166. Just the Two of Us, in the Carriage
166. Just the Two of Us, in the Carriage
- 1 -
The sunlight streaming through the carriage window gently warmed my skin.
It was winter, so the air outside was chilly, but that posed no problem for us inside the carriage. After all, we were beings who were barely affected by the weather.
"How nice. The sunlight."
It had truly been a long time since I'd had a proper outing.
From the three barons' declaration of war, to the schemes behind the territorial conflict and Arpina's attack.
Ever since declaring the official launch of the Demon Realm, I hadn't had a single opportunity to step outside the dungeon.
So this outing, after so long, felt quite special.
"Should we have walked instead of taking the carriage, Master?"
"It's fine. We can't really afford that kind of leisure when there's work to be done."
Of course, this outing wasn't purely for pleasure; it was mixed with business.
Still, it was undeniably true that my mood was much better than when I was shut inside the dungeon.
"Especially with such cute little ones around."
- Hahap!
Floating...!
Within my sight, I saw spirits drawing near with curious eyes.
Pure souls of the elements.
For these spirits, there was no concept of good and evil. There was only the nurturing of Fate (緣) and the difference in the outcomes they sought to create.
Even if other races classified those outcomes as good or evil, the spirits did not agree.
So, like this.
『Trait - ... Advanced Specialization : Spirit Magic, ...』
Tok
- Ahahap!
Spirits in the form of young children drew close to me, only to soon be dyed by my power.
Their bodies darkened a little, and other children holding hands with those darkened spirits were soon dyed as well.
But there was no pain, anger, or disgust in the process.
It was purely a 'game,' something like innocent amusement.
- Ihihit!
When I waved my hand, the children joyfully waved back before flying off to their respective domains.
Now, the land around here would gradually become a bit more friendly to the demon tribe.
"Ev."
"Yes, Master."
I turned my gaze to her.
She had been examining documents while absently toying with the sword I had bestowed upon her, and now she raised her head to look at me.
In the sunlight seeping through the window, her eyelashes sparkled.
Deolkeong!
"Ah."
Just then, the carriage jolted slightly, and her shoulder leaned toward me as she tried to catch the falling documents.
The brief brush of her fragrance was subtle.
Ev straightened her body with a flustered expression, but I didn't miss how her cheeks had reddened a little.
"Would you tell me the schedule?"
"Ah, yes. Right now, the place we are heading to is..."
It was a request I made for no reason, even though I remembered everything perfectly well.
Perhaps knowing this, the corners of her eyes curved prettily as she began to speak.
"Talhan is currently in a state of complete control over the Copherin Guild..."
Her voice reciting the schedule and its rationale was calm, but the tips of her fingers were trembling minutely.
It was the trace of her suppressing the desire to draw closer.
'Holding back love together... What a childish promise. Just how much must they trust and care for each other.'
Her composed expression as she continued the report felt all the more endearing.
When she gave a small, deliberate cough to clear her voice, I smiled without thinking.
Ev seemed to feel my gaze, as she paused her words for a moment before resuming the report.
Sitting beside her like that, Evangeline's fingertips twitched before she grasped the handle of her sword again.
Tok-tok
"Master?"
"Let's stay like this."
I tapped her fingertips open, and after lacing my fingers with hers, I leaned back against the seat and looked out the window.
- Pureureuk.
Dagakdagak...
The surroundings were quiet, save for the presence of the horses carrying the escorts. This outing was just the two of us, after all.
Shue had to hold down the center of the empty dungeon in my absence, Ran was in the middle of handling important matters concerning the western territory, and Sonia was taking care of the Arpina case.
Honestly, it wasn't that I didn't want to spend time with Evangeline, whom I always trusted with critical tasks, but in any case, fate had naturally led to just the two of us traveling together.
"Currently, most of the humans inside the guild have been replaced by monsters or Cerebrum Skulls..."
I liked the sensation of the wind outside the window tickling the back of my head, and the feeling of her quiet voice tapping against my ears and mind.
Dagakdagak...
The place we were heading to now was Copherin, where Talhan's base was located. It was the center of Southern Hysen and the hub for the information guild members spread across the south.
And what she was looking at now were documents sent in advance by Talhan, who was there.
The intelligence of an organization that could sway the continent was instead being held in the hands of someone else.
