Yuria and Rosemilla sat together, keeping Urr within sight but at a distance, and began to talk.
"Is that the one you mentioned? Urr?"
Urr the Demon God. Yuria had already caused quite a stir by bringing a Demon God around to the upper management, the Academic Society, and the Academy, so Rosemilla remembered the name. Since she wasn't directly involved, she hadn't been able to see what Urr looked like, but now that they'd met, Urr was completely different from what she'd imagined.
From what Yuria had said, Rosemilla expected someone who would look fierce with just a slight frown, but that wasn't the case at all.
Urr just had an innocent expression and behaved like someone with a much younger mental age. Rosemilla's gaze drifted to where Urr sat at a distance.
Sitting on a bench inside the Academy, Urr was bobbing her head from side to side. Her legs were also swinging back and forth alternately, as if she were keeping time.
Urr's head moved like the pendulum of a grandfather clock, matching the ticking sound.
Even though she wasn't a professor researching Demon Gods, Rosemilla knew some things about them.
Demon Gods had to learn everything on their own, and unless it was knowledge they were born with, it took time for them to understand things directly.
Beyond socialization, morals, and ethics, just establishing a sense of self was a lengthy process. Even after living for over a hundred years, many Demon Gods were less developed than humans who had lived in society for just thirty years.
They were beings who did whatever they wanted and ate whatever they pleased, believing the world should revolve around their desires. They were selfish creatures who only thought about themselves.
But to Rosemilla, Urr seemed different.
Even with a year of education, it was questionable whether someone could overcome beliefs built over decades or centuries, yet Urr seemed to have done it. This was both fascinating and puzzling.
Could this being actually be quite young? she wondered.
If Urr had a dual personality as Yuria claimed, at least this personality seemed to have been educated before establishing itself. Otherwise, she wouldn't be so compliant.
What Rosemilla was thinking was exactly what Yuria had already considered. Knowing this, Rosemilla avoided stating the obvious.
"Yes, that's Urr."
"She's different from how you described her before. She seemed more gloomy back then."
Rosemilla had caught a glimpse of Urr in the past. Back then, Urr wasn't even considered Academy Supplies, so it was hard to see her, but now it was different. Seeing a Demon God who was officially allowed to attend the Academy brought a subtle expression to her face.
After staring for a while, Rosemilla quietly continued.
"She doesn't look that dangerous, but I guess it's still traumatic?"
"That's part of it, but the problem is that her Aura could spread as she grows."
Yuria leaned against the wall. She seemed relieved to take some weight off her legs and sighed.
After that deep sigh, Yuria made eye contact with Urr. She had told Urr to sit on the bench while she talked with the professor, and now Urr was staring right at her, making Yuria feel a bit awkward as she smiled wryly.
When Yuria waved her hand as if it was nothing, Urr, who couldn't hear anything, smiled and waved back.
Rosemilla's eyes sparkled with fascination at the sight.
"That's amazing."
It truly was amazing.
Even someone usually as casual as her could only express admiration at this moment.
To think such a thing was possible. It made her wonder if communication with other Demon Gods might be worth trying.
Bringing in Demon Gods, teaching them socialization along with morals and ethics, and then using their immense power to deal with other Demon Gods—it seemed like a possibility.
Considering the time and money that would be required, it would be enormous, but if it was for the safety of humans, Elves, Dwarves, and all other races, perhaps it was worth considering. She tilted her head, pondering what good ideas might come from this initial thought.
Seeing Rosemilla like this, Yuria casually spoke up.
"Rose."
"Yes?"
"I told you before that Urr becomes younger when she dies."
"You did."
"I want to use that to prevent Urr from emitting her Aura, but I don't know how to do it. I'm grateful you texted me to meet, but I also feel bad that I'm only asking for favors."
When Yuria smiled bitterly, Rosemilla nudged her with an elbow.
"Yuria, why are you like this over something so small? That's what friends are for. It's good that we can help each other."
"But I'm only taking. Anyway, do you have any good ideas?"
"...If Urr becomes younger when she dies, can't you just ask for her understanding and kill her?"
Yuria had asked for good ideas, but Rosemilla's suggestion was quite primitive.
What was needed was a way to kill the Demon God once without pain, but doing it that way would obviously make Urr cry and suffer.
Something about nitrogen or oxygen concentration probably wouldn't work.
Killing her physically would be simple, but that wouldn't avoid the pain. Yuria wanted to avoid that, so her shoulders slumped when she heard Rosemilla's suggestion.
"I was hoping for a method other than that."
"But she's a Demon God, shouldn't she be able to handle that much? ...Yuria, regardless of how you feel or how your thoughts have changed, listen to me."
Rosemilla spoke to Yuria with a serious expression and tone, all playfulness gone.
"You probably know better than I do, but Demon Gods each have their own way of living eternally, right? Some just live a long time, others have to steal someone's lifespan to live long, things like that."
Rosemilla's gaze shifted slightly toward Urr.
"I think she's the type who achieves immortality through suicide. If she doesn't do that, she would age and die, so she repeatedly kills herself to live longer. That way she becomes younger and avoids natural death."
It was fascinating that she couldn't die no matter how many times she was killed. She just became younger and younger without disappearing. What might have been easy to imagine didn't happen. This cycle was unprecedented, not seen anywhere else.
So while she couldn't easily discuss other aspects, she could at least speak confidently about this.
"I think it's strange to avoid doing something because it might be painful when it's the method a Demon God has chosen for immortality. ...I don't know what the current Urr thinks, but I wonder if she would still feel the same if she heard she couldn't live with you once her Aura spreads."
Rosemilla wished Urr would be given a choice.
Either choose death herself or be thrown back into the forest.
This wasn't something Yuria should worry about.
"Yuria, it's all good, but... maybe your head hurts because you're trying to research too many things at once."
"You think so?"
Rosemilla casually put her arm around Yuria's shoulders. Since no one was watching, Yuria just made a glum expression.
She pondered what Rosemilla had said. She certainly didn't want to see Urr suffering, but considering the time and money needed for euthanasia research, it was definitely burdensome.
Besides, the test subject would have to be a Demon God, and even if she did this research, she wondered where she could prove it. It seemed inappropriate to experiment on Urr like this.
Other people, other researchers would weep at the idea, but the current Yuria was hesitant.
Kill Urr? Directly? She could do it. But what if Urr became afraid of her? Even now, Urr was actually scared but stayed close for other reasons—what then?
Many thoughts crossed her mind.
If she did that, and someday when Urr was finally deemed safe enough to enter society like other people, what if Urr said, "I hate you, Professor," and distanced herself? The thought was painful.
Fear was one thing, but she wanted the current Urr to stay by her side.
"I'll think about it carefully. It's not that urgent since her Aura isn't suddenly emerging yet."
"How much time is left?"
"I'm not sure. It seems like it might explode out at some point."
Since she wasn't certain, she shook her head, deciding not to give a definite answer.
Yuria looked at Urr lying on the bench and smiled bitterly.
"I wonder if Urr will resent me."
"You've already killed her many times, and this time there's a reason, so maybe she'll understand."
"Maybe. But isn't it too selfish to hope for that?"
Hesitation.
That's what was making her thoughts chaotic.
"People naturally think selfishly. Even if it's not selfish, it's still for Urr's benefit, isn't it? She probably doesn't want to be thrown into the forest and live under surveillance."
The general perception of Demon Gods.
Yuria nodded, deciding to seriously consider it.
Though what scared her most was how Urr would react.