Chapter 197
‘…It’s so dark.’
Ashtel stepped forward slowly.
The inside of the Asti tree was vast and shadowy. It felt like fumbling her way down an unlit alley, not a single speck of light reaching her.
‘Why do I need Katzel’s permission for this?’
Katzel was God. She knew that well. But Katzel was also the god who had abandoned the demons.
Demons possessed power, but loyalty wasn’t in their nature—there was no such thing as faith or devotion among them. So Ashtel never really resented Katzel for turning its back on her kind.
She just found it… a little annoying.
“Where is this god supposed to be, anyway?”
[I’m right here.]
“Eek!”
Suddenly, everything before her was flooded with pure light, the interior turning blindingly white.
It was so intense, Ashtel clutched her eyes, overwhelmed.
“M-my eyes!”
[Looks like the divine power was a bit strong for you.]
“Dim it down, will you!”
[Sorry.]
She kept her eyes tightly shut, feeling the divine power gently recede.
Trembling, Ashtel cautiously cracked her eyelids open—and saw a tall statue in front of her.
A statue. Not a handsome man who looked like a statue, but literally a male statue.
“Are you… Katzel?”
[That’s right.]
“Why are you a statue?”
[Because you couldn’t handle me otherwise.]
He was the only god in this world—hearing the prayers of millions, granting divine power, receiving and bestowing blessings.
If Katzel were to manifest in either the demon realm or human world, reality itself would collapse; the world would surely end.
Realizing this, Ashtel let out a sigh.
Still, why would he choose a statue, of all things, to represent himself?
[So, you want to become human.]
Noticing her wandering thoughts, Katzel’s gentle voice brought her back.
[Do you understand what that really means?]
“Yes. I’ve taken other forms before, even if only briefly.”
‘To become something—not ‘me,’ but something else.’
At first, she’d been afraid of losing her identity. But Ashtel quickly adapted to her ability.
No matter how she changed her form, no matter how her body or even brain structure shifted as Carmen liked to ramble about—Ashtel was still Ashtel.
“Even if I become human, I’ll still be myself. I’ll love my sisters just the same—and Payne, too.”
Her lifespan might change, but even as a human, she’d still love her sisters. The love they gave her wouldn’t change just because her body did.
Realizing this, Katzel answered,
[Your love is very warm.]
“Hehe…”
Despite being a god who’d abandoned demons for their nature, Katzel looked at her with surprisingly gentle eyes.
She’d expected him to dismiss her, to say he cared only for humans and angels—but maybe she’d misunderstood.
[The reason I turned my back on your kind was because you never wanted me.]
“…What?”
[I can hear your thoughts.]
“Oh—sorry!”
[It’s all right.]
Katzel remained expressionless, but his voice stayed soft.
[Demons don’t serve anyone. Likewise, they don’t love anyone.]
“That’s not entirely—”
[I know. Your sisters aren’t like that. You all love each other fiercely.]
“That’s true.”
Ashtel smiled, thinking of her beloved family:
Sermedes, then Juvia, Moablon, Beatrice, Chacha, Liz, Matys, Carmen, Nluie, Jo, Hela—and herself.
It wasn’t as if they never fought.
Liz would growl every time they met, and when Hela was younger, the two of them had even pulled each other’s hair.
But Ashtel loved them all.
The twelve sisters cherished each other and shared affection as a family.
[Aren’t you curious why you’re able to feel love?]
“Huh?”
[Demons lack warm emotions. The only things they feel are the desire to dominate and physical pleasure.]
Then did that mean the Asti sisters weren’t really demons?
Ashtel waited quietly for Katzel to continue.
Suddenly, one wall inside the tree lit up—a huge mural of a tree covered the surface.
Mouth open, Ashtel looked up and saw Sermedes’s name inscribed at the very top.
Below it, her sisters’ names appeared one after another, spreading like roots and branches.
[But you’re different. You were born from the Asti tree.]
“The Asti tree…”
[That was the first and last gift I gave to the demon race.]
In other words, the god who loved to bestow love had given the demons a single, unique gift of love—just once.
[You were born not from hatred and rage, but from love.]
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