Looking at the girl who had been sound asleep for a full month, Solitär could only find it incredible.
Because in this short period of time, with almost every passing day, the mana in Fíliya's body grew more turbulent, and the aura flowing from her became colder and more unknowable.
On the fifth day, Fíliya, whose mana reserves had once been just a bit higher than Aura's, had already approached Solitär's own level.
And now, on the thirtieth day, this girl had become someone that even she could no longer see through completely.
...Could merely becoming a demon bring about such a world-altering change...?
Solitär lightly bit her lip. Looking at Fíliya now, she even faintly thought of a word.
[Demon King]
She once again recalled the message the demon prophet, All-Seeing Schlacht, had left for her.
Should you meet a human girl with green hair and golden eyes, you must kill her without the slightest hesitation.
A human girl with green hair and golden eyes represented the unknown... represented an uncertain influence.
But since it was unknown, it could have been good, or it could have been bad...
So, her decision not to act against Fíliya back then was, after all, the correct one.
Solitär was utterly certain that when Fíliya awoke again, she would likely have become a Demon King in every sense of the word.
It's just... looking at the increasingly unfamiliar aura emanating from Fíliya, she still felt a little lost.
She was very worried about the person who would awaken.
Would she truly be the girl she knew...? This point, too, was indeed unknown.
But what could she do? She could only watch as this unsettling transformation continued to unfold within Fíliya.
Her only consolation was that the current Fíliya didn't need to eat, nor did she need to be looked after.
That girl was like a black hole now, frantically absorbing all the mana around her.
Whether it came from the air, or was attached to other people or objects, Fíliya devoured it all like a greedy beast, not the least bit picky.
Solitär was certain that, under these circumstances, if she were to approach rashly, she would likely be sucked dry as well.
But she, along with Aura and Linie, would still occasionally draw a little closer.
She deliberately allowed Fíliya, in this state, to drain all of their mana.
She didn't know if doing so would make her feel any better... Solitär's thoughts were remarkably simple.
After another month had passed, the changes in Fíliya's body gradually subsided, and the black-hole-like absorption of surrounding mana finally ceased.
Is she about to wake up?
For nearly three months, Solitär had spent most of her time crouched by Fíliya's side, which was why she was able to catch this very moment.
She immediately called for Aura and Linie, and together they gathered around Fíliya, quietly waiting for this troublesome girl to awaken.
Finally, Fíliya slowly sat up and opened her eyes.
"How long was I asleep?"
The moment those words were spoken, the heavy weight in Solitär's heart lifted.
She had been truly afraid that the awakened Fíliya would ask, [Who are you?].
Since Fíliya's first words were this... it meant she was still herself.
But Fíliya had still acquired a change that felt unfamiliar to her. For example... her golden eyes, which were originally a pale gold, had now... become what could literally be called pupils of gold.
Moreover, that gaze, filled with a cold light and chill, didn't match the girl who so often created mischievous scenes at all... After becoming a demon, did one become tinged with this slightly 'inhuman' color...? Solitär wondered with some uncertainty.
Well... but these are not the most important things. As long as... she still remembers me, it's fine.
"Three months..."
Solitär answered immediately.
"Is that so... I thought I'd slept for three hundred years."
A little warmth finally returned to Fíliya's tone, and these seemingly joking words also allowed Solitär's mood to relax considerably.
"Solitär... so you've been hiding such a big secret from me."
"!?"
Solitär was startled, somewhat at a loss as to how to respond to this accusation.
"Mm... I found an interesting one, you know? The one called [Saint of the End—Tot], was it? You never told me about her existence."
Fíliya smiled as she looked at Solitär.
"Because that one is the Demon Race's final trump card..."
Solitär replied nervously, simultaneously shocked at how Fíliya could have possibly found her...
[Saint of the End—Tot] was a great demon whose existence was hidden even more deeply than her own. Her ability was a terrifying curse, but one that required several hundred years to spread across the world, so she had always lived in hiding, waiting only for that moment of the [End].
Even Solitär herself didn't know where Tot was hiding. How could Fíliya have found her? Could it be... that the current Fíliya was even stronger than the so-called [God of Magic]? That her perception could cover the entire continent?
"It's not like that. My perception range isn't as large as Serie's... but, it can cover all demons regardless of distance. That's how I found her."
As if she had seen right through Solitär's thoughts, Fíliya immediately provided the answer.
"..."
Solitär was at a loss.
To be able to link her perception to every demon... this ability was practically tailor-made for the title of [Demon King].
"Alright... I don't mean to blame you. After all, I have plenty of things I've kept from you, too."
Fíliya stood up, changed into the clothes Solitär had prepared for her, and first stood before Solitär, placing her hands on her shoulders to soothe her mood before continuing.
"However, this is something that needs to be dealt with. To think the Demon Race still had this one last bomb left undiffused... I sense that her curse is nearly complete. It will detonate in ten years at most. I'm afraid there will be utter devastation then."
"Let's go."
As Fíliya spoke, she directly took Solitär's hand, then motioned for Aura and Linie to follow her.
"Go? Go where?"
Aura looked bewildered, wondering if this girl was going to spring into action the moment she woke up... They had prepared so much delicious food for her, and she hadn't even had a chance to try it.
"...Just follow."
As she spoke, Fíliya simply traced a small cross in the air before her with her index finger.
Then, the space in front of them split open as if it had been cut, connecting directly to a place that felt very strange and unfamiliar to Aura.
"This is..."
Aura and Linie exchanged a glance, completely clueless as to where this enclosed space was. But the surroundings were filled with a somewhat unpleasant, muddy smell, which brought back many bad memories for Miss Aura.
"200 meters underground. As for the surface distance, it's quite close to the Demon King's Castle."
Fíliya explained casually, then turned her gaze to the cavern built underground before them.
Though it was a cavern, aside from the lack of sunlight, it was quite similar to a normal human residence. There was a table, a bed, and even a pointless window carved into the cavern wall.
On the bed not far away, the figure of a female demon lay, staring in astonishment at the sudden intruders.
"Oh... no wonder no one could find Tot's trail. So... this one's been hiding underground all this time."
Looking at the other's appearance, a flicker of understanding crossed Solitär's expression.
____
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