"Want one?"
Casually pulling two pastries from her spatial storage, Golarial handed one to Orsaga.
"Of course I do."
Taking the pastry, Orsaga flicked his tail across the ground, clearing a clean spot with ease.
Then the two of them sat down right next to each other.
While eating, Orsaga pointed at the dazed-looking Alison and asked curiously, "What's wrong with her?"
"She's just caught up in the memories. This world reminded her of things from the Myling World."
Hearing that, Orsaga's expression shifted into one of realization. "Ah… missing home, huh?, Now that I think about it, it's been quite a few years already…"
Golarial nodded, a faint sadness flickering in her eyes.
After a short silence, she said with a hint of irritation, "You're an Abyssal Demon—there's no way you'd understand this kind of feeling."
Even though her temperament wasn't as sentimental as Alison's, just thinking about her destroyed homeland still brought an unavoidable ache to her heart.
"What do you mean I wouldn't understand? I've got homesickness too!. Whenever I'm in other worlds, I often miss the good old days of pounding fellow demons into the ground in the Abyss!"
＿φ(°∀°=)
Hearing that, Golarial couldn't help but visualize the scene.
After all, she had seen with her own eyes how Orsaga had casually slaughtered thousands of fellow Abyssal Demons just for fun.
Honestly, only a "scenic and tranquil" place like the Abyss could produce a monster like Orsaga.
In any other plane, someone like him—who went around randomly killing his own kind—would've long been hunted down and eliminated.
Only in the Abyss would such a hobby be brushed off as harmless.
Golarial sighed helplessly. "I… really don't know how to respond to that."
Orsaga just shrugged. "Whatever. It's not like I said anything outrageous…"
"Then why are you two staying in a ruined city instead of finding a better place?"
"After you flung us off the battlefield, Alison and I didn't know the way around. So we just wandered aimlessly. We stumbled into this city purely by chance. At first, it wasn't even a ruin—it was a beautiful garden. The city was peaceful and safe, so we decided to settle here. We'd spend our days admiring the plants or going out for walks."
"Then… the global announcement came. This peaceful city quickly descended into chaos due to internal conflict. In just a few days, it was a mess of infighting and factional strife.
And then, someone torched the garden…"
Finishing the last bite of his pastry, Orsaga blinked. "Well, sounds like things didn't go smoothly. Want me to get revenge for you two?"
If she said yes, he'd immediately deal with the people who burned the garden down.
But Golarial just shook her head while slowly nibbling on her own pastry.
"No need. It was just a temporary place anyway. Besides, compared to the locals, we're the outsiders. That's why Alison and I didn't intervene—even though we had the power to stop it. If they wanted to destroy their own home, that's their choice. We had no right to interfere."
Orsaga frowned. "That's completely wrong thinking."
"Oh? Why?"
"You two are way too passive. In my view, it doesn't matter who originally owned something—if I want it, it should be mine. Why let others destroy it?"
Compared to the more laid-back and peaceable elves, Orsaga—being a demon—was far more domineering in both thought and action.
"Too passive…"
Although the idiom wasn't familiar, Golarial understood what he meant.
After thinking it over, she nodded slightly. "Maybe you're right…"
Elves, as a long-lived race, were naturally more easygoing than an Abyssal Demon like Orsaga. That trait helped them avoid conflict and live in peace—but it also meant they lacked boundless ambition.
And ambition, in many ways, is the driving force behind progress.
The moment any creature loses the will to improve, no matter how blessed it is by nature, it will eventually be surpassed by others.
"Bwooooom—"
Just then, a blaring horn sounded from the city walls, echoing throughout the city.
All over the city, civilians immediately panicked and fled for home.
Some merchants didn't even bother packing up their goods—just dropped everything and bolted.
It was enough to make someone want to call out: "Free loot for everyone!"
At the same time, large numbers of soldiers poured out of the military camps and rushed to the city walls, forming tight defensive lines.
Their faces were serious—some tense, some grim. It was as if a great threat loomed.
Seeing all this, the three outsiders—Orsaga, Golarial, and Alison—might not have understood the precise meaning of the horn's signal.
But based on the frequency of the blasts and the residents' reactions, it wasn't hard to guess what was happening.
Golarial cast Orsaga a long, meaningful look. "Don't tell me… this is your doing?"
The timing was just too suspicious.
It made her wonder if Orsaga had summoned someone to exact revenge on her behalf.
Orsaga quickly waved his hands. "Wasn't me!, I couldn't care less about those people. I just let my subordinates do whatever they want. So whatever they're doing—I don't really know. But if I had to guess… they're probably just coming to grab some all-you-can-eat buffet. Nothing major."
Golarial rolled her eyes. "Just a buffet? You sure they're not here to eat people?"
Orsaga blinked. "Isn't that the same thing?"
"…"
At that, Golarial was left speechless.
To Abyssal Demons, devouring other creatures was as natural as breathing. If they broke through the city's defenses, their actions really would look like a buffet rampage.
Sitting comfortably on the ground, Orsaga crossed his legs, completely unfazed.
"When the five of us greater demons made that contract with them, we promised a month of free activity after defeating the gods. There's only about four or five days left, so it makes sense they're getting more aggressive. Attacking a big city is totally within expectations."
Alison, who had been lost in thought until now, finally spoke—disbelieving.
"Didn't you five already divide this plane up into your own hunting grounds? How can you just let them run wild like this?"
Orsaga shook his head.
"Hunting grounds?, Maybe the others see it that way. But to me? This place is just a commodity. Ten percent ownership—neither much nor little. I'm not interested in waiting around for dividends. I'd rather just sell it and be done."
"A commodity…"
Hearing that, and sensing how indifferent Orsaga truly was toward the fate of this plane, Alison lowered her head.
She didn't even know how to feel.
Her people were still struggling to find a safe haven amid the dangers of the Abyss.
Meanwhile, Orsaga had reached the point where he could treat the ownership of an entire world as a trivial, negotiable asset—bought and sold without a second thought.
The gap between them… was like heaven and hell.
__
T/N:
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