What...?

　Suddenly, Arios looked around suspiciously at the sound of laughter that echoed.
　But there was nothing to be seen.
　The figure of his friends and adventurers. That and the demons that adventurers tame.
　There's nothing else.

'Giggle.'

　And yet, all I could hear was laughter.
　It continued to echo through the place without interruption.

''Hi.''

　The adventurer was about to buckle under the sudden and bizarre phenomenon.

　Shameful.
　Arios clicked his tongue and drew his sword again.

''Aggus!　Lean!　Mina!　Come here.
Oh.

　My companions must have sensed the unusual situation.
　Wary of their surroundings, they return to Arios and form a circle.

　Aggus asks Arios.

'What is the meaning of this?　What's going on?
I don't know I just have a bad feeling about it.

　It's chilly, as if the temperature has dropped rapidly.
　And yet, a chilling sensation hits me.
　Inside Arios, an instinct is warning him.
　This place is dangerous, we must flee immediately........

　However, the pride of the brave man interfered with that.
　There is no doubt that something is going on.
　But that doesn't mean I can't imitate running away at once.

　I am a brave man.
　I am the chosen one.
　And yet, there is no way I can expose such an abomination.

　Because of this pride, Arios stays where he is, but....
　I am immediately reminded that this is a mistake.

'....What...what?

　How long have they been there?
　Before I knew it, a girl had appeared a short distance away from Arios and the others.

　She must be about fifteen years old.
　Her jewel-like silver hair is bound with crimson ribbons.
　Her skin is as white as ceramic.
　Eyes as red as rubies.
　Her black dress-like outfit had many frills on it.

　At first glance, she is a doll-like girl.
　That's how beautiful she was, and there was a complete beauty to her.

''Giggle.''

　The laughter was the girl's.
　She didn't look at Arios and the others.
　She just continued to laugh, happy and joyful.

　It was a strange atmosphere.
　Just looking at them made my heart tremble and I felt like I was trapped in fear.
　In fact, the adventurer was so frightened that he couldn't even speak.

　Mina called out to Arios while holding her staff at the ready.

''Arios, please be careful. That boy is.........''
I know.

　Arios gripped the hilt of his sword, ready to slash at any moment.

　She looks like a girl, but her presence is not human.
　It could be a demon disguised as a person.
　Or it could be a demon race.

　Should I make a preemptive attack?
　However, she is a girl in appearance.
　That throws a wrench in Arios' judgement, but....

　It was useless to think of anything else now.

'Hey,'
What?

　The next thing I knew, the girl was right in front of me.
　How and when had she moved?
　Arios didn't understand it at all.

'Can I ask you a few questions, please?'
What... what?

　Suppressing his inner turmoil, Arios tried his best to return it calmly.
　A disgusting sweat runs down my face.
　I felt a ridiculous amount of pressure, like I was relative to a bird of prey with my bare hands.

'I wonder if you guys have destroyed the shrine?'

　In spite of her appearance, the girl had a mature tone.

'I wonder if it was you guys who broke the shrine and set me free?
'I don't know what you mean by liberation or anything, but I'm pretty sure I'm the one who destroyed the shrine. What about it?
'Well, well, well.......hmmm.......hahaha!

　The girl looked pleased....
　Next, he laughs like a madman.

'If it was a human who sealed me, then it was a human who freed me.......Oh, how interesting. I can't believe that I'm going to be able to meet such interesting things so soon after being freed... Hmmm, maybe I'm just lucky.
Who are you?

　Arios could barely ask the question.
　His throat tingled and seemed to burn.
　It was because of the overwhelming pressure this girl was giving off.

'Me?　I'm ... this is the kind of person I am.

　The girl smiles.
　And then ... a change happens.

　Wings grow on the girl's back.
　Eight large wings, as tall as her body, spread out in the air, covering the girl's body.
　They spread out in the air, covering the girl's body.

''........Celestial race, you mean.......?

　....There was once a powerful species called the Heavenly Clan.

　The name comes from angels.
　They were named as such because they were a humanoid race with angelic wings on their backs.

　Physical abilities comparable to the cat spirit race.
　Magic power comparable to the spirit race.
　They excelled in every possible ability, and were said to be the strongest of the strongest.

　It is said that the more wings they have, the stronger they are.
　Records say that there was a Heavenly Clan that had up to ten wings.
　Their power was such that it defied common sense, and they were able to cause a natural disaster with just one person.

　Although the Heavenly Clan had such tremendous power, one day, they suddenly disappeared.
　They didn't perish, nor did they hide in the backcountry like the spirit race.
　They didn't hide in the backcountry like the spirit tribe, nor did they hide out in the backcountry like the spirit tribe.

　The cause of its disappearance is still unknown.
　According to the saying, it was unable to adapt to the environmental changes and perished.
　He was a real messenger of the gods, and because he had done his job, he returned to heaven.
　Various theories have been put forward.

Are they really celestial...?

　Arios murmurs in disbelief.
　The celestial girl reacts to that and smiles.

''Yes, you're right.''
''Nonsense. How could the Heavenly Clan come to a place like this........
'You would say that?　Isn't it you who set me free?
Me, you mean...?
Yes, yes. I've been sealed in that shrine.
...The disaster the villagers were talking about was you?
Hmmm, this is terrible. It's a disaster to catch someone like me.

　The girl laughs.
　The smile is lewd, like a child playing with an insect by killing it.

　Seeing the girl's smile, Arios felt a chill.

This feeling........of being free. It's so wonderful. Now you'll be able to play with humans again. This time, I'll have lots and lots of fun.

　If one were to only capture the words, they would be no different from those uttered by an innocent child.
　However, the words of the Heavenly Race girl were filled with plenty of malice.
　They were so black that they condensed all the malice in the world, to the point that only Arios and the others could keep them sane.
　The adventurers have long since fainted.

''Originally, I would have liked to play with you guys...''
...are you going to fight us?
No. No, I won't. I don't want to do that, but I'm a person who pays back the debt of gratitude.　You guys have freed me so I'll stop playing with you guys.
That's a relief.
'And ... if it's a human, it seems there are plenty of others. Hmmm, it's going to be a lot of fun to play with. Very exciting.

　The celestial girl smiled a broken smile.
　She smiled madly.

　One, laughing happily and innocently....

　Then, with a graceful gesture, he bows to Arios and the others.

''Well, I guess I'll be going now.
Can't you wait?
Oh, what is it?
'I want to talk to you. I won't take up too much of your time and I think it would be a fun story for you... what do you think?
Oh, my. Oh my. Being talked about by a human like that..... Okay, let's hear it. I'm going to listen to the story. So, what's your name?
My name is Arios.
I'm Iris. Let's call myself the worst and most powerful species. Hmmmm.