Chapter 1

Demons—

They refer to those creatures among monsters that prey on humans and can speak human language. Most are humanoid with well-formed faces and appearances, but they are almost expressionless and have a mentality closer to that of insects or something else, marking them as natural enemies of humanity.

They possess intelligence equal to or greater than humans and wield magic far more powerful than what humans can use. While they can communicate, mutual understanding is impossible; they only use words to deceive or gain advantages over humans. Yet, because of their high intelligence, they know that humans are susceptible to emotions, and they often use clever words to appeal to these emotions, outsmarting humans to achieve their goals, whether it be cannibalism or other benefits.

Furthermore, although they have something akin to a cannibalistic impulse, it's not that they can only eat humans; cannibalism is more like a mere preference, similar to how a bear might develop a taste for certain food.

Additionally, demons are born without any social emotions like malice, guilt, or a sense of justice. They are creatures with a mentality akin to what humans would call antisocial personality disorder, relentlessly pursuing only their self-interest, making them akin to harmful beasts.

It's no wonder this book was hidden. They must have feared that if I read this, I would understand my own existence not just as an instinct but as knowledge.

I continue to flip through the pages of the book.

As for the physical characteristics of demons, as previously mentioned, they have well-formed faces that would be considered handsome or beautiful by human standards. Well, this is probably because demons with appearances less appealing to humans were simply eliminated through evolution.

When I hold a hand mirror and reflect my face, I see a face that could almost be described as too perfect. And since my body is composed of something called mana, my skin is always glossy, and my hair remains smooth without a single split end, even without care.

However, due to the lack of emotions, I'm almost completely expressionless despite my appearance, which is likely to help me prey on humans by presenting a well-maintained exterior, much like an ant mimic spider. It's certainly rational to deceive humans with such a pleasing appearance.

I feel somewhat relieved to understand that my almost lifeless facial muscles and the dead-fish-like eyes are not due to some illness.

Moreover, demons have horns, and the two horns growing from my head are evidence of that. These horns are rather sharp and can get stuck in wooden walls or ceilings if I'm not careful, which is quite bothersome. They seem to have nerves, so it hurts.

Flipping to the next section in the book, I find a description of demon magic.

Demons are born as powerful mages, and over their long lifespans, they devote themselves to the research of a single magic, honing it throughout their lives. The magic, perfected over an extraordinarily long lifespan, can even possess uniqueness, making it seem like something from a different dimension compared to human magic. Due to differences in brain structure, it's even accurate to say it's something entirely different. Furthermore, the magical artifacts produced by demons that cannot be analyzed by human magical techniques are defined as curses.

I see, so my magic might fall into that category. I take pride in its immense power, and it's likely my demon instincts that have driven me to continue refining it unconsciously.

Honestly, I always thought of myself as a mage with antisocial personality disorder tendencies and simply happened to have horns. No, that's probably what I was taught by my human father when he found me, and it's what the whole village made me believe. That substance they occasionally made me drink, claiming it was medicine—was that human blood? Completely pointless.

Having "memories of being human," I possess a sociality that demons supposedly cannot comprehend, and I know emotions as knowledge. Therefore, knowing the fearsome nature of humans, I wouldn't kill without reason, considering the risks.

However, if I were an ordinary demon, it would be utterly pointless and ridiculous to try to make a creature that cannot comprehend emotions into a human. It's only because I have human knowledge that I can understand the abnormality of demon emotions.

Perhaps I wouldn't feel anything even if I had to kill my friends or family right here. A being that can kill without a sense of justice, without malice, and without feeling guilt—such a being can easily do such things.

In short, demons are creatures that, despite their humanoid form, possess a mentality that allows for "cannibalism."

Cannibalism is when an animal consumes another member of its own species. The most famous examples might be a female mantis eating the male during mating, or a cockroach hatchling devouring the contents of another cockroach's egg if it's cracked open in front of it.

In the human world, such acts are considered ethically unacceptable, but in the animal kingdom, they are far from rare. In fact, from the perspective of survival of the fittest, cannibalism can be seen as the ultimate in rationality. This means that the ethical views of demons are clearly not the same as those of humans.

As for me, the main reason I don't kill humans is that it's more beneficial not to. Additionally, because I have knowledge from my previous life as a human, I can take a long-term view of humans and have already acquired sociality from the start. Conversely, it means I'll do whatever it takes if it means I can maintain social status.

