"Excuse me for a moment."
"yes?"
Me and my party approached the demon man who was having a friendly conversation with a human woman and called them briefly.
The demon stopped talking to the human woman who was presumed to be his lover at my call and looked at me.
If Gartz was shaped like a sheep's horn, this man's horns were long and winding upwards.
His appearance was black hair and red eyes, which could be said to be the characteristics of the demon tribe, and unlike Cecily's escort knight Gartz, he had a reliable physique and looked fierce and passionate.
A human woman, who is supposed to be a lover, is also inferior to Marie and Cecily, but she is showing off her elegant and cute beauty.
However, the physique between the two is rather large, so the woman is holding the man's arm so tightly that the woman's side almost sticks.
"…what's going on?"
The demon asked with a lot of caution at first, but when they found Cecily, their expression softened even more.
Apparently, the same demons were with them, so at least they decided that they didn't approach it with disrespectful intentions.
However, the woman who was presumed to be a lover still did not loosen the boundaries. Rather, as soon as her demons relaxed a bit, she clasped her arms even tighter.
I glanced at the woman clinging to the demon's arm like a cicada, then turned my head to face the demon.
Before long, she met her red-red eyes like Cecily, and brought out the question she was curious about.
"It's not that different, I have a few questions I want to ask."
"You want to ask?"
"Yeah."
"Um… I don't know what the nobles are asking, but I'll answer you with all my heart."
The man seemed to see through our appearance and attire at once that we were aristocrats.
Instead, he seemed to have no idea that Cecily was the princess of Hellium. Classes exist in Helium as in human society, so if this man was a commoner, he might not know who Cecily was.
"lie…"
Meanwhile, the woman who was still holding her arm called the demons with a worried voice. As soon as he knew that we were nobles, his face became even more anxious.
At this, the demon called Rai gave her a soft smile and patted her on the head.
Perhaps the woman received strength from the comfort of her dependable boyfriend, and the woman looked a little relieved.
I reassured her, looking more curious at their seemingly strong bond.
"We're not bad people. We approached because we were really curious, so you don't have to be too vigilant."
"…I know."
"Thank you. Did you say Mr. Lai?"
"Yes. My name is Rai Estor."
"My name is Isaac Ducker Michelle. I'm curious about how you got to our estate, not anything else."
At my question, Rai glanced at me, then glanced at Cecily once. And he opened his mouth in a calm voice.
"Looking at it, I think it's because I'm a demon."
"Exactly."
"Hmm…"
Rai scratching his chin with the other hand, not the arm on which the woman hangs. I waited silently for his mouth to fall.
If it wasn't for Cecily, he would have heard my questions and had some doubts, but there was no sign of that.
Perhaps Rai also noticed that it was close to an interview.
Still, it won't be as easy as you've had as a demon.
"The reason I came to your estate in the first place is the same as everyone else. We are both fans of Xenon's biography. Other than that, nothing else."
"That's right. Then, it's a question that's close to personal life, can I ask you a question?"
"it's okay."
"As Lai knows, demons were not revealed until the publication of Xenon's biography. Even if they hide their identity, they are often treated harshly the moment they are revealed."
The more I continued to explain, the more suspicious Lai's expression became, while the woman's expression grew more suspicious.
Apparently, he had absolute trust in Rai, but it seemed uncomfortable to treat him as a demon.
I glanced at the woman once and got to the point.
"However, the story of Xenon's biography has changed since the launch. The perception of demons has completely changed, and the number of demons has drastically decreased. So my question is this. When did Mr. Rai come out of Helium, and what kind of life did he lead? I was wondering if you last met the lover next to you."
"Is it like that? This is the one. I feel embarrassed for all of my doubts. Hahaha."
After hearing my question, Lai smiled broadly as if he had completely cleared his doubts. Thanks to this, she seems to have been slightly skeptical of the woman.
After that, Lai seemed to organize her thoughts, smiled brightly, and began to bring out her life story one by one.
"Like you said, I'm from Helium. And I came out to human society about 5 years ago. There's magic in hiding your identity, so if you're careful, there's no problem. It was not without a crisis. There were many times when my identity was found out and I had no choice but to cut off the relationship."
"Why did you come out of Helium?"
"It's nothing. I'm only in Helium, so my body aches and I can't sit still. So I took a risk and came out."
Rai seemed to have an adventurous temperament by nature.
I don't know if I should call it brave or reckless when I see that I go on an adventure even though I know how the demons are being discriminated against.
"The demons who came out of Helium suffered a very bad tragedy. Was it worth it?"
Cecily, who had been listening quietly, asked Rai in a somewhat incomprehensible tone.
Unlike me, who politely used honorifics, Cecily looks like she has spoken to Rai. Since they are my own people, there is no need to use respectful words.
"That is…"
Rai looked down at Cecily's face, who asked the question, and instinctively looked down. She really barely stopped her from laughing at her manly reaction.
Then he forced his gaze to Cecily's face and opened his mouth. In the meantime, the point is that the pupils keep going down.
"Hmm. It's not worth it, but I went out to find it. We, demons, live longer than other races to live only in Helium. Although we have gone through good things and hard times, we are experiencing good things now."
"Are you talking about the person next to you?"
"Yes. Even though I know I am a demon, I am the only person who has been by my side. Even before the Xenon biography came out."
