Her long hair, which reached down to her waist, swayed gently. It was a strange sight to see in a basement where there was no wind.
Was she a demon?
I approached her after a moment of surprise. If it was a monster, Decarabia would have noticed it right away.
Above all, the way she sat down was clearly lost in thought.
I tilted my head slightly as I looked at the clothes she was wearing. Wasn’t that kind of antique lace decoration something that had only been popular hundreds of years ago?
“You look like a face I’ve never seen before. When did you start coming here?”
There was no way I wouldn’t remember a demon with snow-white hair like this.
She turned around at my words.
“A little while ago.”
The demon’s eyes were pitch black as she spoke. I opened my eyes wide.
The other demons had similar appearances to humans, so it was hard to tell them apart at first glance.
But this demon was different. Humans would usually have white eyes, but hers were filled with black.
And then, where the pupils should have been, light blue eyes were seen moving.
I opened my mouth slightly at that strange feeling.
The light blue eyes, which had been slowly swimming in the black sea, looked straight at me.
“...A demon I’ve never seen before.”
She seemed to have the same thought as me. I shook my head.
“I’m not a demon.”
“No?”
A smile appeared on my face.
“Then a wizard?”
“Not that either.”
The woman tilted her head at those words.
“Then who are you?”
It was natural for her to speak informally. But strangely, it didn’t feel bad, so I answered in a gentle voice.
“My name is Beryl von Vine.”
It was a name that not only demons but also humans would understand. The woman certainly responded to names.
“Vine?”
Her light blue eyes studied me.
“You’re not one of the ‘Vines’ I know.”
Were there other Vines besides Belled?
It was time to put aside such questions for a moment. I explained to the confused woman clearly.
“I am here as the wife of Belled von Vine.”
The woman was frozen for a moment and remained silent at those words. Then she responded a beat later.
“... Belled of the Mind’s Eye?”
She seemed to know him. After all, he was called the Demon Grand Duke. Everyone would know if he was a demon.
“Yes.”
“Not someone with the same name, but the Mind’s own?”
The woman asked again. Was that really surprising?
“That kid got married?”
She seemed very surprised. I found a strange word in those words.
“You... know him?”
I didn’t think she didn’t know Belled, who had the name Vine, since she said she didn’t know me. Her title was a title used when calling someone on a more intimate level. That kid?
Didn’t they say that the Demon Grand Duke was in the highest position?
“I know him well.”
The woman nodded and said. I suddenly had a thought at that confident face.
Could it be that they had met before...?
At that thought, my heart felt suffocated as if I were trapped in a small room.
However.
“That kid would get married. Is it just a passing interest?”
“You... know him?”
I didn’t think she didn’t know Belled, who had the name Vine, since she said she didn’t know me. Her title was a title used when calling someone on a more intimate level. That kid?
Didn’t they say that the Demon Grand Duke was in the highest position?
“I know him well.”
The woman nodded and said. I suddenly had a thought at that confident face.
Could it be that they had met before...?
At that thought, my heart felt suffocated as if I were trapped in a small room.
However.
“That kid would get married. Is it just a passing interest?”
The next words made me feel suffocated. It felt like they were hitting the nail on the head.
It seemed like she had known Belled for a long time, but when she said this, it really was.
Belled might just be interested. It was when I bit my lip.
“You seem to have some worries, should I listen?”
She had a gentle smile on her face as if she would listen to anything. Her appearance strangely resembled Belled, so I opened my mouth slightly.
...I was embarrassed that I was trying to find his image in other people.
“What is your relationship with Belled?”
Thanks to that, the question was a little late. The woman answered lightly.
“We were siblings.”
“Yes?”
I opened her eyes wide. A younger sister? Or...
“I’m the older sister.”
She said as if she had read my thoughts. The woman smiled at me in surprise.
“But it’s all meaningless now.”
The woman raised her eyebrows and said.
“I’ve forgotten it for a long time. The things I wanted, the memories, the things I pursued, the life that became boring after getting enough of them never ends.”
She narrowed her eyes.
“But I don’t dare to take my own life, so it’s been buried in the past for a long time.”
“In the past... buried?”
The words that seemed to be buried in a distant past sounded strange to me.
The woman looked at me with a face that said she had no idea what I was doing.
“You’re really not a demon or a wizard, are you?”
It seemed like she had known Belled for a long time, but when she said this, it really was.
Belled might just be interested. It was when I bit my lip.
“You seem to have some worries, should I listen?”
