Aura (45 years old)
"That's because you're my descendant, Fern."
Fern had repeatedly thought over what Aura had said to her, unable to make sense of them, and found herself unable to focus on her magic training.
She wasn't accustomed to discussing things with others, and more than that, she understood that this matter was solely about herself, and no one else was to blame.
First of all, Fern was a war orphan who lost her parents in the war in the South when she was a child, and who was saved just before she committed suicide by Heiter, a priest who was part of the hero's party that defeated the Demon King. To Fern, demons were one of her foes, her most hated enemies.
"She's not a human child who lacks potential—well, that's to be expected."
The first demon she met was Aura, a great demon who had lived for over 500 years. Despite being a demon, Aura was somehow following Frieren, the elf mage from the hero's party. Looking back, there had been some indirect but self-praising remarks from Aura during their time together.
More astonishingly, Fern learned that this demon had traveled with the hero's party as a "merchant." Fern vaguely recalled hearing about a merchant named Aura who had been with the hero's group.
"Himmel would splurge on beauty products or gifts for Frieren. Heiter, regardless of how much travel money we had left, would always be clutching a rather expensive bottle of alcohol. And Frieren, well, was obsessed with magical books, junk magical tools, and rare magical materials. As for Eisen, he barely spent any money, to the point where it was worrying, but he never complained or took action against the others. Honestly, I was the only one with proper financial sense, wasn't I?"
And it seemed she had a hard time managing things.
Demons were known to be liars, so Fern initially thought this was a complete lie or an exaggerated story. However, when Frieren averted her eyes with a downcast look and Heiter only gave a dry laugh, Fern realized it was likely the truth.
Incidentally, Aura believes that "there is no point in lying if you consider the risk of losing the trust of humans," so she generally does not lie to humans, and Fern later learns that Freiren's face at that time was the face she made when she was hiding something. Alcohol is the best medicine.
After some time, Fern came to see that Aura, despite being a demon, was, at the very least, a functional individual, even if she couldn't be called virtuous. And, Aura was very good at cooking. She also excelled at baking.
That said, because Aura was still a demon, Fern maintained a cautious distance, recognizing her as a dangerous being. But at the same time, Fern was perplexed by the revelation that she, a mage, could be considered a descendant of Aura. It made her view her own powers and talents as something sinister.
Even though she understood that Aura, far from being a villain, was a member of the hero's party that defeated the Demon King, Fern still struggled with unconscious prejudice against her due to her being a demon. She felt ashamed of this bias.
As a result, young Fern was caught between the pure facts she had seen and felt, and the revulsion she felt instinctively, and was unable to deal with these feelings on her own.
"Oh? Fern-sama, is something the matter?"
A flat, emotionless woman's voice echoed, despite the polite phrasing, as Fern stood in the training grounds, doing nothing in particular.
Fern turned around to find a woman with long white-blonde hair, looking like she was in her mid-twenties, with a mature appearance and tall stature.
However, on her head were two small horns, thinner and smaller than Aura's, and her eyes seemed devoid of light. It was obvious at a glance that she was a demon.
"Zitrone-sama."
"No need to call me '-sama.' I hold the lowest rank."
This woman—Zitrone—was a demon in her eighties, which was considered quite young for a demon.
However, compared to Freiren, whose body hasn't grown in a thousand years, and Aura, whose appearance looked like she could sneak into a magic academy if she were to wear the uniform, Zitrone body was clearly that of an adult woman.
Demons, like many wild animals, have a relatively short childhood, during which their bodies are fully developed, and it is no exaggeration to say that they barely grow or age after that. This means that there is considerable individual variation in the appearance of adults, and so appearance does not match age at all.
She is a demon kept by Aura, a servant of Freiren, and is apparently an individual currently under observation as part of a social experiment based on a theory that Aura has been writing for 500 years, titled "Coexistence of humans and demons based on ants and aphids," and it is difficult to know whether she is joking or serious when she says, "I wonder if it will take another 500 years to complete." It was also Aura who gave her the name Zitrone.
The biggest difference between Zitrone and Aura, however, was that Zitrone was just an ordinary demon who couldn't kill or eat humans.
Zitrone sat down next to Fern, bringing her gaze to Fern's level.
"You seem to be in a bad mood, is there anything I can do to help you?"
And while demons cannot understand many human emotions, they are keen on the subtleties of human feelings. However, the biggest difference between them is that this is not because they care about others, but because they want to deceive them.
Nevertheless, since Zitrone had kindly approached her, and since being around Frieren and Aura posed no danger, Fern began to quietly voice her troubles.
"Oh?
Ah…
I see…
I understand…
Yes…
That's right――"
Zitrone listened to Fern's story with noncommittal responses, without much meaningful content.
After hearing her out, Zitrone changed her expression slightly, raising only the corners of her mouth in what could be called a smile, and tilted her head.
"What exactly is the problem?"
Zitrone just stared at her with an insect-like gaze, as if she really didn't understand, and Fern realized that what she had said had been a complete waste of time, and her expression stiffened.
Seeing this, Zitrone returned to a blank expression and shifted her gaze from Fern to the ground.
"Looks like I made a wrong choice again."
As she said this, Zitrone pouted a little, which made her look somewhat childish, and at least to Fern, she seemed the most human she had been.
"I guess imitating 'mother' doesn't suit me. I didn't understand anything, it seems."
"I-I see…"
The "mother" Zitrone referred to was Aura. Why Aura had Zitrone call her that was a mystery from the past known only to Aura, Frieren, and a few others. But it was clear that Zitrone did it willingly.
"After all, Fern-sama is human, so isn't it pointless to think about it in the first place?"
