Escape. (10)
"...Were you staying here?"
"Rather than staying, it's more accurate to say I was imprisoned."
I let the Hero into the messy, disheveled room.
There wasn't much I could call my own, but what little was usable had already been broken by the attendants.
I had long since given up on cleaning, tired of the room returning to its messy state no matter how many times I tidied it.
I hadn't even been here for a few days, but it felt like a very long time.
"Tell me about the others, rather than me."
Elli, Hallibel, Ai, and the Baby.
They're all safe, right?
I asked with desperation.
If I heard that even one of them wasn't alright, I wouldn't be able to keep my sanity.
"Everyone is safe."
"...That's a relief."
I let out a sigh of relief.
If I thought about it, they had suffered that way because of me.
Because of me.
"Then, where is everyone?"
Of course, it would have been better if they hadn't come here, but I was curious.
When I tilted my head and asked, the Hero's face turned pale.
"...Surely, you didn't just leave them there, did you?"
"..."
No way.
He wouldn't have just abandoned those four in the forest and come looking for me, would he?
If he had any sense, he definitely wouldn't have!
"Are you crazy? Are you insane?! No, you're completely out of your mind!!"
I shouted and repeatedly hit his shoulder.
It's not that coming to save me was wrong.
But at the very least, you should have left the children in a safe place!
"I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
"Why are you apologizing to me? You should be apologizing to those children, not me!"
Perhaps because I was so furious, words just spilled out.
You idiot. Trash. Moron. Go die.
I smacked the Hero's face with a pillow that was lying on the floor, and with a *thwack*, its contents burst out.
Amidst the white feathers scattering everywhere, rough breaths permeated the air.
"You told me to go die just a moment ago, so why..."
A festering wound *pop*, and burst open.
Why didn't you worry about those children first? Why did you come looking for me without thinking?
Of course, I knew well enough that this was unreasonable.
But what could I do about being worried?
A combination of a Saintess, a Succubus, one child, and one baby couldn't possibly survive in the forest.
"What were you going to do if something happened, just leaving them there 'without any measures' and 'irresponsibly'?"
"E-Elli is there, so they'll be fine."
"...You're quite confident."
Yes, well, he had traveled with Elli for a long time, so he must know the extent of her abilities.
Honestly, I didn't have much faith, but they were still the Hero's Party, after all.
...They'll be fine.
If I were too anxious, it would be rude.
"And that child, though young in body, is Emily's Master."
"The fact that she's a child hasn't changed, has it?"
"Her mind is that of an adult, though."
Is that so?
I felt like I'd be persuaded if we talked any longer, so I just shut my mouth.
That wasn't important right now.
"Are you really going to do as that guy says?"
"...What else can I do?"
Because of this single talisman stuck to my neck, I had no choice.
No matter how skilled the Hero was with a sword, could he really cut off only the talisman precisely?
Just imagining it sent a chill down my neck.
No matter how much I thought about it, all I could see was a future where my body and head were separated.
'Even so...'
I didn't want to get intimate in a place like this.
You might ask if I'm being too fastidious, but well.
I didn't even want to lie down here.
"Let's clean up first."
I kicked away the feathers rolling on the floor and let out a small sigh.
The room was already dirty, but now it had turned into a pigsty.
As I bent down and slowly moved my hands, the Hero helped me.
...Why do I feel so pathetic?
I felt like crying for no reason.
***
Contrary to Ariel's worries, the rest of the party was doing well.
Elli moved quite plausibly, as if their journey so far hadn't been a lie.
With the body of a demon and the brain of a magician combined, it wasn't too bad.
"Demon King-nim..."
But "not bad" didn't mean "good."
Hallibel, looking down at the dizzyingly steep cliff below, squeezed her eyes shut.
There were dense trees, so she probably didn't die or anything.
Besides, Demon King-nim is a demon, isn't she?
She has a strong body, unlike humans—
"The more I think about it, the more anxious I get, ugh..."
Let's not think negative thoughts.
Let's not think negative thoughts.
It's always been like that.
When things are tough, just let them be.
Endure by thinking positive thoughts instead.
Because she had lived that way even in human brothels.
