'What unchanging beauty....'

Sat on a lavish couch, Cura took in the beauty around her. A gentle, golden light bathed the green meadow, creating a scene so idyllic it could have been painted. Nearby, a lake mirrored the light, its surface shimmering faintly, adding the perfect touch of elegance to the tranquil setting. It was oh so beautiful. It was oh so great. It was oh so-

'Boring'

A sigh escaped Cura as she decided to lay down. In her long, unending, tiresome life, she had grown more than accustomed to this particular feeling. The feeling of complete uninterest. It was perhaps the only downside of existing as the most perfect race. One was forced to find methods of entertainment lest they spend every moment of their existence asleep. In fact, the current order of the Yalery Lording over the demons was a direct result of that reality. Cura's younger sister often favoured entertainment that was more violent in nature after all.

'Huh, why can't entertainment bring itself to me?'

Cura was a Yalery, she didn't deserve to struggle.

As Cura continued to ponder about the hardships of life, she stretched out a hand and felt a familiar pull from within.

'Someone's eager'

In a shower of light, a golden creature descended upon Cura's out-reaching hand. It was a little insect bearing the resemblance of a butterfly, except it lacked the head, body, or butt of one. Gazing at her new wormy Contruction as it squirmed and seemed to try to scream, Cura once again dove into her thoughts.

'At least this time it hasn't been too bad'

An unknowing smile started to climb onto Cura's face. Unlike her previous awakenings, entertainment had been rather easy to come by. Meeting her adorable little niece was truly a blessing like no other. The soft, tiny ball of energy really livened up Cura's life. Bringing to it something she couldn't describe accurately.

Another sigh left Cura.

She was really in the mood to play around with her cute niece.

'The world is too cruel, I say'

Unfortunately, despite deep desire, Cura was unable to fulfil her wishes. Currently, her dainty niece was cosily snuggled in the arms of her mother, taking a long nap. An expected occurrence; after all, despite her niece's fervent protests, at the end of the day, she was still just a baby. Babies were developing creatures; they needed all the energy they could get, especially Yalery offspring. It made sense why her niece needed to sleep, though it left Cura without much to look forward to.

'Wait... I was supposed to do something, wasn't I?'

A thought struck Cura. While it was true she normally had nothing to do, today was different. She left the castle. An action she wouldn't have bothered to do if she was merely relaxing.

'Oh, right'

Throwing her little wormy friend in her mouth, Cura suddenly remembered something important. She wasn't supposed to be here. She was supposed to travel to the capital erected by the mortals. They were to discuss a matter relating to their future interactions.

'What an awful taste'

The little wormy thing had tasted exactly as she imagined. Getting up from her prone position, Cura debated on what mode of transportation to use. After quickly deciding she wasn't in the mood for flying, Cura opted for the more practical option. Feeling her magic take hold, Cura allowed it to be guided by the world.

A phenomenon occurred.

Slowly yet simultaneously fast, Cura found her body shifting location. Resulting in her appearing before a group of bewildered mortals in an oh so important room.

"Shall we get started then?" (C)

Silence hung in the air.

'They never change, huh?'

It was a little disappointing, all things considered. Mortals were a very entertaining bunch, and most of that arose from their unpredictable nature. A nature that always either seemed to subdue or cowardice in her presence. Logically, it made sense; being faced with the epitome of existence was rather daunting, but still, Cura couldn't help but blame them for it.

It was so boring.

Dragging her eyes across the opulent marble room, Cura felt the sudden temptation to leave.

"Greetings, Yalery Cura. It is a great pleasure for you to join us."

'~Oh, what's this~'

A smile crept onto Cura's face. Standing before her was a soldier cladded in familiar black armour, a mousekin by her aura. She alone stood, bearing a stranded smile on her face.

'Looks like they know the right people'

"Well, hello hero! It is truly a pleasure for me to be here." (C)

Cura extended her hand and then drew it back, now clasping a cool, refreshing beverage.

