113When I first awakened, my mind wasn't filled with rational thoughts or a clear understanding of my surroundings. Instead, a primal, gut-wrenching hunger surged within me, so intense that it felt like it might tear me apart from the inside. The hunger was all-consuming, a raw, animalistic need that overrode any sense of self-awareness.
My self-consciousness arose along with a hunger similar to that of a newly born animal that is unable to control its newly awakened appetite and goes out of control.
For a moment, I almost lost myself entirely to that hunger, my vision narrowing, the world around me fading into a haze of desperation.
But somehow, through sheer will, I managed to hold back, just enough to regain a shred of reason. I looked around, taking in the unfamiliar forest, the trees, the small animals darting through the underbrush—anything that might serve as food.
Yet nothing I bit into, not the bark of trees, not the flesh of the creatures scurrying past, could satisfy this gnawing hunger. It was as if my body rejected them, demanding something else, something specific.
"Eat humans," my instinct urged me.
For a moment, I hesitated, the word "human" unfamiliar, a concept I couldn't quite grasp. But then I caught sight of my reflection in a puddle of water. Staring back at me was the face of a human girl, her features gaunt and framed by matted hair, her clothes tattered and stained.
And in that instant, everything clicked into place. The hunger wasn't for just any prey—it was for beings like the one in the reflection, creatures that walked on two legs, with two arms, just like me.
So, the decision was simple.
I needed to find those humans and feast on them to satiate this hunger.
Leaving the forest behind, I soon spotted a distant light—soft, flickering, unmistakably human. It wasn't the wild, uncontrolled blaze of nature, but the orderly glow of a village.
-Ahh...I can finally get some food.
Thinking that, I reached a place where the entrance to the village was visible, hid myself among the nearby plants and trees, and observed - I realized at a glance that it wasn't going to be that easy.
I don't know why. But-with these eyes, I was able to see something that normally cannot be seen.
Standing in front of the village entrance were humans clad in armor and armed with swords and spears.
Flowing through their bodies was a strange, glowing energy, pulsing with power. The moment I saw it, I knew, with an instinctual certainty, that I couldn't defeat them. Their strength, the way they moved, the sheer force of their presence—it was all tied to that glowing energy.
Mana.
Simply standing there, analyzing the flow of mana, I instantly understood that if I challenged them, I would lose. It wasn't just about the amount of mana; from that seemingly defenseless posture, I could calculate the moves they would likely make.
Our fundamental strengths were different. I couldn't win against them.
After all, if it came down to a fight between the guards who had repelled monsters many times and a newly born monster like me, the answer was obvious: the former would prevail.
In hindsight, I was fortunate to realize this, thanks to the unique trait of my eyes.
So, what to do?
Should I continue to endure this hunger, unable to find food? That was out of the question.
In that case, I have no choice but to find a way to somehow get hold of the flesh of the humans here.
That's right, I had "words."
A word is a sound produced by the vocal organs when humans communicate with each other.
In order to deceive humans, this body also possessed the ability to speak.
As I watched the entrance, a cart passed by, heading into the village. Quiet as a shadow, I slipped into the back of the cart, hiding among the goods. The guards didn't notice, their eyes scanning the road, but not the cargo.
Still, there's no room for complacency. If someone were to see them eating a human on the street, the guards might hear the news and come rushing to their aid.
If that happened, I would have to flee before they arrived, but taking such risks was dangerous.
So, the method I chose was...
"Hey, you... there's a demon on the orchard!"
"A demon, you say!?"
I intentionally let myself be discovered by the humans working in the orchard. They were a man and a woman, both much taller than I was, but unlike the guards at the village entrance, their strength was nothing to fear. Compared to them, even a newborn like me could easily overpower these two if I caught them off guard.
I staggered forward, feigning weakness, and collapsed onto the ground in front of them. My voice was barely more than a whisper as I muttered,
"...I'm so hungry."
My feeble "words" visibly unsettled the two humans.
Were they confused? Did they genuinely pity me? Or were they afraid? Perhaps all of the above.
I can't say which was correct, but it seemed my deception was working on the two humans before me.
"You... She's just a child," the woman said.
"But she's a demon! Shouldn't we call the guards?" the man replied.
