She appeared considerably disconcerted and full of dissatisfaction at the moment. She had initially believed him to be just like his kin, but he was different from what she had expected, which caused her to feel troubled.
Tom did not answer her question but went on to chatter about something else instead while massaging his face.
"Ow… boy, those mercenaries sure are rough. Beating me ruthlessly just because I slightly teased that fellow called Kelvin? Ha! Seems like Holy Knights nowadays have lost their discipline! Back in my day, he would have been punished on the spot as a heretic! Just why on earth has that great Holy Kingdom fallen out of order like this…?"
He muttered to himself for a while, but then suddenly started chuckling, apparently having thought of something amusing.
"Ah, must be due to the capital Lania falling, huh?"
"… I asked, what's with you!"
Ellin huffed with anger at being ignored, prompting Tom to glance at her.
"Nothing to say, really. Didn't I introduce myself already? I'm but an apprentice Holy Knight."
"A Holy Knight that sits still at the sight of a demon? Normally, you'd draw your sword and laugh darkly, saying, 'I'll drink your blood!', yes?!"
"Where in the world would you find a Holy Knight like that?"
"Most of the ones I've met until now were like that, though?"
Upon deeper thought, Tom realized that there were quite a few people who would spout nonsense, like that having armor covered in the blood of demons on the battlefield would "Grant you blessings from above." Additionally, seeing as this rumor was mainly perpetuated by the Holy Knights, the existence of such fanatical members that drank the blood of demons could not be denied.
"Haha, I'm a bit of a hopeless Holy Knight, you see. While I may have no faith, would God become enraged by me striking up friendship with a demon?"
"Are you really a Holy Knight? Have no faith, you say! And demons are descendants of a vile devil! Though, of course, it's a story made up by humans… In any case, of course, God would be angry, if the God you lot speak of does exist!"
"What does it matter whether you are the descendant of a devil or not? We can converse like this for starters, without harming each other. Isn't it fine to judge good or evil afterward?"
Ellin threw him a question in apparent surprise.
"But humans judge by outward appearances, don't they?"
"Yes, they do. I'm the same, after all."
"Huuh? You approached me even though you judge by looks? I'm a demon, you know."
"But you have the appearance of a person. Besides, the one who approached first wasn't me, but you."
"…It can't be that you knew I'm a demon from the start?"
Tom merely laughed instead of replying.
'Goodness! Then this Holy Knight, he knew I was a demon right from the start? Is that the reason why he ran when he first saw me…?'
"Uh… normally, demons are like the one over there!"
Tom shifted his gaze to the arena visible through the iron bars; terrified human slaves were rushing at an ogre with weapons in hand, while the ogre retaliated by crushing them underfoot, catching, and biting at them. It bellowed in a rampage, indiscriminately slaughtering the humans.
Tom remarked at the spectacle.
"That scene truly does give the impression that demons are vile beings, but that ogre there, it has lost its rationality from being too agitated. The wild noise of the audience, the wounds on its body, the smell of blood, and the sight of armed slaves in front must be why it's fighting despite itself. It's the basic instinct to survive in all intelligent beings."
"…You understand so much about demons?"
Ellin stared at the ogre. Although she was a demon herself, she did not know very much about the characteristics of ogres.
"Yes, I'm currently studying them due to a certain circumstance. Well, I myself thought of demons as utterly evil things in the past, just like others. Atrocious devils, greedy and driven by desire, willing to kill humans for the sake of their own urges! But my way of thinking changed after meeting a certain child."
"Child? You met the offspring of a demon?"
Tom nodded.
"That child was not vile as people describe demons to be, but had a soul too clean and bright, almost dazzling the onlookers. The way she worried for others was rather cute. To think such a well behaved and kind child…"
Tom recalled how Ellin was in the past: brusque and constantly wearing a cold expression, but quiet and well behaved at the same time. He firmly believed she would grow up to become a quiet lady brimming with elegance, yet contrary to what should have been, the girl was roving about gambling in a casino for the sake of revenge.
