Esper sat on the oak chair, her spine straight as a rod, her hands resting properly on her knees.
She was completely on her best behavior.
The Holy Sword hovered directly above the back of her chair. Just now, it had remained completely motionless the entire time, as if it were dead. Now that the Pope had stepped out, it reverted to its previous behavior, trying to cheer Esper up.
To absolutely no avail.
Now, in front of Esper sat an empty plate that had held cream bread.
Beatrice had told Constantine to treat Esper well, so after thinking for a moment, he had asked a Holy Spirit Knight for a serving of cream bread.
“Eat.”
...Did Holy Spirit Knights really treat guests with cream bread?
She suspected Constantine was insulting her and had wanted to refuse.
But Constantine seemed to be serious.
So she ate it.
Constantine stood by the door, watching her finish the bread, his lips pursed as he thought about who-knows-what.
The door opened.
Long, silver-white hair flowed from behind the doorframe like a river of melted moonlight.
Beatrice walked to the opposite side of the long table and hopped onto a chair to sit down. The hem of her Pope's robe pooled on the floor, and her two slender legs swung back and forth in midair.
“So, Lord Hero, can you tell Beya your name?”
“...Esper.”
“Your full name?”
“Just Esper. I don't have a surname.”
“Then Beya will just call Lord Hero 'Esper.' Where is Esper from?”
Esper's fingers tightened slightly on her knees.
Why did they all love asking this kind of question?
“...The Plains of Holy Remains. From the east.”
“What does your family do?”
“Farming.”
“Farming?”
“Yes. Just a farmer's daughter. A village girl.”
Esper noticed that the golden pupils opposite her narrowed slightly at the words “village girl,” like a cat squinting in the sunlight. She had likely seen something amusing.
“A village girl. No wonder Esper dresses so simply.”
There was no hint of mockery in Beatrice's tone. At least, not on the surface.
“So when did Esper come to Avalon?”
“A year ago.”
“Why did you come?”
“...To make a living.”
“By yourself?”
“By myself.”
“What about your family?”
“...They're gone.”
Beatrice stared at her.
“How pi-ti-ful.”
Her voice was as soft as cotton candy.
“Beya heard from others that Esper had never tried to draw the sword before?”
“Never.”
“Why is that?”
“...It had nothing to do with me.”
“But it chose you, though.”
“I don't know why either.”
Beatrice tilted her head.
“Beya has something to tell Esper.”
She shifted her golden pupils away from Esper's face and began speaking to herself.
“A few days ago, the Demon King of the Evernight Empire passed away. That Demon King named Gloom, who tortured and killed the previous Hero and ruled with a cruel tyranny. Congratulations, congratulations~”
Esper's fingers froze on her knees.
“And now, the new Demon King has been crowned.”
Golden Vow Power coalesced in Beatrice's hand, turning into a piece of paper.
The golden ink on the paper was clearly legible in the afternoon light.
She slid the paper over to Esper.
Esper took the paper, her eyes falling on its surface. As she scanned it line by line, every word felt like a fine needle piercing her brain.
“Rafina Thun. Half-demon. Rank Nine.”
“Reported to be the youngest Demon King in history. The coronation ceremony was held at Gloom Castle in Abyss City, witnessed by the Ten Courts Joint Conference.”
She had taken that seat, accepted that curse, and become the Demon King.
“Her name has already spread across the entire continent.”
Beatrice's voice drifted over from across the paper.
“The girl named Rafina Thun has become the new Demon King, while Esper has become the Hero chosen by the Holy Sword. Fate is truly wondrous. Constantine.”
“Yes.”
“Please step outside. Beya wants to have a private chat with Esper.”
Constantine's expression froze for a moment.
“...Your Holiness, according to protocol...”
“It's fine. Esper won't eat Beya, right?”
Constantine fell silent for two seconds.
Then, he knelt on one knee to salute, stood up, turned, and walked out the door.
The door closed behind him.
The heavy oak door shut out all sounds from the corridor.
Beatrice sat on her chair, staring at Esper.
A dignified, maternal smile still hung on her lips, but then, that smile changed.
From warm to sharp, from soft to cutting, from maternal to something far more primal and pure.
Within those golden suns, the dignified outer layer peeled away, revealing a sparkling, mischievous light underneath.
“I know who you are, Lonia Catori.”
A chill shot straight up Esper's spine, from her tailbone to the back of her head, as if pierced by an icy needle.
“The Princess of the Vampire Court.”
Her tone carried an unvarnished playfulness.
Delight.
Like a little girl unwrapping a long-awaited gift box, only to find that the contents were far more amusing than she had imagined.
“A village girl? A pure-blooded vampire princess telling me she's a village girl? And who is she really? Oh, it turns out she's Lonia Catori, sister of Eliza Catori, and the new Demon King Rafina Thun's—”
She dragged out the last word for a very long time.
“—What? What could it be, what could it be? A friend? Or something else?”
“...When did you find out?”
“From the very first day you stepped into Avalon, I knew.”
Beatrice gazed at Esper, the sparkling light in her eyes glittering.
“A vampire princess, abandoning her family name, using an alias to blend into a human city, and scraping by taking low-rank quests at the Adventurer's Guild. Who did you think you could hide such a thing from? Oh, you hid it from many people, and you even hid it from Constantine. But that's only because Constantine is a good person. And good people generally don't like to suspect others.”
Beatrice placed her index fingers at the corners of her mouth, pulling them upward to form an innocent, beaming smile.
“Too bad I'm not a good person~”
She said this with utter confidence, even carrying a hint of pride.
Esper's fists clenched at her sides. Her nails dug into her palms, pressing into the crevices of her old calluses.
“...Then why didn't you expose me?”
“Because there was no need. What threat do you pose to me? If Eliza herself came, then I might have to take it a bit seriously. But you? Pfft.”
She made that sound on purpose, as if she were talking about something utterly hilarious.
“—But now, things are different.”
Her smile faded slightly, shifting from playful to something far weightier.
“You drew the Holy Sword, so now you are the Hero. And the Demon King you are supposed to subjugate is a girl you've known since childhood. Do you know what her very first decree was? She wants to restart foreign trade with humanity, just like that idiot Gloom did.”
Beatrice stared at her.
“So, Lonia Catori.”
She held out a tiny hand.
“Want to play together?”
The Eternal Girl whispered like a lover:
“—Become my accomplice.”
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