"If you're so worried, let's go look for her."
"...You startled me."
At the voice coming from below her, Hallibel flinched.
This little kid, I told her to make some noise when she walks around...
Even though the same succubus blood flowed through them, she couldn't sense her at all.
She said she was a magician, so could it be magic?
I tapped Rin's crown and frowned.
More importantly, what did she just say?
"You said if I'm worried, we should go look for her. Do you know where Demon King-nim is?"
"I don't know Mother's location, but I can find the Hero's location."
Because I cast a tracking spell on that man.
Perhaps because I used magic with an imperfect body, it was a bit vaguely cast, but...
She glanced at the thinly connected thread of magic and tugged on Hallibel's clothes.
Camping in the forest wasn't bad, but they couldn't just keep playing around like this.
"I've already told Elli-ssi. She should be ready by now, so let's depart immediately."
A demon to take the vanguard, a magician to be responsible for firepower.
And even a Saintess capable of healing.
In reality, it was a combination of a succubus, a child, and a Saintess who couldn't use Divine Power because a goddess might reside within her, but at least they could roughly put together a semblance of a party.
"Ah, preparations are all complete!"
The Saintess—could she even be called a Saintess now?
Elli, having shed her priestly robes from The Order, was closer to an innocent country maiden than a Saintess.
No, considering her upbringing and mental state, she was more like a naive noble lady.
Carrying a large bag on her back and holding the Baby in one arm, she waved her hand wildly.
Just a moment ago, she had a face that looked like she was dying of depression, but it seemed she had cheered up at the mention of going to find Demon King-nim.
"Hmm, hmmm..."
"Why, is there a problem?"
Just before they were about to go find the Hero, guided by Rin, the child stopped.
At the child's behavior, Hallibel tilted her head and asked.
At her voice, Rin lowered her eyebrows as if troubled.
"They're at the bottom of the cliff."
"? Why? We can just go down."
"...The problem is that I used the magic too vaguely, so it only shows a straight path."
If it's a straight path down the cliff, the only option would be to jump.
Hallibel's face turned white as she recalled that fact.
Not only did she not want to go down bare-handed, but even with a rope, she absolutely did not want to descend vertically.
"I-I have acrophobia!"
"Then let's find a way around."
Even if it took a little time, it would be better than falling to their deaths.
As she kept thinking "fall to her death, fall to her death," the face of her Mother, who had actually fallen, flickered in her mind.
She was a frail person; what if something really went wrong with her?
"...Let's hurry."
She walked at a quick pace.
Of course, no matter how fast she walked in a child's body, her steady steps only turned into scurrying.
Hallibel, walking beside her, let out a snicker at the sight.
"Get on my back, kiddo."
"...I don't want to."
At the sharp refusal, she frowned abruptly.
She had gone out of her way to be considerate, so why was this child like this?
When she tried to force her onto her back, a tiny fist repeatedly struck her thigh.
The annoyance-filled emotion contained in the fist hurt.
"Ah, seriously! Why are you acting like this?!"
"Don't treat me like a child."
The very first thing Rin learned after becoming a magician was to abandon preconceptions.
The magicians of the Magic Tower were absolutely not beings that could be judged by their appearance, so she had no choice but to learn this quickly and definitively.
For the simplest example, there were cases where a magician looked like a child smaller than herself, yet was older than a bearded old man magician.
The scene of a wizened old man calling a young girl, not even a maiden, "noona-nim" was shocking even to recall now.
"Strange things might come out when the sun sets, you know? If you want to move quickly, it's better to just get on my back!"
"...Still, getting on your back is a bit..."
She knew well enough that riding on Hallibel's back was a more efficient and wise choice.
The reason for refusing, despite that, was that she didn't like the arrogant expression Hallibel made when carrying her—
—or so she said.
"I don't like it because you grope my butt."
"G-Grope? W-Who?!"
"You."
Rin replied coldly to the flustered Hallibel.
The child's gaze, filled with contempt and disgust, possessed a powerful force in itself.
Hallibel couldn't endure it for even a few seconds and had no choice but to turn her head away.
"...Sorry."
Of course, a small apology was a bonus.