“According to the records, the Ancestor of Demons possessed a variety of different demon traits.
“Aside from a succubus's tail, a vampire's eyes, and a demon's horns, she also had Flame Demon scales, Nightmare misty eyes, and so on.”
Esper frowned.
“Doesn't Rafina lack those other traits? She only has those three: the horns, eyes, and tail.”
“Yes.”
“Then doesn't that make any resemblance even more unlikely?”
“No, quite the contrary.”
Wald clasped his hands on the desk, his gaze behind his glasses as calm as still water.
“I believe this is the effect of the elements that made up the Ancestor of Demons being erased by the Black Tide.”
“...Erased?”
“She sacrificed her everything to the Black Tide, trading self-destruction for the power of the Abyss. After the battle ended, she was swallowed by the Black Tide along with her past, becoming a part of the Black Tide itself. This led to the concepts associated with her being swallowed as well. When projected into reality, it means those who inherit the bloodline of the Ancestor of Demons will lose some of the traits that belonged to her.”
Esper was stunned.
“Because the concepts were swallowed, those traits on her demon descendants were erased as well?”
“This is the world's Root Language, something that touches upon the laws themselves. In addition, there is another piece of evidence.”
Wald snapped his fingers again.
A line of orange characters emerged in the air, twisting for a moment before converting into the alphabetic spelling of the continental common tongue.
“Nocturn.”
He pronounced the word, paused for a moment, and then continued to explain.
“In the records of the Root Language, it is written as 『Nocturnal』, meaning night. It is another script independent of Greek.”
“...Nocturn.”
“Precisely. However, when I entered this word into the search, the result was an empty set. In other words, while this surname indeed exists in the records, there is not a single living person who actually holds it. Rafina has the surname Thun, but the world's records cannot find it. Nocturn is the opposite. The name exists in the world's records, but no one actually has it. Setting aside why it cannot be found, if we follow my previous speculation, then this name should also be something that was erased by the Black Tide.”
“But it wasn't completely erased. Not only was a part of it split off and left in reality, but the text was also left behind as evidence. What is the reason for that?” Esper asked, staring at the line of orange characters.
“There is no way to confirm. Perhaps the Black Tide was not yet massive enough to completely swallow such fragments of the Root Language, or perhaps it stems from the resistance of the Ancestor of Demons herself...”
Wald pushed up his glasses.
“In short, the Demon King's bloodline is highly likely related to the Ancestor of Demons. However, the truth behind the curse remains unclear. I can see her hatred, her fusion with the Black Tide, and the very moment she sacrificed her everything to the Abyss. As for the more specific details... that part of the record has already been swallowed by the Black Tide itself.”
Could this world be any less reliable?
“...Do you think Rafina's curse might also be related to the Ancestor of Demons?”
Wald did not give an answer. He simply clasped his hands again and rested his chin on the back of his hands.
“I have no evidence to support it. But as a speculation, I do not deny the possibility.”
“...Thank you.”
Esper nodded, then turned around, preparing to leave.
“Miss Hero. Although I still have no clues to uncover the truth of the Demon King's curse, I believe that if it is you, perhaps one day you might actually be able to lift it.”
“...What?”
“‘Hope is a prayer that can lead even the most distant goal to its end.’ Someone once said that. So perhaps you can do what she could not.”
Looking at the slowly rotating stars outside the window, Esper suddenly recalled the smile of that silver-white figure when she made her promise.
She withdrew her gaze from the window, then stood up straight.
“I understand. Thank you for your answers.”
“If you need it, I can also provide you with a technical service,” Wald said calmly.
“What service?”
“Making a rubber duck in the image of the Ancestor of Demons. Although it won't solve the fundamental problem, it can at least provide a certain degree of comfort.”
“...You have quite a sense of humor.”
“The research on the effects of proper mental rest and relaxation on an individual's recovery has already been put on my agenda.”
“...Anyway, no thanks. But thank you for the offer.”
“Very well. Feel free to ask anytime you need.”
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