Chapter 93: Lily

When I came to my senses, I was there.

A dark space with no one beside me. A world with only me.

No one else. Just alone.

At that time, she appeared in front of me.

「Ah, nice to meet you! 」

It was a cheerful girl with golden hair, and I could tell that she had only recently taken up the sword.

But what surprised me the most was that the girl spoke to me without fear.

「You live in this temple…monster, am I right? 」

Yes, at that time, I was just a monster.

A golden beast. A golden wolf. A traditional guardian beast. A demon. A king of fangs. There were many names I was given. I was one of the worst seven beasts in the world.

Even though I had many names, the simplest title that people used to represent me was the SS-rank monster, Sun Wolf Squall.

「…I heard rumors about you and wanted to meet you no matter what, so I came here. My brother said only those who held the title of hero could face fearsome opponents, therefore, I wasn’t allowed to come here at all. But, you see, I couldn’t believe you were such an evil monster.」

From that point on, I thought this girl was a strange person.

Monsters were evil.

Even if that was not the case, monsters existed to be subjugated by humans.

Why were there so many monsters that could be used as food in this world?

Was it true that most of the world’s resources could be obtained by defeating monsters?

Those were some of the reasons for defeating monsters were they not.

Therefore, monsters were evil that should be defeated. It was a necessary evil in this world.

Even so, this child had doubts about it and even asked a monster about it. She was such a strange child.

From the beginning, I had no intention of attacking an inexperienced person like her, but as I listened to her, I realized that my poison had completely disappeared, and I sat still and listened to the girl’s questions.

「Sorry, but can I come here again? 」

After finishing talking for a while, the girl asked that question.

I just stared at the girl quietly without answering.

Did she take my silence as an affirmation? After bowing her head, she said that she would come again.

—

The days that followed were really strange.

The girl visited me almost every day.

At first she was asking about me, about monsters, but when she felt that I was unwilling to answer, she gradually changed the story to herself.

Where she was born and raised, where she went, what she did, and what she felt there.

She had a small family, an older brother, no parents, and aimed to live up to her older brother’s expectations.

At first, she wanted to become a hero by slaying many monsters, but she gradually wondered why she was slaying monsters.

Why were humans and monsters hostile to each other in the first place?

Since when?

What was the purpose of the hero system?

At that time when she had such doubts, she heard a rumor about a certain monster.

The rumor spoke about the a legendary SS-rank monster that lived in a hidden ruin in the forest of her hometown.

And that the monster was still alive without killing the heroes and adventurers who had challenged to defeat it.

It was as if said monster was not killing people with intention.

Then, she became interested in that monster and came to see the monster personally.

「I’ve been thinking. I have to hunt monsters to earn points in order to become a hero. I wonder if that’s really necessary. Isn’t it bad to hunt monsters as long as I can live? Both monsters and humans can live together, so if humans and monsters coexist harmoniously, wouldn’t that be for the best?」

She was a girl who said strange things.

How good would it be if it could be done?

However, that was not the role this world expected of monsters.

We as monsters, no, especially we who were SS-rank, should be defeated by humans.

Because we were monster that existed as one of the Demon King’s minions that humans should overthrow as their ultimate goal.

The first time I answered to that girl, she gave me a look of surprise.

「I…I was surprised. Ah, you are able to speak. 」

When the girl said so, I realized that it was indeed true.

Before I knew it, I had gotten so used to spending time with this girl that I didn’t know what was going on in my head and I just spoke to her.

However, the girl smiled brightly as if talking was the most natural thing in this world.

「Sorry for smiling this way, but I’m happy because I am able to talk to you for the first time. If you don’t mind, I’d be happy if I could hear your voice again.」

—

From then on, and somewhere in my heart, I was looking forward to the arrival of the girl.

In the depths of the ruins, I gave a trial to the humans who came to visit me.

That was my only role.

That was the role given to all SS-rank monsters, not just me.

It was exactly like the role of the Demon King, which had to fight against humans who wanted to eradicate it.

Someday, if necessary, I may fit into that role.

That was why it was said that we didn’t need the concepts that people had.

By concepts we meant the so-called family, a friend, a lover, and a feeling.

But at the same time, I was envious of people who had such concepts.

One of the reasons humans were strong was because they always had at least one concept.

For their families, for their friends, for their parents and siblings, for their lovers, they shined because there were people who shared their thoughts.

I loved the brilliance of it all.

That’s why.

「Hey, hey, Squall. Will you be friends with me? 」

I would never forget the shock I felt when the girl said those words.

I was humanity’s natural enemy and a disaster itself.

An evil monster that should be defeated by humans, an existence that played a part in it.

The girl called out to me without fear.

「Can’t we? 」

In response to the girl’s question, I explained to her, her own role as a human.

People existed to defeat evil, and someday I would be defeated by some other human.

There was no way I could be friends with a human.

「That’s not true! I will never hurt you, Squall, and if anyone tries to hurt you, I will surely protect you! 」

She was a girl who should be far weaker than me.

She spread her body as if she was leaning on me.

「Also, I don’t really understand that rule, but I think that a world where humans and monsters can coexist is much more wonderful than a world where humans defeat monsters. I believe that a person who will break that rule and mediate the bond between humans and monsters will appear in this world. And when that happens, I will be the first to help him. 」

A feat that would never be possible for a person born and raised in this world.

However, if such a world could be created…

「That’s why, aiming for that kind of world, I will be friends with you, Squall. Even if you deny, I’m already your friend! 」

The girl who said that with a smile held out her hand.

