※Below was translated by Sephallia. Thank you very much.
“Simone, just what are you―”
“Alea, if ya got complaints I’ll hear ‘em later.”
“… Alright.”
When I interrupted her, Simone stopped me before continuing.
“Life isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. It sucks a lot of the time, no, maybe it sucks more often than not.”
“…”
“So get rid of happiness, and in exchange there’s no suffering―that’s the gist of it, yeah? The demons’ nihility.”
“Exactly.”
Yunu nodded.
“Alea François says that if I wish to die I’m welcome to do so on my own, but there’s no point to that. As new life will continue to be born, the cycle will only repeat.”
“How dare you balance those scales for someone who hasn’t even been born!”
One of the soldiers from the crowd yelled in protest.
“Wrong. I am not balancing the scales and making a judgment. This is but a tautology. Just the same as one plus one is two.”
“A tautology!? The arrogance…!”
“Our views are but two parallel lines.”
Yunu huffed dismissively. Simone calmly observed their exchange.
“Hey, Alea, what view do ya find more convincing?”
“Well that’s obviously the human view, just―”
“Just?”
“Well, with nihility neither happiness nor suffering can come to be. I suppose I can admit that the clarity expressed within that has its appeal?”
While I couldn’t sympathize with the view, I could understand what was being expressed. Nihility had a certain universality to it, something that undoubtedly drew in those who suffered.
“This is just a thought, but is the nihility you seek something that must come now?”
“… What do you mean?”
“Once it’s here, it’s eternal right? In comparison to eternity, what does it matter if humans experience some prosperity now? Compared to eternity it’ll be an insignificant flash.”
“Perhaps that’s true, but just what are you trying to say?”
Yunu still didn’t seem to understand.
“If nihility had to come to be immediately, then because it's yet to come it has already failed. In reverse, if it doesn’t need to be immediate, what does it matter if it comes after humans have already gone extinct?”
“…”
It seemed that what I was saying revealed an unexpected alternate viewpoint to Yunu. For some time she seemed to be deep in thought.
“Nihility would be an immediate… to everyone… but no, maybe if it comes in the end…?”
Yunu seemed to be mumbling to herself, still lost in her sea of thoughts.
“Alea François, I can understand your point. I would go as far as to say you’re correct. But… I still find it… difficult to accept.”
It felt as though Yunu herself was shocked that she wasn’t able to sympathize with the point I’d just made. That surprised me as well. I thought that demons entirely prioritized logic, and so long as the logic was sound they would be accepting of that.
It was then that I’d realized that demons too possessed a heart that could struggle through contradictions.
“Alea your point is one that comes from logic. But ya know, what I wanna get at is something more emotional. I want her to consider that point of view too.”
“Is that even possible?”
“Well if it ain’t, that’s it I guess, but I still want to try.”
With that, Simone stepped toward Yunu.
“Simone!”
“I’m fine.”
Simone took hold of Yunu’s hand before continuing.
“Hey Yunu, ya know? I think when it comes down to it, the core of the humans’ ideologies and values are just the same as the demons’.”
“Don’t be foolish. Our refined theories are nothing like your idiotic reasoning.”
“Do ya really think so? ‘I want to be happy’ and ‘I don’t want to suffer.’ if ya really think about it―isn’t that what it all boils down to?”
“―!”
Simone was saying that ultimately both humans and demons sought the same things. I found it difficult to believe myself, but some parts of Simone’s argument was also convincing.
The sounds of battle could still be heard from the frontlines, but in that moment it felt as though they became softer.
“By accepting some suffering, humans seek happiness. Y’all demons give up happiness and reject suffering. Our approaches are different, but we want happiness and try to avoid suffering, ain’t that the same?”
“…”
At some point the heretical worshipers had begun to listen to Simone’s words as well. Her earnest words seemed to reach the hearts of many.
“Humans call the demons’ ideology nihilism, but really it’s the same just in reverse.”
“Wrong.”
“No, I’m not. The truth is everyone wants to be happy. But the overwhelming reality is that it ain’t possible. That’s why some turn toward death or nihilism. It’s all the same.”
One of the heretical worshipers began tearing up. It was as though Simone had managed to scoop up the remaining hope that they didn’t realize they held onto.
“Talent, connections, the conditions you’re born into―no matter what it is―the people who have something to fight with, fight for their happiness. But not everyone can. There’re also people who can’t fight, or people who get tired of fighting.”
As Simone said that, she reminded me of the time she struggled against the proposed policies ostracizing demons.
