Yuri Hero and Loli Demon King - Chapter 18

“The more intelligent a being is, the more grotesque it becomes.”

Wisdom, ah, wisdom.

Humans have acquired wisdom, gradually developing technology and civilization, establishing a moral code and etiquette, yet many still engage in barbaric acts that violate this order.

It is even more laughable and repulsive when intelligent beings commit acts of barbarism compared to barbaric creatures acting in their nature.

This is a story about a fairy.

No, more accurately, it’s about a “half-human, half-fairy” born from a human and a fairy.

—Commonly referred to as a hybrid by humans.

The unthinkable happened when two beings, a human and a fairy, entities that were never meant to mingle and reproduce, astonishingly gave birth to a pair of siblings.

On the day the younger sister was born, their human mother died due to complications during childbirth, and their heartbroken father left this world just a few months later, leaving the siblings to rely on each other.

At that time, the older brother was four years old, and the younger sister was only a few months old. From that day forward, he took on the responsibility of protecting her.

Before recounting the growth journey of these siblings, let’s first discuss the origin of humans!

Though there is no concrete evidence, many legends unanimously agree: humans are creations of the “gods,” molded from clay in the image of their shape — in other words, humans possess the appearance of gods.

Because of this, once other species reach a certain level (generally at Lv. 75), their appearance will start to resemble that of humans.

This should be easy to understand, right?

Before reaching that certain level, Haihong and Haitang, as “half-human, half-fairy,” are akin to a hybrid of humans and plants. You might imagine them as a person whose body is covered with countless branches and green leaves!

Even human deformities face discrimination; how could hybrids like Haitang and her brother ever hope to be seen through normal eyes?”Because of wisdom, there is thought; distorted thinking makes humans believe they are superior to other beings, and that is the reason for discrimination.”

The morning air is exceptionally clean, probably because the night has filtered out the mixed dust.

Especially on the mountaintop, the air feels particularly fresh, offering a sense of detachment from the earthly realm.

Can a troubled heart also regain its calm after just one night?

—Rei and Haitang coincidentally ponder similar questions.

“Are you looking forward to it?”

“What?” The question came too suddenly; Rei couldn’t react in time. After a moment of hesitation, she remembered the reason for being on the mountaintop: “Is it the sunrise?”

“The time for the sunrise is just about here.”

To help Rei identify the right direction, Haitang pointed towards the east: “In a bit, the sun will rise from over there! Are you looking forward to it?”

“Looking forward to… it?” Rei repeated the question while contemplating her answer: “There’s no need to look forward to it; isn’t it a given? Whether we look forward to it or not, the sun will definitely rise.”

Saying this, Rei gazed towards the east where Haitang had pointed.

If this world were grotesque and ugly, wouldn’t it be better for all this to be engulfed in darkness, leaving behind only the things that truly disturb the heart?

“It’s not a given!”

Haitang took a few steps forward, her gaze still fixed on the eastern sky before sunrise: “If we don’t wish for it, the sun won’t rise.”

It hurts…

The pain of my branch-like wings being forcefully broken sends waves of scorching agony through me.

Though I am in such torment, the only sounds around me are the laughter of a few human children. Whether they laugh out of mockery or genuine joy, these sounds only fill me with disgust.

It seems that humans derive pleasure from the suffering of other beings, starting from childhood: indiscriminately breaking the branches of plants; arrogantly bursting the bellies of frogs; hubristically stripping butterflies of their wings… No, that’s too narrow of a view; it’s not only the suffering of other beings that entertains them, sometimes bullying their fellow human children is also a source of amusement.

I do not understand, where is the fun in any of this?

My wings are broken, and I curl up on the ground in pain. Those “cute and innocent” children do not relent; two or three of them have brought over a large bucket of fertilizing waste, which they now place before me.

“Eat it,” one of the children, who seems to be the leader, commands.

“Why? Are you afraid to eat it? My dad says plants grow from excrement; aren’t you a plant too?””Eat it quickly!”

“Finish it, finish it, finish it, finish it…! “Hurry up and eat! We worked so hard to bring this for you!”

— I don’t want to.

When they saw that I wouldn’t comply, a few of them lifted me up and threw me directly into the manure bucket.

“Hahaha, Haitang smells so bad and is so disgusting!” “What Haitang? She’s just a mutt.” “A disgusting mutt soaking in disgusting filth is just right.”

— I hate humans.

But perhaps this is what I brought upon myself; after all, I was born a mutt. Therefore, I didn’t get angry at these children, as they were merely inheriting the distorted thoughts of the adults and expressing them without reservation.

However, this mess is really difficult to deal with! I don’t know how many times I’ll have to wash in the river to get cleaned up enough to go home and see my brother. Otherwise, if he finds out that I’ve been bullied again, he definitely won’t let those kids off the hook, right? That’s just how he is; he doesn’t understand how to forgive others!

— It’s not these children that are ugly, but the adults who teach them such twisted values.

I must find a way to get clean! As for my wings… I’ll just say I accidentally fell while playing in the mountains!

Yeah, that’ll work.

♀ ♀ ♀

“If we don’t wish for it, the sun won’t rise,” Rei repeated Haitang’s words. “What does that mean?”

“Huh? Isn’t it just a literal meaning?”

“Because of the rotation of the Earth, day and night exist. Whether we wish for it or not, the sun will rise, right?”

