Chapter 12
“One.”
“Never again!”
“Two.”
“I will never kidnap anyone again!”
“One.”
“I won’t bully the weak anymore!”
“Two.”
“Never again!”
After being repeatedly buried under piles of gold coins and then released, the men eventually broke down completely and could only beg while crying their eyes and noses out.
They had finally realized that things like “we have women,” or “our comrades are watching” meant absolutely nothing to their opponent.
“More than anything, comrades are far away… but demons are close.”
Right after that, they received what could only be described as “mental education” from Neriyuwen.
It was absurd enough that a demon was conducting human psychological training.
The men were lined up and doing push-ups in sync with the demon’s commands, and on each of their backs sat a large baby-shaped lump of gold.
They probably meant it as punishment for kidnapping a baby… but still.
What a taste…
From that moment on, they flinched at even the sight of anything gold and shiny.
“One.”
“Never again!”
“Two.”
“I will never commit crimes again!”
What was this, some rehabilitation program where an even worse demon reforms criminals?
Well, they should’ve lived properly in the first place.
If they had, they wouldn’t have met such a reckless demon, nor ended up on the receiving end of this kind of punishment.
Humans really only realize things after it happens to them. I’m human too, but still.
“You won’t look down on people weaker than you anymore?”
“We won’t!”
“Never again!”
“Not even once until we die!”
The “education” seemed to be going very well.
Neriyuwen finally removed the heavy gold lumps she had placed on their backs.
“So. About money?”
“We’ll earn it!”
“We’ll work hard!”
“Through honest labor!”
“Well, do whatever you want.”
Neriyuwen answered indifferently, clearly uninterested.
Then why even ask?
“You should also apologize to the kid.”
“S-sorry, young master!”
“I’m so sorry, young master!”
Perhaps because she had just seen them being thoroughly broken, I didn’t feel anything in particular.
Well, fine. I’ll accept the apology.
Watching them tremble under Neriyuwen’s sharp gaze made me feel a little softer inside.
“Mm.”
“Uwaaaah… what have we done to such a kind baby…”
“We’re trash…”
Right, right. It was good they at least realized they were trash.
Finding their tearful, sparkling eyes fixed on me was uncomfortable, so I called Neriyuwen.
“Rie.”
“What? Still not enough?”
What? Not enough?
“Hey. Be serious.”
Ah. She meant them.
They were already shaking that much—what more did she want?
As expected of a demon.
“No. The sea. Look.”
“Oh, right.”
She looked out toward the sunset-drenched horizon and slightly frowned. Then she immediately picked me up.
“You lot.”
“Yes, yes!”
“Live properly.”
“We’ve been reborn!”
The men shouted with shining eyes, almost desperate.
“Yeah, whatever. I don’t care about that. If you ever appear in front of me again, you die.”
“We will absolutely not! Please take care!”
This feeling… strangely familiar.
Even while their legs trembled, they bowed at a perfect ninety degrees. I had seen that somewhere before.
Ah. When I beat up those bandits in the lower village.
I stared at Neriyuwen as she used teleportation magic while holding me.
What a strange, unexpected demon.
She was the only demon who told humans to live properly.
“Why? Hungry?”
Come to think of it, I wasn’t that hungry. Had I just missed a meal?
“No.”
“Wow, the pig isn’t hungry for once.”
“I’m not a pig!”
“Fine, fine. You’re not.”
She chuckled softly and patted my head.
“You’re not hurt anywhere, right?”
“Mm.”
“You were pretty shocked, huh? I’ll be more careful next time.”
Neriyuwen frowned slightly, as if she felt sorry.
Strange.
Do demons feel guilt too?
It was such a fleeting expression that I wasn’t even sure I had seen it right.
“Rie did wrong?”
“Well… technically yes. I shouldn’t have taken my eyes off you.”
“Mm… it’s okay.”
At my words, Neriyuwen pinched my cheek lightly.
“If it’s not okay, say it’s not okay. What are you, always saying it’s fine?”
