About the Truth. (5)
"Did you think something would change if you loved the Hero?"
It must have been a dream, but it was so vivid.
The Goddess's mocking voice still lingered in my ears, trying to shatter my mind.
Was it truly a dream?
Or did the Goddess really appear in my dream?
"...Ugh, ugh."
I spent every night in fear.
The forgotten terror resurfaced.
Thanks to that hateful name, Goddess, I couldn't get a single night's peaceful sleep.
Why, just why?
Why, exactly?
"Ariel-ssi, are you alright?"
"Hmph, ugh, yeah... I'm, I'm fine."
My body flinched at Elli's voice.
Even though she wasn't using Divine Power, I couldn't stop my body from trembling.
Someday, the Goddess will pop out from there.
She'll pop out and stab my body with Divine Power again.
"I'm sorry, Elli. Please, just for a moment, leave the room."
"...Yes, Ariel-ssi."
What could be the reason?
What exactly is the reason?
Hallibel said she used something called Maseok to heal me.
What if that was the problem?
What if the Goddess had intervened by using the power of that Maseok?
"Hmph, that's not even funny..."
No matter how I was healed, or by what method, the Goddess must have intervened.
Perhaps dying would be the surest way to escape the clutches of that damned God.
But even that was impossible.
"Mama!"
"...Yes."
The door opened, and the Twins rushed in.
I had clearly told them not to let anyone into the room, but it seemed Rin had let them in.
Whenever I felt down, Rin would always bring those children into the room.
Their liveliness and chaos were perfect for forgetting my gloomy mood.
"Mama! Rin unnie showed us magic again today~"
"Mama! Flower petals flew!"
I smiled faintly at the children tugging at my clothes.
Any heavy thoughts vanished completely when I saw the children's smiles.
Even if it was only a temporary phenomenon, I couldn't help it.
This was all the happiness I had left.
"Yes, yes. You had fun today too."
I gently stroked their soft little heads.
Their ears wiggled in response to my touch, which was quite adorable.
I'm happy.
I'm definitely happy, but what is this feeling squirming inside me?
'...Bel.'
I thought of the Cat Beastkin with pure white fur.
The child who collapsed trying to protect the others from the Masu.
Did she survive? Or did she die?
My arms trembled at the thought.
'Let's stop thinking like this.'
Thinking about who lived and who died was more painful than I could imagine.
Reina, the Magician, Bel, and the Hero, and even Hallibel.
So many people were connected to death that I couldn't collect myself.
Is Bel alive?
Did anything happen to the Hero?
...Will Hallibel ever wake up?
"Hallibel..."
I thought my suffering was the worst.
That moment when I coughed up blood and lost my mind.
Compared to that, Hallibel hadn't even coughed up blood, so I thought she would be much better off than me.
But since she collapsed, she hadn't shown any movement at all.
Just like a dead person.
"Mama, hug me! Hug me!"
"Me too, me too!!"
If she hadn't been breathing, I would have certainly thought she was dead.
Even that breath was so faint that I couldn't feel it unless I put my ear close.
I lifted the children who clung to me, asking for a hug, and buried my face in their embrace.
The unique scent of children filled my mind.
'...I feel a little relieved.'
My heart was still covered in layers of anxiety, but for now, I could forget it.
Yes, I can't show my anxiety in front of the children.
Their short tails still wagged in front of my eyes.
"You two, I told you so many times not to enter the room—"
"..."
"..."
Come to think of it, there was one more child with a tail.
My eyes sharpened at the sight of Miko, who was fidgeting, watching my expression.
The one who tormented me using the Goddess's power.
If it weren't for her, Hallibel wouldn't have had to use Maseok.
"...Come here."
But I couldn't hate her.
If you asked if it was because she had turned into a child, I could only answer yes.
Now, as a human, I couldn't help but forgive anyone in the form of a child.
A hollow laugh escaped me.
"D-don't hit me, please..."
The shrunken Miko always had those words on her lips.
Whenever she was in front of someone taller than her, she would flatten her ears and beg not to be hit.
