Chapter 23
There is one thing that I learned while living in the academy. Cecily is said to have a playful, mean-spirited personality. Until she used respectful words to me, she was a model of a polite princess, but after she let go of her words, she was always good at pranks.
“You can be honest. I know I’m pretty. That’s the reason why you stared at me earlier, isn’t it?”
“…because it’s not.”
“Then why is your face red?”
It was the same after the anthropology lecture. On the way to the school cafeteria, Cecily’s mischief didn’t stop. She urged me in a shrill voice, sure that she was determined to hear her answer with my mouth.
I could feel her face turning red with every word she spoke, but I denied it as much as I could. It was because I could not have predicted what kind of prank would follow if I just affirmed it.
Cecily made a face that she did not understand when I denied it to the end.
“Last time, you called me sister well, but now why aren’t you answering? I don’t understand.”
“It’s different then and now. And other people are watching.”
As I said, I often saw students whispering around me. Not overreacting, but just looking around, many students’ eyes are directed towards us.
Naturally, it’s because of Cecily who treats me friendly. She has some striking looks, but Cecily is the princess of Hellium. She has been a hot topic since the entrance ceremony, so many people have no choice but to be interested in her.
And is such a person friendly with a male student I’ve never heard of? It is a very natural phenomenon for rumors of stars to spread within the academy. About three weeks have passed since the entrance ceremony, and there are not many literary students, unlike mu major, so it must have already spread.
‘There are no major problems yet…’
I also have ears, so I can vaguely know what my current reputation is. A red-haired person of interest to the professors and an unlucky redhead to the same students. These are all stories I heard by chance in a restaurant.
Right now, they seem to be watching because of Cecily and Lina, but you never know when they will explode. The students admitted to Halo Academy are emotionally imperfect teenagers, and there are many children from noble families with a strong sense of humor. Even if I don’t go far, a guy named Jackson is displeased with me.
“…Really?”
It seems that Cecily understood the atmosphere only after listening to me. Looking at his slightly frowned face, he didn’t seem to like it very much. Still, the chattering subsided as Cecily looked around him.
I glanced at him and, in a cautious voice, suggested to Cecily.
“If you’re uncomfortable, I’ll separate you.”
“No. There’s no problem with this. It’s always been the case in Helium.”
“Isn’t Hellium without aristocrats except for the king?”
“Even if you’re not a noble, that doesn’t mean there’s no way to keep the king in check.”
Cecily replied with a sly smile. It was probably something I didn’t know. Of course, it’s not that I don’t understand.
I nodded my head as if I knew it, and she smiled faintly. It was close to saying thank you for not asking, but after a while, her smile deepened and her playfulness began to ooze out. I missed seeing it, but it was already too late.
“So, what was the answer you gave me earlier? When are you going to give it to me?”
“… …”
“If you keep shutting your mouth, will you do something strange?”
In the end, I had no choice but to surrender. I covered my face with one hand and opened my mouth with a sign of giving up.
“Yes. She’s very pretty. Of all the people I’ve seen so far, Ms. Cecily is the prettiest.”
“Should I call you Cecily’s sister?”
“…Sister Cecily.”
“Huhu. Thank you. It feels like I’m falling down and receiving me, but it’s new to hear from Isaac.”
“Whoa…”
Now it looks like my face is going to explode. I took a deep breath to get rid of the heat rising from within. Even so, I was embarrassed because I didn’t think of sinking.
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Either way, Cecily giggled like a girl and tickled my ears. Is making fun of me so much fun? It was difficult for me to understand.
“I’m sorry. The reaction is so funny that I can’t give up.”
“…you think my reaction is funny?”
“yes.”
“Then it wouldn’t be fun if I didn’t respond?”
“Try it once.”
“…sorry.”
Also, I didn’t have the initiative. Cecily let out a faint smile as I lowered her tail, and spoke softly as before.
“Isaac.”
“Yeah.”
“Do you have any questions about the little demon?”
“Why?”
When I asked the other way around, Cecily spoke of what had happened in mankind’s time.
“Before, you asked why the elves had a small population. Then I wondered if the demons were curious.”
“No. I have a lot of questions.”
“But why don’t you ask?”
Cecily tilts her head and asks with the nuance of not understanding. I looked at her face gently and answered quietly.
“I’m afraid I’ll make a mistake.”
“Are you afraid I’ll make a mistake?”
“Yeah.”
