episode_0186

The Second Connection with a Demon Beast

“Sob… sob… I am so, so sorry… Actually, the inside of a Mimic is another space, so I was trying to invite all of you inside me to talk about various things… Sob… sob…”

“….Ah… now that you mention it, I didn’t see any teeth inside your mouth earlier… Don’t tell me that was also…”

“Yes… Mimics can hide their teeth as they please… Sobbing… I’m sorry for trying to put you inside without saying anything…”

Because Aria was thoroughly fed up with other women constantly appearing around me, the Mimic, bruised in various places from being beaten by her, apologized to me with tears in its eyes, and I felt sorry for its pathetic state. Perhaps because it was beaten so badly, even my feelings about it trying to ambush me just now disappeared… What bad luck, to appear just when Aria was full of complaints…

“Then shouldn’t you have said something beforehand? Appearing suddenly and then ambushing Zeke-nim all of a sudden… And you expect an apology for that…!?”

“Well… All the humans I’ve met so far ran away when I tried to talk to them… So, I had no choice but to secretly take you inside this time and explain the whole situation…”

“….Ah, indeed…”

When the Mimic explained that it had no choice because humans always ran away whenever it tried to talk to them, I immediately understood. Certainly, ordinary people would have run away immediately… For a demon beast to suddenly speak to them… But we are people who tried to talk after realizing that Esti was a demon beast that could communicate. So, this means the Mimic just happened to meet the wrong people again, which led to this… However, guessing that its fate of being beaten by Aria wouldn’t have changed anyway, I scratched my head with an inexplicable feeling of apology and spoke to the Mimic.

“No, well… Since you had such circumstances, it can’t be helped. By the way, Mimic… is that what I should call you? We humans call you Mimics or Trap Mimics…”

“I know. Humans call us Mimics or Trap Mimics so much that I’m well aware of it… We also have our own language, and our own nicknames. And of course, I have a name…! Ah, my name is Rapien. My age is, hmm… I’m about 24 this year.”

“Huh? Your age is similar to ours…”

“….I really dislike this situation…!!”

“Gasp?!”

When the Mimic, introducing itself as Rapien, revealed its age to be 24, I was greatly surprised that Rapien was not much different in age from us. Then, when Aria suddenly expressed genuine displeasure at the situation from beside me, Rapien and I were greatly flustered. You’re still not appeased, Aria…!! As I was greatly astonished that Aria was still angry, Rapien carefully asked me.

“Um… why is that person so angry…? Did I do something wrong again…?”

“Well, that’s… Aria likes me very much… She’s a little prone to jealousy…”

“Prone to jealousy…!! Oh my goodness…!! So you two were in *that* kind of relationship…!! Good heavens…!!!”

When I explained that Aria liked me very much and was jealous of her, Rapien was greatly surprised, clapped her hands over her mouth, and began looking back and forth between Aria and me. Then, suddenly stretching her upper body towards Aria, she quietly spoke to Aria.

“To think you two were in *that* kind of relationship… I’m so sorry for making such a great mistake to your boyfriend earlier…!!”

“….Ugh… My… boyfriend… Ah… we’re not actually lovers yet, but… still, even if you call Zeke-nim my boyfriend, I won’t forgive you…”

“Oh my…!! So you aren’t yet… In that case… I’ll give you a map later that shows places human couples frequently visit. So I sincerely hope that you two will connect…!!”

“…..Could you perhaps show it now?”

“Of course…!! Just a moment…”

When Rapien expressed her wish for Aria and me to connect and offered to gift us a map showing locations frequently visited by human couples later, Aria showed interest in her words and asked if she could show it now. Then, Rapien put her hand into her box-mouth, pulled out a map, unfurled it, and began showing it to Aria while explaining.

“Some human couple left this behind in this cave before, you see? But other human couples also had maps marking this place, and I overheard that all of them were looking forward to going there…!”

“Hmm… This isn’t a place Zeke-nim and I have visited before, is it? So, anything else you might have overheard…?”

“I was waiting for you to say that…!! So, in this place… there’s a spot where *this* is possible…”

“….!!!!!!”

When Rapien began to explain in detail that there was a place where something could be done, Aria’s eyes widened in great surprise at her words. At Aria’s reaction, I somehow felt an ominous premonition, and Aria took the map from Rapien, then grasped Rapien’s hands and spoke.

“Thank you, Rapien…!! For telling me such a place exists…!! It feels like only dream-like things will unfold…!!”

