elapt1c/ElapticAI-512 · Datasets at Hugging Face

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I put my hand up to signal away Claire from approaching, then looked at the Demon Queen. She had a finger pointed our way. I couldn t perceive how at all, but she had clearly attacked me.
But why? She hadn t moved at all up until now.
I guess even the Demon Queen s afraid of our tandem casting? I ventured.
She didn t reply. Instead, she pointed five whole fingers at me.
Pitfall! I hurriedly sank the ground beneath my feet and crouched.
The very next moment, a black line sped across where my body had been.
What s the matter? I taunted. Am I imagining things, or do you have it out for me in particular?
The Demon Queen remained silent, but I could have sworn I felt something resembling annoyance coming from her.
Rae, I don t think it s wise to taunt her! Claire scolded.
It ll be fine, Miss Claire. Try to find an opening while she s busy with me.
This wasn t going to be fine at all, to be honest, but I played it cool regardless.
Facing the Demon Queen, I said, It looks like you re finally done holding back! Let s fight for real now!
Before I even finished speaking, I cast Judecca, freezing the ground around the Demon Queen and restricting her movement.
Earth Spike! I followed up with another spell, completing my combination technique Cocytus. In terms of power, it was weaker than Absolute Zero, but its wide area of effect made it harder to avoid. As for the results
Rae!
I heard Claire yell. I thought it was strange how close her voice sounded, then felt myself being pushed. Time passed in slow motion as I watched Claire shove me out of the way and leap before a dozen or so black beams.
Miss Claire! I yelled, thrusting out my hand.
But I couldn t reach her.
Was this it? Was this the moment I lost her for real? As such thoughts raced through my mind, something strange happened.
Uplift.
A swiftly cast spell raised Claire s body into the air, causing the black beams to miss their mark and make dust out of a pillar of dirt instead. With the pillar destroyed, Claire fell, and I lunged forward to catch her.
Are you okay, Miss Claire?!
Yes, but that was a close one. Leaving that aside, wasn t that spell just now her voice trailed off.
I d noticed as well. The spell that lifted Claire in the air, Uplift, was a familiar one. I d often used it myself in emergency situations like this. And, as I d mentioned briefly before, this spell was one of my own making, created by altering another spell.
So why did the Demon Queen know it?
I see. So that s how it is, Claire said. Now back on her feet, she turned to look at the Demon Queen and pointed at her. I ve been wondering for a while why the Three Great Archdemons were trying to kill me, and now I finally have an answer. It s because you can t kill me, can you?
The Demon Queen didn t respond to Claire s question. But that silence was answer enough.
I don t know why you ve come to call yourself the Demon Queen, Claire continued. I don t even want to know why. But answer me this: Why are you, of all people, trying to bring ruin to humanity?
The Demon Queen remained silent.
At this, Claire impatiently yelled, Answer me, Rae Taylor!
Upon hearing that name, for the first time, the Demon Queen seemed shaken. Slowly, she removed her veil. Underneath it lay a familiar face, one torn between tears and joy.
It was my face. The face of Rae Taylor.

