"Is that so."
Fíliya nodded slowly, thinking to herself that this was just another insignificant tragedy among those who foolishly tried to get along with the Demon Race.
Still, he'd managed to become an officer. How could there still be a fool who would trust a demon?
Fíliya clicked her tongue in annoyance, her gaze on the demon before her growing much colder than before.
She just felt disappointed. She could see no potential for evolution in this demon.
"Then, second question. How did you turn your subordinates into... that?"
"That's my second ability. I can control demons whose total mana is less than mine... but it takes a lot of time and consumes a great deal of mana, so I only succeeded with four of them in the end. I also tried to persuade them, but they fiercely resisted every time I told them to conceal their mana, so I just completely wiped their minds... I was planning to use this magic on Sani and the others, but it seems you dealt with her first."
Abby's tone was very calm; it seemed she was completely unaware of the nature of her actions.
Fíliya's expression grew even more disappointed.
Of course, she knew the Demon Race felt no psychological burden from committing evil acts, nor could they understand what evil or guilt even meant.
But she was still disappointed. Disappointed that this young demon was so cold toward her own kind.
That Miss Sani, at least, had shown a bit of anger when Fíliya killed two of her subordinates...
Moreover, Fíliya realized that since she started talking to this brat, the System hadn't announced any acquisition of emotion points.
In other words... the brat before her was a true cold-blooded creature, the most demon-like of demons.
And so, Miss Fíliya gave up on the idea of continuing the conversation.
After all, her love wasn't infinite, and she had grown weary of this conversation.
Although she still had some unanswered questions, this was enough. Her vexation now outweighed her interest.
Mmm... it seems I still have a long way to go to reach my ideal.
If possible, she really wanted to meet a demon she could get along with.
"Now then, third question, Abby. Do you think I'll let you go?"
Fíliya's expression was still a smile, but Abby still sensed the coldness hidden beneath it.
So she answered.
"It seems not. Apparently, my answers didn't satisfy you. Did I choose the wrong words? What a shame."
She said it was a shame, but according to the System's feedback, this demon felt no emotional fluctuation about death either.
Her attempt to flee was driven purely by the survival instinct.
"I'll give you one last chance. Think of your final words, or try to move me again."
Fíliya lightly raised her left hand. A moment ago, she had already cast a small spell on the demon before her, though the target had yet to actually experience it.
Pain Amplification Magic
As for this magic's effect, that Miss Sani was the first demon in history to experience it firsthand.
The demon Abby fell into thought. If possible, she didn't want to give up her life.
At this final, critical moment, she finally remembered something.
It was a phrase, a very wonderful incantation. Every time she uttered it, humans couldn't bring themselves to kill her.
And so, Miss Abby slowly opened her mouth.
"Mama..."
Her response was an extremely thick beam of white light, within which seemed to flicker arcs of black and purple electricity.
Ordinary Attack Magic. In its normal state, it was just a pure white, linear energy blast.
But under Miss Fíliya's control, tinged with a bit of displeasure, both its power and mana consumption were doubled.
Staring at the long trench carved out by the magic, Fíliya fumed inwardly.
Honestly, little sister Abby got off easy. If she was vaporized instantly, there was no way to know if the Pain Amplification Magic even took effect.
If she didn't feel any pain before she died, wasn't all my work for nothing!
A pouting Miss Fíliya shuffled a few steps and slowly leaned her body against a large boulder.
"Well, that backfired. To think I mocked Wirbel before... So I can get angry over something like this? Maybe I'm... not as cold-blooded as I thought?"
With a look of annoyance, Fíliya kicked a small stone at her feet.
Just then, she detected the fluctuation of Flight Magic, and soon, two figures landed before her.
"Fíliya, the rest have been dealt with... What's this?"
Wirbel looked at the hundred-meter-long trench blasted by Fíliya and subconsciously assumed she'd had a major battle with that demon.
After all, he could tell at a glance that Fíliya had little mana left.
"It's obvious, isn't it? The demon's been dealt with... Say, can you not just stand there and watch? I'm exhausted. Have some tact, will you? Give me a hand."
