?
After these words were spoken, both Fíliya and Solitär's eyes widened slightly.
Fíliya didn't have the mental energy to ponder why Solitär was making such an expression; what she wanted to know most right now was why she herself had said such a thing.
Why... would she hope that Solitär was human?
That's not right. She was a human who loved the Demon Race. For her, it should be better if Solitär was a demon, right?
But those words had just slipped out subconsciously, and one cannot deceive their own subconscious.
This person, who was so similar to her in many ways, with whom she could connect on a deeper level, and who even perfectly matched her aesthetic sense.
Do I really wish she were human?
Just as Fíliya was struggling with this, Solitär slowly sat down beside her.
When Fíliya came to her senses, she immediately met those eyes, full of curiosity.
"Fíliya's expression... I've seen it on other humans before."
she said.
"Hmm... On some human couples... is that what they're called, 'couples'? I've seen it on the faces of humans like that."
Solitär said, a thoughtful, reminiscent look on her face.
"Those two humans often made that strange expression you just had when they sat together... Hmm, but after they shifted to a position where they faced each other, they would make another, even stranger expression. And they would perform a strange ritual of... eating each other's saliva."
...Fíliya was at a complete loss for words.
She, of course, understood what Solitär was talking about.
But her mood was incredibly complicated right now, so she couldn't even be bothered to make a retort.
Seeing no reaction from Fíliya, Solitär moved even closer.
"According to my observations, humans only make that kind of expression when facing someone they... like. Hmm, although I can't comprehend the meaning of that word, it's the word humans use. In any case, humans only show the expression you're making, Fíliya, when they're facing someone they like. So..."
"Can I interpret this to mean that you like me, Fíliya?"
Solitär said this calmly, her expression showing not a hint of playfulness or teasing, but rather a researcher's 'seriousness'.
Fíliya fell silent, a silence that she herself found strange.
She wasn't angry.
This had nothing to do with power. She knew very well it wasn't that she 'dared not get angry' because Solitär's strength crushed her own. It was a genuine, heartfelt lack of any feeling of anger.
Whatever. Fíliya didn't want to overthink these things that were unrelated to magic and particularly complex.
Her priority right now was to quickly refute Solitär's words.
"Of course not. Your conclusion is fundamentally wrong, and I don't like you at all."
"You and I are both outliers within our own races. The bond between us is one of twisted curiosity, with no other emotions involved."
Fíliya said righteously.
"Then would you like to try it, Fíliya? Performing the human courtship ritual with me? The one involving eating each other's saliva."
Solitär's face still held that same elegant smile, as if she were completely unaware of how terrible her words sounded to a human.
"Enough. Stop emphasizing 'eating each other's saliva.' It's disgusting."
Fíliya shot Solitär a glare and then continued.
"This is the proof I was talking about. One would only want to do that sort of thing with someone they 'like'. And I have absolutely no desire to do that with you. From this point alone, it's clear that I don't like you."
In this world, there was only one person she truly cared about.
"Is that so."
Solitär's smile didn't falter as she continued to observe Fíliya with that same researcher's curiosity.
"Although you keep emphasizing that you 'don't like' me, Fíliya, you haven't once said that you 'hate' me. I find that very interesting."
"Tsk, it's just because I mocked the Demon Race for being weak yesterday, isn't it? You just have to embarrass me today, don't you? You have to get a win back... Can we just skip this topic?"
Fíliya's tone grew increasingly impatient.
"Hmm, alright, if you don't want to talk about it, Fíliya."
In her interactions with Miss Fíliya, Solitär could be said to have thoroughly adhered to the principle of being understanding, completely satisfying Fíliya's every request. But when Miss Fíliya revealed that expression of being unable to fend her off, the smile on Solitär's face clearly deepened.
"Well then, let's continue yesterday's topic, Fíliya."
Solitär rested her elbows on the wooden table, cupping her cheeks in her palms.
"Regarding the matter of human-demon coexistence, besides the Demon King, there was another demon who once discussed it with me."
Hm?
Seeing that Solitär was finally saying something she was interested in, Fíliya shed her previous dejection and immediately sat up straight.
"Elaborate."
"Hmm, a demon once came to visit me. He asked me, 'Why does the Demon Race feel no 'guilt'?'... What do you think, Fíliya?"
Solitär looked at Fíliya with great interest.
"That's simple. The Demon Race's inability to feel guilt is a biological self-preservation mechanism, just like the dulled emotions of the Elves."
"If Elves were sensitive to emotions, they wouldn't be able to survive, and might even commit suicide. The Demon Race is the same. If you felt guilt over killing people, you would also walk the path of self-destruction."
"Mm, as expected of Fíliya, you know everything. It's such a simple principle, yet that fellow couldn't understand it... He even tirelessly conducted experiments, wanting to make himself understand the 'guilt' of killing, and even took the initiative to walk the path of coexistence with humans."
Hm?
Fíliya frowned slightly, because she realized that everything Solitär was saying was very similar to an incident she had read about in the archives.
"Solitär, you're not talking about... Macht, the one sealed in the Golden Land, are you?"
"Mm, that's him."
Solitär chuckled lightly.
"...No wonder. Now everything connects."
After her brief surprise, Fíliya slowly looked toward Solitär.
"Macht, formerly the leader of the Demon King's Seven Sages of Destruction, betrayed his own kind after the Demon King's fall and became the guardian of Weise, a border city on the Northern Plateau. During the decades he spent with humans, he repeatedly helped them repel attacks from remnants of the Demon Race, earning him the title 'Traitor of the Demon Race'."
"And yet one day, he suddenly turned the entirety of Weise—along with a large surrounding area of land, its people, and its buildings—into gold."
"This demon's appearance in history was peculiar, his coexistence with humans was also peculiar, and his final betrayal was exceptionally peculiar... But now, I finally have an answer."
Fíliya let out a long sigh, then picked up the black tea Solitär had poured for her.
After taking a small sip, she continued.
"So that guy... he actually wanted to first befriend humans, establish a bond over several decades... and then betray them in the end?"
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but shake her head.
"So, did that Macht get what he wanted?"
Although she already had a good idea of the answer, Fíliya still wanted to ask the person before her.
"Mm, no, not at all."
"Macht killed every single human he had lived with for decades. All the humans who revered him, who saw him as a hero, who considered him family—he killed them all, without exception."
"Even after killing every human in Weise, Macht still didn't feel a single shred of guilt."
"Fíliya, after learning this story... do you still hold out hope for 'human-demon coexistence'? Do you still believe the Demon Race can be changed?"
Solitär looked at Fíliya with a light smile.
______
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