“I’m so glad I could be of great help…!! If you go there, the Saint-nim will surely be able to steal that person’s heart…!!”

“No, don’t talk about things like that without me!!! And what are those expressions anyway?! I’m getting an ominous feeling from this!!!”

When Rapien, sincerely hoping that Aria and I would connect, looked at me with a sly smile alongside Aria, my anxiety grew even greater, and I shouted at Aria and Rapien in great fear. Then Aria and Rapien clasped each other’s hands and continued to look at me with sly smiles, and seeing the two of them just grinning slyly without a word, my future began to look bleak. Ah… damn it… The Church is one thing, but I can’t even imagine what Aria will do to me later, so that’s even scarier…

“Oh. Now that I think about it, this map… you said you met humans, right? As far as I remember, Mimics also eat people, don’t they…?”

“Ah, that’s true. But Mimics are also divided into various ideologies, just like humans. I’m part of a faction that prefers vegetarianism over carnivorism, so I don’t particularly want to eat you all… In fact, I prefer vegetables and fruits over meat…”

“Hmmmm… If that’s true, then there’s certainly no reason for you to attack Zeke-nim. But there’s one more thing I’m curious about… I can easily sense the presence of living beings through divine power, you see? But I didn’t feel your presence at all…”

“Ah, that’s right. I also had something I was curious about regarding the Saint-nim. This is good timing then. First, the reason I wasn’t detected by the Saint-nim’s divine power… could it be because of this?”

“That’s… the Orb of Heavenly Radiance?”

In response to Aria’s question, who was wondering why she hadn’t been detected by her divine power, Rapien put her hand back into the box and pulled out a certain orb, showing it to us. We then recognized it as the same Orb of Heavenly Radiance that Eli had used before, and as soon as we recognized the object in her hand as the Orb of Heavenly Radiance, Rapien began to explain.

“Currently, priests and saints who serve the Goddess Camilla are running rampant outside, aren’t they? So, I kept looking for a way to avoid their eyes and happened to obtain this orb. Of course, I got it from a dead saint, but… Surely, thanks to this, I’ve been able to avoid their eyes until now, right?”

“Those who possess this Orb of Heavenly Radiance, when detected by divine power, feel as if they are one with nature, allowing them to evade the sight of divine power. So it is true that Rapien was able to escape their eyes thanks to that orb.”

“Ah… so that’s how it is… But you know so much about this orb… Perhaps the Saint-nim, with the Church outside…”

“Please don’t ask if that rotten Church is on my side. I’m already getting annoyed because of that Church lately…!!”

“Gasp?!”

At Rapien’s words, about to ask if she was a saint like them, Aria gritted her teeth and, with an annoyed expression, told her not to ask such questions. At her appearance, Rapien flinched in surprise, then nodded, replying that she wouldn’t. She was already having a terrible time because of Saint Krischa, anyway… By the way… this is mysterious… A Mimic that can pull out a human upper body from its mouth… It’s a creature not even found in the demon beast encyclopedia… Is it a new species?

“Um… Is Rapien’s… uh… upper body its main body? And do other Mimics also have human upper bodies like Rapien?”

“No, no. My main body is the box itself that you’re looking at right now, rather than this upper body. And the upper body I’m showing you is… what should I call it… Do you know about creatures that have part of their body as bait to lure prey? I’m that kind of creature, you see. Humans call Mimics like us ‘Trap Mimics’, they say…”

…! I see. I could finally understand why Trap Mimics are called Trap Mimics after Rapien’s words just now. Trap Mimics had other characteristics besides snatching prey with tentacles or similar things. And that was bait…!! Now that I’ve learned something new, my curiosity is flaring up…!! Feeling my desire to explore new things ignite again, I excitedly pulled out my notebook and pen from my backpack and began to write down this information, and Rapien, seeing my appearance, spoke to Aria with a flustered expression.

“Ahaha… The Saint-nim must be tired…”

“It can’t be helped. Because that very appearance… is the side of Zeke-nim that I fell for. His passionate and proactive demeanor… That side of him isn’t always limited to new things; he shows the same attitude to others as well. And thanks to that, I’m able to live in this world.”

“….!! I… I’m actually very interested in other people’s love lives, Saint-nim…!! If it’s not too rude, could you tell me what happened to you…!?”

“Hmmmm… That is, if you don’t fall for Zeke-nim’s charm… As a thank you for the map, I’ll tell you. So…”

As a thank you for the map she had just received, and on the condition that Rapien wouldn’t fall for my charm, Aria began to explain to Rapien what had happened to her while I was taking notes. The moment I finished my notes and looked up at the two of them, I saw Rapien, who had heard Aria’s story, staring at me with a serious expression, and I asked, greatly flustered.

