MTLNOVEL Ch. 92
Chapter 92
When Yuurai woke up, the first thing she saw was Claire's collarbone.
It seemed she had fallen asleep hugging Claire in bed. Since they were clothed, it probably didn't mean anything more than that.
(...No, it's not just Claire. That warmth on my back must be Lipia.)
Yuurai could feel warmth and softness against her back as well. Since they slept together every night, she could tell who it was just by the feel and the way they clung to her.
(Is it morning now? This place... is it a house in Grimoire? How long has it been since then?)
As Yuurai squirmed and enjoyed the sensation of Claire, the sound of a door opening echoed.
"Ah, Yuurai-sama, you're awake?"
"Nn... that voice, Gilka?"
When she looked over, Gilka was smiling. She had expected that it would take time for her hair and body hair to recover, burn wounds aside, but thanks to the Saint's power, she was back to normal as if nothing had happened.
"It's me, Gilka. I didn't make it out in time and got pretty badly hurt, but I'm fine now."
"I see. That's a relief... Don't scare me like that. I know it's not your fault, though."
"I'm sorry."
"Well, as long as you're safe, that's what matters. But... some of your subordinates died, didn't they..."
"...Yeah. It's frustrating for me too, but by the time I got there, Yuurai-sama had already settled everything. All I can do now is mourn their deaths."
"...Yeah. I'm sorry. It's because I'm the Demon King."
Apologizing while sandwiched between two girls was quite a ridiculous situation.
However... these two were probably already awake. They were holding her so tightly that Yuurai couldn't move.
"Please don't worry about it. People die suddenly and unfairly. Sometimes, just when they find new hope, it gets trampled on. They understood that much. They've also pushed such deaths onto others before. So now they're just like, 'Well, guess it's finally our turn,' and taking it in stride."
"...I see. I should try to move on too."
"Please do."
"Nn. ...By the way, this is Grimoire, right? How long was I asleep?"
"Yes, this is Grimoire. And Yuurai-sama, you were asleep for three days straight. Those two used you like a hugging pillow the whole time."
"...I see."
"Would you like to rest a bit more?"
"Yeah. At least until these two are satisfied."
"In that case, you probably won't be getting out of bed for another three days."
"Oh, come on."
"Well, take it easy. There's no need to rush anything. I'll be going now."
"Nn. See you later."
Gilka left.
Then, Claire spoke up.
"Yuurai. I'm glad you're okay."
"Nn. But honestly, I'm the one who's glad you and the others are safe. That Archangel had a lot of magic, after all."
"We're safe. It was frustrating that we had no choice but to run and leave you behind, though."
"It was a compatibility issue."
"Yeah. I know."
"Next time something happens, fight with me."
"Is that an order?"
"It is. But seriously, do we need to have this conversation every time?"
"...I don't know. At first, I resisted acting on my own will for Yuurai's sake. That's why I followed orders. Now, I ask because I don't want to forget that feeling. I want time to think about whether it's truly the right thing to do. If Yuurai ever strays from the path, I want to be able to correct her properly."
"...I see. Then let's keep doing this."
"Yeah."
Yuurai was grateful that Claire was by her side.
No matter how much power she had, as long as Claire was there, she felt she'd be okay.
"Hey, Yuurai, does your wound still hurt?"
This time, it was Lipia who spoke.
"Nn. I'm fine. You're the one who healed me, right, Lipia? Thanks."
"I'm the one who healed you. It was a pretty bad wound. Took a while to heal... If you were human, you'd have died for sure. I was shocked."
"Sorry. Well, I'm not going to die that easily, so it's fine."
"Yeah. But don't push yourself too hard. I'd hate it if you disappeared, Yuurai."
"Nn. I'm fine. I'm not going anywhere."
"Promise."
"Yeah. Promise."
The two of them didn't leave Yuurai's side for a while.
Yuurai found it comforting and drifted back to sleep for a bit longer.
Then, evening came.
"...Yuurai, isn't your otherworld life kind of indecent? Claire, Lipia, and Fia are all clinging to you. Gilka still seems to be keeping her distance, though..."
Yuurai was talking alone with Rifiris in a room of the house.
"Don't say indecent. I just ended up with a bunch of close girl friends."
"Too close, if you ask me. Especially Claire and Lipia—what's your relationship with them? Are they your lovers?"
"No. Nothing romantic. We just sleep together every night, but all we do is cuddle."
"...That's indecent."
"We're not doing anything lewd."
"Suspicious."
"Seriously, we're not doing anything... probably."
"Even so, while I was locked up by the Church living in isolation, you were living it up surrounded by girls. That's not fair."
"Don't say it like that. I had it rough too, you know? Got tortured, stabbed with swords, had armies of thousands sent after me."
"Ugh, really? I guess I didn't go through anything like that."
"Right? It's not easy to say which side had it better."
"Yeah... But it seems like you've settled into life here now."
"Well, I guess so."
"Isn't it a bit boring? No manga, no games, no internet. Too little entertainment."
"Yeah, there's not much entertainment. But I've found people I care about, and I like this life too."
"...I still feel like you're living the better life. I've never had anyone important here. The Church people never loved me as a person. They only needed the Blessed Child and the Hero. Even my parents here—I didn't like them much. When they found out I was special and the Church people came, they sold me off for a huge sum. Well, they weren't rich, so maybe selling one child for lifelong security made sense. Maybe that's just how morals work in this world. But still, I felt betrayed."
"...Any normal child would've been deeply scarred."
"Exactly. I think I'm amazing for keeping a decent heart."
"You are. But you can still find people you care about. There'll be more encounters."
"...I'm glad I met you, Yuurai. But you've already got so many people around you... I can't be your one and only special person, can I..."
"Yeah."
"By the way, Yuurai, are you a lesbian? Not into guys?"
"Yeah, something like that."
"Hmm... Well, I'm straight, so don't get any weird ideas just because I'm cute, okay?"
"I'm not. Though you are cute."
Rifiris smiled proudly. Her doll-like beauty was certainly captivating.
But to Yuurai, someone being important wasn't because they were the most beautiful in the world.
She did think Rifiris was cute, but that was all.
"...I've decided. I'm going to live an even more fun otherworld life than the Demon King. I'll make lots of friends and allies, fall in love properly, and be happy."
"Yeah. I'm rooting for you."
"...A lot of people died in the Holy Capital, but that wasn't my fault. I'm a victim too. I'm not going to let it eat away at me."
Despite her declaration, Rifiris looked like she was still deeply troubled.
Anyone with a sound mind would be affected when thousands died so close to them.
"You're not to blame for anything, Rifiris. I think so too. You don't have to feel like you need to live for the dead. Just be shameless and say everyone else made a fuss and died on their own."
"...Yeah. You're right."
After that, Yuurai and Rifiris talked about many things, and in the process, she also applied a treatment to suppress her impulses as the Hero.
Since Rifiris had no intention of opposing Yuurai, she accepted it without resistance.
The two of them could've talked all night, but eventually, Claire and Lipia showed up.
"You're not doing anything bad to the little girl, right?"
"Don't teach weird stuff to the kid, okay?"
Yuurai was exasperated, wondering what they were even worried about. Maybe it was just that being too attached to someone made you lose your ability to think rationally. It was silly, but kind of cute.
And once again, she spent the night sandwiched between Claire and Lipia.
Feeling like she had forgotten something... Yuurai greeted the next morning.
"......When will you give me the reward kiss you promised me?"
Fia approached sulkily, and Yuurai grew a little flustered.
Claire and Lipia gave off an ominous aura, and a minor dispute ensued.
But in that peaceful time where no one died, Yuurai felt deeply satisfied.