# Chapter 7: "Gratitude"
"...This is a nightmare."
Such words escape my lips without thinking. Yes, if only this were a dream that would end. How wonderful it would be if this were some sort of mistake. But it's not a dream. The proof is right there—the mirror reflects reality back at me.
My face wearing a listless expression as if the world were ending. Messy hair with bed head, shabby pajamas. Looking closer, there are even dark circles under my eyes. In my over five hundred years of living, this is undoubtedly the worst morning I've ever had.
(*Why did this happen...!? Of course, it's all that damn hero's fault...!*)
My still-drowsy mind recalls last night's events. In the end, I was manipulated by the hero and forced to read through all those magic books. That alone would have been tolerable. The problem was that hero. He kept talking incessantly while I was trying to read the magic books. Where he got the books, what they could be used for—an endless parade of useless information. It was almost suspicious enough to qualify as harassment. Eventually, he must have noticed my irritation because he went to bed first. I could have stopped then, but somehow that felt like losing. And I couldn't predict what he might say next. If I ended up being ordered to do it, that would defeat the purpose. So I ended up struggling with those magic books until morning.
(*He seems... to be gone. Thank goodness... I'd be nauseated if I had to see his face first thing after waking up...*)
Looking around the room, there's no sign of the hero. He must have woken up earlier and gone somewhere. A stroke of luck. If only he would just go somewhere—no, if only he would run away—but that's wishful thinking. With the binding of servitude, that's impossible. I haven't tried, but I probably can't leave this village. Conversely, this means the hero is still in the village. In other words, I'm like a beast on an invisible chain. A pitiful existence that can't even properly be a pet. I try to look away from this reality as I prepare myself in the washroom. Washing my face, fixing my hair, putting on clothes. No different from humans—a mimicry meant to deceive them. The only difference is that now I'm not even allowed to deceive.
(*Is this... breakfast...?*)
After finishing my grooming, I notice food placed on the table. A breakfast centered around fruit, with water. Judging from the height of the sun shining through the window, it might be lunch rather than breakfast, but that's beside the point. I take one of the fruits and bite into it carelessly. It's not bad, but not particularly delicious either. Just chewing and filling my stomach. A far cry from true predation—the act of devouring humans. As a demon, that desire remains unfulfilled. Eating humans is now forbidden. We demons don't necessarily need to eat humans to survive. We won't starve to death. But I don't know what will happen if I go without eating humans for an extended period. I have no appetite, but beggars can't be choosers. As I continue eating in silence,
"Good morning, Aura! Looks like you're finally awake!"
An even more appetite-ruining presence appears. It's truly irritating. I'm almost suspicious that he's doing this on purpose, it's so annoying.
"...Yes, thanks to someone, I slept well. Though it's already noon."
"Ah, don't worry about it. Starting the day at noon was a daily occurrence because of Frieren, so I'm used to it."
My sarcasm doesn't faze him at all. He probably doesn't even realize it was sarcasm. Yet he still tries to provoke me. He seems to have misunderstood from yesterday's incident that mentioning Frieren's name will rile me up. It's truly irritating. Why should I be toyed with by some elf? And how does that even work for traveling? I suppress the urge to question this and finish my meal.
"? Are you done already? Was it not to your liking?"
"No. But I just lost my appetite."
"I see... maybe you prefer meat? Is there anything you like?"
"...Not particularly. Don't worry about it, I can eat this."
The hero misunderstands why I stopped eating and mutters to himself, lost in his own world. When asked about my favorite food, I almost answer "human children" but hold my tongue. No matter what kind of hero he is, I shouldn't say anything careless. It's a bit late for this concern, but it's better not to arouse suspicion.
Amid these thoughts, I suddenly notice something. The hero's appearance is different from yesterday. I must not have noticed earlier because it was such an insignificant detail.
"Finally noticed, huh? Well, what do you think? Don't I look handsome in this outfit too?"
"Sure... why don't you look in that mirror over there? I'm sure you'll see something interesting."
I ignore the hero posing as if he'd been waiting for this moment and clear away my breakfast. What kind of torture is this, being shown such a sight first thing after waking up? I truly couldn't care less, but he probably won't stop unless I acknowledge it, so I reluctantly play along. At this point, it's hard to tell who's the master and who's the servant.
"So...? What's with that ridiculous outfit?"
I take another look at his appearance. It's not the clothes he usually wears, but light clothing like what ordinary villagers wear. He's not carrying his hero's sword either. The most conspicuous thing is his head. A straw hat sits atop it. It doesn't suit him at all.
"I'm not being ridiculous. I told you yesterday, it's work. This is preparation for that! Now, shall we go?"
He apparently has no intention of listening to my opinion from the start. The hero hurries me along. In this situation, I have no right to refuse. Like a dog pulled by its owner, I'm led out of the room without knowing the reason or destination—
"Looks like everyone's already gathered."
Before I know it, I've been led out of the inn to the edge of the village. There's an overgrown wasteland stretching out. No, looking closer, there are traces of human intervention. Surrounding it are villagers. Not just one or two, but old and young, men and women. Almost the entire village seems to be present.
"What is this?"