It is a demon that has been persecuted regardless of race for over hundreds of years. So, I was a little cautious about asking questions related to demons to Cecily, who was not anyone else. If I touch a painful part, it will be awkward for me and Cecily.
It can be said that he lacks courage, but by my standards, it is a kind of consideration. At least, you can have an amicable relationship by not digging up the other person’s wounds. Because of this, she is not joking around like Cecily and is accepting her quietly.
“…Yeah. He was a very caring kid.”
Cecily muttered with a happy smile as if she understood my feelings. Then she told me that she was kind.
“It’s fine. You can ask me anything.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. It’s not anyone else, it’s Isaac. There won’t be any malice at all.”
“If that’s the case…”
I blurted out and looked around. As we talked, we arrived at the restaurant, but there were not many students in the restaurant. Most of them go out to eat.
So I picked up an empty bowl and asked Cecily a question. It’s something I’ve always been curious about, so I was a little excited.
“What do those horns do?”
“Huh? Horns?”
“Yeah.”
Cecily listened to my question and fiddled with the horns that rose upwards from her temples. The horns became more red as they climbed higher.
Along with black mana, horns are a characteristic that can be called a symbol of the demons. However, proper research on demon horns was not done, and only strange rumors abounded.
For example, if mana is gathered in the horns of demons, or if it is simply a symbol of the devil, etc. Because of this, even in Zeno’s biography, he rarely wrote about horns.
“Umm…”
Cecily took a moment to organize her thoughts and began to put food into the empty bowl one by one. I put her food one by one, waiting for her to give her answer.
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Eventually, when I found an empty seat and sat down, Cecily, who was sitting across from me, answered.
“Did you tell me about your menstrual cycle?”
“…Yes?”
tuk-
It is an embarrassing answer to the point of missing the fork on which the food was stamped. For a moment, I couldn’t tell if it was serious or a joke. But contrary to my feelings, Cecily remained calm.
Through this, I knew that it was not a joke, it was the truth.
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Even though I looked at her with a puzzled expression on her face, Cecily continued speaking as if it was not a big deal.
“As you know, demons are descendants of demons. And demons are literally the crystallization of ‘desire’. Because of this, we demons have a difficult time controlling their desires in certain cycles. This phenomenon is referred to as the ‘evil cycle (惡週期)’, but only men say that, and women tend to just use menstruation. Ironically, menstruation and menstruation overlap.”
“… …”
It’s called the menstrual cycle. Thanks to that, the stopped head gradually calmed down and an accident was possible. Instead, he couldn’t help but feel the heat rising on his face.
I let go of all the thoughts in my head through a cough, and asked another question.
“Then how do you endure it? I don’t know as a human male, but women say that every time they menstruate, their stomach hurts like a tear.”
“Usually, I tend to calm myself down through meditation.
“If someone touches you when you play a musical instrument? Are you going to become a demon?”
“No. You don’t become a demon just because you play evil. Most demons become demons when they experience a terrible tragedy. Either they lost their loved ones in front of their eyes, or they were betrayed by a trusted friend.”
Cecily said as she picked up the minced meat with a fork and put it in her mouth.
“Well, as you said, it can be as violent as a demon. Especially women are on the side.”
“It’s the same with humans.”
“Is it? I heard earlier that humans menstruate once a month? It must be very difficult. Asmodians only do it once every six months.”
Are the long-lived races on the long side of the menstrual cycle? Elves and demons had a very long menstrual cycle. Or it could be that humans and beasts are abnormally short.
With growing curiosity, I hurriedly moved on to the next question. What kind of race the demon was was more important than the meal.
“So, does that mean that as the horn grows, the cycle approaches?”
“No. The horns don’t grow and this red part covers the entire horn.”
Cecily tapped the top of the horn, which had been dyed red as if it had been painted over. Currently, about a quarter of the area is covered with red.
‘If the horns are all red, you must never touch them.’
I don’t know what kind of disaster will happen if I just touch it. I murmured the food in my mouth and asked one after another.
“What if the horn is cut off?”
“It will be restored quickly. And even if it is cut off, there is no sensation.”
“Aren’t the horns numb?”
“yes.”
“Excuse me then, can I touch you?”
“…Eh? Pu, touch the horns?”
Cecily’s response to my question was very strange. I opened my eyes and looked over, and there was a slight redness on my cheeks. He clearly shows his feelings of shame.
