"Huh, so that means we’re both immortal? Though, yours sounds a lot more foolproof than mine is," Remarked mom thoughtfully.

It’s later in the day, around 8 PM, the sun had set a while ago.

We all chatted and snacked for a while, until everyone was full. After that, we were offered rooms in the castle, but we declined.

Instead, we offered mom and the Demon Generals a stay in the Pocket Dimension. The Generals were pretty floored by it, more than a little blown away by a taste of what Earth’s society has to offer in terms of convenience and amenities.

A few minutes ago, while I was relaxing in a room with Aria in the Pocket Dimension, mom came by the room and asked if she and I could talk in private.

I thought she had something pressing to discuss, but as it turned out, she just wanted to have a one on one chat with me. Which, of course, I was more than happy to oblige.

"Yeah, but it’s not as though I’m completely unkillable. If my Core is destroyed, I’ll die," I informed her.

"But you said that it’s pretty small and highly durable, right? In my case, any damage to my heart or head would be fatal. Losing limbs is no big deal, I can regenerate in a matter of seconds, but Demons can’t heal damage to their hearts or brains. Decapitation is fatal too," She replied with a sigh.

"Huh, I see, the Demons of this world really are a lot different to the ones I fought."

"Yeah, based on everything you and friends told us, those Demons sound pretty frightening," She nodded warily.

"They really were. The stronger they were, the more effective their regeneration was, and the Demon Lord was straight-up excessive...it took everything we had to kill him, we pulled off that win by the barest margin," I recalled with a slight grimace.

That battle was really something, it’s burned into my memory. I doubt I’ll ever forget how tough it was, at least not anytime soon.

"I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been. After I ended up in this world, I never faced an enemy who was more powerful than I am.

One of the Heroes I fought was close to my level, but I was still stronger. Well, that was the case until today, anyway.

Speaking of which, that Ariella, she seems like a really sweet girl. And from what I saw, it’s clear that the two of you care for each other a great deal, it really warmed my heart.

Though, to be honest, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have an inkling of doubt...after what happened with your father, I’ve come to develop some pretty serious trust issues," She laughed sheepishly.

"Yeah, I’d imagine so, it was the same for me. It’s hard to trust people when your own father betrays you the way he did...and it didn’t help that, afterwards, damn near all the interactions I had were with the assholes he was indebted to.

I saw nothing but the absolute worst that humans had to offer for most of the latter half of my first life. But I got lucky in my second life, surrounded by good, trustworthy people. Well, it definitely helps that I have immense power, not to mention a literal lie detection ability," I replied with a wry smile.

"I’m glad, it sounds like you’ve made a good life for yourself with this second chance. I suppose I can relate, at least to an extent. The Generals are good people, and there are a lot of other Demons who’ve been a positive influence too.

Thanks to them, my trust issues have eased up a bit over the last few decades...but that said, it’ll probably be a while longer before I completely put them behind me, if I ever do," She sighed wistfully.

"It’s certainly not something you can just get over overnight, it’ll take time. I suppose the humans of this world betraying the Demons and starting this war didn’t help either."

"Mhm, that legitimately made me wonder if humans are inherently the problem. But, eventually, I realized that the Demons are no different. There’s just less internal conflict here because our population is smaller. If we had a similar population to the humans, we might be facing the same issues."

"Honestly, at the back of my mind, I’ve been concerned about how things are going to play out in the future on Earth. The population was decimated by the Monsters, and facing a common enemy, the people were united. But we no longer have a common enemy. So, I can’t help but worry that, eventually, people will start fighting each other," I remarked with a grimace.

"I think completely avoiding conflict would be all but impossible. That’s just how people are, someone will always find something to fight about," She replied solemnly, before adding, "All we can really do as individuals is strive to be the best versions of ourselves, and hope to surround ourselves with people who bring out our best. Who knows, maybe I’ll meet someone someday...after your father, I steered clear of any serious relationships. Of course, I have certain needs, so-..."

"U-Uh, I’d rather not hear about-..."

"I mean, I wouldn’t say I went too crazy and wild, but I certainly had a bit of a phase in this world where I-..."

"Seriously, mom, let’s talk about literally anything else! I don’t think there’s anyone in any world who’d be comfortable with hearing about their parents’ sex lives," I interrupted awkwardly.

"Heh, sorry, my bad. I guess I got carried away, I just feel so giddy, getting to talk to you like this again. I’m glad you’ve decided to stay here a bit longer, but I can’t help but wish it won’t come to an end. On top of getting to spend time with you, you’ve also got that unlimited supply of food from Earth, not to mention that Pocket Dimension," She responded wryly.

"In that case, when we go back to Earth, why don’t you come with us?"