(2) chapter number given is likely out of range: 0
Chapter: 8

Chapter 17: The Truth of the World
Chapter 17:The Truth of the World

THE DEMON QUEEN is me?
I was shocked. It made no sense. Certainly, she looked like me, and her magic was similar to mine, but how could there be two of me?
As I stood stock-still in a daze, Claire continued to lay on the questions. There are many people with faces similar to Rae s in this world, but you re different, aren t you? You re the real Rae Taylor herself, right? I wasn t sure how Claire could be so certain, but she said so with utter confidence.
A short silence followed.
I m impressed, Miss Claire. But I suppose if anyone would realize, it d be you, the Demon Queen said quietly. Her voice was no longer a mix between young and old it was familiar, because it was mine.
What s the meaning of all this, Demon Queen? I asked.
I see no reason to explain when you re about to die, she said.
Would you answer if I were the one asking? Claire asked.
No. I m sorry.
Claire arrogantly cast her gaze down on the Demon Queen. You intend to defy me, Rae?
At this, the Demon Queen smiled lovingly. You haven t changed a bit. You re as beautiful as ever, Miss Claire. Her smile then clouded. But even that must end here. Everything must end here.
You mean to kill me, then? You, of all people, Rae?
I cannot kill you. Platos will do that for me. The Demon Queen looked to Platos waiting behind her. He nodded.
You re serious? Claire asked.
I am.
Do we have no choice but to face each other?
We do not.
I see Claire sighed, her face caught between anger and agony. I don t intend to go down without a fight.
You could spare yourself the pain if you didn t put up a futile struggle, though.
My, how insolent. Didn t anyone ever teach you manners?
I think that s enough trying to buy time, Miss Claire.
Humph.
While Claire spoke boldly, it was all a front. Her shoulders were shaking, and her lips had paled.
Lady Manaria, are you sure you can t use Spellbreaker or Dominator? I whispered. The Demon Queen s apparently me, so maybe you can work it out?
The structure of her magic is somewhat similar to yours, but it s simply impossible. I m sorry, but she s on a whole different level from you.
Not even our secret weapon, Manaria, could do anything. We were all out of options.
You re free to struggle all you like. Once you ve given up, I ll end your lives, the Demon Queen said coldly.
Hey, now, don t you think you re taking your lover s spat a little too far? A cheerful voice ill-suited for the situation rang out. A blinding beam of light then raced past toward the Demon Queen.
Eh?! The Demon Queen hurriedly moved to defend herself, but the stream of light enveloped her faster than she could react. The light a pure white light unlike any of the four colors of magic I knew gradually ate away at her black magic barrier.
Once the stream of light faded, I could see the Demon Queen had fallen to a knee, her barrier gone. The arm with which she d defended herself was injured, even though nothing we had tried had so much as scratched her.
What do you think, Rae or should I call you the Demon Queen ? Ah, whatever. My magic sure packs a punch, right?
The speaker was a man with one arm. He wore not the uniform of the imperial forces but of Bauer s royal army.
Master Rod!
Hey, Claire. Quite the party you ve got going on here. You mind if I join? Rod Bauer, former first prince of the Bauer Kingdom, put on a daring smile.
So it s you the Demon Queen said with annoyance.
Yep, yep. Anyway, what s going on with you, Rae? You ve always been a peculiar one, but becoming the Demon Queen s a bit out there, even for you.
You never were one to read the room, she sighed, ignoring his question. Did you think a small wound like this would be enough to defeat me?
Nah, but I was holding myself back. Wanna find out if my full power will do it?
The air was incredibly intense between them.
Master Rod, what was that just now? Claire asked.
Oh, that? That was some new magic I invented. I d be more than happy to explain it to y all, but that s going to have to wait. He turned his focus back to the Demon Queen. If you re calling yourself the Demon Queen, you should have better eyes and ears than most humans, right? Then I m sure you ve realized by now that the Bauer reinforcements are almost here.
The Demon Queen didn t respond.
Rod confidently continued, No matter how strong you might be, I m sure you can t fight so many people and my magic at the same time.
The Demon Queen didn t respond even to that.
Bastard Platos snarled. You must be out of your damn mind to talk to the Demon Queen like that! My queen, let me at him! I can take care of him myse
Enough, Platos. We re retreating.
But
I said enough. The Demon Queen silenced Platos with a glare. As he turned obedient, she turned on her heel and walked away.
Aw, that s no fun. You ve come all this way, why not enjoy our date a little longer? Rod teased.
You haven t changed either, Master Rod. Haven t I told you that overly persistent men are never popular?
Heh. Yeah, you did You really are Rae, he said a little sadly.
Of course, she curtly replied. Miss Claire Me You won t be so lucky the next time we meet. Next time, I ll kill you without fail.
With no further words, she flew to the east with Platos.
She can fly without wings, I suppose. Not that this was the most unusual thing about her.
Thank you, Master Rod. You saved us, Claire said.
Allow me to thank you as well, Master Rod, I said.
Don t worry about it. I m just glad I made it in time. He smiled cheerily before turning a little serious. So what was that, anyway? How is Rae the Demon Queen?
I don t understand myself, Claire said, but there is no doubt in my mind that that was Rae Taylor in the flesh.
If you say so, then it must be true, Rod replied. What s she have to do with our Rae, then?
Good question Rae, do you have any clue? she asked.
No, none at all, I said. I hadn t even known this world had a Demon Queen up until recently. Finding out said Demon Queen was actually me was just mind-numbing.

