It Is a Tool of Humanity

It’s time to sleep.  

I am very flustered.  

Clean clothes, a clean room, a good bed.  

If the Hero tells me to sleep, I must sleep.  

This is the room right next to where the Hero is staying.  

For a place used by the Hero, it’s not that great, but for me, it’s more than enough.  

Lying down like this feels strange.  

Is it because of the muscle pain I feel all over my body?  

Or is it because this body is regaining its vitality?  

It’s been a long time since I last lay down and rested like this.  

I try to remember the last time I slept like this.  

It was when I was a child.  

Even back then, I was living a presumptuous life.  

I dared to act as if I were an ordinary human.  

At that time, I had one concern.  

A concern that began around the time my horns started to grow.  

No matter what, the one inside this body was not the Demon King but a human, so wouldn’t it be okay for me to be treated like one?  

In other words, I wondered if I, too, was human.  

Since in the past, I was definitely human.  

So, I thought that I should be an exception and be treated as one.  

Yes.  

I longed for a life where I could use a bed like this.  

"Mm..."  

I get off the bed.  

Wouldn’t it be a nuisance for whoever uses this room next?  

They wouldn’t want to use a bed that an inferior species had lain on.  

I should sleep on the floor.  

No, come to think of it, my very presence in this room itself might be an insult to someone.  

"I'm sorry..."  

I don’t like this timid voice either.  

I wasn’t always like this.  

Surprisingly, even this much of a voice is something I had to work to produce.  

I’m used to and comfortable with sleeping on the floor.  

Honestly, I acted as if I were being considerate of others, but in reality, I just believe I must sleep on the floor.  

An inferior species has no right to use a bed.  

—Why can’t you use the bed?  

Yes, someone once asked me that.  

A curious boy’s face faintly comes to mind.  

Back then, I couldn’t answer properly.  

—Do you know how important it is to sleep warmly?  

That’s right.  

It is important.  

—Hurry up and sleep. Just don’t catch a cold later.  

It was a warm home.  

So warm that I gradually started leaning toward the idea that I was human.  

They were such kind people.  

Sometimes, I miss that sweet thing called family.  

I almost truly misunderstood.  

Because they treated me like family, even more so.  

Yes, if it had gone on any longer, I might have truly come to believe I was human.  

After that, I would have walked a path of irreversible corruption.  

What I hate most is an inferior species pretending to be human.  

It’s truly repulsive.  

Time that should be invested in the prosperity of humanity must not be wasted on the likes of inferior species.  

It must not.  

—Hurry up, cover yourself with the blanket, and sleep.  

Should I?  

Can I crawl back onto the bed?  

—Yeah.  

So, back then, I lay on the bed and slept.  

I remember feeling troubled, yet oddly happy.  

My parents and siblings were all kind.  

If only I weren’t an inferior species, I could have truly considered them my parents and siblings.  

It’s a shame.  

But that’s just how things are.  

As I reminisce, I realize it’s already a cold dawn.  

Though, it’s probably just cold because I slept on the floor.  

It’s not even dawn.  

It’s probably not even midnight yet.  

I can’t sleep well.  

Ah, tomorrow, the Hero’s companion is coming.  

I wonder what kind of companion they will be.  

***  

"It's been a while, Julian."  

A secluded clearing a little way from the lodging.  

Since it’s a place people don’t usually come to, I could immediately tell who the Hero’s companion was.  

"It’s been a month."  

The knight, called Luca, is a large man.  

His expensive-looking armor is engraved with numerous religious symbols.  

"Did you meet up with your friend?"  

"Yes."  

"Your childhood friend, right? What was their name again? Clea, was it?"  

"Yes."  

Clea… I feel like I’ve heard that name before.  

It’s a familiar name.  

But I can’t quite remember.  

I tend to forget past events quickly, which is a problem.  

But I haven’t heard that many names in this life.  

If a name remains in my memory, there must be a reason for it.  

Where did I hear it?  

There’s no other place I could have heard it.  

It was in the underground chamber of the House of Count Rhinefield.  

It couldn’t have been before that.  

"You said you went to get medicine."  

"It wasn’t necessary."  

So, someone needed medicine.  

Were they sick?  

But from the conversation, it seems like they were already cured.  

But I’m sure I’ve heard that name before.  

Clea... Clea?  

"They were already completely healed… The medicine wasn’t needed."  

"That’s a relief."  

Ah, I remember now.  

That was the name of Count Rhinefield’s daughter.  

She was sick, so they cut off my horn.  

If it weren’t for me, treating her would have been difficult.  

So, it’s truly a relief.  

That’s the worth of an inferior species.  

