Chapter 6
In a Slumber
(Part 1)
I open my eyes abruptly in the darkness.
A light is visible ahead, and beyond that light, my former self and my Master are conversing.
It’s a memory from a long, long time ago… from around the time we first met.
Ah, I realize immediately that this is a dream.
I’m familiar with this sensation, as if I’m watching images projected by a projector inside this large room.
While I was sealed away, for some reason, I kept dreaming of past memories and would lose myself in thought. I saw this dream over and over, never growing tired of it.
I found it strange, but it wasn’t particularly troublesome, and I suppose I was just that fixated on it.
‘It’s love at first sight!! Please, become mine!!’
My Master, blushing and embarrassed, and my former self, looking at such a Master with bewildered eyes.
I had stopped having these dreams after I was able to meet Master again, but since we talked about the story of our meeting today, perhaps I’m dreaming of it again after all this time.
The fact that I stopped seeing it probably means I no longer have any attachment to those days from that time.
Somehow, I feel this will be the last time I see this dream, so I decided to watch the rest of it until I wake up.
I know the endpoint of this dream is a painful memory, which is why until now, I could never bear to watch it to the end.
But now I have reunited with Master, and we have slowly begun walking towards an ideal end.
Surely now, I will be able to watch it all.
The images of the memory slowly began to play the continuation.
……
…
◆―――――――――◆
“I said it…!”
The human who had suddenly made this incomprehensible confession was acting like a bashful young maiden, shaking his head restlessly. I was dumbfounded, unable to properly process his words, but gradually, an emotion I couldn’t identify as either shame or anger began to well up inside me. It surged upwards.
“Are you making a fool of me?”
I violently shook off the human hand that was gripping the chain.
With a loud smack, the human winced in pain and let go of the chain. I tried to pull and tear the chain coiled around my neck, but I couldn’t muster much strength. This chain was imbued with powerful demon-sealing energy.
It truly was born to seal me away; it seemed impossible to break with bare hands alone.
Well, fine. For a human, he is indeed strong.
But he’s a disappointment; he cannot possibly seal me away. Depending on the situation, I had planned to just observe for a while, but I wouldn’t mind killing him right here and now.
While breaking it bare-handed is impossible, if I release the control over my magical power, I could destroy this chain, this tower along with it… no, even a small country along with it.
I loosened my control, formed a circle with my right thumb and middle finger, and pointed it towards the human.
‘Beeeeep――― Beeeeeep―――!!’
As if reacting to my magical energy, an alarm-like sound, warning of danger, echoed throughout the room.
Even though this room is in an isolated tower, the human guards will probably gather soon. But it doesn’t matter; I can just annihilate them along with everything else.
Just as I was about to release the power, the human frantically raised his voice.
“Wait! If I get killed now, I won’t be able to love you, will I?! Please, give me a little more time!”
“Hah? I don’t understand…”
Just when I thought he might be begging for his life, I was taken aback by his completely unexpected words and lowered my hand. Despite being on the verge of being killed, the human in front of me fearlessly approached.
I instinctively took a step back, but the human took my hands in his, turned them towards himself, and smiled at me.
“It’ll take too long to explain the details right now, but I’m going to die soon. So, before that… I want you to fulfill my once-in-a-lifetime, one and only dream.”
‘The dream of loving someone, and being loved by them,’ the human said.
I have no need to go along with such a thing. Even though I thought that,
“A once-in-a-lifetime dream…”
Those words stuck in my chest, and I couldn’t immediately shake off his hands.
I too had a dream I wanted to fulfill. Even though I thought it was probably impossible, I had come here clinging to a faint hope.
At that moment, I heard the sound of someone running hurriedly from behind the entrance door.
There were probably two or three people. The sound gradually grew louder, and it seemed they would reach the door in a few seconds.
“Tch…”
I had been too leisurely with our conversation. I shook off the human’s hands and grabbed the window frame. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the human reaching out to stop me, but I paid no mind.
Without time to hesitate, I manifested my wings, which I had concealed, and escaped into the sky.
I looked back only once after putting some distance between us; that human was talking to the people who had entered the room.
Even though I had intended to destroy the entire country, I ended up unable to do so and, for some reason, fled. I could have gone back and rampage even now, but I didn’t feel like doing it.
The words that human had said were stuck in my chest and wouldn’t leave.
That day, I did nothing in particular and simply returned to my dwelling.
―――――――――
“Good evening! I’m so happy! I didn’t think you’d come to see me again!”
“Didn’t you say you were going to die soon?”
“I won’t die in just a few days. I have about half a year left, maybe?”
“You’re quite tenacious…”
“Not really. Six months will be over in a flash.”
One week later, at night, I had come to see this human again.
For a few days after our first meeting, there was quite a commotion, so I had lain low quietly.
Even now, the number of guards had increased, but it seems this human assured them it was fine and managed to clear most of them out.
Even though I nearly killed him, he really is a carefree human.
Just like before, I landed on the tower’s balcony, and the window was opened immediately, as if he had been waiting for me.
He was so without hesitation that I suspected a trap, but the human leaned out of the window and peered at my face. He fidgeted restlessly with his index fingers, seemingly thinking about what to say.
