In the church at night, surrounded by the eerie silence, Dr. Vier and I faced each other.
After a few moments of silence, Dr. Vier slowly opens her mouth.
[...Miyama-kun. Ever since you saw me and Hikari at lunch, a question had been in your mind, right? Why are these people so shaken about it...]
[...You've noticed that?]
[Unnn. I mean, Miyama-kun is the type of person who can't lie. Your face shows your emotions immediately, so it's very easy for me to understand.]
[...….]
I wonder why? Maybe it's because I was told something like that before... but I thought I saw Kuro's smile for a moment on Dr. Vier's gentle wry smile.
I had always somehow had this vague feeling. I felt strangely comfortable talking to her, but that was probably because... Dr. Vier resembles Kuro.
It isn't the way she looks, but the way she feels. Perhaps, that's why I couldn't assent with the word "sin" that Dr. Vier mentioned before.
[Seeing Miyama-kun's reaction, I knew it would be difficult to keep it a secret... No. I thought it would be painful to keep deceiving Miyama-kun.]
[...Eh?]
[I couldn't tell you this for a long time but.... Miyama-kun, thank you for "saving Kuromu-sama"... and for doing what I couldn't do...]
[Then, as I thought... Dr. Vier... is part of Kuro's family?]
She said words of thanks. Ever since Neun-san had shown up, I had thought of the possibility... but it seems like Dr. Vier was Kuro's family.
However, if that's so, why is she hiding it from me? Did she just not tell me because I didn't ask?
[...I "used to" be her family.]
[Used to?]
[...I haven't seen Kuromu-sama in over a thousand years already. I'm not qualified to call myself as part of Kuromu-sama's family.]
[...What does... that mean?]
Dr. Vier's face contorted in pain as she tells me that she is Kuro's former family.
When I heard those words, I remembered what Kuro had said to me when she told me about her past.
Kuro said that she had to hurt her precious family... because she hadn't been honest with her about her wish. As for the name of her family, she hadn't clearly told me her name... but I wonder if she was talking about Dr. Vier?
[...Unnn, Yeah... Let me introduce myself again.]
[...Unnn?]
[My name is Vier... A Demon raised by the Underworld King Kuromueina... I once called myself the "Demon Lord" and waged war on the Human Realm. I am... the most foolish person of the world.]
[...Demon... Lord?]
I didn't know what Dr. Vier was talking about. No, I couldn't understand the meaning of the words she's saying. However, my mind wouldn't process such information at all.
Demon Lord she said, is she talking about that Demon Lord? That Demon Lord who had led a huge army to invade the Human Realm and was defeated by the First Hero, Neun-san, a thousand years ago... The true identity of that Demon Lord is Dr. Vier?
I was so confused that I couldn't speak, but Dr. Vier seemed to be waiting for me to calm down, before she continued talking.
[I'm a unique species of Demon that doesn't hold a race name. I was just born, not knowing anything, and Kuromu-sama picked me up and raised me. The name Vier is one of the most precious treasures I received from Kuromu-sama.]
[....]
[I loved Kuromu-sama so much... I was thinking of her as my real mother. She said that one day, I would be strong enough to help her... Yes, that's what I thought.]
Speaking of which, I've heard that from Alice. She said that the Demon Lord was like a little sister for the Six Kings...
I'm getting even more confused. When I heard the story from Alice, I didn't think too much about what the Demon Lord was thinking when she invaded the Human Realm.
However, if that Demon Lord was actually Dr. Vier... Then, why did a kind... Why did a woman who should have been kind like her do such a thing? A question like that just surged out from within my mind.
[...I was picked up by Kuromu-sama about 8000 years ago, I think. One of those days, I noticed that there was a shadow hidden beneath Kuromu-sama's smile.]
[...That's...]
[Unnn. I'm sure Miyama-kun would know about it as the person who had saved Kuromu-sama... At that time though, I didn't understand why Kuromu-sama had that look on her face.]
[...….]
[However, one thing was clear to me: I didn't want her to be sad. So, I thought about it a lot. I thought, and thought... and ended up making a hopelessly big "misunderstanding".]
Each word uttered with deep regret seemed to pierce my heart, and I was wrapped up in an emotion I couldn't quite describe.
Sympathy? Anger? Pity? Concern? All of them seemed to be the right answers, but all of them seemed to be wrong.
[In the past, Kuromu-sama and the others challenged the Gods to a battle. I didn't know the details, but that legend was widely known in the Demon Realm... I thought that Kuromu-sama's sorrow was because she was unable to defeat the Gods.]
[...That is...]
[Unnn. Looking back on it now, I should have known that the kind Kuromu-sama would never think of such a thing. But at that time, I didn't have the composure to think.... Just having the thought of such a deed being for Kuromu-sama's sake, I wasn't able to think straight.]
[...Then, the reason Dr. Vier invaded the Human Realm was because...]
[...I wanted to make Kuromu-sama the king of the world. So that no one would hurt Kuroma-sama's feelings, so that no one would make Kuromu-sama sad... I thought of making Kuromu-sama the one standing on the absolute top of the world. I thought that doing so would be my way of repaying Kuromu-sama for raising me.... I seriously thought of such things.]
[...]
I probably should have said something. But still, no words came out of my mouth.
After all, the person herself already understands her mistake. She helplessly regrets it, and even now, she continues her never-ending atonement.
That's why I, who didn't know at that time, can't reproach Dr. Vier... nor could I comfort her.
[I was really... really stupid. I've hurt lots of people... It feels agonizing. It feels painful... Every time I hurt someone with my hands, it feels so painful that I felt like crying. However, I've been fooling myself with the excuse that this is for Kuromu-sama... I've continuously done all these stupidities, until Hikari defeated me.]
[...]
I'm not sure if it was because she was being reminded of that time or not, but big drops of tears began flowing down Dr. Vier's eyes.
Ahh, as I thought, she really is... a helplessly kind and loving person. That's also the reason why she had become this distorted and continued to suffer until today.
[Even though Hikari had beaten me, I still didn't give up... I tried to make my battered body stand up and make Kuromu-sama the king of the world... but it was at that moment that Kuromu-sama appeared before us...]
[...]
[Kuromu-sama... was "crying"... Looking at the battered me, she sorrowfully cried... Even though what I wanted was for Kuromu-sama to not cry anymore... Even though I wanted to protect Kuromu-sama... The person who hurt Kuromu-sama's feelings the most was me.]
[...Dr. Vier.]
As tears ceaselessly flowed in her eyes, Dr. Vier began to talk about those days as if she were repenting.
It was the story of a Demon and the important existence that she wanted to protect, even if she had to bend her principles... but because of a big misunderstanding, she hurt that important existence more deeply than anyone else...
Dear Mom, Dad————- What Dr. Vier said was something I hadn't expected, and in the end, I don't think I was able to say or understand much of it. However, one fact is for sure———– It was about how Dr. Vier was once the Demon Lord.