I tilted my head at her unexpected reaction, but later realized that it was a sensitive topic. If you’re ashamed of it, it must have an unusual meaning. And my expectations were exactly right.
“That… sorry. Touching the horns of demons is an act of affection between loved ones. It means that even if you become a demon, you can still love yourself.”
“Oh… it’s romantic.”
“That’s right? It’s romantic… It’s the first time I’ve heard of it from a non-demonic human.”
Cecily scratched her cheek in embarrassment. She came to me anew because it was completely different from the way she usually joked with me.
‘Thanks, I was able to put one in.’
It was information that could add bone and flesh to the story of Jin and Lily, who are in a passionate love line in the Xenon biography.
Jin is a knight only for Lily, and Lily strokes his horns as he kneels down on one knee. After that, Jin looks up at Lily in amazement. There is no story in this world as sad as the love between demons and priests.
Of course, in the last half, Jin will always appear as the final boss. I’m sorry to her mother, but it’s hard to change the ending because there are so many double lines and rice cakes scattered around. If it’s really hard, I’m planning to release a side story.
I said to Cecily, passing all the food in my mouth over my throat just before the atmosphere turned awkward.
“Cecile, do you have any questions about humans?”
“Uh, huh? Any questions about humans?”
“Yes. That’s why I’m the only one asking. If you have any questions, ask your sister too.”
“I’m human…”
Fortunately, somehow the awkward atmosphere seems to have been bitten. I quietly put the food in my mouth until Cecily opened her mouth. Cecily began to eat, whether to organize her thoughts or not.
bum- bum- bum- bum-
Then a familiar face came into my sight. When he moved his gaze while muttering food, Leona, a beautiful woman with a hard impression, was walking far away.
I usually didn’t know because I wasn’t interested, but Leona was wearing pants unlike other girls. Contrary to her pretty face, her impression was so hard and sharp that she looked like her schoolboy from a distance.
‘Doesn’t he have any friends? Why are you sitting so far away?’
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Even though there weren’t many students in the dining room, Leona sat particularly far apart. She rather stood out because she had no one around her.
As I was muttering with my chin crossed, Leona, who was seated at the table wondering if there was something wrong, let out a deep sigh. And…
prick-
Suddenly, something pricked up in the top of his head. And not one, but two.
Unfortunately, my eyesight was not that good, so it was impossible to make an accurate diagnosis. But she knew only that something had risen above her head.
“…!”
Leona also realized that something had risen above her head, so she put her hand in a hurry. Her hard impression of her disappeared without a hitch, and her expression, with only her embarrassment, was quite striking.
I blinked and then rubbed my eyes to see if I had seen something wrong. Rubbing her eyes and looking at Leona again, as if she was embarrassed at some point, she was eating as usual, expressionless.
It was while I was staring intently at Leona. In the meantime, Cecily called my name to see if she had organized her thoughts.
“Isak?”
“…Oh, yes. Sister.”
“You must have been bruising for a while. I thought of asking a question, can I do it?”
“Yes. You can ask a question.”
With my permission, Cecily asked in a really curious tone.
“What do you think is the reason why humans could be the center of the world?”
“Why could you be the center?”
“Yeah. I heard it in lectures, but I’m curious about your opinion.”
“Well…”
It’s a fairly complex question to answer. Even on an earth where there were only humans, humans were a race that could not be determined prematurely. Because judging humans is ultimately the same human being. But, ironically, that’s why an objective explanation was possible.
Still, this is certain. A human being can become supremely good, but he can also become supremely evil. You can think of the fierce battle between the s*xist theory and the vocalist theory.
However, that is the standard on Earth to the last, and the world should be viewed from a slightly different perspective.
As I habitually rubbed the pen hump with my thumb, I glanced at Cecily. Cecily is staring at me as if waiting for my answer.
At this, he stopped his thumb from rubbing the pen hump and spoke quietly.
“As I said before, this is only my subjective opinion, so you don’t need to listen carefully. There are many professors with more experience in the world than me.”
“It’s okay. You can tell me.”
“Yes. That…”
I stopped talking and looked at Cecily’s back. Leona, who was eating alone, looked straight at me.
I wondered if they had heard our story even on this street, but decided that it wasn’t. Our voices were not that loud, and the distance was very far. I didn’t care and continued what I was saying.
“…The reason humans could be the center of the world is simple: humans are so stupid, reckless, and stupid.”
prick-
As soon as I said those words, strange things popped out of Leona’s head once more.