"What the fuck are you even saying?" James asked quietly as he stretched his hand out toward the collar and slowly picked it up. With a bitter expression, he started rubbing his thumb over the gem placed into it.
"This really is Avalin's mana, isn't it?" He whispered, and then slowly raised his head to look at Eiro, "Listen, man, I... I don't know... what to think anymore." James pointed out, "My whole life I've been taught that monsters are a force of absolute evil, that they're darkness to the light that are the people of this world... That's why I became an adventurer. It let me get rid of that darkness. I wanted to become like the hero, who could protect others... But then, I was shown that I couldn't protect anyone, and I thought it was your fault. For years, I built up a grudge, especially against demons... I even bought that demon mask for when we're on trips in places where people don't already know me. I tried to become the darkness to get rid of it... And then..."