It was something people would be astounded to learn.
"The sensitive ones may have already noticed that the Information Guild has changed. What do the reports say about the surrounding reactions?"
"Most appear to be calm, but..."
Even at this moment, the way Ev turned the pages of the documents was impeccably orderly.
Even while fidgeting with the hand she held, the rest of her body was clearly maintaining the utmost restraint.
I felt her hesitation.
"On the surface, they seem calm, but it is said that several anxious individuals have made contact..."
As she slowly raised her head, her eyes met mine.
The voice that had been continuing the report paused for a moment.
Her body could live without breathing, but it was a reaction akin to a person forgetting to breathe.
"... Ah. I'm sorry."
"It's fine. Please, go on."
I heard the soft sound of her inhaling.
She continued the story while gripping our laced hands a little tighter.
"Especially among those who have ties to informants, or the nobility. We are gradually cutting off the information flowing into Hysen from the south, and it seems they have picked up on the shift. Though it is only at the level of suspicion."
As the carriage passed over an unpaved road, her shoulder leaned against me once more.
This time, she didn't bother to correct her posture.
She simply kept her gaze fixed on the documents, with only her ears slightly reddened.
Her scent grew a little stronger.
"How is he handling it?"
"Yes. Talhan plans to first contact the merchants to gather their movements, and then use the full capacity of the Information Guild to turn them into collaborators one by one. And then..."
Ev's voice trembled slightly.
When I raised my other hand and placed it over hers, she looked up, startled by the touch.
"You were nervous."
"Ah... yes. I'm sorry."
"There's nothing to worry about, is there?"
I squeezed her hand tightly.
She looked at our clasped hands with trembling eyes, then closed and opened her eyes gently before continuing with the next words.
"After that, we will stop by the County of Guileus..."
While she spoke, the wind gradually died down, and the wheels began to roll onto a paved road.
We were getting closer to our destination.
"Master..."
She stopped talking, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke carefully.
"... Last time, I was inadequate."
For a moment, I didn't know what she meant, but I soon placed the context.
It was clearly about the last fight.
I felt my smile deepen.
"If you're talking about the Arpina matter, we've already forgiven each other."
She kept silent for a moment, then slowly began to reveal her true feelings.
"I... I do not wish to create a situation where you, Master, need to step forward yourself. If possible... I would rather you simply enjoyed your tea and books."
It was a feeling mixed with the shame of a protector. It also meant that my risking danger was a burden to her.
But I decided to brush it off with a joke. After all, it was a hard point for me to accept as well.
"So you want to make me lazy, or turn me into a layabout?"
At my words, she quickly raised her head, then soon averted her eyes and stroked the back of her own neck with her other hand.
"That's... not it."
The expression on her face as she said that was clearly quite flustered.
Perhaps that really was her true feeling.
"How could I not know your heart? My heart is the same as yours."
"... Yes."
As always, her words carried more than just the words themselves.
Unwavering loyalty, and a heart deeper than that.
Before I knew it, the edges of Copherin's fortress became visible outside the window.
"..."
Without unlacing our fingers, I looked at her one last time.
She also met my eyes...
Sararak.
I kissed the forehead of the woman who looked up at me with her two eyes burning hot.
A somewhat impulsive decision.
"Master..."
When I opened my eyes, she was smiling with her face deeply flushed, and I felt heat rise to my own face as I looked at her.
"If you do this... it's hard to hold back, Master."
A whisper that seemed to mingle with a beast's growl.
"We mustn't hold back, mustn't we? You are friends, after all."
"Rather than friends, we are comrades. ... Yes. Comrades who have built trust. Huhu."
Along with a tightening feeling in my heart, I felt the carriage slowly come to a stop.
After the carriage stopped,
having changed her appearance, her platinum blonde hair reflected the sunlight as she stepped down first, and her reddened eyes met mine.
"I shall escort you. My master, and my Lady."
"Gladly. My champion."
The blush had already faded from her face, and I too placed my hand upon the one she offered.
Amid the noise of Copherin brushing past my ears, my gaze was solely following her eyes.
- 2 -
"... Where do you say she is, and what is she doing...?"
Talhan stared at his subordinate as if he couldn't believe it. His eyes were full of bewilderment.
The subordinate's expression momentarily crumpled but soon regained its composure. He straightened his back and reported again in a clear voice.
