Several days had passed since the defense of Telmus. Most of the evacuees had returned, and the town was enveloped in an atmosphere of festivity, even more vibrant than usual.
Food and drink were being sold all over town, and every tavern was packed to the brim. Despite the sun having set, the town was buzzing with activity, as if pushing back the curtain of night.
The cause of this festive uproar was, of course, the successful defense of Telmus from a demonic invasion a few days prior.
Despite the overwhelming difference in power, the brave warriors who fought valiantly and protected Telmus were being celebrated. It was a festival planned to honor their achievement in repelling an invasion from the demons, who had until now only been trampling over them. But beneath it all, there was also a sense of mourning for those who had fallen in battle.
In such a festive state, the noisiest place in Telmus was undoubtedly…
“To our heroes of Telmus!”
“Cheers!!”
The sound of glasses clinking echoed in the tavern attached to the Adventurer’s Guild. The adventurers’ enthusiastic applause echoed throughout the building.
The cheers were directed at a young girl. Yuka, her face as red as her hair, scratched her head in embarrassment as if trying to hide her shyness.
“Ugh, Izayoi’s words have become reality…”
Surrounded by dozens of adventurers praising her, Yuka stared off into the distance with a far-off look in her eyes, wondering how things had come to this.
Yuka, the hero of Telmus who was being mobbed by burly men and women drawn by her cuteness, was watched over with a smile by Lilith from a corner seat. Across from her, Izayoi was sipping on a strong drink.
“So, are you satisfied seeing Yuka being teased?”
“I’m absolutely thrilled.”
When Izayoi asked, Lilith answered with a radiant smile. Whether her high spirits were due to the festive mood or the influence of alcohol didn’t matter; either way, it would be troublesome if she got involved.
“I didn’t think they’d actually make such a fuss…”
Izayoi swirled the ice at the bottom of his glass and glared at Lilith with half-closed eyes. The person in question simply shrugged off his gaze with an air of ignorance.
After the battle ended, there was a moment of stunned silence on the human side. Their opponents, who had been engaged in a deadly battle just moments before, suddenly turned their backs and began to retreat. It couldn’t be helped.
Then Yuka appeared against the flow of demons. At first, the soldiers were wary, thinking she might be one of them. But when Lilith convinced Edgar otherwise, their reaction changed to loud cheers.
It’s unknown what Lilith testified at that time, but she must have blown some kind of wind. Everyone took Lilith’s words at face value and began to celebrate Yuka as a hero.
There must have been some kind of calculation behind it all. For example, they wanted a clear hero for the inconclusive end to the battle.
Anyway, Izayoi’s joke became reality. Yuka was hailed as a hero who protected Telmus without fully understanding what was happening and became a popular adventurer. And her stock is still rising without any ceiling in sight.
As Izayoi watched Yuka being hoisted up into the air with a bitter smile,
“Oh yes, by the way. Yuka has been promoted all the way up to A rank for her achievements this time.”
Izayoi showed a slight surprise at the casual revelation but soon nodded as if it made sense.
What Yuka did was essentially protect an entire town - not something within an E rank’s purview. Therefore it wasn’t strange for her rank to go up; rather it would be problematic if it didn’t for external reasons.
So Izayoi didn’t deny it but simply replied nonchalantly: “I see.”
In truth, Izayoi had been fighting a dragon in the sky above Lilith and the others, but he couldn’t tell them that. Instead, he lied and said he had passed out from exhaustion. Lilith called him out on this, leading to their current situation.
“I said I wouldn’t pry a month ago, but I can’t overlook this any longer. Who are you guys, really?”
Lilith’s gaze sharpened, indicating she wouldn’t tolerate any deception. Izayoi glanced briefly at Yuka. Following his gaze, Lilith also looked at Yuka.
Yuka was having a great time with Gil and the other adventurers she had interacted with. Being surrounded by so many people and being needed - that was exactly what Izayoi wanted for her.
