• Chapter 4 : When she woke up, she looked somewhat pretty… and my heart skipped a beat before I knew it.

Morning came early for the ex-boy soldier.

The rhythm of life specific to soldiers, waking up in the morning at a given time, awakened Seto’s consciousness immediately.

At first, he thought he had to wake up quickly so as not to be late for training, but his morning brain reminded him of the current reality.

Oh, right. I have no place to go back to anymore. (Seto)

[Satis is still sleeping… Okay, time to scout on reconnaissance.] (Seto)

He slowly walked out of the cabin, mumbling as if he were on a mission.

Although he called it reconnaissance, he was actually going on a stroll.

Breathing in the early morning forest air like this feels nice. I’ve always been into the forest for training, but never on such a peaceful walk. (Seto)

[Hm? Are those fruits? Alright, they look tasty.] (Seto)

Considering his physical abilities, climbing up a tree to get the fruits that grew on it was nothing much. He climbed up as fast as a monkey, and picked about five lusciously fragrant fruits.

He smiled with satisfaction at the palm-sized yield.

I never thought I’d receive so much grace after being kicked out of the party. (Seto)

He packed the fruits into a bag and turned back.

[I’m gonna spoil myself a bit and have two of these for breakfast today. …Hm?] (Seto)

Right before reaching the cabin, he suddenly fell flat on the ground without making a sound and started crawling forward.

When he observed the cabin from the shade of the grass, he saw Satis standing outside, her eyes still vacant.

The way she stood there with her skin moistened by the early morning dew of the forest had a beauty that made it hard to think of her as a regular enemy.

The sight of Satis standing there startled him in spite of himself.

Her combat suit and glasses were back to normal, as if she had fixed them with the mana she recovered after one night’s sleep.

Her scars and bruises were gone, and her hair was beautifully tied back, as it used to be.

However, her heavily revealing outfit combined with the atmosphere around her elicited a different kind of fascination in the boy.

Unlike back when he was facing her as an enemy, it was a fascination for her feminine beauty.

So she’s awake. …But what is she doing standing there and spacing out like that…? (Seto)

He stayed down and observed her without knowing why she came out.

Satis was gazing at the scenery outside, and Seto was watching her while lying down in the shade of the grass.

A few minutes of that curious spectacle passed.

Then she suddenly let out a sigh, and thrusted her hand in the boy’s direction.

[Wha-!? Whooaaaahh!!] (Seto)

Seto, who had been hiding in the shade of the grass, was easily lifted up by Satis and her mana.

Then, he landed at her feet as if she had just tossed him.

[…Hiding in the shadows and gazing at a woman? Can’t say I’m impressed.] (Satis)

[Ugh…! How did you know I was there?] (Seto)

[Please don’t take me lightly. I’m still a former army leader.] (Satis)

As she says that in exasperation, she caught sight of the bag he was holding.

Some fruits tumbled out of it, with one of them rolling at Satis’ feet.

[Did you… get these for me?] (Satis)

[Huh? You wanna eat those too? …I found these by chance. I thought they would be good for breakfast.] (Seto)

He stood up and brushed away the dirt.

Satis’ expression brightened a little.

There was a slight glow in her eyes as she picked up a fruit and stared at it.

[…Do you… like fruits?] (Seto)

[Yes, more so than meat.] (Satis)

[And here I thought monsters were carnivorous. In that case, you can take one.] (Seto)

This time, Satis was the one who looked surprised.

[You’re giving it to me…?] (Satis)

[Yeah, I still have four more. …Is there something wrong?] (Seto)

[No, but… Why do you not only help me… but also offer me charity? We’re enemies, aren’t we?] (Satis)

[I told you. I’m not part of the Hero’s party anymore. Even if I managed to return to my country, they would have me executed for bringing shame on the kingdom. So… I have no home and no country anymore. So the question of who’s my enemy and who’s my ally is now irrelevant.] (Seto)

[…If you tortured me into telling you how to go back to your country, and handed me, the former leader of the Demon King’s army, over to your king… don’t you think you could at least avoid the death penalty?] (Satis)

She may be right. If I captured Satis and handed her over to the kingdom, then… (Seto)

[…Nah. Not worth it.] (Seto)

[Boy… How can you be so calm when you have nowhere to go?] (Satis)

[Even I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I’ve always been isolated when fighting on the battlefield… or something.] (Seto)

Even Seto himself could not solve the mystery of his own philosophical attitude.