The proof of my service to humanity is right before my eyes.  

So, I can’t help but be pleased.  

"Don’t smile, demon."  

Ah, I mustn’t smile.  

But it was something to be proud of.  

I didn’t know Clea was Julian’s lover.  

Or is she just a childhood friend?  

I’m not sure.  

In any case, I truly think it’s a relief.  

I ended up smiling again without realizing it.  

Thud.  

Julian rises abruptly from his seat.  

He walks toward me, where I’m huddled in a corner.  

"What, are you mocking me?"  

I shake my head.  

If it looked like mockery, I apologize.  

"Hero, you shouldn’t associate with something like this. I heard the explanation earlier… but all demons are nothing but deceitful."  

The word "demon" is very familiar.  

Count Rhinefield often used that word.  

It makes sense that Clea and Julian are childhood friends.  

Their way of thinking is quite similar—just like the Count’s.  

That’s a good thing.  

"Look at him. He’s still smiling."  

It’s just that my emotions tend to show directly on my face.  

I’m sorry.  

It’s because I’m satisfied.  

"I think he’s just out of his mind."  

"I am a demon."  

Strangely, there is a difference in the way the two of them think.  

The Hero doesn’t seem to consider my kind as demons but more like animals.  

I don’t know which is the better treatment.  

"Things like this should all be killed."  

"Not now. We need to go see their family first."  

Yes, we need to go see the family.  

But I feel a little disappointed.  

If I had died and wasn’t here, Clea’s treatment would have been difficult.  

"Family, huh..."  

Am I disappointed?  

Something feels strange.  

Do I, by any chance, want to be acknowledged?  

It seems I wish for someone to recognize the effort I made.  

But that’s absurd.  

Hardly anyone thanks a chicken for its effort while eating its meat.  

A chicken is simply born as a chicken, and humans simply harvest the meat.  

I am no different.  

What did I contribute to having my horn cut off?  

All I can say is that I am sorry for being born, and I should be grateful to those who found a use for me.  

The ones who deserve thanks are not me, but those who cut off my horn.  

"Oh, right. I meant to ask you something. You—do you know where your family lives?"  

I shook my head.  

"You don’t, huh? Can you recognize them if you see them?"  

That... I don’t know.  

"I see, you don’t know?"  

I nodded.  

I do have a clue.  

White hair isn’t that common, so if I look for white-haired ones among my kind, I might find my family.  

"A demon would never cooperate in hunting down its own kind."  

"Oh, I haven’t told him that part so bluntly yet. If this plan fails, it’s your fault, Julian."  

So, they’re going to hunt and kill my kind.  

That’s wonderful.  

I’m beyond pleased.  

Please, hurry and capture them and kill them.  

Preferably right before my eyes.  

"...She’s smiling brightly."  

"Did she not understand what you just said? Honestly, I’ve spoken to her a lot, but I’m not sure if she actually comprehends anything."  

"Do not trust demons. Do not judge them by what you see on the surface."  

Julian speaks passionately.  

"There are well-known stories of families massacred because they raised a demon like a human. Of people who showed demons charity only to be robbed in return. Of generals who spared a demon, only to later suffer defeat..."  

"You’re a paladin, so I’m sure you know those stories better than I do. I don’t really care, though."  

A paladin, huh?  

I had a rough idea.  

In my past life, there was also a paladin among the Hero’s party.  

Unlike Julian, he did not hate inferior species.  

He simply hated all living beings.  

It seems interpreting the will of the gods varies from person to person.  

"Oh, are we just heading out on our own? This doesn’t seem like a journey that requires more people."  

"Why? You want to get this over with quickly?"  

The Hero gestures toward me as he speaks.  

Julian glares at me.  

"Demons must be eliminated as soon as possible."  

So they don’t plan to wait for the rest of the Hero’s party.  

I wonder if just the two of them can make it through the Great Mountain Range.  

"...Then should we? I was planning to take my time training her as we go."  

"That is unacceptable. You must not give power to a demon."  

"Oh, but she fights pretty well. For a first fight, at least. You’ll see if you fight her yourself."  

"......"  

Fight?  

Ah, that would hurt a bit.  

Though rather than a fight, I can only imagine a future where I get beaten one-sidedly.  

"Hero, you should share your teachings with the Imperial Army or others, not with this monster. The only thing these creatures should be taught is absolute obedience."  

I agree.  

Julian has a philosophy I truly admire.  

The first since Count Rhinefield.  

As expected of the Count’s son-in-law.  

I’m not sure if he’s actually dating Clea yet, but regardless.  

I am overjoyed to have been used as a material for Clea’s cure.