HORNLESS DEMON AND HUMAN ANGEL
/
"Well, if it wasn't a good night of sleep ...!"
The boy stood up, stretching his limbs in the air, expelling all types of tiredness that were still stored in his muscles.
"I could get used to this!" He pondered, looking at the bed of fine fabrics, which has so far served him well.
He felt better than yesterday. His mental fatigue generated by the drain of his life force was completely gone after those last few hours of sleep. Looking out the window, he realized it was almost time to start the job.
The sky was gradually abandoning the dark tones of the night, the sun making its way, still timid, fighting against the smaller but much more numerous lights of the stars.
"Does the union really make the force ...?" He wondered, realizing that, even though they are several and united, the stars cannot overcome the almost omnipresent sun.
... And with that thought, he imagined the conflict with Elsa Granhiert. He had tried twice, until he finally succeeded in calling on Reinhard and Julius for help. But, a question was still asked in his mind.
"Would I have won without involving anyone if I had taken a different strategy?"
Now it was too late to think about it. Elsa was already defeated, so that was a silly question to ask, but even so, he wanted to know ...
How far could someone like him have gone against an inhabitant of this world, with the power he wielded at the moment?
Ryan wasn't sure, but one thing scared him in all of that thought ... If it weren't for his mysterious power to go back in time with death, he would have died on the very first attempt ...
A tremor sliced through the dark-skinned boy's body and eyes like the interior of geodes. He needs to get stronger, urgently, for yesterday. And one more thing bothered him all this time at the mansion ...
"That awful feeling ... What is causing it?" He wondered, looking out the window.
It is not uncommon for him to feel insecure inside the big house. Even with all the certification that he has no enemies there, Ryan couldn't feel safe. It was as if something was always lurking in the dark, watching him from a distance.
His biggest suspicions are two. Only two people are capable of generating that sense of "danger" that ran throughout his body several times during the day ...
"Roswaal, and the maid, Rem ..." He thought to himself, watching the sun continue to rise in the skies over Margrave's land.
Roswaal was a strange, atypical individual. Ryan feels immense ambiguity coming from him. He is someone he cannot fully trust, but who also does not offer concrete reasons for being a victim of distrust. The man took him in, gave him the job, and even made it possible for him to choose several other things in another case.
Now Rem ... The boy doesn't really know what to say about the blue-haired maid. They didn't even interact for more than ten minutes in a row for an entire day, and the exchanges of phrases between them are usually oppressive and short, with the maid constantly underestimating his best efforts and treating him poorly.
Not that Ryan allowed it to get to the heart, but it was really awful never to have his work appreciated in the slightest. It was as if Rem really hated him with all her heart ... He could almost feel it.
She always made a point of saying something that might hurt him, but those statements did not have the same way as Ram, his sister. Unlike Ram, who mostly sought to start conversations, Rem seemed to focus on the task of "breaking him" in the work sense of it.
Speaking of Ram, Ryan let out a faint smile. He somehow managed to achieve some minimal level of closeness to the older twin. From the second round of the day on, he even gave himself the courage to start answering some of her insults, creating a kind of somewhat entertaining debate, even if it's just nicknames and some insults.
The pink maid turned out to be someone much more lovable than anyone would ever bother to appear to be, ironically enough.
... So, based on this judgment, it can be said that his first day at the mansion was like the curve of a sine function, with ridges and valleys, ups and downs. The falls came with no forgiveness, but in return, the rises were rewarding.
Thinking about it, he even remembered a funny situation in one of the corridors of the huge place.
/ FLASHBACK /
Ryan was walking down the halls of the mansion's ground floor. Lunch time was just over, and soon the employees returned to their posts. Knowing that this would be his penultimate task of the day, he tried to get ready quickly.
Lunch was ... Well ... As always for him. A lot of things that have almost no flavor at all, actually. When asked about the taste of Rem's food, Ryan sweated bullets, saying something along the lines of:
"I suppose it is good ...?"
And brooding over how terrible a judge he was for flavors, he thought he should drown out this disappointment with work ... Unfortunately, he didn't get any feedback from the puree he prepared.
... And that's when he found Ram as he turned the hall to the left. In a somewhat clumsy way, she hid something behind one of the decorative vases.