I was fascinated by the friendship she showed me and took her by the hand.

That was the second mistake I made.

My first mistake was meeting her in the first place.

I should have rejected her on the first time we met.

I would later find out that this friendship was a big mistake.

—

The girl was unusually late that day.

I was surprised at the change in my state of mind when I noticed that I felt anxious and lonely that she had not come.

However, on that day, several adventurers who had captured the girl came.

「I never thought the rumors were true… 」

「Yeah, it’s an SS-rank monster. 」

Saying that, the men confirmed my appearance, and each picked up a weapon.

In the past, these belligerents were lightly defeated and tossed at the entrance of the ruins.

But this time was different.

「Hey, don’t move! I know you’re on good terms with this woman! If you move, I’ll decapitate her!」

One of them restrained the girl and put a sword to her neck.

I quietly followed his instructions.

「I am surprised. Do you really have feelings for this little girl, monster? 」

「Ah, I can’t believe it, but it’s convenient for us. With this, we can subjugate the legendary SS-rank monster!」

「Yeah, if we subjugate the SS-rank, we will immediately receive the title of the Seven Great Heroes!」

「If I remember correctly, last month, there was a guy who defeated an SS-rank monster by himself and became one of the Seven Great Heroes, right? Was he a hero? A mere adventurer who has the title of hero. He was the first to defeat a SS-rank monster by himself. I missed the subjugation, but if we do this, we will be upgraded to that class at once! 」

Each of them, blinded by their own honor, status, or later rewards, spit out sordid lines while wielding weapons and hurting my body one after another.

Originally, I should be defeated by humans someday, but it was hard to say these people had contributed to the world by defeating me this way.

But even so, if I could save my friend’s life, then this was nothing.

After all, my life was nothing more than a role, a pawn prepared for the world.

However, was the opponent’s arm immature, or was my existence too strong?

Without being able to inflict a fatal wound at all, the time passed by as I was literally being slowly tortured.

At times like this, being too strong was also a problem.

Then, one of the frustrated adventurer leaders stabbed me in the chest with a sword that finally penetrated my flesh and dripped blood.

「Yay! The monster! I finally stabbed it! I’ll gouge out your heart, so don’t move!! 」

Saying that, the sword pierced through my flesh, and a large amount of blood flowed out as it was stabbed into my body.

Was this the end of my role?

The moment I tried to close my eyes; a scream echoed through my mind.

「Stoppppppppppppppp!! 」

When I saw it, the man, who was supposed to be holding the girl, relaxed, perhaps because he had let his guard down to take my life.

She pushed her back from behind and thrust the man away from the sword.

「Stop it!! Don’t hurt my friend!! Don’t mess with Squall!! 」

「Yo…You! You damn amateur! Let go of me!! 」

The girl, who knocked down the man, approached me to pull out the sword stuck in me.

「Wait, Squall. I’ll help you…」

A gentle smile as always.

Calling me her friend, she took the sword still stuck in me and pulled it out of my chest.

The girl’s smile was reassuring.

The next moment, I saw blood running down her back.

「…Wha…」

The girl collapsed silently with a smile on her face.

Behind her stood a man with a sword still swung down.

「You idiot! You were not supposed to kill her! 」

「I don’t care! The monster over here is going to die from its wounds anyway! If it’s like this, there won’t be any need for hostages anymore! We are enough to kill it without threats! 」

「…That’s right. Let’s finish it off! 」

I couldn’t hear the voices of the men surrounding me.

I held the fallen girl in my arms and never forgot her last smile and her last words.

「…Thank you…for being friends with me… 」

Those were the last words of the girl named…Lily.

I regretted it.

I made several mistakes.

The first was meeting her.

Second was becoming friends with her.

And three was that if I had seriously tried to kill these guys from the beginning, they wouldn’t  even have had the time to kill this child, and she wouldn’t have died. A mistaken choice.

I had three ways to save this child’s life, but I gave them all up to my emotions.

Therefore, the one who killed this child was me.

My foolish and shallow choice killed this child.

I couldn’t forgive myself.

That anger was directed at me, not at those guys who pointed their blades at this child.

That’s right, the one who should have died…should I have been me.

—

When I came to my senses, I was crying for the first time while holding Lily’s bloody corpse.

This child should not have been killed.

It was a mistake to kill a being like her that the world wants. I was the pawn meant to be killed instead.

Yes, this was wrong.

At that time, I was the one who should have died.

The SS-rank monster, Sun Wolf Squall, had died.

This child, Lily, was not dead.

That should have been the only truth.

The fact that Lily was dead…shouldn’t have happened.

When I noticed, my appearance had changed.

Originally, SS-rank monsters possessed the ability of humanization.

I had never used it before, but I knew I could change into whatever form I chose when needed.

That’s why I chose Lily.

Her appearance, and her memory.

The trajectory from the time she was born, which I had been hearing all the time.

All of her personality.

I erased my existence.

I erased myself as a monster.

Because the one who died here was an SS-rank monster.

Lily survived.

She stayed alive, no matter what. From now on I will be Lily.

Then, while wandering in the woods, I was picked up by her brother.

I showed no memories before and after, and the lack of memory was seen, but it was also because I was involved in some kind of incident. That was the story I gave to her brother.

After being physically and emotionally cured thanks to her brother, I got the title of Hero as Lily and…met Kyou.

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Quite the unveil, huh. But it’s a very sad story.