I put my hand up to signal away Claire from approaching, then looked at the Demon Queen. She had a finger pointed our way. I couldn t perceive how at all, but she had clearly attacked me.

But why? She hadn t moved at all up until now.

I guess even the Demon Queen s afraid of our tandem casting? I ventured.

She didn t reply. Instead, she pointed five whole fingers at me.

Pitfall! I hurriedly sank the ground beneath my feet and crouched.

The very next moment, a black line sped across where my body had been.

What s the matter? I taunted. Am I imagining things, or do you have it out for me in particular?

The Demon Queen remained silent, but I could have sworn I felt something resembling annoyance coming from her.

Rae, I don t think it s wise to taunt her! Claire scolded.

It ll be fine, Miss Claire. Try to find an opening while she s busy with me.

This wasn t going to be fine at all, to be honest, but I played it cool regardless.

Facing the Demon Queen, I said, It looks like you re finally done holding back! Let s fight for real now!

Before I even finished speaking, I cast Judecca, freezing the ground around the Demon Queen and restricting her movement.

Earth Spike! I followed up with another spell, completing my combination technique Cocytus. In terms of power, it was weaker than Absolute Zero, but its wide area of effect made it harder to avoid. As for the results

Rae!

I heard Claire yell. I thought it was strange how close her voice sounded, then felt myself being pushed. Time passed in slow motion as I watched Claire shove me out of the way and leap before a dozen or so black beams.

Miss Claire! I yelled, thrusting out my hand.

But I couldn t reach her.

Was this it? Was this the moment I lost her for real? As such thoughts raced through my mind, something strange happened.

Uplift.

A swiftly cast spell raised Claire s body into the air, causing the black beams to miss their mark and make dust out of a pillar of dirt instead. With the pillar destroyed, Claire fell, and I lunged forward to catch her.

Are you okay, Miss Claire?!

Yes, but that was a close one. Leaving that aside, wasn t that spell just now her voice trailed off.

I d noticed as well. The spell that lifted Claire in the air, Uplift, was a familiar one. I d often used it myself in emergency situations like this. And, as I d mentioned briefly before, this spell was one of my own making, created by altering another spell.

So why did the Demon Queen know it?

I see. So that s how it is, Claire said. Now back on her feet, she turned to look at the Demon Queen and pointed at her. I ve been wondering for a while why the Three Great Archdemons were trying to kill me, and now I finally have an answer. It s because you can t kill me, can you?

The Demon Queen didn t respond to Claire s question. But that silence was answer enough.

I don t know why you ve come to call yourself the Demon Queen, Claire continued. I don t even want to know why. But answer me this: Why are you, of all people, trying to bring ruin to humanity?

The Demon Queen remained silent.

At this, Claire impatiently yelled, Answer me, Rae Taylor!

Upon hearing that name, for the first time, the Demon Queen seemed shaken. Slowly, she removed her veil. Underneath it lay a familiar face, one torn between tears and joy.

It was my face. The face of Rae Taylor.

(2) chapter number given is likely out of range: 0

Chapter: 8

Chapter 17: The Truth of the World

Chapter 17:The Truth of the World

THE DEMON QUEEN is me?

I was shocked. It made no sense. Certainly, she looked like me, and her magic was similar to mine, but how could there be two of me?

As I stood stock-still in a daze, Claire continued to lay on the questions. There are many people with faces similar to Rae s in this world, but you re different, aren t you? You re the real Rae Taylor herself, right? I wasn t sure how Claire could be so certain, but she said so with utter confidence.

A short silence followed.

I m impressed, Miss Claire. But I suppose if anyone would realize, it d be you, the Demon Queen said quietly. Her voice was no longer a mix between young and old it was familiar, because it was mine.

What s the meaning of all this, Demon Queen? I asked.

I see no reason to explain when you re about to die, she said.

Would you answer if I were the one asking? Claire asked.

No. I m sorry.

Claire arrogantly cast her gaze down on the Demon Queen. You intend to defy me, Rae?

At this, the Demon Queen smiled lovingly. You haven t changed a bit. You re as beautiful as ever, Miss Claire. Her smile then clouded. But even that must end here. Everything must end here.

You mean to kill me, then? You, of all people, Rae?