"...!"
Fern's eyes widened at Zitrone's natural remark.
"I'm a demon, so I don't have malice. I don't have guilt either. I don't possess a sense of justice or conscience."
Now Zitrone started speaking, but the content was far too grim to be directed at a child.
"A long time ago, there was a demon child. That child killed and ate a child from a village, earning the hatred of that child's parents."
Fern's eyes widen at these words, as she somehow sensed that this was a story about Zitrone's past.
"At that time, the heroes were present, and they and the village chief decided that they could not end the matter by simply hating the child, and so they let the child live, giving him the chance to 'make amends.'"
If that were all, it would have been a touching story. It could be said to be the greatest example of human kindness.
"However, demons do not understand the concept of making amends. Therefore, the child interpreted it as having been wrong to eat the food. The child then thought further and decided to kill the village chief and offer his daughter in his place to the resentful couple. As it happened, the child who had been eaten was a daughter."
Fern listened to this strange story in silence. Hearing it, which she could not possibly empathize with, she came to understand the true nature of demons and realized they were something entirely different from herself.
Demons had a unique abnormality in that they could recount such stories without any consideration for the listener's feelings.
"I hadn't been told not to kill. Nor had I been told not to take. Back then, I simply wanted to live peacefully, and I didn't think I had done anything wrong."
Finally, Zitrone stopped pretending it was someone else's story. She closed her eyes for a moment, and then, opening them again, continued speaking.
"And then, when I took action, 'mother' showed up and beat me to a pulp, making it so I could never again eat or kill humans on my own, and I was magically bound so I couldn't lie either."
Suddenly, the story veered off in a strange direction.
In the midst of a tragic, bizarre case of misunderstanding between demons and humans, a ninja named Aura appeared and physically and magically subdued the demon child.
"It's been about 80 years since then. I haven't eaten or killed a human by my own hand, not even once. And 'mother' has taught me many things over the years."
"I see…"
"See? Fern-sama, you're completely different from me. You're human."
The difference was so great that Fern's own worries began to seem small.
"Also, 'mother' said that there's no need to understand human emotions."
More than anything, Fern realized that Aura was, in many ways, an extraordinary demon, not at all typical in her conduct.
"She also said, 'It's far more foolish to waste time honestly trying to understand something you never can.'"
"That sounds like her…"
"Yes, she did say that. Therefore, what's necessary is not that you have to do something, but that you learn what's wrong. You learn what you shouldn't do. And, you learn what happens when you do it."
After saying this, she paused, stared blankly into the distance for a few seconds, and then softly spoke.
"Killing… is something you shouldn't do."
"――――!?"
Zitrone declared this, albeit in a somewhat halting manner. Fern, who had been listening to her up until now and had some knowledge of demon behavior, was still shocked.
"Because terrible things happen…"
Those words were the result of real-life experience and the education she had received from Aura, but at the same time, it seemed as if the light had further faded from her eyes.
"But… I think I'm able to live peacefully now. So, I believe I'm happy. As a demon."
Although Zitrone's expression hadn't changed at all, Fern felt as if she could detect a slight smile.
"I hope that, in some way, this story can serve as a reference for you."
"Not at all. It was scary."
"You're quite harsh."
Having finished speaking, Zitrone stood up from beside Fern and exclaimed, "Ah, that's right."
By that time, Fern's initial worries will have subsided, and even if the problem isn't resolved, she will be able to accept it little by little, and at the very least she wouldn't be left feeling completely helpless.
"I came to inform you that it's almost time for dinner. Shall we go? Apparently they're having fried chicken today."
"Dinner, huh?"
Upon hearing those words, Fern straightened up and followed after Zitrone.
――――
"Mother."
"Oh? You helped me out? Thank you—
I squeezed some lemon on the fried chicken for you."
"..."
――――
The silent conversation lingering in his mind slowly faded, dissipating as though he were awakening from a crumbled dream.
As he hovered in a state that resembled a light sleep, his gaze fell upon what travelers referred to as the "village of demons."
While most of the Central Lands still dismissed this as nothing more than a fanciful rumor, every human who had visited the village confirmed the same story. It was only a matter of time before the tale gained credibility.
Suspended high in the air, above even the tallest trees of the forest, a male demon—using flight magic—looked down at the village, which lay 2 to 3 kilometers away. He assessed the settlement as a somewhat developed village.
Recalling the talk with his from many possible future self, the male demon gently descended to the ground, closing his eyes as he did so.
"I guess this future is too valuable to just throw away..."
With that murmur, he let out a small sigh as his feet touched the earth. Slowly, he turned around, raising one arm and touching it while opening his eyes.
"Sixth Sages of Destru—no, the Seventh Sages of Destruction, Aura the Guillotine. I'm talking about you."
"So, you've got eyes on your back, huh...?"
Standing behind him was a petite female demon with purple hair. She had completely erased both her mana and her aura, and had swung a massive scythe down toward him. He had stopped the blade with just one hand.
Aura, the female demon, immediately leapt back. Dozens of large scythes materialized around her, spinning at high speed and emitting an eerie sound.
"I suppose, as a fellow demon, I should introduce myself."
The male demon, however, seemed entirely unbothered by the display, his unwavering gaze fixed solely on Aura.
"I am Omniscient Schlacht. I serve as the Demon Lord's confidant—I've come to set the future in order."
Schlacht, known for wielding magic that could foresee a thousand years into the future, declared this with absolute certainty.
――――
You must be wondering why I haven't updated my main story yet? Honestly, after leaving the hospital, I feel confused about the plot. Maybe I'll start updating again as usual schedule in the near future.