After the war, I don't know what my purpose is anymore.

In the distant past, I used to long for a bright future, yearning for a peaceful world without war.

But now, it seems like I have forgotten that feeling. Those innocent wishes now appear before me like illusory bubbles.

I am merely a pure war weapon, appearing in front of the world in this form, only evoking thoughts of the dreadful killing weapon Yiluodiya.

There are no elves in this world.

The only difference between humans and demons is the horns on their heads.

So, if I don't disguise my ears and pair them with my fairy-like face, I am sure to be recognized.

The name Yiluodiya, perhaps even after hundreds or thousands of years, will still be whispered in the world, for this name is tainted with too much sin.

Tainted with too much demon sin.

After Yiluodiya was “killed,” it seems like the demon sins gradually faded away along with Yiluodiya's disappearing.

Clearly... in a more distant past, even without Yiluodiya, the humans and demons were still at odds.

It's just that back then, there was still space for balance between humans and demons; since Yiluodiya appeared, it has only been one-sided slaughter of humans.

The main goal pursued was never to dominate the world, but to fill the void in her heart, to erase the shadow of witnessing her parents being killed by humans when she was a child.

Having lost this obsession, what is her goal in life now?

Will she be as lost as I am, leaving behind the aftermath of war?

Actually, the master doesn't prohibit me from going out; her only requirement is to disguise myself as much as possible and not expose my ears.

Waking up and pulling back the curtains.

The sunlight pouring in from the sky spread across my face, yet I did not feel a hint of warmth.

I am very anxious.

I want to do something, I want to rediscover my purpose of existence.

I don't want to just be a weapon of war.

But the concept of being a weapon is deeply ingrained in my mind; even though my remaining reason resists, it cannot resist the instinct that has been accumulated over the years, the mark imprinted on my soul after being trained.

Putting on a clean and tidy dress.

Layering up with a hooded coat.

I must go out.

I can't always be lost in my thoughts at home.

Walking on the streets.

This is a city on the outskirts of the demon empire, far from humans, with the endless blue sea to the south.

So even if I am recognized, the risk is not that great.

Yiluodiya is a demon to humans, but a pride to demons.

But to avoid unnecessary trouble, I should still be mindful of my identity being exposed.

The master gave me some money to spend freely.

Since the master is no longer a demon king, I deeply understand how hard she works for money, so I dare not spend extravagantly.

Apart from my identity, the master rarely makes requests of me anymore.

She never told me to save money, and she even bought me many dresses that I considered luxurious.

Perhaps I could be a little indulgent and spend some pocket money on myself?

I had asked the master before, Has there been no contact between us and Hesperia? If Hesperia knows where we are, we definitely won't be short of money.

The master's reply to me was that from now on, we have no more dealings with those conflicts.

Although Hesperia did not fulfill our wish to die together in the beginning, at least the master and I are truly disappearing into history.

Yes.

The master and I are but a piece of floating duckweed in this bustling world, no longer the navigators of the times.

As we walked.

I arrived in front of a jewelry store, remembering how Linsi and Daisy used to dress me up, knowing that girls look more delicate and perfect with jewelry embellishments.

I couldn't just stop dressing up because Linsi and Daisy weren't with me.

So I boldly entered the store.

But the next moment, I regretted it.

Because I was wearing a hat, which made it inconvenient to wear jewelry.

Yet the salesperson actively greeted me as soon as she saw me.

"Miss, hello, may I help you with something?"

Once the demons were warmongering, but now that the war is over, everyone is pulling out all the stops to make money.

For the salesperson, perhaps I am a key stepping stone for her promotion.

But unfortunately.

I don't have that much money.

"I-I'm just looking."

Speaking softly and lowering my head slightly, I was afraid of drawing too much attention from the people in the store.

"Sure, this way, let me introduce you to the jewelry in our store."

"I'm not buying jewelry..."

"Miss, with your beautiful blue hair, how could you not match it with a good jade pendant?"

"I'll look around myself."

Perhaps because of my increasing resistance, the salesperson stopped pushing me to buy.

"Okay, okay, take your time."

But she still followed me.

Out of the principle of being there, I finally picked a very cheap necklace.

It cost me half of my pocket money.

I felt a little annoyed.

But as I walked out of the jewelry store, the slight feeling of being bound around my neck brought me some comfort.

I started to miss the collar the master had given me.

The desire to be continuously confined by the master surged up again in my heart.

I wanted the master to personally put the necklace on me, so I thought and then took off the necklace and put it in my pocket.

I continued to wander.

Until I stopped in front of a bookstore.

I wanted to go in and see what kind of books ordinary demon families usually read.

There would be no annoying salespeople in a bookstore.

I walked quietly into the bookstore, and the cashier behind the counter just glanced at me briefly.

