Finished visiting some of the main attractions, the sun was about to set.
Thanks to Lillywood-san's easy-to-understand guidance, I was able to
fully enjoy the festival even though I wasn't very familiar with plants.
I'm really grateful for that.
And now, Lillywood-san was bringing me… to what could be called the
main event of the Festival's second day.
It was a huge flower garden that took up the entire area north of the
Central Tower. The colorful flowers were lined up in a pattern, creating
an unmistakably picturesque scenery.
According to Lillywood-san, it was her "masterpiece", and it certainly
was really amazing. It looked like a giant rainbow from some places,
while it looked like an intricate ring of colors from another.
There was also a small hill where one could find a different kind of
beauty. The flower box was like a jewel box, as everytime you look at
something, you would find new discoveries.
Before I knew it, I found myself sitting side by side with Lillywood-san
on a hill overlooking the flower garden, looking at the flower garden,
losing track of time.
As the sky began to be dyed in a deeper red, I could see a different kind
of melancholic beauty, and I spoke to the nearby Lillywood-san.
[Speaking of which, Lillywood-san. There's something I've been
wanting to ask you for a while now… may I ask you about it?]
"Eh? Yes, I don't mind."
There was no one else on the hill at the moment, probably because the
other participants were shying away from Lillywood-san's presence. I
think it's a good time to talk about things since it's only the two of us at
the moment.
That's why, I decided to ask her about something that has been
bothering me for a while… a certain misgiving I have regarding
Lillywood-san.
[Ummm, I'm sorry if this is just my misunderstanding. It's just that,
Lillywood-san… Could it be that you and Alice… Phantasmal King
doesn't get along?]
"…Why do you think so?"
[…When I was advised by Lillywood-san at the Sacred Tree Festival,
somehow… I kinda felt that Lillywood-san was "scared" of Alice… or
something like that?]
"...…"
I always wanted to ask this. However, I never had the opportunity to ask
it because of the content of what I'm asking.
Back at the Sacred Tree Festival, Lillywood-san's expression while she's
talking about Alice… the Phantasmal King, it's was if she was talking
about an unknown being… No, the atmosphere around her was as if she
was talking about someone she couldn't comprehend.
For me, Alice is my best friend and my irreplaceable lover… That's why I
wanted to ask this.
When Lillywood-san heard what I said, she was silent for a while before
she let out a light sigh.
"…I'm really no match against you, Kaito-san."
[…Then?]
"Yes, it is as you said. If it was "at that time", certainly… I was afraid of
Shalltear. No, it might not be appropriate to say that I was afraid of her…
I guess it would be better to say that "I'm creeped out by her."
[…Creeped out huh?]
Gazing at the flower garden dyed in the redness of dusk, Lillywood-san
began to talk about the past.
"She suddenly appeared in front of us one day. As a being of great
power, her sudden appearance… that in itself wasn't the problem. If
Kuromueina brought her to us, we won't hesitate to accept her as
family."
[...…]
"The cheerful and energetic Shalltear quickly made friends with
everyone… Even though she was playing the fool with a smile, she still
somehow drew a line between us… It's as if there were dark flames
hidden behind her smile…"
I see, Lillywood-san faintly noticed the things she was hiding huh.
However, she wasn't quite clear about what it is. This must be why she
felt that Alice was so creepy.
"…It's as if she was looking at something else while looking at us… It
was only about a thousand years after Shalltear's arrival in this world
that these thoughts became clear to me."
[Did Alice do something?]
"…At that time, the Demon Realm was a very chaotic place. There were
many powerful beings… Count-rank Demons were just about anywhere,
each of which doing whatever they pleased. The most powerful being in
the Demon Realm, Kuromueina, had the power to rule the Demon
Realm, but she respected the freedom of each individual, and as a
result, you could say that it was a much rougher era than today."
[...…]
"However, that chaotic Demon Realm… was changed by a single
person."
[…And that person is Alice?]
When I reflexively asked back, Lillywood-san quietly nodded.
"Among the powerful Demons, Shalltear secretly erased those she
perceived as unnecessary to the world. She did it so cold-heartedly, in
such a clever way that we didn't even notice… By the time we noticed it,
"more than 70%" of those powerful Demons had been erased by her
alone."
[...…]
"However, that's not all that she did. At the same time as she did this,
she increased the number of her subordinates, acting as her limbs, and
in just a thousand years, she was able to spread her roots behind the
vast Demon Realm. Using her ability to manipulate information, she
was able to bring order to the Demon Realm… Constructing ranks like
the "Six Kings" and the "Peerage-holders"."
[Eh? P- Please wait a moment. That means, the one who made up the
terms Six Kings and Peerage-holding High-ranking Demons were…]
"Yes, Shalltear made them. The reason why she divided the Demon Race
was to make it easier to manage information… It was for her own
benefit, as she said herself."
[…What a selfish person that is. That Shalltear was quite nasty, wasn't
she? There certainly isn't anything wrong with being selfish, but the
——- Fugyaaahhh!?]
There was some idiot who interrupted our serious conversation, so I
reflexively drove my knuckle on her head.
Dear Mom, Dad——- Lillywood-san's story was quite shocking. Of
course, I knew about Alice's circumstances too, so I knew that she did
such things… and I knew that it was because she needed a lot of
information to fulfill her promise to Iris-san… Still, I was surprised.
Lillywood-san's words meant that Alice created the terms Six Kings and
Peerage-holders——- and she's the one that created the prototype of
the current Demon Realm.