"Shall we start the discussion?" (C)

'Hmm... this was oddly productive'

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Cura hadn't expected the fourteen mortals present to acquiesce so easily to her demands. The vast majority of them were rather unreasonable, and even if they feared her, no one in the right mind would agree to them without some show of force. She had anticipated this and went so as to create a small invisible friend to help with persuasion.

'A bit of a dull finish, but, well, whatever'

The deal wasn't yet set in stone. There was still a chance for a little fun.

"Time to finalise the deal!" (C)

Manifesting a contract into being, Cura sensed the mortals stir. The golden paper of bonding floated midair, accompanied by an elegant white pen, extending a cordial invitation to all for signing.

"Now, I believe you all understand the consequences, yes?" (C)

Death. The inevitable outcome of breaking a pact with a Yalery. The only reasonable one, really. Failure to uphold the contract in accordance with the contractor's conjecture will result in the demise of the contractee. Naturally, since this was the case, nobody stepped forward until... The hero did. The contract flew around the room, collecting signatures before returning to Cura.

'These eager bunch...'

Forming a contract with a Yalery pleasure many never get to enjoy. It made sense why the average mortal would be eager to sign. Carrying this little favour could go a long way. However, this didn't fully explain the steadfastness of their choice.

'Uneventful, how annoying'

Ultimately, Cura didn't care much for thinking about their choices. They were just boring. She got what she wanted, and a better spend of time now would be simply heading home. Her adorable niece should be awaking soon. She couldn't miss that.

"Five years." (C)

With a wave, she bid goodbye.

Disappearing in a shimmer.

'Diplomacy is such tedious work...'

As Cura idly roamed the castle halls, she thought to herself. The mortal races have always been in some sort of war, some sort of conflict. Currently, the trend seemed to be the demons against everyone else. When her sister subjugated the demons, the balance shifted drastically in favour of them for one basic reason.

The demons were simply stronger and united, unstoppable.

Greater magical control, enhanced physical strength, and superior numbers revealed that the average nation was incapable of withstanding a serious, sustained assault by the demons. So, that begged the question: how did the other races manage to survive? Answer, treachery. Demons could be argued to be one of the most loyal creatures in the world. It was just a shame that, that loyalty only extended to themselves. By pitting the demons against themselves, the other races eke out a meagre but modest living.

'Eh, what a mess'

Again, Cura didn't care much for the mortal matters, but some recent developments did have her looking. This poking and prodding revealed something rather interesting, which resulted in her acting as a diplomat. Her silence was bought with information, and the sole person who would lose was none the wiser.

'But, I'm sure she'll enjoy it'

"Greetings, Mistress Cura." (M)

Stopping in her tracks, Cura noticed a well-dressed maid standing before a door.

"Ah, Marie. What are you doing here?" (C)

She should be with her sister or tiny niece at the moment.

"I'm merely here to wake my lady from rest." (M)

The question was answered with a short bow while Cura diverted her attention to the door.

"Is this it?" (C)

"Yes, Mistress Cura." (M)

'Today's my lucky day'

"Go ahead to dinner, Marie. We will join you shortly." (C)

After brief pause, Marie answered.

"Very well, Mistress Cura." (M)

Seeing Marie disappear, Cura turned and gave the door two knocks.

"~Wakey, Wakey~" (C)

Laid in the bed of a lavish room was a little girl. Visible was her short, dishevelled silver hair, chubby cheeks, and stubby horns.

'A lovely sight to the eyes'

Bending down, Cura took a finger and gently poked the sleeping baby.

"Mawwwrie, not now..." (N)

The baby rolled over stubborn to continue their rest.

'Hehe, someone's a little spoilt'

A broad smile spread across Cura's face as she circled the bed. It was a rare sight to behold her niece utterly defenceless. The headstrong baby never fully lowered her guard, not even in tears. She strove to never appear weak, deliberately deepening her voice at times and always articulating each word with precision. It was a sweet treat to meet her like this.

