Chapter 45

“What’s wrong, oppa?”

“……”

Quick to notice, Riana immediately sensed the change in the atmosphere between me and Abelin.

“Why are you suddenly making such a scary face?”

“Riana……”

Is it already too late?

Or was Riana a demon from the very beginning?

But how could such a lovable child, this bright and cheerful girl who warmly welcomed me, end up like this? How?

I was painfully reminded once again.

That I still know so little about demons.

In fact, the more I know, the more confused I become.

Perhaps even my attempt to understand demons is a luxury.

Knowing myself and knowing the enemy is supposed to make it easier to deal with them, but instead, the more I know, the more I feel like I’m being played by the demons’ tricks.

And it’s no wonder, because my reason is clearly telling me that Riana in front of me is a demon…….

“Kairon oppa? Are you okay? Are you hurt or something?”

Riana, who said that, quickly approached me and checked my complexion.

“Ugh…… I’m fine. I’m okay.”

In the end, I had no choice but to naturally lower my hand, which was about to reach for the sword hilt.

“Kairon?”

“I know. But……”

“Tch, what are you two talking about without me? Tell me too.”

I couldn’t believe it.

That this whining, still lovable Riana is really the same kind of demon as Rajeing or Sophia.

And hatred boiled up inside me.

Balthazar, that bastard, must know his daughter is a demon, right?

What was he thinking when he ordered me to bring Riana……?

“Oppa!”

“Ah……!”

Riana’s sharp shout brought me back to my senses.

Only then did I notice Riana, who was looking up at me with teary eyes right in front of me.

“Are you really okay? You suddenly got serious in front of the incense, then you two started talking without me, and then you suddenly stopped talking and just stared blankly. Oppa, are you really not hurt or something?”

“…… No.”

I had no idea what to say to Riana, who was speaking like this.

“Thank you for worrying about me.”

I barely managed to squeeze out the words of gratitude from deep inside.

“Of course. You’re Kairon oppa. It’s only natural to worry about you.”

And the more I talked with Riana, the more confused I became.

How could such a good child……?

My heart wavered, but in my mind, the image of Sophia, who had perfectly played the role of an angel in the hospital and a woman in love with Benedict, flickered.

Inside that beautiful and pure appearance, there was a filthy, ugly demon hiding.

Then, could it be that Riana is also……?

If that’s really the case, I think I would curse and curse again the gods who allowed demons to invade this world.

“Let’s go out for now.”

“Huh, already?”

Riana said that and grabbed my hand.

I almost reflexively shook off her hand, but I managed to control myself with reason.

“You came all the way to the inn where I’m staying. Stay a little longer.”

“This is your private space. I keep getting distracted by everything here. Isn’t there another place where we can talk more comfortably?”

“There is, but…… um……”

The mention of another place.

At those words, Riana, for some reason, avoided eye contact and looked troubled.

“What’s wrong, Riana?”

“Well, um……”

My reason was clearly emphasizing that I no longer needed to be nice to Riana.

But for some reason, seeing Riana anxious and restless, I couldn’t help but……

“Tell me. Is there something bothering you?”

“……”

Even though I asked, Riana couldn’t give a proper answer.

And Abelin, who had been quietly watching us.

“Riana. Can I use the kitchen?”

“The kitchen? Oh, yes!”

“Please, both of you, sit down.”

Abelin went into Riana’s inn kitchen and, as if it were a familiar space, skillfully took out teacups and plates.

Somehow, she even found tea leaves and brewed tea with hot water.

Of course, while Abelin was doing that, I had to sit awkwardly next to Riana.

Because Riana couldn’t bring herself to share her worries, a long silence ensued.

Then, Abelin came over to me and tapped my shoulder.

And with a slight nod, she pointed to the kitchen.

A sign to follow her.

“What’s going on, Kairon?”

“What’s going on? Riana is a demon. The mana Riana uses, that’s the power of a demon.”

“That can’t be. I had a feeling from your expression, but really……?”

“I don’t want to believe it either. I don’t know when things went wrong. I don’t know when she became like this, or if she was a demon from the beginning.”

Abelin was also shocked.

But after a moment of thought, Abelin spoke in a calm voice.

“It’s a bit strange.”

“Everything is strange. It doesn’t make sense. How could such a lovable child……”

“Kairon!”

Abelin put her hand on my shoulder and squeezed tightly.

And with a firm expression and voice, she admonished me.

“I know you’ve been close to Riana since she was little. But don’t despair and waver because of that. We just have to do what we have to do.”

“What we have to do, right.”

“So don’t speak in such a weak, lifeless voice. Don’t lose your reason to the despair in your heart.”

“I know I have to. But facing such a terrible situation, let me despair for just a moment.”

“You said Riana is a demon, but it’s too early to despair.”

“Too early? What do you mean?”

“I told you. It’s a bit strange.”

Abelin’s words, “It’s a bit strange.”

There was a sharp realization in those words.

“So what part is strange?”

“Is Riana really a demon?”

“Huh……?”

Is Riana really a demon?

Those words made me feel like I had been hit.

“Of course, I can’t see or feel the power of a demon like you, Kairon. But……”

Abelin tapped her head with her finger.

“There’s intuition.”

“Women’s intuition, that thing?”

“I don’t know why ‘women’s’ is added, but it’s similar. And my intuition is telling me that Riana is different from the demons we’ve seen so far.”

“Different from the demons we’ve seen? But the only demon you’ve met is Rajeing, right?”

“There’s Sophia too. Do you think I haven’t met Sophia?”

“…… That’s true.”

“And there’s something we need to think about. That is, Riana’s father.”

“Commander Balthazar.”

“Do you remember what we said? That it would be better if he were a demon.”

“We said that when we got rid of Rajeing. If he were human, we wouldn’t have been able to get rid of him and he would have continued to cause us harm, so it was fortunate that he was a demon and we could get rid of him.”

Abelin nodded strongly.

“Right. That’s exactly the case. Think about it the other way around.”

“So you’re saying…… Riana is not a demon, but could be a human like a demon?”

“It’s not impossible. Look at Commander Balthazar.”

“Ah……!”

Abelin’s sharp and pointed remark.

Thanks to that, it felt like a little bit of fog had cleared in my mind.

Commander Balthazar is also not a demon, but close to a demon.

So there’s a little hope that Riana might not be a demon either.

But how she’s using the power of a demon as mana is a completely different issue.

“Thank you, Abelin. Thanks to you, I know which direction to go.”

“I’m glad I could help.”

As I regained some composure and straightened my expression, Abelin smiled faintly at that.

“Actually, it was unlike you. The you who handled the big hunting dog demon so skillfully last time was nowhere to be found just a moment ago.”

“But how could I stay calm in this situation? Riana was like a younger sister to me since I was an only child. And now that Riana is like this……?”

“A younger sister-like existence……”

At the mention of ‘younger sister,’ Abelin’s expression, which had been smiling, darkened a bit.

“What, do you have a younger sibling?”

“Yes. I do. But I’m not sure if I should call them a younger sibling.”

“What do you mean…… You’re the type to hide your past, aren’t you? Is there something bothering you?”

“Not at all, not at all! Before worrying about others, take care of Riana, your younger sister!”

“Right, I have to take care of her. Really, really take care of her. I……”

Looking towards the living room where Riana was sitting alone, waiting, I clenched my teeth.

“If there’s a way to set things right even now, I’ll succeed no matter what. I don’t want to face a sad ending with Riana. I won’t let that happen……!”

Sizzle-

As if representing the uneasy situation we’re facing now, the teapot was boiling fiercely.