Take Me Home
"Take me home."
“That’s strange,” Ilena said, averting her gaze.
“What’s strange?”
“There have been plenty of people who’ve told me they like me.”
“Plenty of people have said they like you…?”
If this had been the old me, I might have considered it calmly. But the moment I heard those words, something surged inside my chest. Still, since I was the one who had confessed honestly and was now waiting for judgment, I chose not to let that feeling show.
“But for some reason it feels strange. It’s different from when other people told me they liked me… and when the words come from your mouth.”
“Is it a good different, or a bad one?”
“If I have to choose…” Ilena glanced at me out of the corner of her eye. “The good kind… I suppose?”
“That’s a relief.”
“Besides, none of them truly liked me. It was obvious what they were after—my power or wealth as the Demon King. But…”
Ilena turned her head toward me again, but she still couldn’t meet my eyes directly. She asked while stealing another sideways glance.
“Why did you say you like me?”
“Because I want something from you too.”
“S-see! So you were after something from me after all…!”
When I admitted I had desires of my own, Ilena looked at me with tears welling in her eyes, visibly shaken.
“Do you really not know what I want from you?”
“I don’t. Tell me… No, don’t tell me.”
“You kept asking me to explain everything, but now you don’t want to hear it?”
“I don’t. For some reason, I don’t want to hear your reasons.”
It seemed there had been quite a few sly men who tried to rattle her by saying they liked her. What an innocent Demon King she was. But what could I do? I had no intention of hiding my true feelings now.
“I want to tell you, though.”
As I stepped closer, Ilena squeezed her eyes shut and clapped both hands over her ears.
“No! I’m not listening!”
“Good grief.”
I tried to gently pull her hands away, but she resisted more stubbornly than I expected.
“Mmmph…!”
She even shook her head vigorously in refusal. I didn’t want to force her, so I came up with another idea.
Without a word, I wrapped my arms around her as tightly as I could.
“Huk?”
Covering her eyes and ears was useless if I simply held her close. As I embraced her, I could feel the little Demon King squirming adorably in my arms. Now that her senses seemed open again, it was time to finish what I wanted to say.
“There’s only one thing I want.”
The moment the words left my mouth, I felt Ilena tense, her body growing rigid.
“This. Being like this.”
“What…?”
Ilena looked up at me, utterly bewildered.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“What else? That’s everything I want from you.”
“You don’t want my power? Or my wealth?”
“I don’t need them. I just want to hold you like—”
“Kyaa…!”
I pulled her back into my arms after she had leaned away slightly to look at me. Ilena let out a short yelp as she was drawn close again.
“—like this, all the time.”
Ilena squirmed for a moment before going still. Then she lightly clutched my clothes with her small hands and murmured.
“This feels strange too.”
“What’s strange this time?”
“We’ve held hands lots of times, haven’t we?”
“We have.”
“It felt strange back then too, but not like this… Huh?”
I loosened my arms around her a little and asked.
“What kind of feeling is it, then?”
“I-I don’t know.”
“Good kind? Or bad kind?”
“Ugh…!”
Ilena’s face burned bright red. Teasing her was fun, but I decided I had pushed enough. I completely released her from my embrace.
“I’ve said everything I wanted to say. That I like you, and that I want to hold you.”
“You say such embarrassing things so easily.”
“Because I only want to say them to you.”
“That’s exactly the problem!”
Whether Ilena shouted or not, I picked up the bag I had set down earlier.
“I know you’re flustered, Ilena.”
“I am. My head’s been hurting since earlier.”
“I also know that what you said about wanting me is different from this. So I don’t want to put any more pressure on you right now.”
Seeing her standing there awkwardly, I nodded toward the exit.
“Think about it slowly. You don’t have to accept if you don’t want to.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to…”
“Then shall we head back?”
I deliberately cut her off before she could finish. Even though I told her to take her time, the truth was I was afraid. No matter what answer she gave, I couldn’t hide the fear in my heart.
“You two! Why are you so late…”
Kana stopped mid-scolding. Sharp as she was, she must have sensed something had happened between us. She set bottles down on the humans’ table, then on the legion commanders’ table as well…
“Hey, newbie. Sit down already.”
