Chapter 32

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The day Sera went missing.

In a back alley of the capital, she was cornered by the eyeballs and had nowhere to run.

"I'm sorry, everyone..."

The faces of those who had taken care of her flashed through her mind like a slideshow.

The nuns and knights who had doted on her as if she were their own child when she was two.

Flam and Milk, her few friends outside the church, and Eterna, whom she had just met.

She couldn't repay anyone, and was about to die like this—

The last image that came to mind was that of Ed and Johnny, who had just died in front of her.

They had treated her like a little sister.

Sometimes they were annoying, but as playmates, training partners, and family—no one deserved to die like that.

She was furious.

But even if she could turn her anger into strength, she couldn't change this situation.

Sera felt overwhelmed by her powerlessness.

A gentle breeze brushed against her cheek.

*Roar!*

A sudden gale.

Sera instinctively covered her head with her hands.

Through the gaps, she could see the eyeballs that had cornered her rise up and be shredded in mid-air.

But that wasn't all she could see.

A woman in a robe was walking towards her from the direction of the wind—she walked straight through the path cleared by the wind, stopped in front of Sera, squatted down, and peered into her face, saying,

"Are you okay, Sera?"

Behind the hood, red-lipsticked lips formed a smile.

A familiar voice, blue skin, and even bluer hair.

Sera knew her.

"Negus?"

Hearing her name, she let out a cheerful "huh" sound.

"Why are you here?"

"I'm glad you remember me. I didn't expect to meet you in a place like this, but it seems we're in the same situation."

"The same situation... Are you being chased by those things too?"

"Yes, just investigating the church a bit led to this mess. It's terrible. Anyway, I'll explain the details later, but we need to get out of here first."

More eyeballs were approaching from behind Negus.

She picked up Sera's small body, wrapped her feet in wind, and cut through the approaching spheres while running through the dim alley.

"Wait! Why is a demon helping me!?"

"Why not... When a girl is in trouble, there's no reason not to help her."

"Well, that's true, but..."

"Helping someone in trouble is the right thing to do, I think."

It was hard to believe these words were coming from a demon who had destroyed her hometown.

But it didn't seem like she was lying.

Sera, still confused, wrapped her arms around Negus's neck.

The two of them met Gadio just a few minutes later.

They were searching for a place where the eyeballs wouldn't follow, navigating the winding streets.

Turning a corner, they came to a rare straight path.

From ahead, a man in black armor, whom they recognized, ran towards them, making heavy footsteps.

He was an enemy—so Negus immediately braced herself, but she relaxed when she saw the eyeballs behind him.

It seemed Gadio had also stumbled upon the church's dark secrets.

The two met at a corner in the middle of the path and began to converse while running side by side.

"Who are you?"

Gadio, hand on the sword on his back, glared at the robed woman.

"It's me, Negus. Long time no see, hero."

Negus pulled back her hood slightly, revealing her blue skin.

Gadio, clearly surprised, widened his eyes and stared at her.

"...One of the Three Demon Generals? Why are you here?"

"Why, you were investigating the church's dark secrets, weren't you? That's why you're being chased by those things."

"I see, so you're in the same boat."

Currently, their goals were aligned.

Even for a demon, it was unacceptable to let the church use the power of Origin.

It was supposed to be completely sealed.

And it was managed by the Demon King.

Based on the map passed down from the previous generation, the seal was checked for any changes, and there was no possibility of it weakening.

However, for some reason, the power was leaking into the kingdom—Negus was investigating the church's facilities to find the source.

When she encountered Flam and Sera, she was in the middle of that investigation.

"Still, you're reckless, infiltrating the capital alone."

"You were also doing something reckless on your own, weren't you? That's why you're being chased."

"True."

The two of them chuckled lightly at the same time.

It wasn't a time to laugh, but it also meant they were in a desperate situation.

"I've been investigating the church's facilities outside the capital. But it's hard to find them, and even when I do, they're often empty. So I decided to infiltrate the main base. And surprisingly, it was easier to hide in the slums. The security there is lax, very lax."

"The kingdom has unified the territories for a long time. Without the threat of intruders, the guards become lax. Although, it seems a more advanced security system has been installed now."

Gadio said this, slowing down but turning his head to look behind.

There, three times the number of eyeballs, enough to fill the road, were rolling.

"What are those things?"

Sera, who didn't know their true nature, asked the two.

Before answering her, Gadio asked Negus another question.

"Negus, who is this girl? She looks like a nun."

"Her name is Sera. I found her being chased by those things. She must have accidentally found out something. By the way, remember the girl named Flam you were traveling with? She seems to know her."

"Flam? I thought she had returned to her hometown—"

If he believed Jean's words, but that meant he was lying.

She had a hunch.

Flam, who had no power but worked hard, wouldn't irresponsibly run away.

Gadio, unusually, showed his discomfort.

Seeing this, Negus murmured, "Hmm," as if understanding something.

"It's different, the lady is still in the capital. Oh, right. If you see Flam, please tell her I'm safe!"

"I understand. But where is she... Damn!"

Before he could finish speaking, more of them fell from above.

Gadio drew his sword, and Negus cast a spell.

Thanks to them, they managed to escape, but it was only a temporary reprieve.

The eyeballs kept falling, and the two were separated.

In the end, they ran in different directions without being able to tell Flam why she was in the capital.

---

After that, Sera wandered the capital for about a day, still in Negus's arms.

They searched for a safe place, hoping to find the source of the problem, but found nothing.

Sera, learning that she had been excommunicated from the church, felt disheartened.

The eyeballs stopped chasing them once they were a certain distance from the capital.

