When Solitär said this, a thick killing intent emanated from her body.
But Fíliya merely yawned in response. After all, she was already very familiar with Solitär.
She knew full well that if Solitär were to strike, she wouldn't give a warning with 'killing intent'—an attack would have already been launched.
"Mmm, but you've already missed your chance, Solitär. Back when we first met, if you had attacked me directly without a word, I might really have died."
Fíliya spoke earnestly.
In that first moment of their encounter, during those few seconds when Fíliya realized death was upon her, if Solitär had attacked immediately, she would have been a goner. There would have been no time to exchange for that magic from the System.
"Indeed. The moment I grew curious about you, this game was likely already over."
Solitär also shook her head helplessly. In the current situation, even if she had just remembered Schlacht's prophecy, she could no longer convince herself to lay a hand on Fíliya.
"So, this match is my win, right?"
With a playful grin, Fíliya let her body fall sideways, naturally resting the back of her head on Solitär's lap.
"Mmm, Solitär, you're so skinny. There's no meat on your thighs at all, it's not very comfortable to lie on."
Not only that, but Fíliya even made a sound of disdain.
"Should I apologize for that? Perhaps Aura's thighs are meatier. You could go rest on hers."
Solitär said with a deadpan expression.
"Eh? That's too far, I don't want to move anymore. Besides, the little fool is already asleep. Annoying her when she wakes up in the morning is one thing, but if I were to disturb Aura's sleep late at night, that would be going too far."
"Oh? So you're that gentle with Aura? You can't bear to disturb her, but you can bear to disturb me?"
The temperature in Solitär's words dropped another few degrees.
"Mmm, what are you talking about... In fact, I've always been very gentle, you know? Only people who don't understand me would think I'm a weirdo, okay? And I'm su~~~~per gentle with you, Solitär."
Fíliya deliberately dragged out the last word, her expression slightly annoyed.
o(＾－＾o#)
"Is that so."
Solitär said no more, allowing Fíliya to lie on her lap. The two of them maintained this posture, watching the moonlight for a long while.
"Fíliya, why did you say that?"
"Huh?"
Fíliya was a bit baffled by the sudden question. She was in a drowsy state, nearly having fallen asleep on Solitär's lap.
"That phrase, 'I will come save you.' I still can't understand it. It's not a matter of your strength. I want to know why you would have the thought to 'save me.'"
"Hmm? Solitär, you're so strange, getting hung up on such an odd thing. There is no why. I just want to save you."
"But... I am a demon who has lived for a thousand years. The people I've eaten and killed over this millennium... by human standards of judgment, I would have been deemed irredeemably evil long ago, wouldn't I?"
Hearing this, Fíliya sighed helplessly and sat up from Solitär's lap.
She sat beside her again, shoulder to shoulder, and looked at Solitär's profile.
"I feel like you've misunderstood something, Solitär. I'm not here to hold you and Aura accountable. As long as you and Aura continue to keep our promise, I will be on your side."
The promise... does she mean the one about no longer eating humans? Solitär thought.
But she was still curious, so she continued to ask.
"But, the first day Fíliya entered my house, you were disgusted by my human specimens, right? You later buried them and made me promise not to eat people anymore... From this, I'd think you're the type to have deep feelings for your own kind. Why wouldn't someone like that want to hold the Demon Race accountable? I feel it's not just a matter of strength."
The silver moonlight shone on Solitär's profile. Fíliya's gaze followed the gentle curve of her nose, moving slowly upward until it met those eyes full of confusion.
"Pfft. Solitär, have you noticed? Your way of thinking right now is completely human. A demon wouldn't say something so sentimental."
Fíliya didn't answer Solitär's question immediately, instead letting a teasing look fill her eyes.
At Fíliya's reminder, Solitär was startled into realizing that she seemed to have... truly undergone an incredible change.
But that wasn't the most important thing right now. What she wanted most was still an answer from Fíliya.
Seeing Solitär's serious expression, Fíliya knew she had to face this question with some seriousness as well. After a moment of thought, she slowly began to speak.
"Hmm, there are probably three reasons."
Solitär remained silent, just continuing to look at her.
"First, regarding killing and eating people, I don't think humans and demons really need to compete over who's worse. The longer a demon lives, the more people they've killed and eaten. That's a fact."
"But there are quite a few gluttons among humans, too. When they get hungry, they can wipe out tens of millions of people with a wave of their hand."
"If there were a truly fair judgment mechanism in this world that executed beings based on the number of people they've killed, in descending order, it would probably be a very long time before it was your turn, Solitär."
"Of course, I'm not trying to say 'humans are also guilty' so it's fine for demons. I just mean... I don't want to be that 'judging machine.' The task of judging who is guilty or not... let's leave that to the saints. I'm not that kind of person."
"Second, I've discovered a possibility in you and Aura... Hmm, I don't think I've ever told you this... Although I call myself a 'Demon Race enthusiast,' my true ideal is actually to remodel the Demon Race."
"And yes, that starts with making demons stop eating people... After all, this habit of eating humans is just too awful."
"Humans can tolerate villains who have killed many people, but they can never tolerate a different species that has eaten many people. So, if the Demon Race wants to survive in the future, this habit of 'eating people' must be eradicated."
"So how to remodel the Demon Race? 'Feed oneself to the tiger'? 'Cut one's own flesh to feed the hawk'? This kind of behavior, delusion to 'reform' demons by harming oneself, is absurd. Only a lunatic would do that..."
"There's only one way to remodel the Demon Race, and that is me. First, I myself must become an absolute powerhouse, strong enough to influence the fate of all demons, only then am I qualified to talk about 'remodeling the Demon Race.'"
"Right now, there's still a long way to go, which brings us to the third reason."
At this point, Fíliya took a deep breath.
"The third reason, Solitär, is that I need you. From any angle, I can't be without you right now."
"Just by living with you for these past two months, I've already become much stronger. We still have so much more to explore together in the future."
"So, can you stay by my side? I need you to help me become stronger, so I can move closer to my ideal. And only by becoming stronger can I fulfill my promise to 'protect you.'"
_____
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