Although Sirin was curled up under the blanket, when she said, "Sirin is not a good child," Joyce felt the temperature in the room drop suddenly.
It really did drop. Joyce realized that the idea of emotions affecting the weather in a mindscape might actually hold some truth.
Whether it was because a bad mood caused the weather to worsen, or because a bad mood made one feel cold, therefore making the weather feel colder… that was unknown.
Although she could sense the change in temperature, it didn't affect Joyce much.
"Did Sirin do something bad?" she asked with a smile, as if Sirin had merely mentioned a trivial matter. "I don't think Sirin is a bad person."
"It's because I did something bad that I'm a bad person…" Sirin said in a low voice.
Joyce paused. Sirin's words sounded strangely familiar. She quickly realized why.
Hadn't Shu said something similar to Sirin in the [Demon King City]?
["It's not because he's the Demon King that he did those things, but because he did those things, that he is the Demon King."]
Translating that to a real-world context: "It's not because someone is a bad person that they do bad things, but because they do bad things, they are a bad person."
Joyce had a headache. She had come out too early. If Shu had finished his sentence, explained about "redemption" and "atonement," things would be much simpler now.
Sirin had clearly taken Shu's words to heart. With the time difference, it would be difficult for Joyce to introduce those concepts to Sirin now.
"Can you tell me what Sirin did? Maybe it was actually a good thing?" Joyce decided to first hear what Sirin had done to make her think she was a bad person.
"I…" Sirin hesitated. Joyce didn't press her, waiting patiently for Sirin to share.
"I was selfish… It was my fault, but I blamed others. I even said something terrible like 'death sentence' to someone…
"I knew they had important things to do, but I still wanted them to play with me… to do things they didn't like, didn't want to do…"
"Is this 'someone'… named Shu?" Joyce asked with a wry smile and a sigh.
It seemed Shu's influence on Sirin was truly profound… even though they had only known each other for a few days, most of which they spent fighting tooth and nail…
Joyce suddenly understood why Albert and the others called her a wicked succubus… even she found this inexplicable attraction strange.
She had been here for almost three months, done many important things, and appeared before Sirin quite often. So why were Shu's words the ones etched in Sirin's heart?
Despite her inner turmoil, Sirin herself was the priority.
Sirin didn't answer whether the "someone" was Shu. Her silence was the answer.
"Sirin, may I ask you a question?" Joyce asked after a moment of thought.
Sirin shifted under the blanket, giving her tacit consent.
"If someone did many, many good things, but one time, they accidentally did something bad, are they a good person or a bad person?"
Sirin suddenly froze. Joyce watched as the blanket rustled; Sirin must have changed positions.
"Did many good things… good person… but did bad things… bad person… no… good person…" Joyce could even hear the sound of Sirin's internal struggle from under the blanket.
"They should… be a… good person… right?" Sirin answered, but her voice was full of uncertainty. Joyce's question had clearly caught her off guard.
Joyce understood Sirin's dilemma… A child's world was like a fairy tale. No one would think that the Demon King was a leader of the oppressed, nor would they think the king was a tyrannical exploiter.
Such reversals were difficult for young children to understand… Masks… those were the privilege of adults.
So Sirin's dream had crumbled because of a "reversal." She couldn't comprehend hypocrisy, or hidden agendas…
It was fortunate that she had met people like John, people who followed their dreams. If she had met true wolves in sheep's clothing, cold-blooded researchers who disregarded human life…
Sirin might have become a true Demon King.
"Let's try another question…" Joyce said with a smile. "If someone made a mistake, became a bad person, but then changed their ways and did many, many good things, can that person still be considered a bad person?"
"That… they were a bad person before… but then they did good things… more good things than bad things… hmm…" The blanket rustled again; Sirin must have scratched her head in confusion.
"Then they should also be… a good person… right?"
"If they're a good person, why can't Sirin be a good person too?" Joyce finally brought the conversation back on track. "Sirin is still very young, right? There's still so much time. Sirin can become a good person again."
Sirin didn't move, but she was listening intently to Joyce's words.
"Sirin, how about you try to become a good person from now on?"
Joyce stared at the blanket, her voice gentle and inviting. "I think Shu would definitely like a Sirin who does good things, because he's a good person too, isn't he?"
Joyce stopped talking, quietly waiting for Sirin's reaction.
For a long time, there was no sound from under the blanket. Just as Joyce was about to speak again, Sirin whispered,
"Then Sirin might always be a bad person…"
Joyce paused, maintaining her smile. "Why do you say that?"
"Because everyone in Babylon still needs Sirin… Only by maintaining the dream can Sirin wake everyone up… so they can see the scenery they want to see…"
"So Sirin can't let anyone leave… even if it's a nightmare… as long as the dream is maintained, everyone will definitely live better than before… at least… there's no sickness here, and no bad adults…"
"Here… there's only one bad person, Sirin… and that's enough…"