“Um… I was thinking I’d like to talk about lots of things, so I’ve been thinking of various topics, but I wonder what I should start with… Oh, I know! First, could you please tell me your name?”
“…Diabolos.”
That is a name that would make almost every demon tremble in fear. I didn’t expect the human before me to be cowed by it, but…
“Wow, that’s long… So, Dia.”
Don’t go shortening it without permission. And it’s not even that long of a name. Even if I complain, he just laughs it off with a ‘Well, it’s fine, isn’t it?’ and changes the subject. Since he tries to continue the conversation one-sidedly, ignoring my feelings, I cut him off with a low voice.
“Before that, you don’t seem to understand your position. You humans are far beneath me, mere slaves to demons, aren’t you?”
Saying that, I tossed a leather collar in front of him.
I bought it at a shop in the demon world. I had considered creating a sturdy, unbreakable collar using magic to bind him, but it’s difficult to do that here, so I prepared this instead.
Honestly, I don’t need a slave like this unreadable human.
Last week, he suddenly went and bound me, so I brought this as both a nuisance and a payback.
The human picked up the thrown collar and poked at the leather collar with his finger, looking obviously displeased.
Just as I was about to scoff at the expected reaction,
“Why is it this cheap-looking, flimsy leather? It should be more like… I don’t feel any spirit that says ‘You are mine, I won’t let you go~’. But I’ll give you 60 points for conveying the desire to bind me, at least.”
He replied with unexpected words and even gave me a weird score.
It’s a cheap collar I bought to annoy him; I have no desire to bind this human. This is dishonorable.
Moreover, he started putting the collar on his own neck.
‘Ugh…’ I recoiled and averted my gaze for a moment, then heard a small metallic jingle and felt a weight on my shoulder.
Thinking ‘no way’, I looked at my neck and saw the human’s magical chain coiled around my neck again. This time, it even had a proper collar attached. A chain was attached to the collar, and the other end was, of course, held by the human. He tugged the chain sharply, pulling my face close to his neck.
“Now we match…”
The human grinned happily as he said this.
Again. When he stares at me like this, I get this feeling like my spine is tingling. My heartbeat quickens, and I can’t look away. Being stared at makes me fall into the illusion that I’m being dominated.
I pressed my hand hard against the human’s face and pushed myself away.
“Gueh—”
“Don’t group me with someone who gleefully puts on a collar.”
Even as I said that, for some reason, I didn’t feel bad about being connected to this human by a crude collar. Until now, no one has ever been so obsessed with me. But at that time, I didn’t have the leeway to accept this uncomfortable pleasantness that I didn’t want to acknowledge.
I tried to pull the collar off, but because this human’s magic contains demon-sealing power that suppresses demonic energy, I couldn’t muster any strength.
It seems I can’t break this chain unless I use magic myself.
Reluctantly, I spent the night still “matching” him.
And the next day was like this.
The human, leaning out of the window, was wearing the collar I gave him yesterday. It was kinda gross, so I scratched it off with my claw, and he pouted, looking disappointed. I swiftly tucked the leather collar, which had fallen onto the balcony, into my pocket before he could retrieve it.
“You don’t need something like this… Right, what is it that you want? If I feel like it, I might bring it for you instead.”
This human’s room is bleak and boring. It only has the bare minimum of furniture, and I sense no personality or particular preferences. Unless he’s living in deprivation and isn’t provided for, he might just not have many material desires.
If that’s the case, if I bring one of his few desired items and break it right in front of him, maybe I’d get an interesting reaction.
The human goes ‘Hmm…’ while looking me up and down.
What? I shouldn’t be holding anything right now…
“I think I might want your left arm or something.”
I don’t get it.
My face twitches involuntarily, but the human, for some reason, looks embarrassed and shy.
“I thought maybe we could hold hands even when you’re not here… But actually, I think I’d rather hold hands with the real you.”
“…I refuse.”
“I haven’t even properly asked yet!”
―――――――――
After that, I went to see him many more times at night.
It’s not to fulfill that human’s dream or anything. It’s just to kill time.
Actually, this human, with his myriad of unexpected reactions, was well-suited for killing time.
I’ve been involved with many demons and humans until now.
Most humans, upon seeing me, would beg for their lives in fear and cry disgracefully.
In front of a man who screamed ‘Spare the women and children at least!’, I deliberately killed only the women and children. The brave ones would point their swords at me but couldn’t bring themselves to swing them down, turning to dust before even reaching me.
Lower-ranking demons look at me with respect.
One day, I crushed the eye of a male demon who wanted to become my subordinate and gain an advantage over others.
Another day, I tore apart the lower body of a vile, hyena-like female demon who tried to cozy up to me and suck up to me, rendering her useless.
I’ve committed every evil deed I could think of to quench the frustration built up from living too long.
But the enjoyment lasts only for a moment. Before the corpses collapsing from exhaustion, I sigh.
That said, I no longer possess a kind heart that seeks to help others. I didn’t even understand what I was searching for myself.
But, I had hoped that this human might hold the answer.
