An ordinary profession creates the world's strongest

She wondered: Why would I have such a dream? This was clearly just a meaningless, everyday existence filled with lies and calculations.

"Eri, today is Sunday."

"Uh...it's Sunday, yes."

"Then answer me a question."

"Ling, you're being weird again."

"We are high school girls in our prime! Our mission is to strive for love, friendship, and love again!"

"Um, I have a different opinion. And you mentioned love twice, huh?"

"But what are we doing on this wonderful holiday!?"

"...Are you taking it easy?"

"You, a girl with glasses! You're actually spending your days leisurely! You're worthy of being a library committee member!"

"This has nothing to do with the library committee."

Ling reached out to take off Eri's glasses, but the past Eri showed a bewildered smile and desperately held on to them. To others, the two of them playing together must have looked like a pair of close friends who were so close that they could make people smile.

It was truly an ordinary, everyday life. It was a holiday, but they had nothing to do, just the two of them spending the day in a daze, leisurely.

Looking down at this peaceful and tranquil scene, Huili now just wanted to sigh.

Taniguchi Suzu──the class's funny girl, who can become good friends with anyone.

She was a very convenient existence for Eri to achieve her goal of obtaining the Amagawa Glory. Although she successfully became a good friend, but...

It's really troublesome to have to spend such meaningless time with her.

(This naive girl probably never dreamed that her introverted friend actually thought of her in this way.)

Not just the bell.

If you ask her classmates at the time what kind of person Eri Nakamura was, probably ten out of ten would answer like this.

──She is a quiet and introverted girl who usually stays behind others.

——However, he is a very intelligent person who can offer sharp opinions at critical moments.

──He is very considerate, yet humble and polite, and doesn't make people feel that he is doing favors for others.

──She always has a smile on her face and quietly follows others. This is the epitome of a Japanese girl.

No one realized the true nature of this quiet librarian. She was truly a twisted, violent person, capable of hurting others without hesitation. Even the observant Shizuku thought Nakamura Eri was a gentle and kind girl.

How funny they are! How stupid! It's impossible not to laugh at them!

"Ah~ah, all the real people are bastards!"

"S-Stop talking, Ling~ It's embarrassing!"

Looking at her own chilling appearance, Huili shook her head and began to think, "Can I wake up from this dream soon?" But Ling's next words brought her back to consciousness.

"Hey, Eri, do you know of anyone who would be a good match for Suzu?"

"How would I know about that?"

"Hey~ Isn't observing people your hobby? You have so little information, it's really useless."

"...I'm not interested in that."

Huili couldn't help but click her tongue when she saw her past self speechless and her eyes twitching slightly.

Then she remembered that Taniguchi Suzu did say things like that sometimes.

Her casual remarks sometimes point out Huili's true nature that she has been hiding and deceiving others, leading them to believe it is an illusion.

Ling wasn't unhappy, nor was she testing Huili.

It was really just a casual conversation in everyday life, which is why it was even harder to deal with.

Sometimes, in the midst of Eri's relaxed, ordinary daily life, she would suddenly say something that touched upon Eri's true nature. Even then, Eri's disguise as a "quiet girl" was slightly flawed.

(Speaking of which, Suzu is surprisingly sensitive to other people's emotions. She's been with me the longest, so it's only natural that she can see through me to some extent.)

This is how Huili comforted herself for her embarrassing gaffe.

Huili thought that perhaps Suzu had already noticed her calculating and rational nature. However...

Eri's expression turned sarcastic again. If that were the case, then Ling was even more foolish.

(If that's the case, does that mean she vaguely sensed my ill intentions but still said nothing?)

Since coming into this world, Huili's heart has been filled with joy.

Because this world is so favorable for achieving the goal of gaining glory.

Perhaps because of this, Eri's disguise as the "quiet girl" had become a bit cruder than it had been in Japan, especially during the time when she was attacked by the female demon in the Orcus Great Labyrinth.

Her words and actions often inadvertently revealed her desire for both herself and Guanghui to be saved. At least, she wasn't completely faking it.

Even if others cannot notice the subtle difference, Ling, who is most often with Eri Nakamura, may still notice these slight malice.

However, until that fateful day, Ling still said nothing.

Did she just not notice?

Or maybe you clearly notice it but can't say it out loud?

Huili thought, it must be the latter.

Because just as Ling understood Eri, Eri also had some idea of ​​Ling's true nature.

(Because Ling, you are a very timid person.)

I clearly knew it a long time ago, but I pretended not to know; I clearly noticed it, but I pretended not to notice.

No matter who he is with or when, he always has a cheerful smile on his face, just to avoid causing any disputes.

This is what Eri knows, the unknown side of Taniguchi Suzu.

Huili laughed out loud, her laughter mixed with contempt.

At that moment, Eri suddenly felt herself floating upward. The dream world vanished in the blink of an eye, like a crumbling sand castle. It seemed as if she was about to wake up.

Huili closed her eyes without hesitation, as if she had no attachment to the crumbling memories of the past.

It was as if I had determined from the bottom of my heart that those memories were worthless.

"Hmm~"

Huili stretched, sat up, and looked around.