At that, I felt a jolt of panic. If the guards were called, I couldn't predict what would happen.
I wasn't sure if I could deceive them as easily as I did these two. Even if I could, I wouldn't find an opportunity to strike.
To satisfy this gnawing hunger, I had no choice but to push this act further, to convince them I was harmless, just a starving child.
"I'm... hungry..."
I whispered again, my voice trembling with fabricated weakness. I clutched at the dirt beneath me, my body quivering as if I were barely holding on.
One push, one more push.
If I could fool them completely, they would approach.
In a trembling voice, I muttered weakly, clutching the ground.
All I had to do was wait for them to come closer.
But they didn't approach me.
-And neither did they send me away.
"Honey," the woman said.
"Oh, I just happened to have some apples left over that I was going to throw away." the man replied.
The two humans exchanged glances, discussing something quietly between them.
I couldn't understand what they were saying, but the intent was clear enough. They were still wary, still keeping their distance. If they didn't come closer, there was no point in this charade.
"I'll keep an eye on her. You go get them."
When the man said that, the woman nodded and went straight into the building.
-Could it be that they'll call the guards?
The remaining man kept a distance, watching me cautiously, never stepping into my range.
My anxiety grew. Just when I had found humans I could deceive, they turned out to be unexpectedly wary.
I began to regret sneaking into this village when the woman returned, carrying several red objects in her arms.
"I've got them."
"Alright. Here, girl."
The man called out to me, sitting on the ground, and without coming closer, gently rolled the apples towards me.
-Are they telling me to eat something like this?
The only thing my body craved was their flesh. Eating these wouldn't satisfy my hunger.
Even though I was cursing such things in my mind, I was so desperate that I picked up the thing in front of me and took a bite.
And then, my world changed.
—
Munch, munch. Chop, chomp...
With one bite, I became completely absorbed in gnawing at it.
Every bite, every chew released a blend of tartness and sweetness, accompanied by a crisp texture that filled my mouth. The entire process, from biting to swallowing, brought an overwhelming sense of happiness.
"Whoa…"
"Oh my…"
The man crossed his arms and looked confused. While the woman touched her chin, smiling warmly. It was as if their earlier caution had been nothing but a lie.
My desperate behavior seemed to have dissolved their wariness far more than my earlier deliberate deception. Looking back, it was obvious. At that moment, I wasn't trying to deceive anyone—I was simply absorbed in eating the red thing before me. I was no longer conscious of them; my mind was completely taken by the fruit. There was no deception there, I was just being myself.
Ironically, it was this embarrassing sight that prompted the man and woman duo to open up to me.
I finished eating the fruit in the blink of an eye and looked around for more. I soon noticed that the same fruits were growing in abundance on the trees around the orchard. As I reached out to grab one, the man stopped me.
"Hey, not those. They're for sale."
As he grabbed my hand, I was about to shake him off, not caring at all about his concerns, when my gaze was drawn to the woman behind him. More specifically, to the large quantity of red fruit she was holding in her arms.
"Here, we still have some over here. See?"
The woman squatted down and brought the items in her arms right in front of me. At this point, I had succeeded in luring both of them into my range, just as I had planned from the beginning. It was now easy for me to sink my fangs into their flesh and satiate my craving.
Yet, somehow, the thought completely slipped my mind.
"Munch, munch, chomp."
I snatched the fruits from the woman's arms and devoured them greedily.
-Before I knew it, my desire to eat people had become something I no longer cared about.
Thus, having forgotten my hunger for human flesh, I ended up being taken in by these two humans.
The red fruit was called an "apple." In this village, it was grown by these two humans—a man and a woman who were called a "husband and wife."
I also thought that if I ate this couple, I would never be able to eat an apple again, so I accepted living with them.
However, it was rather troublesome that they started teaching me about humans. There were many times when I grew tired of it and thought about eating them, but the thought of apples made me hold back.
I was using my eyes to imitate the movements of the two people who were busy with farm work, so I thought about growing some apples myself, but it was easier to get someone to do it for me than to do it myself.
But it wasn't all bad.