Hesed pulled me down beside him. The instant I sat, the four legion commanders’ sharp gazes pinned me in place. While Hesed kept me anchored, Gebura filled a waiting glass and shoved it toward me.
“What did you two do out there to come back with faces like that, huh?”
“What do you mean, faces like that…”
I glanced over. Ilena was sitting at the opposite table with an incredibly complicated expression. I knew I was responsible, but I hadn’t expected her to look quite so conflicted. We hadn’t exchanged a single word on the way back from the liquor storage.
“I don’t know what happened between you and Miss Ilena, but I can tell it wasn’t anything pleasant.”
Malkuth looked back and forth between us, not even trying to hide the curiosity sparkling in her eyes.
On the other hand, Tiphereth seemed genuinely confused.
“Ilena is acting strange. It doesn’t look like she’s upset, but it doesn’t look good either. Just what happened…?”
“Drink first, idiot! Drink and maybe it’ll come out!”
Gebura forced the glass into my hand, his eyes blazing.
One cup. Then another. The liquor was strong, and my own turbulent emotions made my head grow hazy.
“Now talk. What happened?”
“I… I tormented her.”
“What did you say? You bastard…!”
Hesed’s grip on my shoulder tightened, but Gebura stopped him.
“Calm down. If he’d done anything truly harsh, Ilena wouldn’t have stayed quiet.”
“Hehe, now I’m curious. How exactly did you torment her?”
At the word “torment,” Malkuth’s eyes lit up as she leaned in.
“Tell us. How did you torment Ilena?”
“I made things difficult for her. Made her feel burdened.”
“How did you make it difficult? How did you burden her?”
“Well, first…”
I nearly spoke without thinking, but the moment I remembered what I had done—covering her face, first her eyes, then her lips, and then pressing against her strongly—my mind snapped back into focus.
“Sorry. I can’t say it.”
“Aww… How stingy.”
Malkuth looked deeply disappointed while Hesed raised his voice again.
“What? So you did something to Ilena you can’t even tell us about!”
“Hesed, calm down already!”
Hesed gripping my shoulder hard enough to hurt, Gebura trying to pry his hand away, Malkuth smiling slyly, and Tiphereth still looking utterly confused… Since it concerned their direct superior, they couldn’t simply let it go. Yet the ones it had actually happened to were me and Ilena; the people around us were far more worked up.
“Miss Ilena, just say the word! If Roen did anything rough, I will—!”
“Be quiet, brother!”
The opposite table was noisy too. Malcolm seemed to have regained his energy and was passionately arguing with Ilena while Kana kept trying to rein him in.
While Gebura and Hesed continued their standoff beside me, I focused on the other table. Only then could I make out the conversation.
“Kana, you stay out of this. No matter how long Roen has been my friend, if he was rude to Miss Ilena I can’t forgive him!”
“Can’t you tell just by looking? It’s not like that at all!”
“What do you mean it’s not? Right, instead of sitting here—”
In the middle of the commotion, Ilena suddenly stood up.
“I want to go home.”
Her single sentence instantly silenced the uproar.
“I’m not feeling well, so I’ll head back first. Everyone enjoy the rest of your evening.”
Ilena bowed politely to the young villagers, then walked straight out of the community hall.
Malcolm rose awkwardly to his feet.
“You’re not feeling well? I-Ilena, I’ll escort you!”
“No, it’s fine. I can go by myself.”
“But it’s late. At least let me—”
“Do not follow me.”
Ilena’s refusal was sharp and absolute—the most decisive tone I had heard from her all day.
“U-understood.”
Her firm voice made Malcolm sink back into his seat. She had claimed she wasn’t feeling well, yet her voice carried no trace of weakness.
After Ilena left, the atmosphere turned ice-cold. Gebura quietly refilled my glass.
“Have another.”
“Thanks… Huh?”
I heard footsteps at the entrance and turned. Ilena, who had just left, had come back.
She walked straight up to me, poked my back with her finger, and said.
“Take me home.”