The Changed Future (2)

In reality, approximately 55 years after the hero Himmel defeated the Demon King. (In the original story, approximately 50 years after Himmel defeated the Demon King.)

What topics should I talk about with Will? What will he do after he finds out I'm Demons? It's a bit of a shame I won't be able to talk to him anymore, but there's nothing I can do about it. I am Demons after all, and Will is human after all. No matter how much we talk, the gap between our two races can never be bridged.

Aura reached his destination.

He saw Will. Will was sitting there, waiting for her, just like always.

Will's familiar voice carried its usual elation, as if it could dispel the last trace of evening chill in the woods.

"Sister, you're here."

Aura stood before the rock, looking at the boy sitting on it.

He faced her, his pupils unfocused, but his face always radiated a smile without a trace of gloom.

Everything is as usual.

"Uh-huh."

Aura responded as usual, walked over to him, but did not sit down as usual.

Looking into Will's blind eyes, an almost mischievous urge to shatter the false peace welled up within her. It was time to end this game of playing the "adventure sister."

"Will, I lied to you." Her voice was flat, devoid of emotion.

"Huh? What did you say, sister?" Will tilted his head, his face full of confusion.

"I am Demons."

A brief silence followed. Will's expression froze for a moment, as if he hadn't processed the message.

However, the expected fear, screams, or disgust did not occur. Instead, Will's face suddenly lit up, seemingly glowing even when out of focus.

"Really!? Sister!" He even leaned forward excitedly and grasped Aura's hand. "You're not an adventurer, but Demons? That's great! I knew there must be good people among Demons! Sister, you're one of the good people among Demons, right! Ah, sorry..."

He quickly let go of Aura's hand.

Aura frowned almost imperceptibly.

This reaction was completely different from what she expected.

I am Demons.

They are the same kind of culprits who attacked your village, took your parents' lives, and blinded you.

Remembering Will's words, she couldn't help but correct him, "You said before that Demons who want to coexist with humans are good Demons. But I don't."

"Huh? Sister, you're lying. How could you not want to?" Will immediately shook his head, his tone filled with a stubborn trust.

"Why should I think about it?" Aura retorted, with a hint of the cold rationality characteristic of Demons.

"Hmm..." Will thought for a moment, then found "evidence," and his voice became cheerful again, "My sister chats with me and tells me stories every day. My sister is a good person. Look, why would the other Demons be like this?"

Aura looked at his self-righteous attitude and remained silent for a moment. In her eyes, this trust based on one-sided knowledge was both foolish and fragile.

She decided to shatter this illusion in a more direct way. "Maybe I just find you interesting, like you find birds interesting, but I don't see you as an equal."

She thought her words would hurt him, or at least bring him to his senses.

However, Will simply lowered his head slightly and said in a calm, almost cruel tone:

"Well... but the nobles in the city have never treated us commoners as equals, let alone a blind person like me..."

He raised his head again, that gentle smile returning to his face, "No matter what you think of me, sister, you chat with me, tell me stories, and even praise me, saying I can definitely become an adventurer. I love you, sister..."

Do you like me?

Aura looked at Will, and the word stirred a strange ripple in her heart.

Hmm... Oh, right. Humans like to keep dogs as pets, and dogs like humans too; it must be that kind of relationship.

She tried to understand it using familiar patterns. If that's how it feels... keeping a human companion... well, to keep her company and relieve boredom when she's feeling down, that wouldn't be bad... This thought flashed through her mind, causing her originally firm idea of "drawing a clear line" to waver slightly.

Will, oblivious to her inner turmoil, continued in a hopeful tone, "Sister, would you like to become an adventurer with me? Let's go together to change the Demons who don't want to coexist, and become people who protect others like Mother..."

Aura felt a wave of helpless frustration. He was like a seedling growing wildly towards the sun, completely ignoring the shadows around him. She sensed that Will was... well, she didn't know what to say. She decided to unleash her final "trump card" to shatter his naive illusions.

"My sister doesn't want to," she refused coldly. "I'm going to seek revenge on the companions of the hero Himmel who hurt me. I'll kill them all, turn them into puppets, and control them."

That should give him a clue as to what kind of demon he is. She thought to herself, "What a joke! How could the Great Demons Seven Sages of Destruction Aura be tricked into becoming an adventurer by a child? That would be utterly laughable. Impossible, absolutely impossible."

"My sister's joking again..."

Just as she was waiting to see fear or disappointment on Will's face, a powerful surge of magic unexpectedly entered her perception range!

Almost at the same time, a rough, menacing voice rang out from not far away:

"Aura? What, are you planning to take this home and eat it later?"

Aura instantly shielded Will behind her, her movements so fast that even she was somewhat surprised.

Huh? What am I doing...?

Oh, it must be because she hasn't fought in a long time and is a little excited. She quickly found a reason for her behavior.

Yes, after all... we haven't fought in half a century.

"Sister..." Will was startled by the sudden, murderous voice, his voice trembling, "Who... who is here?"

Aura didn't answer him, her gaze fixed on the Demons figure that appeared ahead—it was the Demon General Gross. But she had no time to investigate why he was there; she was simply wary of him.

"What's it to you?" Aura's voice was elegant yet cold, with a hint of annoyance at being disturbed.

Gross licked his lips, his gaze sweeping greedily over Will: "Ah, I'm so sorry, I didn't know this was your territory, but I'm really hungry, could you give me him first?"

"Sister..." Will instinctively grabbed Aura's sleeve.

"Shut up, don't speak," Aura hissed, her gaze never leaving Gross. "Get out."

