Aura's twin horns pierced deep into the wolf's soft underbelly. The beast howled in pain, pitiful whimpers spilling from its throat as it kicked and struggled wildly, blood spraying with every desperate thrash.
But it didn't last long. Soon, the rampaging wolf collapsed and died completely.
Aura, however, now found herself with the wolf's corpse slumped over her head, forcing her neck down so she couldn't lift it again. After a long dazed pause, she finally let out a depressed sigh and stared at him.
"Was that… polite, Ash? What exactly do you take me for?"
"I should be the one asking what you were doing," Ash shot back, his voice sharp with irritation. Blood was still flowing down from his throat, trickling over his body. "Were you so desperate to make me a real orphan? If I'd been a normal human, I'd already be dead."
"…You might not believe me, but this time really wasn't my doing."
"I figured as much. From the start, it was obvious your control wasn't stable."
"Mm. It definitely needs improvement. So, can I ask you to let me practice on you?" Aura looked up at him with a serious expression he had never seen from her before. "Don't worry, I won't actually control you! And when I finally perfect my magic, I swear I'll repay you properly!"
"Aura…"
"Big brother!"
The two locked eyes, and for a brief moment there was a strange sense of familial affection—an elder brother's gentleness, a younger sister's trust. Aura's lips even began to curl upward in a smile she couldn't suppress.
But then—
"Keep dreaming."
Ash casually pressed his palm against her face and gave a light push.
Still burdened with the wolf carcass on her head, the girl instantly lost her balance and toppled backward.
"Tch… so it still doesn't work, huh? Who would've thought Ash would have such strong defenses…" Lying flat on her back, Aura clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction. She gazed up at the treetops, deep in thought—whether about refining her magic or scheming how to trick Ash, he couldn't tell.
Ash, however, knew well the flaws of having no teacher. Among demons, it was glaring. Training alone meant slow progress and, naturally, plenty of loopholes.
Not that he cared for now. Instead, he crouched beside Aura and looked down at the little loli with not a shred of remorse in her expression. His face was unreadable.
"Aura. Don't you think there's something you should be saying to me?"
"Oh right, I almost forgot—Ash, hurry up and get this corpse off my head. My neck feels like it's going to snap."
"That's not what I meant."
"…Come on, a little blood loss won't kill you. Why make such a fuss? For us demons, even without blood we don't die—we just get weaker." Aura covered her mouth and giggled.
To Ash, it was the very picture of an expression begging to be smacked. His eye twitched, and he nearly gave in to the urge to end this "family bond" right there.
Sensing he was on the edge of an outburst, Aura quickly shrugged and spread her hands. "Alright, alright, don't be so mad. I admit I did wrong. Next time I'll do better, and I'll even try to cook you something tasty tonight. How about that?"
"That's your idea of a sincere apology? Don't you think your attitude's a little strange?"
"Think about it, Ash. When I finally master this magic, we won't need to hunt anymore. You'll just sit at home and wait for meals to be delivered to us!"
"…That does sound nice, now that you put it that way."
"Right? So, can you help me pull this thing off now? My horns are stuck in its ribs—I can't get it off myself."
She squirmed on the ground, trying to yank the wolf free, but her horns were firmly wedged between its bones. Forced to sit up with the dead beast still skewered, Aura held its weight with her hands, smiling awkwardly but politely as she tilted her head back to look at him.
Ash stared at the blood-soaked girl in silence. After a pause, he turned toward another wolf carcass instead. "…No. You can walk home like that. Saves me the trouble."
"Hey, hey! That's way too weird!"
"I'm joking. But for now…"
He summoned a small fireball into his palm, then picked up a branch from the ground. Holding it in the flames until it glowed red-hot, he handed it to Aura. "Help me stop the bleeding."
"Ohhh~ that, I can do! Leave it to me!"
Aura, who just moments ago had looked utterly dejected, suddenly sprang to her feet with the wolf still on her head. She pressed the burning stick to his wound without hesitation.
Zzzzt! The searing hiss of flesh filled the air, followed by the thick stench of charred meat.
Cold sweat streamed down Ash's face as he gritted his teeth against the pain. Aura, meanwhile, let out an excited cry. "This is amazing, Ash! Are you trembling? My fingers are shaking from the thrill too!"
"You're just excited, aren't you?!" Ash couldn't hold back, finally cursing out loud. "I told you to study healing magic, but no—you waste time every day on this nonsense! Thanks to you, every time we're hurt, we have to torture each other like this! Are you some kind of masochist and sadist rolled into one?!"
"Not at all! I hate pain. I just love seeing you tremble! It's really wonderful! Honestly, I don't want to learn healing magic anymore—this is so much better!"
"And what about when you're the one hurt?!"
"Nope! Still don't wanna! Healing magic is a hassle, and if you won't study it yourself, then pushing it onto me is just your way of trying to bully me forever! I'm not that dumb! Besides, isn't this method great?!"
"…."
Her voice behind him rang with unconcealed excitement, and Ash's mouth twitched. He resolved then and there—once they got back, he'd smack her ass.
By now he had all but given up on getting Aura to learn healing magic. He couldn't study it himself, and she clearly had zero interest. Even when injured and forced to rely on crude cauterization, she refused to change her focus.
Thankfully, their demon physiology spared them from infections or disease.
The real danger was the blood scent, which could draw monsters or wild beasts. Even as demons, they couldn't communicate with magical beasts—often they attacked each other on sight. Just as demons themselves were prone to infighting.
Meanwhile, Ash endured the torment of searing pain while Aura's breathing grew heavier with barely contained excitement. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly at the rotten nature of demons.
Still, he refused to believe her twisted behavior was the result of his teaching. After all, he was still just a child himself… or so he liked to think.
…
…
…