His gaze lingered on my hat.

Before long, he dropped his eyes and continued to look at the books on the counter.

My gaze couldn't help but glance upward.

Isn't the hat a little too short?

The horns of my demon race with this appearance and age should be higher than the hat I'm wearing.

But being mistaken for a human is still better than being discovered as Yiluodiya.

In addition to books, the bookstore also had the latest newspapers, recording the recent world events.

I walked up to the newspapers and glanced at them briefly.

The Demon King Hisrelia has announced a policy of seeking similarities while tolerating differences, advocating that demons be more tolerant towards humans, actively learning human virtues, but also not forgetting that we are demons. In addition, more cities have been opened up for permanent human residence, reducing taxes between the human and demon nations.

On the newspaper, there was no longer any mention of the former Demon King Furtoril or Yiluodiya.

Is Hisrelia deliberately avoiding us from reappearing on the stage of history?

The way some policies are named in the newspaper made me feel familiar; one glance and I knew that they were policies made by the master probing into my past life memories and blending with the world's situation.

I stared at the newspaper blankly.

I remembered how the master used to tirelessly write down my past life memories, those little books piling up on her desk.

And the intriguing expression on Hisrelia's face when she moved those books away.

I couldn't help but raise a faint smile.

Even though both I and the master had completely disappeared from the historical stage, I knew that the shadow of the master existed in this world.

And also my shadow!

At this thought, I felt pride and self-respect, emotions I had long missed.

The ambitious feeling of past conquests of human cities surged back, and I quickly shook my head.

I couldn't afford to think about wars anymore; those were not my concerns.

I left the newsstand and headed towards the novels section.

The bookshelves were filled with all kinds of novels: travelogues, romance novels, and dull literary works.

I looked around.

My gaze finally stopped at a book.

Raising my hand, I let my fingers touch the title of the book.

"One Hundred Years of Solitude."

I took the book out, opened the first page, and read the author's preface.

This author was an older demon.

A demon even older than the master, he had witnessed much and turned his thoughts into works, recording the transitions of several eras in them.

I searched my memory, and in my past life memories, there seemed to be a similar book title.

I set this book aside for now.

I continued to search for other novels.

I came across another novel that caught my eye, "Wilderness of the Milky Way."

The blurb was about a soldier who, after the war, with bloodlust in his eyes, arrived in an era of peace, not knowing how to navigate his future life.

With his wife by his side, they embarked on a fantastical journey.

Seeing the world with a different perspective, they discovered that apart from blood-red, this world was full of colors, with worldly scenes as splendid and beautiful as the Milky Way in the sky.

In this era, just after the war had ended, this kind of book seemed to be quite popular.

Later, I also found similar novels on other bookshelves. Because there were just so many people from the demon clan joining the army, countless soldiers were left lost after the war ended. With a target audience, it naturally became popular. Everyone... was actively searching for the meaning of life after the war. Seeing so many soldiers documenting their experiences, I didn't feel lonely, but upon closer thought, I felt even lonelier. Because, my master, seldom discussed those things with me. Travel, the future, and even this country, she no longer talked to me about them. Most of the time I spent with her every day was spent in intimate and intense discussions.

I held the travelogue I had first discovered close to my chest. I took these two books to the cashier to pay. Then I returned home to start reading to pass the time. I started with "One Hundred Years of Solitude." But after just a dozen pages, I found myself feeling drowsy. The introduction was grand and philosophical, but in reality, it was very difficult to understand. I had to put down "One Hundred Years of Solitude" and pick up another book, "Galaxy Faraway." The rough and simple writing style of the soldier was easy to understand and I found myself getting lost in it without even realizing.

When I snapped out of it, it was already afternoon. I hugged my chest. It felt as if through these words, I was glimpsing into someone else's life. I hadn't had this immersive reading experience in a long time. So this is how the world looks in the eyes of others. So, the people living in this world still have the right to freedom, the freedom to travel, the freedom to roam, the freedom to dream. I thought everyone was a prisoner of destiny, and we were all just following a predestined path.

I stared blankly at the conclusion where the author, after traveling, found solace in life and expressed regret about the past fate, decisively cutting off the blood-colored past. I fell into contemplation. I didn't know when I had abandoned my freedom and willingly surrendered to fate. No... I shook my head. I didn’t desire these things. As long as I could stay by my master's side, I was content. I was willing to be my master's doll, my master's puppet. I liked being controlled by her. I slouched on the table. I felt a bit depressed. It wasn’t because my thoughts were wavering, but because I couldn't see my master. Twenty-four hours a day, except for sleeping, I spent less than two hours with my master. I covered my face, feeling my eyes sting. I wished my master would always stay by my side. But that was impossible; my master had to work. Even though I didn’t want freedom. Loneliness still often tormented my heart, and in moments of emotion, I couldn’t break free of my chains. Dejectedly, I started cooking, gazing at the gradually darkening sky outside. Until night fell, I finally saw that hint of red approaching. At the moment she came close to me, I excitedly threw myself into her embrace, breathing in the dusty scent on her.

