Chapter 10 Super Cute Study Buddy

She clasped her hands behind her back, rocking on her heels with cuteness. Her smile was pure sunshine sprinkled with mischief.

"You know… some people might look at me and be like, 'Oh, she's just a fashion-obsessed, glitter-loving, ankle-twisting klutz.' And like, yeah, fair assessment! But plot twist! I'm actually, totally, low-key smart! Shocking, right? I know!"

She leaned forward intrusively close to his faces, her voice dropping to a playful whisper. "Sooooo… how about I join your little 'battle against books'? Consider me your officially appointed, super cute study buddy! I'll help you slay some magical theory, and you can, you know, totally crush this semester! And speaking of magic… watch this!"

She opened her empty palm flat. 

POOF!

A small puff of silver-gold sparkles erupted from her palm, and the pen materialized out of thin air, resting on her palm.

"Ta-daaaa~!" She wiggled her fingers, the pen spinning cutely between them. "Magic trick! See? I can do magic~!"

Then she closed her hand into a fist.

POOF! 

Another puff of sparkles, and the pen vanished completely, leaving only a faint glitter floating in the air.

She opened her empty palms wide while showing a cute smile. "And it's gone~! Pretty good, right~? I've been practicing~!"

Leon did not show on his face, but he was impressed.

"Was that... did she just used storage magic? That's impressive."

She held up her hand, pointing her finger at him, winking. "So? Will you let me join your party, Champion Leon? Promise I won't pull any aggro~!"

Leon blinked at the fading sparkles, a warm smile spreading across his face. 

"You would do that? I would be honored to have your aid, Lady Moriana. These books. They are starting to prove almost as formidable as the Demon Lord himself. Perhaps even more cunning. At least Lord Malakar announces his attacks. I would be honored to have you as my aid."

He paused, then added, almost sheepishly, "They already call me the 'Losing Hero' because I can't defeat Demon Lord. I'd rather not add 'Dumb Hero' to the list. My reputation can only sink so far. So, yes. Please. Join my study party. I need all the help I can get to defeat this upcoming exam."

"He mentioned my dad. The Demon Lord. I wonder, does he hate him? Would he hate me too if I told him who I was? We are talking, he is so nice to me. But would he be the same if he knew? No, of course he wouldn't. He'd probably cut me down where I stand, shouting something like 'die, you wicked fiend!'"

Molly's cheerful expression flickered. 

"Hey, Leon… Can I ask you something kinda random?"

She paused, then lifted her gaze to meet his.

"What do you actually think about demons? Like, not just the Demon Lord, but… demons in general? Do you, uh… do you, like, hate them?"

"Okay, don't panic. You're just asking a normal question. A totally normal, academically curious question. This is fine. Whatever he says is fine. It's not like you're a demon sitting right in front of him hiding your horns and your tail and your entire existence. HAHA! FINE! EVERYTHING IS FINE!

But also… I kinda need to know. Like, totally need to know."

"That is… a complicated question. Not a simple yes or no, Miss Molly."

He paused, his gaze drifting past her, into the past.

"When I was a boy, I didn't know any better. I only knew what texts said, what tales told, what people whispered around hearth fires. 'Demons are evil.' 'Demons feast on human suffering.' 'The Demon Lord is the evil that must be cut down.' I was afraid of them. Terrified. And fear… fear slowly turned into hate, when you're young and don't know any better."

"But then I grew older," Leon continued. "I read the old histories. Not the fiction, but the true chronicles, buried in archives no one bothers with. I learned about the Great War. Three centuries ago. Misunderstanding. Fear breeding fear, violence breeding violence. And at the end of it… mountains of bones. Human and demon alike. And how it ended because of a treaty."

He looked at her directly, his blue eyes on her.

"The war ended. The treaty was forged. But grudges don't die as easily as soldiers do. My predecessors kept fighting because they were raised to fight. The current Demon Lord… He has never once invaded human lands. He waits in his castle, and I come to him. Every time. I am the aggressor. I carry a war that ended centuries ago, because that is what is expected of me."

He exhaled slowly.