“Why are you looking at me with those eyes…”

“Such dullness… Haaaaa… You’re truly too much!! How could you be so oblivious to the Saint-nim’s feelings?!”

“Huh…? What do you mean…”

“What good is it if you only have a good personality!!! Ugh, you bad person!!”

….What is this? I vaguely overheard Aria telling Rapien her story, so I knew what they were talking about… But I couldn’t understand why Rapien was suddenly scolding me after hearing the story. No… Rapien wasn’t the only one who did this… Everyone who heard Aria’s story seemed to have scolded me with various words, calling me slow or bad… Why…? As I was being scolded like this, Aria smiled as if refreshed, seeing my reaction, and I, completely bewildered, continued to be scolded by Rapien, unable to understand why Aria wore such an expression, utterly confused.

“Alright, that’s enough. That’s enough, so you can stop talking now, Rapien.”

“Ugh… From having heard so many other people’s love stories, I know that… the worst person here is…”

“I said that’s enough… If Zeke-nim collapses like this… I don’t know what I might do to Rapien… so keep that in mind…?”

“….Understood.”

When Rapien tried to continue scolding me, Aria raised her staff and told Rapien to be careful, as she didn’t know what she might do if I collapsed. Rapien, frightened, replied that she understood. Ugh… my head… My head’s spinning from hearing so many things in such a short time… Seeing Aria stop Rapien, I rubbed my temples with both hands, somehow managing to collect myself, and Aria, seeing that I had come to my senses, smiled sweetly and said to me.

“Zeke-nim. Don’t you have more questions? You can ask everything now. I’ll stay quiet this time.”

“No… you should join in the conversation too. Hoooo… So, Rapien… I have something I’m curious about… How are you able to speak our language so well? Our languages must be different, surely…”

“Ah, that? Dragons can learn human languages and communicate with you all without any problems. But even though I have this human upper body, my language is different from humans’, so I can’t communicate. However, the reason this is possible is… because I’m using a translation ability that allows me to understand speech through others’ minds.”

“Translation ability…?! The Church said that such abilities barely exist… How could you have something like that…?!”

When Rapien explained that she was currently using a translation ability and therefore communicating with us without any problems, we, who believed that no such translation abilities existed in this world, were startled and astonished by her words. Then Rapien pointed a finger at her head and began to explain again.

“I’m not communicating with you through my mouth right now. To be precise, I’m sending my thoughts to you while simultaneously reading your thoughts. Thoughts aren’t language, but the mind itself, so I read those minds and communicate with you this way.”

“So you can even read what we’re thinking? If that’s possible, then I…”

“Unfortunately, Saint-nim. I don’t read people’s minds; I read the thoughts contained within their words. This also has its limitations, so sometimes the meaning isn’t conveyed properly.”

“….Tsk.”

“What are you thinking again…”

When Rapien explained that she didn’t read people’s minds, but rather the thoughts contained within their words, and thus couldn’t read thoughts themselves, Aria clicked her tongue in disappointment and looked at me. I then saw through Aria’s obvious attempt to learn how to read my thoughts through Rapien and put on a serious face, while Rapien, seeing my reaction, chuckled and spoke.

“Well… there’s definitely a way to read other people’s minds somewhere in the world, so wouldn’t it be better not to let your guard down?”

“Don’t say things like that, Rapien… Hoooo… Anyway… I have more questions…”

“Ah… I suppose what you’re curious about is this, isn’t it? Why demon beasts are so friendly like this. And why demon beasts have such communication abilities.”

“Ah, yes… Although we’ve met similar demon beasts before… We know demon beasts to have aggressive personalities that attack other living beings.”

When Rapien asked if we were curious why she was so friendly to us, we nodded and explained that all the demon beasts we knew had aggressive personalities that attacked other living beings. Then Rapien suddenly made a bitter expression and sighed deeply, and we were bewildered, not knowing why Rapien was reacting this way. Rapien, who had taken a deep breath and composed herself, spoke to us.

“This might be a really… different story from what you know. Especially regarding the origin of demon beasts, which humans know nothing about…”

“….? The origin of demon beasts…? Surely that’s the Lugra race that…”

“Oh…? To know about Lugra… that’s unexpected… But humans probably don’t know this part of the story… About why most demon beasts became so ferocious…”

“Most…? Does that mean there are still demon beasts in this world who aren’t ferocious, like you…?”

