Seras glanced toward the entrance of the cave.
"It looks like she's back."
Eve, who had been outside, returned.
"I tied up the horses."
"Thank you for your hard work."
"Mm."
Eve shook her body vigorously, sending droplets of water flying from her fur.
"The spot where I tied them is somewhat sheltered from the rain, and if anything happens I can rush over from here right away."
I tossed a dry cloth to Eve.
"Sorry for making you go out in the rain."
"It's no problem."
"Once we eat, we'll take turns sleeping. We've come quite far from Monroy, so we need rest soon. It would be bad to enter the Demon Zone already exhausted."
"Mm, that's true."
"Puyuri~"
Pigi-maru slipped out from my robe.
He moved away from me and began to tremble near the wall.
He seemed to be in rest mode for a while.
For the meal, we decided to use up the ingredients that would not keep long first.
Eve skillfully started a fire.
I placed a small pot on top of the firewood.
"If your clothes won't dry before we sleep, go ahead and change. I'll turn my back."
"Understood. Liz, shall we?"
"Y-yes."
Seras took Liz's hand and moved deeper into the cave.
"In that case, I will maintain my weapons and armor."
Eve sat down heavily in front of me.
"..."
"Hm? What's wrong, Touka?"
"Because of your fur I didn't really notice, but you're wearing surprisingly light clothing. Your armor is light too."
If she were human, that would be quite a lot of skin showing.
Did leopardkin not care much about exposure?
"Mm, I prioritize ease of movement. One of the leopardkin's strengths is agility. We should make use of our strengths, right?"
"I was certainly impressed by your agility. And by the fighting style that makes use of it, of course."
We fell silent for a few seconds.
"…You never try to ask about my or Liz's past."
"Basically, I don't ask unless the other person wants to talk about it. Everyone has a past they don't want to discuss."
It was the same with Seras.
She had been a high elf princess before becoming a holy knight.
Why had that princess sought refuge in the human-ruled Holy Kingdom of Neah?
What had happened in the high elf country?
How had she lived in the Holy Kingdom of Neah?
There were certainly mysteries.
But I had no intention of actively asking.
I had my own past I had not talked about.
There was no need to know everything.
That was what I believed.
It was the same with Eve and Liz.
"If you ever want to talk, go ahead. I don't know much about Seras's past either. But I think that's fine."
"Understood. Then I will not deliberately dig into your or Seras's past either. There is such a thing as a good distance where you do not know too much about each other."
Our journey with Eve and Liz would only last until we reached the dwelling of the Forbidden Witch.
There was no need for the two of them to know us too deeply.
They would not reach the point of my revenge against the shitty goddess.
Once the conversation wrapped up, Eve went to check on the horses.
I began cutting ingredients beside the pot.
A pot was easy.
Just throw in the ingredients and season them, and it would at least take shape.
If the magic leather bags looked like they would not be enough, I would use them.
"I-I'll help."
Liz, who had finished changing, came to my side.
"Aren't you tired? You don't have to push yourself."
"C-can I help?"
"..."
When she made that face, it was hard to refuse.
"Then could you peel the skin off that one?"
"Y-yes!"
Liz looked happy.
She skillfully peeled the skin.
"Huh, you're good at that."
"I-I'm glad you praised me…"
Liz shyly shrank her shoulders.
She seemed happy to be praised.
"I also helped with cooking."
"Are you good at cooking?"
"The customers at the shop were happy. On the surface, it was supposed to be the mistress who made it, though…"
Another garbage episode added about that mistress.
Seriously…
I placed a hand on my forehead in irritation.
"People like that always try to make themselves look good on the outside…"
"Lord Touka."
"Hm?"
"Um… someday, if you could leave the cooking duties to me, I would be happy… and carrying luggage too…"
When I looked, Liz's hands had stopped peeling.
Her shoulders and voice were trembling.
It still seemed difficult for her to ask for something.
"You don't have to force yourself to find work. Liz's share is basically being covered by Eve working."
"N-no, that's not it."
"Not it?"
"When I was at the White Foot Pavilion, I didn't feel anything… but now, I strongly feel that I want to do something for Lord Touka and Seras-sama…"
I placed a hand on Liz's back.
"Got it. If that's how you feel, I'll think about it positively."
"Y-yes…!"
Liz's expression bloomed.
"Thank you, Lord Touka…"
△
After the meal, Eve and Liz fell asleep.
The two of them were sleeping soundly.
The constant tension had probably melted away, and the accumulated fatigue had hit them all at once.
When tension relaxes, sleepiness can suddenly rush in.
It had something to do with the switch in the autonomic nervous system.
I vaguely remembered hearing something like that before.
Keeping her voice low, Seras said,
"They're both sleeping deeply."
"Originally these two weren't planning to flee from Monroy. Normally, this would be their sleeping time."
We put out the fire and sat down side by side a little distance away from the two.
"Aren't you tired too, Lord Touka? I will keep watch, so please rest."
"To be honest, I'm wide awake and don't think I can sleep."
Seras sat in seiza.
She patted her knees.
"Would you like to use these? You might sleep well on them."
"You're tired too. If anything—"
I readjusted my cross-legged position.
Just like Seras, I patted my own legs.
"Want to use mine?"
"R-really? Then…"
Seras approached on all fours.
"..."
I had meant it as a joke.
Seras placed her head on my lap.
I looked down.
Right below me was Seras's face.
Her sky-blue eyes looked up at me.
She was staring intently, observing me.
"Um, wait… did you just…?"
Sensing something off from my reaction, Seras asked,
"Was that earlier meant as a joke?"
