Chapter 31

In the drowsy state of consciousness, the chirping of birds could be heard from afar.

Lifting her eyelids slightly, she saw the familiar wooden ceiling.

The sunlight seeping through the gaps in the curtains was blinding, so she placed her right hand over her face to block it out.

"…Morning, I guess."

Her voice was a bit hoarse, her throat seemed dry.

Flam sat up, scratched her messy hair, and looked around.

The wardrobe, the desk, the other bed, and various other things.

It was undoubtedly her own room.

"Hmm… When I got home yesterday, I jumped straight into bed… and then… just slept."

That was all she could remember after coming home.

But that was indeed an early morning event, and if it’s morning now, that means—

"…Did I sleep all day?"

She must have slept too much.

It must mean she had exhausted her physical strength.

Running around all day, fighting continuously, and continuing until the early morning—no matter how much her stamina had been enhanced by her equipment, her body must have been nearing its limit.

Her body still felt a bit heavy, and some muscles ached. It must be muscle pain.

"…Haaah… aah…"

Flam yawned widely, her mouth moving lazily.

Her dazed expression showed that her consciousness had not fully awakened yet.

Her mind was hazy, like it was shrouded in a fog.

Her head swayed drowsily like a pendulum and then stopped abruptly at a certain point.

Her gaze fell on the person right next to her.

There, a cute, fair-skinned girl was sleeping soundly.

…It was Milkit, in her nightgown.

Looking closely, her bed was empty.

Unable to bear the loneliness, or perhaps too worried to leave, it seemed she had slipped into the futon while Flam was sleeping.

"Cute when she’s sleeping…"

Flam’s face softened into a relaxed smile as she stroked Milkit’s hair.

Since she was in a nightgown, it meant that unlike Flam, Milkit had stayed awake for a while after coming home.

What had happened to Gadio, Eterna, and—Ink?

While pondering, she waited for her head to clear.

Her hand touched Milkit’s hair, caressed her cheek, and tickled her ear.

She wasn’t disturbing her sleep; the sun was already high, and it was well past the time she should have woken up.

She decided to wake her up as well.

"Mmm… Master…"

"Hmm? Are you dreaming about me?"

"Master… don’t go…"

Her unconscious mutterings made Flam’s heart clench.

Her rapidly rising body temperature.

Of course, given the situation, it was understandable to feel anxious—still, it was a bit much.

"Surprise attacks are unfair, you know."

Flam poked Milkit’s soft cheek with her finger, a bit playfully.

Milkit’s eyes fluttered open, and she looked up at her master.

"Master?"

"Good morning, Milkit."

Flam’s smile came naturally, directed at Milkit.

She didn’t need to force it; Milkit made her feel this way just by being there, just by showing her face.

"Ah… Good morning, Master."

Milkit’s cheeks melted into a smile as she looked at Flam.

They both felt their presence in each other’s lives expanding rapidly.

Even though they had been apart for just a few hours, the fear of never seeing each other again, and the subsequent reunion, had accelerated their emotions.

Their bond had long since surpassed that of master and servant.

And they were both aware of it.

"I was surprised. You were suddenly sleeping next to me."

"I’m sorry. Master wasn’t waking up at all, so I got worried. I thought, ‘What if he never wakes up again?’"

"Ah, sorry for worrying you. I guess I was pretty tired."

"Yes, it was quite a challenge. You really did a great job. Thanks to your efforts, Ink is safe, I think."

"I couldn’t have done it alone."

"Even if that’s true, without you, nothing could have been done… Eterna and Gadio said the same thing."

Being praised by those two.

It made Flam blush and feel a bit embarrassed, but also happy.

She wasn’t worthless, nor useless; she had the strength to be recognized as a hero—though she couldn’t be that arrogant.

However, those words certainly boosted her confidence and strengthened her heart.

"Oh, by the way, if Ink is safe, does that mean she’s awake now?"

"Yes, she’s resting in Eterna’s room. The most dangerous period has passed, but she said we need to be cautious for at least six months."

"Six months… It’s a long time, but it makes sense, considering it’s about transplanting someone else’s organs."

She had deliberately not mentioned it then, to avoid dampening the faint hope they had finally found.

"At least until the wounds heal, we shouldn’t meet, she said."

"I see… I want to see her face soon, but if she’s alive, that’s enough, right?"

Knowing that much made waiting not so hard.

With the worry about Ink’s safety lifted, Flam and Milkit got out of bed and tidied themselves up.

Her clothes had been torn to shreds during the battle, so she had to wear something else.

Perhaps because of the frequent intense battles, her wardrobe was dwindling.

She would have to go shopping soon and buy new clothes.