Fíliya let out a series of plaintive complaints like a machine gun.
"Oh, you've worked hard."
Wirbel didn't think much of it and instinctively moved to support Fíliya, only to be met with a harsh glare.
Huh?
The expression on Wirbel's face froze.
"No, not you. Let Ehre do it."
As she spoke, Fíliya grinned and made a beckoning gesture like a kitten toward Ehre.
So Ehre, ignoring Wirbel's crestfallen expression, quickly went to Fíliya's side and supported her.
...Everything had settled. The night, which had brought a slight chill, was over. At the edge of the horizon, a ray of sunlight gradually pierced through the clouds.
Now, everyone stood before the ruins of the camp, which had been swallowed by a giant crater, their expressions thoughtful.
After a brief silence, Miss Fíliya was the first to speak.
"The job's done. I should be heading back to the Association. Ehre, want to come back with me?"
Fíliya looked at Ehre as she spoke.
"Hey, Fíliya, what do you mean by that? Trying to poach my people, are you?"
Wirbel glared at Fíliya warily. Although he often belittled Ehre, calling her an academy honor student who held him back, he was well aware of her strength and didn't want to lose such an asset.
"Look at you. If Ehre wanted to leave with me, could you really stop us?"
Fíliya wore a teasing smile, as if to say, 'I'm stealing her right in front of you. What are you going to do about it?'
And so, in that moment, Miss Ehre had to endure two equally intense gazes.
But after a moment's hesitation, she turned to Fíliya with an apologetic expression.
"Sorry, Fíliya... I can't bring myself to face my grandfather until I become a First-Class Mage... We often encounter the Demon Race out here, so I can gain more practical combat experience."
"Hmm, but your camp is gone. Why aren't you leaving?"
Fíliya pointed a finger at the ruins before them.
"If the camp's gone, we'll just rebuild it."
Wirbel cut in.
"Hmm, alright then."
Fíliya gave a small shrug. In truth, she already knew Ehre wouldn't go with her; she had just asked on a whim.
"Well, about supplies, I'll talk to the higher-ups when I get back, but it'll take ten days to half a month for them to arrive, and you all..."
Fíliya was once again cut off by Wirbel, as if he were getting revenge for her earlier jab.
"Don't look down on us, you crazy woman. All of us guarding the border know how to survive in the wilderness. A bunch of mages, plus a troop of nearly a hundred warriors... If we managed to starve to death out here, we'd be the laughingstock of the entire continent by tomorrow... So, just go. Don't worry about us."
Fíliya looked at Wirbel's determined gaze, thought he had a point, and turned to walk straight into the distance.
"Fíliya!"
Just then, Wirbel suddenly called out to her again.
Fíliya turned around impatiently.
"What now? Can't you say everything at once?"
"...Thank you. Without you, this would have been really dangerous."
This time, Wirbel didn't say anything else, simply expressing his gratitude.
"I was wondering what you were going to say... I don't think I did all that much. You sensed that mana fluctuation late at night too, didn't you? I'm sure you all could have handled this incident without me. Don't sell yourself short."
"Yeah, I did sense that fluctuation. And without you, maybe we still would have won in the end. But... there wouldn't be this many of us left standing here."
At this, Wirbel took a deep breath.
"Wirbel, Captain of the Northern Magic Corps, thanks you for your assistance, Lady Fíliya."
As he spoke, Wirbel bowed respectfully to Fíliya. The troop behind him, including Miss Ehre, followed their captain's lead and showed their respect.
Watching this scene, Miss Fíliya felt goosebumps rise on her skin.
"Are you kidding me... I'm going to be sick. This is why I always tell Sense I don't want to go on missions... It's so sappy."
Miss Fíliya turned away with a disgusted look and quickened her pace.
But once she was truly some distance from the group, a smile appeared on her face after all.
She looked at the System's continuous stream of emotion point income notifications and felt only the joy of a bountiful harvest. She had gained nearly a million emotion points on this trip, taking another small step toward her long-cherished wish.
On the other hand, although she'd said it was sappy and disgusting, she had to admit, this feeling of being thanked...
Was actually not bad at all.
______
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