"Why do you say that not all monsters are bad?" Lily Eastwood asked with some dissatisfaction. "Monsters eat humans and are enemies of humans, so how can they not be bad?"
Sam raised his eyes to look at Lily. "Monsters that eat humans are naturally bad and should be killed by humans. But not all monsters eat humans. Some are very friendly, like the fox spirits of Tushan."
"The fox spirits of Tushan?" Lily laughed. "You know, those fox spirits once invaded the human race. If humans hadn't resisted with all their might, countless people would have died or become food for them. How can such fox spirits be good?"
"I know what you mean," Sam nodded, clear about these things. "That was under the leadership of Shi Ji, but now it's different. The leader is Tushan Ruby."
"Tushan Ruby isn't like Shi Ji. She believes humans and demons shouldn't fight endlessly. She even confronted and killed Shi Ji to prevent further wars. Since then, she hasn't invaded humans or allowed monsters to eat them. She's more focused on helping humans and monsters continue their relationships through reincarnation."
Lily looked at Sam with surprise, wondering how he knew so much. It seemed as if he truly knew Tushan Ruby, the leader of the fox spirits.
"Have you seen this Tushan Ruby you're talking about?" Lily asked.
"Of course not," Sam shook his head. He hadn't seen her in this world.
"If you haven't seen her, how can you be sure she's sincere about peace and not just biding her time for the next attack?"
Seeing Lily's determined expression, Sam found himself at a loss. Those who lived in this world shared Lily's perspective on demons. But having watched the anime, he knew his claims weren't false.
However, the conflict between humans and demons was deep-rooted, especially at Foxfire Mountain Lodge, home to the demon-killing divine fire. "You don't know Tushan Ruby either, so how can you say she's not sincere?" Sam asked.
Lily widened her eyes at him as if he were a fool. "That's a fox spirit! How can you trust a demon? They're known for deception."
Sam sat back in his chair. In this world, where human-demon conflicts ran deep, perceptions of demons were stubbornly fixed. Believing that some demons truly wanted peace was difficult.
He didn't argue further. "In my opinion, demons and humans have similarities. Just as humans have good and bad sides, so do demons. Not all demons are bad. Perhaps Tushan Ruby truly wants to end the conflict."
Lily gave him a strange look. "What's wrong?" Sam asked, puzzled.
Lily walked over, standing close enough for Sam to catch her faint, natural fragrance. She stood on tiptoe and touched his forehead. "You're not hot, so how could you be so silly? Believing in a monster you've never seen? Even I know better."
Sam smiled bitterly, saying nothing more.
Though silent, Lily began lecturing him, "Don't trust demons, especially fox spirits. They're ruthless and devour people. If you trust them, you'll probably be eaten."
Sam couldn't argue further; differing opinions often couldn't be reconciled.
After a day of sword training, he was exhausted. Arguing with Lily had kept him awake, but now he was sleepy. Despite Lily's continued lecturing, his eyelids grew heavy, and he fell asleep.
Lily stopped, seeing Sam asleep in his chair. Her cheeks puffed up in annoyance. He really didn't take her seriously. But seeing him asleep, she realized how tired he must be.
"What a silly boy! Why practice so hard?" she muttered, gently covering him with a quilt she found in the room. "You could catch a cold," she murmured, her eyes softening as she watched him sleep.
Suddenly, she wanted to know why he practiced so diligently with his sword. If he tried to please her a little, she'd offer him Demon-Slaying Divine Fire without hesitation.
"What a foolish boy," she muttered, looking at his sleeping face. Her eyes showed a tenderness beyond her years.