A Door Must Always Be Opened and Closed
“The grand conference will be held in two days.”
As he prepared to go out, Rin asked Labin why she had come all the way to the imperial capital.
Her answer was exactly what he had expected.
In the memories of the reincarnated 'Lee', the grand conference was scheduled to take place immediately after the Hero rejoined the Hero's party.
Following Waltercroix, the Demon Hero party had shown themselves on the front lines all the way to the Zramun Archipelago. In the archipelago, they had even pushed the Hero's party to the brink of annihilation.
Naturally, they needed to have a serious discussion about their next steps.
In particular, Rainfold's exclusive item, the shield Unscratched Rock, had been sliced to pieces by Denarua's slash, rendering its name utterly meaningless.
Restoring it was out of the question.
Having lost the exclusive item bestowed upon him by the Goddess, the shield knight's standing would have plummeted significantly.
He would likely conspire with Rinacien to put on another act, but Rin couldn't care less.
Once everything was wrapped up, those two wouldn't survive intact anyway—and even if they did, they wouldn't be living like humans.
He must not forget.
No matter which heroine was chosen in the original version of Arrogant Saga, Rainfold and Rinacien were hardcoded to be the ones who stabbed Lucy in the back in the DLC.
As the episodes progressed, things would naturally fall into place.
When that time came, Rin would only need to decide whether to sprinkle a little extra seasoning to suit his taste.
Of course, just keeping up with the current episode was overwhelming enough for now.
It was fascinating how, despite all the differing details, the core framework of the main episode remained exactly the same.
“I'm ready.”
Lucy was wearing light armor for the first time in a very long while.
With her massive breasts squeezed into the breastplate, it was hard to guess her actual size, save for the slight overflow near her armpits that couldn't be helped.
Though the Holy Sword hung at her waist, she had layered the armor over a dress designed for ease of movement. It was neither a full battle array nor a proper noble attire.
This half-hearted state suited her current position perfectly.
Her past held her back from expressing her desperate feelings, yet she lacked the shamelessness to just stand idly by.
The accusations Labin had hurled at her after they finished talking about the past kept echoing in her mind.
What happened in the city of romance.
The incident where she had received a kiss on the forehead from Rainfold.
She had sworn to behave herself, to never show such pathetic behavior again.
Yet her tendency to plunge headfirst like a moth to a flame when it came to love was ruining everything.
There was no life to be seen in Lucy's eyes.
“……”
It wasn't comforting in the slightest.
She wanted to be the one person who had never done Rin wrong.
Just like Labin, who was currently chatting with him so brightly.
“Labin, did you come without an escort?”
“I brought Giyol along, but honestly, who's escorting whom?”
“Just having the numbers is a great escort in itself.”
“Hehe, are you worried about me?”
Rin let out a soft chuckle.
“Who knows.”
“…That's cheating.”
His smile possessed a magical charm that could bewitch anyone.
It might only apply to Labin and Lucy, but that charm was incredibly potent to the two of them.
She was jealous.
She was so jealous of Labin, whom Rin had smiled at.
She wanted to chat idly with Rin just like Labin did.
She had talked with Rin on the ship to the archipelago, and on the driver's seat of the carriage heading to the city with the teleportation circle to the capital, but back then, she was just an ignorant fool.
Now that she had heard all about his past, knowing that even he, who seemed capable of embracing everything, detested Rainfold, she felt she had lost her place once again—especially with her history of actively pursuing that shield knight.
The only reason she stubbornly clung to his side was because she was holding onto his single statement: that he would have saved her even if she hadn't been the Hero.
Was that an opportunity he was giving her, or was it merely mercy?
She wasn't sure.
She wanted to open Pandora's box and check, but what if it was empty?
What if he, who had become the center of her universe, actually harbored not a single shred of affection for her?
Lucy didn't have the confidence to keep living.
Even death would not bring her peace.
“Lucy?”
“Yes?”
Startled by Rin's voice, Lucy snapped her head up.
He was looking at her with a puzzled expression.
“Are you still thinking about my childhood by any chance?”
After Rin woke up, Labin had confessed that she told Lucy everything about their days in Gutter Alley.
Though he was taken aback, Rin didn't mind too much. It was a story he would have had to bring up himself anyway to explain why he had to wear a mask and why she shouldn't call him anything other than 'porter.'
If anything, he felt sorry for Labin.
“It must have been a painful memory for you...”
“If you feel sorry, why don't you come back to Waltercroix with me right now?”
“I have things I must do.”
“That again. Hmph.”
At any rate, they were fully prepared to go out.
And Rin and Labin stared intently at Lucy.
“W-What is it?”
“What do you mean, 'what'? You should be leading the way.”
“But why me...?”
“Sigh.”
Labin let out a frustrated sigh.
“Excluding the imperial family, you have the highest status in the capital. If you follow us around while we walk, people are going to find it strange.”
“I don't really mind.”
“You idiot, that naturally makes people wonder, 'Who on earth is Rin?' and turns him into a target! Think a little, will you? Just a little!”
Ah, right.
Lucy fell into self-loathing once again.
“Labin, you're being too harsh.”
