Months turned to years, and years into eons. Tasked by her parents with managing the end of all things, the serpent spent her days fending off challengers in a futile attempt to kill the boredom.
Their desires were myriad.
Wealth, fame, romance, family, self-preservation, or a cure for a terminal disease—the list went on and on.
But no one could best the serpent known as the Strongest Beast, and her boredom remained an unfillable void. If anything, the piles of treasure left by those who fell before her only grew, drawing even more fools to their deaths.
Subduing a creature as powerful as the serpent was a fool's errand.
Yet the living do not stop when faced with a wish, and so the corpses continued to pile up at her feet.
Eventually, the monster realized a simple truth.
There is no one in this world capable of killing me.
And so, the serpent made a proclamation.
"I shall grant any wish to the one who brings me something I have never known."
That strange trial drew a greater swarm than ever before.
They brought mountains of treasure so vast that the very concepts of gold and silver lost their meaning. They offered territory large enough for her to roam, a massive castle where she would want for nothing, and a legion of servants to cater to her every whim.
But she had no interest in any of it. Her days continued to slip away in a hollow vacuum. It was all too tedious, too mundane. Since nothing could satisfy her, one day, she simply vanished.
Dammit... this is heavy.
Another [Reminiscence] hit me the moment I stepped into the next temple. Reliving those records—Levi-san’s life—left me drained. I slumped down in a corner of the hall, trying to catch my breath.
The others were outside holding off the monsters. We were pressed for time, so I’d come in alone, only for a light tap to land on my shoulder.
"Master, want some water?"
"Thanks, that helps... wait, why are you out, Behiko?"
"Because my little sister? is here."
Clad in a gothic lolita outfit that I assumed Arachne had whipped up, she spoke with a tilted head, her tone making it sound more like a question than a statement. It was her typical cryptic way of talking—hardly an answer at all. Since she seemed to know more than she was letting on, I decided to press Behemoth for details.
"Leviathan is my counterpart. That basically makes her my little sister."
"...Now that you mention it, I guess that's how the myths go. And?"
"It’s an older sister’s duty to keep her little sister in line, so I want you to use me."
Her gaze was sharp, devoid of her usual playfulness. Because they were beings of equal rank, she clearly had her own perspective on the situation. She looked like she had braced herself for what was coming.
"That girl is too serious for her own good. She carries everything on her own shoulders. She remembers every single world she’s destroyed... she’s far too kind. She needs to learn how to lean on people, so I’m going to beat some sense into her."
"I don't quite follow how that leads to a beating, but can I count on you?"
"Of course. If anything, Master should rely on everyone more. I’m a newcomer, but I feel the same way as the others. Oh, but I have one request."
She wore a look of smug satisfaction for a moment before continuing. Then, she climbed onto my lap and looked up into my face.
"I want to look pretty, so do my hair. And give me a name."
"That’s two things."
"It pays to be selfish."
"Sigh... I can do the first one, but a name... let me think about it for a bit."
"Muu. And why is that?"
"If I'm going to give you one, I want to take it seriously."
"—That’s so like you, Master."
Since she asked, I tied her hair. She wanted twin tails, so I arranged them as requested. As I worked, I spoke to her.
"Hey, what do you think of Levi-san?"
"My serious, cute little sister. She thinks too much and carries too much... and she’s kind."
I could understand that, in a way.
We hadn't spent much time together, and we’d only met a handful of times. But throughout it all, I never felt a single lie in her expressions or her words. Above all, I didn't want to believe that the concern she’d shown me was a facade.
"A long time ago, she and I read a picture book together. It was a story about an ordinary girl finding happiness. A girl who wasn't strong, who wasn't feared. Just a plain, everyday girl who fell in love and smiled—a total fairy tale."
Behemoth stood up and stroked her newly tied hair. She spoke in a gentle voice, like someone sharing a precious memory.
"I found it boring, but that girl asked me to read it to her over and over. She’d smile every time. Even though we’re beings meant only for destruction, even though we can never be ordinary girls... she still yearned for the girl in that story. Hey, Master, this is my last request."
Then, Behemoth voiced a certain wish.
It was exactly what I’d been thinking while watching those records. It was how I felt toward the girl who had spent an eternity alone.
"Leave it to me," I said, flashing a smile to put her at ease. "I’ve become a pretty greedy guy lately."
With that, we left the temple together.