"Master... welcome back."

"Mm, I'm back."

All the gloom in my heart vanished the moment I heard master's voice. I helped her take off her coat and led her by the hand to the dining table.

If I had a tail, it would definitely be wagging with joy.

I brought all the dishes to the table.

Master quietly accompanied me through dinner time.

"Master, here."

Before taking a bath, I had something to explain to master.

I led her to the study, where two books I had bought today were laid out on the desk.

"These two books, I just bought today, along with this."

I opened the drawer of the desk and placed the necklace on the table.

I would confess everything I did today, what I did with master's money, to master.

Master looked at those three items.

After about three seconds, she turned her head to look at me.

Suddenly, her lips curved up slightly, and then she reached out to pat my head.

"Would you like me to put on the necklace for you?"

"Yes!"

I nodded vigorously.

Master sat down at the desk, and I instinctively moved to kneel beside her, ready for her to put on the necklace. However, she raised her hand to wrap around my waist, holding me under the armpits, with her legs crossed and toes supporting my bottom.

"Don't move."

"Mm."

Master picked up the necklace, reached around my neck, and secured the cold chain around my neck.

"Done."

After finishing, I nestled into master's embrace.

She indulged in my joy.

With one hand holding me, master opened the books I bought.

She glanced briefly at the summaries.

"Have you finished reading all these?"

"I've finished this one, but not this one."

I pointed at the travelogue, then at another obscure literary work.

"Mm."

Master nodded.

I looked at her with eager eyes, hoping she would say more.

Master lowered her head, gazing at me grasping her thigh, her crimson eyes holding the deep darkness of the night.

"Do you like them?"

"Like what?"

"These books."

"I like master."

"Is the money all gone?"

"A little is left. I'm sorry, master, the necklace was too expensive."

"It's alright."

Master stood up, pulling me along.

She took me to our room, under the dressing table, where a small box was hidden, filled with the money master earned.

I never dared to touch master's personal belongings.

Especially those kept in a locked box by master.

Though I knew what was inside.

She sat on the edge of the bed, grabbed my hand, and placed some silver and copper coins in my palm.

"Thank you, master~"

She lifted her head and looked at me, gently asking, "No one has noticed your true identity, right?"

"Of course not!"

"If someone finds out, then we'll have a reason to go on a trip."

"I won't... I won't do that! I don't even want to think about it!"

I quickly shook my head to show my loyalty.

I would never have such rebellious thoughts, trying to force the mistress to take me on a trip in that way.

"Is that so?"

"Yes!"

"Come, Yiluodiya."

The mistress smiled slightly and beckoned to me with her hand.

I tilted my head in confusion.

She reached out, hooking her arm around my waist and pulled me close to her again.

"Let me read your mind."

She kissed the hair on my forehead, and immediately I mentally replayed all the events of the day for her to read.

"So that's what the book was about."

"Yes."

Skipping the time it would take to read, I showed her the content of the book in my mind, which the mistress directly understood through mind-reading.

The mistress released my head, lifted my body slightly, and I ended up sitting on her lap.

"Do you want me to take you?"

I widened my eyes.

Do I want it?

I do not know, as long as I can stay by the mistress's side.

"Don't worry, wherever you go, I will be with you. Tell me, Yiluodiya, try to think for yourself, do you want to go?"

Think for myself...

My brain stalled for a while.

In the end, I still couldn't give the mistress a definitive answer.

"I don't know..."

If any changes in life would cause the mistress to doubt her trust and liking for me, I wouldn't try out new possibilities.

"All right, I understand. When this busy period is over, I will quit my job and take you out for a walk."

"What... what?"

"I also want to see the new world of destruction and recreation."

"I've read the newspaper, it's thriving!"

"The newspapers only report on the positive side..."

The mistress paused and cut off the conversation with me about that topic, gently pushing my shoulder.

"Yiluodiya, go fill the bath, get ready for a bath."

"Oh."

I left somewhat itchy-hearted.

I hadn't talked enough with the mistress, and she had already dismissed me.

I actually wanted to know about the mistress's inner thoughts, her desires.

When she just said that she wanted to see the outside world's new world, I could tell she genuinely meant it.

The mistress's inner self, can't she forget everything she once built?

But...I clenched my fists.

The mistress never truly confided her heart to me. I couldn't genuinely support her through thick and thin, and that remains my biggest regret.