This is the rooftop of the Demon King's Castle.

It was daytime, and the sun shone brightly on her body. As far as she could remember, the sun's position had barely changed since she fell asleep, so it seemed she had only slept for a few dozen minutes.

Huili scoffed, thinking that this was nothing more than a pipe dream.

The reason she woke up at this moment was that a huge, approaching presence, stirring up a gust of wind, descended from above her.

"It's almost time to leave."

"Oh~ Did you come specially to call me? How thoughtful of you, Fried."

The Demon Kingdom's general, Fried Bagua, rode the white dragon Uranus, looking down at Eri from the sky. Hearing Eri's frivolous tone and seeing her malicious smile, Fried frowned in displeasure.

That being said, this tendency to tease others' sensitive feelings was Eri's nature, and complaining at this point was just a waste of time. Knowing this, Fried quickly shook off his unnecessary emotions and shook his head.

"You must obey my orders and never act on your own. It's going to be a bit difficult to deal with you right now."

"Okay, okay, I get it."

Fried snorted, said "Let's go", and turned Uranus around.

Behind him, Eri spread her gray wings and flew into the air, her gray hair, the same color as her wings, fluttering in the wind. Her hair, like an apostle's hair, was stained with a thin layer of dirt...

Huili ignored Fried and Uranus flying ahead, and unconsciously looked back at the place where she had just taken a nap.

She didn't understand why she had that dream.

However, even though he had never realized that false friend before, it was an indisputable fact that he thought of her.

Maybe that's why.

"Ling, you just refuse to face the facts. That's your weakness."

Huili's words disappeared in the wind.

She paused.

Then Huili flapped her dirty wings and flew away as if nothing had happened.

At this moment, Huili no longer had any thoughts about Ling.

Even if they were to meet again soon, it would be of no consequence to Huili.

"This is your weakness."

Ling's phantom said this. Her hair, skin, and the two iron fans in her hands were as white as snow.

A barrier the same color as the dark crimson eyes unfolded, instantly surrounding the exhausted and breathless Suzu.

Suddenly, an extremely strong pressure was generated within the barrier.

“! —『Holy Suppression』!!”

The barrier Ling activated expanded outward with herself as the center, destroying the phantom's gravity barrier "Holy Absolute Heavy" from the inside.

The shining fragments of the barrier flew away along with the dark red magic power. Ling then danced with her two iron fans to fight back, and the gravity barrier captured the phantom.

The pressure made Phantom kneel on one knee, but the corners of her mouth were still slightly curled up with a mocking look.

"You've actually known it for a long time. You know it very well in your heart. You've already discovered it!"

The pressure was clearly on Phantom, yet it was Ling who seemed to be the one being crushed. Phantom's reproach was like a press, crushing Ling's heart to the point of breaking.

No! Ling is not wrong! Ling knows nothing!

Ling really wanted to scream like this and deny what Phantom said, because for Ling, if she admitted what Phantom said, it would be tantamount to admitting her guilt.

"You knew it from the beginning, right? That's right, from the moment we first met, Ling didn't think Eri was just "a quiet and gentle girl."

Anyone who sees Huili will think that she is a quiet and gentle girl.

However, only Ling disagreed. From their first meeting, Ling could tell that Huili was a calculating girl. Ling also vaguely sensed that Huili's tendency to retreat behind others was a vantage point from which she could observe them closely.

Of course, Ling never pointed this out, and she wasn't offended by it, nor did she despise Huili.

Because she could see that Huili did that to protect her body and mind.

This is why Ling wants to be friends with Eri.

Disguising herself to protect her body and soul—Lin did not deny such behavior, and she could not deny it.

The reason is simple.

"Because you think she's similar to Ling, right?"

That's right, because denying Huili is equivalent to denying himself.

There was a crackling sound, the sound of the phantom destroying the gravity barrier. At the same time, the phantom barrier also surrounded Ling, and the scorching heat followed.

Ling immediately neutralized the illusion with an ice and snow barrier. Then, she used the iron fan in her left hand to dispel the barrier while simultaneously waving the iron fan in her right hand in an attempt to seal the phantom.

"Think back. What kind of person is Ling, and the great sin you committed because of it!"

The barriers created by the two were deployed and then destroyed, deployed and then destroyed, over and over again.

Ling was a barrier master, and defense was her duty. Running and jumping in combat was almost impossible for her. Therefore, Ling and the phantom did not change their positions, but simply danced and waved their two iron fans.

They started a barrier battle, each trying to block the other.

In the battle of attack and defense of super-high-level barrier magic, the words of the phantom rushed into Ling's ears without any obstruction.

Ling's consciousness was focused on the battle, but her memories were miraculously awakened and vivid.

The first memories that came to mind were those of my parents and my expressionless childhood self.

Ling's parents were busy working from morning till night, working, working, working non-stop. They were always absent from parent-teacher visits and other routine activities for guardians; they were workaholics at heart.

Ling was raised by a hired servant.

Most of Ling's childhood memories are of spending time with the maid, and the rest of her memories are just of herself being left alone in the empty house after the maid went home.