He looked like he was about to draw his sword immediately, but it was said that physical attacks don’t work on Darkness.

The fact that Serena’s gun worked was probably because he was wearing the ‘rabbit’ body.

“Hey, Nyx. If you and I disappear, will misfortune really vanish from the world?”

Serena, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, looked down at the rabbit and asked.

The small rabbit finally stopped teasing Magnus and turned its head back towards Serena.

The rabbit nodded.

[Evil will disappear, Serena. No one will have bad thoughts, and they’ll just be grateful for everything given to them.]

The rabbit answered calmly.

It was still urging Serena to die.

After pondering Nyx’s words for a moment, Serena slowly opened her mouth. No matter how much she thought about it, there was something she couldn’t understand.

“Who makes the judgment?”

[Judgment?]

“Who decides what’s good and evil? Is killing someone evil and saving someone good? Is taking someone’s belongings evil and giving belongings to someone good?”

[Yes, probably so.]

Nyx spoke in a tone that somehow lacked much conviction.

Serena fell silent again.

Eventually, she found an appropriate example and opened her mouth again, looking at Nyx.

“Let’s say a man gave food to someone with good intentions. The hungry older brother received it and gave it to his younger sibling. Is this good or evil?”

Nyx tilted its head at the sudden question but gave an answer readily.

[It’s good, no matter who sees it, right? The act of sharing one’s food with others is fundamentally a good act. And the older brother put his sibling before himself. This is also good.]

Serena nodded at Nyx’s words. She didn’t add anything to the small rabbit’s words.

She didn’t say it was right, nor did she refute it as wrong.

She just continued her story.

“But it just so happened that the food was spoiled. The giver didn’t know. Anyway, he had good intentions. In this case, is the man who gave the food still good?”

[…Well, since he gave it with good intentions, it’s still good.]

“But the weak younger sibling ate the spoiled food and died. Is the older brother and the man still good even in this case?”

[……]

“Let’s say, the older brother found out the food was spoiled. But there’s no way he could know it was given with good intentions. Then what kind of feelings would the older brother who lost his sibling have? Would he still feel grateful?”

Nyx didn’t say anything to Serena’s words.

In fact, it was closer to being unable to say anything. Actually, there wasn’t much wrong with what Serena said.

But Nyx had long since lost such discernment.

All that remained for it was the mission to eliminate evil.

[Maybe so. That’s what it means for darkness to disappear. Dissatisfaction, complaints, and dark emotions disappear. Even if they don’t feel grateful, they probably won’t be sad.]

“…Is that really the world you want?”

Serena asked, a bit shocked. Would existence be possible in a world full of only happiness?

“Does a world where people don’t grieve when someone dies really seem normal to you?”

[If there’s no sadness, evil won’t be born either.]

“That’s no different from a world where emotionless dolls live.”

[That’s why dolls don’t wage wars, don’t fight, and don’t do anything.]

“That’s because they’re not alive!”

Of course, dolls don’t move because they’re not alive.

If dolls had emotions, they would probably want to walk, talk, and converse.

“Your plan is too centered on you. You didn’t think about it from the human perspective at all. Let’s say I die and darkness and evil disappear from the world.”

[They will disappear.]

“But are you confident that unique beings like Magnus, Drukan, Father, or Her Highness the Crown Princess will never appear again? Are you confident that unique beings who didn’t find me repulsive despite you making them hate me won’t emerge?”

[……]

“If such people appear, someone in the world will die again. Then will people not be grateful or sad even for deaths caused by evil? Without anger. I’m asking if they can just pass it off like, ‘Oh, my son, my parents were killed by someone who was in a bad mood~ Can’t be helped.'”

[…That’s…]

Nyx seemed at a loss for words.

As if unwilling to admit that it was being pushed back in this way, it immediately distorted its pretty rabbit face.

Serena’s expression became subtle as she realized for the first time that a rabbit could make such diverse expressions.

‘I guess I won’t be able to keep a rabbit as a pet from now on.’

She might not even be able to call rabbits cute anymore.

Serena unconsciously clicked her tongue, regretful. But she didn’t want to fill that void with a pig either.

[Anyway, you want to be happy too, right? The next life will be happier.]

“No, actually, I’m already tired and fed up.”

She wasn’t looking forward to the next life. Serena spoke with a somewhat indifferent expression.

[Even though you could live a happy life again?]

“Yeah.”

[You prefer living like this?! When no one likes you! Even though you’ve never been loved by anyone in your entire life!]

“……”

Nyx screamed as if wailing.

Darkness began to ooze out of the wound where Serena had shot the bullet.

Serena took a deep breath.

[Living as an orphan without parents, then sold by your parents to work as an assistant…! This time, even being ignored by your parents and living a life of people’s contempt!!]

“…Wow, this hurts a bit.”

Serena blinked and said in response to Nyx’s words.

But, well, it wasn’t wrong. And it wasn’t something she hadn’t heard once or twice, so it didn’t have much impact.

It just felt strange.

Maybe because it had been a while since she heard such words.

[Why do you want to live more? If you’ve tasted that much despair, it’s time to give up! You were going to give up, weren’t you? Why do you want to live now? Serena, you’re lonely.]

Nyx said, grabbing Serena’s cheek. The rabbit’s blood-stained feet, which had jumped up, stuck stickily to her cheek.

[You were lonely, weren’t you? No one understood you, no one came to your side, no one dealt with you. But why?]

“Well… isn’t that natural since I didn’t make much effort? I admit I was lonely… and my life wasn’t particularly happy.”

Serena readily agreed to that fact. But, that’s all.

No one came because Serena didn’t approach anyone.

No one dealt with her because Serena didn’t bother to speak to others first.

She was lonely because Serena herself made herself lonely in the end.

She knew that.

She also knew that she had to admit it.

“But what can I do? In the end, I was probably the problem. It was me who didn’t make an effort. Ah, of course, the professors are an exception.”

Serena said with a bright smile.

It’s true that Serena was the one who messed up her own life, but the professors are exempt.

“Even if you ask why, I don’t know what to say.”

Serena lightly scratched her cheek.

“I’m just okay now. Listening to your story, I can only think of reasons why I shouldn’t die.”

Serena said.

And above all, looking at Magnus made her feel like everything would be alright.

‘Is this what they mean by love is great?’

But did I love this man?

Actually, I’m not sure about that.

Still, I wanted to keep seeing him, stay by his side, and talk to him.

If someone calls even these small things love, then… that too would be love.

It’s not much of a life, but I just want to try living it.

“Above all… I have people who deal with me now. It’s still awkward, but I have Father, and although we barely talk, there’s Drukan, and even though I don’t think we’re particularly close, there’s Her Highness the Crown Princess.”

“…Serena, you really…”

Magnus opened his mouth.

With each additional word, it was impossible to tell whether she meant they were close or not.

“And… because there’s Magnus.”

At Serena’s words, Magnus, who was about to speak, quickly shut his mouth.

It was a swift change of attitude.

“But why don’t I get a modifier?”

“…Modifier? Ah, that… Do you want one? Magnus who likes pigs? Magnus the pig fetishist…”

Serena mumbled softly. It seemed like she was trying hard to find something in her own way, but every title was disrespectful.

“…Serena.”

Magnus’s voice growled, seemingly boiling. Serena glanced at him and shrugged her shoulders.

“What?”

“…Please, something more cool.”

Magnus, who had been moving his lips, slightly curled the corners of his mouth.