Reunion
Maru shared tea with the king for about an hour, conversing with a calm, unreadable expression, before returning to his room.
He slipped into a comfortable pair of slippers and opened the wardrobe.
As he changed his clothes, he thought of nothing at all.
He didn't want to think about anything.
His head felt heavy. He wanted nothing more than to lie down on the bed and rest.
The candle burning in the room suddenly flickered violently. A fresh breeze swept through the chamber, and the curtains billowed wide before settling back down.
A shadow showed through the translucent fabric. A smokelike substance gathered on the floor, drifting and pooling, then rose upward and took the shape of a woman.
"You don't look well, my Lord."
Though the woman's voice reached him, Maru didn't turn around. He simply kept changing in front of the wardrobe.
It was Luciella, no doubt about it.
Lately she had taken to visiting him every night, delighting in their conversations. The first time she came, she'd confined herself to a single chair, but as her visits grew more frequent, she'd grown bolder — rifling freely through his belongings, sprawling across his bed uninvited, playing mischievous tricks on him.
"I recommend these tonight."
Luciella, perched on the edge of the bed, extended her hand. She drew a small circle in the air with her index finger, and a drawer of the wardrobe slid open. A pair of red panties, neatly folded until now, unfolded themselves and floated up into the air.
Without a word, Maru snatched them, shoved them back into the drawer, pulled out a different pair, and put them on.
Luciella watched him quietly for a moment before speaking. "What happened? Are you angry?"
"I'm not angry."
"Then why are you so cold?"
"Because I'm tired."
"You're not yourself today."
"The Hero is coming here in a few days."
"Ah, I see."
Luciella smiled faintly. "I suppose you'll have to leave here, then. Shall I find you a nice city?"
"No."
Maru, still in his underwear, draped a silk robe over his shoulders and leaned back into a soft chair. "Luciella. What do you think of me?"
"You are my Lord, my Lord."
"Then why should I run away?"
"Shall I let you two meet?"
Maru picked up the kettle and poured himself some water. "I'm only doing my job. Without emotion. Like a cold-blooded creature. Like something inanimate."
He drained the water in one long gulp. It tasted lukewarm. He wanted something cold and sweet.
"Does the Hero know you're here, my Lord?"
"Probably not."
"That should be amusing, when you finally cross paths."
"……"
Maru rose from his chair and flopped onto the bed. "Whew. Feels good to lie down. I'm going to sleep early tonight. Go home."
Luciella, still perched on the edge of the bed, reached out and slowly caressed the muscular chest revealed by his parted robe. "You mustn't forget the promise you made me in exchange for helping the Prince."
"When did you say that monster was due to surface?"
"Once a year, it rises to the land. The time should be drawing near, but for now it's simply watching."
"When it comes up, call me."
"I've even set up a portal so you can come at once."
"Ugh… sleepy… gonna sleep…"
Maru turned onto his side, as if shaking off her hand, and was asleep almost instantly.
Luciella looked down at him and licked her upper lip. "To fall asleep before a succubus with a voracious appetite — are you simply too hardened to care anymore, or do you actually want me?"
Chuckling, her hand crept down toward his lower body.
Maru's eyes snapped open and he caught her wrist in a flash. "Go home."
"You're not asleep, are you? Just a little."
"I said go home."
"Just a tiny, tiny bit. I'll only have a little taste."
"No. Go home."
"I'll just give the tip one little poke with my tongue and stop. Promise."
"You mean with your fingertip? Either way, no."
"Please…! Aahng!"
Luciella begged him so desperately that she wasn't content merely to whine with honeyed coos — she kept smacking her lips and drooling all over herself. Her eyes glowed red, her fangs jutted out, and sticky saliva dripped in strands down her chin. The air of refined elegance she'd worn just moments before, like some noblewoman in her thirties, was nowhere to be found.
The moment she was aroused, she transformed into a hideous demon. A demon faithful to its instincts. A dangerous creature that allowed not a moment's lapse in vigilance.
"It's because you've gotten so strong, my Lord! Hnnngh…! The scent of a potent male is driving me insane!"
"Shut up."
Maru opened the window, hoisted the thrashing Luciella up, and flung her outside.
Click.
He latched the window shut, poured himself a glass of water, and drank. A moment later, something struck the window from outside. A furious Luciella, apparently throwing pebbles.
"Maybe I should go hunting for men too, and see how you like it."
He stood there blankly for a while, wondering if he ought to go out and check, then decided it wasn't worth the trouble and headed back to bed.
