Namun, begitu Lily mendengar kata-kata itu, matanya berbinar, dan, "Wow! Benar juga! Bisa dipikir seperti itu! Wow, memang luar biasa Frondier!" Dia bersemangat dan kagum dengan ekspresi yang sama seperti saat dia di bengkel. "...Itu bukan pertanyaan yang berdasar kuat." "Tetap saja! Hebat kamu bisa memikirkan ide itu!" Entah bagaimana, sepertinya ambang kekaguman Lily sudah turun. Frondier berpikir begitu dan menatapnya dengan tatapan halus. "Jadi, bagaimana menurutmu?" "Hmm, sekarang aku dengar? Lebih wajar bagiku untuk menganggap pergi ke Dunia Demon sebagai 'kembali' daripada 'pergi'. Mungkin memang tempat asalku adalah Dunia Demon." "Kalau di angka, mungkin sekitar 60%." 60%, angka yang layak dipertimbangkan. "Kalau itu benar, maka ada cara untuk mengirim demon dalam kondisi utuh ke dunia manusia dari Dunia Demon, tanpa menggunakan 'kesurupan' atau 'kontrak'." "...Ah! Benar! Aku sedang melakukan itu!" Setan membuka gerbang melalui kontrak dengan manusia, tapi tidak bisa menyeberang sendiri. Setelah mencapai posisi Tujuh Dosa Besar, mereka butuh syarat untuk 'turun' seperti para Dewa. Belphegor menyeberang ke dunia ini, tapi itu sebenarnya hanya merasuki tubuh manusia, bukan wujud aslinya yang datang. Tidak mungkin Lily menggunakan kontrak untuk menyeberang ke dunia manusia, karena dia tidak ingat pernah membuat kontrak dengan siapa pun. Lily adalah makhluk kuat di dunia ini, memegang posisi 'Zodiak', meski dia bukan salah satu dari Tujuh Dosa Besar. Butuh harga yang sangat mahal bagi manusia untuk memanggilnya. Diperlukan media yang sebanding dengan Jantung Naga, dan bahkan dengan kontrak, tidak ada jaminan gerbang akan terbentuk. Mempertimbangkan berbagai faktor, kemungkinan Lily menggunakan kontrak untuk menyeberang ke dunia manusia sangat kecil. Dengan kata lain, itu adalah hal lain. Sebuah cara bagi demon untuk menyeberang ke dunia manusia yang belum aku ketahui. '...Apapun metodenya, mereka pasti akan langsung menggunakannya jika bisa. Apalagi Belphegor, orang itu tampaknya sangat tertarik pada manusia dan dunia manusia. Jadi, syaratnya pasti berat, atau berbahaya, atau mungkin...' Bahkan para demon itu sendiri mungkin tidak tahu persis apa metode itu. "Tapi Frondier, aku hanya bertanya untuk berjaga-jaga." "Saat kamu bilang ingin jadi ksatria aku, apakah kamu sudah curiga aku demon sejak awal dan ingin memastikannya?" Dalam game 'Etius', teori bahwa Lily adalah 'demon' sangat kuat. Namun, sulit untuk bertemu Lily sebagai protagonis Aster, dan karena terungkap di tahap paling akhir game saat game over, tidak ada waktu untuk memastikannya. Tapi mendengar jawaban langsung Frondier, rahang Lily menganga. "Kamu, kamu jahat banget!" "Jadi, kamu memang mencoba memanfaatkanku dari awal, bilang mau jadi ksatria aku, dan curiga aku...!" "Memanfaatkan itu terdengar tidak enak. Aku butuh kerja sama dan pengetahuan." "Tapi kamu punya motif tersembunyi saat bilang mau jadi ksatria aku! Syaratnya kan ikut perang!" "Aku melakukan tugasku sebagai