“Hey Lilith. What is Yuka to you?”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden…”
Lilith frowned at the unexpected question, but was pressured by Izayoi’s serious expression. After a moment of hesitation, she finally declared,
“To me, she’s an irreplaceable person who I want to protect at all costs.”
Over the past month, Lilith had been drawn to the girl named Yuka and even admired her for her courage in facing formidable enemies.
She wanted to fight alongside her. She wanted to be her sword and protect her. Those feelings were swirling inside Lilith now.
The knightly heart within Lilith had judged Yuka as someone worthy of fulfilling the promise she once made with a girl who used to be her master. From the moment she was saved on the battlefield, Yuka had become an irreplaceable existence for Lilith.
So Lilith asked Izayoi what he was thinking and how it would affect Yuka. And if his actions would harm Yuka…
Izayoi nodded in satisfaction at Lilith’s confession, which sounded like a declaration without any hesitation,
“I see. Then I have one favor to ask…”
With a somewhat masochistic smile, Izayoi spoke.
▼
Lilith watched in astonishment as Izayoi left his seat and headed towards Yuka, who was being mobbed.
The noise of the tavern seemed far away. She was so stunned that it felt like an illusion.
When asked by Izayoi, she confessed her feelings for Yuka as they were. And what came back was a single request.
“――No matter what happens, please… be on Yuka’s side.”
There was nothing particularly strange about his words. But the atmosphere surrounding Izayoi when he said them felt incredibly fragile and yet seemed to harbor a deep darkness that she couldn’t see through.
Lilith was confused by this uncharacteristic behavior from Izayoi.
He was an incredibly skilled individual with an adult-like demeanor despite his age. A mysterious boy with circumstances he couldn’t share with others. That was Lilith’s assessment of Izayoi.
But something was off. There was an inexplicable inconsistency. It seemed like all of his actions were aimed at achieving a single outcome. But what future he desired, Lilith couldn’t understand.
The only thing that was certain in the chaos of Izayoi’s darkness was that he truly cared for Yuka. That much she understood.
Right now, that’s all she knew. But one day, if she could understand everything about them, Lilith wished upon Izayoi’s retreating figure.
▼
After putting Yuka, who had been made drunk by the adults’ mischief and lost consciousness, to bed in the inn, Izayoi finally relaxed his shoulders.
Yuka slept soundly with her long red hair spread out on the sheets and regular breathing sounds filling the room. To make sure she didn’t catch a cold, he covered her with a blanket and then took a step back to sit on the bed next to hers――
“――Where are you going…”
A thin hand reached out from under the blanket and grabbed his robe.
“Don’t leave…”
Yuka pleaded with him with teary eyes looking up at him. Her appearance was like that of a child afraid of being alone, so Izayoi sat down on the bed where Yuka was sleeping without any choice.
He gently stroked Yuka’s hair which still held onto his robe without letting go. He did so gently and lovingly as if trying to put a child who has trouble sleeping to sleep.
After doing this for a while, Yuka started breathing peacefully again as if reassured.
Izayoi confirmed this and tried to get up but realized that his robe was still being held onto and let out a small sigh.
It would be bad to wake her up now, he muttered under his breath as he looked down at Yuka’s sleeping face.
“Ugh… I can’t eat anymore…”
“This girl…”
Izayoi couldn’t help but smile wryly at her clichéd sleep talk. It seemed his previous assessment of her being a glutton wasn’t wrong.
As he wondered what she was eating in her dream, her peaceful sleeping face suddenly clouded over.
“――Papa…”
“…”
A single tear trickled down from the corner of her eye and soaked into the sheets.
Izayoi was taken aback by Yuka’s unconscious muttering and opened his eyes after a moment. His eyes were filled with a strong determination.
“No matter what, I’ll make sure Yuka gets home. Even if it means making everyone my enemy…”
His strong, yet slightly insane declaration disappeared into the void unheard.