Lowering once more, Cura poked her tiny niece once more.

"~Wakey, Wakey~" (C)

"Pwease wet me sweep a wittle more..." (N)

The little baby buried her head under the covers, prompting Cura to continue her poking. The poking persisted until an uncomfortable low groan escaped the covers.

"I'm awake, okay?" (N)

Finally sitting up in her bed, Cura watched as her small niece slowly rubbed at her eyes.

"Marie, I thought you added me time. It's too early for-" (N)

Suddenly, Navy halted and fixed her gaze on Cura. She blinked slowly, and without uttering a word, extended her hand to touch Cura, whose upper body now rested on the bed, her face cradled in her hands.

"Rawh." (C)

"Aaaah!" (N)

Cura observed as the frightened Navy nearly fell off the bed.

'Ha, clumsy girl'

"W-what are you doing here?" (N)

"I'm here to wake up, of course." (C)

Though, truthfully, that was not all. After a moment's thought, Cura added,

"I may also have a small surprise for you." (C)

An expression commonly found on wronged individuals drew on her niece's face as she stammered out,

"B-But, you can't! This... this is my safe area...." (N)

"Safe area?" (C)

Safe area from whom? The palace was built with protection as its epicentre. This room wasn't remarkable. It couldn't count as a safe area any more than the others.

"Uh.... You said you came to give me a surprise?" (N)

"Oh, right!" (C)

Deciding to ignore her niece's odd reaction for now, Cura moved on to the second important event of the day.

"Three guesses as to what it is." (C)

A pout made way onto her niece's face.

"Do... Do I have to? A-Also, why the sudden surprise?" (N)

"Yes, it's a must. And, for your other question, have you already forgotten?" (C)

The confused look Cura received answered her question.

"I seem to recall some tiny, random little baby calling me very mean." (C)

The body of her niece appeared to freeze as Cura continued talking.

"So, I decided to show this completely random baby just how kind I am." (C)

A few seconds passed in silence before Navy replied.

"I-They didn't exactly say anything like that...." (N)

With a clap, Cura continued.

"Anyways, what is your first guess?" (C)

Navy stared at Cura with a hesitant gaze before stating,

"I don't think we should do this now. We need to go eat. You know how my-" (N)

"First guess." (C)

Clutching her covers, Navy let out something resembling a sigh but stifled before answering with a hopeful tone.

"New clothes?" (N)

"Ah, no?" (C)

Cura had just crafted her some new clothes. There wasn't a need to make more unless it was for Cura's dress-up session or somehow the clothes got damaged. All in all, that was a terrible guess.

"Oh." (N)

Seeing Navy's head lower was really surprising. She went quiet for a while before suddenly exclaiming,

"Ooh! I think I got it!" (N)

Navy pulled back the sleeves of her shirt, exposing two golden bracelets.

"My punishment is over, right?" (N)

"No." (C)

"Oh." (N)

Seeing Navy's expression fall a second time, Cura started to feel a bit frustrated.

"The purpose of those bracelets is to regulate your speech. If you have learned your lesson, they'll never come into effect. And, if you forget, they'll be always there to remind you. The removal of them is unnecessary effort." (C)

Navy shifted a slightly in place then meekly replied,

"Still...." (N)

"Next guess!" (C)

Navy took a pause once more, but unlike her previous attempts, she took real time to respond.

'She might actually get it this time'

With an oddly dramatic deep breath, Navy opened her mouth.

"Vul-" (N)

"Okay! I think it would be much better to show you." (C)

In a single motion, Cura released a minuscule amount of power while standing up. Her might beckoned the world to bring forward the item of her eye.

"AHH!!" (NX)

A boy cladded torse to toe in black armour fell at the feet of the bed. Wearing a stupidly pointed black hat. His eyes were a deep, abyssal black, one many would fear.

"Congratulations! You have gained your very own hero!" (C)