Preparing for the ceremony meant meeting new people in new places starting tomorrow, and the work ahead was mountainous.
"So now I'm doing the duties I once did for the Prince."
He'd watched countless ceremonies growing up, so if he just dusted off the memory, well — nothing about it should be difficult.
Three weeks later.
A certain domain within the Basilite Kingdom.
"Damn it all! Has the Winks party deployed?"
"Yes! They've gone to reinforce the units being pushed back!"
"Then get the next party on standby! Don't dawdle — get them moving, now!"
"Commander! The barricade we set up to the west has been breached!"
"This is madness! What in the world is the Hero doing? Planning to hide again today, is she?!"
The knight commander, a man in his fifties, erupted in fury and stormed out of the command tent.
Several hours earlier, a Devil Rift had opened in the ground near the encampment where the Hero's party and Duke Toledo were staying, and demons had begun pouring out of it. At first, the combined forces seemed to be holding their own — but watching demons that climbed back onto the surface no matter how many were cut down wore the defenders down until their spirits broke.
In the end, sheer numbers overwhelmed them. They hastily threw up barricades around the encampment and switched their strategy to defending key positions, but even that was proving untenable.
"Your Grace!"
The commander found Duke Toledo and tearfully poured out his complaints. "At this rate, we'll all die! Enough coddling the Hero — tell her to go out there herself and help us fight!"
"Now, now, Commander." The Duke's son, Yosef, cut in. "The Hero is unwell at the moment. Demanding a sick woman take the field — that's a bit heartless, wouldn't you say?"
"No one but the Hero can resolve this! If she refuses to come out, then our only choice is for all of us to flee!"
"Good sir." Duke Toledo, who had been listening in silence, finally spoke. "Are even the Hero's companions not enough?"
"Thanks to Natalie, Lucy, and Priest Yoris, we're barely holding the line. But to turn the situation around, we desperately need the Hero's power. Even the rank-and-file adventurers are wearing out."
"Hmm…"
The Duke nodded. "Very well. Someone — send a man to the Hero at once. Have her prepare to take the field, immediately."
"Father! Lady Kiera is not in a normal state of health! I beg you to reconsider!"
"Calm yourself. I have endured as much as I can endure. What exactly has the Hero accomplished on this entire journey here? At this rate, I cannot promise our expedition will succeed. Today, and today alone, I will not yield. If she digs in her heels and refuses again, I will cancel the expedition on the spot and return home."
"You have been ordered to take the field today, without fail."
"Are many of them angry?"
"Not exactly that, but… the atmosphere was grave."
"I see. Tell them I'll come out."
"Truly? Oh, thank you, thank you!"
After the messenger departed, Kiera walked into her tent. She dropped into a chair and let out a long, deep sigh.
"Is this the end…?"
No matter how many days she counted and waited, the Hero's power never returned. More than half her hair was black now. She'd been getting by with dye.
Why? She had agonized over it countless times, and still had no answer. Right now, she was nothing more than an ordinary human. If she went out to fight, she would die — it was obvious. She was terrified.
Why has heaven abandoned me?
And then, suddenly, she thought of Maru.
"Did you feel this way too, after I cast you out?"
A self-mocking laugh spilled from her lips. "This is my punishment… for throwing Maru away…"
The light drained from her eyes even as she smiled, her gaze growing dull and murky. Deep in her chest, a venomous malice quietly raised its head.
Do you know how I got this life? I clawed my way through a death sentence, survived on scraps. Did you think I'd let myself die here?
I have to run.
For the first time, the thought came to her. "I'll abandon everything and go stay where Maru is, for a while."
He'd take me in, even like this. He's kind. And he's a fool who thinks the world of me.
She made up her mind and rose from the chair — and at that very moment, white powder came cascading from her hair, scattering into the air.
"Dust?"
Wondering if something had gotten into her hair, she looked into the mirror. Astonishingly, the dye that had been absorbed into her strands was flaking off like powder. And yet not a single black hair remained.
Glossy silver hair swayed gently.
"Don't tell me…?"
Eyes wide with shock, Kiera rubbed her hair again and again.
It was hers. Her silver hair — it had come back.
A few minutes later, a fully armed Kiera walked out of the tent.
"You — get to the western barricade!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Two of you, over there — go push those supply carts! Faster! Faster!"
The entire encampment was a hive of frantic motion, everyone straining to hold back the demons surging in from all sides. Kiera crossed the center of the camp in silence, heading toward the entrance. The people rushing to and fro caught sight of her and shouted with joy.
