I followed the direction in which the black dragon had flown away.
The roars of the dragons.
Tracking them wasn't difficult.
Running speed.
Stamina.
Perhaps thanks to the status corrections?
Both seemed to help me arrive sooner than expected.
Seras slipped out from beneath the black-armored man.
Multiple-target designation allows optional exclusion of specific targets.
So she was unaffected by the paralysis.
A convenient skill.
"To——"
Seras started to speak but quickly closed her mouth.
She had nearly said my name.
But she avoided letting the armored man hear it.
Her mind was still sharp.
"Um... first of all, thank you for saving me."
Seras gave a respectful bow.
"Good thing I made it in time."
Saying that, I looked at the black armor.
"So this is the Black Dragon Knights?"
"Yes, it appears to be a dragon knight from the Bakoss Empire."
"One of the rumored Five Dragon Generals?"
"No, he introduced himself as the vice-captain of a unit led by one of the Five Dragon Generals."
Seras stood beside me.
I gave her a quick glance.
"Looks like things got pretty rough."
"Why did you come here...?"
Seras's gaze was fixed on the paralyzed dragon knight and black dragon.
She was still on guard.
Before answering her question,
"[Poison]"
I applied poison to the dragon knight.
For now, I set it to non-lethal.
For the black dragon, lethal.
After confirming the poison had taken effect, I answered.
"Your situation had already become a rumor in Mills. The details of how you escaped spread too, including that you fled in this direction. So I came back into this forest to look for you."
Seras's expression grew more serious.
"That's not what I was asking... What I want to know is——"
"Hold on."
"Huh?"
"[Sleep]"
I reapplied the effect to both the dragon knight and black dragon.
There might be content in the coming conversation that shouldn't be overheard.
Seras lowered her gaze as if ashamed.
"I-I'm sorry for not noticing. If we're going to discuss sensitive matters, that was necessary. So... why did you come here?"
"I hired you as an escort. From the information I gathered in Mills, it didn't seem like you had betrayed us and run off. So I came to pick you up."
"Pi♪"
Pigi-maru chimed in happily.
"D-Do you understand? If you stay with me like this——"
"I'll end up being hunted by the Black Dragon Knights too?"
"Y-Yes! So please leave this place right now! As far as I can tell, no one else has noticed your presence besides that man..."
"You could just change your face with that illusion technique and escape together, right? Or can't you make a different face from the one you used before?"
"I can, but... right now the spirit that handles illusions is in disarray from the illusion-breaking effect. Until that settles, I don't think I can use it."
"How long until the confusion clears?"
"...I don't know."
Seras took out a small pouch from her bosom.
"I'm sorry. Please consider the escort contract terminated. Here is the Seiryu Stone back."
I let out a breath.
"Reason for termination?"
"That's why——"
Seras pressed a hand to her chest.
"If you stay with me, you'll be put in danger too!"
Her expression was pained.
"To be honest, it's a hassle."
"Y-Yes! Staying with me will only bring trouble!"
I scratched my head.
"That's not what I meant."
"Th-Then what do you——"
"Finding an escort with better conditions than you would be a hassle."
"――――!"
Seras seemed at a loss for words.
A brief silence.
Then she pressed on stubbornly.
"If we head north from Mills, we'll reach the royal capital of Urza before the monster zone. There should be skilled mercenaries available for hire. If you want to cash in the Seiryu Stone for a high-priced mercenary, I know people who could handle the exchange, so I can introduce you...!"
So she really did know underground conversion routes.
"Hey, Seras, which side has the problem here?"
"P-Problem...?"
"For terminating the contract. Is the issue on your side, or on mine?"
Seras looked down.
"...Needless to say, it's on my side."
"Then there's no problem. The contract continues."
"H-Hati-dono!"
"Take off your clothes here."
Time seemed to freeze for Seras.
She blinked rapidly.
"——Huh?"
I set down my pack.
I took out the women's clothing I had bought.
"The size might be slightly off, but I got you some replacement clothes. Your current outfit is probably burned into everyone's memory in Mills. Just to be safe, change before we enter the monster zone."
"Ah——s-so that's what you meant..."
Seras looked embarrassed.
Hm?
Oh, I see.
"Did my poor choice of words confuse you? Sorry about that."
"Yes... I was genuinely a little shaken——"
Seras suddenly realized something.
"W-Wait! Somehow the conversation has turned into continuing the escort contract, but the problem I'm carrying is far bigger than you think..."
She looked painfully at the sleeping dragon knight.
"I've heard about the strength of the Black Dragon Knights. They're the strongest order on the continent, right? And you're being hunted by that very order. So you need to run and hide... is that it?"
"......"
I decided to probe a little deeper.
"Can I ask the real reason you're heading to Yonato?"
She seemed to accept that I had already guessed.
After a short silence, Seras confessed.
"There is a ship departing from a port at the western edge of Yonato that crosses to the western continent. But boarding that ship requires a large sum of money."
I see.
So that's why she needed the three hundred gold coins.
"Then the story about participating in some holy campaign was just a pretext?"
"Yes... I'm sorry for lying."
I wasn't surprised.
I had suspected it might be a front.
I continued.
"In short, you just need a safe place to hide, right?"
"That's... correct. That is——"
Seras clenched the hand over her chest.
"My final order from that person."
Apparently, someone had helped guide Seras's escape.
That was the impression her words gave.
Well, that part was fine.
"So here's one proposal."
I voiced the suggestion.
"How about negotiating with the Forbidden Witch to see if she'll give you shelter?"