Escape. (9)
"Here it is, nyang."
A long passage extending through a small gap became visible.
As Ranyori gestured, the overgrown bushes parted to either side.
The Hero frowned at the narrow gap, barely wide enough for one person to pass through.
"What's the proof this isn't a trap?"
"You're holding my lifeline, yet you're so suspicious, nyang!"
He didn't know what the Hero had been through in life, but he was far too suspicious.
And his opponent wasn't even a Demon, but a Beastman!
Before he could feel pity for such excessive distrust, its sheer magnitude left him aghast.
"Alright, I'll trust you."
"...Do as you please, nya."
What if he trusted him, and what if he didn't?
Either way, it remained the only path leading to the village.
As he squeezed his body through the narrow gap, a sharp pain shot through his tail.
"P-Please, hold it a little more gently, nyang..."
Does this human not know how to control his strength?
It was a grip strong enough to hold its own against a Boar Beastman.
H-He almost broke my tailbone, nyang.
He couldn't bear to see his tail, one of his proudest features, bent at a right angle.
"Yes, hold it just like that, nya."
Ryanyori sighed at the Hero, who subtly adjusted his grip.
He could have held it like this from the start, so why did he do that, nyang?
But since he was the one who made the choice, there was no point in complaining.
It was his mistake to give his tail to a ruffian.
Of course, he'd be shocked if he ever found out that ruffian was the Hero.
"We've arrived, nyang."
The passage, which was incredibly narrow at first, gradually widened as they proceeded.
The Hero brushed off the dust from his clothes, and soon after, his mouth fell open at the sight before him.
'To think it was hidden in a place like this...'
A world hidden deep underground.
The countless Luminite Stones adorning the ceiling were like a single sun.
It was about the size of a village, but he couldn't help but be astonished.
"Over there, where day and night are mixed, is where the Village Chief-nim is, nyang."
And there, is the Demon you're looking for, nya.
The boundary between where the Luminite Stones shone and where they didn't.
Ryanyori pointed to the hut built in the center of that boundary and said.
Now, whatever, he just wished the Hero would save her quickly and disappear, nyang.
The grip on his tailbone, crushing it as if to shatter it, was terrifying when the Demon was mentioned.
"Ah, I won't tell anyone, so just go quickly, nya!"
If he let this one go, he didn't know what might happen, so should he silence him?
Ranyori, noticing the Hero's thoughts, jumped up and down.
If he had intended to tell the others, he wouldn't have guided him this far.
He wondered if he should really just leave this one alone.
He was a human so secretive that even he hadn't noticed, but seeing him now, it felt like he might run wild.
'For now, this one isn't important.'
The Hero, making a quick decision, released the tail he was holding.
For a brief moment, the tail reveled in its regained freedom from the ruffian's hand, then Ranyori clicked his tongue, watching the human disappear into the distance.
Ignorance makes one brave, they say; if he dared to challenge the Village Chief-nim, it was obvious he would die a sudden, screaming death, regardless of whether he saved the Demon or not.
But what could he do, nyang?
If that happened, it would just be that guy's fate.
"...What am I worrying about, nyang? He'll manage on his own, nya."
Of course, if he had known his opponent was the Hero, he would have worried about someone else.
***
Fresh blood scattered.
With a tearing scream, my body floated into the air.
So, yeah.
"...You've come."
"Of course."
Embraced in the Hero's arms, I let out a sigh.
My head felt dizzy from the heat surging from within, but I felt an inexplicable sense of relief.
I definitely hated it terribly at first.
Just the mere touch of his hand on my skin used to send me into a fit.
But now?
"...You're late."
"...I know."
I raised my arm, which barely moved, and struck the Hero's chest.
If you were going to save me, why didn't you come sooner?
Why did you only come now?
Of course, he came before I was forced to bear the Beastmen's children, so it was fine, but still...
I knew it was unreasonable, but I felt that only by venting my complaints like this could I distance myself from him.
...Because getting too close was something I detested.
"I never thought... you'd be here..."
"Who is that?"
The Hero tilted his head at the opponent's words.
Was this a timeline where the Hero hadn't met Miko?
Amidst the bloodstains scattered on the floor, a large clump of fur lay pitifully.
Since a Gumiho needs nine tails, I guess she should be called an Eight-tailed fox now.
I held tightly onto the Hero's collar, lost in trivial thoughts.
