After she stopped crying, Isis-san and I spent time chatting about various topics again.
Isis-san has a happy smile on her face the whole time, and I can tell that she really enjoys talking with me, which also makes me happy.
But before I knew it, the fun time had already passed and it has already become dark. As Isis-san is about to go home, looking a little sad, I see her off the doorway.
[……Kaito…… Thank you…… for today…… It was so…… fun.]
[I also had a great time. Please come visit again.]
[Y- Yes, Death King-sama…… P- P- Please come visit us anytime.]
[……Thank you…… Lilia…… The next time I come…… I’ll bring lots of jewels with me.]
[Ehh!? Ah, no, that is…..]
Even though she looks like she doesn’t want to be here, I don’t know if it’s the pride of being the homeowner or not, Lilia-san has somehow managed to make a frantic smile on her face, and said her goodbyes to Isis-san, but she stiffened when she heard Isis-san’s reply to her.
It seems that blue diamonds and ice crystals are incredibly expensive, and even though Isis-san had said that she would give it to her, the earnest Lilia-san seems to be planning to clearly buy it from her, but then, she will have to negotiate the price with Isis-san.
If that were to happen…… I have a feeling that Lilia-san’s nerves will be worn out at an alarming rate.
[……Well then…… Goodbye…… See you next time.]
After talking with Lilia-san, I saw Lilia-san’s lonely expression on her face again.
It could be said that it’s natural for Isis-san to be that lonely because of the environment she’s been in, but she really looks lonely right now.
Isis-san has been really enjoying her time today, and it seemed like she’s filled with happiness the whole time…… However, that’s probably why she can’t help but feel lonely going home like this.
It seems that Isis-san is living in an ice-covered area in the Demon Realm, but there are no other residents around aside from Isis-san.
[……Isis-san.]
[……Unn? ……Kaito…… What’s the matter?]
[No, it’s just that if it’s fine with you….. In the next opportunity I have, can I be the one to visit you next time?]
[…… !? ……I- Is that alright?]
[Yes, if that’s fine with Isis-san though.]
[……Unnn…… I’m really…… looking forward to it.]
Hearing my words, Isis-san smiled and repeatedly nodded with a smile that looked like a blooming flower.
Yep. Those matters regarding how I would be able to go to the Demon Realm or whether I, a human, would be able to survive in a place filled with a surrounding filled with ice or not, I will think about those things later.
And thus, with a really happy smile on her face, she began walking away, turning around and waving her hand multiple times as she left.
After seeing off Isis-san until she was out of sight, I was about to follow Lilia-san back to the mansion too, but Chronois-san, who had been silently watching as we send Isis-san off, spoke to me.
[……Miyama. Do you have a moment?]
[Eh? Ah, yes.]
Although she seems to be someone serious right from the start, Chronois-san has a very serious expression on her face, and as I’m slightly pressured by the atmosphere around her that seems like she has decided on something, I nodded.
Then, after notifying Lilia-san and moving to the nearby garden…… to a place where our conversation can’t be heard by others, Chronois-san silently spoke.
[I was hesitating whether I should tell this to you or not but…… after seeing what happened with the Death King today, I decided that your existence is beyond my expectations. Therefore, I would like to give you an advice.]
[……An advice?]
[Umu. This is just advice. It’s up to you to decide how you want to act after hearing my words, and I don’t want to force you to do anything…… However, for the sake of your future, keep this in mind.]
[……………….]
I wonder what Chronois-san is going to say? If she said that she’s saying this after seeing today’s events, it would most likely be related to Isis-san…… If that’s the case, I’m wondering why I’m feeling like it would be a little late for her to tell me something like that after I’ve met her.
For some reason though, there’s an uncomfortable feeling in my heart that is strangely unsettling while I waited for Chronois-san’s words.
After a brief silence, Chronois-san looked at me with her red and blue heterochromatic eyes, and spoke.
[……”Don’t trust the Underworld King…… Kuromueina too much.”]
[……Eh?]
Whatever she may have said, I wasn’t able to immediately understand what she meant.
Don’t trust Kuro? What in the world does that suppose to mean?
