Chapter 85

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We had arrived in front of the inn where the old lady was supposed to be waiting.

"Um, let's go in then."

Standing in front of the inn for too long would only be a bother, so I decided to take the two of them inside the inn right away.

"Welcome!"

As we entered the inn, a hearty voice echoed from inside.

And even more noise could be heard.

"Would you like a meal or a room?"

The old lady, looking at the people eating behind her, asked me.

"Um, ah, there she is."

I found the old lady in the dining room, so I asked her to prepare a meal for us. I then led Aula and Turue to the old lady.

"Is it really okay to drink so much even in the middle of the day...?"

When we reached the old lady, the first thing we noticed was the strong smell of alcohol, which made us grimace.

Looking at the table where the old lady was sitting, we saw several empty bottles of alcohol, and it seemed that the old lady was quite drunk.

"Wh-what...?"

It was questionable whether she could hear my voice, so we sat down at the same table for the time being.

"Um, when would it be okay to return to the capital?"

I asked in a loud voice so that the old lady could hear me, right next to her ear.

"Wh-what? What are you saying! We still have time to drink, don't we!?"

"Um...?"

The old lady shouted and started drinking the remaining alcohol from another bottle.

I had thought we could immediately return to the capital with the old lady, so I was now at a loss for what to do.

"By the way, you seem to have brought back a new kid, but what happened to that cute girl?"

As I was pondering, the old lady suddenly asked.

Aula and Turue's faces darkened at the question, and I was at a loss for words.

"Um... what happened...?"

The old lady, sensing the awkward atmosphere, turned her drunken face into a serious one.

"Well, actually, Lily is a princess of the demon race, and she returned to the Demon King's Castle..."

Due to my dejection, I forgot to hide it and told the old lady.

"..."

My words enveloped the scene in an indescribable atmosphere.

The old lady, who had a serious expression, frowned.

"Did you try to stop her...?"

The old lady asked me in a low voice, which seemed to contain a hint of anger.

"Actually, I knew Lily was a demon even when we were in the capital."

I recalled doubting it when the king told me, being surprised when Lily herself told me, and deciding to hide her from the demon side when I found out.

But in the end, Lily returned to the Demon King's Castle on her own.

"And I was sent back like this by the Demon King for hiding Lily. Aula and the others are safe, though..."

"..."

I ended up telling the old lady almost everything that had happened up to this point.

"So, Lily isn't here..."

At the end, I was looking down at my feet.

I didn't want her to see my pitiful face.

Unconsciously, I had clenched my fists tightly.

I could feel my own blood seeping from my fists.

"Then what...?"

At that moment, the old lady said.

I involuntarily raised my gaze from the floor to the old lady.

"What do you mean, 'then what'?"

I didn't understand what the old lady meant and asked her.

"I'm asking what you're going to do now."

"..."

What else could I do but return to the capital?

Was she still drunk to ask such a thing...?

"Are you going to say you're just going to go back...?"

"..."

Is there anything else I can do?

...Shopping?

...Drinking?

"Um, what should I do...?"

Not understanding, I decided to ask the old lady directly.

"Hmm. What you need to do now is—"

The old lady paused, a sly smile on her face.

"Please tell me quickly."

I grew impatient with the old lady's delay and urged her to speak.

Finally, the old lady opened her mouth.

"—drink alcohol."