“I heard she mistreated the only other survivor of my hometown. I absolutely detest her for it.”
“Labin.”
When Rin gave her a gentle, steady look, Labin surrendered meekly.
“I won't pick on you for no reason. I'll only do it if you mess up, so don't look so depressed in front of Rin.”
“…Alright.”
Feeling deeply sorry for her, Rin made up his mind and reached out to pat Lucy's head.
However, Lucy shrank back, pulling her head away slightly.
“Lucy?”
“No, it's not that I hate it...”
She was worried that touching her impure self would contaminate Rin's hand.
How wretched would she become if she revealed these feelings?
In the end, Lucy forced a smile.
“I'm sorry. You just startled me...”
“No, I'm sorry for startling you.”
She deeply regretted seeing his hand pull away.
She wished he would come closer.
She wished he would try to pat her head again.
But acting deliberately cheerful and clingy was something she had already done with Rainfold.
If she did something like that again, Rin would hate her.
Lucy cast her gaze downward again in melancholy.
“If you're not feeling well, do you want to rest in your room, Lucy?”
“No!”
“Great!”
Lucy and Labin's answers clashed.
Lucy spoke in a rapid, trembling voice.
“I-I'm still scared when Rin isn't by my side. So please let me stay with you. I know I'm a nuisance, but please, by Rin's side...”
As she rambled, Labin scowled heavily from behind Rin.
Thanks to that, Lucy stopped her incoherent excuses.
“…I'll just stay quietly by your side.”
“You're not pushing yourself too hard, are you?”
Rin, you're not the one pushing yourself, are you?
You don't hate me, yet you're forcing yourself to keep me by your side, right?
Her heart surged.
Her mind sank.
With her emotions and reason completely jumbled together, Lucy clung only to him.
Even if she had heard about the past, this reaction was abnormal.
Rin decided to change the subject rather than dig deeper.
“Now that I think about it, going out blindly without any preparation seems dangerous.”
“For example?”
For instance...
“What if we run into Arciel while walking around?”
“If we meet her, we meet her. We can just ignore her. What else is she going to do besides spout nonsense?”
Seeing Labin's indifferent attitude, Rin felt glad he had brought it up.
“If it's Arciel, she'll definitely ask what happened to Gutter Alley.”
“Ah.”
Labin uncrossed her arms.
“Right. Knowing her, she absolutely would.”
“What are you going to say?”
“What do you mean, 'what'? She's a Saint now, so she'll probably watch her mouth and avoid mentioning Gutter Alley.”
“……”
“…Actually, never mind. She's so stupidly straightforward that she won't even look around to see who's listening.”
The moment Gutter Alley was mentioned, unseen eyes and ears would surely report it to the Imperial Princess and the shield knight.
If that happened, they would undoubtedly tighten security and start poking around.
“No, wait. Since I already know that bitch Rinacien, it's only a matter of time before we're exposed anyway.”
“Then she'll ask about me, right?”
“Hmm, Rinacien?”
Rin let out a hollow laugh despite himself.
It was clearly self-conceit.
There was no way she would ask.
She was the Imperial Princess, after all.
“I'll make up a good excuse. Just trust the quick-witted Labin.”
“I know you're good at thinking on your feet, but...”
“What's the problem?”
“Don't hit anyone just because you're angry, okay?”
“……”
“……”
“…I can't?”
“Of course you can't!”
He was already getting a headache.
Even if she talked like that, Labin was someone who got things done when it mattered.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to lead a gang in Gutter Alley and rise to become the head of the thief guild in Waltercroix.
Since he had made sure to remind her, she wouldn't let her emotions get the better of her and cause trouble.
“Let's go, Lucy.”
“Can't I... stay behind you, Rin?”
“Haha, since you're always behind me, I can't imagine you standing in front.”
Even that sounded like a condemnation of her own faults to Lucy.
In the end, Labin stepped in.
“I can't watch this anymore.”
“Labin.”
“I'm not going to scold her.”
Avoiding Rin's gaze, Labin approached Lucy and whispered.
“Didn't I tell you back in Waltercroix to obey Rin's words?”
That single sentence was enough.
“It makes things difficult for me if you make it so obvious that you're being scolded. If you can't even make simple judgments, stick to the basics.”
The 'basics' Labin spoke of meant acting for Rin's sake.
Only now did Lucy feel like she understood a little of what she had to do.
“But where are we going?”
“I'll tell you once we get outside.”
“Alright, Rin.”
Despite everything, Lucy was still tense.
Rin hesitated for a moment before reaching out his hand again.
His rough hand touched the crown of Lucy's head.
He gently patted her.
Lucy was surprised, but this time she did not pull away.
She quietly closed her eyes and savored the sensation of his touch.
“Let's go, my best companion.”
At those words, Lucy smiled brightly.
“Yes!”
Lucy vigorously opened the door.
Click—
“Yo. Uh... I figured I should apologize to the porter...”
She slammed it shut immediately.
“Hey! Open up!”
Arciel pounded on the door, but Lucy just looked back and forth between Rin and Labin.
“What should we do?”
“The window! Let's go through the window!”
“Sounds good!”
It was the first time Labin and Lucy were in complete agreement.