He turned to face Ellin, clutching at his forehead.
"…Turned into a hellion."
Ellin tilted her head, a question mark on her face.
"H-hey now, brother Holy Knight. Uh, It's best not to go too close to a demon."
Ellin turned her gaze, and Halsem let out an eek at meeting her eyes as he retreated in haste, which triggered the mischievousness in her. She spread out both hands and cried out.
"Graaah~! I'll eat you~!"
"…Aaah!"
Halsem immediately fell on his bottom and crawled away to escape, the sight of which Ellin seemed to find amusing. She held her belly and laughed out loud.
"…How was she taught while growing up, really."
Tom felt resentment towards Karakul for the first time ever.
"Oi! Slaves! Get ready!"
Mercenaries entered the waiting room and chucked cheap weapons onto the ground. Among them were worn swords, broken maces, bloodstained shields, and bows with loose strings. The mercenaries then spoke to the slaves in a sneering tone.
"Time to struggle for freedom, fools!"
The cell was opened, and the slaves were forced into the connected arena like herding a flock of sheep. The victorious ogre, which was already there, turned its head. It was a 4m tall humanoid monster covered in muscles like steel. It's veins stood out—akin to snakes—squirming through its thick hide, which matched its imposing size. It had a long neck like that of a turtle and a pair of horns on its head, and it puffed steam from between its sharp teeth.
The moment new humans entered the arena, the ogre slammed its club on the ground and bellowed.
"Guaaaaargh!"
The human slaves dropped to the ground in fright, startled out of their wits.
"Eek! It's a demon!"
"How are we to face a devil like that?!"
The slaves searched their surroundings in order to escape, but there was no place to run; iron bars blocked every direction. Seeing as the huge ogre could not break out of these bars either, the humans would not be able to escape their doom.
"Ogre! Kill them!"
"Show us the humans' tenacity! Slaves!"
The ogre roared as if reacting to the cheers of the crowd, its breathing speeding up. The worked up ogre rolled its eyes to stare at the human slaves.
"…Hicc! Brother Holy Knight! You're a strong one, aren't you? The Holy Knights are supposed to be mighty warriors who oppose demons!"
"…Most hold an illusion about Holy Knights, even though it's false. Countryside apprentice knights from the borders are just common knights that serve God. They aren't very strong."
Tom pushed at Halsem, who clung to him.
"Huuh~? It's pretty excited. Daring to bare its fangs against me?"
Ellin's fingers turned into blades, and the nearby slaves and Halsem, who was holding onto Tom, let out loud screams, like a pig that was placed under the butcher's knife.
Tom asked her, "Are you going to fight?"
"Of course!"
"Even though you're both demons?"
"It's trying to kill us first. Would you stay still if a killer wanted to murder you on the street? Would you just be going 'Ah, please kill me nicely!' just because you're both humans?"
"…You have a point."
"Regardless of the circumstances, if it's going to be hostile… I'll kill it, even if it is pitiful."
"True, the sense of values belonging to a demon differs from those of a human. Although you're the same… No, you're not even the same race, I think? While it is indeed a demon, it's not a doppelganger, after all."
Kelvin was also among the spectators, sitting in the VIP seats with the best view. He was watching the arena with wide-open eyes, or to be accurate, watching Tom as he muttered to himself.
"Die. Die, I say. Die!"
He wanted to see it happen with his own two eyes, feeling that he would be able to sleep well and comfortably only if that Holy Knight, who knew of the sin he had committed 30 years ago, died.
The ogre in the arena was enraged from having spilled blood as it ran toward the slaves. It swang its massive club at the slaves who scattered everywhere while screaming at the top of their lungs. Despite their attempts, they were still struck by the swift-moving club, in contrast to the ogre's big size. Sent flying like dolls, they crashed into the ceiling and fell, the sound of crushed bones ringing in the arena. The sight of that carnage caused Ellin to flinch.