Ch.47Chapter 47

People live with a single personality. One self per person. That’s the norm.

But occasionally, rare cases occurred among people. There were instances where someone had two or more selves.

It’s a common story in dramas and movies, but in reality, most people never encounter such cases. How many people would meet someone like that in their lifetime?

They say everyone in modern society suffers from at least one mental illness, but this was a different matter.

Rosemila tilted her head after hearing what Yuria had told her. Since Yuria hadn’t reported much to the Academy, there were many questions.

She doesn’t die. Instead, when young, her vessel is too small to have an aura. Based on this, she would continue researching the Demon God and manage it to ensure it wasn’t dangerous. Even as inventory, please grant permission for Academy access.

Those were Yuria’s words. One might guess that Yuria was moving with some certainty, but it would be difficult to imagine she had such concerns.

“…Split personality?”

Even her playful, light voice began to turn serious. Yuria’s expression showed this wasn’t a joke, so Rosemila responded accordingly.

“Yes.”

Yuria sifted through memories where guilt and trauma coexisted.

A bitter feeling remained. It wasn’t a good memory. It was a story from about a year ago. The point when she could say she first met Ourr.

After contemplating for a while, Yuria exhaled a trembling breath. And shortly after, she quietly opened her mouth.

“…It’s true that Ourr doesn’t die. Even if you brought another Demon God, this would be the first such case. Where would you find a Demon God that doesn’t die at all? There might be Demon Gods with ridiculously long lifespans and such strong power that it’s difficult to wait for their natural death.”

Even Yuria, who researched Demon Gods, acknowledged this. It was the first case she’d seen.

Even transcendent Demon Gods ultimately had to die when their bodies died. Ourr was the first to come back to life. It was the first time, but the method was so bizarre that she still remembered that day.

What was Ourr like when she went to investigate after receiving reports from people? According to testimonies, when people begged and pleaded, she silently went away.

Just in case, she went and killed her, and what happened? After seeing it directly, the Demon God was so weak that it seemed like a simple task.

And the problem came afterward.

She recalled being bewildered by the sight of Ourr getting younger but not dying. And by the time she realized Ourr wouldn’t get any younger than a certain point, her trauma had already been triggered.

“I also mentioned that Ourr gets younger when killed. That’s how she can suppress her aura.”

“…That’s right.”

She had reported it to the Academy. To prevent others from attacking Ourr despite knowing she was a Demon God, and simultaneously to keep Ourr at the Academy where she could keep an eye on her.

There were things that needed to be communicated when something was to be treated preciously. Things not to do, things not to touch. Such things needed to be said so the other person would be careful.

“Once she gets younger to a certain point, she doesn’t get any younger. She doesn’t revert to a newborn and disappear.”

“Then how does this immortality work?”

Rosemila was also a professor, so she knew the general content, but she didn’t know as much detail as Yuria beside her, so she asked.

“She repeats a certain age range. Physical age between early twenties and fourteen or fifteen?”

“That’s fascinating, aging backward…?”

“She regresses when she dies, but ages normally otherwise.”

“That’s certainly a unique way to extend lifespan.”

Yuria nodded in agreement with Rosemila’s words.

She took a sip of coffee. After barely moistening her parched throat, Yuria exhaled deeply.

In the brief silence, Rosemila also gulped down her coffee and asked.

“So what’s this about a split personality? Does she cause trouble sometimes?”

“…No, um. As I mentioned earlier, I said if she dies at her youngest age, she returns to her early twenties.”

“Yes.”

Yuria spoke with a trembling voice.

“I think that’s when the switch happens, or her personality changes.”

The overwhelming atmosphere that even Yuria had feared still triggered her trauma. If Ourr’s personality were to switch right now, Yuria would likely be the first to despair.

She gripped her cup tightly, perhaps from tension.

“There’s no reason to be afraid, really. As long as that doesn’t happen. But I worry if there might be other switches, and I’m scared that Ourr might suddenly change after seeing another ferocious Demon God.”

“…It’s the first time I’ve seen you afraid.”

Rosemila also trembled slightly, as if infected by the fear.

