Then, Fíliya reached out and patted Linie's head before speaking to her.
"Linie, you don't have to wear that outfit. Don't we have golems in the house now?"
To this, Linie simply shook her head.
"I wish to serve Lady Fíliya, Lady Solitär, and Lady Aura. It comes from my heart; Lady Aura is not forcing me."
"Is that so..." Fíliya nodded and gently bent down to look directly into Linie's eyes.
"But... my human sister, she killed all your companions, didn't she?"
"Yes, that's right. The images of Lügner's and Draht's deaths still echo in my mind, but Lady Fíliya protected me. And she said she would lead the Demon Race to a new future. In the face of this new future, revenge is simply not important..."
"Besides, I've also killed humans, so I have no right to speak of it."
Hearing Linie's remarkably enlightened words, Fíliya felt a wave of emotion. Such a good kid, how did she fall into Aura's clutches?
"Linie, I knew I wasn't wrong about you. Aren't you so much better than that one with the big ox horns?"
Fíliya praised her while patting Linie's head again.
At that moment, in a room on the third floor, a bewildered Miss Aura sneezed alone, wondering who could be badmouthing the great Lady Aura now.
Then she rolled over and fell right out of bed.
"Hiss... Wait a minute?"
Aura, who had been about to cry out in pain, suddenly noticed it—a new mana source. It was a familiar source of mana, distinct from her own, Linie's, and Solitär's.
"Fíliya's back..."
Aura thought to herself as she stood and rubbed her aching back.
She had slept wonderfully yesterday. Now that the golems and Linie were handling all the chores, she had slipped back into her uncivilized habits.
But would Fíliya get angry? Would she force her to do chores again?
Anything but that!
At this thought, Aura's heart lurched. She threw on her clothes and bolted downstairs.
When Miss Aura appeared on the stairs, she wore a look of embarrassment. She raised a hand and waved at Fíliya.
"Uh... um, this humble one has failed to welcome you back... I beg your magnanimous forgiveness."
Watching Aura's stilted performance, Fíliya was simply baffled.
She turned and exchanged a look with Solitär.
"What's this about? Your doing?"
In response, Solitär just silently shook her head. It was clear she also found Aura's display incredibly cringeworthy.
"Who knows what's gotten into her."
So, Fíliya had no choice but to walk over to Miss Aura's side and casually raise her hand.
"Can... can you go easy on me? It's been a while..."
The moment she saw Fíliya raise her hand, Aura squeezed her eyes shut, the very picture of resignation.
This development left Fíliya at a loss for whether to laugh or cry.
So, she pinched Aura's cheek with her right hand and pulled the soft, delicate flesh firmly outwards.
"Yes, yes, just like this. This doesn't hurt."
In response to Fíliya's action, Aura, on the contrary, opened her eyes with surprise and delight, with even a hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth, as if she felt no pain at all.
"Wait... are you a masochist? Why do you automatically assume I'm going to hit you every time I walk over and raise my hand?"
"For the record, I've never actually slapped you, have I?"
"Aura, there's a limit to a persecution complex, you know!"
Fíliya didn't know what Aura was thinking; all she knew was that her own composure was shattering.
Anyone who didn't know better would think she, Fíliya, was some kind of monster. In the past, hadn't she just enjoyed waking Aura up in various ways while she slept, just to tease her a little? Surely that wasn't enough to cause such deep psychological trauma?
As for slapping, Fíliya would swear to the Goddess she had never once laid a hand on Aura like that. She had no idea where this complex came from...
"Eh? Is that so?!!!"
Hearing Fíliya say she'd never slapped her, and in such a righteous tone, left Aura herself a bit confused. She had to think hard.
"Hmm... besides constantly bullying me for no reason, she also flips my blankets off early in the morning, puts ice cubes in my underwear, uses magic to make me laugh until I can't breathe, sneak-attacks me with Ordinary Attack Magic, and threatens to cut off my horns with a handsaw... but I guess she really hasn't slapped me."
"Wait a minute?"
Aura was shocked to realize that the one who had actually slapped and beaten her was none other than Solitär.
"Could it be... because I don't dare get angry at Solitär, I subconsciously projected all of those actions onto Fíliya?"
"No, that's not right either. I don't dare get angry at Fíliya, so what would be the point of pinning it on her?"
Aura's head began to throb. Even she couldn't quite figure out her own mind anymore.
"So... if I admit I was wrong, you won't hit me, right?!"
By the time Fíliya got bored and let go, Aura was clutching her face and asking timidly.
"...I already told you I won't hit you. You're being so well-behaved now, why would I hit you for no reason?"
"Who on earth is spreading rumors that I'm a sadist? I'm a perfectly kind and beautiful girl, so why does everyone think I'm the villain!"
This exchange with Aura made Miss Fíliya feel as if her own sanity was slipping.
"Aura, I never knew you also possessed Magic to Lower the Sanity of Those Around You..."
"You should stop messing with Magic of Obedience and research that one instead. You could be the new Old God!"
Fíliya thought with puffed cheeks.
"So... you won't force me to do chores anymore, right?"
Aura ignored Fíliya's almost-despairing roar; she clearly had more pressing concerns.
"Don't be ridiculous. Why do you think I modified the golems into a Housekeeping Model?"
Fíliya rolled her eyes at Aura.
"Oh... hehe, that's good then. So I can go back upstairs to sleep, right? I'm still sleepy."
Aura looked at Fíliya with a goofy grin, completely oblivious to the look of disdain in her eyes.
"Do as you please..."
Fíliya replied. As she watched the figure hurry upstairs and disappear from view, she finally felt a sense of liberation.
Turning around, Fíliya looked at Solitär, her eyes filled with exasperation.
"Aura's getting goofier and goofier..."
"What, do you miss how arrogant she was in the beginning?"
Solitär smiled as she walked to Fíliya's side.
"Maybe I do miss it a little. The way she is now, I can't even bring myself to find an excuse to tease her."
Fíliya shook her head, then walked upstairs with Solitär.
___
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