"If you don't know who I am, then so be it. So, what is your reason for coming all this way to attack me?"
He asks a question even after seeing it with his own eyes.
Of course, it's because he came to save me.
Because without me, he can't revive his Childhood Friend, so desperately—
"To save someone precious."
—Desperately, as an enemy?
"...W-What are you saying?!"
*Thwack*, a dull sound echoed.
It was a blow delivered with every ounce of strength I could muster, yet it seemed to have no effect on the Hero.
No, more importantly, what did I just hear?
I stupidly replayed the words the Hero had just uttered.
'To save someone precious.'
"..."
Am I crazy, truly?
Whether it was me or the Hero, one of us was definitely completely insane.
Otherwise, such nonsense wouldn't have reached my ears.
Perhaps, due to the Beastmen's torment, either my ears or my brain had been damaged.
"P-Pffft... Puhahahahahaha!!!!"
The Hero's words must have been quite amusing, as the Fox Beastman began to laugh maniacally.
All her pretense of elegance and composure from moments ago was cast aside, and she was twisting her body in a very vulgar manner.
It must be entertaining.
Even I, listening to it, feel like dying from how amusing it is.
"W-What, the Hero, loving a Demon! I've never heard such a joke in all my life!"
At her words, the surroundings began to buzz with murmurs.
A lot of them had gathered in such a short time.
As if half of them weren't already beasts, the way they gathered, drawn by the scent, was truly typical of them.
"So, for what reason did you attack us?"
"Naturally, to bring your Demon to the village, what else?"
"...Why Ariel—"
"Didn't you know? She's a vessel to revive the dead, so it would be strange not to bring her. Don't you think?"
The already stiff atmosphere grew even more rigid.
The Hero, who had tilted his head as if he'd heard something unbelievable, soon scrunched up his face.
"Shut your mouth."
"We'll see who shuts up in the end."
Was that smile born from the confidence of being in her own territory?
Or was it from the confidence of being able to face the Hero one-on-one?
Or if not—
"Ugh, cough, kehek... ugh..."
"Ariel?!"
My neck was being squeezed.
The Talismans wrapped around my neck were fiercely contracting, as if to kill me.
"Do you understand your situation now?"
It was an unpleasant smile.
The Hero saw such a smile
I never thought I'd be taken hostage.
No, to be precise, I never thought I, as a hostage, would be effective against the Hero.
"However, I don't want to kill her either. So, how about we negotiate?"
"Negotiate what..."
"It's a simple matter. If she bears all the kin we've lost, we'll return her unharmed."
It was an absurd proposition.
How many people had been sacrificed to the Demons, anyway?
But this was no different from testing my conscience.
After all, it was none other than me who had said I would bear all the dead.
"...Do you think that makes sense?"
I tightly gripped the Hero's hand, which was indignantly raising the Holy Sword.
"...No, I'll do as you say."
"Ariel!"
"However."
Instead, let me choose the partner for copulation myself.
It was a right I should naturally demand.
I said this because there was a possibility they might say they wouldn't accept it unless their own kin impregnated me.
Though the Hero's shocked face was a little amusing.
"Why are you making such a shocked face? Surely—"
"..."
—Are you uneasy because you think I might sleep with someone other than you?
It was a small whisper, but the Hero's eyes widened.
Perhaps because we were so close, the pounding sound of his racing heart was clearly audible.
Why did he get so agitated by just those words?
I knew, but I didn't particularly want to know.
'The Hero, me...'
I instantly erased the thought that was trying to surface in my mind and looked at the Fox Beastman.
Hurry up and answer.
"Yes, very well. I am aware that I've done quite a severe thing, so I shall accept that much. And—"
"...Ugh."
"They say a woman's life is her face, don't they?"
How unpleasant.
It was good that the red, inflamed burn marks had disappeared, but it was a rather negative treatment in that it involved accepting Divine Power.
What's more, the ones who made my face look like that were the Beastmen, yet they were making expressions that demanded gratitude for healing me, which was quite disgusting.
I'd heard all animals were pure, but it seemed that wasn't the case.
"Let's go to the room first."
"But, Ariel..."
"...Please."
Frightened by the surrounding gazes, I buried my head in the Hero's embrace.
The gazes, mixed with hatred and contempt, were carving into my heart like blades.
Hurry, quickly.
I no longer wanted to be here.