"So, no. I do not hate demons. I hold no resentment toward their kin. The texts and tales taught me fear as a child, but the truth taught me… they are not so different from us. They live. They love their families. They have their own cultures, their own sorrows. Hate would be easier. But it would also be wrong.

 I hope that answer your question, Lady Moriana."

Molly looked at him. 

"Ahh... he's so sweet. He doesn't hate demons. He thinks we're not so different. I can't lie to him; it will only lead to disaster the longer I keep it going. I need to say it. Say it. Just say it. He just told you he doesn't hate your kind. I got nothing to lose here. Well, I do but sooner or later, he will figure it out. This is the moment. The perfect, golden, confession moment. You're never gonna get a better setup than THIS!

But what if… what if he only means it in theory? What if the reality of a demon sitting right in front of him changes everything?

…I have to know. I have to."

A nervous, bubbly laugh escaped her. 

"Haha… wow, that's, uh… that's really deep, Leon... So, like, speaking of demons… hehe."

She forced her brightest, most teasing smile.

"What if I told you I was a demon?"

Leon blinked. Then a small, genuine smile tugged at his lips.

"Then I would say you have a very peculiar sense of humor, Lady Moriana. And that you should focus on helping me study rather than testing me."

"He doesn't believe me. AAAAAH! Of COURSE he doesn't believe me. I look like a sparkly girl, not a daughter of darkness. He thinks I'm JOKING! Ugh! It took me all of my courage to confess you know!"

"No, I mean… I'm serious, Leon." Molly leaned closer, her voice dropping to a playful whisper. "I'm serious. Like, for real serious. Actually-a-demon serious."

Leon finally looked up. "Lady Moriana, you do not have horns. You do not have a tail or wings. You sparkle with glitter. Demons do not typically wear makeup and sparkle with glitter."

"That's because my horns haven't grown in yet!" She tapped the top of her head. "They're, like, super tiny. Probably just little nubs. You can't even see them under my hair. But if you pet my head… you might be able to feel them."

She tilted her head down, offering the crown of her blonde curls to him like a cat requesting attention.

"Kyaaaaa! What are you DOING?! You just asked him to PET YOUR HEAD! This is insane! This is bold! This is… actually kinda working?!"

Leon stared at her offered head. Then at her face. Then back at her head.

"This is… a strange request."

"Just try it! If you don't feel anything, then I'm obviously lying, right? Consider it, like, a demon verification test."

"I guess I will humor you."

Another long pause. Then, slowly, hesitantly, Leon raised his hand.

His fingers touched her hair.

It was feather-light at first, barely there, like he was afraid she might bite. Then, tentatively, he pressed his palm flat against the crown of her head and gave a few awkward pats.

Pat. Pat. Pat.

His hand was warm. Large. Slightly calloused from sword work. His touch was so gentle, so careful, like she was something precious he was afraid of breaking.

"…Oh no. Oh no, no, no. He's petting me. He's actually PETTING me. His hand is so big and warm and he's so GENTLE and I think I'm going to ascend to a higher plane of existence right here in this library—"

Leon withdrew his hand, looking slightly flustered. "I… do not feel anything. No horns. Just… hair. Very soft hair."

Molly lifted her head, her face flushed a deep, rosy bronze. But her eyes were sparkling with pure, mischievous triumph.

"Hehe."

Leon blinked. "What?"

"I made you pet my head~" She grinned, wide and wicked. "You totally fell for it. 'Oh, Lady Moriana, let me verify your demon status through head-touching.' So gullible, Champion Leon~!"

His face shifted from confused to flat. His eye twitched. "...You made me pet your head. As a prank."

"As a successful prank. Big difference."

Leon picked up his pen. He looked at his textbook. He looked back at her beaming face. He sighed the sigh of a man who had faced demon lords and lived, only to be undone by a glittery girl.

"Instead of teasing me, you could actually help me study. That was the original proposal, I believe."

"Mm-hmm." Molly rested her chin in her hands, still glowing with victory. "And I will help you. After I finish celebrating my win."

"There is no 'win.' You tricked me into head-petting."

"And yet, you petted. Sounds like a win to me."

Leon pinched the bridge of his nose. "Lady Moriana."

"You can call me, Molly."

"...Molly."

"Yeees, Leon~?"