As if speaking out loud, Shiron headed towards the room where the mermaid girl, Johanna, was staying.
The last time he saw her, she looked emaciated as she had lost consciousness, but contrary to his worries, Johanna looked fine.
“You have returned safely!”
“Uh… yeah, that’s right.”
“I’m so glad, so glad! You have no idea how worried I was!”
Johanna embraced Shiron with a look of deep emotion.
Squelch-
‘…What?’
Shiron looked down at the unfamiliar sound.
The hem of his clothes in contact with Johanna was… getting soaked. Shiron’s eyes widened at the scene that was hard to comprehend.[The vile demon’s sorcery!]
Latera, who shared some consciousness with Shiron, was startled upon seeing the mucus-covered skin where Shiron’s gaze was fixed.
[What are you doing, Hero! Get away from her!]
‘…’
Despite the scolding ringing in his head, Shiron remained still.
It wasn’t that he was trying to enjoy the warm, sticky sensation of the skin clinging to him, but because he couldn’t push Johanna away, who had an emotional debt to him.
It was unnecessary physical contact, but Shiron quietly… quietly stood there accepting her one-sided affection.
“Oh…”
Suddenly realizing, Johanna hastily pulled away from his chest. The sticky mucus created dozens of strands, and she stepped back with an embarrassed smile at the indescribable scene.
“I’m, I’m sorry. This happens once a month… I’ve shown you an embarrassing sight.”
[Lie! Hero, this woman is lying!]
‘…I know.’
[How can she lie so shamelessly even after the queen’s death? And to rub her chest against a man she barely knows, like some kind of prostitute!]
‘Let it be, she’s still a child.’
[…You’ve changed. You used to beat and kill demons mercilessly, which I found quite attractive.]
‘When did I ever do that? You’re really sensitive today…’
[Hero, let’s stop this and focus on the conversation.]
‘…’
Shiron turned away from the suddenly serious Latera and focused on Johanna. Her wet clothes clung uncomfortably to her skin, making it hard to find where to look.
He wasn’t some adolescent boy; he had received proper sex education from a maid and had a fiancée, so it wasn’t hard to keep a straight face.
“You look well, which is good.”
“Huh? You’re worried about me?”
“Yes.”
Nodding, Shiron continued calmly.
“Given the situation then, it wouldn’t have been strange for the queen to take you hostage. She could have cast a complex curse and played dirty tricks.”
“…”
“If Kiara had been more vicious, had no blood or tears, and felt nothing for me, I might have killed you.”
“Don’t, you don’t have to worry about it!”
Haha. Johanna laughed shyly and scratched her cheek in embarrassment. She waved her hand as if to say she was fine, but couldn’t hide the cold sweat forming on her plain face.
“I didn’t do anything right, so even if you had done that, I would have thought it was deserved karma.”
“Karma?”
“You said queen, right? It’s because we merfolk served that monster. My father who fled the tyranny wasn’t different, and even though he was possessed by the monster’s spirit, he harmed my father…”
“If it was under coercion, there’s room for consideration. And, in the end, your father survived, didn’t he?”
“Still…”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Shiron patted her slumped shoulders.
“One person’s power is utterly insignificant. Wasn’t Kiara the one who ruled over the merfolk for hundreds of years? You just found a safe place to hide rather than fight the storm. Who could blame you for that?”
“…”
“Fighting the storm and killing monsters is something people like me do.”
“Then, what should I do?”
Johanna faced Shiron with a face even redder than before. Latera sighed deeply, seeing her soul burning hot and sticky.
“Ask for forgiveness for the sin of harming your father, live well without revealing you’re a demon. And…”
Shiron rubbed his chin, as if he remembered something.
“Repent.”
“Repent?”
“I’m not sure if I should say this, but the Empire is deliberately letting some monsters cross the mountain ranges. Of course, they’ll weed out the strong ones. But nothing in the world works perfectly, right?”
“What does that mean…”
“My guess is that encounters with monsters will become more frequent. Not ogres or octopus-like monsters. Strange creatures that have never been seen before will appear in this village too.”
Shiron finished speaking and pulled out a usable weapon from his bosom.
“You asked what you should do?”
A shortsword with a greenish-blue blade. Johanna looked bewildered, wondering what she had just heard, but accepted the sword safely.
“It’s a bit shabby compared to the weapons I use, but it’s better than most black iron swords.”
“……Yes?”
“Protect this village. It’s hard to get support from the knight order in such a remote area. Whether you become a top-notch master by swinging the sword or form a vigilante group, do whatever it takes.”
“…”
“One day, I’ll check if you’ve practiced properly.”
