Chapter 7
It was said that, in the very beginning, it was the shrewd merchants of the Human race who introduced exquisite handicrafts into the lands of the Demon Clan.
This should have been a good thing—commercial trade between races would have been a convenience benefiting both sides in their daily lives.
However, in a society that revered strength, the affluent Demon Clan had little in the way of precaution.
They underestimated the malicious greed harbored by the Humans.
By the time they realized what had happened, they discovered that the currency which once could purchase a whole sack of grain in the Demon lands had depreciated to the point where it could no longer even buy a single spoonful of rice.
The Demon Clan was enraged.
Meanwhile, those Human merchants, proud and self-satisfied, had long since made their fortune and returned to their own Human nations. There, they boasted to their families and friends of the great exploits they had wrought in the Demon lands, of how much money they had earned, and laughed at the "foolish" Demons for being nothing but simpletons.
Some even laughed as they flaunted their estimates, speculating just how many Demons their “great undertaking” would starve to death.
From that moment onward, war had become inevitable.
From the instant the Demon army set foot on the first inch of Human territory—
The sins of those individual merchants had already been transferred onto the shoulders of the entire Human race.
Whether they were innocent or not.
You say, was this unfair? Or was it just?
No... this had nothing to do with justice.
Once war began, the reasons for battle would no longer be so simply attributed to vengeance alone.
It became the sight of one race gazing upon the broader sea of stars... and the boundless ambition for conquest that came with it.
The greed of the Humans was indeed plain for all to see.
But the desire of the Demon Clan had long since become endless as well.
Sheffy, who had remained curled in the center of the flood, had a dim and lifeless light in her dark purple eyes.
“So... that’s why I want to leave the Demon Clan like this, as a ‘defeated one’, and find a place... to live an ordinary life... I don’t want to see the battlefield ever again.”
“Even if Sheffy could, through brute force, change everything about the Demon Clan... make them no longer dare to entertain the thought of war?”
“I can’t change how they think, nor do I want to.”
Sheffy continued to rest her head against her knees. Though her voice was quiet, she still tried her best to pour out the bitterness she had held in for so many years to the one person in the world she still trusted.
“Because... why should I... Why should I be that ‘traitor’ who uses brute strength to change others’ minds? Xia... if I really did that, don’t you think... it would be unfair? Even if I changed them, they would only scold me for meddling. Aside from this identity of being the Demon Clan Princess... what does any of this have to do with me?”
“Then should you go along with your kin’s will, continue attacking the Human race, and keep fighting until the war ends?”
“War will never end... As long as desire exists, there will never be a conclusion.”
Sheffy understood this more and more clearly now.
At first, the Demon Clan nobles said they only wanted to occupy a small corner of the Human lands, just enough to intimidate their greed.
But later, they collectively demanded that the Demon royal family give orders to press forward, to use the Demon King’s might to continue the advance.
Now, they had their eyes on the royal capital of the Human nation.
The so-called righteous side had already been branded with sin, and the side defending its territory could no longer claim to be truly just.
So, after the Human royal capital fell...?
This world still held countless stars and seas, a vastness they would never reach the end of.
And all of it would come with slaughter.
Coincidentally, Sheffy had no such ambitions.
She only wished that one day, she could sit with someone she cherished by a forest spring, listening to the chirping of birds and the murmuring of water.
—That was the origin of Sheffy’s escape plan.
Since no matter what she did, she would end up as either a “traitor” or a “slaughterer”.
Then she would choose to “lose a battle and be captured” in some war.
That way, wouldn’t everything stop being her fault?
“Xia.” Sheffy’s expression showed a hint of helplessness. “Can you understand... this feeling of being caught between two choices?”
“Mm... I understand, I really do... Sheffy can relax a little now...”
Xiarette reached out and silently held the fingers Sheffy had placed on her lap.
The voice of the Hero, Xiarette, was gentle like spring water.
As if, at this very moment, she was a Hero belonging to just one person—indulgent to the extreme.
No... in truth, she had always hoped to become a Hero who belonged solely to her.
“Sheffy, you’ve been holding it in for years, haven’t you... Everyone’s expectations for you—they all hoped you would lead them to kill... to conquer. They naturally assumed you harbored those grand ambitions, and all you heard day after day were those so-called bold declarations and lofty ideals.”
“Xia...”
I understand.
Because Sheffy... we are actually very much alike.
Sometimes, we have no choice.
She had merely wished to spend her idle days gazing at the blue seas and skies. Yet in the blink of an eye, she was thrust onto the battlefield for the sake of so-called “righteousness”, gripping sword and blade.
Of course, one could choose to say, “I don’t want to go.”
But the moment those words were spoken... it meant enduring endless cold stares, and bearing all the blame and pressure that should never have been hers.