"It's the Hero! The Hero has appeared!"
"What? Th-the Hero?!"
"Ooh! Praise the gods!"
Lucy, the mage whose mana was drained to its last dregs. Yoris, the priest who had been reaching out healing hands to the wounded. Natalie, the warrior swinging her greatsword on the front line. All of them froze mid-motion and stared at Kiera.
"Why is she coming out now?"
"Could her power have returned…?"
"Kiera! You're alive after all! Hahahaha!"
Before long, Kiera stepped beyond the encampment and drew her sword. She addressed the people guarding the barricade. "Everyone, fall back behind me."
"Pardon? If you do that, the monsters will—"
"It's all right."
The people immediately lowered their weapons and scrambled back inside the camp. Soon the wooden barricade shattered to pieces, and countless demons surged toward Kiera.
"Hoo…"
She took a short, deep breath, then pressed her forearm to the blade.
At that instant, the demons swarmed her from every direction. But —
KRRRRAK!
Demon bodies were shredded to ribbons, the fragments flung into the air before raining down wetly. Then Kiera swung her sword in an X, a blaze of light erupted skyward, and every demon within a hundred meters in a straight line was annihilated, root and branch.
Not stopping there, she spun like a tornado, cutting through demon after demon — limbs and torsos hewn away without mercy. The vortex she stirred up reached the sky, like watching a waterspout. Slicing through the horde in every direction, she carved her way through them all without pause.
"She's back. She's really back."
Lucy, watching from far off with an exhausted look, shook her head and gave a dry little laugh. "The Hero is back."
Two days later, in the region near the capital of the Basilite Kingdom.
Thanks to Kiera's magnificent performance, the mood among the Hero's party and the House of Toledo had been lifted to a fever pitch. In the procession moving along the immaculately maintained road, praise for Kiera flowed without end. Even Kiera herself, riding at the head of the column, wore a smile that never left her lips.
"This country's colder than the others. The sun goes down faster too."
Lucy, riding alongside, huddled into herself and pulled her collar tight. "Cold? You wouldn't know, being the Hero."
"I felt it too until just recently, you know."
"Never feel it again. It's bad for us."
Duke Toledo's son, Yosef, urged his horse closer and fell in beside Kiera. "When we arrive at the capital, I shall see to it that you are given the largest chamber in the royal palace."
Kiera summoned a delighted smile. "You're the only one who looks after me, Lord Yosef. I'm counting on you."
"Leave it to me. I'll have them bring in the largest bathtub as well. Tonight, for the first time in ages, you can take a long soak in hot water and rest properly."
"I'd like that. I'm quite tired already, as it is."
"Oh, how that pains me. To put a lovely Hero through so arduous a journey — forgive me."
"It's the path I chose. Don't trouble yourself over it."
Just then, someone shouted. "Knights approaching ahead!"
The lead column reined to a halt, every head turning toward the front. A company of some fifty knights was galloping toward them. Yoris raised a hand to his brow and squinted into the distance. "Carrying the kingdom's banner — I'd say they've come out to meet us."
Natalie curled her lip. "Never been in a real fight, clearly — even from way back here their armor's all flashy and polished. Those types drop dead the second they cross me. I'm not even joking — I could win with one arm tied behind my back."
As the riders closed the distance, they slowed their pace and formed up into immaculate ranks, advancing at a controlled trot. Discipline saturated their bearing — the knights' dignified posture, the horses' strong, even strides. Every hoofbeat struck in perfect unison.
"They look formidable."
Duke Toledo, standing at the very front, murmured the words. Behind him, Kiera, Lucy, Yoris, and Natalie — seated side by side on horseback — watched the knights' every movement with sharp attention. There was something about those restrained, impeccably formal motions that made it impossible to look away.
"Haaaalt!"
When the two groups finally came within speaking distance, the knights drew to a stop. Then they split to either side, opening a path down their center. From its far end, a single knight in armor noticeably finer than the rest emerged, slowly walking his horse forward.
The instant she saw the knight's face, Kiera's mouth fell open without a sound, and her heart lurched.
It was Han Maru.
Lucy beside her, Yoris, Natalie — all of them were struck dumb by the shock, staring in silence. In the meantime, Maru walked confidently out between the ranks of knights and drew his horse level with Duke Toledo's.
"Everyone. Welcome to Nofha, the capital of our Basilite Kingdom."