The words Chronois-san had told me—the story of Kuro being the one who once caused the battle between the Demon Realm and the God Realm—didn’t sink in at all.
[I understand your confusion, but for now, let’s continue the story.]
[……Yes.]
Chronois-san spoke calmly to the bewildered me.
It’s true, I can reflect on this later, but for now, I shouldn’t miss what Chronois-san has to say.
[Well, even though I’m explaining what kind of being she is, I didn’t witness the entirety of that battle. I only saw up to the point where Kuromueina, who had invaded the God Realm, confronted Shallow Vernal-sama. When I was on my way to the scene, Ein intercepted me.]
[……I see, even Ein-san was there……]
At the mention of Ein-san, I understood immediately.
It made sense—Ein-san, who has served as Kuro’s maid for the longest of time, would naturally have been involved in the events of that time.
[We’ve clashed many times since then, but vexingly, we’ve yet to settle that fight. In any case, one reason you should be wary of Kuromueina is that she is the one who once attacked the God Realm.]
[……You saying “one of the reasons” means there’s more to it, doesn’t it?]
[Umu…… The second reason is that since that battle, “that Demon has been concealing her true form and power.”]
[Her true form?]
Now that I think about it, Kuro once mentioned that she can change her form at will.
However, the only form I’ve ever seen is her usual little girl appearance, so I assumed that was her most basic form… but it seems I was wrong.
[You might already know this, but “that” can change her appearance and gender. Though she’s considered one of the “indefinite” Demons, every living being has a true form where they can exert their full strength. “That” may appear as a little girl right now, but when she attacked the God Realm, she took on a different form.]
[A different form?]
[…Yeah, a monster made of jet-black smoke, as if it were the embodiment of all the darkness in the world. That’s the true form of that Demon… To be honest with you, the moment I saw that form, it was the first time in my life I felt genuine fear. It was so overwhelming that I thought she might even be an equal to the god of this world, Shallow Vernal-sama… In fact, I still think that, especially since, after the battle with Shallow Vernal-sama, she’s still living in peace.]
[…………………]
Shiro-san is the God of Creation, the being who created this world. She is the closest to “omnipotent”—even Ein-san, who had powers equal to Chronois-san, says she can’t oppose her. By all accounts, she should have been the strongest being in this world.
Kuro fought her and survived. I don’t think Shiro-san is the type of person to go easy on someone she’s fought.
[Shallow Vernal-sama only said one word about that battle, that it was a “draw”, and though she didn’t say anything else…… You should be able to understand how unbelievable that is, right?]
[……Yes.]
In other words, Kuro possesses power on par with Shiro-san, the God of Creation—or at least, in terms of their combat abilities…
I see. If that’s true, it makes sense that Chronois-san would be wary of Kuro.
The reason is simple, Kuro is the only one who could potentially kill Shiro-san… So, Chronois-san, being absolutely loyal to Shiro-san, would naturally view her with suspicion.
[“That” is undoubtedly the strongest among the Six Kings. However, to the best of my knowledge, she hasn’t shown her true form since that battle.]
[I see… So that’s why Chronois-san is so wary of Kuro.]
[……The two reasons I’ve mentioned so far are certainly reasons why you should be cautious of that Demon… However, those aren’t the most important one.]
[……Eh?]
What does she mean by that?
So far, Chronois-san has talked about the conflict between the Demon Realm and the God Realm, and how Kuro holds immense power. Both of those reasons should have been enough to convince me, but it seems the most important reason is something else entirely.
[The real reason I’m so cautious about the Demon named Kuromueina… is because her very existence is an enigma.]
[An enigma?]
[Yeah. No matter how powerful the Six Kings are, they all have lives and wills of their own. For example, the Death King is a being born from the accumulated magic power of the dead, while the World King is the spirit born from the World Tree… But no matter how much I investigate, Kuromueina is the only one I can’t figure out.]
[……………….]
[She’s a complete enigma—everything about her, from when she appeared to where she came from, even her purpose, is almost entirely shrouded in mystery.]
[Her purpose?]
[…Yeah, it’s completely unknown. We don’t know why that invaded the God Realm, or why she’s raising so many Demons and humans like they’re baby birds. We have no idea. Yet despite her child-like personality, she possesses superior intellect and ability. There must be some kind of purpose behind her actions, but I can’t see it at all.]
It’s true that Kuro has reached out to many demons and humans, offering her hand to them, and those she has saved adore her.
Until now, I always thought it was simply because of her good-natured nature, but Chronois-san seems to think Kuro has some other goal in mind.
[…It seems that even Ein, who has served her the longest, doesn’t know what her purpose is. However, Ein did hear Kuromueina say something once, after raising one of her baby birds… “This one is no good too.”]
[………………..]
“This one is no good too…” Does that mean Kuro is raising demons and humans for some purpose?
I don’t know. I don’t even understand what she’s trying to achieve.
[…That’s all I have to say. I know I’ve been mentioning all these unsettling matters… In the end, I don’t know anything about that Demon, so I can’t speak to the truth. Maybe I’m just thinking about it from my own perspective, but reality isn’t something you can simply ignore—it’s unstable, like fleeting clouds in the sky.]
[…If you’re indeed basing it on that, only Kuro would know something like that. I don’t think you’ll find an answer, and you’ll only come up with all sorts of reasons to fit your own convenience.]
[Umu. As I said before, I don’t believe that Demon is evil. Well, I may have also said she’s not exactly a pure being… but I don’t think there’s anyone in this world who is truly pure, aside from Shallow Vernal-sama.]
[………………]
No, I don’t think that Airhead Goddess is pure either… but she’d probably get angry if I said that, so I’ll just keep this thought to myself.
[Miyama. This is just advice. I’m not telling you what to do from here on out. However, this is my personal thought… If anyone could understand the mysteries hidden deep within Kuromueina’s heart, perhaps it would be you. These are the mysteries that neither Ein nor I could ever hope to reach.]
[……The mysteries hidden within Kuro’s heart…]
[Trust is a beautiful emotion, but it can also cloud one’s judgment. That’s why I’ve decided to tell you about one aspect of that Demon I’ve witnessed with my own eyes… Keep it in mind, but don’t dwell on it too much. Just be yourself, and judge her true worth based on what you feel.]
[……Yes.]
It’s certainly as she said.
The image of Kuro that I just heard about is merely one side of the Underworld King, Kuromueina, from Chronois-san’s perspective.
What Kuro is thinking, and what she hopes to achieve… Those are things I’ll have to consider as I continue to interact with her.
For the time being, though, I’m just glad to know a little more about Kuro—a side of her I never had the chance to see before.
[…Ah, now that I think about it, there’s also that person. Another one of the Six Kings, someone I don’t quite understand in a different way from Kuromueina…]
[Eh? Someone you don’t understand in a different way from Kuro?]
[Umu. “The Phantasmal King, No Face.” Their purpose is easy enough to grasp, but I don’t even know where or what that Demon does, let alone what their real name or appearance is. That Demon is quite the eccentric one, only ever seen during the Festival of Heroes.]
[Heehhh, I wonder what that person’s like?]
[…A boisterous and irritating fellow.]
With a wry smile, Chronois-san began heading toward the mansion, as if signaling the end of our conversation.
The Phantom King, No Face… The King without a face. Perhaps one day, I might meet that person as well.
Dear Mom, Dad—I was shocked by the many things Chronois-san told me, but looking at her from another perspective—I’ve learned a lot about another side of Kuro.