The Changed Future
The Northern Frontier wind, carrying fine snowflakes, lashed against my face, bringing a dry, stinging sensation. The small village nestled in the mountain valley, its low, simple wooden and stone houses, with wisps of thin smoke rising from their chimneys, were almost the only signs of life in this silvery-white world. However, this fragile tranquility was about to be utterly shattered.
"An attack!"
A startled cry, distorted by the sound of a stone thrown into a frozen lake, abruptly shattered the silence of dusk. Immediately afterward, a muffled explosion resounded from the direction of the village entrance! Splinters of wood and snow shot into the sky, blasting a jagged gaping hole in the already flimsy outer wall.
The villager on guard duty tumbled and scrambled off the watchtower, pointing at a figure slowly approaching on the distant snowfield, his face filled with horror.
The figure drew closer. Her long, blue-green hair fluttered slightly in the cold wind, and her elegant long dress was spotless, standing out starkly from this harsh, cold place. A pure, almost unsettling, childlike excitement at discovering a new toy graced her face, and her scarlet eyes curiously surveyed the village before her, as if examining a box of gifts about to be unwrapped.
"Ah~ Solitär has been investigating for quite a while now," Solitär's ethereal voice carried a strange rhythm, clearly audible in the wind and snow, "This village, the bonds between the villagers seem particularly deep, parents, partners, best friends... What a perfect 'experimental field'! I'm so looking forward to it, so looking forward to it... This time, I'm sure I'll see even more interesting emotions, right?"
Her steps abruptly halted when she was still a hundred paces from the village. She turned her head slightly, her gaze passing over the panicked villagers, and precisely landing on a pine forest blurred by the wind and snow behind her.
"Oh dear~ I've been found out..." A perfectly timed look of surprise appeared on her face as she gently covered her mouth with her small hand, a hint of astonishment flickering in her pale green eyes.
"Honestly, Solitär was so careful to hide her magic... Can you tell me how her hidden friends knew I was coming to this inconspicuous little village?"
The shadows of the pine forest swayed, and four figures silently stepped out, blocking her path between herself and the village.
Lowell stood at the front, his black travel attire covered in snowflakes, his expression unusually cold and stern. His usually languid eyes were now sharp as knives. "I only 'saw' your uninvited arrival, Solitär. However, I didn't see where you came from, so I can only appear when you unleash your magic attack."
He paused, then uttered the long-forgotten name in a low voice, "It is I, Lorenz."
Solitär's surprise froze for a moment, then transformed into an expression that mixed with realization and deeper amusement. She slightly touched her chest and bowed, performing a somewhat exaggerated gesture of respect:
"Oh dear~ This is truly... my apologies! It's the former Demon King Lord who graces us with his presence~ It's been a thousand years! Does your appearance now mean you intend to compete with the current Demon King Lord for me, this insignificant subordinate? Oh dear, when did Solitär become so sought after~ Both Demon King Lords want me as their subordinate~"
Her tone was flippant as her gaze swept over Lowell, then over Frilian, who held a staff beside him, Frieren, who gripped a Lupa, and Linié, who was as quiet as a doll.
Lowell ignored her teasing, his brow furrowed. "Not at all, Solitär. Stop now before you cause an irreversible tragedy." He turned to his companion, gesturing, "Look at me, and Linié. Aren't we, too, coexisting with humans in some way?"
Solitär's gaze lingered on Frieren and Lupa for a moment before finally settling on Linié's expressionless face. Suddenly, she let out a silvery, yet cold, laugh, then covered her mouth again with her hand, her shoulders trembling slightly.
"Heh... coexistence? Demon King Lord, you're still as... naively amusing as ever."
She lowered her hand and stated a fact, "Isn't the foundation of your so-called 'coexistence' precisely your absolute power as the 'former Demon King,' a power that even the current Demon King would be wary of?"
"If you lose this power and become just another ordinary person, how many people do you think will accept your Demons identity? At that time, the so-called 'coexistence' will be nothing more than a fantasy bestowed by the strong, or a helpless murmur of the weak."
Her gaze swept across the silent village, her tone carrying a barely perceptible emotion. "And that friend of mine, the Demon King, who sat in his Demon King's Castle, naively fantasizing about 'coexisting' with humans and launching a war... what did his grand ideals bring him? One by one, Solitär's friends... all died. Even the Demons was nearly wiped out by the Human race alliance in that laughable war of 'hope for coexistence'..."
Solitär spread her hands, as if displaying some cruel outcome. "That Demon King Lord, after turning the tide, merely sat firmly on his throne. Before humanity's understanding of magic was profound, he clearly possessed the power to annihilate all of humanity, yet he maintained that awkward, in-between position, clinging to this laughable 'balance' in hopes of 'coexistence'... Isn't that another form of cruelty? Just another form of slow death..."
She tilted her head, looking at Lowell, her face regaining its innocent charm. "So, former Demon King Lord, your so-called 'example' won't convince Solitär ~ Observing the true 'choices' life makes in dire straits, observing humanity... that's the eternal joy."
Her question echoed in the wind and snow, carrying a sense of unquestionable incomprehension and cruelty, forming a stark contrast to her sweet appearance.
The village was deathly silent, save for the howling wind whistling through the ruins. The villagers' faces were filled with fear and bewilderment; they couldn't fully comprehend this high-level conversation, but the destructive undertones in the Demons's words sent chills down their spines.
Lupa bit her lower lip, her heterochromatic eyes Burning with anger, yet she couldn't refute the cruel possibilities in Solitär's words. Linié remained silent, her deep blue pupils reflecting Solitär's agitated figure, as if recording and analyzing. Frieren merely glanced at Lowell with her emerald green eyes, seemingly awaiting his decision.