ksatria dengan benar, kan?" Mendengar jawaban Frondier yang masuk akal, mata Lily menoleh ke sana kemari sebelum bibirnya mengerucut. "...Aku, aku kehilangan kepercayaan diri." "Kenapa? Kamu kan Zodiak." "Bukan itu, aku pikir Frondier tulus ingin jadi ksatria aku." Ah. Baru saat itu Frondier mengerti kenapa Lily kesal. Lily berharap Frondier punya perasaan padanya. Lily bergumam dengan sedih. "Pesona juga tidak mempan." "Itu masih belum diketahui." Mendengar kata-kata itu, wajah Lily berseri dan segera mengangkat kepalanya. "Jangan senang dulu. Apa yang membanggakan dari menggunakan kekuatan demon?" "Tapi mungkin berhasil! Bakat yang terbuang di balik gelar prospek paling menjanjikan Kekaisaran saat ini mungkin jadi milikku?" "Kamu cukup berani mengatakannya di depanku." "Sekali lagi, itu masih belum diketahui." "...Kamu sengaja melakukan itu, kan? Untuk membuatku penasaran apakah kamu terkena pesona atau tidak? Kamu mencoba merangsang rasa ingin tahuku dan membangkitkan hasrat?" "Kamu tidak tahu malu!" Mereka adalah dua orang yang melakukan hal-hal yang menggerogoti hati nurani mereka tanpa rasa ragu. "Tapi kenapa kamu tiba-tiba bertanya itu? Frondier, kamu mau pergi ke Dunia Demon?" "...Saat aku mengalahkan Belphegor." Lily sedikit menegang saat Frondier berbicara. Frondier mengalahkan Belphegor. Fakta yang tak terbantahkan itu mengingatkannya sekali lagi jenis makhluk apa Frondier itu. "Dia bilang akan jatuh dari kursi Sloth dan dipenjarakan di dasar Dunia Demon." "Ah, karena dia kalah di tubuh yang kerasukan. Kenapa?" Lily memiringkan kepalanya. "...Tapi aku penasaran dengan mayat yang dia rasuki, jadi aku minta penyelidikan." "Kami tidak bisa mengidentifikasi mayat itu." "Dengan kata lain, kami tidak tahu apa-apa tentang garis darahnya, keluarganya, atau di mana dia dilahirkan, dan ciri-ciri rasnya sangat minim. Dia adalah seseorang yang tidak pernah ada dalam sejarah panjang Kekaisaran. Yah, polisi masih menyelidiki." Mendengar kata-kata itu, Lily berkedip sejenak. Tapi itu hanya sedetik, dan segera matanya melebar. "Dia mirip seseorang. Seseorang yang tidak terhubung dengan siapa pun." Mayat itu mirip Lily. Dengan kata lain, Frondier berspekulasi bahwa mayat yang dirasuki Belphegor adalah seekor 'demon'. Jika itu benar, "Lily-nim, demon mengeluarkan darah merah." "Tanpa membentangkan sayap, demon tidak bisa dibedakan dari manusia. Aku tahu ini pasti saat bertemu demon di Istana Kekaisaran. Saudaraku Azier baru menyadari Mizonas bukan manusia setelah bertarung dengannya." Ciri-ciri demon adalah sayap dan aura bawaan mereka. Keduanya bisa dengan mudah disembunyikan oleh demon. "Karena itu aku bertanya, Ria Lis-nim." "Jika ada demon di negeri ini yang sudah lama bersembunyi di antara manusia, seperti Belphegor dan demon yang dia rasuki." Lily tahu kata-kata apa yang akan keluar dari mulut Frondier selanjutnya. Dan setelah mendengar kata-kata itu, jawaban Lily sudah pasti. "Bisakah kamu membedakan mereka, Lily-nim?" Jawaban Lily adalah diam.
