I was lying on my back ... and slowly woke up.

?

　Where am I?

　
　But there is no lighting at all.
　The windows were open, and moonlight streamed in, illuminating the room slightly.

　I could see a row of glittering, ornate furniture.
　Other artworks such as paintings and sculptures.
　There were also swords and armor on display.

　A human aristocrat's room, I guess.
　However, there is no sign of human presence.
　To be more accurate, there is no sense of life.

　Why is it here?
　Wondering, as I tried to sit up...

Ugh........ah!

　I felt intense pain in many places in my body.
　I couldn't help but let out a scream.

''Hah, hah........''

　The pain was unbearable and I fell asleep on the floor again.
　What the hell is the pain now...?

You shouldn't be too hard on yourself, you know.

　Suddenly, a voice rang out.
　There should have been no sign of a human in this room...?

　I forced myself to sit up, ignoring the pain.
　And then I turned around....

　There's a woman there.

'Oh my. Are you going to be able to get up now?　That's great.

　The woman is in the mid-20s, I guess.
　She was tall and had a clear, uneven body.
　As if she was selling such a body, she was wearing revealing clothes.

　And.........the thing that catches your attention the most is her eyes.
　Eyes that were blood red in color.
　When you look at them, you can't help but get sucked in.......
　I got such a strange feeling.

'You're ... not human, are you?'
'Correct. Is that clear?
I didn't smell anything I didn't like.

　Once I can get up, my body has gotten used to the pain.
　It's not so much that I can't move.

　Granted, I'm still in the same state of being forced to move, but the pain is still there....
　I couldn't bring myself to show this woman that I was weak, so I forced myself to stand up.

'You shouldn't push yourself,'

　The woman said such things as she looked into our minds.

'Isn't it hard to just stand there?　Take the chair over there.
....

　I'll try to understand the woman's words.
　But I couldn't understand.

　The woman seemed genuinely concerned about us, and...
　And yet, it was like he was making an observation to see how far he could move.

''Well then, I'll take your word for it.

　If you're exposed, there's no point in being strong.
　Also, it was an actual painful part of my life, so I sat down honestly in my chair.

'So ... who are you?　That smell isn't human it's demonic, isn't it?
Oh, dear. How do you know that much?
I can see that. Just don't lick it too hard.
''Hmmm.......I'm sorry. I didn't intend to do so, but it looks like I unknowingly did something to try it out.

　I don't know.
　Surely this woman would lie like she was breathing.
　I wondered how much I could trust her.

"My name is Rhys. I'm a demon.
You're going to admit it.
There's no point in hiding it, you know.
''It's good that you're honest but is it okay for you to admit that you're a demon race?　Isn't the demon race the natural enemy of all living things?
'Yes. But ... you're not, are you?
....
''I'm sure you and I can build a good relationship. That's what I thought, so I honestly revealed myself to you as a demon tribe.
...What do you expect?
Nothing now.

　The woman laughed.

　She may be using magic and disguising herself as a human, but...
　His smile was so malevolent that it was hard to believe it was human.

'Why did you help?'

　I'm almost certain that this woman saved me.
　However, I don't understand its purpose.
　Originally, the demon race is supposed to be a natural enemy...

I'm trying to recruit you.
Scout?　You want me to be a pawn of the demon race?
'Hmm, not quite. I can't have a pawn in the hands of someone as good as you. I'm trying to form a partnership.
Cooperation, hey.

　Can we really trust the demon race and so on?
　The question arises....

　However, I was able to help, too.
　Maybe I could listen to you for a bit.

'I've been sneaking in and watching the whole thing............................No, I didn't expect it. It's amazing that a mere mortal could knock you down. I was so surprised that I couldn't help myself. I almost left you to die.
Did you see it?
It's a perfect fit. Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to help at the right time.
It's in bad taste.
I apologize if I offended you.

　The woman gave a token bow.

'Huh ... that's enough. More importantly, what do you want me to do?
So, that's....
'You mean you can't answer unless you're in a partnership?　With that kind of attitude, I can't answer what we're going to do either.
"Hmm.
Tell me what you want first. We'll talk about it later.
All right.

　The woman laughed again.
　This time, it was a laugh that was laced with madness.

''Do you know what we, the demon race, are up to?''
You guys don't really have a purpose, do you?　If I had to choose, I would say that I follow the Demon King. That's the purpose of you, the demon race.
''That's correct. We are ordered by the Demon King to move to fulfill his wishes. And such a Demon King's goal is to.......................eradicate the human race. No, incineration. That is our first priority.
I know that.
''However, the current Demon King is in a dormant period, and he doesn't maintain his proper consciousness. Therefore, we won't be active in our activities. If we move on our own, he might get angry with us later. In fact, there have been such cases in the past. Well, if it's only a light outburst, there's no problem, but after all, we are not allowed to make any big moves.
It's an interesting story.
It's just.

　The woman.........Reese laughs.

'I'm a bouncer. When people tell me that I shouldn't do it, I want to try it. Because I don't know when the Demon Lord will wake up. Wouldn't it be boring to sit and wait for that to happen?　So I want to play, I do.
So...?
I said I wanted to play, but I'm not that strong. If I was alone, I'd get beaten up pretty quickly. That's why I need a strong companion. That's why I found you.
....
''As a demon, my purpose is the same as the Demon King. I want to kill humans. We have the same interests in this regard, don't we?
It's...

　For some reason, I couldn't answer right away.
　I hate humans.
　They are the object of revenge.

　But the image of that man came to mind...
　It didn't burn with as much passion as it did before.

'Well, the first priority is to heal the wound. You don't have to answer me right now. Just take your time now.

　Then, I say, "Well," and Reese disappears like melting into the darkness.

　I'm left alone and I gently put my hand on my chest.

If I accept the lure of that woman, I can continue to take my revenge...so why am I not happy?　Has something changed in me?　If that's the case, then it's Master Lane's....

　I walked to the window and stared at my reflection in the glass.

'What do you want to do ... Iris?'