I cannot kill you. Platos will do that for me. The Demon Queen looked to Platos waiting behind her. He nodded.

You re serious? Claire asked.

I am.

Do we have no choice but to face each other?

We do not.

I see Claire sighed, her face caught between anger and agony. I don t intend to go down without a fight.

You could spare yourself the pain if you didn t put up a futile struggle, though.

My, how insolent. Didn t anyone ever teach you manners?

I think that s enough trying to buy time, Miss Claire.

Humph.

While Claire spoke boldly, it was all a front. Her shoulders were shaking, and her lips had paled.

Lady Manaria, are you sure you can t use Spellbreaker or Dominator? I whispered. The Demon Queen s apparently me, so maybe you can work it out?

The structure of her magic is somewhat similar to yours, but it s simply impossible. I m sorry, but she s on a whole different level from you.

Not even our secret weapon, Manaria, could do anything. We were all out of options.

You re free to struggle all you like. Once you ve given up, I ll end your lives, the Demon Queen said coldly.

Hey, now, don t you think you re taking your lover s spat a little too far? A cheerful voice ill-suited for the situation rang out. A blinding beam of light then raced past toward the Demon Queen.

Eh?! The Demon Queen hurriedly moved to defend herself, but the stream of light enveloped her faster than she could react. The light a pure white light unlike any of the four colors of magic I knew gradually ate away at her black magic barrier.

Once the stream of light faded, I could see the Demon Queen had fallen to a knee, her barrier gone. The arm with which she d defended herself was injured, even though nothing we had tried had so much as scratched her.

What do you think, Rae or should I call you the Demon Queen ? Ah, whatever. My magic sure packs a punch, right?

The speaker was a man with one arm. He wore not the uniform of the imperial forces but of Bauer s royal army.

Master Rod!

Hey, Claire. Quite the party you ve got going on here. You mind if I join? Rod Bauer, former first prince of the Bauer Kingdom, put on a daring smile.

So it s you the Demon Queen said with annoyance.

Yep, yep. Anyway, what s going on with you, Rae? You ve always been a peculiar one, but becoming the Demon Queen s a bit out there, even for you.

You never were one to read the room, she sighed, ignoring his question. Did you think a small wound like this would be enough to defeat me?

Nah, but I was holding myself back. Wanna find out if my full power will do it?

The air was incredibly intense between them.

Master Rod, what was that just now? Claire asked.

Oh, that? That was some new magic I invented. I d be more than happy to explain it to y all, but that s going to have to wait. He turned his focus back to the Demon Queen. If you re calling yourself the Demon Queen, you should have better eyes and ears than most humans, right? Then I m sure you ve realized by now that the Bauer reinforcements are almost here.

The Demon Queen didn t respond.

Rod confidently continued, No matter how strong you might be, I m sure you can t fight so many people and my magic at the same time.

The Demon Queen didn t respond even to that.

Bastard Platos snarled. You must be out of your damn mind to talk to the Demon Queen like that! My queen, let me at him! I can take care of him myse

Enough, Platos. We re retreating.

But

I said enough. The Demon Queen silenced Platos with a glare. As he turned obedient, she turned on her heel and walked away.

Aw, that s no fun. You ve come all this way, why not enjoy our date a little longer? Rod teased.

You haven t changed either, Master Rod. Haven t I told you that overly persistent men are never popular?

Heh. Yeah, you did You really are Rae, he said a little sadly.

Of course, she curtly replied. Miss Claire Me You won t be so lucky the next time we meet. Next time, I ll kill you without fail.

With no further words, she flew to the east with Platos.

She can fly without wings, I suppose. Not that this was the most unusual thing about her.

Thank you, Master Rod. You saved us, Claire said.

Allow me to thank you as well, Master Rod, I said.

Don t worry about it. I m just glad I made it in time. He smiled cheerily before turning a little serious. So what was that, anyway? How is Rae the Demon Queen?

I don t understand myself, Claire said, but there is no doubt in my mind that that was Rae Taylor in the flesh.

If you say so, then it must be true, Rod replied. What s she have to do with our Rae, then?

Good question Rae, do you have any clue? she asked.

No, none at all, I said. I hadn t even known this world had a Demon Queen up until recently. Finding out said Demon Queen was actually me was just mind-numbing.