Do you, by any chance, know what a demon is?

　Suddenly, Puppy said such a thing in a great way.
　I couldn't help but raise my eyebrows at such words. Even if you say such things out of the blue.

''Demons ... are ... demons, right?

That's a dumb answer.

Hmph!

Phew!

　Ah.
　I couldn't help but get my fist out of my mouth because I was suddenly distracted. I hit my stomach as hard as I could and Puppy's body blew up.
　It's okay. I take it easy on myself. I'm not in the habit of killing my own people.

"You son of a b*tc*........that was not.......

You never learn, do you?

Don't go in, don't go in, don't go in, don't go out...

　Yeah. It was definitely a good response.
　The puppy is writhing in agony at the end of the blowout, its body shaking with a plop. The 'Ancient Dragon King (Ancient Dragon)' as Shelly calls it, is quite a body.

''........And what do you mean by demons?''

...a little while longer and I, too, will not be able to move...

d*mn......

M.....

　A wafts of white light enveloped the puppy.
　Although my level isn't that high, I can still use some recovery magic. You can't heal fatal wounds or revive the dead, though.
　Puppy slowly stood up, amazed at the sensation of the pain gradually receding.

'You can do a lot of things. I didn't think you had the power to heal yourself.

Well, just in case. So, what's the demon?

Well I don't want to get hit again. I'll give you a straight answer.

Very well.

　He doesn't learn until he gets hit, right?
　But tomorrow, I'm sure he'll forget again. I don't know how to discipline him. I thought I didn't need to discipline him because he can talk to me in the first place, but I think the puppy's vices need a lot of attention.

'It is a derogatory term for humans to call us 'demonic things'. It's just an abbreviation of the word 'demon'. It is, after all, a term that lumps together entities that cannot be measured by human common sense.

Well, yeah.

　The term 'subhuman' is commonly used to describe elves, dwarves and beastmen. After all, such beings are considered to be a subspecies of humans.
　However, demons are different. Demons can't communicate, and are perceived as beings that will never be incompatible with humans. That's why minotaurs, goblins, ogres, wild dogs, and dragons are treated as the same demons, even though they are completely different in appearance, size, and even as species.

"But we call ourselves 'demons' as well.

"...why? Isn't that a derogatory term?

We don't think like you. The humans call us demons, and we call ourselves demons, but we call ourselves demons, and we call ourselves demon kings.

Huh?

　The Demon King's?
　I don't get it.
　No, because demons are alive, aren't they? If you kill them, they'll die. I don't think it's a thing.

"We were originally created by the Demon King. The people he created as his servants are the demons.

Really?

Yes. Me, Milo, Gilanka, Chappie and Bau were all created by the Demon King. In other words, without the Demon King, demons would not be born. The demon king is the one who creates all kinds of demons and controls them as his hands and feet.

...?

Therefore, you can think of them as being like puppets following the demon king's will. It is not wrong to call it a "thing" either. They have no will of their own, they only obey the command to 'kill humans'.

....

　I think I've heard something similar before. But frankly, I don't understand it.
　But it's not good to say "I don't understand" here. It's a puppy.
　For now, let's just nod like we know what we're talking about.

Even if the existence that created it, the Demon King, is extinguished, the demons will forever follow the orders given to them by the Demon King. Only a very small percentage of them will question their own existence. They spend a long time asking themselves what they are, what they are, and then they get an answer. It is a single existence. That is a demon with a will - a being like me. Yes, like me.

Don't tell me twice you're saying that you're incredibly rare?

'How. At least until now, in my lifetime, I've never met another demon with a will.

....

　I'm starting to look like an awesome puppy. You're a puppy.

'Hmmm ... so what's the deal with Drake then?　You turned into a demon yourself, right?

Yeah.

I don't know what you mean. Then how come Drake was able to speak normally?

It's the difference in origins. It's the difference between demons created with nothingness as the foundation and demons created with humans as the foundation. It is the difference between the demons that are created with human beings as their foundation and those that are created with human beings as their foundation. He hasn't been a demon for very long. It's just that he still has his own will. If you leave yourself to the element for a long time, you'll forget the words of others and lose your mind. That's how you become a demon.

....

　My head hurts.
　I'm confused by all the demons and demons from a while ago.

........In the end, what are you trying to say?

　I think the last time I heard a similar story was when I had the Puppy as a companion.
　At that time, I think I was told that giving a demon its will was making an ideal subordinate, or that it was a king, or something like that. I certainly think it's abnormal for me too, though.

''Well ... yes, I do. I've spoken at length, but in other words, a demon is nothing more than a lump of magic element created by the demon king. When they die, the corpse does not remain, but dissipates as magic element is its end.

No, so... what?

You know what I'm talking about.

....

　Demons are nothing more than a lump of magical elements. If they die, they will dissipate as magic element.
　It's natural. That's what I thought too.
　But.
　So why is it that Chappie's corpse is there?

No way....

　He turns his back on Pappy and runs straight to Chappie's corpse.
　There is no light of life there. He's in a bloom of blood and collapses into a slumped heap, dying.
However.
　He returns to the demon element and fizzles out - there is no sign of it anywhere.

You're not just a demon hunter. You have to be able to have a good time, and you have to be able to have a good time. Therefore, the magic element must have coagulated while still retaining its shape.

Heal!

　While listening to Puppy's words, I cast a recovery spell on the corpse chappie.
　My recovery magic is only at a low level, and I've never cast a recovery spell on a dead person like this. I'm not sure that my recovery magic is that powerful.
　However.
　You're going to be able to find out if this is really the existence that has solidified the magic element as "my companion" instead of "the demon king's property".

　That's--.

　The wound is closed, and Chappie gets up with a slither.
　I don't understand what it means, while squinting his eyes as if he were waking up from sleep.

''...Gosh, gosh, people? What were you doing with your head, what were you doing with your...?

Chappie!

　I didn't really understand what Puppy was talking about for a long time, though.
　Only the last word made a lot of sense to me. In other words, my companions are made up of coagulated magical elements, and therefore do not dissipate.
　And if the existence of demons leads to death through 'magic element diffusion'.
　The demons I follow - they will not die.

''Rejoice, lad ... no, demon-user Noah Whitefield.

　The Puppy announces in a loud and clear voice.

"Your comrades are the strongest sharpshooters you can kill and not die.