Chapter 11: "Affection"

"How is it? Quite lively, isn't it?"

Himmel spoke with pride as if it were all thanks to him. His quick transformation was remarkable—it was hard to believe he was the same person who had been sitting formally on the floor just moments ago. But I'll say nothing about that. More intriguing was the scene unfolding before me.

A crowd unlike any I had seen before. The bustling atmosphere resembled a village-wide festival. That might not be far from the truth. What made it different were the unfamiliar faces I hadn't seen in the past six months and the numerous unknown stalls.

"Today is one of the few days a year when traveling merchants come to the village. Since it's a special occasion, I wanted you to join in."

"I see... you could have just said so."

"I wanted to surprise you. Judging by your reaction, it seems I succeeded."

"Yes, I was certainly surprised by your eccentric behavior."

Himmel appeared satisfied that his plan had worked, but I was far more shocked by his earlier antics. I never had much patience for him, but this is what humans call "a hundred years of love cooling in an instant." Human literature can be quite accurate sometimes.

"By the way, where's Shtro? He seems to have disappeared."

"He's already run off. This is like a small festival for the children, after all."

I suddenly realized that Shtro, who had come with us, was nowhere to be seen. Human children truly cannot stay still. It's impressive they survive to adulthood. Even without being a demon, they could easily be devoured by monsters the moment one takes their eyes off them.

We continued touring the marketplace. There was a certain vibrancy—an atmosphere the village normally lacked—that I could feel on my skin. Though not swept up in it, I was somewhat intrigued. First were the traveling merchants, calling out loudly to gather villagers. People gathered like insects drawn to honey. And indeed, what was displayed resembled honey to humans: rare fruits, vegetables, clothing, and antiques—a veritable treasure trove. Most items held little value to me as a demon. They were curiosities, but nothing to get excited about like the villagers. At least, that's what I thought until—

"..."

My attention was suddenly captured. Though it was just for a brief moment—

"Did something catch your eye?"

Himmel, standing next to me, noticed immediately. I truly wonder how his intuition could be so frighteningly sharp.

"...It's nothing."

"That can't be true. Let me see... I understand! Excuse me, shopkeeper. May I take a look at these books?"

"Welcome! Please feel free."

"Thank you."

"Wait—!"

My denial came too late. Before I knew it, Himmel had obtained permission from the shopkeeper and begun rummaging through the books for sale. He was the embodiment of decisiveness. Was it because he was the hero, or simply because he was Himmel? Probably the latter. He completely ignored my protests and dove in as if on a treasure hunt. True, I had been captivated by the books, but why did he need to rush in? Moreover, I should be the one looking, not him. As I was marveling at his inability to understand something so simple, a few minutes later—

"Yes, I think these will do. What do you think? I tried to select books you might enjoy."

As if it were the most natural thing in the world, Himmel returned with his arms full of books he thought would interest me.

"How did you know...?!"

"What do you mean? It's obvious, isn't it? We've been living together for half a year."

Himmel responded to my astonishment as if it were nothing unusual. But this was clearly not normal. I could understand the magic tomes—after all, Himmel had forced me to read those from the beginning. But the others were different. Books related to the goddess's scriptures, law books, criminal codes. And despite the fact that some of the books for sale were ones I had already read, he had selected only those I hadn't yet encountered. Just how closely had he been watching me? Even as a demon, I knew this wasn't ordinary behavior.

"I see... I don't understand you at all."

"That's not true. But I'll try harder to let you know me better."

For some reason, despite my saying I didn't understand him, Himmel seemed pleased. I take back what I said. It would be impossible to understand him even with a hundred years. As I was thinking this—

"What?! Why is there a demon here?!"

Ah, that nostalgic human cry echoed throughout the area—

"It really is a demon! It has horns on its head!"

"Why is it in a human settlement...?! Someone, isn't there anyone who can fight?!"

Like howling echoes, the commotion spread. The merchants hurriedly backed away in fear. I observed their reaction somewhat detachedly. Yes, this was the normal response. The current situation was the anomaly. I should have been wearing a hood to conceal my horns in front of humans—my mistake. I had grown so relaxed that I forgot. It was as if I had forgotten I was a demon.

(What a fool I am.)

I could only mock myself. I was in no position to criticize Himmel. The fearful and disgusted gazes from humans—this was a demon's everyday reality. And yet, despite that, I felt something faint. A sensation I had never experienced before. I didn't understand what it was. Before I could realize what it might be, I was about to leave when—

"It's alright, merchant. That Aura doesn't attack humans. She's a good demon."

The voice of a villager whose face I recognized stopped me in my tracks.

