Children of Demons, the cursed ones shunned by the world.
They bring misfortune to those around them in various forms, while also suffering from curses themselves.
For example, incurable chronic illnesses.
Or for instance... irreparable trauma.
Sigrdrífa's expression also beca serious. Had Lily sensed sothing?
I thought it shouldn't be possible. I hadn't disclosed my dical skill level to Lily. She wasn't aware that in principle I could heal any injury, as long as the original parts remained. Even if soone were castrated, I could restore them with skillful hands. The ga's black technology dical skills are just that magical.
Yet I couldn't heal the blindness in Lily's left eye.
When Carol Cat suggested sharing the quest, I chose to reject her proposal.
Because both Sigrdrífa and I understood that Lily very likely had so connection with the Demon Lord, a Child of Demons.
"Why would Lily think that?"
"The sister nuns at the church said... the princess donated many books to the chapel. There were many that Lily couldn't understand. Sister nun told that reading is useful, that I should read more. I thought the princess must be a good person. But... Sister Chris also said the princess caused many people sadness..."
Lily tilted her head. Her way of distinguishing good from bad people was extrely simple.
"When the priest taught scripture, he told that Children of Demons are cursed by the Demon Lord. They are sinful and must repent..."
So, was the Second Princess ultimately good or evil?
"Lily."
I ca to Lily's side and gently embraced her.
"Children of Demons aren't like that. They... are just innocent people hard by the Demon Lord. They're cursed not because they did sothing wrong, but because of the Demon Lord's pure malice. I think the Second Princess wouldn't want the people around her to be sad either, but the Demon Lord's curse can ruthlessly tear apart that kindness. If anyone shouldn't exist, it's the Demon Lord."
"That's right, Lily, don't listen to the priest's nonsense."
Chris chid in with advice. Having been forced to morize scripture by priests left quite a terrible impression, so Chris had nothing good to say about priests.
"Their intention is to teach people virtue, but they always use these uncomfortable expressions. Lily, Children of Demons has nothing to do with personal will. They do make those around them sad, but that's all the Demon Lord's fault. Who told the Demon Lord to randomly cast curses?"
"But... the church priests and sister nuns all approve of capturing Children of Demons, saying it's for the good of the world..."
"The church is so bad ow."
Carol Cat stuck out her tongue. Arcadia didn't have churches.
"From the public's perspective, it might not be wrong..."
But Chris didn't just blindly throw mud at the church.
"Having a Child of Demons nearby, everyone would worry about whether they might encounter misfortune. Panic would spread... I've at least governed a territory, so I can understand public sentint. It's just that only the church's divine magic can accurately identify who is a Child of Demons, so they've taken on the responsibility of dispelling the evil spirits growing in people's hearts. If anyone could identify them, without the church's intervention, panicked citizens would spontaneously persecute Children of Demons, and their thods might be even more vicious... cough cough, I've said too much. But I want to correct a misconception, Lily."
Chris raised a finger and instructed like a teacher.
"The curse of Children of Demons is triggered in specific forms."
"I don't understand..."
"Lily, do you rember how the Second Princess's curse worked?"
I used words to guide Lily's thinking.
"Marriage."
"Yes, the Second Princess's curse only occurred after marriage each ti. I think marriage is one of the trigger conditions."
Three weddings, three widowhoods. I think it might be programd as "after specific conditions are t, cause misfortune to befall targets who et those conditions." The vicious aspect of the Child of Demons curse is that it tortures the cursed person through ans that don't directly take their life, while also making those around them suffer harm, a painful experience for both parties.
The families of those who died in the three weddings must live with beautiful mories of their loved ones, and the negative impact definitely isn't limited to just a few people.
"Then couldn't she just not get married..."
Carol Cat stubbornly offered her perspective.
"Marriage is a sacrant recognized by the Abrahamic Faith, and devout believers should maintain fidelity to their partners. Besides, for a girl to never be able to enter the hall of marriage with her beloved throughout her life is also a very cruel curse."
"That's true ow..."
I don't think clever tricks could fool the curse of Children of Demons. If one seeks hope through such almost pleading thods, when that hope is shattered it would only bring deeper despair.
Chris continued: "Common-born Children of Demons discovered by the church are indeed arrested, but with the protection of status and background, living is also permitted. Because aside from curses triggered in specific forms and physical weakness, Children of Demons are no different from ordinary people in other respects."
"Oh oh..."
Lily nodded thoughtfully. The Second Princess was ultimately the king's biological daughter. Although the king was a devout believer, he still wanted to preserve his daughter's life, so the Second Princess was confined in a tower almost isolated from the world, having no contact with outsiders.
For Children of Demons, leaving is sotis the most correct decision.
The existence of Children of Demons is a tragedy. Even when the thod of their curse is identified, people still distance themselves from them. The church tends to arrest and execute Children of Demons, and people will use their own thods for self-protection.
Yet the cursed ones have done nothing wrong... They bear the Demon Lord's unprovoked malice, as if proclaiming their lives are destined to be lived only in solitude.
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