Perhaps she was abused when she was young.
If so, I might feel a little sorry for her.
"Ugh, ugh..."
I placed my hand on her golden head.
It felt different from the babies', so it didn't bother me.
Her ears perked up and flattened in response to my touch, which was quite a sight.
"If you're still saying you're sorry, there's no need. After all, it was the Demon's fault to begin with."
Even if it wasn't my doing, it was the doing of my fellow Demons.
Even if it was just words, someone had to take responsibility.
"I will give birth to all of your kin that my kin killed."
As proof, Bel's parents were in my arms, so she could rest assured.
The children, perhaps finding my embrace cozy or exhausted from running around all day, had fallen asleep.
They were like Angels when awake, but even more so when asleep.
"Seriously, is this really the Demon I knew..."
"..."
Miko muttered beside me.
It seemed she was pondering the difference between me and the Demons she had known until now.
'Honestly, I don't think there's any point in pondering.'
There was only one reason why I was different from other Demons.
It was because my mind was different.
It was only natural that those with Demon bodies and Demon souls, and I, with a Demon body and a human mind, would be different.
Unfortunately, it wasn't a problem that could be solved by pondering.
***
"Oh, Hero-nim, what brings you here again!"
Was he a count or a baron?
Such trivial details didn't matter.
All I remembered was that the human before me had tried to betray the world and side with the Demons.
"P-please, wouldn't you like to talk for a bit? I have a banquet prepared for Hero-nim!"
Even in this world, they sought banquets and enjoyed banquets.
It was utterly disgusting.
The only reason he survived after trying to sell human information to the Demons was because of gold and money.
There was a misunderstanding. He is not someone who would betray humans.
At that time, I purely believed that official document.
But now I knew.
I could tell at a glance that this man before me was a traitor.
"P-protect me! Don't let that bastard harm me! Quickly! Stop him!"
The Knights standing beside the noble simultaneously drew their swords.
Weren't Knights supposed to exist for justice?
It seemed that when the world changed, ideologies changed too; now their justice was gold and money.
It was sickening that my childhood dreams were such things.
"Yes, surround him and kill him! Surround him and kill him! No matter if he's the Hero, he's only one! Yes, yes, yes!!"
"...Ha."
A scoff escaped me.
What kind of delusion was that bastard under?
Perhaps because he always hid behind warriors, he seemed ignorant of the ways of the world.
I was the one who slaughtered countless Demons, able to face many humans alone.
It wasn't something to boast about, but I was fully aware that I wouldn't lose against that number, at the very least.
"You, you're scoffing? How dare you scoff at me!"
"...It's not even funny."
Was the world betrayed by such scum?
Were the Demons summoned by the hands of such scum?
Because of these wretched bastards, Ariel—
"What, what are you doing! There's only one opponent! You, you incompetent bastards! You pieces of trash!"
The sensation of killing people was not particularly pleasant.
But if that was the only revenge I could take.
If I could honor the souls of others with it, I was willing to do so.
"..."
"N-no, that's a lie... It's a lie! My, my Knights couldn't possibly be defeated so easily—"
"Who are the others?"
"......What?"
I asked who the others were.
The traitors who betrayed the world.
The damned seeds of evil who summoned the Demons.
Humans, but not human.
A pack of beasts in human skin.
"I don't know! I, I absolutely don't know such things! I just wanted to make money!"
The bloodstains on the Holy Sword glowed red.
I hardened my expression at the sight of the noble, his face pale, writhing on the floor.
There was no way he knew nothing.
He must have known something to prepare for betrayal.
Even if the price was just money, he must have had some information to act like that.
"Aaaaargh?!?!!!"
The blade pierced his arm.
The blade, which entered as if piercing tofu, was smoothly pulled out again.
Next, one arm and two legs.
After piercing holes in all four limbs, his head would be the target.
"I don't know, I don't know! I don't kno—"
"No, you know."
You're just not telling me.
The Hero's sword gleamed chillingly.
It seemed tonight would be a long one.