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But when Lily heard those words, her eyes sparkled, and "Wow! That's right! You can think of it that way! Wow, as expected of Frondier!" She was excited and amazed with the same expression she had shown in the workshop. "...It wasn't a particularly well-founded question." "Still! It's amazing that you came up with that idea!" Somehow, it seemed like the threshold for Lily's admiration had lowered. Frondier thought so and had a subtle look in his eyes. "So, what do you think?" "Hmm, now that I hear it? It's more natural for me to think of going to the Demon Realm as 'going back' rather than 'going'. I guess the place I originally belonged to was the Demon Realm." "If I had to put it in numbers, about 60%." 60%, a number worth considering. "If that's true, then there's a way to send a demon in a completely intact state to the human world from the Demon Realm, without using 'possession' or 'contracts'." "...Ah! That's right! I'm doing that!" Satan opened a gate through a contract with a human but couldn't cross over himself. Once they reached the position of the Seven Deadly Sins, they needed conditions for 'descent' like the Gods. Belphegor crossed over to this world, but that was actually just possessing a human body, not his true form coming over. It was unlikely that Lily had used a contract to cross over to the human world, as she had no memory of making one with anyone. Lily was a powerful being in this world, holding the position of 'Zodiac', even if she wasn't one of the Seven Deadly Sins. It would have required a considerable price for a human to summon her. A medium comparable to a Dragon Heart would be needed, and even with a contract, there was no guarantee that a gate would be created. Considering various factors, the probability of Lily using a contract to cross over to the human world was slim. In other words, it was something else. A way for a demon to cross over to the human world that I didn't know yet. '...Whatever the method is, they would have used it right away if they could. Especially Belphegor, that guy seemed to be very interested in humans and the human world. So, the conditions must be demanding, or dangerous, or perhaps...' Even the demons might not know exactly what this method is. "But Frondier, I'm just asking in case." "When you said you wanted to be my knight, were you suspecting that I was a demon from the beginning and wanted to confirm it?" In the game 'Etius', the theory that Lily was a 'demon' was very strong. However, it was difficult to meet Lily as the protagonist Aster, and since it was revealed in the very late stages of the game at the time of the game over, there was no time to confirm it. But at Frondier's immediate answer, Lily's jaw dropped. "You're, you're so mean!" "So, you were trying to use me from the beginning, saying you wanted to be my knight, and suspecting me...!" "Using sounds unpleasant. I needed cooperation and knowledge." "But you had ulterior motives while saying you wanted to be my knight! The condition was to participate in the war!" "I'm doing my job as a knight properly, aren't I?" At Frondier's justified response, Lily's eyes darted around before her lips pouted. "...I, I lost confidence in myself." "Why? You're a Zodiac." "Not that, I thought Frondier sincerely wanted to be my knight." Aha. Only then did Frondier understand why Lily was upset. Lily had expected Frondier to have feelings for her. Lily muttered dejectedly, "Charm doesn't work either." "That's still unknown." At those words, Lily's face brightened as she quickly raised her head. "Don't be happy. What's so boastful about using the power of a demon?" "But it might have worked! The talent that is wasted on the title of the current Empire's most promising prospect might become mine?" "You're quite bold to say that in front of me." "Again, it's still unknown." "...You're doing that on purpose, right? To make me wonder if you're under the charm or not? You're trying to stimulate my curiosity and induce desire?" "You're so shameless!" They were two people who did things that pricked their consciences without any qualms. "But why are you suddenly asking that? Frondier, do you want to go to the Demon Realm?" "...When I defeated Belphegor." Lily tensed slightly as Frondier spoke. Frondier defeated Belphegor. That undeniable fact reminded her once again of what kind of being Frondier was. "He said he would fall from the seat of Sloth and be imprisoned at the bottom of the Demon Realm." "Ah, since he lost in the possessed body. Why?" Lily tilted her head. "...But I was curious about the corpse he possessed, so I asked for an investigation." "We couldn't identify the body." "In other words, we couldn't find out anything about his bloodline, family, or where he was born, and his racial characteristics were minimal. He was someone who had never existed in the Empire's long history. Well, the police are still investigating." At those words, Lily blinked for a moment. But it was literally just a moment, and soon her eyes widened. "He resembled someone. Someone who wasn't connected to anyone." The corpse resembled Lily. In other words, Frondier was speculating that the corpse Belphegor possessed was a 'demon'. If that were the case, "Lily-nim, demons bleed red blood." "Without spreading their wings, demons are indistinguishable from humans. I learned this for sure when I met a demon at the Imperial Palace. My brother Azier only realized that Mizonas wasn't human after fighting him." The characteristics of demons were their wings and innate aura. Both could be easily hidden by demons. "That's why I'm asking, Ria Lis-nim." "If there are demons on this land who have been hiding among humans for a long time, like Belphegor and the demon he possessed." Lily knew what words would come out of Frondier's mouth next. And after hearing those words, Lily's answer was set. "Can you distinguish them, Lily-nim?" Lily's answer was silence.
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