Chapter 15
Claire answered the mage girl's question.
"Yes. The one who destroyed the town was that monster."
Fear ran across the faces of the three Eyeless Tribe girls.
"A whole town, destroyed by just one person...?"
"Yes. Though, I didn't actually witness the scene myself."
"H-How could someone do something like that...? There were over twenty thousand people in that town... To erase all of them... That's insane..."
Thinking she should say it herself, Yuurai opened her mouth.
"Even I couldn't kill twenty thousand people if I were sane. That was an accident. A magical outburst. The town's destruction happened only because I hadn't anticipated it."
Just from Yuurai speaking, the three of them started trembling violently.
"Yuurai, be quiet."
"Okay..."
Yuurai drooped her shoulders sadly.
(Am I never going to be able to talk to anyone besides Claire? If I train, maybe I'll get a little better...?)
"I do think what Yuurai did was a grave sin. Even if it was an accident, taking the lives of tens of thousands of people is too cruel. But I believe it's okay to trust that Yuurai isn't someone who hurts others without reason... probably."
(Don't say 'probably'. That doesn't sound very trusting... I guess it can't be helped, given my track record...)
"At the very least, it's true that when she heard the screams, Yuurai rushed to help. Honestly, I was surprised by that too... Anyway, Yuurai doesn't attack people without reason."
"...Y-Yeah. She saved us, after all... Um... Th-Thank you for saving us..."
"Thank you..."
"Thank you..."
The three of them bowed their heads timidly.
It's fine, really, don't worry about it.
Yuurai wanted to respond lightly, but thinking she would probably scare them again, she just smiled silently.
"Well then, let's head to the Teleportation Circle."
Led by Claire, they headed toward the Teleportation Circle.
Several monsters appeared along the way, but Claire instantly defeated them. She used Wind Magic (Dark), and the cold blades of wind tore through the monsters.
That wind seemed to be unpleasant to the three Eyeless Tribe girls, and every time Claire used magic, they shrank back. Seeing that, Claire looked a bit lonely.
They arrived at the Teleportation Circle and ascended to the surface as a group of five. Outside, it was already dusk, and the sun was beginning to set.
As the atmosphere shifted toward parting, Yuurai said one last thing to the three girls.
"If you ever run into trouble, come to Grimoire. I plan to stay there for a while."
The three girls nodded, trembling.
The three girls disappeared somewhere into the forest, and Yuurai and Claire began their journey home.
"Those three went deeper into the forest, but I wonder where they live?"
"I don't know. But since Demi-humans are often discriminated against for their unique appearance, they tend to live quietly in hiding across various places. I think there's a settlement near Grimoire too."
"I see... I wonder if we'll meet again?"
"Probably."
"I see. Then, is there a way I can talk to them without scaring them? Like suppressing my magic power?"
"...With your level of magic power, controlling it might be difficult. But if we search the town, we might find a Magical Tool that suppresses magic."
"Really? Then let's look for one. Claire, help me search too."
"That's a comm—"
"An order."
"...Got it."
(So unless I call it an order, it doesn't work? What kind of rule is that? Well, if that helps Claire accept it, then fine.)
The light of dusk gently enveloped the two of them. Yuurai, who had started feeling gloomy when seeing the morning sun, still found the light of dusk genuinely beautiful.
"...Sorry, Claire."
"...For what?"
"For turning you into an Undead."
"...Why are you apologizing?"
"It's not like I turned you into an Undead out of malice. But in the end, it was because of me that you became an Undead. I just thought I should apologize, at least."
"...It's not entirely your fault. The situation was bad. At the very least, I'm still alive. So it's fine now."
"...I see."
"More than that, I was surprised that you helped those three. You really don't seem to be just evil."
"I told you, I'm not like that. I actually love peace."
"...That's a bit questionable. Someone who loves peace wouldn't make a Marionette out of a Black Orc and force it to fight its comrades or kill itself."
"...T-That's because they were unintelligent monsters! I wouldn't do something that horrible to humans or anything!"
"...Let's go with that."
"I'm telling the truth!"
Even as Yuurai pleaded, Claire still looked doubtful.
Yuurai realized just how hard it was to earn trust.
"If peaceful days could just continue, I could stay harmless too."
"...Unfortunately, peaceful days probably won't last very long."
"...Why not?"
"Not only are you recognized as the Demon King, but objectively speaking, you're far too dangerous. People are likely already preparing across the land to subjugate you. Once those preparations are complete... your enemies will come again."
"I see. What should I do? Should I run?"
"I don't think running will help. No matter where you go, people aiming for you will appear."
"Ugh... So I have to keep fighting until there are no enemies left?"
"...You just need to become much, much stronger. If people realize that fighting you brings only disadvantages, even humans will stop trying."
"...Overpower them with strength, huh. So it comes to that in the end... But, Claire, are you really okay with that? Wouldn't it be better for you if I got subjugated?"
"I can't live in the human world anymore. The only place I can live normally is by your side. I want to protect my place. I don't want you to be subjugated."
"...I see."
(She'd been so withdrawn, but she seems to be moving forward now. She's trying to live properly. Is sleeping beside someone really that effective? Well, probably not... Anyway, I'm glad Claire came back.)
Yuurai took Claire's hand. That hand felt much warmer than before.