I nodded.
The high elf's face quickly turned bright red.
With an expression as if enduring embarrassment, Seras closed her eyes.
"…That was rude of me again."
"It's fine. Once in a while something like this isn't bad."
"Thank you for your consideration…"
Seras's ears had turned red too.
I rested my hand on my chin and groaned.
"Hey, Seras."
"Yes?"
"I've been curious for a while… can I touch your ears?"
With a slightly tense expression, Seras pinched her long ear with her slender fingertips.
"G-go ahead… if something like this is all right with you."
"I've wanted to touch real elf ears at least once."
"Is this your first time?"
"Yeah, first time."
My touch became hesitant.
…This is surprisingly nerve-wracking.
Squish.
"Nn… h-how is it…?"
"It feels strangely fascinating."
It was not some special-effects prop.
These were real, blood-filled ears.
I lightly stroked them with my finger.
Seras twisted her body.
"No, um, wait— Lord Touka, that is…!"
"…Ah, sorry."
Her ears seemed quite sensitive.
△
After Seras got up, we discussed our future plans.
"Eve's abilities really are amazing. She will probably be very reliable even in the Demon Zone."
"Seras is the same, but there are many situations where you can be useful outside of pure combat. It's a great thing for travel companions."
"Um, this might be an impolite question…"
Seras looked at Eve and Liz sleeping close together.
"Do you have any special feelings toward Eve or Liz?"
"Hm? Why do you think that?"
"Even setting aside the Forbidden Witch, the way you treat the two of them feels strangely gentle—for example, the same way you treat me."
She really was sharp in the sharp parts.
This was exactly why she reminded me of my aunt.
"In short… you're saying my usual self is rough?"
Seras hurriedly placed a hand on her chest and denied it.
"M-misunderstanding! I never meant it that way—"
"Just kidding."
"L-Lord Touka…"
Seras's shoulders dropped with a mix of relief and embarrassment.
I looked at Eve.
"Well, the reason is probably the same as with you."
"Because she resembles that aunt of yours?"
"Eve resembles my uncle."
"Your uncle?"
"Yeah. Of course the gender is different, and their way of speaking isn't similar either. But that good-natured side…"
My uncle was a good person.
Because he was a good person, he had taken me in.
Even though his estranged brother had one-sidedly pushed me onto him.
My uncle had blamed my father—his brother.
But he had never once blamed me.
A good-natured and straightforward uncle.
A rational and kind aunt.
The fact that I was still alive was thanks to those two.
Seras's cheeks softened.
"Your uncle and aunt are truly precious people to you. Whenever you talk about them, your face really does look special."
Did my expression change that much?
I was not sure myself.
"If it weren't for those two, I would have walked a much worse life. No doubt about it."
I could never thank them enough.
Those two could be called the only reason I wanted to return to my original world.
At the very least, I wanted to say thank you properly.
Thank you for taking me in and raising me.
Even just one sentence.
I wanted to tell them that.
Next I looked at Liz.
"As for Liz… she's like me."
"That child?"
Seras Ashrain, who reminded me of my aunt.
Eve Speed, who reminded me of my uncle.
Lizbet, who reminded me of myself.
In a way, it was a strange twist of fate.
"What's similar is the environment they were placed in."
The mistress of the White Foot Pavilion had reminded me of my real parents.
Being oppressed in a terrible environment from a young age.
In that sense, Liz and I had similar circumstances.
However, there was also a decisive difference between me and Liz.
That girl had continued to endure the life of being oppressed.
It was true that I had also endured such days.
But back then, murderous intent had sprouted inside me.
Murderous intent toward those who oppressed me—
Someday I would kill, or someday I would be killed.
At the time, I could say I had been eroded by madness.
No—perhaps madness itself had been my escape route.
On the other hand, Liz was a kind-hearted girl.
She did not seem to hold hatred toward the mistress.
Liz was probably the type who blamed herself.
It was her own weakness that was bad.
She had surely thought that way.
The circumstances were similar, but that part was different from me.
I was the kind of person who was no good.
If something threatened me, I would eliminate it.
I would trample it according to my whim.
That was the kind of person I was.
Touka Mimori would not save the world.
He would accomplish his purpose exactly as he wished.
He would carry out his revenge.
That was exactly why—
"I'll say it again: if you ever want to leave this journey of revenge, you can do so anytime. This is revenge for me alone."
"As you know, I also have feelings regarding the Goddess of Alion. I have no intention of leaving."
Seras gave a slightly mischievous smile.
"After all, I have been appointed to the important position of vice-leader."
"Then I'll be counting on you."
Seras smiled brightly, playing along with my little act.
"Leave it to me, my lord."
"Yeah… as thanks for accompanying me on this journey, I'll grant you one request, anything you want. Of course… as long as it's something I can do."
"Eh?"
By the way, what time was it now?
I checked the time with my pocket watch.
"You've been going along with my selfishness, so at least that much… Well, it doesn't have to be right now. Think about it."
"…Understood."
I put away the pocket watch.
"You should sleep soon. I'll stay awake until it's time to switch with Eve."
Seras began preparing for sleep.
I sat down beside her.
"Then please take care of things, Lord Touka."
"Yeah."
"...I will seriously think about it, okay?"
"Hm?"
"The thing you said earlier. That you would grant me one request, anything."
"I know. I wasn't joking."
Seras hid her mouth with the blanket.
"…Yes."
"So, are you ready?"
"Yes."
In a small voice, Seras said,
"Good night, Lord Touka."
"Yeah."
I held my hand over Seras's face.
"[Sleep]"