The king had absolute faith in the Hero.

So getting kicked out of the party by that same Hero was akin to betraying the king’s expectations.

For someone like Seto who could do nothing but fight, the adults had this authority called “Monarchy”, against which he could do nothing.

His magic sword and their authority may have different characteristics, but the difference in their power was obvious.

[I’m sure the moment I was kicked out from their party, I had become a national disgrace. When I think about it, I just… don’t know.] (Seto)

Satis was left speechless at Seto’s words.

This was not the kind of thing a 12-year-old boy should be talking about.

The situation he was in was way beyond what the average mind could stand, let alone an adult.

What that boy was harboring was most likely the feeling of “resignation”.

He was not aware of it, but his spirit was worn out by the hellish life he had lived as a child soldier.

[…I see. You’re… just like me.] (Satis)

[Now that you mention it… Yeah. I guess so.] (Seto)

Just as the awkwardness of that moment was about to die down, Seto and Satis felt the presence of several monsters nearby.

They let their guard down, allowing the enemy to approach.

They were now but a few feet away.

[Are those… monsters!? Huh? Satis?] (Seto)

When he looked in her direction, something that shocked Seto even more was happening.

[Ahh… Aaaahh…!] (Satis)

She dropped her fruit and was trembling all over, unable to move.

She wrapped her arms around her own body as if to hug herself, then she curled herself up like she was freezing in the cold.

Her pupils shrank due to contraction, and her eyes were wobbling and shaking, causing her vision to be hazy.

She looked like a soldier traumatized by the battlefield.

The memory of that night had been going back and forth in her mind.

That horrible single night that shattered all of her self-esteem and pride as one of the Demon King’s top executives, and as one of the most powerful people.

[Ee-! EEEEK…!] (Satis)

Dammit…! She can’t move. (Seto)

Meanwhile, the monsters surrounded them.

They were larger than the two of them, one of them looked like a big boar, and another looked like a vicious spider.

There were three of them in total, and judging by the state Satis was in, she did not look like she could fight.

[Ohh, now what do we have here…? Kehehe! If it isn’t Satis-sama.] (Monster A)

[You’re right! She’s the shameless one who escaped right before her execution! …Also, isn’t that brat next to her a member of the Hero’s party…?] (Monster B)

The monsters expressed their contempt and mockery toward Satis.

She hung her head and shuddered at the sight of them.

[We sensed the presence of a human and someone familiar, so we came here to check, but… Kehehe! We just hit the jackpot! We’re gonna devour you vermin!] (Monster A)

All at once, the monsters laughed vulgarly.

[But just one more thing before we do… Satis-sama. How ’bout we brutalize you again? I had a real blast torturing you, the only female in the whole Demon King’s army! Thanks to that, I think I’ve grown addicted to humiliating women! Gyahahaha!!] (Monster B)

The sound of that vulgar laugh made her cower even more.

It was as if the top executive of the Demon King’s army who wielded so much power had never existed.

Satis was torn between her trauma and reality, and was too scared to move, while Seto, who was standing next to her, scowled at them without moving.

He had been staring at the three monsters talking down to Satis, without saying a word.

[Kuhaha! What a brat! He’s so afraid of us he’s decided to keep his mouth shut! C’mon, then! Go ahead and ask that tramp for help! She’s just a coward who can’t fight anymore!!] (Monster B)

Again, the monsters laughed out loud, but Seto neither retreated nor moved forward.

He simply stared at them without saying anything.

[…Hmph! So you’re just gonna stand there like a scarecrow? Fine then. You can just die along with that broad!!] (Monster B)

The monsters got ready to attack.

As Satis reflexively screamed, Seto finally opened his mouth.

Despite the current situation, his tone was calm.

[Don’t worry.] (Seto)

Those words resonated in Satis.