Solitär knew it herself, and Fíliya knew it too.
Her emotions, her "sense of being alive," were far less rich than Aura's.
The reason she could become this "good demon" who didn't eat or kill humans wasn't because she understood sin or realized her mistakes, but simply because... Fíliya wished for it.
She hadn't become good; she had become "the appearance Fíliya desired."
If Fíliya wished for her to stop killing, she would stop killing. If Fíliya wished for her to stop doing evil, she would stop doing evil.
As for whether her essence had truly changed even a little, that was something even she herself couldn't determine.
"Actually... I understand a little... After all, I've seen many eyes filled with 'hatred'... Mn, just like Aura said, when stared at by 'malice,' the body has some uncontrollable reactions..."
Solitär's tone clearly lacked confidence; even someone other than Fíliya could tell she was weaving a lie.
Speaking of lying, ever since meeting Fíliya, Miss Solitär's "lying" ability seemed to have plummeted. Fíliya remembered clearly that when they first met, this fellow could lie without blushing or a skipping heartbeat, saying, "I have never killed a human"...
Thus, Fíliya helplessly extended a finger and pressed it against her lips.
"Shut up. Do you think this is interesting?"
"...Not interesting."
Solitär replied blankly.
"That's right then. What's the use of forcing an act? I know you haven't been able to understand... But it's okay, we still have plenty of time."
As Fíliya spoke, she slowly placed her hand on top of Solitär's head and gently stroked it back and forth, as if she were truly a good older sister comforting her younger sister.
Fortunately, this situation of "role reversal" between the two was no longer a rarity; Aura and Linie had witnessed it several times, so they didn't feel it was strange.
"Mn, anyway, let's leave it at that for today. Let's rest."
Saying this, Fíliya directly deactivated the "Illumination Magic" in the room, and then went to sleep together with Solitär.
The next morning, Fíliya's party ate a simple breakfast under the old village chief's warm hospitality, and only then prepared to set off for another location.
After they had already said their farewells to the old village chief, the Greater Demon, Ms. Solitär, who was beside Fíliya, suddenly stopped in her tracks.
"Wait a moment..."
She spoke thus.
"Mn?"
Fíliya stopped and cast a curious look at her.
She saw Solitär take a deep breath, and then condense an object resembling a crystal ball in her hand.
"This is... Mn??! Oh..."
Fíliya's expression instantly underwent a wonderful series of changes, and she sent a look of encouragement to Solitär with her eyes. It seemed that after a brief thought, she had already understood what Solitär intended to do.
Thus, Solitär turned and walked toward that village chief.
"Child... what is this?"
Seeing one of the adventurers return, the old village chief also felt slightly puzzled.
"This, you take it. You can keep it in your home."
Solitär slowly displayed the rather inconspicuous crystal ball in her hand.
"This won't do. You all helped me, so how can I be the one receiving a gift? ...Child, I accept your sentiments, but I cannot accept this."
The old woman hurriedly refused, but Solitär had already placed the crystal ball into the old woman's hands.
"Do whatever you want with it, throw it away if you like... but it's best not to throw it too far."
After leaving behind such a somewhat strange instruction, Solitär leapt directly into the air. Using Flight Magic, she instantly returned to Fíliya's side, leaving the old woman no chance to speak at all.
Seeing those figures fly away at high speed, the old woman could only sigh with emotion and take the crystal ball back into her home.
"Not bad. You thought further ahead than I did."
Fíliya looked at Solitär with a smile, but Solitär said nothing.
"Heheh, injecting 'Greater Demon's mana' into the crystal ball, and you even set the rate of dissipation... In this way, monsters and ordinary demons definitely won't dare to approach this area. Truly a good idea... How long can this last?"
Fíliya pressed on with a face full of curiosity.
"I don't know... It's my first time doing this kind of thing too, but it can be maintained for a few years at least."
Solitär replied in a low voice.
"Why did you suddenly think of doing this?"
Fíliya asked again.
"Just a sudden whim, that's all."
"That simple?"
"That simple."
"Is that so."
Fíliya nodded and said no more. Conversely, Ms. Solitär seemed unable to hold back her impatience, glancing in Fíliya's direction from time to time.
"This is also my first time doing a good deed... for a human other than you."
Eventually, Solitär couldn't resist speaking that sentence.
"So? Want me to praise you?"
A mischievous smile appeared on Miss Fíliya's face once more.
"Otherwise?"
Solitär glared at her grumpily.
"Alright... Good job. I'm gratified. No, I'm especially happy... really."
Fíliya stopped walking and looked at Solitär with a face full of sincerity. Then, completely disregarding Aura's look of disgust from the side, she directly gave Solitär a bear hug filled with love.
After the group had traveled for several more days, they finally arrived at a brand-new human settlement.
Miss Fíliya was currently standing in the middle of a broad road, looking at the well-managed wheat fields all around, and couldn't help but issue a sigh of emotion.
"Is it already this time of year? ...Having stayed by the seaside all along, my sense of the seasons has become a bit blurred."
As she spoke, she reached out to stroke the golden rice ears, and then, looking at the endless golden ocean, she felt her mood brighten as well.
"Although it is also within the range of the Northern Plateau, this Biya Region seems not to have suffered from the Demon Race's invasion... Let's go. It's rare to encounter a human city; we should rest up a bit and buy some supplies while we're at it."
Saying this, Fíliya turned around directly and waved to the three demons.
The process of the group entering the city could be described as very smooth, which was also quite normal... After all, with the enhancement of that magic of Fíliya's, it was impossible for the guards to harbor the slightest suspicion regarding Solitär and the others' identities.
"Tsk... What is going on with this place? ...It's all shops selling alcohol."
Not long after entering the city, Fíliya frowned immediately upon seeing a tavern every short distance. After all, the item known as "alcohol" represented a very unbearable memory for her.
"This place should be an important grain-producing area for humans, right? So it's normal for the brewing industry to be developed."
Solitär sized up the surroundings with curious eyes. Although she was an "Expert on Humans," it was still her first time personally entering a city where humans gathered.
"Tsk."
Fíliya twitched her mouth in disdain and offered no opinion.
But at this very instant, from a small shop not far to Fíliya's front-right, a discordant voice suddenly rang out.
"Ms. Frieren, you can't buy anymore! We need to save our money!"
!!!?
Fíliya froze instantly, and her heartbeat accelerated significantly in that split second.
What is this? A coincidence worthy of a book?
"Not good! Quick, let's go, we came to the wrong place!"
Fíliya turned around nervously, signaling the three demons to hurry up and run away with her.
The reason she was so nervous was that she had the confidence to deceive anyone, yet she was solely worried about being exposed by Frieren.
If Frieren discovered she was bringing demons into the city, god knows what things would turn into.
But clearly, Miss Fíliya's luck had always been rather poor.
Just as she wanted to pick up her legs and leave, a familiar hand had already climbed onto her shoulder.
"Fíliya? To think I'd meet you here..."
Fíliya turned her head, and sure enough, she met the curious gaze of that white-haired twintail.
____
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