She had a gentle smile on her face as if she would listen to anything. Her appearance strangely resembled Belled, so I opened my mouth slightly.
...I was embarrassed that I was trying to find his image in other people.
“What is your relationship with Belled?”
Thanks to that, the question was a little late. The woman answered lightly.
“We were siblings.”
“Yes?”
I opened her eyes wide. A younger sister? Or...
“I’m the older sister.”
She said as if she had read my thoughts. The woman smiled at me in surprise.
“But it’s all meaningless now.”
The woman raised her eyebrows and said.
“I’ve forgotten it for a long time. The things I wanted, the memories, the things I pursued, the life that became boring after getting enough of them never ends.”
She narrowed her eyes.
“But I don’t dare to take my own life, so it’s been buried in the past for a long time.”
“In the past... buried?”
The words that seemed to be buried in a distant past sounded strange to me.
The woman looked at me with a face that said she had no idea what I was doing.
“You’re really not a demon or a wizard, are you?”
“Yes, I am.”
It felt wrong to say, “I’m a Saintess.” Seeing that I didn’t know her face, it was clear that this demon had been in this mansion for a long time.
I didn’t want to give her a bad first impression. It would be a little late to reveal that I was a Saintess.
I didn’t want to give her a bad first impression. It would be a little late to reveal that I was a Saintess.
“I’m a human.”
The woman’s eyes widened at my words.
“...A human? Really?”
The next thing that came to her face after the surprise was joy... delight. Was this the kind of thing that would make her welcome me as a human?
Whether I was wondering or not, the woman looked extremely happy.
“I’m completely out of sleep.”
“Did you wake up?”
It wasn’t like you woke up from sleep.
“Hmm, you could say that.”
Then the woman spoke in a feminine tone.
“In human terms, I was dying.”
“Huh?”
It didn’t look like that. I looked at the woman again. Her face looked a little whiter because of her white hair, but other than that, she looked healthy.
“Even if humans don’t have joys and sorrows, their dull lives definitely have an end.”
The woman continued speaking to me, who was examining her.
“The end is bound to be accompanied by intense emotions, so you can’t die without fun. But you’re not a devil.”
She spread her hands.
“Life doesn’t end, so if you don’t have joys and sorrows, it wouldn’t matter if you just hardened like a stone. Even if you hardened, you wouldn’t die. You wouldn’t need to eat or sleep.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“Besides, if you live a long time... you don’t feel joys and sorrows for most things. When I suddenly feel tired of the quiet daily life, I think it’s time to stop living.”
She said, lowering her hand.
“Then I’ll fall asleep in my memories. Just as the voices I’ve heard become strangely distorted the more I recall them, my memories become more and more distorted, and when I lose track of what’s real, I’ll disappear.”
The woman’s expression became expressionless. Her eyes, which seemed almost empty, turned to me.
“I’ve been preparing for that kind of death.”
“...”
If you live long enough, will everyone end up like that?
I was also thinking of Belled in that explanation. He said he didn’t need sleep. Then what was he doing while I was asleep?
That thought suddenly occurred to .w. Wouldn’t he be lonely at night? Since the other demons don’t sleep either, would it be okay?
Then I stopped at the thought that came naturally to me. I wished he would be lonely without me... Just like herself.
Strangely and selfishly. I bit my lips.
“In human terms, you saved me.”
My thoughts were interrupted by the voice I heard at that moment. The expressionless face of the woman who turned around disappeared, and a bright expression appeared.
“Thanks to you, I’ve become very generous. So ask me anything. About Belled.”
About Beled... It would be nice if I could know about him. But more than that. I wanted to ask about something else.
I was about to open my mouth when the woman laughed.
“It seems that what you’re worried about is Belled.”
Didn’t my expression change? My face turned slightly red when the woman said that.
“Do you have the ability to read minds?”
“No, it’s not that kind of thing.”
The woman’s voice seemed to be getting more lively. At first, it sounded dry.
“What’s going on?”
She seemed to have the power to lead a story. If she were a demon, could this be her unique ability? Is it because I’m desperate somewhere, or is it because of some unknown ability of hers?
I stared into the eyes of the woman in question as if possessed, and then suddenly began to talk.
“...I don’t know what the relationship is between me and that person.”
“You said you were married?”
I said to the puzzled woman.
“It wasn’t because I loved him.”
It was a long story as she sat up.
It was then.
“Lady Pocalor?”
Decarabia’s voice was heard from behind.
It was then.
“Lady Pocalor?”
Decarabia’s voice was heard from behind.
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