Finished visiting some of the main attractions, the sun was about to set.

  Thanks to Lillywood-san’s easy-to-understand guidance, I was able to fully enjoy the festival even though I wasn’t very familiar with plants. I’m really grateful for that.

  And now, Lillywood-san was bringing me…… to what could be called the main event of the Festival’s second day.

  It was a huge flower garden that took up the entire area north of the Central Tower. The colorful flowers were lined up in a pattern, creating an unmistakably picturesque scenery.

  According to Lillywood-san, it was her “masterpiece”, and it certainly was really amazing. It looked like a giant rainbow from some places, while it looked like an intricate ring of colors from another.

  There was also a small hill where one could find a different kind of beauty. The flower box was like a jewel box, as everytime you look at something, you would find new discoveries.

  Before I knew it, I found myself sitting side by side with Lillywood-san on a hill overlooking the flower garden, looking at the flower garden, losing track of time.

  As the sky began to be dyed in a deeper red, I could see a different kind of melancholic beauty, and I spoke to the nearby Lillywood-san.

  [Speaking of which, Lillywood-san. There’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you for a while now…… may I ask you about it?]

  “Eh? Yes, I don’t mind.”


  There was no one else on the hill at the moment, probably because the other participants were shying away from Lillywood-san’s presence. I think it’s a good time to talk about things since it’s only the two of us at the moment.

  That’s why, I decided to ask her about something that has been bothering me for a while…… a certain misgiving I have regarding Lillywood-san.

  [Ummm, I’m sorry if this is just my misunderstanding. It’s just that, Lillywood-san…… Could it be that you and Alice…… Phantasmal King doesn’t get along?]

  “……Why do you think so?”


  [……When I was advised by Lillywood-san at the Sacred Tree Festival, somehow…… I kinda felt that Lillywood-san was “scared” of Alice…… or something like that?]

  “………………..”


  I always wanted to ask this. However, I never had the opportunity to ask it because of the content of what I’m asking.

  Back at the Sacred Tree Festival, Lillywood-san’s expression while she’s talking about Alice…… the Phantasmal King, it’s was if she was talking about an unknown being…… No, the atmosphere around her was as if she was talking about someone she couldn’t comprehend.

  For me, Alice is my best friend and my irreplaceable lover…… That’s why I wanted to ask this.

  When Lillywood-san heard what I said, she was silent for a while before she let out a light sigh.

  “……I’m really no match against you, Kaito-san.”


  [……Then?]

  “Yes, it is as you said. If it was “at that time”, certainly…… I was afraid of Shalltear. No, it might not be appropriate to say that I was afraid of her…… I guess it would be better to say that “I’m creeped out by her.”


  [……Creeped out huh?]

  Gazing at the flower garden dyed in the redness of dusk, Lillywood-san began to talk about the past.

  “She suddenly appeared in front of us one day. As a being of great power, her sudden appearance…… that in itself wasn’t the problem. If Kuromueina brought her to us, we won’t hesitate to accept her as family.”


  [………………..]

  “The cheerful and energetic Shalltear quickly made friends with everyone…… Even though she was playing the fool with a smile, she still somehow drew a line between us…… It’s as if there were dark flames hidden behind her smile……”


  I see, Lillywood-san faintly noticed the things she was hiding huh. However, she wasn’t quite clear about what it is. This must be why she felt that Alice was so creepy.

  “……It’s as if she was looking at something else while looking at us…… It was only about a thousand years after Shalltear’s arrival in this world that these thoughts became clear to me.”


  [Did Alice do something?]

  “……At that time, the Demon Realm was a very chaotic place. There were many powerful beings…… Count-rank Demons were just about anywhere, each of which doing whatever they pleased. The most powerful being in the Demon Realm, Kuromueina, had the power to rule the Demon Realm, but she respected the freedom of each individual, and as a result, you could say that it was a much rougher era than today.”


  [………………..]

  “However, that chaotic Demon Realm…… was changed by a single person.”


  [……And that person is Alice?]

  When I reflexively asked back, Lillywood-san quietly nodded.

  “Among the powerful Demons, Shalltear secretly erased those she perceived as unnecessary to the world. She did it so cold-heartedly, in such a clever way that we didn’t even notice…… By the time we noticed it, “more than 70%” of those powerful Demons had been erased by her alone.”


  [………………..]

  “However, that’s not all that she did. At the same time as she did this, she increased the number of her subordinates, acting as her limbs, and in just a thousand years, she was able to spread her roots behind the vast Demon Realm. Using her ability to manipulate information, she was able to bring order to the Demon Realm…… Constructing ranks like the “Six Kings” and the “Peerage-holders”.”


  [Eh? P- Please wait a moment. That means, the one who made up the terms Six Kings and Peerage-holding High-ranking Demons were……]

  “Yes, Shalltear made them. The reason why she divided the Demon Race was to make it easier to manage information…… It was for her own benefit, as she said herself.”


  [……What a selfish person that is. That Shalltear was quite nasty, wasn’t she? There certainly isn’t anything wrong with being selfish, but the——- Fugyaaahhh!?]

  There was some idiot who interrupted our serious conversation, so I reflexively drove my knuckle on her head.

  Dear Mom, Dad————- Lillywood-san’s story was quite shocking. Of course, I knew about Alice’s circumstances too, so I knew that she did such things…… and I knew that it was because she needed a lot of information to fulfill her promise to Iris-san…… Still, I was surprised. Lillywood-san’s words meant that Alice created the terms Six Kings and Peerage-holders————- and she’s the one that created the prototype of the current Demon Realm.

  **********