Chapter 1: The Reasons for Aura's Eccentricity
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The strange words that suddenly appeared before his eyes made Ash's head buzz.
He couldn't quite make sense of it all—there were so many suspicious elements—but from what he gathered about the so-called "Demon King Growth System," he realized that this system was quite different from what he had imagined.
The Demon God, it turned out, was merely a self-proclaimed title of a deceased great demon from the mythological era—someone who had been on the verge of ascending to godhood. He was said to be the strongest demon king of his time.
The reason Ash was chosen seemed to be because of his unique emotional qualities. He had a level of sociality and a range of emotions that were extremely rare among demons—stronger even than those of the past demon kings.
This is why the system seemed to have a high evaluation of his potential... though Ash couldn't help but wonder if it was a misjudgment.
After all, the system wasn't as powerful as one might expect. It didn't grant any extraordinary abilities. The only notable feature was the ability to plunder the souls of a thousand humans—or intelligent beings with souls of equivalent worth—allowing Ash to exchange them for miracles through the system.
To be precise, these miracles were replications of those granted by the goddess, stolen by the Demon God. This system, carrying the ability to release miracles, was created by the Demon God by replicating and stripping magic from himself.
The power of the miracle would depend entirely on how many souls Ash could offer. According to the system, if enough souls were collected, it could grant miracles on par with the real thing.
This meant that each wish required a minimum of one thousand souls, with no upper limit. All accumulated souls could be spent on a single wish.
Though the conditions were harsh, the bright side was that demons had exceptionally long lifespans, and even if Ash had to spend his time working in a slaughterhouse, he could eventually gather enough souls to make a wish.
The system was incredibly simple, offering only this single function. At first, Ash was thrilled, but the excitement quickly gave way to frustration as he returned to the harsh reality of his situation.
After all, he was just a three-year-old child! Where could he possibly find a thousand souls to make a wish?
…
Thirteen years after his reincarnation, by a lake in the forest.
The cold wind swept across the water, creating ripples as it drained Ash's body heat.
With his still-young body, he dragged a beast that resembled a tiger, though the size of a small car, with one hand, while gripping Aura's horn with the other. Without even turning his head, he said:
"Why don't you stop researching mental magic and focus on something more practical? After I restricted this thing's movements, I was exhausted… Honestly, you're not much help."
"Don't tell me what to do, Ash. My magic is my own choice. Just because we were born in the same cave doesn't give you the right to interfere."
"You're so cold, even with a warmhearted brother like me," Ash replied, using his gravity magic to lighten the load of both Aura and the large beast. He couldn't help but shrug at her attitude.
"If you call dragging me around like an object 'warmhearted,' then fine. But you can lie down next to me when I recover tomorrow."
Aura, the pink-haired girl who looked utterly worn out and covered in dust, closed her eyes as she allowed Ash to pull her along by her horns, letting him drag her through the mud. She didn't hesitate to fire back a sharp retort.
"By the way, can you get up later? Will dinner be ready on time?"
"Why am I doing that again?"
"Isn't this a fair and democratic arrangement? I'll drag you home, and you cook."
"During the battle, I was the one who did most of the work!"
"Don't be so petty between brothers and sisters."
With the little energy he had left, he cut Aura off with a single sentence, causing the pink-haired loli to click her tongue behind him.
Although she was reluctant, she still lit a bonfire when they returned to the cave where they lived, the flames casting an orange glow on the stone walls.
Ash sat cross-legged nearby, watching Aura's profile in the firelight, unconsciously scrutinizing her.
Though she had a strange personality and was still just a loli, she was surprisingly attractive, with a delicate face and two sets of devilish horns that made it easy to drag her around.
The best part was that she was hardworking and capable. Even though she talked back, she was dependable in most things. The only flaw was probably...
"It'd be nicer if you were more docile and sweet."
"What are you mumbling about?" Aura, stirring the pot, glanced over at him and grinned. "Thinking about something weird again?"
"I'm wondering if I should find a chance to leave this forest."
"To go to a human city and start eating humans instead?"
"No, no, no, I'm not interested in human flesh. Look at me." He pointed to his head.
"A naked alien. If we hadn't grown up together, I would have thought you were a stupid human pretending to be a demon. Even your demon aura is so weak. If I didn't carefully check you from the outside, you'd be mistaken for a human and killed, wouldn't you?"
Although the topic wasn't exactly pleasant, Aura tilted her head, closed one eye, and smiled brightly.
"...Think about it, how would it feel to eat someone exactly like you? How would you feel if I asked you to eat someone like me?"
"That's true. It's better to just kill someone like you."
"Hello?"
"Just kidding. After all, we've been together for so long. When I perfect my magic, I'll make you my slave. You'll handle everything for me—cooking, cleaning, hunting... Oh, and by the way, I hate cold water at night. You can warm my toes with your hands and lick them clean, Alright?"
Aura seemed to revel in the thought, laughing with excitement at the mental image.
But Ash paid no mind to her arrogant words. He just lowered his head, placing one hand on his forehead, wondering how the child who grew up with him had turned into such an odd person.
His reaction caused Aura to misinterpret his feelings again. "What? Ash, are you so happy you're embarrassed to look at me?"
"...Looking at you just makes me angry. I'm worried I might accidentally kill you, and then who would cook for me?"
"???" Aura blinked in confusion before grabbing his head, shaking it playfully, and laughing happily. "You're so shy! Ash, you're obviously very happy, right?"
Great, now he can't listen to reason at all. Is it his twisted childhood that warped his mind, or is it just in the nature of demons? Or maybe it's my fault? No, it has nothing to do with me—it's definitely one of the first two. Ash couldn't figure out why Aura thought he was shy, all while enduring the unpleasant sensation of his head being shaken.
He was seriously considering whether hitting her with a heavy object could fix whatever was wrong with her brain.