Demons.

Although they were a race that didn’t exist on Earth where Da-eun lived, she wasn’t unfamiliar with them.

‘Well, they’re a staple in fantasy novels, aren’t they?’

It would almost feel strange if they didn’t appear.

Although she had never seen one in real life, Da-eun already had a deep internal familiarity with them.

Even though she was a bit taken aback when she first heard Kana mention them—

‘…That makes sense!’

When she thought about it, there were countless creative works that portrayed demons in a more sympathetic light.

It wasn’t particularly surprising to add one more to the list, so Da-eun quickly composed herself.

However, there was one thing she couldn’t let go of.

“If Celine is accompanying us, I feel reassured. After all, holy power is the natural enemy of magi!”

What was the weakness of demons?

It was, of course, holy power.

The radiant golden holy power standing firm against the fierce storm of magi.

The image of a delicate priestess battling against powerful magi stirred the romantic feelings hidden deep within Da-eun.

Had the 'priest' class in Silias Online not been almost useless in combat, she might have chosen it without hesitation.

And so—

Although the idea of going to the demon homeland of Raxia still scared her,

With Kana as the reliable tank and dealer, and Celine as the healer,

Thinking about heading to Raxia with the two of them reignited the fire in Da-eun’s heart.

‘It’s totally like a hero party…!’

Even though Kana denied it, in Da-eun’s eyes, the small girl looked like a strong hero.

‘...Wait.’

...Something seemed off.

Da-eun stopped her endless fantasies and furrowed her brows.

If Kana was the dealer and Celine the healer, what role did that leave for her?

Of course, there’s no rule that says there can only be one dealer in a hero’s party, but no matter how she thought about it, Da-eun couldn’t picture herself playing a significant role in Raxia.

…Could it be that I’m just a baggage carrier?

Was this actually a despair-inducing, tragic obsession story all along?

Kana, noticing that Da-eun was lost in such useless thoughts, gave her a pitying look, but Da-eun remained oblivious.

She only snapped out of it when Celine, looking puzzled, asked a question.

“Huh? A natural enemy?”

Celine looked genuinely confused, as if she had never heard of such a thing before.

Da-eun, pulled from her daydream, also became confused.

“Wait, it’s not true?”

Inflicting double damage on magical creatures, purifying lands tainted with magi…

“…There’s nothing like that.”

“Nothing like that exists.”

Boom!

Da-eun’s mind was struck by lightning upon hearing Celine’s straightforward reply.

“My… romance…”

Da-eun collapsed and hugged Kana, seeking comfort for her wounded heart.

Here we go again.

Kana’s face briefly showed a trace of resignation, but as always, she did not resist Da-eun’s embrace.

As Da-eun hugged Kana to regain her peace of mind, she asked:

“Then… isn’t it pointless for Celine to come along? I mean, I’m not doubting Celine’s abilities, but…”

“Fufu, I understand your concerns.”

Celine placed a gentle hand on her chest.

“But even as a trainee of the Edel Church, I have quite a bit of confidence in my abilities, so you needn’t worry.”

“…Trainee… saintess?”

“Yes.”

“…What exactly does that mean?”

“…Pardon?”

Though Celine seemed proud, Da-eun had no idea what a "trainee saintess" was supposed to be. Should she be impressed or just move on? Da-eun was torn between these two choices.

While she was caught up in this dilemma, Celine kindly explained:

“A trainee saintess refers to a nun in training to become a saintess.”

“Huh? I thought saintesses were chosen directly by the goddess Edel?”

“Hm, that’s an interesting point. Since saintesses can handle Edel’s divine blessings more skillfully than others, I suppose you could look at it that way.”

She was politely saying no, but that was the gist of it.

Oh, so it wasn’t like that.

There were still many questions left—what exactly saintesses did, how one became one, and how many trainee saintesses there were—but Da-eun decided to let it go for now, noticing that Kana was starting to fidget restlessly in her embrace.

She figured there would be plenty of time to ask later since they would be traveling together.

Instead, Da-eun asked the most pressing question on her mind:

“Not that I doubt you, Celine, but… can I ask one last question? Just one.”

“Of course, feel free to ask as much as you like.”

“I don’t mean to be rude, but… since you’re still a trainee, wouldn’t it be better to send a full-fledged saintess to such a dangerous place like Raxia? I mean, I’m glad to be traveling with you, but still…”

Even though she wasn’t trying to insult Celine, her question was potentially impolite.

Da-eun was aware of this and tried to cushion her words, but she couldn’t hide her nervousness as she waited for a response.

As she had expected, the chat in her mind was filling up with comments about her being rude, but…

‘But it’s a valid question!’

Why send a trainee when the situation called for the best?

Or maybe the position of saintess was too symbolic to risk?

“Oh! That’s what you were curious about?”

Luckily, Celine answered without any hint of annoyance.

“The position of saintess is currently vacant.”

So, as the most likely candidate, I’m going instead.

Her voice was filled with pride as she explained this.

________________

 

Demons were not originally a race that existed on the Ardina Continent.