“Ah, maybe that’s the case…”

Haitang scratched her head and then tilted her head, looking directly at Rei: “But Rei, when you’re extremely sad, when you’re unbearably angry, or even when your life is in danger, do you notice the sun’s existence?”

“Not noticing the sun’s existence doesn’t mean the sun hasn’t risen.”

“If you don’t notice the sun’s existence, even if the sun rises, what significance does it have?”

It’s not a matter of significance; it’s just the way things are – Rei initially wanted to refute this, but upon careful consideration, she found no need to.

At that moment, a ray of dawn broke through the mountains in the east.

An indescribable scene, clearly just the simple rising sun, why is it so beautifully indescribable?The gray-black leaves were stained with vibrant green, the dim sky was dyed with pure azure, and the world seemed to be reconstructed anew; it was hard to believe that just one sun could change the world to such an extent.

“This is the first time, right, Rei? The moment of sunrise.”

Rei was so captivated that she did not respond to Haitang’s words.

Indeed, it was the first time in nearly twenty years that Rei had seen the sunrise with her own eyes. She had thought it would be a normal and dull scene, but she was surprised by its grandeur.

♀ ♀ ♀

I hate humans.

At the same time, I also hate myself.

Aside from my brother, who is of the same kind as me, I have always, always been alone.

—What exactly went wrong?

Perhaps because both sides have their faults, it makes it impossible to bear hatred toward each other? If I were a human or a fairy, I wouldn’t be ostracized; if humans didn’t have such values, I would be accepted.

Trying to resist all of this only leaves me battered and bruised.

How many winters has it been? When will these cold days pass? When will the warm sun rise?

Like the eternal night at the poles, the cold eternal night has persisted for decades.

Until one day, the lonely Haitang tree encountered someone who had just escaped from prison; it was the first time someone was willing to accept me.

Once a lonely tree; once a caged bird… they brought each other hope to face reality.

Yes, Rei made me feel the presence of the sun for the first time, driving away the decades of eternal night and bringing me the dawn of early spring.

♀ ♀ ♀

“I like the sunrise; I love dawn. Because dawn drives away the terrifying night, that dreadful lonely long night.”

Looking at the gentle light of Haitang, Rei said, implying something.Why? Why does Haitang’s smile throw my heart into such confusion?

My heart is racing.

I feel dizzy, as if the light of the sunrise is spreading and my eyes are gradually filling with haze and blur.

“Haitang…” The warmth makes Rei swallow hard.

“Like, like…”

Why? Words that usually roll off my tongue are now stuck in my throat.

These phrases are not that difficult to say, yet those few short words cannot form a complete sentence.

The words I couldn’t say last night, can’t I say them today either?

“Rei has been hesitating to speak for a while now. What’s wrong?”

“Haitang, I…”

“You’ve stopped again, what you want to say,” Haitang stated, “Why give up so easily? Is it because it’s not important?”

“It’s not.”

“Then, is it something you’ve made up your mind to say?”

Rei remained silent, quietly nodding her head.

Haitang sighed and walked over to her side: “Since you’ve made up your mind, don’t give up easily! Determination is not something cheap! Rei, you are just too rational, but sometimes—reason is the biggest obstacle to determination.”

“I…”

“You’ve stopped again? Isn’t it good to occasionally be a fool and not think too much?”

Rei fell silent.

If it were possible not to foresee the consequences, if one could push forward without a care, who would be willing to overthink or worry?If I just follow the path I desire, moving straight ahead without overthinking, will I truly find happiness in the end?

My head is spinning, really spinning; it’s almost impossible to think about these questions.

Is “rationality the biggest obstacle to determination”? Haitang surprisingly voices such sentiments… She’s clearly a fool.

I don’t want to care anymore.

That’s enough.

On this journey of life, no one can be certain that the direction they’re heading is absolutely correct. Where I’m going doesn’t matter; what matters is knowing where I am.

Even if I take a wrong turn, it doesn’t matter. As long as I know that I currently love Haitang, that’s enough—just knowing I’m in a position of loving Haitang is enough!

“Haitang, I…”

Don’t stop, don’t hesitate, don’t get lost in confusion. Face the feelings I have right now: “I like you! I’ve always, always liked you, Haitang!”

I nearly shouted it; if I didn’t, perhaps I would succumb to confusion and fear once again?

Haitang didn’t respond.

She stood there, stunned, staring at me with a blank expression.

At some point, tears streamed down her face, leaving traces behind on her cheeks.

“I…,” she said, wiping away the evidence of her tears, “I also… Rei, like you… it’s the first time someone has accepted me, even liked me…”

“Haitang…”

“I’m so happy, truly so happy that you like me… but, is it okay for someone like me to be this way?””I’m a hybrid, you know! Don’t be fooled by how I look; in reality, my true appearance is quite ugly!”

“It doesn’t matter; appearance really doesn’t matter…!”

“Don’t you dislike interspecies love, Rei?”

“Whether it’s interspecies or same species, none of that matters! I don’t like fairies or humans, or even half-human, half-fairy types. I like you! I like Haitang!”

Unable to suppress my impulse, I tightly embraced Haitang.

At that moment, the rope binding me unexpectedly fell away—something I could not adapt to, intentionally tied on.

But I didn’t pay it any mind; even without that kind of restraint, I had already found a sense of reality in life.

“We… must stay together forever! Just like the tomorrow that rises every day.”