Huh?
Aura's brow furrowed.
To think she was being warned by a human... And Solitär had advised her similarly before.
Could it be? Is there really a problem with my plan?
Or have humans suddenly gotten much stronger in the decades I've been in hiding?
That can't be, right? I've never heard of humans growing so fast...
Aura's mind raced. It was clear she desperately wanted to prove she wasn't a fool.
But no matter how hard she racked her brain, she couldn't understand why both Solitär and this human had issued her a warning.
"Heh... Calling me a coward. I think the two of you are the cowards. The hero is long dead, so what's there to fear from the humans that are left?"
Aura said with a look of displeasure.
"See? It's that attitude that will easily cost you your life, Aura."
Fíliya shook her head helplessly and handed her teacup to Solitär.
"Huh? What's wrong with my attitude? I, the great Aura, am used to being arrogant! What are you going to do about it?!"
Aura shot Fíliya a provocative glare.
Ugh, I can't stoop to a fool's level.
Fíliya told herself, then took a gentle sip of her freshly poured tea before continuing.
"It seems you don't understand this principle, Aura. 'Weakness and ignorance do not lead to destruction, only arrogance does.'"
Fíliya looked at Aura calmly.
For a moment, a thoughtful expression crossed Aura's face.
But her expression quickly turned sour.
Arrogance? Fine, Aura wasn't entirely unaware of her own faults; she admitted she was very arrogant.
But... who's weak? And who's ignorant?
You, a human with a pitiful amount of mana, are the ignorant and weak one! I bet you don't even know what true power is... Besides, I'm standing right here. Who could possibly bring me to ruin? Who dares to kill me? Who dares?!
She desperately wanted to retort loudly, but she received a warning glance from Solitär that seemed to say,
"If you dare slam my table again, I'll hang you up and beat you."
Under this threat, the pitiful Miss Aura immediately shrank back and put on a wronged expression.
"Alright, I think I understand your way of thinking now, Aura."
Fíliya shrugged helplessly at Aura's behavior.
"Aura, it seems you believe that Himmel and the Hero of the South represent the peak of human potential, don't you?"
Fíliya's tone became very calm as she began to speak to Aura in a storytelling manner.
"Y-Yes, that's right. What else could it be?"
Aura replied sullenly, a bit confused as to why this human's tone had suddenly changed.
"Well, the truth is quite the opposite, Aura. It seems I must educate you on some common knowledge about humanity."
"Aura, recall the humans you've fought before. Think carefully. Were there any among them whom you thought you could kill in a single blow, yet who, contrary to your expectations, managed to block many of your attacks?"
Fíliya coaxed her gently.
Aura thought for a moment—actually, she didn't even need to think, as such situations had been all too common.
"Many. I have to say, humans are really strange. I often feel like they're on the verge of death, yet they always manage to launch one final counterattack before they breathe their last... But is that important? I hardly fight humans directly anymore. No matter the opponent, I just use Magic of Obedience (Auserlese) to control them."
Aura said with a dismissive expression.
"That is what I want to tell you about: humanity's tenacity."
"You can't possibly imagine the terrifying potential that such a tenacious race can unleash in a true moment of crisis, when faced with the threat of extinction."
"Aura, you seem to think that the emergence of beings like Himmel and the Hero of the South from the human race is a random occurrence, and that you just need to outlive their strong warriors to rampage once more. But I'm telling you, it's an inevitability."
"The truth is, the greater the crisis and setbacks humanity faces, the more likely it is for powerhouses capable of shaping an era to be born."
"During the Demon Race's golden age, they once wiped out two-thirds of the human population, which in turn forced the emergence of powerhouses like the Hero of the South and Himmel. As a scholar, I'm actually quite curious... if humanity were truly reduced to just one percent of its population, or even less, what kind of terrifying monster would be born from among them under such a crisis?"
"Of course, I'm just speaking hypothetically. If such a situation were to truly occur... Aura, you would not only face a human stronger than the Hero of the South and Himmel, but you would also be attacked by... a god of magic."
Fíliya's expression was absolutely certain.
Because she was sure.
Serie would absolutely not stand by and let that happen.
Although Serie didn't intervene in the past war between humans and demons, that was because the Demon Race and humans were merely culling each other's populations. It was far from reaching the point of racial extinction. So, as a living god, Serie likely didn't want to interfere too much in that war.
However, if the human side were truly pushed to the brink, the situation would change. Under those circumstances, Serie would definitely take action.
The great god would surely intervene to preserve the spark of humanity; after all, that great god loves humanity so much.
"So, Aura, even if things develop in the most favorable way for you, even if you really amass an army of the undead with your Magic of Obedience and swallow one human city after another, the end that awaits you is still destruction... Continuing to exist as a coward, just surviving in this world like you are now, is already the happiest ending you can get."
...Fíliya's words made Aura's eyes widen.
They shattered her worldview.
She had never heard that humanity had such a mechanism.
The closer the human race gets to extinction, the more absurdly powerful individuals are born?
Stronger than the Hero of the South, who was ganged up on by all of the Seven Sages of Destruction plus the Demon King's right-hand man—All-Seeing Schlacht—a total of eight people, and still managed a four-for-one trade?
Stronger than Himmel, who led his party to successfully slay the Demon King and scared her into hiding in a cave for decades...
A human monster?
Just thinking about it made Aura lose her nerve.
Isn't that just cheating...? Doesn't that mean the Demon Race can never be a match for humans?
Aura's eyes dimmed slightly, clearly falling into a state of self-doubt.
______
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