Negus stood on a small hill, and in her arms, Sera gazed sadly at the distant, shrinking capital.

"I listened to the wind, and it seems the people at the church were worried about you."

"...Really?"

"Not everyone is bad."

Sera narrowed her eyes and gripped her habit tightly.

She had been betrayed by what she believed in.

The pain didn't just go away.

"Where should I go now? I've lost my place to be."

Her hometown no longer existed.

She couldn't return to her second home.

Even if the eyeballs disappeared, the excommunication wouldn't be lifted.

Not unless the church disappeared or the system changed, she would never return to the capital.

"I can't guarantee it will be a place to belong, but I can take you to the demon town. The Demon King tells us to avoid humans, but we don't hate them. I think everyone would be kind to someone as honest and cute as you."

"Demon...?"

"Still can't trust me?"

Sera hesitated and nodded.

She had been saved, but betrayed by the church.

That didn't mean she could trust the demons she had hated.

"Then—how about coming with me until you can trust me?"

Negus suggested this with a carefree smile.

"With Negus?"

Sera looked at her face with uncertain eyes.

"But you're pushing conditions before I've even decided to go with you."

"Um, well, I just want you to hear me out. You know, could you call me 'onee-san' like you do with Flam?"

Negus suggested this with a heavy breath.

Her expression, from Sera's perspective, seemed a bit perverted.

"No way."

Sera answered immediately.

"Why!?"

"It's creepy. Negus is Negus, that's enough."

"Ah! Calling me by my name is so boring! Call me, call me, call me!"

Negus pouted like a child.

Sera's image of demons crumbled with a loud noise.

Negus pouted for a while, then suddenly remembered something, became serious, and muttered to herself.

"Wait, calling me by my name might actually bring us closer. 'Onee-san' sounds like admiration or unattainable, but calling me by my name makes it feel like family, like I'm within reach... It gets me excited!"

Incidentally, Sera heard all of this, even though it was a monologue.

She recoiled and started to struggle in Negus's arms.

"Let me go! I'll travel alone!"

"Wait, wait! I'll put you down! I'll put you down slowly, so calm down!"

Before they lost balance and fell, Negus released Sera from her arms and gently set her on the ground.

Then, she cleared her throat and, regaining her composure, continued the conversation.

"I'm going to search for the facilities outside the capital to find out where the church's power comes from. Inside the capital, if that Gadio guy is investigating, it will eventually be exposed."

"Flam will probably act too."

"Right, she's in the capital. I'll leave that to her—by the way, Sera, can you call me 'onee-san'...?"

Sera glared at the lingering Negus.

"Fine, I'll give up for now. I'll focus on earning your trust."

"I don't think that will work."

Despite her words, Sera had already lowered her guard.

She didn't trust her, but she no longer saw her as a threat.

"Anyway, I'm going to search for the church's facilities. If you come with me, you might get involved in danger. If you prefer to hide in a remote village alone, that's fine too. I'll take you to a safe place."

"It's tough to be alone in a place where I don't know anyone."

Especially now, when she was feeling vulnerable, she wanted someone nearby.

"At worst, it would be better to have Negus around."

"...At worst?"

"At worst."

"Ouch."

Negus clutched her chest and knelt down.

Her exaggerated reaction made Sera smile slightly.

"But even if I go with you, won't I be a burden? I'm not that strong."

Sera recalled the status she had seen in the cave near Enichide.

The difference in power was literally astronomical, as if she could be blown away by a single finger.

"Having a healer with me will be a help. Besides, I'm getting tired of acting alone. I think it will be more comfortable for me to have a partner."

"Then... I'll take you up on your offer. I don't fully trust you yet, and I'm not convinced that demons didn't destroy my hometown... But I can tell you're not lying, at least."

Negus crouched down to meet her eye level, looked her in the eye, smiled, and patted her head.

She smiled genuinely.

Like Flam, humans generally feel embarrassed when someone smiles at them directly, especially if they're attractive—Negus, despite her perverted behavior, was a proper beauty.

She had a good figure too.

Being looked at and patted on the head by such a person, Sera's temperature naturally rose.

Seeing her slightly flushed cheeks, Negus smirked and whispered,

"Is there a spark?"

"You ruin it by saying things like that!"

"Ahaha, I can't help it. It's a bad habit... But it's your cuteness that's to blame!"

Her desire couldn't be contained, and Negus suddenly hugged Sera's small body.

"Why are you so cute? When I first saw you, I felt... how do I put it? The feeling you get when you see a small animal? It was like that feeling, multiplied many times, blooming inside me!"

"Stop it, it's suffocating! And I'm not an animal!"

"Sorry, I can't control myself when I see something cute... I'm a demon, you know."

"That has nothing to do with it!"

It was suffocating, hot, soft, and smelled nice, but it was somehow unpleasant.

Sera struggled desperately, but demons were very strong.

She couldn't get away, and ended up being hugged for several minutes until Negus was satisfied.

"Phew... haa..."

Sera, finally released, was panting and exhausted.

Negus, on the other hand, looked very satisfied.

Regardless of whether she accepted Negus's outburst, it was hard to believe she was lying.

If this was a lie, Sera would never trust anyone again.

It had to be the truth.

She had no other choice but to believe.

Sera took a deep breath and extended her hand to Negus.

"Haa... For now. I'll be counting on you."

Her expression was somewhat dissatisfied.

But—greeting properly was a ritual she couldn't avoid, having been raised in the church.

Negus overlapped her larger blue hand with Sera's small one and shook it firmly.

"Likewise."

Their skin colors were different.

But the warmth of their palms was equally warm.

Sera, belatedly, realized that demons were living beings just like humans.