"She is currently enjoying snack time in the city. With the Chief Administrator."
"... Ahem."
Talhan rubbed his temple while facing his subordinate.
There was no way his master would simply be passing time without any thought. She was someone who left leisure in every action but never did anything meaningless.
Talhan, who had been lost in thought for a moment, suddenly had his eyes light up.
Thinking that he had figured out his master's intention.
"... Clearly, she wishes to test our abilities."
"Do you think so?"
"She must be."
Doubt flickered in the expressions of some of the subordinates, but Talhan's voice was filled with strong conviction.
"Our master is pleased by our loyalty, but she is also pleased by our growth. You all know this."
"That's right."
"The master is that kind of person."
The subordinates smiled in agreement.
Whether monster or human, everyone who had worked with him for a long time agreed.
Only the relatively new recruits merely reacted by thinking, 'I guess so,' as they observed the veterans' responses.
The Dungeon Lord's intelligence officer nodded satisfactorily as he watched their reactions.
"Clearly, she must know that an ordinary guild member's body cannot escape her detection. Send our best assassins and trackers to wait in the shadows.
If our master makes contact first, comply obediently, but absolutely do not step forward first. We are showing her our capability."
""Yes!""
Watching his subordinates disperse, Talhan's eyes grew even more intense.
Even if his guess was wrong, this action itself was sufficiently meaningful.
After all, what lord would dislike a loyal subordinate who worries about their safety?
- 3 -
On the lively streets of Copherin, I was thoroughly enjoying my date with her.
Since it had been a very long time since my last outing, I had a strong desire to enjoy some peaceful time.
Whether human or monster, if one worked without rest, they would eventually burn out.
Sometimes, appropriate rest was a way of catching one's breath for the long war ahead.
So, resting when one could rest was the wise thing to do.
"The gazes have increased, Master."
"I see."
I felt the watching eyes Talhan had sent increasing in number, but I wasn't particularly bothered by it.
After all, there had been a time when I had leisurely raised a wine glass while surrounded by countless enemies.
The gazes of mere loyal subordinates couldn't cause a ripple in my heart.
... The only things that could shake my heart were the precious women with me now, or perhaps my past which was still not fully resolved.
"Are hyu bothered (are you bothered)?"
When I asked her with ice cream in my mouth, Evangeline shook her head firmly.
Her gaze was fixed solely on me the entire time.
"How could I be? I am spending time like this by your side, Master."
"But you're offended."
"..."
Evangeline didn't answer that, but the slight furrow in her brow and the sharp aura radiating from her body spoke for her true feelings.
She looked so endearing that a laugh naturally escaped me.
"... Huhu."
"Master?"
"You're too anxious, so this won't do. I'll have to make them withdraw."
"No, I have no intention of causing you trouble..."
At my words, she hurriedly smoothed her brow, but it was already too late.
Just as I was shaken by them, they were inevitably stirred by me as well.
Of course, she wouldn't show this side of herself in front of an enemy, but right now, this was simply a peaceful time out.
"How can I fully enjoy myself if my date is frowning?"
"I am deeply ashamed."
As I said this while waving the dessert spoon, Evangeline bowed her head and apologized.
I looked at her and flicked my spoon.
The spots where the informants were hiding for surveillance were all 'blind spots,' which in other words touched upon the 'invisible' realm of darkness.
"「Step back. I will come when the time is right.」"
I perceived everything in the blind spots intersecting Evangeline's and my fields of vision, and conveyed my will through magic.
Shuuk!
The flustered presences grew stronger here and there for a moment, before I felt them distancing themselves.
"It's done now, right?"
"I'm sorry."
I left the emptied ice cream dish and extended my hand, offering her the back of it, as her expression darkened.
"Let's get moving. I want to enjoy the date course you picked out a little more."
"It wasn't exactly chosen with that kind of intention..."
"I know. You wanted to give me something delicious, right? Then it's definitely a date."
This time was for me, but it was also for her.
"... Master."
Even while shy, she still didn't forget to be the perfect escort.
I could vividly picture Talhan racking his brains trying to figure out my intention, but now was not the time to think about such things.
His current struggles would surely be repaid handsomely with a reward later.
After all, I had come to give them a reward in the first place.
The ability test was merely an added bonus.