Thoma could feel the mana within his body squirm as it spread throughout his body. As the mana forced its way through his blood vessels, he felt his body become heavier.
'Ugh… Getting old really is inconvenient. I push myself a little bit and the next thing I know, all of my muscles start to ache.'
Thoma ignored the pain to the best of his ability, shifting his attention to the spectacle going on beside him.
"Are you hurt?" Ellie asked her miniature. "Are you okay?"
The little girl responded with a nod.
"Okay, good good! My dear Ellin. Now then, eat this."
Ellie offered her one of the fruits she had carried back, which Ellin quickly devoured.
"Is it good?"
Ellin nodded.
"Good," Ellie said happily. "Go ahead and eat plenty!"
Thoma narrowed his eyes as he attempted to understand the bizarre scene taking place in front of him. From what he could surmise, Ellie had been protecting this doppelganger for some time. That would explain why the doppelganger now treated her like its mother.
Thoma was sitting on a rock at a distance from the pair, a young lady and a demon, both of whom were still on guard against him. The doppelganger, which Ellie had name Ellin, seemed to listen to and be comfortable around the young nun. However, a flash of fear would cross Ellin's face whenever she stole a furtive glance at Thoma. Meanwhile, Ellie was brushing Ellin's hair while feeding her more fruit. She was also glancing in his direction every so often, but her gaze was more wary than fearful.
"Sister," Thoma finally broke the silence, "just what is …?"
Sister Ellie looked troubled by his question. He was still holding his sword and if the doppelganger made one wrong move, it was clear he would cut Ellin down without a second thought. As though she understood this unspoken sentiment, Ellie stood between him and Ellin wearing a nervous expression, her mind racing to come up with an explanation.
"It's my child!" Ellie exclaimed.
Thoma's mind went blank for a moment. "…Eh?"
n'A child? The child of a nun…?! I never imagined that Sister Ellie already had a man…!'
Such thoughts sent a throbbing pain through his heart. But, the more he thought about it, the more suspicious he became. A human giving birth to a demon…? That meant she must have… with a demon!
'That can't be true! Just what am I thinking? There's no way that's possible?!'
It wasn't like interracial children between demons and humans were impossible, but Thoma knew that couldn't have happened. He had always been personally watching over Ellie and was well aware of her physical state. There was no way he would've overlooked a pregnancy.
Thoma massaged his temples. His mind was still jumbled from the medication he'd taken after his nightmare. Not to mention, he still hadn't recovered from the shock of discovering a doppelganger in Ellie's image after her disappearance.
"… That demon, where did you pick her up?"
"I found her collapsed in the forest, so I've been taking care of her."
The blood on the nun's outfit wasn't from Sister Ellie. Now that he thought about it, the blood was probably from the demon's own wounds. She had been treating, feeding, and taking care of the demon for some time now.
'Oh, my lord!'
Thoma was appalled. Something like this should have never happened! This was heresy of the highest order. If the truth of what Ellie had done was ever revealed, she would be handed over to the Court of Heresy for saving a demon. Not only had she harbored this evil existence, she had gone as far as to heal and raise it! Worst case scenario, she would be tried as a witch and tortured before being burned at the stake.
"How… long have you been doing this for?"
"Half a year," she answered.
'Half a year?! She's been raising this demon for over six months already?! It's a miracle she hasn't been exposed!'
Thoma stood and stared at the demon with a cold expression, his blade at the ready.
"This creature is a demon. An evil existence which opposes our God!"
Thoma raised his sword and advanced toward the doppelganger. Ellie grew pale rushed to hold him back.
"P-please wait!" she pleaded. "What are you trying to do?"
"I will kill it." Thoma's reply was devoid of sympathy. "Someday, it'll harm you, so…!"
"No! That…! She's a kind child!"
"Kind? There are no such demons!"
"In this world, there are those who are good and those who are evil! The same holds true for demons! This child knows how to talk and listens to me! She is certainly a good girl! I will raise…! To not be bad…! So…!"
"Stop this!" Thoma gritted his teeth and pushed her aside.
He stopped in front of Ellin and held his sword above his head.
Ellie crawled toward Thoma and grabbed his ankle, screaming at him."Don't do this! You can't do this! She's just a child! Don't kill her! Please! If you do this, I will hate you forever! Please don't make me feel that way! Don't make me hate you!"
Thoma's resolve wavered. She truly looked like a mother protecting her child. But, he could not back down; his opponent was a demon. They were absolutely vile creatures that brought chaos to the world and threatened humankind. It was for this very reason that he had slain the Demon Lord. Despite his screams and curses, Thoma had severed his head the sake of humanity. This time was no different. There was no alternative!
Watching him approach her, Ellin finally spoke. "… I did bad?"
Thoma paused his advance in shock.
"Am I bad?" The demon asked.
It was speaking in human tongue.
"Don't bully Ellie." It said, looking at Thoma with eyes full of resentment as it trembled in fear.
As though it was trying to protect her, the little demon bravely approached Thoma and punched his leg. Thud after thud, it continued pummeling him with all its might. Though her assault did little in the way of hurting Thoma, it jogged his memory.
"What wrong did we commit?"
He could hear the voice of the Demon Lord, at the end of their final confrontation.
"Why! Just tell me why you had to do this! What wrong did we commit? What crime could we have committed to deserve this!?"
Hopelessness and despair. A wail of grief. An outburst of raw emotion.
"All we wanted was to live in peace! So why!?"
Even after twenty long years the memory remained vivid, burdening his heart. For the first time, his blade trembled.
"No! Please…! Ellin! Hurry…! Get away from him!" Ellie pleaded.
"B-but, Ellie." The young demon was conflicted at the thought of abandoning her adoptive mother. "What about Ellie…?"
Seeing the demon's actions and hearing her words, Thoma no longer had the willpower to turn his sword on her.
'What has she done wrong? Is it a crime to have been born a demon? Because it became injured and happened to meet Ellie…? Just because it doesn't believe in our God…?'
These sudden thoughts shocked him to the core. '… I am a monk, a servant of God. Why am I sympathizing with a mere demon!'
Thoma quelled his growing doubts. 'Heretics that do not believe in God, heathens. They deserve to be cast aside. This demon is no different, it must die!'Just as Thoma was about to swing his blade, the forest around them grew noisy.
"I heard something over there."
"Ellie! Sister Ellie! Are you here?"
"Where are you!?"
Thoma flinched, looking toward the forest. Monks holding torches were approaching them, though they were still a ways away. Thoma looked between Ellie and the demon with a frozen expression, unable to bring down the killing blow.
'… Shit!'
It was dangerous to let others learn of Ellie's relationship with the doppelganger. If anyone else found out, she would undoubtedly be labeled a heretic.
— Ω —