[55.6] The Great Demon Owl

I spun around in a hurry to see Caldwell behind me panting madly. My face lit up in relief, "Caldwell!"

He ran over to me and picked me up. I was spun around mercilessly before he finally put me back down, "What are you doing here?!"

I punched him in the arm, "Looking for you!"

He was surprised as he rubbed his arm, "Me? Why are you looking for me?"

"Why wouldn't I be?! You can't just fly away and disappear! Cyrus has been a mess without you!"

He suddenly looked guilty, "Young Miss… There's no way the Young Master would be a mess… Didn't you see the way he looked at me? He clearly despises me."

The Elderly woman looked between us with a soft smile, "I will leave you two alone to talk. Perhaps you two should go take a walk to discuss these matters. Caldwell, go show her to the garden."

"Yes, Elder." He turned to me with his arm out, "Young Miss."

I locked my arm with his and smiled warmly. Judging by the expression on his face, he seemed surprised I would still act the way I always had toward him. He led me outside and into a garden filled with ice statues and flowers.

I broke the silence, "Calwell. You need to return home. It isn't the same without you and Cyrus really needs you."

He pursed his lips together, "Young Miss… Do you really not fear me?"

I blinked in confusion, "Why would I be afraid of you?"

"Well… I'm a… I'm a demon and I've been lying to you all this time."

I laughed, "Caldwell. I knew you were a demon the moment I first met you."

His eyes widened, "How could you possibly know?!"

"I sniffed you the moment I met you. Do you remember?"

Caldwell thought back, "I vaguely recall you having an interest in smelling people and magical items, but I never understood it."

I tapped my nose, "My sniffer is good at detecting magic and detecting demons. I don't know what the colors mean, but I know who is a demon simply because anything demonic has a dark cloud around it."

"How could you figure out it was demon related?! Just what trouble have you been putting yourself into if you could figure out-"

"-I figured out a demon's smell because of Zephyr. When I first met him, he claimed to be some ancient demon or something."

Caldwell's expression twisted, "That annoying brat. Any demon without horns is simply disgusting."

My face stiffened, "Why are horns so important to demons? It's not like it's his fault his horns are broken."

"I don't mean to be this way. It's just an innate feeling all demons have toward those with broken horns. I can't explain it." He pursed his lips, "But that's not the only reason I can't stand that twerp. How can that annoying fox be older than ME?!"

"Eh?" I was caught completely off-guard, "Older?"

Caldwell clenched his jaw seething over this fact, "He's considered an ancient demon! HIM! That annoying twerp is considered ancient, but his head is so stupid!! He's an embarrassment to the ancient demons of our village! They act with decorum and grace, but he's just a slob!"

Caldwell took a deep breath and nodded to himself, "That's what I hate most about him. His siblings all have the same status as him, but they don't annoy me as much as he does. He's just an anomaly!"

I burst into laughter, "He is rather dull, but he's not a bad person."

Caldwell let out a sigh, "I know, but I can't help it… I will try to be better, but I can't promise I will ever like that twerp."

I patted his back, "It's okay not to like a person. You can't like everyone. Just don't let your bias cloud your judgment."

Caldwell stared at him intently, "Young Miss… You really surprise me."

I blinked back, "How so?"

"You're not like most humans outside of this village. No human would ever accept a demon without ulterior motives. Yet, you not only accept me, but you also adopted a demon as your familiar and treat him like family. It's very strange."

I shrugged, "To me, demons are the same as humans. They talk, they feel pain, they know what is right and what is wrong. Isn't that the same as humans? I don't see the difference."

Caldwell countered, "But demons can change to animals and mock the appearance of humans. They also have demonic magic that is different from the magic humans have."

I watched a bee buzzing around a flower as I responded absentmindedly, "Not all humans have the same magic. I can't heal people like Felix can. I can't see the future like Gonza."

Hearing this name, a light flashed through Caldwell's eyes. He looked at me timidly, "How is… How is he doing? Does he miss me?"

I laughed, "He came looking for you."

This excited Caldwell who jumped over to me and shook my shoulders, "He did!? What for?! Marriage?!"

I allowed him to shake me, "I'm not telling. But Caldwell… You're a demon. I was told demons only love one person… Gonza is human. He may not accept you-"

At this, Caldwell stopped shaking me.

I peered into his eyes to read him, "Do you really like him?"

"I do. I never lied about that." He averted his gaze and smiled weakly, "I'm aware there is no chance between us… But one can't reason with their heart. Especially demons. We are slaves to our emotions."

My gaze softened, "Caldwell…"

He ruffled his hair, "Don't feel bad, Young Miss. I have already accepted this fact. I am perfectly content just appreciating that beauty and going no further."

His cheeks flushed as he chuckled in a creepy way, "Plus, as long as he doesn't know I'm a demon, I can't take full advantage of clinging to him without retribution."