"Yo, Ram! Doing what around here? Shouldn't you be cleaning the bathrooms now? " He started the conversation, sweeping while he did it.
Ram took a while to respond, but kept her usual deadpan expression.
"Shut up, incompetent and coward Anry. Don't refer to Ram so casually. For you it is Ram-Sama. " She said, clearly sweating in despair over something.
Ram periodically glanced at the white vase with flowery ornaments, and with that, Ryan began to suspect something.
He rolled his eyes, as he always did, and went back to work.
"Okay, Ram-Sama ... But you didn't answer my question. Shouldn't you be working now? What are you doing here? I was told that this would be my part of the mansion for now. "
Noticing that Ryan just came closer with his nimble broom, Ram started to panic inside, not knowing what to do, she remained standing there, beside the vase.
"Anry ... Yes, Ram is here to see if your work is not being lazy and poorly done, as usual ... Yes, just that."
Ryan raised one of his eyebrows, pausing for a few seconds to sweep, looking at Ram in the depths of her only visible eye.
" Huh ... So, if you came here for this, you can stop worrying. This place will be shining, shining like a chrome-plated stainless steel plate. " Ryan replied, shortly after pointing to the vase. "I'm going to need to get this out. Can you move a bit to the side? "
... and Ram's internal panic only increased. Her hands became closed and immobile, and looking ahead like a machine, provided an equally robotic answer.
"You are excused for today, Anry." Ram responded like a movie robot.
"But already? Like this? I know it's my first day, but this- "He was interrupted.
"Excused. Now. Not another word. " She continued.
"Okay ... If so ... Fine!"
Ryan dropped the cleaning equipment, walking in the opposite direction of the corridor, crossing the path Ram had originally emerged from. When he reached the end of the corridor, about to turn to the right, the boy looked back, and ...
"There's a little puree on your cheek ...!" He said, before finally disappearing.
And Ram locked in place, seeing that it had been discovered a long time ago, and that she created a great self-sabotage after all.
She was tricked, deceived, backstabbed.
"Damn Anry ... Tomorrow you will work like a condemned ..."
Meanwhile, Ryan wondered how much she resembled a T-800 at that time, and decided to spend the rest of the day training.
/ FLASHBACK END /
Ryan laughed a little at the whole situation. He knew that Ram would want a payback for all this, and decided that this was what he would do in return.
Already dressed in his butler attire, he opened the doors to his room, and ...
"But what is it, I suppose ?! How do you manage to merely open any door you want and come to the Forbidden Archive like that ?! "
He was received by a room several times larger than a mere corridor, and especially by the person who rules the space. He learned from the residents of the mansion that Beatrice is the current caretaker of the place.
Looking around a little, Ryan realized he didn't even bother to try to feel the Magic in the door that morning, as he was in such a hurry. He raised a hand, greeting Beatrice.
"Good morning, Beatrice! Don't you think this is a good time to go out and get some fresh air? " All the while, Beatrice just left wherever she was for mealtime.
During dinner, Emilia told him how rare it was to see Beatrice outside the Forbidden Archive, and attributed this to Ryan's presence.
"Your presence has renewed the mansion's air, Ryan!" That's what Emilia said.
Ryan threatened to enter the Archives, only to be stopped by a request from Beatrice.
"Stop, mortal! Don't you dare come a step closer, I suppose ...! " She held out an open palm to him.
Looking at that, Ryan immediately paused his progress around the room, watching Beatrice's desperate face.
"What's the matter with you? Are you feverish or something? Don't you want to go out for care? " He asked, noticing deep red on Beatrice's cheeks.
"Don't be silly, mortal ...! A Great Spirit like Betty doesn't feel sick, I suppose ...! Now, do as Betty orders and leave the room, in fact ...! "
Throughout the process, Beatrice avoided looking at him for some reason, but the redness on her face and the apparent despair did not change a bit.
"Uh ... Beatrice! -"
"Just get out ...!"
She prepared a telekinetic wave with her Magic, aiming it at Ryan ...
... ... ...
"Hey! That was not cool! If you want me to go out that much, that's fine! But you don't have to be so aggressive about it! "
... ... ...
Beatrice's eyes widened when she saw what happened. Ryan had canceled her attack somehow. He was intact, and had not moved a single inch by means of her power.