By learning how to act like a human and understanding human norms, I was able to avoid being discovered as a demon in the town, as long as I hid my horns. This allowed me to continue enjoying delicious apples while blending in.
Still, I did make one miscalculation. The moment I helped them with the farm work on a whim, they started actively involving me in it.
I have no intention of repaying a favor or having any goodwill. I'm not human, so I don't understand such things.
Since I was planning to take these two as prey anyway, I thought I should get used to it in case I was left alone.
It wasn't because I would get more apples if I helped them with the farm work.
It wasn't because I wanted to live here forever.
That wasn't the case—or at least it shouldn't have been.
—
Several years have passed, and now there is no trace of the peaceful, prosperous village that once stood here.
The sky was painted red as flames engulfed the buildings, reducing them to smoldering rubble. Wooden beams crackled and collapsed under the heat, sending plumes of smoke spiraling into the air.
Those who were too slow to escape were either buried beneath the debris, their bodies turned to ash, or crushed into bloody masses under the collapsing structures.
For those still fleeing, there was no salvation—each step they took toward freedom was met with the merciless blades of the invaders who had set the village ablaze.
Screams of terror and the dance of flames filled the air, blending the entire village into a hellish scene of red. Blood from the dead and dying pooled in the streets, mingling with the crimson light of the inferno. It was a world consumed by fire and death, where the line between life and destruction blurred.
Amidst this chaos, a single demon girl ran through the burning village.
The attackers who had set the village on fire were like her—horned beings with human-like appearances. They were her kin, demons by nature. It was because of this shared lineage that the girl was able to run through the village unscathed, unnoticed by the other demons.
"Help me."
"Save me."
"Please… help…"
Even though the girl did not hide her horns to avoid being attacked by her kin, the village residents who passed by her begged for help. Their voices, raw with fear and pain, reached out to her, a plea for salvation. But before they could even touch the hem of her ragged clothes, they were slaughtered—cut down by her kin or devoured on the spot.
The girl continued running, indifferent to it all. Being a demon, she felt nothing toward the humans' deaths—after all, they were originally her prey.
Even if she tried to help, there was nothing she could do. The demons that had attacked the village were all adult demons much taller than the girl, and even though they were demons, a mere girl like her was no match for them.
That's why she ignored the faint tug of guilt she felt each time someone asked for help.
A place like this would have been one she would have run away from long ago, But despite the chaos, despite the overwhelming urge to flee, the girl did not run away. Something held her back, a single concern that gnawed at her mind, compelling her to stay.
This one concern drove the girl to run toward a specific place.
Driven by this one thought, the girl ran toward a specific place within the burning village.
Her heart pounded with a strange, unfamiliar urgency as she navigated the smoke-filled streets, avoiding the worst of the flames and debris. She knew where she was going, and nothing—not the destruction around her nor the screams of the dying—could stop her.
And so, the girl arrived at her destination.
She witnessed a familiar scene: the orchard of apple trees, set ablaze, burning away.
Beside the blazing orchard lay two figures, a man and a woman, their bodies sprawled on the ground, bleeding from deep, fatal wounds. Their clothes were torn and stained with blood, their faces pale and contorted with pain.
A male demon stood over them, sneering down at their fallen bodies.
"..."
Without changing her expression, the girl approached the tragic scene.
Her steps were slow and measured, each footfall deliberate as if she were simply returning home after a long absence. The chaos around her faded into the background as she moved closer to the bodies of the fallen couple, her demeanor betraying an air of indifference that belied the turmoil brewing within her.
"Hm?" The male demon noticed the girl approaching and turned toward her. He held a sword infused with mana, its blade stained with the blood of the fallen couple.
"You're a face I haven't seen before. Judging by your height, you must be freshly born?"
The girl didn't respond, her eyes fixed on the familiar corpses.
She took a moment to absorb the sight, the stark reality of their lifeless forms contrasting sharply with the warmth of the memories she held. She could still remember their laughter, the way they had cared for her, the sweetness of the apples they had shared.
Then she looked over at the orchard, now engulfed in flames. The beautiful fruits that the three of them had grown had now turned to charcoal in the flames and were falling to the ground with a thud, just like the villagers she had seen so many times before coming here.
――I saw hell.