“That’s right...” Sheffy suddenly felt a sting at the tip of her nose. These words—after all these years—she still didn’t know who she could speak them to. “Even Father told me... that I needed to try harder. He said the future of the Demon Clan rested on my shoulders, but... but I never even wanted that kind of future!”
“Mm... if you don’t want it, then just toss it aside.”
The hand grasping her fingers couldn’t help but press forward, yearning to embrace this strong yet fragile girl.
And as Xiarette leaned in...
The eight black wings that had encircled Sheffy scattered one by one into dim points of light.
Without any resistance, Xiarette pulled Sheffy’s trembling, petite body into a tight embrace.
Golden hair, rather than shadow, now encircled Sheffy, and Xiarette’s words came soft and warm.
“A battlefield that Sheffy doesn’t want to go to... has no reason to exist.”
Sheffy’s chin rested against Xiarette’s shoulder.
A glimmer danced in her eyes.
She truly couldn’t hold it back anymore!
“Xia...! I’ve been trying these past years...! Every time I went to the battlefield... I always tried not to kill them, but they! They all came at me like they wanted to die...! I didn’t have a choice...”
“Mm-hmm... Sheffy really tried her best... you’re amazing.”
“Ugh...!”
Sheffy was truly so gentle...
Perhaps that was the origin of her battlefield title, the [Princess of Calamity].
The Human soldiers who feared Sheffy could never imagine... that Sheffy actually knew countless spells capable of killing them instantly.
—And yet, she chose instead to summon calamities, the best way to create an overwhelming show of force.
Thunder raged, but never struck the wilds.
Winds howled, but never scattered souls.
Each calamity was merely a display meant to frighten her enemies into surrender, to minimize the bloodshed.
Such a girl... and yet she was given the most infamous reputation among the Humans...
Truly, the world was not a fair place.
Xiarette clung tightly to her shoulders, letting the wounded princess weep softly in her arms.
Who knew how much time had passed?
At last, in the warmth of that embrace, Sheffy’s trembling came to a gradual stop.
She slowly lifted her head from Xiarette’s chest, her dark purple eyes glistening with tears now shining with new life.
But what she said next—this time, it made Xiarette tremble all over!
“Sniff... it’s been so long since I cried like that. Thank you... sis.”
“Mm... it really has been a while since Sheffy called me ‘sis’... I missed it.”
“But I still have to ask—what on earth did you grow up eating...! So soft!”
“Ah...?! Sheffy! What are you feeling up on your own?!”
“Heehee...! Sorry, sorry~”
Xiarette’s face instantly turned crimson as she gave Sheffy’s back a playful scolding pat.
And yet~ Sheffy didn’t pull away from the embrace.
Nor did Xiarette push her away.
Inside the little carriage cabin, the atmosphere held the most comforting warmth in all the world.
And just then...
The two of them—
At the same time, they both sensed a subtle change outside the carriage.
Xiarette snapped her fingers lightly, and the isolating barrier surrounding the carriage was temporarily lifted.
In that instant—
The thunderous waves of cheering from outside the carriage burst forth without obstruction.
“Long live the Hero!”
“Welcome home, Hero!!”
“Peace!! Life!!”
Sheffy and Xiarette exchanged a glance and smiled, drawing the same conclusion.
—It seemed they had arrived at the royal capital.
Sheffy nuzzled her cheek against that soft warmth a couple more times, then teased playfully.
“Did you hear that, Xia? The people are all celebrating your triumphant return~ Capturing me this time—you’re going to get a huge reward! Better be ready!”
“Hmm? They’re only welcoming me? Maybe they’re welcoming you too.”
“Ha? What are you saying? They probably all hate my guts by now. Welcome me? Really?”
“Then... if everyone is welcoming me, and I’m the one welcoming Sheffy—how does that count? Everyone welcomes me, I welcome Sheffy. By that logic, doesn’t it mean everyone is welcoming Sheffy too?”
“Eh...? What kind of logic is that...? I can’t possibly be dumber than Xia... that’s weird...”
Smooch~
Before Sheffy could react—
Xiarette leaned in slightly and placed a gentle kiss on Sheffy’s forehead.
The raucous cheers outside seemed to fall still, as though time itself slowed for the two of them.
Sheffy touched her forehead in a daze, her expression turning slowly to one of disbelief.
And yet, Xiarette was already smiling brightly.
“Sheffy, come home with your sister. From now on... I’ll be in your care, okay?”
“Ah... okay...?”
Though the world may mock you, I will stand alone in your heart.
Even if the cheers were not meant for you, I am willing to replace them—with every beauty this world can offer.
Suddenly, a sharper glint appeared in Xiarette’s eyes.