"Can't you tell by looking? It's fieldwork. The whole village is going to till a new field."
"Hmm..."
I notice the hero is now holding farming tools. When did that happen? I see, this might suit him better. It definitely suits him more than being a hero. While I'm thinking this,
"Oh, you really came, Hero. Thank you. But are you sure? For us, it's already too much of an honor that you're staying in our village."
"Of course. I've heard that monsters and bandits have been increasing in this area lately. Since I'm imposing on your village, this much is only natural."
An elderly man totters over and begins conversing with the hero. Content that has nothing to do with me and doesn't interest me. Come to think of it, I recognize this human. That's right, he's the village elder. It's always difficult to distinguish between humans. It's like how humans can't tell animals apart. Normally, I wouldn't need to remember this. There's no need to pay attention to food that will soon be gone after being eaten.
"Hero, that person there is..."
"Ah, you might not recognize her. I'm planning to have her, Aura, help with the work too. Is that alright?"
"...Yes, if that's what you wish, Hero. I'll inform the villagers myself."
The hero and the elder are whispering about something. What is he plotting now? But there's nothing I can do right now. Then,
"How are you? Did you sleep well last night?"
"Huh...?"
The human village elder addresses me. I don't understand. Yesterday he was controlled by me and almost killed, yet he still talks to me without learning his lesson. Does this one lack learning ability? Even as a predator, I'm concerned about his stupidity.
"...He's showing concern for you. You should respond properly."
The hero whispers a command, apparently displeased with my attitude. It's annoying, but I have no choice but to obey. So,
"...Unfortunately, I barely slept. Thanks to someone who wouldn't let me sleep."
"!? Aura, what are you—"
"...Hero?"
I decide to get back at him in the most effective way possible. I'm not lying. It's unlike a demon, but I'm only telling the truth. The effect is immediate. The hero is flustered and trying to explain himself. Serves him right.
But then I notice something—the gazes from the other villagers. Unlike the hero and the village elder, they look at me with suspicion and disgust.
"Those horns... she really is a demon."
"What is the elder thinking... and the hero too, bringing a demon into the village."
Whether they know I can hear them or not, I hear such conversations and words. I'm relieved. Apparently only this village elder is strange. This is the natural relationship between humans and demons. Hunters and prey. Predator and food. That's how it should be. If I were at full strength, I would strangle and devour them all, but that's impossible now. Nothing could be more abominable.
"Aura..."
Before I know it, the hero has returned and is looking at me with a somewhat puzzled expression. I let my guard down. My attitude and aura must have shown without me realizing. Before I can think of how to smooth things over,
"Ah, it really is the big sister from before! You really did come to the village!"
A child wearing a straw hat comes running toward us. Even I can't forget this one. Like the village elder, one of the foolish humans who couldn't understand that I'm a demon.
"Yes... so you're here to do this work too?"
"Don't call me 'you'! My name is Shutoro! I'm glad you made up with the hero!"
"Made up...?"
The child buzzes around me like a fly, saying things I don't understand. It's not that I don't understand the phrase "made up." What I don't understand is why such a phrase would apply between me and the hero. I'm starting to doubt whether this is really a living creature, given such thought processes.
"—Ah, this sister and I made up and became friends. She promised not to do bad things anymore. She's going to help with the fieldwork today too."
"What? What are you saying—"
"Really!? That's great! Everyone in the village was saying that we shouldn't be friends with big sister. But if the hero says so, then it must be okay! Let's work hard together!"
Before I can object, the child waves and quickly runs off to join the other villagers. I can only be dumbfounded by such spontaneity. What makes him so happy about this?
"...Fine, whatever. So? I just need to do this fieldwork, right? Hurry up and give me the tools."
I resign myself and make this demand of the hero. Further conversation would just be a waste of time. It's better to get it over with quickly. But,
"? You don't need tools. You're a magic user, after all."
The hero shows an expression that says "what are you talking about?" and ruins what little motivation I had left.
"What are you saying? Are you making fun of me again?"
"Of course not. Magic, I'm talking about magic. What do you think I gave you those magic books for? To use them for fieldwork, of course."
"—What?"
I'm at a loss for words again. No, I'm completely dumbfounded. At myself for doing something so pointless, and at the selfish hero in front of me.
"'Magic to Pull Weeds' and 'Magic to Till Soil.' They were in the magic books, weren't they? With those, even you can do fieldwork."
With those words, I finally understand what the hero wanted me to do. But how could I have known? The very idea of using magic for fieldwork is not something I would think of. I've never seen or heard of any demon doing such a thing. Probably only humans would do that. That's fine. It's practically degrading noble magic, but it's still within the realm of understanding. What I can't understand is:
"—Then, I only needed to learn those two spells?"
Why did I need to master all the spells in the magic books? What was the point of all those mountains of magic books I stayed up all night to read through?
Silent stillness. The hero's eyes are wide open. Yes, with an expression as if he just realized it. No doubt about it. This guy definitely didn't think this through.
"—Alright, let's get started! Everyone, sorry to keep you waiting! Let us join you!"
The hero shoulders his farming tools and leaves, acting as if nothing happened. I'm left behind. I have no words left.