Rapien, realizing that we knew about the Lugra race due to learning a few things about dimensions through Estur, was greatly surprised and said that humans probably wouldn’t know why demon beasts became so ferocious. At this, Aria realized there were demon beasts in this world who weren’t ferocious, like Rapien, and was greatly astonished. Then Rapien nodded and said to us.

“I will explain about us to you all. Why demon beasts became ferocious. And what magic stones and crystal stones are.”

**How Did They Live for Five Years?**

**Karina, Tess, and Fertea**

“So… if not for Zeke and Aria back then, many beastfolk, including myself, who almost became slaves, wouldn’t have been able to return to Kartun. There was so little hope that it was almost fortunate Zeke was captured by Rubdon then.”

“Wow… is that really true?”

“How strong was Saint Aria-nim? And how strong was that human, Zeke?”

Three months had passed since Karina and Tess persuaded the beastfolk in Kartun’s central plaza, so that Kartun would at least accept Zeke and Aria. At first, the beastfolk didn’t listen to their story, but thanks to the testimonies of those who had been freed from Rubdon with Tess, the beastfolk came to believe Tess and Karina. Today, they gathered in the plaza again, listening intently to Tess recount stories about Zeke and Aria. As a result, the young beastfolk began to feel admiration for Aria, who possessed the power to single-handedly defeat Rubdon and, by chance, free the beastfolk who were almost enslaved. Seeing Tess and Karina once again telling stories about Zeke and Aria, Fertea chuckled and said.

“When you put it like that, you sound like a storyteller, Tess-nim. And it seems the children are getting more and more interested. Look, most of the gathered beastfolk are young ones, aren’t they?”

“Hahaha! Indeed, our children do love adventure stories. But doesn’t that make it even more interesting, Tess?”

“I suppose so. Hahaha!”

At Fertea’s remark that the young ones seemed more interested in Zeke and Aria’s stories, a male beastfolk asked Tess if it was because children loved adventure stories, and Tess agreed. Karina then chuckled, approached Tess, and said.

“Uncle-nim. If the story is over here, please train me again today.”

“Well… I wonder if you’re overdoing it these days… Why do you two, who received help from Aria, strive to become even stronger than other beastfolk… Do you want to emulate Aria’s power that much?”

Tess, who had somehow become Karina and Fertea’s master, couldn’t understand why the two of them trained so much, wondering if they wanted to become strong by emulating Aria’s power. Karina then looked around and said to Tess.

“I learned from watching Aria Unnie throw her entire body to protect Zeke Oppa. That to save others, you need some kind of power. So I, too, will train to protect Kartun, just as Aria Unnie protected Zeke Oppa.”

“That’s a wonderful attitude, Karina. That’s why your brother-in-law-nim didn’t stop your dream of becoming a member of the vanguard, right?”

“Uh… my reason is a bit different… I just really miss the taste of the Crimson Boar I ate before… I thought if I had that much power, I might be able to hunt a Crimson Boar myself…”

“….Pfft…. Puahahahaha!!!”

When Fertea said she was building up her strength to taste the Crimson Boar she had been served before, contrary to Karina’s goal of training to protect Kartun, Tess and Karina burst into loud laughter at Fertea. And so, for five years, they waited for Zeke and Aria’s reunion, sparing no effort for Kartun.

**Jid Looprian**

“Ugh… my back hurts… Lately, I seem to be seeing the Order’s saints and priests more often… Haaah… I wonder if I’ll end up dying at their hands before reuniting with my nephew…”

Two years after meeting Zeke and Aria, Gid, who was still single-handedly facing the Order’s saints and priests, sighed as he wiped their blood from his skin with spring water. He constantly searched for the Order’s movements alone, and being discovered and forced to fight the saints and priests happened almost ten times a month, so much so that Gid wondered how much more he had to fight, as the Order’s power was unexpectedly vast.

“Even if I’ve cultivated other powers in a foreign land… this is still too many. Plus, they’re all skilled, so they’re tough to deal with…!! Ugh… What are these guys really up to? And what are these strange statues they’re making for…?”

Gid recalled the statues the saints and priests he had fought were transporting, then examined some of the fragments of the statue he had destroyed, wondering what the Order’s true intentions were. But no matter how much he thought, no answer came, so Gid sighed deeply again, threw the fragment to the ground, and said.

“In any case, there are a lot of suspicious signs… Hmm… I can’t let these guys interfere with my nephew’s exploration, so… as an adult, I’ll have to put in more effort, won’t I?”

