"Ugh..."
With my body and mind completely wrecked, I had no choice but to crawl along the floor toward the library. My life was truly too harsh to bear.
"..."
It was then, as I arduously crawled up the stairs like a pathetic larva and finally reached the floor where the library was located.
"Huh? That’s strange?"
A calm voice ca from nearby.
"Who is it? I thought I was the only one who ca to the library at this hour?"
"Ah."
I saw a girl who looked around the sa age as the demon girl who had burst out laughing at earlier. She was holding a pitch-black book in her arms and tilting her head as she looked at .
A girl with long, flowing pitch-black hair... She wore a lavish black-toned dress. She didn’t look particularly fierce. Rather, she was cute and pretty, but I already knew the truth.
These demons only approached like this to mock .
"And why are you crawling there, anyway... Ah? Could it be you, Older Brother? The one participating in the Descent Ritual this ti?"
Seriously, how did they all know?
Where the hell did they get all this latest gossip and act like they knew everything? If there’s so demon community, soone tell . So I can anonymously ask what the Descent Festival or Ritual even is.
"Ah, yes. That would be ."
I braced myself, preparing for whatever mockery was coming.
"Hmm?"
The girl placed the large book she was holding onto the floor and squatted down in front of .
"How pitiful... You’ll die if you go."
She looked down at with the gaze one might give a pathetic puppy.
"So you were crawling around? Despairing because you knew you were going to die."
How sharp. It was truly sad.
So much so that my emotions welled up.
"Heuk... Waaah!"
"Huh? Older Brother, are you crying?"
"Heueuk!"
"Oh my, what do I do. Wait, just a mont. What should I do? Don’t cry, Older Brother."
As I let out a brief sob, the girl instantly reacted as if she genuinely pitied and reached out to touch my head.
"Keuheueueueueuk!!!"
I imdiately burst into tears!!!
"Aahhh!"
And then I shouted!
With a tear-streaked face, desperately!
"Y-Younger Sibling? Won’t you help this pitiful Older Brother?!"
"Eueung?!"
A flustered expression appeared on her face.
But I saw a possibility of stimulating her pity!
"Please! Please help !"
I imdiately threw my body forward, grabbing the girl’s ankle, and cried out hideously!
"Kyaat! W-What are you doing?! Wait! Speak properly! Help you, you say?"
Did she react to the words "help "? It’s certain! She’s showing pity! And she looks young! If she’s young, her heart might still be tender! I was like that when I was young too!
I’ll exploit that!
"Heueuk...! Help, help ee... Please save , Keuheuk!"
"S-So, what do you want help with... This is difficult... If you do this..."
Even though I was holding her ankle and crying pathetically, the girl only stood up awkwardly. She showed no sign of kicking my hand away... Her tone even lacked firmness!
This was working!
"Euaaaaaaaang!!!"
So I wailed even louder!
Like a complete brat!
"Alright! I’ll help you, so don’t cry, Older Brother. Goodness. What should I do about this..."
The library was quiet since almost no one used it. Even the librarians were amorphous familiars, so they made no sound.
Occasionally, the sound of wings flapping or squirming could be heard, but that could hardly be called noise.
"My na is Karla. Karla Belial."
The girl who had brought to what she called her designated seat sat down and introduced herself.
"What’s your na, Older Brother?"
"I’m Knull... Knull Belial."
"Stop crying and speak properly."
I imdiately wiped my tears and nodded.
"You stopped?"
"I stopped."
With my vision cleared, I looked straight ahead.
She was a very demure-looking and beautiful girl. I’m certain now. This girl would soday possess a beauty similar to Mother’s... whose beauty was enough to stop one’s heart.
But she wouldn’t compare.
Unlike the heartless demons who drove their children into the pit of death, this girl, Karla, in front of had extended her hand.
She still possessed a human heart.
"..."
And right now, I...
Hideously, I had cried and clung to Karla, who had such a human heart, throwing a tantrum to ask for help. In the end, I received it. It was truly beyond pathetic.
However, it was unavoidable.
If it was to survive.
I could even lick soone’s shoes like a dog. I had that kind of courage now. I had the courage to lick soone’s shoes! Could soone without courage do such a thing?! I am braver than anyone! I will bravely overco this!