However, saying they didn’t exist on the Ardina Continent doesn’t mean they didn’t exist in the world of Silias.

Unlike the Dimensional Beasts, which suddenly appeared after Edel's defeat, demons had lived on a continent across the western sea for a long time.

In other words, demons were also creatures created by Edel.

Humans, elves, dwarves, demons, monsters… every beast and even the tiniest insect.

Except for the Dimensional Beasts, every living creature in the world of Silias was crafted by Edel’s hand.

Oh, I should exclude myself, too.

Anyway, there’s no reason why the creatures Edel created would be negatively affected by her divine power.

Of course, as with anything, too much of a good thing can be harmful, so it wouldn’t be ideal to be exposed to it constantly, but it wouldn’t have the dramatic effects that Da-eun imagined.

-That was how I felt after hearing Da-eun’s comments.

And then.

“You idiot.”

“Ugh…”

This was the one word that expressed my feelings.

Of course, as an outsider, Da-eun couldn’t be expected to know these internal matters.

Not that it mattered—I teased her because it was fun, and Da-eun swayed as if she had been struck by an arrow.

“I didn’t know…! I didn’t realize!”

That was the defendant’s plea.

Besides, if holy power and magi had really been opposing forces as Da-eun thought, the Sacred Nation of Sedes wouldn’t have mediated the Second Race War.

If holy power truly opposed magi, it would mean it opposed Edel’s will.

“Holy power is related to life.”

Not all sacred arts are tied to life, but still.

“That’s why it can heal wounds, cure illnesses, and even strengthen the body.”

“Oh… I see…”

Da-eun seemed to have an epiphany from my explanation.

“So that’s why priests in the game heal more effectively than other healers.”

Judging by her sudden muttering in Arkish, she was probably talking to her viewers again.

If I understood Arkish, I might have caught what she was saying.

I didn’t regret not learning it, but I was starting to feel like I needed to learn it soon. For now, I pretended not to hear her not-so-secret conversation.

It wasn’t time yet. Yeah.

“Do you remember what I said about magi?”

“You're asking if I didn’t know that? What… wait, you said that, Kana?”

Whatever she had been thinking about before, Da-eun suddenly stopped, realizing something.

“Ahem, what did you say again, Kana?”

“…I asked if you remembered what I said about magi.”

“Of course, I remember. You said it’s like poison to any living creature that isn’t a demon. Right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

The festival was still in full swing, and the streets were bustling with activity.

Wearing my hood pulled low, I walked through the lively streets with Da-eun.

“Creatures exposed to magi gradually weaken.”

The longer they were exposed to magi, and the denser the magi was, the stronger and faster its effects.

Those who had resistance to magi were fine, but not every creature was born with a strong body or could reach a high enough level to resist it.

“And creatures that can’t resist the magi that has invaded their bodies have two fates.”

They either die or turn into monsters.

It wasn’t just a coincidence that there were so many monsters near where the demons lived.

That had been a headache for Grasis, too.

Since the demon settlement was just to the west, monsters often swarmed around Grasis as well.

…Well, it was actually Grasis’s own fault.

It was inevitable that monsters would gather once demons settled nearby, and all the forces of the Ardina Continent had agreed to support monster suppression efforts. But due to disastrous diplomacy, that support was lost.

Throwing away an opportunity for a united front across nations and races… If that’s a skill, it’s certainly one of a kind.

“Do you understand now why people think coexistence with demons is impossible?”

I suspected this was where the rumors about demons controlling monsters came from.

“Y-yeah… But why are you telling me this now? You’re just making me more scared…”

Even though Da-eun could revive—well, not exactly, since she only seemed like she was dying—she shuddered in fear.

In the past, I would have thought she was being needlessly scared since she couldn’t die anyway.

“…You seemed curious about why I wanted Celine to come with us.”

But not anymore.

After talking with Da-eun, I came to understand why she had such an intense fear of being hurt.

“As I said, holy power is connected to life. So, Celine’s holy power should be able to protect you from the effects of magi.”

If Edel vouched for Celine’s abilities, then she should be capable of that much.

If Celine were too weak to help, then I wouldn’t be able to survive either.

In that case, I’d rather…

“….”

…No, let’s not go there.

I quickly erased the thought from my mind.

I know I’m free to think whatever I want, but that was taking it too far.

“I won’t let you die.”

“Kana…!”

At my words, Da-eun teared up as if she were about to cry.

Then, as if something came to her, she stopped herself from crying.

“…Does that mean you’ll be nicer when teaching me swordsmanship?”

“….”

“…Kana? Hello? Kana? Can’t you hear me?”

“….”

Nope. That’s not happening.

You wanted to learn swordsmanship, didn’t you?

It’s not like I’m trying to kill you—I’m just teaching you how to defend yourself.

If anything, teaching you harshly will ensure you can protect yourself in dangerous situations, so it fits perfectly with not letting you die, don’t you think?

Yeah, that’s exactly it.

I turned my head away, pretending I didn’t hear Da-eun.

“…Aah! Kana, you’re so mean!”

True care sometimes comes with a bit of harshness.

It’s a painful truth, but one I’ll have to bear.