Suddenly, a voice echoed in the depths of the girl's mind.
"――――?"
The unexpected voice caused her to widen her eyes slightly, a flicker of recognition sparking within her. It was a voice she had never heard before, yet somehow it felt familiar, a haunting whisper that resonated with her very soul.
――I saw hell.
"――――!?"
For a brief moment, the scene before her eyes overlapped with a memory from a certain man—a burning town, people crying out in agony for help.
The scenes changed one after the other - and the last thing she saw was -
It was the back of a lone man wearing a red cloak, standing atop the Hill of Swords.
Unknowingly, the girl was captivated by that world.
She thought that perhaps it represented the pinnacle of what she could achieve with her magic, Imitation Spell: Erfassen, which allowed her to mimic others.
Entranced, the girl instinctively tried to mimic that world.
"――――――!"
Suddenly, an excruciating headache assailed her, nearly crushing her sense of self. It felt as if her very identity was being overwritten, as if she was no longer herself.
Sensing instinctively that she was about to be obliterated, the girl shut her eyes to stop the mimicking process.
"――――ugh, haah, haah, haah!"
With a gasp, the girl was brought back to reality.
'-What was that just now?'
She wondered about the phenomenon she had just experienced.
'What was that world I saw, and who on earth was that man?'
No, that in itself is not a question.
'――Why do I feel like I know that man and that world?'
'I've never seen that person, I've never seen a world like that.'
'Even though I've never seen it before, I felt like I recognized it somewhere in my memory.'
'But I don't even know where that memory came from.'
But reality didn't allow her time to dwell on those thoughts.
"Hey you, you newborn demon."
"?!"
Startled by the voice, her body jolted, and she turned toward the speaker. Ignoring him was not an option. It wasn't something she understood consciously, but her demonic instincts compelled her to face the male demon.
"Were these people your target too? If so, tough luck—I'm taking them."
The girl's mind went blank.
'――Who is taking whom?'
"That said," the demon continued, grinning down at her, "if you agree to serve under me, I'll let you have them."
He indicated the two corpses with a nod. The girl looked down at them again. She felt nothing. After all, she had always intended to eat them eventually, so there was nothing to feel.
Yet she found herself unable to move.
"What's wrong? Aren't you going to eat? If you don't want to serve me, then scram. In that case, these two are mine."
――――
As soon as those words were spoken, the girl instinctively gathered mana in her hands and turned to face the demon—only to find herself unable to do anything.
The mana she had gathered dissipated, and her body began to tremble. Unconsciously, she had bowed before the demon.
"Yes, that's right. We demons are monsters who form groups based solely on the display of mana. Even a newborn like you will learn that soon enough."
"..."
"So, if you want these two, then submit to me. If you do, you can keep eating humans to your heart's content."
By now, the girl's instincts no longer allowed her to defy the man. If she didn't want to serve under him, she could simply give up the two bodies. Yet, for some reason, she couldn't make that choice either.
As if to give her answer, the girl turned once more toward the two bodies. With the burning apple orchard in the background, she gazed down at the two who had died.
She didn't want to hand these two over to the male demon simply because she had claimed them first. After all, she was a demon too. Her nature was no different from that of the male demon. She remained a predator, and they were merely prey.
So these two are like an apple to the girl.
The time for harvest has come, that's all.
And yet—
'――I'll never eat these people's apples again.'
'――I'll never be held in their arms again.'
Just before she began devouring their flesh, the girl vaguely recognized this fact.
In the end, that's all there was to it. A young carnivorous beast had finally tasted human flesh, met her kind, and was now beginning her life as a demon. It was nothing unusual—just the ordinary beginning of a demon's existence. There was nothing for the girl to think about.
――――But
I am the bone of my sword.
For some reason, she couldn't forget.
She couldn't forget the village that burned that day, the apple orchard, and the two people she had spent time with. It was as if they overlapped with the hell that man had witnessed.
She couldn't shake the memory of the taste of the two she had consumed. She had thought that her first taste of human flesh as a demon would be delicious, yet each bite only filled her mouth with a bitter taste of iron.
It was as if something deep within her was condemning her for making a terrible mistake.
This feeling, surely――――
"Trace on"