Week has passed. By that time I was able to shoot out blood needles from my fingertips - and we had to finally leave.
Not just because we had to evade the hand of Dark Ravens, but also...
"We're going to take on a DAEMON of GLOOM; from what I've seen - this monster in particular has a large bounty, so it would be a nice opportunity to not only proove yourself as a magician, but also earn large amount of pocket change."
And just as we were about to leave, Carmine decalres...
"LET THIS ADVERSARY OF YOURS INTO YOUR TEAM ONCE MORE!"
"Ah, yeesh! First of all: don't scream like that! Second of all...
Huh???"
"I mean I did whine in your ear about retirement and whatnot... But human life is booooooooring! Villagers distrust me, meat being taxed, can barely clean myself... I missed some carnage!"
"O-Oi! What about the sheep?"
"Eh, I'll sell them to good hands. Besides you bought them with my money - yes? That would've been a loss on my part."
It seems that didn't please Virgilia and Carmine began pestering villagers, most of them shoo her away, until eventually...
"Sure! Fellow farmhands always should support each other! Shame that you are leaving for good, but it was nice to have tea times with you on a occasion."
"Eheh... Didn't know someone actually appreciated my work."
"I heard you live a bit far from us, yeah? Show me the way, please."
It was the same farmer we visited during our break time. It is nice that there are still people who are willing to look past eccentricities...
Especially of someone like Carmine.
"Now, are you happy now, Virgilia the adversary? The sheep are now in way better hands than mine are. This little flower needs her roots stretch a little, so will you oblige this dastardly bloodsucking weed of humanity? Besides, that kid got a lot of potential, and I want to see him blossom with my own two eyes."
"Why are you being so dramatical... But sure. As long as you're not being a nuisance."
"Thank you. Also who is this guy?" She points towards Leonid, still stoic as ever, not even leaving the carriage for one day for too long.
"... You haven't seen him?... Also, oi, you're not a hired guard dog. Should've been at least partially curious about our extended stay."
"Apologies."
"EREMIMI IS JOINING US AGAIN?!?!" Bijou beamed out of nowhere.
"IT'S CARMINE NOW TO YOU, YOU BLONDE IMBECILE!!!"
We all get inside the carriage (barring Bijou since she has her own) and Carmine scoots closer to Virgilia.
"...
Nice jugs."
Uh...
"Oi, we still have children in here!" Virgilia slaps her on the shoulder, and I swear the strike sounded like she was slapping wood. Carmine doesn't get out of her rags now that I think about it...
"Pshht.
So what's the plan, boss?"
"... Earning money."
"Really?"
"This kid over here - cost me quite a penny for me to bail out."
"Oh, right, you did mention it in a letter. I keep forgetting about it. Thought he was the same case as Aden or Émile."
Those two are quite casual with each other, huh?
I'm sorry to ask you, but why do you keep surrounding yourself with people that I hate?
Not you again.
That woman... Has a living parasite inside of it. That wench should've been dead already!
What's that? The parasite thing?
Are you dumb? Parasite is a living being that is leeching from its host, making its life miserable, you imbecile.
So it's you then.
You...!
But just as Gianetti was about to lash out, I feel my body constrict. Of course it's those spores...
In any case. I hate her for the simple fact that she is dead. She isn't alive. And the soul inside of her is bleak.
How is she dead exactly? To me she seems like an odd woman to me with woody exterior.
Do those flowers and thorns not clue you in? You're hopeless. I hope your consciousness dies and I can finally overtake this stupid body.
"Oi, Fortune, what are you thinking about?" Aden breaks my conversation with my obnoxious little parasite and I blink.
"Uhh, nothing?"
"Dude, you spacing out like that gives me creeps. You look dead when you do."
"Screw you, Aden."
The ride is rather uneventful afterwards. Virgilia and Carmine seem to catch up with each other, though I understand practically none of it - and I don't think it's that important. Émile takes a nap and that's when I find a topic that could be interested
"Uhm, why is Émile like that? One moment they were goofing around - the next I felt like they could kill me if I said the wrong thing."
"Well... Uh... How do I say this... Émile has states of being, and perhaps because I was... Kind of annoying they snapped. They're usually a rather whimsy character, but once in a while they get rather harsh. And if they get too hyper, Virgilia reins them in."
"Hmm..."
"It's just, they've been through a lot, so I can't blame them too much. Sometimes they're a great anchor for me too!"
"..."
I miss Sol.
---
"That's the nursery of Daemons. The souls who died with deep regrets, blessed by a black moon."
"These fruits... I assume this is their cocoons from which they're born from, yes?"
"Indeed. Within that cocoon, the erasure of humanity is being performed. The loss of identity, the loss of ego, the loss of glory. They all happen here, inside."
"Fascinating..."
"They also absorb the collective consciousness and conception of humans; so that they are born with a "meaning". A truly horrid brand indeed."
"Why's that? Humans are quite obsessed with the meaning of life, and seeking answers to said life is considered quite prestigious."
"Because "meaning" robs you of freedom. What do you think when you see a ladle?"
"Well, it is a cutlery used for stirring and drawing from liquid dishes."
"Now tell me, does the ladle dream of being a lamp?"
"Huh???"
"That is an essence of the meaning, being created only to fulfil a certain purpose. Not being able to be something more than that, and not being able to quit. It is a suffocating feeling."
"Is that so?"
"... Yes. Wanna know a secret?"
"If you insist."
"Let me tell you a tale that was forgotten to time.
Back then, there were three kings ruling over the world. It was them who created humans, and it was humans who created daemons - binding them to meaning. Nigel and Teki might tell you more about the history of daemons.
However the creation of humans led them to question THEIR meaning in life. Something that is quite familiar to you. And they even asked their beloved kings what was the meaning behind their creation. Their answer was kind - to have a life surrounding them in the empty canvas they were drafted on. They simply wanted to feel the joy of creation.
Influenced by humans' curiosity, they too started to question their meaning. However the answer was cruel. Something that forever broke them, as that meaning not only applicable to them specifically, but to their children and grandchildren respectively. Beside daemons' revolt against their brand, that was the reason why daemons grew violent and unstable."
"And what is it?"
...
...
...
...
...
"To suffer."