Chapter 60

"Grandma is old, so I think we'll have to meet her while she's in bed. Is that okay?"

"No, don't worry about it."

I was being led by a silver-haired girl as we walked down the hallway of the mansion.

"Nina Valberbe"

"Huh?"

"My name"

"Oh, I'm Norman Eslund"

"I heard that already"

"Oh, right, I forgot"

The girl named Nina and I didn't speak any further, and before I knew it, we had reached our destination.

"Grandma, I've brought him."

Nina said this, knocked, and then opened the door.

"Oh, you've come. Thank you."

The person in the room was a kind-looking grandma with a cheerful expression.

"You want to hear about the devil, right?"

"Y-Yes, that's right."

I hurriedly affirmed, surprised because MinaGross was quite different from what I had imagined. I had thought she would look like a villain since she was the one Oribax wanted to take revenge on, but the real person was far from that. She looked very kind.

"I'm sorry for coming suddenly..."

"No, it's fine. I don't have much time left, you see. I was actually hoping to tell someone about this before I die."

MinaGross's body was terribly emaciated. She couldn't get out of bed, and she must have been aware that her time was short. I wondered if there was any point in killing such a person.

"Nina, stay here. I want you to hear this story too."

"Understood."

With that, Nina nodded, and MinaGross began her story.

"Sixty years ago, I made a grave mistake—"

The story MinaGross told was a very sad one. Darniel. That was the name of the man who was executed sixty years ago for making a pact with the devil. This was also mentioned in the newspaper article Oribax had found.

MinaGross was close to this man. She said they met almost every day, talked about various things, and went to many places together. What connected them the most was magic. They frequently shared information and honed their magical skills with each other. While it's just my speculation, I think MinaGross and Darniel might have been lovers or something close to that. The way MinaGross spoke made it feel that way.

However, one day, a rift appeared between them. Darniel became jealous of MinaGross's magical wisdom. MinaGross was exceptionally talented in magic, especially in astrology, where she had achieved a level that even the best magicians couldn't match. Darniel tried to catch up through hard work, but the wall of talent was too thick. He was deeply troubled by his lack of talent. Unable to bear this, MinaGross made a suggestion.

"Why don't you borrow the wisdom of the devil?" I said to him.

MinaGross said this in a gloomy tone. The word "devil" made my body react.

"Listen, Nina. No matter what, you must never borrow the power of the devil."

MinaGross warned her granddaughter. Nina nodded in response.

"If you recklessly borrow the devil's power, the devil will take over your body. Once possessed by the devil, you'll become a demon that endlessly attacks people."

"A demon...?"

I reacted to the unfamiliar word.

"Yes, that's right. Once you become a demon, your body turns into a hideous monster, and there's no way to return to your original form except by killing it."

"Could it be that Darniel...?"

"Yes, he was possessed by the devil and became a demon."

As she said this, MinaGross's eyes welled up with tears.

"If I hadn't suggested the devil's power to him, this wouldn't have happened. So, it's all my fault..."

With that, MinaGross began to cry quietly. Seeing this, I almost started to cry too.

"Um, maybe we should go for today..."

Nina, unable to bear the sight, placed her hand on the grandma's shoulder and looked at me. She was indirectly suggesting that we leave. I had no intention of staying any longer, so I stood up and bowed.

"Thank you for sharing your valuable story."

With those words, I left the mansion.

"Even if it's for revenge, I feel it's wrong to kill MinaGross."

"I agree with you, Master."

We walked away from the mansion with gloomy expressions. If MinaGross had been a truly evil person, I might have allowed Oribax's revenge. But she wasn't. MinaGross was a kinder person than most and was deeply regretful about Darniel's death. Moreover, she was old and didn't have much time left. I didn't think there was any need to kill such a person.

"Maybe I'll have to give up on learning astrology from Oribax..."

"That might be the case."

"Is there no other demon who knows about astrology?"

"No, there isn't."

"I see..."

I want to learn astrology, but I can't kill MinaGross. I wish there was a way to achieve both.

I've posted a new short story.

Please check it out here:

https://ncode.syosetu.com/n5507hc/