I have to hypnotize you, Aura!

"Well, since we're friends... next time, yes, next time, could you help me out? It shouldn't be a big problem, right?"

"Please!" He grabbed Frilian's hand, his tone sincere and firm. "I'll do anything! I'll even get you the king's crown!"

What's so important about crowns and oral sex?

Of course not?

When faced with someone's request, Frillie's response was:

"...Can you get lost?"

Frillie got angry and, unusually, started swearing.

As for the confession, Fingel forgot about it after he was done having fun—typical procedure.

.....

Early the next morning.

The old man, Haita, actually got up early to prepare breakfast for them—simple milk and bread.

However, the atmosphere at the dinner table seemed a bit awkward.

Fingel was as cheerful as when they first met, chatting with the group, as was Frilian—however, they each talked about their own things, and their topics never seemed to intersect again.

I think it's best not to get involved.

The septuagenarian understood the atmosphere perfectly. He silently ate his breakfast without saying a word, and after finishing, he made an excuse to leave home—saying that he had something to do at the church in the city.

"Wait a minute, let me join you!"

Fingel immediately called to Haita and ran away as fast as he could... Last night, Frilian almost used the 'Crimson Hell' magic to slap his face in person. If it weren't for the fact that this was Haita's house, Frilian might have actually attacked him.

To appease the female elf and, incidentally, to build a good relationship with a certain future giant mushroom, Fingel decided to go into town with Haita, presumably to buy some gifts.

Sitting on the oxcart heading into town, Fingel, sighing and groaning, chatted with Haita.

"You've made Frilian angry again, haven't you?" Haita said with a smile, looking like a kind old man. "What gift are you planning to buy her this time?"

“Yes, I don’t know what to buy either.” Fingel nodded and sighed, “Sigh… women.”

"...I feel like there's something enviable about your comments?"

After the conversation ended, Haita felt that this guy's life was truly enviable, and he wanted to punch him.

If only I were younger...

---------------

Author's Note: I'm so sorry for the late update... That country was destroyed, but it won't happen again.

I've gotten a little crazy playing Winter Rhapsody.

Chapter 101: The Demon Clan and the Adorable Young Yubel?

[The North, the City of Gold]

In this golden city frozen in time, the morning light bathes everything in dazzling brilliance. The Baroque buildings lining the streets transform into sharply angled blocks of gold, the intricate carvings on the window frames still clearly discernible, yet no longer letting in a sliver of natural light.

The pedestrians on the street were the same, like golden sculptures, standing lifelike on the ground, showing what they looked like in life.

In the golden city, a demon strode heavily to the edge of the town. He was at least three or four meters tall and dressed in a black mage's robe, looking like a handsome human transformed from a black bear.

His name is Mahat.

Today he is meeting another great demon—Solitaire.

Outside the town, snow was falling heavily, and her clothes were already covered in a thick layer of white snow, as if it could crush her.

A thousand years ago, they were chasing Finger, and for some reason they met in the Golden City—just like in the original story, Mahat was trapped in the city made of gold.

"Hello? I've come to see you again." Solitaire walked with light and cheerful steps, a fake smile on her face, to the edge of the town. "You're as energetic as ever."

"...What are you doing here?"

Mahathir delivered his sermon without emotion.

Demons rarely have a concept of companionship, but Mahat was somewhat surprised. He had a fairly good relationship with the Demon King... However, he didn't have a good impression of the hypocritical and radical female demon in front of him.

"Hey...you, don't you get bored staying in a place like this?" Solitaire, like a bewildered girl, poked her chin with her finger, looking puzzled. "Humans and demons can coexist in magic after all. I think you're just wasting your time."

“…”

Mahat remained silent. He had no reason to explain his motives to this guy; his purpose in coming here was simply to sense the aura of the Great Demon.

...

'Annoying guy'

She thought with a smile as she tried to persuade him:

"Is it because of Aura? I've already said that kind of guy is definitely an accident, there's no way to replicate him."

At this point, Solitaire felt a sense of disbelief... How could Aura exist so peacefully and naturally in human society?

"Are you still pinning your hopes on her? Haven't we already verified that she's just an exception?"

This is a secret known to many: the upper echelons of the Kingdom of Frisch in the north are suspected of colluding with the demons, and the continental magic association led by the great elf, Seria, stands in stark contrast to the empire in the south.

Over the centuries, the kingdom has grown stronger and stronger, and its kings have been wise rulers in every generation... Now, the combined forces of the two sides are among the most powerful on the continent.

Even the Empire was wary of it, and had attempted to invade Friedrich decades ago, but was easily driven back each time.

The human army over there is also a monster army, which puts the empire at a great disadvantage.

The demons' attitude towards Aura was ambiguous. No one wanted to deal with a powerful demon for no reason. In addition, after the Demon King died, the demons lost their cohesion, and no demon was willing to take the initiative to attack Aura.

