After entering the ruins, we first set down our luggage.
For now, the light from the leather pouch seemed sufficient.
Just to be sure, we checked the interior again.
It was not particularly wide, and nothing suspicious stood out.
It seemed to be nothing more than a remaining structure.
After a short exploration, we quickly finished dinner.
After the meal, we lightly confirmed our plans for tomorrow.
Once that was done, we finally began preparing for sleep.
"I will help you take off those clothes."
"I-it is fine... Nn~"
Liz's voice showed she was struggling.
Eve reached for Liz's clothes.
"See? I told you so."
"...Uuu"
The clothes we had bought for Liz in the village on the way to the Demon Zone.
They were something a certain noble had given to his beloved daughter, only to be rejected.
Liz was still having trouble putting them on and taking them off.
The outfit completely ignored ease of removal.
It also had not been designed with comfort during sleep in mind.
So it was bound to interfere with getting a good night's rest.
That said, the quality and durability were certainly high.
It was worth the money spent.
The design still felt a bit in bad taste, though...
I turned my back to Liz as she loosened her outer garment and sat down beside Seras.
"We will have to buy Liz some proper clothes eventually."
"Those clothes suit her in their own way too."
While combing her glossy, slender golden hair with a comb, Seras spoke.
Even in the Demon Zone, she still cared about her appearance.
I lay down using my arm as a pillow.
"In Liz's case, the base material is good. Most clothes would look nice on her no matter what she wears. Even something like that."
Seras stopped combing her hair and placed her index finger on her lips.
"Hmm..." She looked upward thoughtfully.
"Well, that is true..."
"You are the type who looks good in anything too, Seras."
"...Do you really think so?"
"Yeah, I do."
I slid my gaze sideways.
Seras had an expression as if lost in thought.
It also seemed like she was reminiscing about the past.
"What is it?"
"Yes... I suddenly remembered how the princess often urged me to wear various outfits. Whenever she obtained new clothes, she wanted to dress me in them. Before I knew it, it had become something like the princess's hobby..."
"Well, you must have been fun to dress up."
It was rare for Seras to voluntarily talk about the past.
"Pakyu~n!"
"Pigii~!"
The small Slei passed in front of us.
Pigi-maru was riding on Slei's back.
They seemed to have become quite good friends.
"You were close with that princess, huh?"
"I believe we were."
Seras had been holding a major misunderstanding about the Holy King.
Because of that incident, she seemed to have lost some confidence in her relationship with the princess.
"..."
The princess, huh.
The princess of the Holy Kingdom of Neah that Seras had once relied on.
Come to think of it...
That princess had been scheduled to marry Sibito.
Now that Sibito is dead, what happened to her?
Seras is probably worried about that too.
She usually tries not to show it on the surface.
"Seras, if—"
"I swore to wield this sword for you. So please do not worry about it."
She anticipated what I was going to say.
"Besides, I am sure the princess is fine. She is a wise person... She must be handling things well even now."
Her trust in the princess seemed deep.
I looked at Seras as she sat with perfect posture.
A faint shadow of worry covered her beautiful face.
Just faintly.
She was making an effort not to let that emotion show in her expression.
Unless observed closely, the feelings hidden deep inside would not be readable.
She trusts the princess.
So she is not worried.
"..."
But that cannot be entirely true.
Seras suddenly looked startled.
Without speaking, her gaze wandered.
She seemed to want to say she had accidentally blurted out something strange.
Her thin lips opened and closed several times.
She wanted to change the subject.
But—she could not find one.
"Did you see that light in the distance before we entered the ruins?"
"Ah... Y-yes—I did see it!"
For some reason, Seras leaned her upper body forward with excess momentum.
I pulled back slightly.
"...What do you think that light was?"
"I suspect it was a fight between monsters."
"Do the monsters here fight among themselves too?"
"It is said that when the root evil that created them is different, fights can occur even between golden-eyed monsters. However, that theory has not been proven."
