"Alright! Let's take a break here," Himmel says, cheery as he starts setting up.
Déjà vu hits hard. I swear I saw this scene just recently. It's been like this since leaving the capital, but my mood stays sour. Of course it does—what happened there could restart in the village we're heading to.
"Still, it's nice not getting attacked by monsters," Himmel says. "Thanks to you, Aura-sama."
"You're doing that on purpose, aren't you?" I snap. "Stop treating me like bug spray."
"No way," he says. "I'm praising you."
I roll my eyes at his teasing, unsure if he knows my mood. Where does he get this energy? He was nonstop in the capital for a week, yet he's unfazed. Spare a thought for me, dragged along. At least that boorish priest is gone—a small mercy.
"By the way," Himmel says, "Heiter really took a liking to you. I haven't seen him that happy in ages."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I say. "He was just drunk the whole time."
"Not quite," Himmel says. "He was drunk, sure, but that hungover? Rare. He had a blast."
"He just drank too much because I was there to clean up," I say. "Never again."
Himmel brings up Heiter like it's a trap. A nightmare. Why did that guy take a shine to me? He probably thinks I'm his caretaker—or that my magic's useful. To him, I'm just a stray cat or dog.
"Speaking of," Himmel says, "didn't Heiter give you a souvenir? What was it?"
"…Nothing special," I say. "Just some books."
I answer flatly, not lying. My bag holds several books—Goddess scriptures and trial texts. Not ordinary ones, likely restricted. I only glanced at them, but why give these to me? That priest is scheming something. Worse, one book stands out—
(That boorish priest… slipping in something unnecessary!)
A flower encyclopedia, blatantly different. Its meaning is obvious. My hand almost reaches for the accessory on my chest—Himmel's gift—but I stop myself. Heiter must've known it was from Himmel, whether he heard it or not. This book's a weapon: if I don't know the flower's meaning, it teaches me; if I do, it lets me reveal that to Himmel. Either way, it's trouble.
(I'll give it to Lily when we're back…)
I'll pass it to flower-loving Lily to avoid Himmel finding it. Keeping it at home's too risky—his sharp eyes would spot it in a day. That priest—never again. If I see him, I'll—
"You okay?" Himmel asks.
"Nothing," I say. "What about you? Didn't you get something from that priest?"
"Heh, you bet," he says, grinning. "Something special."
He rummages through his bag, clearly waiting for me to ask. Such a child. I watch coldly as—
"Here!" he says, eyes sparkling. "Rare grape wine! I finally got it!"
He shows it off proudly, a gift from Heiter. I stand silently, snatch the bottle, and—
"…? What, thirsty already?" he says.
I uncork it and dump the contents on the ground.
"What!?" he cries. "Why!? That was really valuable—!"
"I told you," I say. "No drinking for a while. Planning to get drunk at the dwarf's place too?"
"N-No way!" he stammers. "I mean, it was Heiter's fault, not mine—!"
"Say something?" I say.
"Nothing," he mumbles.
My voice is colder than I expect. Himmel, distraught, gives up. I'm serious. I'm done cleaning up after drunks. Does this hero never learn? He might not even see it as a mistake.
"Heiter'd be bedridden for three days," Himmel says. "Anyway, great job in the capital, Aura. You were amazing at the courthouse."
"You brushed that off way too fast…" I say.
Sensing danger, he changes the topic clumsily. I want to call him out, but I let it slide—no more liquor talk. This is better. But my choice was—
"I asked Heiter to spread your new title," Himmel says, excited.
A mistake.
"New title…?" I say. "What's that?"
"'The Scales,'" he says. "Perfect for you, right? Like delivering justice."
"That's not the point!" I snap. "Why are you doing this!?"
"'Guillotine' has a bad vibe," he says. "So I thought up a new one. Don't like it?"
"You…" I say.
A shocking revelation. He's spreading a new title behind my back. What kind of joke is this? Nicknames are one thing, but this? I don't care for my demon-given title, but this is different. Making and spreading your own title is humiliating. Don't they get that? Himmel might not, but that priest definitely does. With his influence, it'll spread like wildfire.
"Want a different one?" Himmel says. "I can write Heiter to change it."
"…Like what?" I say.
"Let's see… 'Reversal' and 'Holy Mother,' maybe—"
"'The Scales' is fine," I say.
Instant decision. I don't want to hear more. The Scales is the least bad, and stopping it's futile.
"You get it," Himmel says. "It suits you. You saved that man—and his family."
"Saved…?" I say. "What? I just made a deal."
"Sure, to you," he says. "But to them, it was more."
"…You always say nonsense," I say.
I frown at his smug look. Saved someone? I don't get it. "Save" is a human word, like "atone." Believe and be saved—relying on others, incomprehensible. I didn't do that, but Himmel thinks humans saw it that way. What I really don't get is—
"Family?" I say. "I didn't do anything for anyone else."