"I am going, I am going! You don't have to aim any blow! " He made his way to the exit, holding his head in a defensive posture.
Beatrice once again held out her hand, this time, for a different reason ... A part of her wanted him to stay a little longer ... But she would never allow herself to say that.
And so, the boy left the Forbidden Archive without the girl spirit being able to say a single word.
"That girl ..." Ryan sighed hard as he closed the door.
And then, he opened it again ...
"Uh ... please? Can you dispel this door for me, I ask? "
Once again, the place was the Forbidden Archive. Beatrice had not moved the door, and when she realized that Ryan had opened it again, she gripped her black book more tightly.
"S-sure, I suppose ..." She looked to the side, making her cream-colored drills move.
"I appreciate it ..." Ryan once again closed the door, opening it a third time.
...
"Uhm ... Talking to you is cool and everything ... But then? When am I going to be able to get out of here? " He raised both hands in question.
Beatrice let out an "Aaah!" soft when she realized that she had not carried out the replacement of the Door Crossing for the third time. And the door closed on its own due to her telekinetic strength.
"Well ... let's try!" Ryan opened the door again. "Ah, yes now! Thank you, Beatrice! " He said, just to himself ... "Time to start the service and-"
"Ghk ...! That feeling again ... "
As soon as he crossed the door, [Danger Sense] activated for the first time that day, sending that terrible shock around the young man's entire body.
"Good Morning. How long do you plan to stand still like an ice statue? " That voice caught his attention.
Ryan looked to the left, still breathing with a little too much speed. Placing a hand on his chest, he tried to greet the person standing there.
"Ah ... Good morning ... Please try not to do that anymore, Rem ... I almost died now."
The blue-haired, blue-eyed maid remained stoic as usual. The maid's sky-colored strands and iris held a strange glow, which only added to her intimidating appearance, since the rest of her face was almost completely shaded by her haircut.
Ryan's room was located in front of a window, but the light that came in at that time of the day was still too scarce, too weak to reflect so strongly.
Rem was looking at him coldly. All day yesterday, she had shown no expression. However, what bothered Ryan most was the fact that it was not an ordinary expressionless look, but one that overflowed with constant animosity.
"Rem certainly has some very deep feelings against me ... Now, what would that be?" He came to the final conclusion. His suspicions had already been proved too much.
"I wished so." She answered. "Hurry up. The day is about to begin. " She turned in the other direction and started walking.
Following her toward the kitchen, Ryan decided to ask about something.
"What about Ram? Is she awake yet? "
Upon hearing that, however, Rem froze in place, becoming almost the very "ice statue" she thought he was.
"Rem? Everything is fine?"
...
"Yes. Rem is fine. Rem's beloved sister is asleep and will soon be awake. She works a lot and needs to rest. " She replied, like a programmed machine.
"I see ... But in that case, aren't you the one who should be sleeping? To be honest, I hardly see Ram doing anything, but you're always working, Rem. "
The sound of a huge swallow of saliva echoed down the hall in that second.
"Rem doesn't need to rest."
Ryan didn't know, but Rem had to restrain herself on a planetary scale from trying to kill him that very second ... After all, how does a Witch Cultist have the courage to say that sister does nothing ...?
She wanted to kill him more than anything right now ... Strangle him, choke him, drown him, beat him, crush him ... Make him openly say all the things he was hiding from the residents of the place, show what he really is for everyone ...
"Sister ..." Rem thought to himself, remembering that tragedy, the day when happiness of her sister was taken away ...
Ah, she wants to send this boy, so dumb-looking, that makes a fool of himself to try forming something with them ... Back to the depths he should never have left ...
... ... ...
"So, Rem. What will today's breakfast be? " He asked, consciously suppressing his ability to detect danger, at least for the moment.
"We will have fruit tart, accompanied by tea." Rem replied coldly.
"I see ..." Ryan just accepted. "Doesn't this place know anything but tea ?!"
/
Time Skip
" Huh ... That looks great." Ryan complimented Rem's work.
Without saying a word in response, Rem removed the fruit tart from the oven. A very good odor emanated continually from the dried fruits, baked in a sweet and smooth-looking dough.
"It looks great and must taste great too ...! It's a pity for me, I think ... " Ryan thought of one of his biggest impediments.
