Frilian: This Demon Isn't So Cold

Do your job well and don't let Sylvia have any regrets.

Carlos silently looked at the last sentence written in the diary.

I can't understand it, I absolutely can't understand it.

In such a short time, he was already unable to empathize with his past self who had been by the window.

He still remembers that all he originally wanted was to spend his life with her...

But now, he not only wants to save the other person, but also wants to research ways to make humans live longer... What's the point of that?

Eternal love? What is love?

Carlos recalled the material library in his past memories. He knew that he had once been a human and had seen many stories about love, but now, his heart was unmoved by those things.

"Knock knock—"

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Carlos knew who was standing outside the door without even opening it.

"What's the matter?" His voice was very calm.

"I'd like to chat with you for a bit, is that alright, senior?" Vlame's voice came through the door.

Oh right, just now in my diary, I was inexplicably happy that I could make Vlame my junior sister?

Thinking about these things that he couldn't understand at the moment, Carlos opened the door.

Their eyes met.

With just one glance, Vlamé deduced what had happened to Carlos.

Her gaze, demeanor, and gestures—all these elements combined—were clearly telling her one thing:

"Have you completely transformed into a demon now?"

"...Yes." Carlos instinctively wanted to lie, but the words that came out were an admission.

He immediately looked on incredulously.

How is that possible?

How could I be unwilling to deceive the other person?

No, it's just the inertia of habit. He said that because the other person was Vlamé.

Carlos didn't know whether this was a good thing or a bad thing.

However, Vlamé's presence is clearly an unstable factor.

He was thinking about it.

"How are you feeling now, Senior Brother?" Vlame asked gently.

Her gentle gaze made Carlos subconsciously feel very uncomfortable, as if he were a patient who needed to be cared for, but for some reason, he did not resist this feeling.

"I...I don't know." Carlos was somewhat bewildered. "I feel like I'm not myself anymore."

Everything before, those words, those experiences, all seemed like a dream, and even now, with Sylvia lying in bed unable to move, he couldn't understand it.

Only the emptiness in his heart made Carlos acutely aware of what he had lost.

Even so, he couldn't feel those lost emotions; he just found it strange.

Upon hearing this answer, Vlamé was silent for a moment, then said:

"Didn't you tell Master before, 'If one day I give Master the feeling of being like other demons, please don't hesitate, do everything in your power to kill me'?"

Vlamed paused, then immediately asked, "Do you regret it?"

Looking into her gentle eyes, Carlos instinctively wanted to argue that he hadn't met Celia yet, and any feelings would have to wait until later. Besides, she might not have the same keen insight as him to see his problems.

But Carlos couldn't say it.

"I regret it," he replied finally.

Why?

"Because there are still things left undone." As soon as he finished speaking, Carlos covered his mouth.

Unbelievable, truly unbelievable.

Why, why, even though I already find that kind of thing incomprehensible, is there still a voice in my heart saying that I want to accomplish it?

Carlos found the obsessions left over from his past self incomprehensible.

"Could you please have your senior brother tell Master this personally? Just say that you regret it." Vulamei looked serious, because this was the key point.

She risked her life to come here to talk to Carlos.

If Carlos chooses to run away here, then regardless of his previous answers, it only means that he is completely beyond saving, and the future he once saw should have disappeared long ago, just as his master said.

As a disciple, one should not avoid meeting with one's master.

Even though this disciple once told his master that he wanted her to kill him.

But the fact that I, as her junior, came all the way here already speaks volumes.

Changing one's mind is as simple as saying a few words.

Carlos was in a daze. Was he really going to meet a mage who could kill him? Even if that mage was his master?

While hesitating, Carlos's gaze was unconsciously drawn to the necklace on Vlame, from which hung a small silver moon with a tiny [Barrier Magic] spell on it.

It was inflicted by my past self.

"...Okay." He felt he should trust his past self.

If he can't even trust the words he left behind, then he doesn't understand who else he can trust.

Wait... why pursue something like trust?

Carlos was puzzled, but his body had already begun to follow automatically.

Vlame, who was walking ahead, breathed a sigh of relief. Although he had the same feeling as when he dealt with demons, Carlos was still Carlos after all.

They are different from other demons.

After entering the room and closing the door behind her, the two elves simultaneously looked behind her.

"Don't you want to die?" Celia heard everything.

"There are still so many things left to do, how could I bear to die?"

After seeing Celia in person, Carlos felt a weight lifted from his heart. It was a strange feeling, like a lost child suddenly seeing his father in a crowd, and his father seeing him in return.

There's a sense of... peace of mind?

"Besides, even a fool like Frilian can continue to live well in this world, so why should I have to die?" Carlos tried to force a smile, but he quickly gave up.

Because it was stiff, not a natural smile.

"Hey, why are you suddenly saying that about me?!" Frillie protested, but her little head was still hidden behind Celie, only daring to show half of her head, her eyes revealing something unreadable.

The atmosphere became a bit more relaxed compared to the beginning.

Celia looked at him, and Carlos met her gaze.

After a while, Celia looked at Vlame, "My intuition tells me..."

Carlos didn't seem to feel anything, but Vlame became nervous.

"He's fine for now."

Vlame let out a long sigh of relief.

Celia's intuition is always very accurate. Since she has said that, then Carlos has passed the test.

"By the way, how long does the effect of that [All Things Turn to Gold] last?" Vlame asked Carlos.

Although she felt that since Carlos had done it that way, there was no problem, she still had to ask.

"The [All Things Turn to Gold] magic will continue even after my death; it is permanent," Carlos said calmly. "At the same time, time within anything that is turned to gold will be frozen, remaining at the moment before it was turned to gold, so there is no need to worry about time."

Therefore, he essentially preserved Sylvie's life indefinitely.

"But we have other problems now." Celia glanced away, skipping the topic. "Didn't you notice? This hotel has been surrounded by quite a few humans since the beginning."

As for why...

They both looked toward another room, where Sylvia, now turned to gold, lay on a bed.

Yesterday, they made no attempt to hide their relationship from each other, and now that the news has spread, curious crowds are naturally gathering around.

That's still an optimistic view.

In fact, many people have linked the perpetrators of yesterday's tragedy at the city gate to the abnormality of the gold mine.

Although Carlos was indeed connected to that tragedy, it was not something he did.

Will the crowd believe him?

"How about we run away?" Carlos suggested in the silent room.