Two baby birds waddled ahead.
―Peep.
They resembled a lazy pigeon walking around with perfectly functional wings, but nevertheless, they were excellent guides.
In fact, even though their size was comparable to a human, their appearance and age were closer to that of chicks, so calling them pigeons was a bit extreme!
“If you’ve fallen into an unfamiliar place~.”
Pastel flailed her arms and followed along seamlessly.
“Please follow the locals’ guidance~.”
At that moment, she pointed at the demon.
Duet! Duet!
The demon narrowed its eyes at her.
『It’s been a while since I sang.』
Oh dear, how grim.
“There’s delicious food and a cozy nest waiting for you~!”
The baby birds echoed instead of the demon.
―Peep~!
It was a response that suggested it was a really good song.
Uh-huh!
Pastel eagerly agreed but hesitated for a moment. The food and nest provided by the cult might have been expressed too positively.
“Breaking news! Breaking news!”
She flailed her arms again.
The baby birds turned around in surprise.
―Peep?
“Due to incorrect information conveyed in the song lyrics, we will issue a correction! Instead of delicious food and a cozy nest, it was suspicious food and a wicked hideout!”
Whoa, that’s serious.
The baby birds pondered and shook their heads.
―Peep.
That gesture indicated that it was incorrect.
Is it really delicious food and a cozy nest?
“That can’t be! You have Stockholm syndrome, meaning you sympathized with your captor so much that you lost your objectivity!”
What a pitiful state.
You can see how wicked the cult is.
―Pee-yak?
The baby birds cocked their heads.
『Hmm. The condition.』
The demon rubbed its chin and pondered. Then it came over and knelt down to meet their eye level.
Oh?
Pastel met its gaze with a somewhat calmer demeanor. The red eyes were observing her piercingly.
What does this mean?
『You don’t have to force yourself to hate the cult.』
Oh dear…
Pastel felt embarrassed. She rolled her eyes and rubbed her cheeks, slightly blushing.
“Does it show too much?”
She thought her acting skills had improved since the black smoke had worked well, but perhaps not.
Maybe the vengeful acting didn’t go well after all.
If this continues, she would feel too sorry for the Craft retainers, who sacrificed themselves in the mansion and would be watching from the afterlife…
“I’ve never had to hate someone for so long before.”
Her fingers wiggled.
“That’s right. No matter how evil, they’re still human. They have their own lives, thoughts, and hearts.”
Pastel’s feelings were complicated.
“Some may kill just for fun and take lives for greed, but not everyone is that messed up. If we have to lump everyone together, stigmatize them, and ignore their circumstances and adversities to hate them, then that’s…”
I don’t know.
But maybe it doesn’t fit with this era and world. Isn’t that the only way to have a justified revenge?
“Negative feelings have diminished significantly. The cult that committed the massacre at the Craft mansion or my father, who took his belongings and fled—don’t they have their own circumstances? It’s true that what they did was wrong, but can’t we understand them to some degree from their perspective?”
The demon slowly sighed.
『That’s a nice thought, human.』
“I know, but…”
Pastel twisted her body.
“Now that I have enough money to not starve and I’ve made several friends to rely on, I find my heart becoming relaxed.”
It’s too hard for hatred to become genuine in this ease.
“Just look at these days! In the past, if I were short on time, I would have switched to serious mode, but now I’m behaving normally.”
She pointed to herself.
“See! I’m always checking for signs of life and chatting! Even if I’ve dulled my voice, seriously, this isn’t right!”
With newfound power and strength, her heart loosened.
Truly, she was a violet Pastel.
『I can guarantee that. The range of your voice is narrower than the range of your hearing. The volume of your voice falls within the realm of ordinary people while your hearing surpasses that.』
Pastel pointed her finger rudely.
“What if there’s a chance? Objectively speaking, since you, demon, were imprisoned, how much do you really know about the world?”
『What?』
The demon looked bewildered.
It’s a shameful situation, but it’s serious now.
“The cult matters concern the safety of people! It should be dealt with thoroughly! You just noticed the baby birds’ approach late in the library! This was highly dangerous! What if it was a trained reconnaissance animal from the cult!”
『That’s because I am here in human form; your vigilance has relaxed. It’s a natural phenomenon as a protected one.』
“Regardless!”
Pastel, who had been shouting earnestly, was panting.
“And, and.”
She rubbed her cheeks and glanced around the air.
Ahh.
Everyone must be listening, right?
“I-I’m not saying I’ll give up on revenge! It was a vow made when I was mentally cornered, but I will absolutely take revenge! As someone preserved, it’s only right!”