The story of Lily and Jin in Zeno's biography was by no means a fictional story.
The world is wide and there are many people, so I was expecting such people to exist, but when I met them in person, I felt strange.
I looked at the two men and women exuding a sweet atmosphere and said with a gentle smile.
"It's a romantic story. I didn't expect to see a story I'd only seen in Xenon's biography in person."
"Hahaha. Still, I've heard that story countless times."
"Then, when did you start to reveal your identity as confidently as you are now?"
"Of course, it's from after Volume 5 of Zeno's biography. Until then, I had no choice but to hide my identity."
It is the sacrifice of Sakran, the climax of the 5th volume and the famous scene that has been talked about over and over, that changed the perception of the demons in earnest.
Since that famous scene, the perception towards demons has changed 180 degrees, so it is presumed that he has proudly revealed his true face from then on.
"Is that okay? The perspective towards our demons has changed over the course of Xenon's biography, but the conflict that has arisen in the past will be difficult to resolve."
Cecily's question. Since she is a princess of Hellium, she was somewhat free from her discriminatory gaze, but she is unaware of the circumstances of her commoners.
It is natural to worry about this, and the period of persecution of the demons by other races has reached a whopping 1000 years. It means that their feelings for each other were maintained rather than diluted for 1000 years.
Moreover, there was a history of slaughtering demons as demons in Savior, so the conflict between the two must be deeper than the canyon.
Therefore, the demon side may respect or despise them, and other races may still regard them as demons.
"That's right. Life has become easier thanks to Xenon's biography, but discriminatory views remain in many ways. A month ago, there were cases where I couldn't stay at an inn or receive a quest because I was a demon."
"… …"
Hearing Lai's story, the racism that was rampant in his previous life came to mind.
With the exception of certain countries, racism is strictly prohibited, but unfortunately, the often heard news is that it is a crime caused by racism.
In this world, there will be more racial discrimination than that racism.
"…we still have a long way to go."
Cecily laughed sadly when she heard Rai's story. It was definitely much better than before, but the prejudice towards demons was still there.
Rai looked at Cecily's lonely smile and said, "Don't worry."
"But you don't have to worry too much. There is still a bad gaze on us, but our demons will not be withdrawn any longer. As the princess knows, Zenon's biography gave our demons pride."
"…Did you know me?"
"Of course. Because only the royal family can wear that necklace. I'm sorry I got to know you late."
I listened to Rai and checked the necklace Cecily was wearing today.
On the surface, it only looks like an old and old silver necklace, but it seems to have a special meaning to the demons.
'By the way, did you wear that necklace at the event?'
This guy's memory is not good, so I don't know if he still wore this necklace. At that time, Cecily's dress was so unconventional that I could only remember that.
"No. It looks like you're having a good time with your lover, but I guess I'm in the way."
"Absolutely not. Rather, it was a fun story."
"Then let me ask you one last question. In what direction do you want our demons to go?"
"As I said before, it is enough to follow the instructions in Zeno's biography. He was born as a demon, but he is more human than anyone who walks towards the light. Isn't this enough?"
Lai answered faithfully with a proud smile on her face. He was an answer that only those with firm convictions could give, and there was no doubt about it.
What I've written in the book gives specific people a direction in which to go. It was truly a gratifying result.
"…you're right. That's the identity of our demons. Anyway, thanks for answering."
"I hope the princess will find the light too."
Rai gently hugged the woman in her arms as she gave Cecily a good word.
It seems that Lai found the light while forming a relationship with that woman.
Although there will be a breakup due to the difference in lifespan, I will not regret it.
This moment will be a beautiful memory for them.
"It's light…"
Cecily murmured a little and then slowly turned her head to me. I also met her face to face.
Then, after staring intently at my face for a while, she smiled and shifted her gaze to Lai.
"Thank you. Thanks to you, I think I've rediscovered what light is for me."
"It's an honor to be of help."
"What is the glory. Then we'll go. Oh, what's your name?"
"…my name is Veronica Etchens."
"Mr. Veronica, stay close to Rai as well. As demons like us tend to wander when the light goes away."
"…Yeah."
As timid as it looks, it is a timid answer. Cecily smiled at Veronica's answer and said to me.
"Let's go now."
"Yes. Marie?"
"…yes."
Marie didn't look at me even when I called, but fixed her gaze on Cecily.
Even if I answer it, it's something… I guess I'm somehow on the alert. In addition, she folded her arms and made her body even more closely.
Thanks to this, I felt a tingly sensation, and I was embarrassed, but seeing Marie's expression, I had no choice but to turn into doubt. There was a deep vigilance in her blue eyes of her Marie.
It seems that he felt something when he heard the conversation between Cecily and Lai before. While I was thinking, Marie looked at her Cecily and called her in her quiet voice.
"…Cecilia."
"Yes why?"
"Aren't you thinking something strange?"
Cecily blinked at her anxious question, then smiled softly.
Then, he half-opened his eyes, and his reddish-red eyes gleamed extravagantly, and he answered with a soft voice.
"Well? I don't know what question you asked."
"you…"
"Um… Marie? Shall we have a private conversation for a while now?"
Cecily left those words, then looked at me and finished speaking.
"It could be something important to you."
It may be my mistake, but the red color on her horns seemed to have gotten stronger.