Rem opened the kitchen window, putting the tart there to cool. During the whole process, the atmosphere between the two had been extremely uncomfortable. Every time Ryan tried to start a conversation, he was repudiated with absolute silence or with a monosyllabic response. Rem didn't really want to become at least a little friendlier with him.
Not knowing what to do, and seeing that his company was unwanted by his co-worker, he decides to leave and look for something else to do.
... ... ...
" Yo, Ram."
On the way out, he met Ram, but, she was not as usual ...
"Anry, get out of Ram's way right now and go do your day's activities."
"Ram, what the hell happened to you ...?"
The pink maid was almost unrecognizable. Ram's hair was disorganized, in a way that can be worse than that of a person who just got out of bed. The hairs jumped all over the place, as if she had been electrically shocked.
It wasn't just that. The state of her face was more cadaverous, without its usual shine, and a pair of dark circles were made below the two eyes now perfectly visible.
"No ... It can't be that ..." Ryan considered.
He pointed to Ram, who just looked at him like a dead fish.
"Don't tell me that a single day of actual work is really capable of doing this to you ...?!" He asked, connecting the dots on Ram's condition.
In a single response, Ram strangely laughed, which only made the boy more curious ... And at the same time intimidated, after all, if one thing he learned is that Ram doesn't laugh at many things ...
"Anry, today Ram will not touch a single speck of dust. You will clean the entire ground floor, alone, as a payback for what you did. " She said, entering the kitchen with the face of someone who did a great thing.
"Well, guess it's only fair ..." Ryan thought, snapping his neck to expel the final tiredness.
The morning shift was yet to happen, and that would be after breakfast, which hadn't happened yet, so Ryan had some time to wander around the mansion.
"I think I'll take a look around ..."
He started walking, looking at the number of doors he cut never seemed to stop ...
"I'm having war flashbacks right now ..." He remembered what happened to Beatrice and his Sacred Power. "I hope I never have to go through that again ... I spent yesterday quite literally as a depressed person."
Noticing an accumulation of Mana on a door, he quickly concluded that it must be Beatrice. She connects doors at random, but he was always able to find them, thanks to his large extrasensory capacity.
Ryan opened the door, and ...
" Yo, Bea-"
... ... ...
It was for just a second ... But that alone was more than enough to make that image burn in his mind ...
... ... ...
"..." Ryan leaned against the nearest wall, sitting on the floor.
The door no longer had Magic. Beatrice had moved her Door Crossing at the last second, before he could open it. Something about this situation made him feel that it was almost on purpose ...
Inside that room, for a lapse of a second, he saw something he will never forget. A simply incredible thing, to say the least ...
Emilia changing clothes.
He started to sweat bullets at the sight, visibly shaking ... There are no terms that are capable of describing the feeling that the young man experienced. An explosion of pure silver light, clear as snow ...
"You didn't see anythi ~ ng ...!" Ryan imitated Roswaal's accent as he walked away.
It was simply too much for him. His weak, lowly being wouldn't bear it ... And knowing so, he just went away, as fast as he could. After taking a couple deep breaths, he judged himself fine.
"... I think I'm better now ... Anyway, breakfast is about to start, so I should just-"
"Oh hello ~! I see you are up early, Ryan-Kun? " Roswaal emerged from the end of the corridor, as always showing that wide smile.
"Oh, Lord Roswaal ... Of course! It is the duty of an employee to keep his responsibilities up to date ...! Anyway, breakfast is already served. If you wish, you can go to the dining room ...! "
Roswaal's smile had not wavered in the slightest at all, and he only nodded in confirmation, yet he did not fail to provide a comment on the strange way his employee behaved.
"Ryan-Kun, i appreciate you ~ r good work, however, are you fee ~ ling fine?" Roswaal indicated the boy's face by pointing at his own and making circular movements.
"Oh ...! About that ... Yes, I'm perfectly fine! Why the doubt, may I ask? "
"Nothing at a ~ ll! You just seemed like you've seen ~ n something quite ... Exhilariating, is that the right wo ~ rd? "
Before Ryan could answer, the clown just gave him a wink, then headed towards the dining room.
"I hope you keep up the goo ~ d work, Ryan-Kun!" He said, before turning in the hall to the left and disappearing.
