What have I done? This is what went through my mind at the news of my best friend having weird black marks all over her body. I remember fighting her for a little bit, but I still can't bring myself to admit it. Still, the truth is self-evident.
According to the maid, whose name is still unknown, my best friend and probably my only true one, is not okay whatsoever, but even weirder is that neither father nor Lord Auri has the same symptoms. It's just Veronica who's fallen ill.
My hand is not stable enough to pick up the spoon after the news, and this becomes apparent as it starts shaking violently. What will I do if I lose my friend? Don't get me wrong, I have plenty of people who like me here, but Veronica is the last living witch I have by my side. For all I know, we are the last ones.
No, I shouldn't think of the problem in that pessimistic light; at least Veronica is still alive. Somehow, my rampage didn't entirely kill her. Still, I must try to help even if I've got no clue what I'm doing. Even if it's futile to try, I must try.
"Are you okay, Miss Yoimiya?" Asks the unknown maid.
"No, I- I'm a monster. How could I do that to her?" Tears soon begin dropping from my eyes, quickly mixing into the stew while others make my clothes wet.
"Uh? Please don't cry, Miss Yoimiya; it wasn't your fault even Lord Auri said it; you were possessed. There was nothing you could've done." The unknown maid tries her best to console me, and while I do appreciate her words, I know full well she only does it because she has to.
Did you think I didn't know about Lord Auri and his intentions? Puff, please don't make me laugh. I know full well that the only reason they treat me so well around here is because I'm strong, or at least I was powerful until recently.
Why would someone who could be considered a monarch pick up a random girl in a small town somewhere and not only that but house her in their home while also giving them a high status? Lord Auri only seeks to use me and my strenght for his gain, and I know it well.
As to why I haven't spoken against it and I play along, it is because I like to live like royalty. I mean, who wouldn't? I'm sure Veronica also enjoys the fun, but now she can't even enjoy it because I hurt her. It was entirely my fault.
While it was Veronica's idea to leave me in a field to fend for myself, and that caused all of the drama, it was all because I was too weak and incompetent to deal with my problems alone. I'm not saying I want to become perfect or that I should, but I keep being a burden to everyone else around me. I always am a burden.
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Back then, when the Witch Forest was getting raided, I couldn't do anything; fear ran over me, and I froze. I've always been a burden to someone else, even in my past life; why can't I be something else? Is that what you wanted to hear, demon?
"How did you know it was me?" Says the unknown maid in a very demonic tone all of a sudden.
"I keep having evil thoughts whenever you show up. Your mere presence makes me think highly negatively."
{Mixed Laughter of adults, kids, and other creatures that aren't human}
"Are you ready to make a deal with me? What I said about your friend isn't a lie. She really is in bad shape." Says the possessed maid as he weirdly turns around to see me.
"First of all, you get out of my head!"
{Kyrie for orchestra - Yoshihisa Hirano}
As soon as I noticed the tricks and thoughts that weren't mainly mine, I started trying my best to activate what little power I might have left to get the demon out of my mind until I suddenly began to see the same thing I saw the first time I activated a spell.
[Holy magic, Holy series, Temperance series, Holy mind shield]
I hadn't seen this in a long time, but how does it even happen? Veronica says this kind of thing is not usual, that the way my spells suddenly appear is not common at all, but I know what to do; it feels natural just to read what's before my eyes out loud like I've done it before.
"Holy magic." The demon quickly tries to stop me from finishing my spell by using the maid's body to try and silence me with her hands, but I somehow keep it at bay.
"Why can't you just hear me out!?" Says the demon as they try their best to use the maid's hands to silence me.
"Holy Series! TEMPERANCE SERIES!" As I invoke the second part of the spell, a sudden dark substance begins to appear near my heart, slowly covering the room in the darkness coming off my heart.
"You will regret this! I will destroy you! I will make your life miserable! You don't know what you're missing, you arrogant child!" The demon angrily responds to the room's darkness as the strenght on the maid's hands falls to half like it's affecting its control over the girl's body.
"HOLY MIND SHIELD! If you were a good thing, then you wouldn't need to show up when I'm vulnerable! You're the arrogant fool for believing you will ever trick me!" With these last words of the spell, the entire room soon reeks of that familiar dark power, and it shows as the maid begins to scream.
There's red smoke coming from the girl's body like the possession is leaving its body, probably because I used holy magic against a real demon, but that only raised so many more questions. How did the Holy Power even work? Where did the sacred power even come from?
"AAHHHHGGGG!! I! WILL HAVE YOUR POWER! I NEED IT! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! SHE IS THE REAL EVIL OF THIS WORLD! I'M JUST CLEANS-! UUUUUGGGGHH!!!!" The demon soon goes off with a bang, only leaving me with my questions in mind.
What did the demon mean precisely by saying she is the real evil? Who does that demon consider so evil to go to such lengths every time? I know that they're most likely just planting a red hearing in me, but I can't help but wonder, is there someone even worse than that demon out there in the world?