"That's right. I'm sorry for startling you, but it can be surprising for newcomers. She's been in our village for about half a year now."

"And the hero is with her, so everything's fine. Isn't that right, hero?"

The villagers continued trying to calm the situation. I could only stare at them in bewilderment. It made no sense. Yes, the merchants were responding correctly. The villagers were the ones acting strangely. The proof was in the merchants' continued confusion. So why were the villagers defending me? How foolish could they be? Had they been enchanted by just living together for half a year? Why would they—

"Yes, as the hero, I vouch for her. Aura is a resident of this village."

As Himmel said this, he patted my head. I let him do so, too stunned to react. The merchants watched with a mixture of surprise and confusion.

"...Stop patting my head. It's annoying."

"Not to your liking?"

Suddenly coming to my senses, I brushed away the hero's hand, but it was too late. Now not only the merchants but also the villagers were giving me somewhat indulgent looks. The tense atmosphere from earlier had completely disappeared. If Himmel had planned this, he would be quite the strategist, but that wasn't the case. It must have been unconscious on his part. Even I could tell that much.

"I apologize. Let me make it up to you with these books as a gift."

"Are you sure? You're spending so much money. You don't have to force yourself."

"It's fine. I am the hero, after all. Even unemployed, I have plenty of reward money from the king."

"You're... still holding a grudge about that, aren't you?"

He had finally admitted it outright. I could only sigh as Himmel proudly declared his unemployment while bragging about his reward money. The marketplace had already returned to its original atmosphere. This must be what made Himmel a hero. A different presence from the Demon Lord, who had been at the pinnacle of demonkind—this was what defined the hero, the pinnacle of humanity. Not that it changed how I viewed Himmel.

What followed was a whirlwind of activities. I was dragged along to sample rare ingredients, somehow ended up buying Western attire like a corseted dress because "you need new clothes," and got caught up with children asking Himmel to demonstrate his sword techniques, which somehow led to me having to showcase newly learned folk magic.

"That was fun. This kind of thing isn't so bad once in a while."

"Sure... it was quite bothersome for me."

Himmel was in high spirits, having thoroughly enjoyed himself. I, on the other hand, was completely exhausted. It was a relief that this only happened a few times a year. If it were more frequent, I wouldn't be able to endure. As I was thinking about returning home to rest, Himmel suddenly stopped walking. I thought we had seen everything, but was there something else?

"...What is it now?"

In the direction of his gaze was a small stall. Looking closer, I saw accessories and ornaments that humans wore on display. Indeed, these were items rarely seen in this village. But they were fundamentally irrelevant to us. Yet—

"..."

The hero was staring at them with an unusually serious expression. It was different from the atmosphere just moments ago. Perhaps lost in thought, he didn't notice me at all. What had gotten into him?

"...? Is something wrong?"

"No... well, yes. Aura, you've accompanied me today, so I'd like to give you a present."

"What...? Why would you... You already bought me books, and I don't really—"

"Just accept it. I want to give you something. Wait here while I choose one!"

Without waiting for my reply, Himmel dashed off to the accessory stall like the wind. What was this about? To be frank, I had no interest in accessories. Unless they held magical value, the items in that shop were mere decorations. They didn't appeal to demons. I had already received the books I was interested in, so I didn't need anything else. But it was too late to stop him, so I reluctantly waited as instructed.

But it took forever. It felt like the longest wait of the entire day. I could see Himmel changing expressions like a person with a hundred faces while staring intently at the accessories. The shopkeeper looked perplexed. It was borderline business interference. As I stood there awkwardly—

"—Aura."

Something was placed around my neck. It was a necklace, an accessory. A simple silver ornament with a floral design.

"Yes, it suits you well, just as I thought."

"I see, how nice."

Himmel smiled joyfully as he looked at me wearing the accessory. It was a childlike, carefree smile. Faced with that, I forgot to complain about the wait. Well, I supposed it was fine occasionally. I had no intention of flattering him, but if his mood could be improved with something so trivial, it was a small price to pay. As I was thinking this—

"Hero, may I have a word? The traveling merchants would like to greet you..."

"I understand. Aura, I'm sorry, but please go home ahead of me. This might take a while."

"...Yes, I understand."

The previous atmosphere vanished completely. Himmel immediately assumed the air of a hero and headed toward the merchants. There would probably be diplomatic interactions of some sort. Nothing could be more troublesome. It had nothing to do with me, but on this point alone, I might sympathize with Himmel.

And so I was left alone. It truly had been a whirlwind of a day. All that remained was to return home as instructed. I absently touched the accessory gleaming at my chest. Indeed, it was nothing special, just a lump of metal. I wondered why Himmel had taken so long to choose it.