I recalled what Seras had taught me.
The golden-eyed monsters that spread across this world were created by successive root evils.
Past root evils had been destroyed by heroes from another world.
However, a portion of the golden-eyed monsters they created remained without being wiped out.
Many of them fled into underground ruins in various places or into this Demon Zone.
"Hmm... So if their 'parent' is different, they fall out with each other."
"That said, compared to other creatures, golden-eyed monsters seem to have a stronger sense of kinship with each other."
I see.
They have a strong sense of camaraderie.
That is why, while it is not nonexistent, fights are relatively rare.
"..."
"Touka-dono? Is something wrong?"
"Hm? Ah... No... about that light..."
Not monsters fighting each other.
"I was thinking it is also possible that humans and monsters were fighting..."
▽
Dawn broke.
Right before going to sleep, Seras suddenly put on a serious expression and confessed a mysterious worry:
'Touka-dono does not smile very pleasantly... Is it because I am a boring high elf...?'
There was a strange scene where everyone in the "Fly King Squadron" except Seras rushed to comfort her, but other than that, the night passed without any particular problems.
After checking the time, I put away my pocket watch.
It was already morning outside.
After breakfast, we reconfirmed today's plan.
Then, once we had almost finished preparing to depart, we decided to leave the ruins.
Seras and Liz were now finishing the final packing.
While wrapping Pigi-maru around my body under my robe, I said to the two of them.
"I will go outside with Eve first."
"Understood. We will come right away too."
"Yeah—let us go, Eve."
Eve finished putting on the leather straps.
"Yes."
We walked toward the door leading outside.
A short distance away from Seras and the others, Eve beside me opened her mouth.
"Still... I was surprised last night. I never imagined Seras was worrying about something like that."
"Yesterday, Seras talked a little about the past... She probably remembered it along with that."
According to the person herself last night,
'Seras-dono is incomparably beautiful and truly a charming woman, but she seems to lack a certain wit for humor.'
She had been told something along those lines many times by nobles during her time as a holy knight.
"But Seras has many other excellent qualities. The humor of those insufferable nobles is not necessary for the current Seras."
"Umu..." Eve folded her arms.
"Even so... I thought I had listed Seras's strengths last night. But it did not seem to comfort her at all. Rather, it seemed to confuse her..."
I scratched my head.
"You might need a bit more delicacy..."
"What? Delicacy?"
"Even parts that seem like strengths from the outside can be a source of worry for the person themselves, or make them unsure how to respond when mentioned."
Because the other party was Eve?
Or because her personality was tolerant?
Seras had not gotten angry at Eve, but.
"Gurururu..." Eve let out a low growl.
"What was wrong... I have no idea at all..."
Was this why Eve Speed was called insensitive?
"By the way, Eve, did you notice?"
Eve seemed to sense the change in my tone.
Her atmosphere tightened.
"No, I have not sensed anything yet... but you felt something?"
"...Yeah."
She had not noticed this presence yet.
It seemed I was the only one who felt the slight sense of wrongness so far.
The door to the outside.
I poured magic essence into the gem.
"Eve, even after the door opens, do not step out immediately."
"...Understood. I see—so that is why you said we would go outside before Seras and the others."
Eve seemed to have noticed "it" as well now.
However, it appeared I had been the only one who had faintly sensed this presence even from the moment we woke up.
How should I put it.
It felt like the presence was being intentionally suppressed.
There was that kind of feeling...
—Gogogogogogogogo—
Bright sunlight poured in through the gap of the opening door.
The door opened completely.
Eve pressed herself against the side of the door in a position where she could hide.
I did the same on the opposite side.
Beyond the door was a descending staircase.
Slowly, I peered down below.
"It" was there at the bottom of the stairs after descending completely.
I also roughly understood the reason why only I had sensed this presence.
Eve, who had also checked below, swallowed her saliva.
"――――ッ"
She pulled back with an unconscious movement while remaining wide-eyed.
"Humanoid type."