“It really is okay…”
“If you keep saying it’s okay when it isn’t, your heart breaks. When you’re scared, angry, or hurt, you won’t be able to cry, shout, ask for help—nothing. You won’t be able to do anything. You won’t understand now, though.”
“……”
But what if crying and shouting and asking for help changed nothing?
Then all you can do is endure it…
I looked up at Neriyuwen quietly and asked without thinking.
“Did Rie… do that too?”
“Hmm…”
Surprisingly, she hesitated.
That was unexpected.
I thought she would immediately say she hadn’t.
“Once… I regretted it. I had to pretend I was fine when I wasn’t.”
Her calm voice made something in my chest tremble again.
What is this feeling…?
Was I surprised that even a demon thought that way? Or because it was Neriyuwen?
Either way, it was definitely a strange expression for her.
That heavy, subdued face didn’t suit her at all.
My heart kept beating oddly.
I forced myself to look away.
Before I knew it, the sea had come into view.
The ocean bathed in sunset light was breathtakingly beautiful.
They said the daytime sea was emerald and transparent like glass, but the evening sea scattered with sunset colors was just as stunning.
I stared at it for a long time, entranced in her arms, watching the waves shimmer.
She waited patiently until I grew tired of it, until I looked away on my own.
It had been a long time since I dreamed.
That day, it was unusually humid, and rain kept pouring down, temporarily halting the battle.
Rain in the Demon Realm was more toxic than acid rain—it burned the skin and forced all mana to be used for recovery.
Because of that, whenever it rained heavily, fighting would stop.
Not that both sides wanted to rest—they simply didn’t want a war where no one could win or lose.
Still, they didn’t fully rest.
Even in the rain, they continued endless strategy meetings, and that day was no different.
“—Lady Wen! Lady Neriyuwen!”
The dream always began with someone rushing into the command tent through the pouring rain.
“What.”
“You… you need to come out!”
“Why.”
“There’s… a corpse outside!”
At that, the meeting room stirred.
They had seen countless corpses during war, but what corpse would appear inside a protected allied base?
Even if demons enjoyed fighting, there was no reason for allies to kill each other.
Thinking it strange, Neriyuwen followed her subordinate.
The expressions of those clearing the way told her something bad had happened.
Some looked troubled, some sorrowful, and others full of suspicion…
What is this?
Soon, she saw two bodies lying on the soaked ground.
One was covered with a blanket to prevent it from being washed away by the rain. The other was faintly still trying to regenerate itself.
But its life was fading faster than it could heal.
Ssssshh—
The rain was so heavy it should have washed away even the smell of blood, yet somehow the stench still lingered everywhere.
“……”
That was where Neriyuwen always woke up from the dream.
Always at the moment she saw their faces.
Her deep crimson eyes opened silently.
Neriyuwen stared into the empty air with unusual clarity for someone just awake.
Then she shifted her gaze downward.
In her arms, a small life slept soundly.
The baby was so small it felt unreal.
Habitually, she patted the child’s stomach, then placed a hand over its heart.
Beating fine.
She looked out the window.
Ssssshh—
It was raining.
“…Ah.”
Now she understood why she had that dream again.
A child, and rain.
The house she shared with Rarie had been built to ignore external weather, so this was the first rain she had seen since coming to the human world.
“Good thing Beryl didn’t come.”
He wasn’t the only one who hated rainy days.
No—he hated them even more than she did. Even though he had improved compared to before.
Neriyuwen gently touched Rarie’s small hand.
“Why are you still so small…?”
She disliked small things.
Small head, small body, small hands—everything so tiny it felt like it could break at any moment.
Even in sleep, the child seemed so fragile she worried it might get hurt just from bumping into itself.
She wished it would grow quickly, so she wouldn’t feel this anxious.
Please grow safely…
“Grow well, Riri. Humans are lucky—they become adults quickly.”
She held the baby tightly and murmured for it to grow.
As if, once the child grew up, all this anxiety and unease would disappear.
At that same moment, Rarie was also having a strange dream.
Rain poured heavily, running down Neriyuwen’s face and dripping from her chin onto a girl’s face below.
Rarie opened her eyes within that girl’s body.