“For those people, even if ya tell ‘em to live, to try and find happiness, it just doesn’t work. That’s because they can’t fight anymore. That’s why they turn to nihilism, because they can’t bear the pain any longer and just want it to end.”
The sound of sobs spread through the crowd. Simone’s words clearly possessed something that the line of logic I’d presented earlier lacked. If I had to guess, it must be an understanding of weakness, Simone’s words contained her sympathies.
“But ya know, it’s not like those people who’ve given up fighting actually want to bring an end to everything. The truth is that they wanna be happy. If they can’t, and nihility comes they’re fine with that… but that’s not their choice. It was just all that was left.”
“So then, just what is it that you want us demons to do?”
Yunu asked that question impatiently. To me, it looked as though she was a lost child who’d finally caught a glimpse of her mother’s silhouette.
At some point the sounds of battle receded to the distance and everyone had begun to listen.
“I’m not important enough or smart enough to decide what it is y’all should be doing. But… I don’t think a pause to take a look around is all that bad, ya know?”
“A pause?
“Well Alea said it, didn’t she? It’s not like y’all gotta rush nihility now.”
Simone took a moment to flash me a smile before continuing.
“It’s tough right now. It’s been tough. So it’s better to end it all. I get it, I really do, but if ya just wait a bit and see, isn’t it possible something could change?”
“Empty lip service…”
“But it’s true, ain’t it? Even if someone’s lost the strength to struggle, if they rest a bit, they might find the strength to stand again.”
“We want that cycle to―”
“End entirely, yeah? But ya know, nihility is the end, like forever the end. Once it happens, that’s it. It’s an absolute end, and in a way, uh perfect? But once it happens there’s no going back.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
When Yunu urged her on, Simone gave a gentle smile before saying,
“If the end can come at any time, it’s not like it's gotta be now. Why not wait and see for a bit more?”
“―!”
“We can meet our end at any time. We can also reach out toward a kind of salvation at any time. Doesn’t just thinking like that make ya feel a little lighter? Just think of it like a talisman―though calling nihilism a talisman sounds a bit weird―but just leave it there in the corner of your heart, then, maybe you can find the strength to try just a bit longer.”
“But that doesn’t guarantee any―”
“Yup, it doesn’t. But I still think it’s better than ending everything now. A bit more―really just a bit more―if we can press on like that, maybe something will change.”
“…”
Yunu once again seemed to be at a loss for words. While watching over her, Simone also directed her gaze toward the heretical worshipers and continued.
“You’re not alone. If ya ask, someone will reach out, someone will walk by your side.”
The heretical worshipers all looked toward one individual, Lily-sama. When the heretical worshipers’ blood seeped through their bandages, Lily-sama continued to dress their wounds regardless of how it stained her sleeves. She continued to treat them despite the difference in their faiths, and the devotion she displayed resonated more strongly than any line of reasoning ever could.
“That’s why… even if ya have to hold onto nihility as a crutch―just for now―why not try and live a bit more?”
I felt as though Simone had spoken those words for herself to hear as well. She too was crying, crying alongside the heretical worshipers.
“… Alea François words were something I could understand but not sympathize with.”
“That’s Alea for ya.”
“To be blunt, your words were anything but logical.”
“Hahaha… Sorry ‘bout that, I’m honestly not all that smart.”
“But―”
My eyes were able to pick up on the providence Yunu had spoken of. Until now there’d been a large flow of power channeled toward her, but it became smaller and smaller by the moment.
“But, for the first time, I could sympathize with the words of a human. Your reality, where you have to choose each and every moment to live on, is that kind of reality, isn’t it…”
“Well, it might not be that way for everybody.”
Simone’s words in no way refuted nihilism. She expressed understanding for nihilism, and in doing so, sympathized with it, and wrapped it all up in something like a prayer. Her words didn’t seek to prove she was right, but those words filled this space and touched the hearts of Yunu and the others.
Even if we hadn’t had this conversation and continued to fight, we likely would have won against Yunu. But in order to do so, we likely would’ve had to reduce the amount of power Yunu was receiving. In other words, we’d have to kill more monsters and heretical worshipers, resulting in much more deaths on both sides.
Thanks to Simone we were able to avoid that worst case.
“You, what was your name?”
“Simone. Simone Orso.”
“―!”
For some reason, Yunu opened her eyes wide in shock.
“What, it’s a good name ain’t it?”
“… You’re right, yes, it is a good name.”
With that, Yunu’s gaze momentarily shifted over to me.
“… We’ll accept a ceasefire.”
With that, the demons’ simultaneous revolt came to a close.