Fortunately, the wind has died down. It's still quite pleasant, though.
On the way, Mori saw a box of water essence being distributed for free. The fire essence, filled to the brim, was emitting a soft red glow.
Mori stared at the box for a moment, then took two. She hoped the girl would finally give in to the cold and take them.
The girl was quickly found. In a village filled with empty houses, only one house's chimney was emitting faint smoke. Fortunately, the child had at least a match and seemed to have lit a fire.
The lock on the window was unlocked. It seemed that the dexterity honed from three years of burglary had allowed her to easily pry open the locked door and enter.
The girl lay sprawled out in the living room, almost passed out, in front of the fireplace, which barely had any embers left.
After quietly entering the window and carefully closing it, Mori crept up to the girl. She then extended her hand and magically rekindled the fire in the fireplace.
The room suddenly brightened thanks to the blazing fireplace. The girl, curled up tightly, felt a tingling sensation in her sleep and relaxed.
Then, as if she noticed something strange, she opened her eyes wide and looked around. She was startled when she saw the witch.
"Ugh! What are you!"
“I'm a witch.”
The child, who had been lying down, was very wary of Mori. Then, she soon realized that the witch in front of her was the witch whom she had met during the day.
"You. What are you doing following me? Are you trying to eat my soul? Or are you just pretending to pity me and making fun of me?"
"I wasn't following you."
“Then what is it?”
"I came here to illegally dump trash in an empty house, and you just happened to be here."
Mori placed a bag of bread in front of the girl. A delicious aroma wafted from the bag, and the girl unconsciously smacked her lips.
"...!"
"I'm going."
When she tried to leave the seat so that the girl would not feel burdened, the girl unexpectedly grabbed Mori.
“Hey, wait a minute.”
"Why?"
"You eat first."
"Why?"
"You might have mixed some poison in it. Or you might have been enchanted to drain humans."
"I'm not interested in anything other than raw meat. And I don't have the leisure to do that to trash that's being dumped."
"You're kidding. You came all the way here just to give me this."
"I'm glad you appreciate my sincerity. Then just eat it."
The girl looked inside the bread bag. It was filled with delicious bread, filled with memories of her parents. She held back tears and insisted.
"No. Do you think I'd fall for a piece of bread? You. I know you plan to buy my favor, cross my guard, and then cook me up..."
"Do you know who I am and say such things?"
"What do I know? Looking at your black hair, you're probably just a witch."
"I'm Gremory, the one you hate so much."
"...!"
The girl's eyes widened as she didn't know anything.
"I offer you a deal. I'll give you the bread. In return, you tell me a story."
"...What story?"
"The reason why you hate me and the demons."
"..."
The girl's expression became blank. She seemed to think for a moment, then gave a cold, sarcastic laugh.
"What would you do if you knew that?"
"If I did anything wrong to you, I apologize, and I will try to make it right."
"How can a witch like you understand what's wrong?"
"Of course I can."
"The lying demons know how to act like they understand, but they're actually enjoying it."
Mori was demoralized. She had absolutely no confidence in overcoming that stubbornness. She decided to try another method.
"Look, girl, I'm dying to know why you're mad at me right now. So tell me why and I'll grant you one wish, anything, for nothing."
"Is that reason that important to you?"
"Yeah. It's very important, because I'm a very curious witch."
"Will you really grant anything? Even a wish to bring a dead person back to life?"
"...Sorry, that won't work."
Mori, caught off guard, was taken aback. She hadn't expected such a wish. She was at a loss, unsure of how to handle the situation, but the girl, or rather, her guard, dropped.
"You are a rare honest demon."
"Why? Did the demon ever say they would bring you back to life after death?"
"Uh."
The girl reached for the bread bag and took out a warm, white loaf. She quickly devoured the large loaf and gulped down the warm milk. Mori sat down on the dusty sofa, looking at the girl, who had suddenly let her guard down, with amazement. For some reason, the girl's honesty seemed to have touched her heart.
The girl, who had filled her stomach, wiped her mouth with her dirty sleeve and looked at Mori.
"I accept your contract, and I will tell you why I am angry with you and the demons."
The girl's green eyes stared straight at Mori. Only then did Mori realize. Her left pupil was cloudy, suggesting she had lost her vision.
"My father summoned a witch. He fell in love with her at first sight and made a wish to be with her for the rest of his life.
"So?"
"When my father reached a point where he could not live without the witch, the witch betrayed him and ate his despairing soul."
The girl's expression was calm as she spoke of her horrific past. She seemed to be familiar with memories that had been ruminate and tormented for so long, already worn and tattered.
"Do you know what happens to a body that has lost its soul in despair? It turns to black ash and is burned to ashes. After three days, not even a trace remains."
"..."
"That's why I hated demons. But then you connected the demon world and the human world, and now the streets are overflowing with those disgusting demons, and I'm going crazy."
"..."
"The witch who ate my father's soul told me that if I paid a price, she would bring him back to life. I was a fool to believe that."
The girl rubbed her left eye, which had lost its sight. It was the eye she had unknowingly offered to the witch.
"I thought I had absolutely nothing left, but then the demons took it away."
"Yes."
"That's why I can't trust the demons, and I hate them so much. I hate the sight of the demons who prey on human misfortune and play with human souls, and then keep their mouths shut and pretend to be good."
"Wait for a sec."
"Don't ever show up in front of me again. Don't pay attention to me and disappear forever. That's my wish."
Mori was flustered as she met the child's eyes, filled with resentment. What on earth should she say? Should she tell her that the demons can no longer harass humans? If they harass humans even a little, they'll be drawn into the Demon World contract and fall right into Halpas's sight, so the demons aren't dangerous... What good would that be to that child?
"Gremory, you thought all demons were like you, didn't you? You thought the human world and the demon world were in perfect harmony."
Mori, who was left speechless by the girl's rebuke, shut her mouth tightly.
"However, the demons still haven't abandoned their old habits. They simply suppress their instincts and live on. If Halpas disappears, you demons will go back to how you were before."
"..."
Mori was truly speechless. It was a shame she hadn't known about this before, and she was only just now hearing this girl's story.
"It's Christmas or something, a festival just for you. Go and enjoy it. Don't let me see you, don't care, and just enjoy the flower garden you've created."
"...Hey, I’m sorry.”
"What can you do for me just because you're sorry? You're not going to fix my broken life?"
Mori, sullen, was at a loss. She felt like no matter what she said, she couldn't comfort the girl or gain her forgiveness.
"Hey, Gremory, do you know what the most horrible thing about this situation is?"
“What is it?”
"The blood of the damn demon race flows through my body too."
"!"
"So I just want to die right now, but I can't. No matter what my damn mother does to me, I can't die."
Mori's eyes widened as if they were going to pop out. She wasn't a child raised by her father alone, but a child born between a witch and a human man.
“Wait a minute, you...!"
"You said if I said it wouldn't turn off, you'd grant my wish? Are you lying?"
"...I'll turn it off, but take this instead."
Instead of continuing, Mori held out a pair of white shoes. The child chuckled at the sight of the pretty shoes, which didn't match her appearance.
"You want me to walk around wearing something like this?
"They say if you find the owner of those shoes, your wish will come true. Maybe those shoes can make your true wish come true."
"..."
Mori, now transformed into a cat, opened the window with her forepaw and went outside. The girl stood in front of the ever-extinguishing fireplace, her shoes on for a long time.
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