Such Things, What Value Do They Have? â Part 3\nâFor the Demon King to have fallen illâŚI mean, is he that weak, that Pops?â
ââThat PopsââŚyou know my father?â
âWouldnât everyone know the Demon King? I met him in the past, though itâs not like I care about that sort of thing anymore.â
âN-Not in the least! I have never heard of a human returning alive after meeting my father!â
Kagami couldnât tell whether she didnât want to recognize such a person or she was just happy that he had stayed there. She closed in on him, as if she was examining him, while her eyes sparkled happily.
âFrom the beginning, I hadnât gone to kill that Pops. I just went to go meet himâŚlike nine years ago? Which reminds me, how old are you? 10 years? Rather, whatâs your name?â
âIâm 13, how rude! My name is Alice, Alice Balnesio. What about you?â
âI am Kagami Kouji, 23 years old. Which meansâŚwhen I went to the Demon Kingâs Castle, you were there, right?â
Alice shook her head in answer to Kagamiâs words.
âSince the Demon Kingâs Castle was dangerous, I lived in a village away from the Demon Kingâs CastleâŚThatâs probably why we have never met.â
âHmmâŚyour Mother?â
âNot here. She passed away when I was born. I lived together with my relativeâs aunt.â
Kagami lightly apologized with âMy condolences.â It was likely that he was convinced. Since the Demon King was always targeted by humans, it would be dangerous for him to live with other Demons.
âAnd? Why are you and the Demon King looking for a human like me? Though youâve already said it, is it because Iâve met with the Demon King once before?â
âI first began to search for a human like Kagami one year ago, but around the same time that my search began, my father fell illâŚI didnât have time for him.â
âAt the time that he met me, I didnât really think about it. It would seem Iâm the person youâre looking forâŚand?â
âI want to walk down the path of coexistence with humans.â
After letting out a big sigh, Kagami started to walk again.
âItâs impossible. Give up.â
He declared just like that, as if to treat her coldly.
âWhy!â
âIf itâs this person, Iâm sure he will comply.â Alice had thought this, so she shouted towards the leaving Kagami with a slightly annoyed look.
âIn terms of us getting temporarily married, so fuckinâ what. I would immediately be called a traitor by the Humans. Itâs useless as long as you guys have those horns.â
âBut! Apart from spawning MonstersâŚwe wonât change anything!â
âThatâs the biggest problem.â
Humans hated Monsters. Demons produced Monsters. Even if Demons didnât do anything, Monsters would attack humans. If that happened, there would be a chain reaction that would make humans hate Demons.
Even if Demons lived far away from Dungeons, there was a respawn point to produce Monsters. Magic emanated from the horns lingered in the air, and even though most of it dissipated naturally, the remains would get absorbed by the respawn point and a Monster would be produced.
âIn the beginning, I too had thought that Demons were an existence that had to be defeated without reservation. Even if you understand that you wonât do anything to Humans, it wonât change anything. Humans will still say that âThey must be defeated.ââ
âIs it becauseâŚMonsters are produced?â
âYes. Arenât there a lot of humans who think that besides me? There are also people who will continue to say that they will beat Demons to death, even after understanding it.â
Alice sat down, losing power after listening to Kagami. It was unexpected. She had thought that if there was a place where Demons and Humans could coexist happilyâŚthe life of Demons would no longer be targeted.
When Kagami saw Alice like this, he returned to her side while letting out a sigh, as if he was unable to bear it any more.
âWell, the Demon King might be thinking of some other methods. First, arenât there any relatives that can start to figure it out somehow?â
âRelatives? What do you mean by that?â
âItâs about whether or not all of the Demons think about wanting to get along with humans. What about that?â
When she heard Kagamiâs words and saw that he had noticed something, Alice looked regretful and bit her lips.
âRight? Due to the history of the long breakdown between humans and Demons, they both hate each other to the extent of wanting to kill. You and the Demon King are rare. Both sides hate each other. If you say things like wanting to coexist with humans, wouldnât the Demons also treat you as a traitor?â
âThen why doesnât Kagami look like heâs trying to kill Demons?â
When Alice asked her question, Kagami looked as if he had thought of something and immediately turned around, forcing a moan. âWellâ,â
ââCause Iâm an idiotâŚâ
That was the only thing he muttered. When Alice saw his back, surrounded by an atmosphere of sadness, she didnât want to question him any further.
Although I donât understand it well, perhaps this is the belief he holds. It doesnât matter if Demons get killed, but he wonât kill them. If one looks like they are dying in front of him, he will protect them. The more she thought, the more ambiguous the existence who called himself Kagami became. Alice began to feel slightly attracted to him.
âAnd? How long will you continue to follow me? We will be arriving at the town soon.â
After about 50 minutes, Kagami, who had declared himself as an idiot, arrived at the hills that overlooked the huge town of Balman. On the way, Alice had also arrived sneakily, as if he had brought her along.\n