But, Ryan couldn't stop imagining how much Roswaal was in fact someone who was a little too suspicious ...
"This guy is weird ... How did he know I saw something ...?"
"Anyway ... I guess I should be back to work now. These floors won't be sweeping themselves ...! Or will they? " Ryan pondered how deeply is this world affected by Magic.
/
Time Skip
Emilia was more focused than ever in her life. On her study table, the various thick books on the most diverse subjects, all with the common relation to her post as possible future King, were stacked on top of each other, all over the gently polished wood.
The half-elf girl with silver hair worked like this every day, always trying to do her best ... But today, ah, today was different! After all, she had just made a promise ...
And promises mean a lot to a Spiritual Arts user, like her.
Looking through the window to see a blue sky, almost devoid of clouds, the young woman with big eyes, wide, like the most beautiful purple jewels, thought about what had happened yesterday.
She thought of that touch, that mere exchange of a tiny amount of body heat, but that meant so much, after all, outside the formalities - as in the case of Julius - no one else had touched her in that way, so nonchalantly, so friendly... so honest with their intentions.
The boy's smile had been burned in the depths of her mind, formed a drawing there, a painting, something she would never forget. That so gentle smile ...
"... Why did it feel like you were in so much pain, Ryan ...?"
She could see. It was still a warm, welcoming smile ... But at the same time, Emilia paid attention to the lines between that, what she managed to feel from that smile ...
She couldn't describe how, but the young centenary girl saw things that shouldn't be there. It was a kind smile, but it gave the impression of having seen a lot ... It was beautiful, but full of scars ... It was youthful, but even so it seemed to be so old and tired ...
She felt a different pressure on that touch, a slight tremor, barely noticeable, and those eyes, the same colors as hers, but so ...
"Rigid ..." She spoke to herself, letting a word subtly escape the wind.
Each question that was asked only generated others. What would he have lived until he got to where he is, next to her, working at the mansion? Why does he have such an old and mature expression, even though he does not appear to be even 20 years old?
"... I think I should go back to studying." Emilia realized that asking more questions would only continue with the cycle of doubts, and that therefore she should stop and do what she promised.
"He also doesn't seem to want to talk about it ..."
A few seconds pass, and with Emilia easily absorbed in her studies on the geography of Lugunica ...
... ... ...
"For the best King of the Dragon Kingdom."
"Huh ?!"
Emilia was a little startled to hear the sound of that voice speaking. She was so focused that she didn't even notice the sound of the steps belonging to the person behind that gesture. Jumping off the study table, she stared at the glass cup, which contained an opaque, greenish-colored, rather pale drink. At the top of the glass, there was what Emilia thought was a white cloud.
She turned around, realizing who was there.
"You didn't even notice me coming in! Keep it up and you'll be able to really become the best King! Good morning, Emilia. "
It was him, the mysterious boy, the one he had been thinking about not long ago. He held a tray for serving drinks, now empty after the event.
"Oh, Ryan ...! Good Morning! As you can see, I'm trying really hard! I will become the best King! " Emilia reiterated her promise, raising her closed fists at the height of her neck as a sign of determination.
For this, Ryan decided to sit next to him, pulling out a chair for himself.
"It is good to know that you are living by your promise. I am too, Miss Emilia! " He revealed, with a somewhat humorous facial expression, positioning and way of speaking, forcing his tone of voice to sound like an elderly and wise butler, one of those seen in films.
Emilia tried to hide her brief laugh with the palm of her hand, then looking at the glass of strange content, taking it for herself and analyzing it.
"Uhm… Ryan, what is this? I've never seen this drink before ... "She soon announced her curiosity, trying to taste a little.
"...!" With the mere touch of the creamy drink with her taste buds, Emilia's pointed ears rose and her eyes almost sparkled in the literal sense. "This is delicious...!"
"Glad you liked it! This is one of my first inventive endeavors in this worl- i mean, in this place! ... I call it 'smoothie'! " Ryan announced like an inventor talking about their newest contraption.
And then he proceeded to explain, proud of what he did, to Emilia who was just delighted in extreme appreciation with the creamy drink, of wonderful consistency and flavor.
"A fruit of preference, in this case, I used an avocado ... Add that to a glass of milk, a little sugar, an appa, some grapes, and that's it! Just add chantilly for decoration and it's done. " He explained.
