The sound of the toe of a shoe catching somewhere incorrectly. A sign that I was falling.
I reflexively waved my arms to keep my balance. Belatedly, I realized that this might look ugly, so I consciously restrained myself and stretched out my arm to touch the floor, the wall, or something.
"...Ed?"
"Yes... Demon. Sorry."
Ed grabbed one of my arms and lifted it up. I didn't fall because my body was lifted up helplessly by the incredible force... but I heard the sound of Ed clicking his tongue.
"So, if you don't want me to die, hand it over to me..."
It seems like he's muttering something softly, but I couldn't hear it clearly. Did he disapprove of me for almost falling?
No, judging from the way he apologized to me, I don't think that's the case. Feeling anxious, I quietly rolled my eyes and made eye contact with the demon who had been listening to Ed's threats just a moment ago. His face had turned completely white. I glanced up, following the gaze of the guy who was so frightened that it was almost like panic. The arm held up by Ed caught my eye.
To be precise, it was the sharply carved wooden skewer held in that hand.
'... Ah.'
I almost stabbed him when I fell. I almost got in big trouble. No wonder those demons were turning white.
Rather, was I at the end of my life now?
When your life is in danger due to someone else's mistake, your emotional changes usually range from surprise to fear and anger. It seemed that the demon in front of me had now reached the stage of fear.
Even if I apologize, would they really accept it?
Ed, who was watching my expression as I was in a life-threatening situation, cautiously opened his mouth.
"I apologize for daring to block Demon's way. But now is not a good time to kill the demons of the Demon Capital."
"..."
"Even the Demon King will not like it."
The last words contained an expression of agonizing over whether it was really okay to say this. I never tried to kill any demons in the first place. And no matter how sharp it may be, what I hold in my hand was ultimately just a thin wooden skewer. There's no way a demon could die from something like that.
'... What should I answer here?'
Ed moved faster than I could come up with an appropriate answer.
The man who was looking at me blankly said he was rude and let go of the arm he was holding and walked away. It was only after he took the wooden skewer from my hand and glanced at me with anxious eyes under the pretext of helping me take out the trash that he turned his head and saw the demon... or rather, grabbed him by the collar.
'...?!'
***
As expected, one of the demons almost died.
Ed was a little relieved because Demon didn't have a weapon in his hand, but he never expected him to use a wooden skewer.
It was nothing more than a thin wooden stick that breaks easily if you held it in your hand and applied even the slightest force, but the sharpness of the end could be dangerous depending on where and how it was used.
Demon tried to stick it in the demon's eyes.
'The reason is probably... because they made him wait too long.'
Even if he didn't show it, he felt uncomfortable, so it's understandable that he was annoyed that his precious time was being wasted with such a useless argument.
Ed himself felt that he should not make Demon wait too long, so he kindly explained to the other demon that if he didn't want to die, it would be better to give it up quickly. It's not because he was worried about the demon in front of him, but because he wanted to prevent Demon from killing this guy and changing into his battle mindset.
'Even if it's not as dangerous as when he drinks alcohol, he'll still be in a dangerous state...'
But before the kind explanation could be heard, Demon moved.
As if his patience had run out, he held on to the leftover wooden skewer and strode towards them, swinging his arm towards the demon's eyes without a moment's hesitation.
The swing with weight was quite threatening.
'Should I stop it?'
He didn't know how much he thought about it in that short period of time.
Should he do something that offended Demon, who was upset, or should he just wait and see?
Stopping Demon put his life at risk, but the side of Demon awakened by killing that guy put countless lives at risk.
Even though the latter had the advantage of having a higher chance of survival compared to the former, Ed, a loyal member of the Demon King Castle, chose the former. The guy's face turned white as he realized too late that he was almost in trouble. When he looked at that pitiful sight, he couldn't help but click his tongue.
"So, if you don't want me to die, hand it over to him..."
... He warned him.
He slowly shifted his gaze and looked at Demon's expression. Was he very upset? He was probably not angry.
Anyway, now it's time to convince him. Ed took away his hand and opened his mouth with difficulty.
Did the words make sense? There was no response to his sincere words.
Ed didn't seem to have any intention of doing anything more, so he looked around and hurriedly took the wooden skewer out of his hand. Fortunately, he was relieved of his worries thanks to the gentle handing over.
... He won't move suddenly like that.
Rather than having blood on your hands, Demon, who was in an upset state, it would be better to move here first. After examining him with anxious eyes, he turned around and grabbed the struggling demon by the collar.
***
"Did you see it? Demon is feeling upset. So, I hope you keep in mind that this is your last chance."
"Now, please wait a moment."
Yes, that's right... I'm already used to people using me as a reason... I quietly watched the situation unfold.
The demon's actions were fast. It wasn't long before Ed was able to get two sticks from the guy.
... Sticks?
'It looks simple? Did you make such a fuss to get that now?'
It's a real stick. Its appearance was so simple that I couldn't think of anything other than that word.
While I was at a loss for words due to the absurdity, he approached me and handed me a stick. He opened his mouth as if he was trying to explain something, but quickly closed his mouth.
"Demon, please excuse me for a moment. It's the type that requires permission from the Demon King..."
"...?"
Hold on a moment. This was something where you needed to get permission from the Demon King? There's no need to do that much...
I reached out my hand without meaning to, but it was already too late. The quick adjutant took out the communication stone and immediately connected with the Demon King before I could stop him.
