Chapter 381: Those Who are Not of this World

If you wanted to kill someone who was not of this world, you had to become someone who was not of this world. There was someone who left behind these words a long time ago.

Therefore, if you wanted to kill a monster, be a monster, if you wanted to kill a dragon, be a dragon. Summing up, you’d become the thing you wished to kill.

Then, in order to kill a demonic being, you had to become a demonic being yourself.

A flash of light tore away the demonic arm that approached a human being. The flesh burst in a great momentum, and the blood left solemn marks on the floor.

However, that murderous intent did not end there. The white light ran up from the demonic being’s arms, covering its flesh, shoulders, neck, and face. Then that light ate the whole thing.

It was like chewing its prey with fangs. A predator whose tongue crawled to savor every bit.

That sight was, in a word, dreadful. The white light, which seemed to be beautiful, did its best to devour the demonic nature.

In the end, all the blood and flesh were gone, leaving only dim stone. It was just an architectural stone, no different from the ones on the side of the road.

The white-haired predator looked at its fingertips after devouring the last remains. It was the girl’s hand. The white hair swayed and clung to the petite body of the girl who called herself Leu.

A moment of silence. Afterwards, the demonic beings made a fuss with their hooves and took hold of their weapons against the girl.

One of the demonic habits was admiration for power. No matter what form it took, those who were powerful were worthy of both respect and caution. This didn’t change even if the opponent was a little girl.

That’s why the demonic beings didn’t think of Leu as a child. They recognized her as an enemy that could kill demonic nature. The moment the magical beast with the face of a wolf was about to crack its fangs.

The demonic being who faced Leu, the Controller named Drigman, spoke out.

「…I’m not mistaken. I see, are you a Jewel? It seems like you’re as free-spirited as ever and unbound by heavenly chains.」

Drigman’s eyes distorted as he called the name of his brethren. Her appearance was different than before, but her supreme brilliance showed that she was probably the compatriot who once stood beside him.

It was an encounter with a compatriot who he had been separated from for hundreds of years. There was an undeniable sense of familiarity and nostalgia in Drigman’s voice.

At the same time, it created even more skepticism.

The girl killed her own kin. Was that an accident?

Jewel Bar Agathos. The demonic being whose nature was extremely free-spirited, believing that even the life and death of others was for her own sake. She didn’t care about anyone. Everything she did was for herself, and everything was accomplished individually. Those were the traits of the magical devilish being called Jewel.

Therefore, it was not strange for her to do some weird things. That was a fact.

However…didn’t she just protect a human being?

Drigman opened his palm slightly and looked at the white-haired girl. Her red eyes looked straight back at Drigman.

「…I’m sorry. I don’t have that name. I’m sorry. 」

She spoke, feeling somewhat timid, even though she just devoured a rational magical beast. Drigman reflexively thought she was a serious girl.

He immediately understood the situation. What happened to his own people?

Even though Jewel was awake, she still kept the lid of her soul closed. While she had her own original text open, she was just living through her sleepy eyes.

That’s why she handed over the initiative of her body to its original master. She still hadn’t regained her former appearance. She seemed to be just a defenseless little girl.

However, that may not be her true intention. In that case, Drigman thought it would be nice to wake her up by force. She could regain her former appearance if he did so.

Drigman opened his palm again while glaring at the demonic nature that gathered around her. Then, while he was still far away, he turned towards the girl with firm steps.

Come to think of it, Drigman wondered why she came to such a place in her own way. She was just a little girl in appearance. She didn’t seem to have the temperament to fight against the magical beasts. Perhaps Jewel awakened some sense of self?

Drigman asked such question, and the girl’s voice trembled as she said the following words, clearly frightened.

「…I’m sorry. It’s for “her” sake. That’s the only reason I can live for “her”. 」

The girl said with her white hair swaying and lifeless eyes. At the tip of her hand was the woman who was about to die from the demonic being earlier. Her face turned pale because she too could see the real monster through the girl’s eyes.

She ran out to help the human, said the girl. She used Jewel’s power that resided in her body.

Drigman replied to her remarks.

