A little girl was walking in front of me.
　She looked as if Stella had become a child.

''Stella...?''

　When I called out to her, the girl turned around.
　Her innocent face was still a shadow of Stella.

''You're becoming a child........?''

　Little Stella walks up to you.

"Hey, Stella...

　Ignoring my call, she walked straight up to me.
　And.

What the...?

　It goes straight through my body.
　As if it had no substance.

　Is this little stela a kind of illusion?

　...Mother.

　She murmured.

　At the same time, something flowed into my chest.

　Loneliness.
　Loneliness.
　Anxiety.
　And - love for her mother.

Stella's feelings... flowed into your heart?

　I'm confused.
　Is this an effect of being in the dream world?

'Stella my darling daughter....

　The graceful beauty embraced little Stella.

　This time, an intense sense of joy swept through me.
　This must be Stella's emotion, too.

　Neither of them cared about me.
　No, they can't see me in the first place.

　Regardless of my confusion, they are talking.

　The scene in front of me has switched from the inside of the castle to a well-kept courtyard.
　Even there, little Stella and her mother are chatting.

'Could it be that this is a memory of her childhood...?



　And I'm going to see.

　Stella's past.

　　　　*

　Stella D. Aaserwein was born as the eldest daughter of the Duke of Aaserwein's family, one of the five great aristocracies of the magical world.

　She is a member of the family known as the "eye demon.
　It is the demon race that has the eye to see everything - hence the name "eye demon.

You live to serve the demon king, Stella.
Yes, Mother.

　Her beautiful and elegant mother - Marcella Dee Arzelwein - was Stella's dream.

　Stella honed her power to be like her mother, who held the title of "Vision" and worked as the head of a demon army.
　The power of the "eye" as an eye demon.

　Marcella led a busy life as an aide to the Demon King.
　There are only a few days throughout the year when she is at home in her castle.

　Stella had few memories of being hugged by her mother.
　I'm not sure if I'll ever see her again, but I'm sure she'll be interested in Stella's hidden "power".

If I improve my power, my mother will be happy to see me.

　Clairvoyance and remote vision.
　The paralytic eye and the poisonous eye.
　The haunting eye and the heaven-killing eye.

　Stella trained all kinds of pupil arts and learned them at a tremendous rate.

Look, Mother. I'm getting strong again.

　Each time she learned one new jutsu, Stella happily reported to her mother.

'Praise, Mother,'

　Stella was heralded as the most prodigious genius in the history of her family.

''I'm getting strong with my pupils again, mother.

　I was proud of that.
　And I wanted my mom to see me like that.

"Hey, look at me. Give me a compliment. I want you to love me. Mother...

　Stella's pupil skills grew by the day.

　However, her mother, who had been admiring her until halfway through, slowly changed her attitude.

'Stella, it's time for you to end your training.
What, why...?
Too much power is a curse. I did not know your genius was here and it was a mistake to leave you to your own devices.
I'm not sure.
'You've had enough power. You've already surpassed me. Sooner or later, you'll take over as the Demon Army Chief.

　My mother's smile felt strangely cold at that moment.

''I'm like your mother...?''
Yes. So I don't have to hone my powers anymore.
'But I want to get stronger and stronger. I want your mother to praise me more.
"If this is the case, you will reach that power. If that happens, I'll...

　Mother's words were difficult, and still hard for little Stella to understand.

'Wow, Miss Stella is a genius.
No one in history has been able to use the Eye so well.
I'm sure Lady Marcella has a very high nose.

　The demon tribe around me is still praising me.
　Yes, I'm sure my mother would praise me too.

　Stella continued her training behind her mother's back after that.

　Her powers have grown even more, and she's mastered a series of new pupil techniques, and



　The day of reckoning came suddenly.



"You have acquired a power that must never be awakened.

　The sound of anger echoes through the air.

'Because I wanted to get your mother's praise.
'When did I say that?　I ordered you not to hone your strength.

　My mother's face took on the appearance of a demon.

''Because ... because ... because ...''

　Stella was puzzled.

　She didn't know any other way to turn her mother's eyes to her.
　Because the only thing that her busy mother could look at her was her pupil technique.

　If she stopped her practice, her mother would no longer look at her──.
　With that kind of anxiety, Stella was unable to stop.

'You just do what I tell you to do. Don't do anything unnecessary.

　Her mother's eyes shone with a bewitching glow.
　That glow became a lightning bolt and struck Stella's entire body.

''Kyaaaah!

　Severe pain running through his entire body.

　Consciousness stirred, faded and muddled.
　A sense of fear and despair, as if I would cease to be myself.

This 'curse' is a punishment.

　My mother coldly tells me.

''From now on, you'll be able to recover your magic power slower than an ordinary demon race. The power of your pupil technique will also drop dramatically. That power that is being awakened - the Eye of the Apocalypse (Apocalypse Note) - can no longer be used again.
'Ahhhhhh.....................'
'How dare you put out an 'abomination' in my place? I must be judged. Farewell.

　My mother turned away.
　The sound of footsteps going away.

'Eh, where are you going, mother...?
'I must be judged. I'll never see you again.
Wait! Don't go!　Don't leave me alone, mother........!

　With tears of blood flowing out of her third eye, Stella screamed out──.

　　　　*

'Ahhhhhhhh........!

　Right in front of me, little Stella was suffering.
　Her figure gradually grew larger and eventually returned to her usual form.

''Ahh........ahh.......!

　The agony continued.
　Is it the curse I saw in the video earlier?

''Stella!''

　I run to her side.
　Gently I reach out my hand.

　Apparently it's not an illusion from earlier, but an entity.

"Ha, ha, ha....
'No ... no ... don't ... don't go away, mother ...'
Stella, come on.
I'm going to listen to you and I'm going to obey your mother's orders and I want you to stay by my side Mother.... ...

　There was not an ounce of her usual coolness.
　Like a little girl, Stella was frightened and sobbing.

'I'm here for you. It's okay.

　He took off his mask and spoke to her.

'Freed ... sir?　I...

　Stella looks up at me with a stunned look on her face.
　Her tear-stained eyes stare at me.

'Stella,'
You....you...

　Stella sobbed, sobbing.

'Master Freed........'
Don't worry. I'm with you.

　I hold her gently as she trembles in my arms.

　Her body is soft and smaller than I thought it would be.
　It felt so thin that it felt like it might break if I put pressure on it.

　I was holding Stella as if she were a broken thing──.