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 Miyamakun.]
[…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.