For now, she put on a white shirt and a plaid shirt over it.

She spun around in front of the mirror and then sat down to comb her hair while looking in the mirror.

Milkit, who had quietly changed into her maid uniform and wrapped her bandages, was standing behind her, watching her intently.

"What’s wrong?"

Her face seemed a bit tense.

Today’s maid uniform was a navy blue dress with a pure white apron and a headband—a classic, orthodox style.

It was a bit plainer than usual, but she looked good in anything, which was quite a mystery.

"Um… I have something I want to give to Master."

She opened a drawer of the wardrobe, took something out, and held it in her hand.

She then stopped, closed her eyes, and wore a troubled expression.

Flam, who had no idea what Milkit was trying to give her, turned around to look at her directly instead of through the mirror.

Milkit, who had been standing still with her hand pressed to her chest, mustered up some courage and approached Flam.

"Here, this is…"

Flam, still sitting in the chair, looked up at Milkit and held out her hand.

On it, a hairpin with a flower decoration was placed.

The light blue, semi-transparent flower sparkled in the light coming into the room.

"Wow, it’s cute… Milkit, are you giving this to me as a present?"

"Y-Yes. I’m sorry I can only give you something like this."

Why did she sound apologetic about giving a present?

Flam immediately said, "No, no."

"It’s cheap compared to what Master gave me, but… I actually wanted to give it to you when you were feeling down about Sailor. I thought it might cheer you up a little. But I never found the right moment. But I didn’t want to not give it to you."

"Whenever I get something from Milkit, I’m always happy."

"Master… you’re always so kind. Thank you. I thought, if I could repay you even a little, so I actually tried to make it myself."

"You made it!?"

Milkit nodded, blushing and looking embarrassed.

Even if it was just the first present from her, Flam had already decided to treasure it for life—now that it was handmade, it was like a family heirloom to her.

She almost felt it was too precious to wear.

But the best way to show her appreciation was to use it.

She couldn’t just put it in a jewelry box and keep it for display.

"Thank you! I’m really, really happy! Can I put it on right away?"

"Of course."

Flam parted her bangs diagonally and secured the hairpin in place.

She checked her slightly different hairstyle in the mirror and smiled.

Milkit, seeing her master wearing the hairpin she had made, smiled happily.

"How does it look?"

"You always look beautiful."

"That’s not what I meant… but, well, I’m glad."

Flam’s words made them both fall silent.

Their gazes met in the mirror.

For some reason, they both blushed and looked away.

◇◇◇

After getting dressed, Flam and Milkit went downstairs and entered the living room.

Gadio was standing by the window, looking outside.

Flam had never seen him in a black coat instead of his armor.

Even just looking out the window, he made quite a picture.

"Good morning, Gadio."

"Flam… and Milkit."

Hearing her name, Milkit bowed with a tense expression.

They had spent time together yesterday, but she still seemed to be intimidated by his presence.

"To be able to wake up after consuming so much Prana in one day is quite impressive."

"A day is impressive…?"

He casually mentioned a terrifying fact.

She would have to be more careful about using it in the future.

"By the way, Gadio, you usually dress like this, don’t you?"

At Flam’s words, Gadio looked down at his clothes and said,

"Yes, I was always in armor during my travels, so you probably never had the chance to see it."

He seemed to understand.

His armor didn’t seem to be epic equipment.

The large black armor was currently stored in another room on the first floor.

Given his status, it wouldn’t be unusual for him to have epic armor, but he must have some attachment to the black armor.

While Flam and Gadio were talking, Milkit ran to the kitchen and started preparing breakfast.

The two of them sat across from each other at the table.

"To be honest, I never thought you would come to help, Gadio."

"Neither did I. When I saw the commotion, I didn’t expect to find you involved. Not only that, but I was also surprised to see you fighting properly and the slave mark on your cheek. What happened after you left the party?"

His narrowed eyes and questioning expression were a bit intimidating.

But it was because he was worried about her.

A girl he had traveled with to defeat the Demon King had become a slave the next time they met.

Anyone could tell something was wrong.

"Let me explain in order—"

Flam recounted the events she had experienced in a nutshell.

How she was sold as a slave by Jean.

How she met Milkit and the cursed equipment, gaining the power to fight.

How she found the church’s research facility while searching for herbs and fought the monsters.

How the monsters were targeting her and that she had the power to destroy cores—

Gadio listened to Flam’s story with a serious expression, nodding occasionally.

After finishing the story of everything that had happened up to today, Flam said,

"That’s about it."

He crossed his arms and thought for a moment.

"Jean, huh? I always thought he was a selfish man, but I didn’t expect him to go this far. He couldn’t just kick you out; his pride wouldn’t allow it."