With that, Gid steeled his resolve to fight the Order alone, so that no problems would arise in his nephew Zeke’s exploration, and rose from his spot.

**Riera Sisters**

“Wow…!! That’s the singing skill of the fairies from Melodian…!!”

“Thank you everyone. Truly, thank you.”

Three years after parting ways with Zeke, the Riera Sisters, who worked as wandering bards, were performing in a village in the Herlos region today. As Riera and Tiara ate at a restaurant with the money they earned from the performance, they felt the emptiness of Eli’s absence beside them and sighed deeply.

“Haaaaah….”

“Are… you okay? Unnies…”

As Riera and Tiara sighed deeply enough to make the ground sink, Melian, whose speech and emotions were slowly blooming, worried about them. Riera and Tiara, realizing that they had become depressed again due to the emptiness caused by Eli’s absence, looked flustered and said to Melian.

“We’re… fine! We’re fine, so don’t worry and keep eating, Melian.”

“That’s right! Riera Unnie and I just got a bit distracted thinking about something else. So don’t worry!”

“….A lie…. It’s because of Eli Unnie… isn’t it?”

“…..”

When Melian already knew they had become gloomy because of Eli, Riera and Tiara flinched in surprise, then realized they couldn’t hide their emptiness from Melian. They bowed their heads and made bitter expressions. Melian then straightened her upper body, embraced the two people sitting opposite her with both arms, and said.

“I can’t be Eli Unnie… but… I can at least comfort you like this…”

“….It’s okay, Melian. Really.”

“Thanks to your encouragement, we were able to avoid collapsing. Come on, Tiara and I are really fine now, so let’s eat again.”

Although Riera and Tiara felt empty due to Eli’s absence because of the memories they enjoyed with her, even though they had been betrayed by Eli, thanks to Melian, their new family member who worried about them despite not being blood-related, they continued to overcome their emptiness and live on today.

**Cecilia and Merzel**

“Ugh…!! This moss clinging to the tombstone… Why won’t it come off?! Ughhh!! Just wipe off already!!”

Cecilia, who was managing the tombstones in Grovel with Merzel, struggled to remove the moss clinging to a tombstone when it wouldn’t wipe off with a rag. But instead of wiping off, the moss was seeping into the tombstone, so Cecilia sighed deeply and plopped down right there. Merzel approached Cecilia and offered a hand.

“Are you alright, Cecilia?”

“Haa… haa… How did you manage all these tombstones by yourself? You’re really amazing…”

“That’s why I told you not to overexert yourself and rest… I can do it alone…”

“Oh, come on… The owners of these tombstones might be my neighbors, you know? I can’t just sit idly by.”

To Merzel’s words that he would do it all himself, Cecilia replied that she couldn’t just sit idly by because the owners of the tombstones might be her former neighbors who lived in the place now called Ogforthlia. Seeing Cecilia take his hand and stand up, Merzel realized once again that demons were such a gentle race, and felt bitter that he had killed such demons.

“….I don’t know if I can truly be forgiven…”

“What?”

“I received forgiveness from Cecilia-nim… but even so, my heart is still… heavy…”

Although Merzel had received forgiveness from Cecilia before, he still felt disgust at his cruel past and guilt over his atrocities, making him doubt again if he was truly a being who could be forgiven. Seeing Merzel like that, Cecilia, who recalled her own past forgiveness from Zeke, smiled faintly and lightly tapped Merzel’s shoulder with her fist, saying.

“I once pleaded with Zeke about something similar. We really have a lot in common, don’t we?”

“Huh…?”

“A heavy heart means we feel that much guilt for the atrocities we’ve committed so far. We have to live with this pain in our hearts, thinking we’ll never commit such acts again. It can’t be helped. We’ve already done things that deserve hatred. So let’s live in this world with the intention of atoning… That’s what Zeke told me before… Hehehe…”

When Cecilia encouraged him by quoting what Zeke had told her before, Merzel’s heavy heart seemed to lighten slightly. He gave a small smile and nodded. Then, as he wiped the tombstone Cecilia was cleaning with the rag he was holding, the moss that Cecilia couldn’t get off instantly disappeared. Seeing this, Cecilia was greatly shocked and shouted.

“No, this is discrimination!!! Why didn’t it come off for me?!”

“Puhuhu…”

And so, Cecilia lived in Grovel with Merzel, striving not to forget her desire for atonement. And Cecilia eagerly awaited the day she would meet Zeke again, who had brought her great enlightenment.