"I'm so hungry... Aura, um... no... I can't hold back anymore, anyway, it's just a Human race brat, give it to me!"

Gross let out a low growl, his massive body suddenly moving, his giant axe pointing straight at Will!

Aura reacted swiftly, grabbing Will around the waist and using her magic to lift him into the air, dodging Gross's lunging axe. Gross missed his target, leaving a deep gash in the ground.

"Whoa!" Will cried out in surprise at the sudden feeling of weightlessness, but he immediately bit his lip, forcing himself to calm down, and gripped Aura tightly with both hands, trying not to cause her any trouble. He even adjusted his posture in mid-air, whispering with certainty, "Sister is protecting me. As expected, sister is a good Demons."

Aura glanced down at him, not bothering with his untimely "conclusion." She hovered in the air, coldly looking down at Gross, who had missed his attack and was letting out an angry growl.

... I happen to be lacking strong soldiers.

The thought clearly emerged. Without hesitation, she stretched out her empty hand, and magic gathered.

"Dominating Magic..."

An ancient, illusory scale slowly appeared in her hand, one end pointing towards herself, while the other end was locked onto Gross below.

However...

The scales did not tip in her favor.

One hour ago.

Lowell casually chopped off Gross's head, and Gross's body slowly dissipated.

"It's troublesome, but after all... well, Ms. Violin is still worth saving, and besides, this future needs to be changed."

He has been deliberately avoiding using the Future Sight because he doesn't want to be too busy, and he's not a saint.

However, at the original time, Aura recovered from her injuries and began her attack, causing countless human casualties... He already remembered this, so he paid attention to it.

Aura was released by him, but even without him, Aura would have escaped successfully anyway. So the people who died because of Aura had nothing to do with him. He even managed to capture Linié as an extra.

However, if it's possible to save so many people so easily, then the cost-effectiveness is quite high.

Hmm, merit points +1.

I never expected to see such a scene.

"Hmm... so... what should I do..." he pondered.

Defeating Aura was a piece of cake for him; figuring out how to make Aura use Dominating Magic on him so that he could turn the tables and dominate her was just as easy.

But... if that's all there is to it, then "I've gained her body, but not her heart." Am I supposed to be like those so-called "true Demons," ruling by forcing her Obedience submission through fear?

Hmm... okay, I do use the "Dominating Stone Ring," but that's just a means to restrain Demons and prevent them from harming innocent Human race, not to rule through fear. It's different. Aura's actions suggest the possibility of awakening "coexistence"...

Yes.

Kindness.

Give her a push.

A hero saves the damsel in distress... oh no, a damsel in distress saves the hero.

"Aura? What, are you planning to take this home and eat it later?"

Aura watched helplessly as the scales she had summoned, the embodiment of absolute dominance and submission, irresistibly and slowly tilted toward "Gross".

A drop of cold sweat silently slid down her forehead.

"How could this be..." she murmured, a rare hint of unease creeping into her voice. She felt an irresistible force take over her body, the magic that had been supporting her suddenly dissipated, and she descended uncontrollably from the sky.

Will was pulled back to the ground by her, and although the boy didn't understand why, he instinctively gripped the hem of her clothes tightly.

"Are you kidding me?" she said through gritted teeth, her eyes fixed on the scales in her hand that seemed to have betrayed her. "Hey, is this thing... broken?! How could my magic be less than that of a general?"

"The scales aren't broken." Gross's voice rang out calmly, declaring the verdict, "You lost, Aura."

"You..." Aura suddenly looked up, her eyes clearly reflecting shock for the first time, along with a rapidly spreading unease.

Gross doesn't possess that kind of magical power.

"You... you're not allowed to hurt my sister!" When Will heard that his sister had lost, he suddenly took a step forward. Although he couldn't see anything, he resolutely spread his arms and stood in front of Aura. His small body trembled slightly, but his tone was unusually firm.

"Get away from me." Aura tried to push him away, but she had already lost control of her body.

"Draw your sword." Gross's command came again.

Aura's arm defied her will, stiffly rising to summon her longsword and grasping its hilt. The cool metallic touch sent a shiver through her as she drew the sword with a "whoosh." The blade reflected a chilling light in the fading daylight.

"I... I actually..." She looked at her hand holding the sword, her voice barely audible.

"Sister? Sister, what are you doing?" Will heard the sharp sound of a blade being drawn and turned anxiously toward Aura, his eyes filled with panic.

"Aim at your own neck..." Gross gave the order again.

Aura's arm began to move slowly but steadily, the sword's edge turning, the cold blade close to the skin of her delicate neck.

"Hateful..."

"Hey! I told you—you're not allowed to hurt my sister!" Will couldn't see the sword, but relying on sound and feeling, he lunged forward, grabbing at it with both hands without thinking—

"Laugh..."

It was the faint sound of a sharp blade cutting through flesh.

Will grunted, his small hands gripping the blade that was about to sever Aura's neck with precise, firm strokes. Warm liquid immediately welled up between his fingers, dripping down the blade. But he used all his strength to desperately pull the blade away from Aura, his small body tense from the effort.

"Hehe..."

Gross watched this scene and let out a low, emotionless chuckle. "Alright, then, keep your sister company from now on."

Continental United Academy.

"Lady Aura..." The girl in the dress looked at Aura, then, as if suddenly remembering something, covered her mouth, "No..."

"Lady Aura, you should call Linié 'senpai'."

"?"

"We are now both under Lowell's command. Linié arrived earlier than you, so she is your senior," Linié said, puffing out her chest confidently.

"Linié, don't bully the newcomers. You should be ranked according to age."

"Oh... Lady Aura." Linié lowered her head.

"... snort."