"Ed? What's going on?"
Haha... You're quick to act...
... Damn it.
"Demon is not in a good mood, so I would like to try letting him use a Snowflake Stick. I would like to ask if it is possible for him to use it."
Snowflake Stick? What is that name that sounds like a children's toy?
"Is he in a bad mood? To what extent?"
"Uh..."
Ed, who was about to say something, glanced at me sideways, as if observing me.
I guess I read something in that hesitation, but I heard the Demon King's voice again.
"No, no. You probably measured it and found an appropriate solution. It seems quite serious, so feel free to use it as much as you want. I'll take care of the rest."
Don't do that. You don't have to give permission.
Why is it that I feel bad? I'm not a kid... And why does the Demon King look after something like this?
There were so many things I wanted to ask, so I ended up keeping my mouth shut. When the other demon looked at Ed with eyes that had been liberated and lost his soul, he flinched, held up a stick in his hand, and quickly began to explain.
"Just cut this end with scissors and point it toward the sky."
"... Then what happens..."
I couldn't finish my sentence.
"Notify the entire Demon King Castle. 0th Corps Commander Demon Arut is planning to test out the previously developed Snowflake Stick. The users of the Demon Castle should not be surprised by the sudden climate change and should continue to do their jobs."
Sudden climate change?
The doubt lasted for a moment. Demons not only knew how to use magic, but they also made and use magic items in their daily lives. They say the use of magic is currently banned... but since it was developed before, it seems like a magic item.
Since the name was Snowflake Stick, does it make it snow or something?
Naturally, the broadcast announced directly by the Demon King strongly attracted the attention of the demons.
"Test? Have they already finished all that?"
"Shhh, don't you know it's just an excuse just by hearing it? Demon's feeling upset, so they're trying to solve this problem in a peaceful way."
"I wonder if this will work on Demon..."
"Since he is from the human world, it doesn't mean there is no possibility at all. Let's hope it works."
"I'm going to have to go through a lot of trouble to clean up after this."
I can't hear it clearly, but I know my name was mentioned.
'I said it wouldn't be possible... I want to go home...'
If I went to the Count's residence, I would want to come here again. Are you really saying that there is no place where I can be comfortable?
I wiped away my hot face and concentrated on taking deep breaths to calm my mind.
Meanwhile, Ed, who had received scissors from another demon, cut off the end of the stick and pointed it toward the sky. Something erupted from the cut part and exploded in the air.
'Was it a bomb? Well... I'm not particularly surprised.'
The extent of the bomb was within the expected range. Ed wouldn't do anything that will harm my body, so there's nothing to be afraid of. The problem was the reactions of other demons...
It's obvious. If you broadcast it so openly and they suffer harm, of course they would blame me, right? My lifespan has shortened again. Haha.
It had been a long time since I had been liberated in this respect, so I looked at the sky where the bomb had exploded with half-dead eyes. And I couldn't help but open my eyes wide.
White, cold, fluffy crystals that fell like flower petals.
"... Snow?"
"Yes. Do you like it? Unlike the demon realm, where there is no climate change, the human world sometimes snows, so I thought it might help change Demon's mood..."
"It's definitely not that bad..."
Such a peaceful method. I guess demons knew how to use this method too. But why did you do that all this time?
I held out my hand and touched a snowflake. It was cold. It's real snow. It's interesting, but why did they even broadcast something like this?
The answer to my question came quickly.
"Waste is falling from the sky..."
"We have to clean this up..."
"What can we do... It's what Demon is doing... It's better than dying at his hands. That's right... let's shut up and clean it up..."
"Haha, hahaha. Everything is good, so I hope he doesn't use it too much..."
"I hope he doesn't use the red one..."
Ah...
I understand.
They seem to be half in a daze. What should I do? I felt sorry and look around, but without realizing it, Ed put scissors in my hand and urged me to cut one too. No, it's not that he didn't notice, it's that he didn't care.
He seemed like a heartless bastard.
However, it was nice to see the snow after a long time and I wanted to try it myself, so I pretended not to notice and took the scissors. Ed spoke in surprise when he saw my bandaged wrist.
"Ah, Demon, your hand... I will cut it."
"No."
It's been a while since I've been feeling like I'm being treated like a kid, so I don't like it.
Of course, that wasn't my intention, but I didn't want to be treated like that anymore, so I held the stick in one hand and the scissors with my fractured hand and aimed at the marked line.
'... My hands are shaking.'
My injured hand kept shaking and I couldn't gauge properly.
It won't work. I moved the hand that was holding the end of the stick closer to the marked line and used the scissors again.
Suddenly.
"... Ah."
"Demon's hands...!"
First of all, I cut it. I immediately moved my hand so that the cut point was pointing towards the sky.
Pow! The same roar as before was heard, and red snowflakes began to fall among the white snow. I feel like I could hear the sorrowful wailing of a demon somewhere, but I guess it's just my mood.
I looked at the red liquid that had melted on my palm and then looked at Ed as if asking for an explanation.
"Ed?"
"Yes, Demon."
"What..."
A familiar smell came from the red liquid.
The moment I realized where I recognized the smell, the snowflakes in the sky that looked quite pretty became eerie.
I opened my mouth with difficulty, trying not to be disgusted by the thing that was landing on my head.
"Why do I smell blood? This can't be right."
Was it real blood?