"Alright. It seems you’re ready to talk. So, Knull-Older Brother? Let ask you this first. Why did you co up to the library floor?"
"Ah. Well."
Anyway, even though I received help, Karla truly seed strong. For one, her horns were quite beautifully shaped, and the energy I felt from her was extraordinary. From what I observed, the more strongly one inherited Mother’s power, the closer their appearance beca to hers.
"And you were crawling up here, too."
"That’s... Karla. Can I call you Karla?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Karla. You know my situation, don’t you?"
"That you’re participating in the Descent Ritual? I know. The rumors have been widespread for a while. The lower bloodlines in the palace feared they might be chosen, but it was Kn..Older Brother who was picked."
You know a lot.
"You certainly look weak. Your lineage seems good, but perhaps sothing went wrong during your birth?"
"You even know that much?"
"Roughly. But I don’t know the details. Only Mother would know that. Anyway. Why are you at the library?"
"Well, the thing is. I don’t know anything at all about the Descent Festival or anything like that, you see?"
"What?!"
I briefly explained my background.
Whether it was a problem with my head or not, I had almost no ether, and a severe defect in language acquisition, so I couldn’t learn to speak and lived as an outcast. Because of that, I had almost no basic knowledge that a demon should possess. Then Mother called for , and I was sentenced to the end of my life—no, my demon life.
"P-Pitiful..."
Karla, having heard the story, covered her mouth with both hands, her voice trembling. She seed to genuinely pity .
"Pitiful, isn’t it?"
"So that’s what happened... She is rciless in those matters... Mother is kind, but that’s all. She sees us as tools."
Karla looked a little sad as she said that.
It must be an age where she still wants to be loved by her mother.
"Sothing that can be consud at any ti and replenished at any ti... Haa. Anyway, if Older Brother had grown up normally, you might have lived in the palace with . It’s truly regrettable that Older Brother is a failure. Truly pitiful..."
A being so pitiful that I couldn’t even refute it.
That is .
"Yes. That’s exactly the situation. Because I don’t know anything. And because no one tells anything."
"No one tells you?"
"I was looking for the library to find information like that. Because the more I learn and know, the higher my chances of survival will be."
"So you’re saying you ca to the library to find information?"
"Yeah."
As I nodded, Karla suddenly.
"Hee-eung, indeed."
With a sowhat boastful tone. Or perhaps a tone that sounded pleased.
"When it cos to finding information, there’s no place like a library! Other demons don’t really know that! Older Brother, you know a thing or two!"
She said that.
"Older Brother likes books too, right? Huh? Huh-huh?"
"Uh... sowhat? But I don’t know much."
"Great!"
What is it. Does she have a hobby of reading? Well, the atmosphere she exuded, and the large magic book-like to she was holding, both suggested she liked books.
It seems she was pleased to have her hobby affird.
A child is still a child, after all. Though born of the cruel demon race, perhaps because she’s still young, a trace of innocence remained. Truly cute.
"Then Karla will help Older Brother! This library has quite a lot of difficult books! It’ll be hard to choose! You’ll need Karla’s help!"
"Wha...?!"
Wow!
Wooooooow!
"Th-Thank you!!!! Karla!!! Thank you!!! You’re my savior!!!"
"Not quite a savior... More importantly, Older Brother. How about here?"
"Here, you an?"
"Here! My designated seat!"
Karla spun around, spreading her arms as if to tell to look around.
Now that I thought about it, she did say this was her designated seat.
The place where I was currently sitting was a space between the library’s gigantic bookshelves. But it wasn’t just an empty space.
Like playing with blocks.
Thick books were stacked upon stacked, forming walls, and even a roof made of books covered it. It felt like a secret base one would build and play in as a child. It was also decorated with parchnts and scrolls, and there was even lighting inside, making it feel cozy.
"It was a house made of books? This feels like so kind of secret space, so cozy."
"Right?! I made all of this with books I’ve read!"
"You’ve read all of this?"
"Mm-hmm!"
Karla answered, her eyes sparkling as if she was very pleased.
She’s young, but her reading volu is no joke.
"Wow. Karla, you really seem to love reading books."
"I love it!"
An innocent smile.
"So ask Karla everything!"
This kid is truly a good kid!!!!!!!!!
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