Demon's Virtue

Chapter 788  Who are you?

Eiro stepped through the town hall's open doors. There were plenty of monsters coming and going, doing different work in the building. Over the past few months, Boju had finally gotten a few monsters and some of the humans to work with him in administrative positions. Basically, they were just taking a load off his shoulders, heading out to talk to individuals about the issues or requests they had, checking out the infratstructure, and then of course helping with a lot of the documentation work that had to be done.

That was why this place had gotten a lot more busy, and the meeting room was seemingly moved from the entrance back to where it used to be back when this place was a fairly important crossroad city. And, to Eiro's surprise, it seemed like Gobo was actually doing a bit of work right now, and wasn't just lounging around. He was seated in his office, reading something and taking notes. Though he was clearly not as proficient as Boju was, the hobgoblin was doing a much better job than he used to. And, frankly, Eiro believed that it was due to the fact that he was now the demon's servant.

Anura's personality had changed considerably back then as well, away from being that shy, nervous toad. Now, he was much more greedy than he used to be, though that really just related to the knowledge that he wanted to take in. Gobo's personality had changed similarly, according to Boju's reports. He was more on-edge, and ate and slept much more. But after a while, he adjusted to the changes, and became much more level-headed than he was before becoming Eiro's servant. Instead, he started reading more and learning magic-related abilities, supporting Boju more in his efforts.

When the young orc came to see Eiro a month ago, he was practically beaming as he spoke about how much Gobo's behaviour had improved. Boju had been looking a little sickly for a while, mostly due to the stress that his work was bringing him, but for once he actually seemed quite well-rested. Apparently, Gobo had actually taken on some work that would usually be expected from a lord. While he wasn't there all the way yet, he did manage to grow quite a lot. And it seemed like the way that he treated Marius, the leader of this town's humans, had also improved quite a lot. They weren't friends by any means, but Gobo apparently acknowledged him, at the very least.

With a satisfied nod, Eiro placed his hands behind his back and continued through the building, making his way to Boju's office. The demon opened the door and stepped inside, taking a seat on the armchair in the corner of the room, which Boju seemed to use for reading when he was done with work. Looking at the books he had on the shelf, he seemed to quite enjoy the fictional novels that Eiro had given him whenever he came to give a report.

He picked up one of the books and ran his fingers over the worn-out spine. This had been read quite a few times already. In particular, ther were some pages toward the end that seemed to have been flipped around the most. Eiro smiled, reading the lines that Boju seemed to look for so often.

"With the falling of the plum blossoms, though the petals may soon wither away, trampled under the feet of the common folk, they create a path of beauty to follow for those short few hours," he said out loud, and Boju, who was seated at his desk, jumped up startled. Of course, he hadn't even realized that Eiro came into the room.

"E-Eiro, when did you-" he let out, and the demon placed a finger in front of his own mouth, shushing Boju.

"Calm down, I want to talk with you first before the others realize I'm here," he explained with a smile. The demon looked back down at the page, "But first, what is it about this part of the book you like so much?"

Boju took a deep breath, sitting back down on his chair, "Well... it's the conclusion of the main character's story. He's the 'Plum Blossom Swordsman', right? Throughout the novel, he's been searching for meaning in his life, before he ended up dying because of his heart. He always persevered even when those much stronger than him tried to strike him down. And in the end, though he hadn't achieved anything massive, anything huge that he could see as his own meaning, the fact that he existed and the good that he left behind... the beauty that was left behind in the path he walked. That phrase sort of sums it all up, and embodies the whole story. I just think it's quite beautiful."

With a slight smile, Eiro nodded his head, "It is quite beautiful, I agree."

The demon looked at the orc, who was actively avoiding eye-contact. Eiro could guess why that was as well.

"So, what is this that you want to do, instead of being a bureaucrat?"

Boju flinched, rapidly shaking his head, "N-No, it's not that! It's not that I don't want to do this work, I-I just-"

"It's fine if you want to do something else, you know? I placed you into this position because I know you can do it, but if you would rather do something else... you can," Eiro said. He placed the book back onto the shelf and stood up, walking toward Boju's desk, "I have forced the monsters in this city into this position, I know. But that is just because if I let them run free, they will either end up killing or being killed. They could be dangerous. So, rather than let that happen, I decided on another path. But if there is someone that I'm sure is not a threat, there is no reason why they shouldn't be able to live freely. It's the same principle as... well, prison, I guess."

Boju looked up at Eiro, clearly not sure what he was supposed to say. So, Eiro just waited, letting him think for a little while longer, until it seemed as though the orc had figured out at least a handful of words to respond with, "I... I just thought we didn't have a choice."

"... I know. And if I'm going to be honest with you, that's what I wanted you to think. When this all began, when I first became Gobo's 'Lord', he didn't have a choice. I forced him into that position, I forcefully subdued him. Even when he improved and became smarter and kinder, I refused to let go of the hold I had on him. That was my pure greed taking me over," Eiro explained, letting out a deep breath, "But I want to change that. Boju, there is a reason why I want to do all this. I want to make sure that all of you, all the monsters in this world, actually have a fair shot at living a life without being forced to be monstrous by something the gods placed on them millennia ago.

The orc looked at his desk, still trying to avoid making eyecontact with Eiro, "But... how could I just abandon all the work that you've put in? And again, it's not like I don't enjoy this work, it's not like I don't like making sure that everyone in this town is getting better by the day, that things are improving, and that everyone's life is getting better. It's really fulfilling, it makes me happy. Seeing everyone here thrive so, so much is amazing."

Eiro looked at the orc. He still wasn't looking the demon in the eyes, as though he was trying to avoid being seen through. As though he didn't want Eiro to figure out that he was lying to not just himself, but everyone around him. But of course, Eiro knew that Boju wasn't lying, even if the orc himself didn't realize. Though these were his honest feelings, admitting to those feelings felt like a lie. And there was only a single reason why that could be the case, at least as far as Eiro was concerned. There was something else that he wanted to do so much that everything else seemed like he was forcing himself to do it.

"Boju. In the end, this is to give you the option of being who you truly are. So... tell me. Boju, who are you?"