"Ah, big sister! So you came too..."

Suddenly, a voice called out to me. But it wasn't Shtro. It was a girl who, like Shtro, often came to play.

"It's Lily. What are you doing here?"

"I came shopping with my mother... Isn't the hero with you?"

"Himmel went somewhere with the merchants. He probably won't be back for a while."

"I see," said Lily, somewhat hesitantly. Perhaps it was because she was female, or just her personality. Despite both being children, Lily was completely different from Shtro. Though either way, they were both entities that consumed my time.

"...Big sister, what's that?"

"Oh, this? Is something wrong with it?"

"No, it suits you very well. It's a beautiful flower accessory."

"A flower, huh... Aren't all flowers the same?"

I said this while watching Lily's eyes sparkle for some reason. Yes, all flowers were the same, indistinguishable. It might even be more difficult than distinguishing between humans. At most, I could tell the difference in colors. Though with this silver metal accessory, even the color was indeterminate. However—

"They're not the same! Flowers have many differences! There's even something called flower language, and when you give someone a flower, the type of flower has different meanings!"

"I see... You're quite knowledgeable about flowers."

Where had her hesitation gone? Lily passionately explained about flowers. I was almost taken aback. Now that I remembered, this child loved flowers. She would often beg me to show her the flower field magic. But something intrigued me.

"Then... what kind of flower is this?"

"Eh? Um, I think the flower is a freesia. But... I-I'm sorry. I might not know its meaning in flower language..."

"I see. A freesia..."

"Ah, but the village chief might know. The chief has many books, and I've borrowed flower books from him before."

"Hmm..."

Lily looked apologetic, but I had gained some information. Apparently, this flower was called a freesia. However, I thought it unlikely that Himmel had considered something like flower language when giving this to me. At the same time, I remembered that Himmel also liked flowers. Unlike Lily, he had boasted that the flower field magic was his favorite spell. It wouldn't be strange if he knew about flower language. Thinking about it that way, his long deliberation at the shop made sense. He was probably planning to tease me, knowing I wouldn't understand the meaning.

"Excuse me, Village Chief."

After knocking on the entrance door several times, I entered the house. After parting with Lily, I had come straight to the village chief's home. Himmel wouldn't return soon. So I decided to find out first and surprise him instead.

"Oh, it's you, Aura. I thought you would be at the market."

"I'm on my way back. I came because there's something I want to ask."

"Something to ask...?"

After a while, the village chief emerged, somewhat unsteadily. It was a familiar sight to me. Outside of my own home, this was the place I spent the most time in the village. Mainly to have time alone. It was killing two or even three birds with one stone—reading books and being able to borrow them. But that aside, I had a different purpose today.

"Yes, I'd like to know the meaning of this flower in flower language. It's apparently called a freesia."

I showed him the accessory at my chest as I asked. Despite his aged appearance, I understood that the human before me was knowledgeable. Lily's identification should be correct.

"Hmm... Did you purchase that accessory at the market?"

"Yes. Himmel gave it to me. Is there something unusual about it?"

"I see, is that so..."

"...?"

However, the village chief fell silent. What could he be pondering? Perhaps his aging had progressed.

"...I apologize. I don't know its meaning in flower language. But you should be able to find it in a book. There should be a plant encyclopedia on the back shelf of the study... Would you mind looking it up yourself?"

"Me?"

"Yes, I have some business to attend to. Feel free to use the study as usual. Now, if you'll excuse me."

Before I could stop him, the village chief left the house. Only I remained. Despite frequenting his home, I couldn't help thinking it was too careless. But something felt off. Usually, he would help with finding things, so what was going on? Perhaps he had urgent business. Though slightly concerned, I headed to the study. I needed to be quick before Himmel returned.

"Here it is..."

It was exactly where the village chief had said. A plant encyclopedia. As the name suggested, it contained information not just on flowers but on various plants. The entry for freesia should certainly be included. As expected, I found it without difficulty. But—

"Freesia... A bulbous plant of the Iris family... and its flower language is—"

The moment I read the next words, my eyes widened involuntarily. I could only be utterly astonished. It reminded me of half a year ago—the nonsense Himmel had uttered when he had inexplicably spared me, a demon.

"...What a fool."

It seemed that human hadn't given up. A fairy tale that even human children wouldn't believe. He truly believed it could come true. To give this to me, who didn't know flower language—he was truly irritating.

I quietly closed the book and tucked it into the furthest corner of the bookshelf. If I were to take this home, I could only imagine how much he would tease me.

Aura set off homeward as if nothing had happened. But on her chest, the silver freesia flower of affection clearly shined—