Fíliya pushed open the door, and upon seeing the room exactly as it existed in her memories, she immediately revealed a satisfied expression.
Then, she swiftly threw herself onto her bed, savoring that familiar softness.
She buried her face directly into the quilt, face down, and took a deep breath.
"Ah... such a nostalgic scent."
Fíliya murmured, then rested her head on the pillow, slowly closing her eyes.
Of course, she had no intention of sleeping. Although she had trekked all the way here, she wasn't so tired that she needed to lie down immediately.
She simply wanted to quietly experience this long-lost feeling.
Even she found it quite incredible. Although the days she lived in this abandoned shipyard occupied only a very small part of her life, this place had undoubtedly become a location in her heart that held an equal sense of belonging.
Just as she was feeling emotional, a figure from outside the door slowly walked to her side.
Fíliya showed no reaction, keeping her eyes closed and breathing steadily.
Solitär looked at her like this, and a gratified smile couldn't help but appear at the corners of her mouth. She then slowly sat down by the edge of the bed.
"Is making the Demon Race 'become more like humans' your solution?"
Solitär probed in a hushed voice. At this moment, she had ceased maintaining the 'magic to disguise demon identity' and instead redisplayed her biological characteristics as a demon.
"Hmm... Of course not. This is just a compromise for the current stage. If I want to take you all to play in human cities, this is the only way for now... What I hope for most, of course, is for you to be able to walk under the sunlight normally without needing to hide your horns or mask your aura."
Fíliya spoke as she slowly rolled over, then opened her eyes to meet Solitär's gaze with a smile.
"Is such a thing really possible...?"
Solitär was somewhat in disbelief.
"Hmm, the hope is indeed quite slim."
Fíliya didn't immediately say anything definitive. Both she and Solitär knew just how acute the conflict between humans and the Demon Race was—a life-and-death racial struggle that had lasted for a millennium. A contradiction of this magnitude was something that even if a god were to step forward, mediation would be impossible.
"But 'slim' means the possibility isn't zero. Although weak, it is not non-existent. Isn't that the true meaning of hope?"
When Fíliya said these words, her face wore a confident smile. This caused Solitär's mood to become bright and sunny as well. Although she still couldn't understand where Fíliya's confidence stemmed from... she was willing to trust Fíliya.
After finishing that sentence, Fíliya quickly straightened her upper body, got out of bed, and walked to the window.
She abruptly pushed the window open, allowing the bright outdoors to squeeze into the room.
"Umu... Anyway, I still have to continue getting stronger. Once I become a big shot capable of influencing the direction of history, maybe the method will just sprout up on its own."
Fíliya turned her head, chuckling lightly as she looked at Solitär.
Solitär looked at the girl bathed in sunlight and felt it was a bit dazzling... Yes, it was so bright she subconsciously squinted her eyes, yet she couldn't bear to look away.
"In that case... would it be better if I played the role of a 'Princess' waiting for you to save her?"
Solitär asked.
"? You don't look like a Princess at all. Your temperament doesn't match. A 'Witch' would be more accurate."
Fíliya placed a hand on her waist, her expression very subtle.
"Then, what kind of existence would be willing to come and save a Witch?"
Solitär pressed on.
"Hmm, I don't know. But what's certain is that the fellow definitely isn't a Knight, and even less likely to be a Hero... If I had to say, it could only be a 'Kindred Spirit of the Witch', right?"
As Fíliya spoke, she sat back down on the edge of the bed.
"So, we count as 'Kindred Spirits'?"
"Isn't that obvious?"
"How does it feel?"
"Not bad."
Next, the two lay together for a while, until Solitär spoke again.
"Speaking of getting stronger... your progress is indeed very obvious. Even I can't quite see through you anymore... What happened?"
Solitär turned on her side, her face full of curiosity.
After all, in her view, the mana within Fíliya was already quite profound. Compared to when she left, her total mana capacity had practically more than doubled.
"Hmm... a lot really did happen. It's truly marvelous. When I was little and heard those adventure stories, I always felt they were ridiculous. The protagonists in them would unleash infinite potential the moment they reached a life-or-death juncture, and then suddenly become very strong. I always felt such developments were fake... but such a thing truthfully happened to me."
Fíliya's tone sounded like a mix of helplessness and emotion. Her words obviously piqued Solitär's curiosity, so Fíliya spent some time recounting her experiences inside the Ruins of the Royal Tomb to Solitär in full detail.
"Water-Mirror Demon... To think such a thing hasn't gone extinct yet? And it even replicated a copy of 'Frieren the Slayer'... That was indeed a very dangerous situation."
Solitär mulled over the story Fíliya had told.
"Hmm... It should be the last one, right? I guess we'll never see a 'Water-Mirror Demon' again. It's quite a pity."
"A pity?"
Solitär blinked. She hadn't expected Fíliya to think that way.
"It is a pity... Think about it, is there any trial opponent more suitable than the 'Water-Mirror Demon'? No matter how much you improve, the Water-Mirror Demon can create an opponent of the same level as you... Moreover, you can engage in a deathmatch with a strong individual without worrying about actually killing the other party... Tsk, the more I think about it, the more of a pity it is."
Fíliya revealed a regretful expression, which caused Solitär to shake her head.
"You're the only one who would think like that... You clearly often mock other mages for having brains filled only with thoughts of battle, yet aren't you exactly the same in the end?"
Her tone was laced with a bit of ridicule.
"Umu... I originally thought I didn't like fighting either. But after truly tasting that feeling of brushing past death... how should I put it? It's quite stimulating."
Fíliya's expression looked slightly awkward.
"Is that so..."
Solitär remained noncommittal.
"However, it is truly incredible. You actually defeated that 'Frieren the Slayer'. Although it was just a copy, it is still a praiseworthy great achievement... I saw Frieren once when I went to encircle and suppress the Hero Party 80 years ago... Honestly speaking, I don't have the confidence to defeat her either."
"The copy was clumsy as hell, acting completely on instinct. The real Frieren wouldn't give me that many chances."
"Mmh, that is true... But it's still worth praising. You did well. Good job~ Good job~."
Solitär spoke, her tone gradually taking on a cloying sweetness, and then she reached out her hand to give Fíliya a few headpats.
"So gross. Can you be normal?"
Fíliya curled her lips in disdain, but she still obediently leaned in according to Solitär's signal. After enjoying Miss Solitär's headpatting, she slowly laid down on Solitär's lap.
____
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