This strengthened Mahat's resolve; he was convinced he hadn't wasted his time—as long as he spent time with humans, there would always be a way.

Experience... that feeling called guilt.

Thinking this, Mahat coldly responded to Solitaire's question.

"Are you afraid, Solitaire?"

?

"Huh? I don't understand what you're saying. How could I be afraid?"

Solitaire covered her mouth and laughed, feigning surprise, as if her kin, who was as tall as a black bear, were telling a joke.

"Mahat, you're joking. Have you been around humans for too long and been infected by their weak human mentality?"

Unfortunately, demons know their own kind very well, and Mahat knew that this fellow demon could lie without leaving a trace.

“No, you’re afraid…you’re afraid that a situation has truly arisen where humans and demons coexist.” Mahat said calmly, his tone carrying an unwavering firmness. “We demons have always learned from and evolved from humans, or as you put it—convergent evolution.”

"The demon race evolved by imitating humans... Our only fate is for one side to wipe out the other."

"Is this your theory?"

?

Solitaire's smile gradually faded, replaced by a cold expression.

She is unhappy.

Mahathir, however, didn't care about any of that and just kept outputting his own output, completely disregarding the feelings of his so-called 'comrades'.

"Are you just worried that if demons and humans really find a way to coexist, demons will gradually disappear?"

"You're afraid of humans, afraid that in this process, the demon race will eventually be wiped out by humans..."

He concluded at the end.

"You're afraid of being killed by humans, aren't you?"

...

Really...so high and mighty.

"Oh my... that's an interesting way to put it, considering I'm a coward."

Solitaire said frankly, a smile returning to her face... "I was a little excited today."

"Isn't it normal to be afraid of being killed by humans?"

She admitted that she was afraid.

Demons have emotions, but they lack what is most important to humans—a sense of guilt.

Rather than intelligent life forms, they are more like AI with humanoid bodies, lacking empathy and forever unable to understand humans.

They lacked even malice and had no idea what evil was, as if it were just something as simple as eating and drinking.

Hearing Solitaire's reply, Mahat lost his desire to chat.

"So...you won't be able to analyze the barrier magic this time either, right?"

If it's Solitaire, she's a master of demon research whom even she admires, and it's possible for her to break the barrier magic.

But this guy just wouldn't do that.

Why? Naturally, it's because they want to change their minds as members of the 'peaceful' faction of the demon race.

As expected, Solitaire smiled and refused when confronted with Mahat's questioning.

"Huh? How could that be? That's incredibly powerful magic! My skills are simply not enough!"

"hehe...."

Mahat looked up at the sky.

He wants to understand humanity... but he can't do so for the time being.

He looked up at the dome, the enormous barrier enveloping the entire city—humans are truly terrifying; magicians from a thousand years ago could actually create such terrifying magic.

'No wonder Solitaire was terrified...'

Even he, despite his confidence, couldn't break the barrier magic, and at the same time held the human who created this magic in high regard.

Memories begin to flash back.

A thousand years ago, they hunted down Fingel and his group for some reason... Then, after various twists and turns, Fingel did not die, and even disappeared without a trace.

After meeting Aura, Mahat realized that interacting with humans seemed to allow him to experience emotions that demons could not have. So he made several attempts—killing large numbers of human villages and conducting various tests.

For example, he would have brothers kill each other and spare the victor, or have a mother kill her daughter... and so on. He attempted to experience human emotions through these methods.

To this end, he even did something that seemed incredible to others.

Mahat made a pact with a human nobleman, agreeing not to kill his descendants with malice... but ended up trapped here for various reasons.

He and Solitaire can be seen as two factions within the demon race.

First, the radicals, who want to kill all of humanity.

Second, the most direct way to find a way for humans to coexist is to understand what humans call guilt.

but.....

"Humans are truly... terrifying."

Flamme...that's a really formidable woman.

Mahat even had a premonition that he might die at the hands of a human in the future... Would it happen? It's hard to imagine, even the strongest hero back then couldn't kill him.

Recalling those days of siege, he still couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

Humans... are truly powerful creatures.

This great demon, who casually slaughtered humans like pigs, uttered his heartfelt lament.

"Alright, you've achieved your goal this time, haven't you?" Mahat turned around, leaving behind a tall figure. "I will not abandon my beliefs."

"In that case, I'll have to go alone."

Solitaire said regretfully that she had invited Mahat to do an unfinished task.

"Alright, I'm going back now... It's fine if you don't want to help."

Mahat walked deeper into the Golden City, gradually disappearing from Solitaire's sight... as if he had become one with the Golden City forever, becoming its guardian.

"Okay, okay, okay, make sure you get plenty of rest here, okay?"