a lie, demons had taken everything from him. So why say such things? Where did the idea of coexistence come from? Didn't he want revenge? Was he saying he felt no hatred? To my question—
"I think... I do hate them. But I don't want to think all demons are bad. I think there might be good demons too."
Vill answered as if wishing it to be so. Finally I realized. This child was smart but foolish. Was it because he couldn't see? Or had he always been this way? Either way, probably not the type to live long.
"—There's no such thing."
I told him the fact, exasperated. Demons weren't good or bad. Kill or be killed. Deceive or be deceived. That was all. If demons wishing for coexistence counted as good demons, then the Demon Lord would be one too. The demon who'd killed the most humans in history. Ultimate irony. But that—
"I think they exist. Older sister, have you heard? The rumors about Aura the Scales?"
It came back to me in the most unexpected way.
"...Never heard of it."
"There's supposedly a demon called the Scales in the central Holy City. Apparently together with the monk Heiter. Saving people equally like a goddess. I'd like to meet her once, but I can't see, so it's difficult. Ah, but she has the same name as you, older sister. What a coincidence."
Like when talking about Himmel, Vill spoke eloquently with sparkling unseeing eyes. I listened as if hearing about someone else. Why did humans love gossip so much? For it to spread even here... The earlier talk about biographies came back. Gossip riddled with worthless lies was probably the same. This was no different from what Himmel did.
"...Those rumors are obviously lies. If you meet a demon, run immediately. Talking is pointless."
So I warned him. Yes, just fiction. Maybe it started as Himmel and Heiter's prank, but now it had taken on a life of its own. A fictional phantom. Being deceived by it and killed by demons would defeat the purpose. Vill right now was exactly that. Then his parents who'd risked their lives to let him escape would have died for nothing.
Yet Vill stood dumbfounded for a moment, then suddenly started laughing. As if unable to contain himself. What was this? Had I said something so funny? He was the one saying strange things.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing, just... if my mother were alive, she'd probably say the same thing."
"I'm not your mother."
"Sorry."
The reason was truly trivial. So it was mother again. Humans really did love mothers. For me, constantly being made into one, it was nothing but trouble. If Linie started calling me that... Just imagining it was chilling. Probably a concept we couldn't understand.
"Oh right, before I forget, let me give you this. Here."
"What's this?"
"Ingredients I was going to give Linie. If you'd like."
Not to deflect—probably—but Vill handed over a bag of ingredients. Right, that was it. Linie's secret. She'd been receiving ingredients from Vill lately. Fitting for Linie, I suppose. Better to think she at least hadn't stolen from human settlements.
"I see. Then take this. In return. Though it's not equivalent."
Taking them would save him carrying them back, so I accepted, then created a flower with magic and offered it. Barter, understood not just in human society but among demons too. Unfortunately I didn't have currency now, so this instead. Though the value was completely unbalanced, better than nothing. He'd shown interest in flowers, and wanted to see magic. However—
"...Um, what's that?"
Vill remained frozen. He hadn't noticed the flower I'd offered.
"...Ah right, you can't see. It's blue moon grass I mentioned. I made it with magic. But I guess it's meaningless if you can't see it."
Only then did I realize. That he couldn't see it. Then I'd done something pointless. More than pointless—unnecessary. As I tried to withdraw the flower—
"No, thank you. I'll treasure it."
Vill searched with both hands and enclosed it. I didn't know what meaning an unseeable flower had, but if he said he wanted it, fine.
"...You don't get angry, do you? I think I said things that upset you several times."
What concerned me more was that. This child never got angry. He should act more childlike. I'd been conscious of it, but I'd probably said things that displeased him several times. Yet he showed no sign of caring. I'd understand if it were village or Holy City people who knew I was a demon, but this child hadn't even realized I was one. So why?
"I suppose. But I didn't mind at all. You and Linie... how to say it, there's no ill will at all."
"Ill will... Ah, malice. Then that's right. We're often told we have no malice."
"That's a funny thing to say. But maybe thanks to that. Talking with you was really fun."
"I see. It killed time for me too."
No malice. The essence of what made demons demons, and one reason we couldn't coexist with humans. To think that would help. Nothing but irony. It wasn't fun, but it killed time well. While I was thinking that—
From somewhere distant, I heard a bell ringing.
"Oh no. I have to get back..."
Hearing it, Vill raised a somewhat panicked voice. Apparently the bell from the village where he lived. Some kind of signal. Probably urging return home. The moment his attention was captured—
—A fierce, irresistible demonic impulse assaulted me.
"—"
I crouched involuntarily. Covering my mouth with my hand. As if suppressing something. My breathing had become ragged without realizing. My vision flashed red and white. I knew what this was. For a month, I'd just been suppressing it. Yet it overflowed. Of course. There was human prey right in front of me.
"Older sister...? Are you okay?"
The prey—human—was saying something. But I couldn't hear. Didn't matter. Just felt the urge. My throat made sounds without realizing. Saliva pooled in my mouth. Impulsively I bit into an apple from the ingredients he'd given me. But it didn't satisfy. This wasn't it. This wasn't what I wanted.
"I'm fine... I should head back soon too."
—My heart pounded. I felt dizzy. Lightheaded.
Somehow I stood up and turned on my heel. Yes, that was right. I had to leave here as quickly as possible. Why? Why did I need to do that? No need to hold back.
"Um... older sister."
"...What?"
Yet I was detained. No need to respond. Yet I was drawn in. Before I knew it, I'd dropped the half-eaten apple I'd been holding to the ground. Of course. This was fake. Not my favorite at all.
Right. I remembered. My real favorite was human—
"If you'd like, could we meet here again tomorrow? Of course, I don't mean to force you."
'...Aura, will you come visit again?'
"?!"
Instantly, I regained my senses. Or had I lost them? All I knew was I'd recovered enough calm to think. I'd been gripping the freesia accessory without realizing. That habit again. But it had saved me. Or interfered? I didn't understand the impulses and emotions swirling within. Cold sweat seeped from my entire body.
"—"
Vill was before me. Fortunate he couldn't see my current state. If he had, he might have worried and fled.
"...Fine. If I feel like it."
Saying that, I left. I didn't know what I was doing, what I was saying. But I'd made a promise. I had to keep it. I was different from him.
"Yes! I'll look forward to it."
Such a happy voice came from behind. It overlapped with someone from long ago. A promise to meet again. For what purpose? Obvious. Just killing time. Nothing more. To prevent ■■ from escaping.
The sun was setting. Like day and night intersecting. Showing a blood-red color, as if marking that boundary—