「Humans are not like us. You’re talking nonsense…」

Rescuing others. Drigman wondered if she would jump into danger just for that purpose. He murmured it into his mouth. That feeling was hard for people who lived as demons to understand.

The white hair swayed in Drigman’s vision.

「…Helping someone is never a trivial thing. 」

Those specific words. For just that moment, it seemed to Drigman that her lifeless eyes had become filled with power. Those were the strong eyes that reminded him of the eyes he had seen in Jewel before. They glittered like moonlight.

For a moment, his eyes narrowed at the dazzling light. A nostalgic light that reminded him of hatred.

And so he realized it a little late.

…A silver knife was tearing through the air, creating a reverberating sound in its path.

Drigman’s raptor-like eyes moved.

—

During the moment where the demonic nature turned into stone, and the white-haired girl faced the magical devilish being.

I opened my lips without moving my gaze from that scene. My cheeks were shaking as if they were convulsing.

「…Get away from me, Caria. I don’t think you have any intention to break my arm. 」

I slightly moved my left arm that Caria had grabbed with force. Just that alone made my arm bones scream with a great creaking. I even felt my flesh shuddering in reaction.

No, what was going on with her physical strength?

There was always some resistance no matter how tight an ordinary person grabbed another person’s arms.

But what was this force? My arm didn’t move as if it had been merged with iron. I wondered if she was really human, so I spoke to her, letting out a frustrated voice.

In the meantime, I kept my eyes glued to the outside scene. Caria whispered in my ear.

「If I let go of your arm…no, if I let you go, what are you going to do? I bet you’d swing your blade like a drawn bow and arrow again. Even towards those “things” over there.」

Caria continued by saying that something was definitely wrong with me. Then, her lips closed for a moment.

I couldn’t deny that fact, so a denial never came out of my mouth. As expected, it was hard for me to spit up a lie that was too bland. It seemed I had some level of common sense.

「…That’s amazing. You’re behaving like a child who just heard a bedtime story full of monsters. Its surreal how you behave like this after sensing the real circumstances.」

Filaret blinked her black eyes, and even said it with an exclamation. Her beautiful lips were distorted as she spoke. She seemed to be desperately trying to find the right words to say.

Both Caria and Filaret tried to warn me. No, I understood more than they thought I did.

The white-haired girl who called herself Leu was a magical devilish being. She had a strange shape. Right now, she was a living, walking death.

Instinct and reason came together to warn my spirit and shake my soul. It warned me to run away. Human life was nothing compared to the power of those two magical devilish beings.

That’s right. That’s what I should do. There was no mistake about it. But wasn’t Filaret also complying with Caria? That was rare to see.

I asked what I should do after looking at Eldith’s blue eyes. I already had the answer within myself.

Eldith spoke, stroking her chin with her little fingertips.

「They’re right. To be honest, I’d like to tie you up as well just like they did. 」

I felt something disturbing. With my cheeks still twitching, I put some pressure into my hand holding the treasure sword as I listened to her continued talk.

「…You’re still going, aren’t you? I understand. So, what I’m trying to say is for you to avoid doing anything foolish.」

Eldith’s fingertips touched my chest. I could feel my heart beating loudly. Then, Eldith laughed.

「It’s not your life that you put in danger. If you go, then you must take responsibility for all our lives. If you have that determination, I will accept your choices no matter what they are. 」

My heart pounded loudly once again.

She laughed while speaking harsh and heavy words. But she was right. I couldn’t just jump into the death zone and die in a stupid way.

I didn’t like it. I certainly didn’t like it. It was extremely scary to die and be responsible for someone else’s life. It was the same with confronting the demonic beings. I didn’t even want to look directly at them. I hated this.

Ah, still.

I had to do what I had to do. I didn’t want to go back to my original nature and live a cowardly life. I didn’t want to go back to the way I used to be. Besides, I couldn’t allow for that to happen again.

In that case, I must swallow that fear with all my might, and step through the past and present, even if it meant shedding blood. That was about the extent of my courage. But that was enough for me to make my own choices.

「…Then, let’s go. Us, killers of demonic beings, let’s go loudly and proudly. 」

I smiled and grabbed the silver knife from my pocket.

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