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Chapter 59: Nikolaus, Part 2

For someone of another race to fall in love with a demon is utterly futile. And above all, it is not something desirable for a demon either.

Unlike others, demonfolk do not possess what could truly be called a lifespan. Yet they can die. The time of other races is far too short, too fleeting. When one loses a human to whom deep affection has been given, it is the demonfolk left behind who is wounded most deeply.

(After all, I can’t guarantee she won’t develop some affection for this man. She’s absurdly kind, meddlesome, and seems the type to grow attached… I have to give a proper warning here…)

Because our sense of time differs, demonfolk rarely develop romantic feelings for other races. Such cases were rare even for the beastmen, despite often living together. …However, though few, there have been precedents of romance with humans. And records remain describing how tragically they ended.

There is no guarantee Flower Witch will not follow that same path. Nikolaus had no intention of losing his last kindred to some foolish act like following a person of another race to the grave.

「I’ll say this, demonfolk like us and you people are different.」

The lifespan of beastmen is roughly forty years. Humans, even if long-lived, reach about eighty at most, with only rare records exceeding a hundred. That is nothing like demonfolk, who live for hundreds or thousands of years.

Among demonfolk, over the long span of time, one might become friends, become spouses, drift apart, then grow close again. Because they live for so long, relationships are not confined in that way.

But with a race that cannot even live a hundred years, relationships do not change so easily. They die before they have the chance to change. …It would be troublesome if he got ahead of himself thinking he could become her lover or spouse. If that were to happen, it would be the Witch who suffered.

「Yes, I understand well. I shall keep it firmly in mind.」

Though Nikolaus glared at him, Leonhart replied with a calm expression. From the tone of his voice, it seemed he did understand, at least to some extent. That he would carry his feelings while knowing they should not be fulfilled.

…If he understood, then that was enough. Nikolaus let his irritation subside. He had no hobby of tormenting a youth who had barely lived twenty years.

「…Hmph. Then we’ll confirm what that Witch has done. You’re coming too.」

「Yes, of course.」

With Leonhart in tow, he exited through a passage created in part of the wall. The plants manipulated by magic would open widely only for humans to pass, and close firmly when monsters approached. The same magic was used at the entrance to Nikolaus’s lodging, though he did not understand its principle.

Distinguishing between humans and monsters through magic would be one thing, but identifying individuals was quite advanced. It had never even occurred to Nikolaus that plants could possess such will. In this field, the Flower Witch truly possessed genius-level ideas and concepts.

「Mage-dono, step back!」

「Tch…」

Distracted by the moving magic of the Chain Rose wall, he failed to notice another monster close by. Leonhart grabbed Nikolaus by the shoulder and shoved him back, drawing his sword.

As brutishly strong as ever. Rubbing his slightly aching right shoulder where he had been seized, Nikolaus looked at what Leonhart had drawn his blade against.

「Wait. Something’s off. It hasn’t moved, even with us this close and directing hostility at it.」

「…You’re right. At this distance, it would normally swing that fruit around.」

Right beside the wall, half-buried within it as though hiding, was a plant-type monster called Ayasshi. A tree that bore large, hard fruit, it kills prey by swinging those fruit like clubs. Despite being a plant, it possessed high physical attack power, so the usual method of subjugation was to avoid its range and attack from afar with magic.

(Plant-type monsters coming this close?)

Plant monsters generally rooted themselves where they were born, but if the soil proved unsuitable, they could move. Perhaps because the nearby area had become poisoned land, plant-type monsters that seemed to have descended from that mountain had recently begun increasing on this side of the purification flower boundary.

They had gradually begun appearing near the village, but he had not expected one to be this close. He had let his guard down, but even so, this monster showed no sign of attacking, remaining completely still as though it were an ordinary plant.

Upon appraising it, he learned it had been made incapable of attacking humans, and he relaxed.

「…It seems to be one of the Witch’s familiars.」

「Witch’s? …So she can now turn things other than mandragoras into familiars.」

「Well, it’s the same type of magic in principle. Once you can do it with one species, you’ll likely manage others quickly… though this monster’s level is low. Newly born. Perhaps she can turn any weak plant-type monster like this into a familiar.」

It seemed she had not only built the base but also turned monsters into familiars and positioned them there. Just how much magic had she used? The thought began to worry him.

And as they surveyed the perimeter of the base, it became clear there was not just one such familiar monster. There were multiple, and of several types.

「…I never imagined being protected by monsters. Is turning monsters into familiars something that can be done in such a short time?」

「One or two would be one thing, but there are more than ten. Normally, there’s no way her magic would last… What kind of a monster is she?」

A great demon who had survived the war with dragons, no one even knew how long she had lived. Even if she were such a legendary existence, she was still a person. There should be limits.

Judging by his own standards, the magic she had used would already have exhausted him completely. It was utterly outlandish.

「In that case, Witch-dono must have been preparing to have the familiar monsters handle defense.」

Thanks to the purification flowers, the land on this side of the boundary with the desolate lands had become something like a paradise for plants and herbivores. New plant monsters were more likely to be born, and perhaps she had been turning them into familiars daily in preparation. That, at least, was understandable.

(…Even so, she’s used too much magic. That woman… she looked like she had room to spare, but…)

After inspecting the walls, he understood that the Witch truly intended to protect this village. Plants that did not attack humans, but attacked monsters. Plant monsters equipped with both long-range and close-range attacks placed strategically. There were even monsters that could serve as food in an emergency. She must have personally considered their placement and ordered them to move.

Such a carefully constructed base, perhaps she had been overexerting herself.

Perhaps the reason she had stood with her arms crossed before him was not a sign of composure, but simply to brace her body from collapsing.

(That fool does seem the type to overdo things for others… honestly, she’s such a handful.)

…He could not speak properly with her today, but later, perhaps he would bring her something, is what Nikolaus thought.