I Became a Demon Who Can Never Be Headpatted in the Academy?!

"Murmur-nim!! Please listen to my story!"

Sitri grabbed my right arm with both hands and cried out desperately.

She's been like this since yesterday.

"I don't think Murmur is saying anything that Sitri would hate so much."

Sitri's butler, Balkan, brought me a deliciously grilled steak.

Usually, at this timing, Sitri would say she'd feed me with a bright smile, but today is different.

"Absolutely! Absolutely! I think we shouldn't be related to her even a little bit!"

"With Monica?"

"Mo, Saintess Monica, of course, and we shouldn't be related to any of the people of the Holy Kingdom even a little bit!"

I took a bite of the steak, which I had neatly cut with a knife and pierced with a fork.

Having played Leo-a so many times, Sitri's desperate resistance is just a cute sight to me.

After all, we get quite close later on. She'll be so embarrassed later for shouting how much she hates it now, right?

"I think Murmur is okay with it."

"Not at all! Not at all! Not at all! It's not okay even a little bit!"

"Don't you trust Murmur?"

"Ah, no... th, that's not it!"

Sitri was sweating and fidgeting her hands.

"I trust and love Murmur-nim so much, and because I plan to become your bride, that's why I'm saying this."

"Yes, Murmur knows that feeling well. But there's no problem."

"Ugh...!!!"

Sitri quickly drank some cold water and looked up at Balkan.

"Murmur-nim, do you know much about the Holy Kingdom?"

"Yes, Murmur has read books in the library and knows it well."

I answered while finishing the steak cleanly.

"The Grace Holy Kingdom is the name of the country founded by people who believe in the Goddess Church."

"Do you know that there is a place called the Inquisition in that Holy Kingdom?"

I nodded.

Sitri showed me an even more desperate and incomprehensible expression.

"Th, the inquisitors of the Inquisition really, really hate us. The general believers also loathe us a lot!"

"Murmur knows. The Grace Holy Kingdom is also a place where many refugees who have been harmed by the Demon race gather."

"Knowing all that, Murmur-nim is thinking of becoming friends with Monica Saintess?!"

I nodded while cutting the baked potato that Balkan brought with a knife.

It's always good to have a hearty meal from the morning.

"M, Murmur-nim..."

Sitri looked like she was about to burst into tears.

"Please think about Murmur-nim's reputation!"

I turned my eyes from the potato and briefly looked at my status window.

【Cosmos Academy】 ─ 『Very Bad』

【Moonlight Dawn Society】 ─ 『Hate』

【Seven Sisters of Paradise】 ─ 『Worshipping』

I expected it, but it doesn't show the reputation of groups I haven't met yet.

"Murmur is a demon, but not a bad one. The sisters of the Holy Kingdom would never do bad things."

"Th, those guys! They're the ones who would try to exterminate us even by making up false charges!"

"That's Sitri's misunderstanding. It's the Moonlight Dawn Society that does that."

Sitri's lips trembled.

"The Moonlight Dawn Society is...! They're trash, no different from butchers! Perverts! Psychopaths!!"

Wow, this is the first time I've seen Sitri use such bad language.

"If I compare them to those psychos, of course! Of course! I also know that the people of the Holy Kingdom are more human."

"But you're scared, aren't you, Sitri?"

I cut Sitri's chicken breast with a knife, picked it up with a fork, and brought it to her mouth.

Sitri looked at it with a troubled gaze, but accepted it.

"There's no need to be afraid. Murmur knows what Sitri is afraid of.”

The teachings of the Goddess Church.

They are absolutely not terrifying in themselves.

Rather, they are very warm and kind.

"It's the bad adults of the Inquisition who are scary, right?"

"... Yes."

"Murmur knows that there are many stories of them making up false charges and arresting people."

In fact, among the people of the Holy Kingdom that I will meet in the future, there are many fools who have arbitrarily interpreted the words written in the 'Holy Book'.

"Those people are really bad. I won't let those fools hurt Sitri. Never."

"Murmur-nim..."

"But you know, Sitri. Have you read the 'Holy Book'?"

Sitri stared at me for a moment, then shook her head.

"The Holy Book says this: If there is a sick person, help them. If there is a poor person, share a piece of bread."

"Murmur-nim, have you read and seen it?"

"Yes, I've read it carefully. So I know it well. If there is an evil person, defeat them and protect the good."

I gently took Sitri's trembling hands and stroked them.

Hoping that my feelings would be conveyed even a little.

"...The great being is always watching over you, so do not be afraid. Always rejoice in executing justice and doing good."

"There must be a saying that tells us to kill them, too."

"There's no such saying anywhere. There are only words that say you shouldn't harm others and shouldn't be blinded by desire."

"That can't be true!"

Sitri trembled.

"M, Murmur-nim... it's natural that you don't know!"

Sitri pushed my hand away and stood up from her seat.

"The inquisitors are all...! They are bad people!! Because of them, I lost everything!"

She finally said it.

"Murmur-nim has no choice but to not know! You can't know! It's natural since you spent your childhood at the Cosmos Academy!"

"Sitri..."

"Those guys don't listen to anything we say. They burned down our homes! They kicked us! They lied that we committed wicked acts while stabbing us with knives while laughing!"

Sitri was shaking her head, tears streaming down her face.