Yes, knowledge. The knowledge from my previous life.

By reading this book about demons, everything has now clicked into place.

I close my eyes, let out a sigh, stand up from my chair, and move to the mirror in my room.

Then, slowly opening my eyelids, I focus on the image reflected in the mirror.

There, I see a small girl with purple hair braided on both sides, eyes with a dark hue that could be seen as gray, blue, or even purple, and two long, devil-like horns curving from her head.

As I channel my mana, a dull golden scale appears in the hands of the figure in the mirror, and immediately after its appearance, it tips to one side and stops.

"I'm really Aura the Guillotine..."

With that self-mocking cry, the scales fall from the hands of the Aura the Guillotine... my hands, and hit the wooden floor with a hard clatter.

Since I was born into this medieval European-like world, I've always thought it resembled something I saw in my previous life.

But who would have thought it was something I only had a passing knowledge of from social media in my previous life? And what about this world—does it have something to do with Frieren? Something called Frieren—the character who looks a bit like Chaika from Hitsugi no Chaika.

What should I do... I... I seriously don't even know a thing about Frieren.　

It's impossible to pinpoint a work just by the atmosphere of a medieval European-like world. Honestly, if you had told me a few minutes ago that this was the world of The Lord of the Rings, I would have believed it.

And as for Aura (500 years old), I know nothing except that she was forced to commit suicide by a twin-tailed Frieren (1000 years old).

"Mom? That was a really loud noise, are you okay?"

"Mom?"

Did Aura have human children? Is that the kind of character she is? I've already given birth to two of them...? And the one in my belly is about six months along...?

By the way, right now I'm wearing round glasses, a pink long sweater, and a black long skirt, trying to dress like a human mother.

This is because, having knowledge as a human, I couldn't endure the lifestyle of a wild animal from the moment I was born into this world, so I somehow managed to get taken in by a human village as a child. Now, I've secured an unshakable position as the childhood friend and wife of the village chief's grandson.

The children were just a necessary expense in that process. My lack of enthusiasm for child-rearing might be due to my demon instincts. But wait... is that really how Aura was supposed to be...?

Hmm... I don't know. Well, I still have over 450 years left until Frieren kills me, so I suppose I can take my time.

By then, I'll train my mana even further for the sake of the magic I specialize in, learn more practical spells, and prepare myself in various ways—

"Mommy's okay... Yes, I'm fine... I'm really fine..."

"Oh, okay. Oh, there's a visitor for you, mom!"

"Carry me!"

"Alright, alright... Seriously... Who could it be at a time like this..."

I pick up my younger child, who still fits comfortably in my arms, but with my non-human strength, it's not a burden at all. What's more inconvenient is having a visitor at the most stressful moment since the baby was born.

I can tell by the increased sound of footsteps that my older child has already let the visitor in, coming right back to me after leaving the room.

From a human perspective, this would be unacceptable in terms of security, but since their parent is a demon, there's no point in worrying about that. I'm at a loss as to how to teach them what's right from a human standpoint.

Most likely, it's one of the villagers coming to ask for help from me, an already skilled mage. If that's the case, there's no reason to turn them away. Kindness isn't just for others; it always comes back as a benefit to oneself.

I pick up the scales and, while taking a defensive stance just in case, lower my gaze to the task of stroking my younger child like a human mother would.

When I was human, I couldn't honestly say that I was without malice, but I had enough of a sense of guilt to refrain from doing anything evil. I could be considered an average, decent person.

Now, even as I stroke my child, I feel nothing. I probably wouldn't feel anything if I were to snap this child's neck right now.

I put on a smile, playing the part of a good, human-like mother. That's what I would have done if I were still human.

"Hello, what brings you here today? If it's a potion you need, you can take whatever you like from the shelf over there. If there's a monster, just tell me where. If you have something urgent that needs doing, I'll prioritize it accordingly, so write it down—"

"I'm surprised. A demon pretending to raise children."

"What—?"

As I mechanically recited the routine words without looking at my guest, I heard a voice that was unexpectedly youthful, slightly downcast, and strangely familiar. When I lifted my head, I saw a girl—an elf with silver twin tails and long ears, holding my older child's sleeve. Her mana was many times greater than mine.

That figure flashed back in my memory, and before I could even question why she was here or think of a plan, I was overwhelmed by chills and a racing heart.

She was the Grim Reaper to me, the death star, the very embodiment of despair and fear just by being there.

"Frieren...?"