(*—Remember this.*)
Someday I will settle this grudge. I make that deep vow in my heart—
(*Finally, it's over...*)
The time is already approaching evening. I heave a big sigh and lower my shoulders. Before me is no longer an overgrown wasteland, but a newly tilled field without a single weed. I'm not sure if this is correct, but judging from the villagers' reactions, it seems to be fine.
It was like a storm. Despite various twists and turns, if I could use magic, there shouldn't have been any problem. I quickly realized that my calculation that it would be over quickly was wrong.
Because of how difficult it was to use civilian magic.
Magic is about imagination. Magic power and skill level matter too, but without imagination, you can't use magic at all. And what I was trying to do was pull weeds and till soil. The results were obvious. I couldn't distinguish between weeds and other plants, so I pulled up plants that shouldn't have been removed; I couldn't control the intensity and made holes all over the field. The hero seemed to enjoy teasing me about this. I somehow managed to continue working, being taught by the straw hat child how to identify weeds and till soil, but the hero kept provoking me with talk of competition. It's hard to tell which one of us is the child. Yet, his work is frighteningly fast, which makes it even worse. In the end, the hero and I ended up doing most of the work, leaving the villagers aside.
"Not bad. You might have overtaken me in the latter half. But I'd say it's a draw overall?"
"...Do whatever you want."
I don't even have the energy to properly respond to the seemingly satisfied hero nodding to himself. This might be worse than poring over magic books. That's how exhausted I feel. I just want to go back and rest, when:
"Um..."
"Hm?"
I hear the unfamiliar voice of a girl, or rather, a female child. Looking over, there's the village elder and a girl peeking at me from behind him. She seems about the same age as the straw hat child. Come to think of it, I felt someone watching me several times during the fieldwork. I thought there was no danger so I ignored it, but maybe that was naive. As I'm thinking this,
"T-this...!"
For some reason, she nervously holds something out to me. What could it be?
"...What is that?"
It was a flower. Just an ordinary white flower. Come to think of it, I think there were similar flowers among the plants growing there. But I don't understand. Why is she giving it to me? Does she want me to plant it? Not understanding her intention, I can only stare at the flower being held out to me.
"...She's giving it to you, Aura. It's probably a thank you for helping with the work. Right?"
Despite my confusion, the hero explains with a seemingly pleased smile. The girl nods slightly, whether because he was correct or not. I still don't understand. Why should I be thanked? I just worked because the hero ordered me to. This child shouldn't have any connection to me. Without finding an answer, I take the flower as instructed. A small white flower that fits in the palm of my hand.
"At times like this, you say 'thank you.'"
"Thank you...?"
"A word of gratitude."
Gratitude. The word "thank you" that I've never used before. I understand the concept. But why gratitude in this situation? Why should I express gratitude for something I never asked for? I don't understand.
Before I know it, the girl has hidden behind the village elder again. The hero murmurs something about her being shy, but I couldn't care less. All I have are questions. What meaning could this flower possibly have?
"Well then, Hero, we'll excuse ourselves first. Thank you very much for today. I express our gratitude on behalf of the village."
"The pleasure is mine. Please let me know if there's anything else I can help with."
The hero and the village elder are again having an exchange I don't understand. An interaction where neither is superior, not based on commands. Is that gratitude? Or something else? I still don't have the answer. A demon like me couldn't possibly understand human emotions anyway.
"Alright, then let's head back..."
But suddenly, I remember something—
—In an instant, white flowers bloomed everywhere.
I could only hold my breath. No, perhaps I forgot to breathe. That's how beautiful the flowers were. Ordinary, common white flowers. But perhaps because of that, I could see their petals glistening in the evening sun. Their sheer number added to the effect. Surely due to my inexperience with the spell, I couldn't control the magic power properly. A field of flowers that covered the entire area and more had been born in the village.
"—Beautiful."
I can't help but murmur. At the same time, I recall two memories. One is of a flower field I was shown when I wandered into a forest as a child. The other is of a flower field I saw with my companions. Both the same—scenery shown to me by the magic user I admired and cherished.
She isn't here now. Who knows where she is or what she's doing. Surely, she's continuing her journey to collect magic spells, unchanged.
Glancing over, I see a magic user who isn't her. Just looking at the flower field with boredom, without emotion. She just happened to get a flower and tried using the spell. That's all. She must be disappointed.
"Magic to Create a Flower Field"
One of the magic books I had been collecting, hoping to give it to her when we met again. Even though I knew she would say she already knew it, I couldn't let it go.
To Aura, it's a meaningless spell. But to me, it's the spell that first made me think magic could be beautiful—the spell that was the catalyst for meeting Frieren. That's why,
"—Thank you, Aura. This is my favorite magic."
I express my gratitude. Even if this magic means nothing to her, it's not the same for me. With the hope that even a fragment of my feelings would reach her.
"...Only a weird person like you would like such magic."
As expected, she scoffs with exasperation. But that's okay. Surely there will be more opportunities. Someday, we'll be able to laugh together about this scene, calling it trivial.
That was the end of Aura and Himmel's first day spent together in the village—and their beginning—