"Absolutely...! Absolutely! I hate it!! Even now, sometimes... really..."

Sitri slumped down and clutched her red hair with both hands.

"In my dreams... I still see... that image."

Sitri won't tell me, but I know very well what kind of story she's talking about.

There are demons who live ordinary lives on the ground, just like Mrs. Zepar.

There are definitely good demons who live as ordinary citizens without joining the Demon King's army.

Sitri is one of them, Mrs. Zepar is one of them, and tens of thousands of demons that I can't explain here are like that.

"Murmur-nim can't possibly know..."

Such demons are delicious prey.

For those who have lost everything to the Demon King's army.

For those who just want to hate the Demon race.

For greedy nobles.

For priests and bishops who want to succeed.

These demons are beings who become more advantageous to them the more they hit them and the more they kill them.

"Murmur knows."

A very young Sitri witnessed such a scene.

The greedy nobles and inquisitors who suddenly appeared in the village where she was born and raised.

I know well what kind of massacre they committed and what they did.

Of course, it would be a nightmare.

I want to praise her for not hating humans themselves.

"Sitri endured it well. You're a good girl. Murmur will praise you."

I hugged Sitri with both hands and gently held her against my chest.

"Murmur-nim... do you really know?"

"Yes, Murmur really knows a lot. I even know what kind of nightmares Sitri has."

"That can't be... possible..."

Sniffling, Sitri rubbed her face against my chest.

That nightmare, it's so terrifying that I don't want to explain it in detail.

"Sitri."

"Yes, Murmur-nim."

"The fact that those fools in the Holy Kingdom are really bad and stupid is that they don't listen to our stories at all."

"...That's right. We're just bad enemies to them. We're no different from monsters."

I gently stroked Sitri's red hair with my fingers.

"We shouldn't become like that either."

"M, Murmur-nim?"

Sitri pushed my lower abdomen, pushing me away.

"That statement... I can't agree with that."

"Then Sitri won't listen to the story that the people of the Holy Kingdom might be good?"

"H, how can you... how can you say that..."

"But Sitri doesn't hate all humans, right? You didn't insult Esme. You didn't spit on Nikea."

Sitri turned her head away.

"...I don't want to do the same thing as those idiots who just hate and loathe us."

"Yes, so can't we give the people of the Holy Kingdom just one chance?"

"... ...Murmur-nim, why do you want to be friends with Monica Saintess so much?"

Sitri came back to me and buried her face in my chest.

"Monica is just like Sitri."

"Huh...?"

"She's a very lonely and sad child. A child who no one listens to, no matter how much she conveys her true feelings."

Sitri looked at me with a sulky expression.

"That can't be true. Even I know how much the Saintess is loved."

"Murmur doesn't lie."

"... ...Murmur-nim is cruel. You say you understand my nightmares, but you still tell me to be friends with the Saintess in the end."

I smiled.

It's a very selfish story, but becoming friends with the Saintess is important not only to me but also to Sitri.

Because she is the only friend who can give Sitri the only opportunity to truly break free from her nightmares.

"No?"

"...Ugh."

"Okay. If Sitri says she doesn't like it, I won't force you."

It would take almost three times as long to do it alone, but it's not impossible.

"M, Murmur-nim...? Are you giving up?"

"Murmur is Sitri's friend. If I keep forcing you to do something you don't want to do, that's a bad thing to do."

"You're going to be the one to rule me someday, but you say that?"

I told you, I have no intention of becoming the Demon King.

Sitri, who had been staring at me quietly, sniffed and took out a handkerchief, carefully wiping away her tears.

"I understand. I'm the woman who will become Murmur-nim's bride."

"That's a bit..."

"Moreover, since Murmur-nim is doing it with good intentions, I have to do it even more!"

She's trembling, but she's speaking well.

"Because Sitri also made a promise with Murmur?"

"Ugh! Th, the price for playing in the fountain a little bit is too much!"

I chuckled.

I feel like I pushed her too hard, so I should give Sitri a little chance.

In reality, it's not like we can meet right away from the next day.

"Then, I'll do one thing Sitri wants."

"R, really?"

I nodded.

Either way, the summer vacation events I spend with Sitri are a honey pot in themselves.

No matter what date I choose, I'm ready to enjoy it.

The reason I didn't like it at first was because I was worried that I wouldn't be able to do anything on my own.

"Th, then... would you spend the night with me at the Celestia Tower?"

Huh? I'm really lucky?

"Is the Celestia Tower okay?"

"Yes! It's a tower that our merchant guild is repairing!! It's a very beautiful tower with a dodecagonal structure, so you can see the Cosmos Academy at a glance!"

She still doesn't know the hidden secret.

Still, to say the date spot you would choose first if you could choose.

"Okay, let's spend the night together, Murmur."

"Hehehe! Balkan! Did you hear that? Quickly! Quickly! Check the condition of the tower and prepare!"

Just a moment ago, she was crying and saying she hated it, but now Sitri is smiling brightly and stroking me.

"It's not good to laugh after crying..."

"There's no such thing! Hohoho! The night view from the Celestia Tower is very beautiful, so look forward to it!"

Sitri is smiling brightly at me.

I hope that this cute child will become friends with Monica soon and that there will be no shadows behind her smile.