With that, her shoulders slightly shrank.
“B-but I’m a little curious about the opponent’s circumstances. I wonder why they live like that once they joined the cult.”
It’s impossible to charge at a cult member in a fury of vengeance just because you lucked upon one in front of you.
“I’m sorry for being such a clan leader, retainers.”
Pastel apologized and rubbed her hands together.
『Who are you talking to?』
“To my ghost retainer friends who might be listening. Ah, I misspoke. I meant to the ghost retainers.”
『Hmm.』
The demon surveyed the air.
“Don’t say there are no ghosts. There absolutely are. It’s not like I went out at midnight to steal snacks and mistook the kitchen curtains for a ghost!”
The demon seemed somewhat impressed.
『So that’s what happened. It was during that time? No wonder it seemed strange.』
Oh no, I’ve been discovered.
Pastel was frozen.
Could it be that it also discovered the pie piece she had hidden in the corridor ceramics that she brought from the kitchen afterward?
No wonder when she secretly checked it the next day, it was completely empty. Her rat friend must have eaten it.
The demon stretched out its index finger, tapping Pastel’s forehead.
『Do not lose yourself due to the storms of life. If it becomes too heavy, you can lighten it as much as you want, and it’s not too late to revisit it later.』
Pastel gazed into the demon’s gentle red eyes.
Her expression became somewhat sulky.
“That sounds like someone who worked hard for their family but became so tired that they met their family in a dream and rationalized giving up.”
She crossed her arms.
“Just like the dreams she created, you, demon, can’t represent the retainers.”
『That might be true.』
The demon pointed in one direction.
『But it’s important to turn your gaze to the periphery. Becoming immersed without a change of mood isn’t good. Overdoing it will only injure you and those around you.』
Where its hand pointed, the baby birds were present.
“Ahhh!”
Pastel, who had been in a different world with the demon, was startled.
“I’m sorry, friends!”
She had left them behind awkwardly! She had even stubbornly argued that the cult was bad while ignoring their reactions!
“I was quite unreasonable, wasn’t I? I was saying the cult was bad, but there might have been circumstances in which they provide delicious food and cozy nests!”
It must have been so hurtful to be openly criticized.
How deeply hurt must they be, with both of them completely turning away and burying their beaks in the ground?
―Peep?
One baby bird looked back.
It seemed to have a puzzled expression, wondering if it had been spoken to, before slurping up a giant worm it had bitten.
The worm fluttered like noodles before disappearing into its beak. One could almost hear its silent scream.
Eww.
Pastel’s pink eyes trembled.
“What, what are you eating?”
Why are you eating your worm friend?
No, no.
They’re birds; of course, there are worms.
Uh-huh.
Pastel’s expression brightened.
“So you were having a meal!”
―Peep.
With a cool expression that had forgotten the past rebuke.
Oh dear.
“You truly are a big-hearted one!”
She had known since the first time they met!
How they pecked at her when she fell into the nest.
Or how they had saved her by exterminating the pack of wolves, then ignored her thereafter.
And then when they found out she had been kidnapped by the cult, they pleaded for her rescue.
Oh wait.
Thinking back, they weren’t really big-hearted.
But still.
Based on their recent performance, they must be at least moderately big-hearted.
Not big-hearted, but moderately big-hearted.
Pastel shouted brightly again.
“You guys are definitely small-hearted!”
―Peep?
Oh dear.
She misspoke.
The two baby birds looked at each other. After some time that seemed like they were discussing if they were, in fact, small-hearted, they glanced back over to Pastel.
―Peep.
Nodding.
“Are you agreeing?!”
Pastel’s mouth fell open.
Shock.
Disbelief.
Just how small-hearted is a small-hearted one that admits being small-hearted?
Is it okay to continue being friends with this kind of friend?
Are they suddenly going to ask for a guarantee?
Ugh.
The demon looked down the corridor. A few giant worms, muddy and dirty, were wriggling along the pure white passage.
『No matter how much the gods have neglected it, this isn’t the sight of a holy land. Has the cult breached, causing the boundary between the outside and inside of the holy land to fall apart? Is it possible that beyond here is the cult’s indirect activity area?』
―Peep.
The baby bird that had been asked confirmed.
Oh, I see.
There seem to be no signs of people, but we should be careful.
Pastel placed her finger on her lips.
“Then from now on, everyone, shh.”
―Peep.
“No peeping either! Shh! Shh!”
While earnestly pleading, she suddenly realized.
It’s enough if only I stay quiet!
Silly silly.
Ahahaha!