"I don’t forgive him, but maybe it turned out for the best."

"Because you met her?"

"That’s part of it."

"That’s not all, is there more?"

"If my participation in the journey was by the will of the Church or Origin… I think if I had reached the Demon King’s castle as planned, it would have gone according to their plans."

"Jean’s selfishness inadvertently thwarted the Church’s plot, then."

"I don’t want to admit it, but…"

That didn’t mean Jean was forgivable.

If she ever met him again, she still wanted to kill him, but not to the point of death.

"By the way, Gadio, you were investigating the Church, right?"

"Yes, after leaving the party, something about them seemed suspicious. I used my connections to gather information at the cathedral—"

"Wow, that’s bold."

"Haha, it was indeed a bit forceful."

Given that even a seasoned warrior like him found it amusing, it must have been quite a reckless intrusion.

"But it was the most straightforward way. As a result, I was able to obtain information about the Spiral children and the history the Church tried to hide."

"History… like the Human-Demon War?"

"Yes, and the demon attacks that occurred ten and eight years ago."

"The attacks on the town where Maria and Sailor lived."

Saying that, Flam remembered that she hadn’t heard from Gadio about Sailor’s whereabouts.

She was worried, but she couldn’t interrupt his story.

"If Sailor is Sailor Ambilen, then yes. I don’t know what happened to her, but Maria strongly hated demons. The reason was that she believed the attackers were demons."

"But they weren’t, right?"

"The incident was too perfect. It was too convenient for the Church that only a child with healing magic talent survived. However, there was no record of the Church Knights being dispatched to destroy the town."

"Maybe the records were tampered with?"

"That’s a possibility. But Maria was eight years old at the time."

"Normally, a human can tell the difference between a human and a demon, right?"

"Yes, that part doesn’t make sense. Therefore, at this point, we can’t definitively say whether the attackers were human or demons. It’s possible that humans were disguised as demons. But—regardless of who the perpetrator was, it’s certain that they were associated with the Church."

"Is there a reason you can say that with certainty?"

"Actually, there were survivors other than Maria and Sailor."

Gadio nodded.

If there were such people, they should have been mentioned in conversations with Sailor or Maria.

Perhaps there were people from their hometown among the nuns who were worried about Sailor in the central district.

"Five pregnant women were protected by the Church during the two attacks."

"Pregnant women…?"

It was a story she had never heard before.

Why would the Church gather pregnant women?

It was possible they were used for some kind of research, but—

"Do you see? The attacks occurred eight and ten years ago. That means the children of those pregnant women would be eight and ten years old now."

"…Ah, could they be… the Spiral children?"

"Exactly. In other words, the attacks on the town were to kidnap ‘talented children’ and ‘pregnant women to be used as experimental subjects’… and to ‘exterminate heretics.’"

"Exterminate heretics… I remember there were marks on Sailor’s body that suggested that."

"Maria probably had them too. She likely used to worship a god other than Origin."

"In that case, it’s clear that the Church was involved in the town attacks."

Maria’s strong hatred for demons didn’t make sense, but now that it was clear the perpetrators were associated with the Church, that might not be a big issue.

There were many ways to disguise or brainwash them.

"By the way, if the attackers were Church Knights, why did they blame the demons? It would have been easier to say they were attacked by a large monster and avoid any complications."

Large monster attacks that destroyed towns were not common, but they weren’t unheard of.

Why would they specifically blame the demons and direct people’s hatred towards them?

"Good point, Flam. The cause of that—though I don’t know the reason—was written in the documents I found at the cathedral."

He seemed to have obtained very detailed information, but where exactly did Gadio intrude in the cathedral?

It must have been a place where confidential information was hidden, and if he had been caught, he would have been killed immediately.

Gadio, who could casually talk about such things, was indeed a celestial being, just like Eterna, who could calmly perform Ink’s treatment.

"About fifty years ago, the former king began to lean towards the Origin faith. At the same time, an order was issued to make demons the villains in all stories."

"Stories? Like fairy tales and plays? Why would they do that?"

"I don’t know the reason. But it’s a fact that twenty years later, the perception of demons as evil had spread among the people, and the anti-demon sentiment grew, leading to the Human-Demon War."

"That means humans started the war, doesn’t it?"

"Indeed, that’s the fact."

Flam’s cheeks twitched at his matter-of-fact statement.

"…History can be so easily twisted, huh?"

"It would be difficult for the Church alone, but in reality, the kingdom also colluded in the information manipulation. It’s not easy, but it’s not impossible. The rulers would naturally want to erase such inconvenient history where humans are evil and