"The Demon Race is terrifying! I'm never being a bandit again! No, I have to find a safe place, fast."
A man was running for his life across the wilderness. He was a weak fellow to begin with, who had thought he could get by under his so-called big brother, but that big brother had just been killed.
"Huff... huff..."
As if his stamina was about to reach its limit, the man stopped, panting heavily. Sweat dripped to the ground like rain.
The sky was already beginning to darken when a blurry human figure suddenly appeared ahead.
"Do you know what guilt is?"
The voice was deep with a slightly magnetic quality, the tone so indifferent it seemed devoid of emotion.
Watching the tall man inexplicably walking towards him, the fleeing man grew impatient.
"What are you talking about?"
"Do you know what guilt is?"
The tall man repeated his previous words like a machine.
"What guilt? Get out of my way, don't block my path!"
What a creep, the fleeing man cursed inwardly.
A flash of light suddenly crossed his vision. His line of sight drifted upwards, and the surrounding scenery flipped upside down several times.
Thump. A human head rolled onto the ground. He probably didn't know what had just happened, even at the moment of his death.
A life, gone in an instant.
"This is anger, and also a faint fear... what exactly is guilt?"
The tall man's left hand changed from a long blade back into an arm. He stepped through the blood gushing from the corpse, moving forward step by step, like a ghost in search of something.
————
Splash, splash.
The sound of waves reached their ears. Nanoda and Aura walked out of the jungle and arrived at a beach.
The ocean was as azure as the sky, two panes of pure blue mirror separated by a few wisps of white cloud.
The sand on the beach was a withered yellow and completely deserted, looking utterly desolate. Yet, the gently blowing sea breeze felt incredibly refreshing and comfortable.
"Hahh... It's the sea. Where have we ended up?"
Aura stretched languidly.
"Probably somewhere in the far east."
Looking at the sun that had just risen on the horizon, Nanoda replied.
"I can sense the presence of our kind here. It's been concealed, but that powerful mana can't be hidden."
Aura sensed it. Although this place was remote, there were traces of mana left by the Demon Race.
"There's a wooden cabin over there."
Nanoda spotted a large wooden cabin built not far from the shore. A Demon must be living there.
"Shall we go take a look?"
Aura nudged Nanoda.
"Alright."
The two Demons walked towards the cabin.
"Oh my, we have guests."
A Demon girl wearing a white dress and a light brown shawl hopped up from her chair.
She gently brushed aside her long, turquoise hair, revealing two cute little horns.
Pattering on her fair, bare feet, she skipped over to a storage cabinet and began searching for something.
"Hmm... not this one... where did I put it?"
The small cabinet doors were opened one by one, making a clattering racket.
"Ah, found it."
With a happy cry, she took out a somewhat old tea caddy.
She then took out three earthenware cups, sprinkled the tea leaves evenly into them, and used Fire Magic to quickly boil a kettle of water. The boiling water streamed into the cups, and white steam began to rise from the three cups of tea.
The Demon girl, Solitir, sat back down in her chair, swinging her little feet as she waited for the guests who had come to find her.
Creeak.
The somewhat ancient door was pushed open. Nanoda walked in slowly, with Aura following cautiously behind her.
"Welcome, my kinsmen!"
Solitir revealed a fake, business-like smile.
The moment Nanoda entered, she was drawn to the fish skeletons displayed inside the house. Then she saw Solitir, who was sitting at the table with tea already prepared to welcome her.
Seeing that there was no danger, Aura peeked out from behind Nanoda.
When she saw Aura, Solitir acted as if she had become excited.
"If it isn't Lady Aura of the Seven Sages of Destruction. My humble abode and simple tea are poor hospitality, please forgive me."
"Huh? You know me? Who are you? How come I've never seen you in the Demon King's army?"
Aura had no impression of Solitir at all, yet the other party seemed to know her very well.
"Solitir?"
Nanoda had an impression of this so-called unknown Great Demon.
"Ah, that is correct. I am the Great Demon Solitir. It's not strange that Lady Aura doesn't know me, because I am a coward and almost never fight humans in the Demon King's army. However, for you to know me, Your Excellency, when I do not yet know you..."
Solitir began to size up Nanoda, finding it somewhat difficult to see through this person who knew her true identity.
What surprised Solitir the most was that she couldn't discern the amount of mana on Nanoda, and yet Lady Aura of the Seven Sages of Destruction was acting very subservient, like an attendant.
If the person before her was a major figure in the Demon King's army, it would be impossible for her, who had been observing from seclusion, not to know them.
What is the origin of this broken-horned Demon? Solitir was suspicious.
"Aura, let's sit. I want to talk with her."
"Oh, okay."
Seeing Solitir secretly sizing her up, Nanoda said nothing. Instead, she put on an air of importance and took a sip of tea first.
It was slightly bitter upon entry, but then a sweet aftertaste followed. It was a good cup of tea.
As she drank, Aura kept stealing glances at Nanoda.
"I am the Great Demon Nanoda. It's not important why I know you. I want to talk to you about the future of the Demon Race."
Hearing the words 'the future of the Demon Race', the smiling Solitir's face fell, revealing the expressionless look unique to Demons.
"Oh, is that so? Hasn't the future of the Demon Race already been decided for us by Lord Demon King and Lord Schlacht? It is not something the likes of us can comprehend or touch. It is enough to be content with the status quo."
Solitir showed her dislike for the topic.
"They are already dead. The Demon Race needs a new future."
Nanoda said it as if it were a matter of fact, feeling not the least bit of remorse for her rudeness.
"Hmph. Then what is your opinion?"
"The Demon Race needs to change. We need to overcome our instincts, we need to progress."
"Ridiculous. We are born strong, beings who already exist at the pinnacle. We do not need so-called change."
Solitir said dismissively.
"One day, we will pay the price for our arrogance. Humanity... is not to be underestimated."
Nanoda stressed the last few words heavily.
"It is like the whale shark and the small fish. Though they are both fish, those fry are nothing but food for the massive whale. Even if the Demon Race and humanity are similar, that is our relationship."
Solitir spread her arms, showing Nanoda the fish skeletons she had collected.
"Is that so... As I thought, we cannot understand each other after all."
Nanoda sighed and drank the rest of her tea.
Although Solitir claimed to be a coward and to understand humans well, in essence, she still treated humans as nothing more than toys for her experiments.
"We walk different paths."
That was the last sentence Nanoda left behind.
____
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