[I understand that you hold favorable feelings towards “that”. And also, I know that “that” is greatly trusted not only in the Demon Realm, but also in the Human Realm and the God Realm, but it’s not like I’m telling you that “that” is an evil person.]
[Then……]
[However, I don’t believe “that” to be such a pure being either. No, in fact, I’m rather wary of her.]
[W- Why?]
After reflexively asking her back, I immediately regretted it.
I’m feeling that I didn’t want to hear anything else she’s going to say if it’s possible, but I couldn’t cover my ears, and I just waited for Chronois-san’s words.
[……I have several reasons for this, so I’ll go through them in order…… Miyama. Did you know that there was once a war between the Demon Realm and the God Realm?]
[……Eh? Ah, yes. I heard there was a war a long time ago……]
Why would she ask me that? I have a bad feeling about this.
She is bright and innocent like a child, and she is wise enough that she could see through other people’s minds, and she’s someone I owe a great debt of gratitude for showing the dispirited me the right path.
I may still not know her well, but I’m beginning to realize that my heart is captivated by her…… She’s my very important friend.
However, I still don’t know anything about Kuro. I don’t know what kind of person she is and how she has lived her life until now……
[Only a handful of people in the Demon Realm and the God Realm know what happened back then…… But what happened back then wasn’t a war, it was an “invasion”.]
[……………]
[It happened about 20,000 years in the past. An incomparably powerful demon united the powerful demons and invaded the God Realm…… This is the truth of the war between the Demon Realm and the God Realm, personally spoken only to a select few.]
[ ! ? ]
[……You should understand what I mean by now. Yes, the demon that attacked the God Realm is the same demon we currently know as the Underworld King, Kuromueina.]
[ ! ? ! ? ]
Dear Mom, Dad—— Kuro is someone really important to me, and I wanted to get to know her better. However, those words she had just told me—— I couldn’t believe it immediately.
[……Ahh…… Lillywood…… Welcome.]
“Sorry to bother you. Looks like today’s visit went well.”
[……You can tell?]
“Yes, you look like you’re in a good mood, like you finally knew that you could now talk with the Humans right now.”
When Lillywood heard that Isis was going out to visit her friend at the mansion of a hhuman, Lillywood was quite worried while she was giving her advice, but after seeing the state of Isis now, she immediately knew that her fear was groundless.
She must have enjoyed today’s events that much. Isis seemed to be in a very good mood, that her magic power of death she was always clad in is now releasing lesser pressure than ever before.
“By the way, what are you doing?”
[……Kaito…… said that he likes books…… That’s why…… I will bring these books…… as presents to him.]
Even before she had come to visit Isis, Lillywood had noticed that she had been picking up various books and piling them up, and then separating them as if she was sorting them. It seems that she was selecting the books she would give to this human friend of hers.
Lillywood had a smile on her face as she looked at her like that, but when she casually glanced at the books…… she stiffened.
“……Errr, Isis.”
[……Unnn?]
“Isn’t this a grimoire related to “Ancient Magic”? What do you plan to do with the books you placed on that side?”
[……If Kaito wants this…… I’ll give it to him.]
“No no, that’s no good…… There’s some pretty dangerous magic written here—– wait, that book you’re holding in your hand! Isn’t that also one of the “Forbidden Books”?”
[……I wonder if…… Kaito will be pleased with these?]
“Wait a sec there, Isis!? Don’t start wrapping it up like it’s natural!!! Stop right there, let me see all the books you have stacked up!!!”
Flusteredly rushing over to Isis, Lillywood looked at the stacks of books.
Ancient Magic grimoires, books with descriptions about Forbidden Arts, ancient documents that are already on the level of national treasures…… There was a pile of books so rare that they could easily collapse the economy of the Human Realm.
The castle of ice within the land of death. This place is usually surrounded by an eerie silence…… but the worried screams of one of the Six Kings were resounding around the land of death today.
==================================================================
<Author’s Notes>
The troubled beings of each realms
Human Realm: The Duchess
Demon Realm: The World King
God Realm: The God of Time and Space
(T/N: yes, the author didn’t put Chronois-san (Goddess of Time) there in the God Realm section.)