"And what is that cloud in the glass? It tastes sweet and good! Is that chanteely? " She questioned.
"Chant- i -lly. Yes, exactly. Basically they are egg whites and sugar ... But, going straight to the point, I brought this to bribe you into studying if you weren't doing it, but I see that it was not necessary. " He announced his true intentions.
Emilia puffed out her cheeks, finishing the last sip of her smoothie in a hurry.
"Ryan, you are a bad boy!"
"You don't seem very convincing with that-" Ryan extended his index finger to Emilia's face, removing an amount of chantilly that had accumulated there. "-On your cheek!"
And then, much to Emilia's surprise, he brought his index finger to his mouth.
"Eh... Awful as always." Ryan thought to himself, forcing himself not to vomit with the taste of the albumin, sucrose and vitamin B6 molecules combined.
Ignoring Emilia's embarrassed face with the gesture, he stood up, took the glass and prepared to leave the half-elf's room.
"Good studies, Emilia! Then, I want you to tell me everything you've learned! " He opened the door.
"Of course...! Oh, and I also want to see how your training is going! " She tried to answer as quickly as she could.
Ryan was about to leave, but before doing that, he decided to question Emilia about something.
"Emilia ... Are you going to want puree for lunch?"
The question was met with considerable doubt by her, who just tilted her head to the side.
" 'Pour-e' ...? I'm not sure what that is, but if it's a new recipe of yours, I'm sure it will be delicious! I reeeealy liked the smoothie, so I want to taste it too! " She answered sincerely.
"I see ... So, I'm going ... I'll see you at lunch ..." Ryan looked at the floor, looking at him as if something interesting was there.
"See you, Ryan!" Emilia flashed one more of her virgin-killer smiles, but Ryan was too deep down his consciousness to pay it any mind.
He closed the door, then looking straight ahead, trying to understand what happened.
"Wait a minute ... ... ... Ram ...!"
He remembered the pink maid's newfound compulsion for the food made with potatoes, milk and some spices. So she had eaten everything ...
Ryan couldn't believe the theory he just came up with ... "So that's why no one talked about the puree?!"
"Ram ...!"
/
The place was peaceful, almost too quiet ... With the exception of the broom coming and going to make contact with the refined marble floor, there was really nothing that could hinder that silence ...
"Ram ...!"
The door flew open, revealing the figure of a boy in butler's clothing, entering that room full of soap all over the floor.
Still taking some care with that, he slid a little until he managed to cling to one of the pillars of the place, even so, not sparing himself to remember the reason why he was there.
"Anry, loud and useless as always. What have you come to do? Pester Ram to help him with his work, because he thinks it's too much? "
Without the slightest interest, the pink-haired maid just kept cleaning the floor of one of the several bath rooms in the immense mansion, purposefully ignoring the boy's expression, which carried a mixture of fury and sheer frustration.
"No way, Ram! I even finished everything I had to do! " Hearing this from his mouth, Ram felt a little surprised. "I come here to get satisfaction from whoever ate all the puree yesterday!"
With that, Ram tried to provide an answer as quickly as possible, without judging herself as the culprit.
"So what? Ram thinks you should stop pestering her with your stupid questions and find that person. "
"Don't make a fool of yourself, 2 gigabytes...! Who had the brilliant idea of 'watching the puree' while I was training ?! " Ryan pointed an accusing finger at Ram, being careful not to let himself hold on to the pillar.
"Ram doesn't understand what he said, but coming from Anry, it's certainly obnoxious, stupid, disgusting and degrading ... Ah, wait, Ram was just referring to Anry's being itself."
"Stop acting like I am and not here at the same time and answer my question ... Did you eat all the puree ?!"
For that, Ram stopped mopping the floor, looking at him for a brief second with his serious expression.
"Yeah."
"Just like that ?!"
"Ram had to make sure that nothing was added to the composition from time to time. A butler like you, so suspicious, could very well tamper with the food. All Ram did was make sure it didn't happen. "
"Nice excuse for such a reprehensible behavior ...! Because of you, no one else has tasted it! "
" Heh." Ram just laughed with her most swindling face, knowing that she ended all possible trust and reputation that Ryan could have earned from day one.