The word "family." I know it, but why now?
"He mentioned his wife and kid," Himmel says. "You saved them too."
"Oh," I say. "I don't get why, but good for them. Family's like a mate and child, right?"
"Yeah…" he says. "Right, demons don't have that concept."
He finally remembers, stating the obvious. We demons live alone from birth, solitary. No pointless bonding like humans. No parents, no children—just other beings, judged by power. But—
"You humans love your mothers," I say. "That's why kid demons trick you so easily."
That "mother" word—magic to humans—makes them easy prey. Such a foolish species.
"…Yeah," Himmel says, a touch sad. "I love my mom too."
I catch a shift in his tone, subtle but clear now. After a year together, I notice.
(He's thinking pointless things again…)
Himmel's mulling over something unnecessary, triggered by my words. Probably something humans find offensive. I'll figure it out later, but—
"Stop calling me 'mother,'" I say. "Ask that elf."
"No can do," he says. "Frieren's the older sister type."
"You're such a brat," I say.
I shift the topic to clear the air. Widening this gap isn't wise. His sulking throws me off. But he snaps back to normal, the annoying hero. Infuriating.
"One question," I say. "What's the difference between family and friends? Books mention both, but I don't get it."
A bit of payback. Friends, I sort of understand—camaraderie, maybe. Demons have that, to a degree. Is family different?
"Hmm…" Himmel says. "Blood ties, sure, but… people living together happily?"
"That's it?" I say.
His vague answer is maddening. He talks big but doesn't know himself, yet he's swayed by it?
"Then…" he nods, "we're family too, right?"
"What?" I say.
He mutters nonsense, nodding. Is he crazy? Something's fatally wrong with him.
"Aura, would you be family with—"
"What?" I cut in.
He starts to say something silly but freezes. What's wrong?
"No, wait…" he mumbles. "If Frieren's… then I'd be…"
He mutters about that elf, talking to his delusions. How long will this last?
"Okay, Aura," he says. "Do you like me?"
"Sure," I say. "As much as you want to flip that elf's skirt."
"Sorry," he says.
I shut down his attempt to drag me into his fantasy. If he wants to play house, he can do it with Lily—she'd refuse that awful setup too.
"Ahem," he says. "Ask Eisen about family. He'll explain better."
Back to reality, he spouts more nonsense. Eisen—one of their party, our next stop.
"Why him?" I say.
"He was the father figure in our party," he says. "Heiter was the mother."
"Great," I say. "So you and the elf were the kids."
"No!" he says. "I was the leader! Frieren… well, I can't deny it, but that's what made her great—"
"Didn't ask," I say. "Tell her, not me. So, what's Eisen like? Another rogue priest like Heiter?"
"No way," he says. "Eisen's the most mature. A cautious, brave warrior. Super tough—survives any fall, immune to poison!"
"My mistake for asking," I say.
I stand, exasperated by his childish bragging. What kind of creature is that? Even demons don't have such absurd traits. No more of this.
I pull my robe tighter and set out. Himmel hurries after me. All I know is Eisen, like Heiter, smells like trouble—
"There it is!" Himmel says, spotting the village. "We'll stay there tonight!"
"Calm down," I say. "It's embarrassing."
His excitement is unbearable. Can he be quieter? This gaudy robe—matching his—makes us stand out enough. It's harassment. Ignoring my protests, he jogs toward the village. I follow reluctantly. We'd be suspicious, but Himmel sent a letter ahead as a relay point. He's thorough about that, at least. If only he'd use that elsewhere. But the mood shifts—
"Hero-sama!" a villager cries, desperate. "Thank goodness! We've been waiting!"
"What happened?" Himmel asks.
"A demon's in the village!" the villager says. "Our people are trying to kill it, but it's tough…!"
"Got it," Himmel says. "Lead the way!"
He transforms, the demon-slaying hero, sword in hand. I sharpen too, as a demon, a mage, sensing the village's state faster than him—through mana detection and demonic instinct. What it means, I don't know.
Himmel stands frozen, staring. His earlier vigor is gone. His sword hand trembles—I don't miss it. He doesn't even notice me behind him.
A demon stands there, wounded on the shoulder, cornered by villagers. No wonder—it has barely any mana. Because—
"Help… Mother…"
It's a child demon.
Its deceptive cry for "mother" echoes. Only I, a demon, and Himmel, the demon-slaying hero, know its true meaning.
This was the meeting of Linie, later called "The Exception," and the two of them—
--+--
T/N: Although I'm an inexperienced Editor, I do have a Patreon account! Although it seems like I don't have many supporters right now, my webnovel will be released in full every day, and the advanced chapters will be uploaded to Patreon.
It may not be worth it now, but who knows, it might be different in the future. Who knows!
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