After escaping from the Hermit’s Lair underground, we left the hut. I felt incredibly tired today…
The contract with Sera proved extremely difficult, but we succeeded in forming it safely. What was so difficult, you ask? Getting Sera to stop crying. After she woke up, she cried for almost half an hour. Perhaps decades of sadness had finally erupted. We tried everything we could think of to calm her down. We tried as hard as we did when fighting Victor. Come to think of it, meeting Efil was similar.
In the end, we somehow managed to get her to listen to talk of a contract, and received her promise to do so.
“Sob… I will…”
Yes, the contract is complete. Although she is beautiful on the outside, I get the feeling she’s still childish on the inside. Apparently, she was raised as a sheltered daughter by Demon King Gustav. Well, I don’t know the age of maturity for demons.
She is currently being carried on my back. And she is still crying. The feel of her chest against my back is comforting, but hearing her cry in my ear makes me feel very uncomfortable. I wish she would walk on her own soon…
By the way, Gerard isn’t in any condition to carry Sera right now. It seems the signs of evolution are appearing, and he can barely walk. We plan to endure this situation somehow and dismiss his summon in a place out of sight.
“Oh, you’re back. …And who is that woman with you?”
The mage maintaining the barrier noticed us.
“We have subjugated the demon. It seems it was sealed while possessing this woman.”
We proceeded with the story as discussed with Melfina and the others. The first adventurer to enter that room witnessed Sera in her sealed state. If things proceed as they are, Sera will be mistaken for a demon. For Sera to become an ally, spreading such rumors would be problematic. More importantly, she is the Demon King’s daughter, so it would be best to keep her identity hidden.
“W-What! You really defeated a demon!? W-What’s the proof!?”
“This is the proof. If you appraise it in the appropriate place, you should be able to verify it.”
I handed a piece of Victor’s armor to her. I’m sorry, Victor, but we’ll say he was the demon possessing Sera. This should be enough to make the story believable. Victor himself has been buried and properly mourned.
“O-Oh, King… I’m reaching my limit soon…”
“You’re the one who said it. “What knight would keep a crying woman waiting!” I could have waited until you evolved, you know? Take responsibility for your own words.”
“U-Uh huh…”
Hang in there, Gerard.
The issue of Sera’s horns and wings was resolved by her equipment. Thanks to the “Disguise Hair Tie” that ties Sera’s red hair into a twin tail, her demonic features like horns, wings, and tail disappeared, making her look like a human woman. Whether Demon King Gustav gave this to Sera knowing this is a mystery, but given his doting fatherly nature, it’s likely.
“She is quite weakened, so we will return to Pars with her as she is. May we leave the rest to you?”
“Yes, please leave it to us. To be crying so much, she must be miserable… It’s okay now, don’t worry.”
The mage is misunderstanding things to her liking. We should take our leave while we can.
Passing through the barrier, we went through the campsite where Rank C adventurers like Uldo were keeping watch. As expected, Uldo’s party rushed towards us. Attracted by them, other adventurers nearby also turned their attention to us.
“Whoa, you’re safe, Kelvin! But who’s this beautiful woman!? And the knight looks pretty worn out too! Did a demon get you!?”
Uldo barraged us with questions. I’m sure it’s out of concern, but now is not the time.
“…Something feels like it’s going to come out…”
Yes, now is not the time!
“Uldo, I’ll explain later! Gerard is in serious trouble from the battle with the demon! To treat him, we need the secret medicine I left in Pars, so we’ll be going now!”
I unleashed a torrent of words, surprising even myself, and ran off without pause.
“W-Wait, Kelvin—”
Sorry, Uldo. I’ll be back later! Gerard, just endure this dash! We sprinted at full speed into the forest.
***
—The road in front of the entrance to Pars City.
“Phew, I feel refreshed. For a moment there, I didn’t know what would happen.”
“Is that the first thing you say after evolving?”
Safely dismissed, Gerard evolved within my magic. His evolved race was the Underworld Knight Commander. According to Melfina, it’s a subspecies of the Underworld Knight that appears in S-Rank dungeons. True to his name, his large, jet-black armor became sturdier and more imposing, and his stats became comparable to Victor’s. Surprisingly, the Battleship Black Shield, which should have been destroyed, was in his left hand. And like Gerard, it had been reborn, strengthened.
“Hmph, this is surely the result of my devotion to chivalry.”
“To me, you just looked like an old man holding in his pee.”
Gerard’s state at the end looked exactly like that.
“Oh, you stopped crying, Sera.”
“…Yes.”
At some point, Sera had started listening to our conversation. Mental communication should be possible, but she’s probably not used to it yet. I’ll speak to her normally.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. Thank you for worrying about me. Um…”
“My name is Efil. I am your Master’s slave and maid.”
Efil lightly lifted her skirt and gave an elegant bow.
“I am Gerard.”
“I am Melfina.”
We each introduced ourselves. Kuro was bouncing around on Efil’s shoulder.
“As I said during the contract, I am Kelvin.”
“I am Sera. Nice to meet you. You’ve probably heard from Victor already, but I am Demon King Gustav’s daughter. …Now that I think about it, was it really okay to make me your subordinate?”
Sera asked worriedly over my shoulder.
“I’ll manage somehow. As you can see, my concealment skill is S-Rank. You don’t have to worry about your status being revealed by appraisal.”
“…I was surprised by your strength in defeating Victor, but who exactly are you? You’re not the Hero, are you?”
“Don’t worry, there is a Hero. I’m just an adventurer who likes fighting a bit.”
” ” “A bit?” ” ”
Stop harmonizing there.
“Heh, you’re strange people. You seriously tried to comfort me when I was crying.”
“You’ll get used to it. We’re almost in Pars. Is the disguise hair tie still working?”
“It’s fine. Oh, but…”
Sera hesitated slightly.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’ve never been inside a town before… I’ve only been as far as the castle gardens.”
“Are you perhaps nervous?”
“…A little.”
I see, she was raised without public exposure. Come to think of it, when she was talking to the mage and Uldo, she seemed to be observing them even while crying. Is she quite shy?
“For now, we’ll head to the inn once we get into town. Until then, I’ll carry you, so get used to the air.”
“…Mm, thank you.”
“It’s alright, everyone is kind.”
“I-I will do my best.”
It seems it will take some time yet. With Sera stiffening on my back, we entered Pars.
