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Chapter 106. I Don’t Want To Have Regrets

"Human evolution and extinction sure happen quickly, don’t they?"

"Where did that come from? You sound like some old geezer."

"I’msuperyoung!"

Yeah, by demon standards.

"My mom told me humans lived in much smaller groups, and their buildings weren’t so big. But when I came down here, I was shocked."

"Hmm… well, the capital’s only developed this much in the last few decades."

If I remember right, some genius invented magic that made construction easier… I’m not familiar with everyday magic, but I think that’s how the story goes.

"Before you know it, their territory keeps expanding... Humans really seem to live in a rush, don’t they?"

"Well, since their lifespan is only a few decades, every one of them looks like they’re rushing to live from a demon’s perspective. It’s like they’re constantly on the move, dying at what would be a kid’s age for us."

"Yeah… Demons have lifespans too, but at least Grandma’s been alive for 2,000 years."

What an absurd race... Well, humans make up for their short lifespan with fast reproduction and quick evolution. In contrast, demons live long but reproduce slowly, and their species are powerful from birth.

"Cladius has tons of eyes and wings, it’s unbelievably huge, and it’s as long as a snake."

"...Are you trying to scare me?"

"I’m telling you what I know!"

"Hey, I know what it looks like. There are records, you know."

They say its wings alone cover the world, its breath turns into flames that scorch the land, and just one glare can collapse buildings. The descriptions are all over the place, but since people draw what they see, they can’t be thatfar off.

"In any case, it's so massive and powerful that humans can’t even imagine it! Not that I really know, though!"

"So demons are taught to never resist it and just hide, huh… Honestly, if it’s that overwhelming, calling it the world’s 'purging force' makes more sense."

Yeah, that’d make sense.

The 2,000-year cycle of Cladius’s appearance is more than enough time for humans to evolve and develop their civilization. If some force governs this world and doesn’t want humans to notice it—or wants to stop them from advancing too far—it makes sense to release a monster like Cladius to destroy civilization.

An unstoppable force humans mistake as their end, preventing any resistance... With that kind of power, neither humans nor demons would dare oppose it. An efficient and rational way to reset things... but absolutely infuriating.

"If Cladius is some kind of purging force, or if the world’s overseer sends it to halt human progress, wouldn’t that be fascinating and frustrating at the same time?"

"What are you talking about? Running the world? Are you an idiot?"

Well, maybe only someone like me, with memories from a past life, would get this.

It’s like the "Five Minutes Ago" theory or simulation theory—the idea that some god oversees everything, and we’re just living in their sandbox. If someone ever realized they were inside that sandbox, the overseer might just smash it.

"Anyway, it’s just a theory. Maybe Cladius just destroys things for fun, or maybe not. It’s basic to consider every possibility, right?"

"You’re probably the only one who thinks about such ridiculous things."

Harsh... But I do think it’s plausible. If that’s true, even Grimoires might be tools the world’s overseer created to maintain the balance between humans and demons.

Even absurd thoughts like these can be fun to explore.

"Ugh... You’re sitting here pondering nonsense when we don’t even know when Cladius will come. The guy who beat me up and forced me into a contract turns out to be thiskind of person, huh?"

"Don’t say that. It’s normal to not know when a disaster will strike, right?"

No one can predict exactly when a volcano will erupt, when tectonic shifts will happen, or when storms will hit. And since Cladius isn’t just a natural disaster but a living being, even if it follows a 2,000-year cycle, there’s bound to be some variation. Predicting it perfectly is impossible.

"Still, does that mean you’ll just sit around trembling in fear with no preparation? Because we don’t know when it’ll happen, I want to do everything I can. I don’t want to regret thinking, ‘If only I had done this back then.’"

I guess it depends on the person, but I refuse to say something stupid like, "If only I had." I’d rather do everything I can, even if it ends up being pointless.

"…That’s a bit deeper than I expected."

"Nah, it’s shallow."

In short, I just don’t want to have regrets, so I’d rather bear the burden now. Honestly, most of it will probably be for nothing, so it’s pretty shallow if you ask me.

"It’s probably the way humans think because they live such short lives. Demons don’t think that far ahead... Tomorrow will come whether we worry about it or not."

"Yeah, but only you can make tomorrow worthwhile, right?"

"That’s so cheesy."

"I’ll punch you."

You know I’m your contractor, and you’re basically my half-slave, right?

"Fine... I was forced into this contract, but now that I kind of understand what kind of person you are, I guess I can help out a little."

"That’s a relief. So, what can you do?"

"I ama demon, you know!"

Yeah, but you’re still just a brat. No adult relies completely on an elementary school kid, no matter how smart they are... And you’ve neither seen Cladius nor survived the Great War. So I don’t think you’re going to be thathelpful, to be honest.