Shiron hugged the bewildered Johanna and made the sign of the cross on her chest.
Johanna smiled faintly at the greenish-blue sword and waved her hand towards the departing Shiron.
After waving for a long time, Johanna tied her shoes to go home, realizing her fate.
Becoming a top-notch master was a demanding order for a mere village girl, but Johanna didn’t mind.
She was a demon, and time was on her side.
Though the path to becoming a master seemed distant, Johanna didn’t feel it was impossible.
After killing Kiara, two days passed.
Although there was no particular reason to stay in the small fishing village of Orr or the coastal city of Lowen, Shiron’s party had yet to return to the capital.
No, it would be more accurate to say they couldn’t return.
When they were about to buy tickets to Rien, Shiron encountered Seira, who had no intention of going back.
“Hey, kid.”
“…?”
“How can a young guy like you just stay inside? You should go out and have some fun; you’ll regret it when you’re older.”
The fact that she had no intention of going back was a reasonable conclusion drawn after seeing her wearing sunglasses on her nose.
A mint-colored bikini revealing every curve of her body.
Jet-black sunglasses.
Lavish earrings of unknown origin made Seira look more like a vacationer than a magician.
Of course, her usual outrageous attire also made it hard to think of her as a grand magician, but her current appearance, dressed completely for fun, was enough to bewilder Shiron.
“Why are you acting so crazy all of a sudden? Aren’t you going to dress properly?”
Seeing the [Swimming Pool Party Elf Mage], Shiron felt embarrassed and threw off his coat.
This wasn’t a beach but a platform to go to Rien. Looking at her inappropriate behavior, who wouldn’t want to distance themselves from the cause of their embarrassment?
“Hmph! Instead of appreciating the advice from an adult, you brush it off…!”
Seira, wearing the coat draped over her shoulders, snorted. Shiron wondered why she was acting like this but decided to hear the reason later and left the platform.
“What advice? When have you ever acted like an adult?”
“…Was it like that? Still, I took care of you well enough as a senior who experienced the expedition first…”
“Who was the one holed up in the room, only coming out to go to the bathroom? And, did you forget how we first met?”
“…”
“How is that a model adult’s behavior? Hiding your identity and appearing as a slave in the auction house…”
“Is that important right now?”
Seira interrupted by grabbing Shiron’s hand.
“Why do we have to leave such a nice place so soon? Over time, I’ve come to realize you need to work hard and rest well when you can. Not just me, but Kyrie also struggled at the end because we couldn’t take care of that. We became emotionally dry, and shadows loomed over our faces… Anyway! We worked hard, so let’s have fun.”
“…Okay.”
Shiron reluctantly agreed as he was dragged along.
There was a 700-year-old elf throwing a tantrum about not being able to have fun on their vacation, but her intention to enjoy the vacation wasn’t felt at all.
It was evident from the hand pulling him now.
A trembling that seemed to show tension. Her palms were sweaty even though they were dry.
‘I wonder why she mentioned Kyrie’s name.’
Shiron felt he could vaguely understand Seira’s intentions.
While Shiron was asleep, maybe even before that, Seira had learned Lucia’s true identity.
Whether there was an emotional reunion among the comrades was unknown, but since Seira hadn’t said anything, it seemed she wanted peace and harmony among her companions rather than destroying relationships.
This awkward behavior,
Seira was acting like this to take care of Kyrie.
Although the evidence was a bit lacking to reach that conclusion, considering the situation, it was hard to think otherwise.
“Lucia.”
Shiron called out the name of the girl crouched on the sand.
As Seira said, there was a woman there who had crumbled without building a single memory in her youth.
Lucia, who was building a sandcastle, looked back in surprise.
“Are you wearing a swimsuit too?”
“Uh… I didn’t want to wear it, but… Seira forced me to.”
“You’re all covered up. If you’re going to feel so insecure, why wear it?”
Approaching with a mischievous smile, Lucia, blushing red, grabbed her coat and stepped back.
‘That fool. Can’t take what’s given to her…’
Seira rubbed her goosebump-covered arm, recalling Kyrie’s old self.
Her comrade from 500 years ago, who knew nothing but fighting, was now just an idiot.
As Seira watched the fresh scene with a mature gaze, someone clung to her leg.
“Seira.”
“…What’s up, kid?”
“I want to wear a swimsuit too. And… I think it’d be nice to buy a swimsuit, eat, go back to the lodging, and take a nap. Of course, I want a room far away from the Hero.”
When Latera asked with an innocent expression, Seira lifted her up.
“I don’t dislike sharp-witted kids.”
“I’m nice, right? You can praise me more.”
With an adorable smile, Latera rubbed her face against Seira’s chest.
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