Knowing that Ram would not really give in, and would only reflect or divert matters, he decided to lead himself to ask.
"Shouldn't you be doing nothing today? Why are you working? " He raised the point that Ram said she had no services for today.
"Ram needs to show good example, but, being honest. Ram just didn't want to have to see your face during the day in the halls, so she came to work. "
This time, it was Ryan's time to laugh, and being careful, he slid across the soapy floor, clinging to the pillars of the place, until he reached where Ram is.
"This looks like a Pokémon ice puzzle ..." He thought. "So, it looks like you weren't so lucky! ... I decided to stay on your feet for a while, to your unhappiness ... Let me help you with that. "
Ryan took the scrub from Ram's hands, jumping into the real pool that was made there, starting to scrub the interior, while the maid changed roles, now pouring water on the floors, to remove the soap.
After a few minutes of work, Ram commented on Ryan's work.
"Horrible. Your work still has a lot to improve. " She said, even though she saw that he cleaned perfectly.
His deep breath was what she heard in response, before the boy looked up and said.
"I quit! I barely get to the place, and you and your sister are already shooting a thousand and one Demons at me! " Ryan said.
That comment caused a strange reaction in Ram, who, somewhat moved, decides to ask.
"'A thousand and one Demons ...?'"
"It is a popular expression ... Not really. I just created right now. " Ryan replied.
A brief silence rested on the place ...
"Anry ... Have you ever met a Demon?" Ram asked, sitting on the edge of the pool, watching him do his job.
"Never. Where I come from, Demons are not real. They are mere people's beliefs, simple fairy tales ... Why the sudden curiosity? " He stopped for an instant to carry out his activities.
Looking at Ram's face, Ryan realized that she was looking at a distant point in the room, and immediately imagined something.
"If this were a movie, a breeze would have already managed to get into this room and blow her hair out ..." Ryan thinks to himself, remembering a recurring cliché from his world.
"And how are the Demons of your world? How are these fairy tales? " She asked.
"Well ..." Ryan put a hand on his chin, thinking. "There are several connotations for the name 'Demon' where I come from ... The vast majority of them refer to ethereal beings, immortal and of an evil nature, who hold enormous power over the minds of mortals, leading them to commit atrocities, lying, and things like that ... "
Ram just responded with silence, still looking forward, but with a look not as bright as the previous one.
"... But, I always thought that was very silly. People want to feel special, beloved ... Perfect, even ... And because of that, they create all kinds of things to justify their mistakes. I never believed in that type of Demon. Humanity is evil in itself, it makes violence, wars and suffering ... All by itself. It is a strong superiority complex to think that something external is responsible for our failures. "
With that, Ram seemed to light up a little, looking at Ryan with thinly parted lips.
"So you don't believe in that conception?"
"Definitely not."
Ryan couldn't see it, but Ram smiled a little after hearing that. Seconds later, she asked another question.
"What about the other conceptions? Which are they?"
"In certain places, Demons are called Oni, and in this context, they abandon their Machiavellian and evil-dispersing characteristics, and in certain situations they are even treated as protective figures! If I were to find one, I would prefer it to be one of that type. "
... ... ...
"Anry ... Do you like demons?"
Upon hearing that question, Ryan smiled a little, looking at the floor, ceasing his activities.
"Well ... The Gods, who are supposed to protect the world, don't usually do anything. They are only a bunch of entitled children who would rather watch the world become a sitting duck for destruction than actually do anything to help, and the Angels aren't all that better either ... Just a handful of humorless, order-following robots ... Man, angels are douches ...! They don't even get jokes! They just obey and obey, fly around and destroy, no matter how many would need to die in that process ... "
Noticing that he was leaking too many details about his own life, Ryan decided to change the focus.
"... So, following this logic, I assume that the Demons would be very nice people to meet! I would like to meet one, someday ... "
A brief smile was made on Ram's face. For the first time, Ryan realized this.
"Ram?"
"Let's finish this, shall we? Ram is tired of being here. "
"Heh, of course!"
And so, the two concluded cleaning the place, completing the day's work.
AUTHOR NOTES
So yeah, everyone. In case someone didn't get it yet, this IS an (OP OC x Re:Zero Cast) Fanfic. I beg of you patience. Huge changes are coming.