Rosemila was a professor in the magic composition department. She was good at brain puzzles like dismantling and assembling magic circles to create new ones, but she was terrible at fighting Demon Gods like Yuria did.

Yuria deserved to be called a genius.

Although Rosemila had helped, Yuria had designed the overall framework of her original work herself. With talent that could rival professors in other fields and combat sense to fight Demon Gods, that was Yuria.

When someone like Yuria was afraid, it was hard to gauge how powerful the threat was.

And yet she boasted about how cute Ourr was.

Rosemila inwardly let out a hollow laugh. She couldn’t tell whether that was Yuria’s way of overcoming fear, or if Ourr really was cute in those moments.

“Yuri, take a break. Looks like the Demon God elimination mission was tough today.”

“…Yeah, sorry. Did I talk about too many depressing things?”

“No, let’s go for a drink sometime later.”

Rosemila grabbed Yuria’s shoulder and shook it slightly. It was to change the atmosphere.

Yuria, whose mind was awakened, nodded.

The increasing frequency of Demon God appearances lately had become a cause for concern. The problem was that it triggered memories of Ourr to creep up.

After tidying up, Yuria cleared her cup and left the café. Rosemila followed, heading to her own research lab.

As the two walked side by side, Yuria spoke first.

“Rose, thanks for listening.”

“No problem. If Yuri wants to vent, I should listen. But…”

Rosemila’s gaze turned toward the Academy.

“Haven’t you told them that story?”

“No. If they knew, they’d all be scared and tell me to get rid of her.”

“Even though you’re scared right now.”

“……”

Yuria hung her head low, then raised it again.

“But what can I do? If I hear the current Ourr crying in pain because of that personality, even now, my heart aches.”

“……”

Yuria shared a story only she knew.

“Rose, do you know what it feels like to fight a Demon God?”

Yuria was a Demon God Slayer affiliated with the Demon God Disaster Confirmation Headquarters. But Rosemila was not. She was simply a professor affiliated with the Academy.

She couldn’t possibly understand the feelings of Yuria, who had two affiliations.

She denied it with silence. Yuria nodded at that answer, as if bitter, and moved forward.

“Demon Gods sharpen their edges when hurt. They struggle desperately when facing death. It’s instinct. Sometimes I scold them, asking why they’re doing this when they need to live. They can’t write or read, but somehow communication happens, and I occasionally hear them. When I hear them saying things like ‘you’re in the way’ or ‘get lost,’ it feels really strange.”

Demon Gods are designated as separate life forms because they cause harm. In fact, since they break laws, it was right that they didn’t belong to humans or elves.

Since they weren’t lives born through conception, but rather monsters that seemed manufactured from somewhere, they inevitably felt alien.

“No matter how docile, they’re still Demon Gods that ultimately harm and kill people. Once a Demon God has come out to a village or city, that’s the only kind there is.”

Tap, tap. Between the sounds of heels clicking, the gloomy conversation continued.

“But Ourr was different.”

In Yuria’s memory, what changed her thinking in a life marked by revenge was nothing more than a simple crying sound.

No matter how many times she died, no matter how much pain she was in, Ourr never reached out. Instead, she just took a defensive posture, begging for it to stop, and repeatedly crying. That voice still stimulated Yuria’s guilt.

“It feels like I’ve glimpsed darkness, so it’s scary. But I think it would be nice if we could maintain the current Ourr. Because Ourr is cute.”

“…Yuri.”

Yuria tried to lighten the gloomy atmosphere by putting on a smile.

Rosemila was deeply concerned about Yuria’s state.

She had heard Yuria say Ourr was cute, but she never knew Yuria was harboring such emotions, so words failed her.

What should she say? This was related to trauma and guilt—what words could possibly resolve such issues?

After many thoughts flashed through her mind, Rosemila concluded it was best not to say anything.

Afterward, silence fell between Yuria and Rosemila.

“Rose, I’ll be going now. Thanks so much.”

“Sure. Call me again!”

Rosemila waved her hand more energetically than before, trying to help lift Yuria’s spirits.

Yuria’s retreating figure seemed entangled with many emotions.

Seeing the mix of positive and negative feelings toward Ourr, Rosemila could only feel sorry for her.