episode_0020

“The adventurers are back!”

“Where?”

As the two adventurers emerged from the cave, the villagers who had been waiting greeted them warmly.

“Thank you! Because of you, my husband woke up!”

“You caught that damned succubus?”

“Where is she now?”

Even though they warned her not to approach because it was dangerous, it seemed futile against villagers worried about their fate.

They cheered at the sight of the two adventurers who had defeated the village’s sworn enemy and returned safely. Arina stroked her chin and muttered under her breath—though loud enough to hear.

“You caused a lot of trouble, so it’s only fair to let them decide your punishment, right?”

The village women’s gazes turned toward Lilith.

These were women who had watched helplessly as their husbands, lovers, and sons had their vitality drained by the succubus. It couldn’t be called infidelity, but of course, they wouldn’t be happy about it.

Under their murderous stares, Lilith trembled uncontrollably, clutching at the hem of Arina’s pants.

“Y-You wouldn’t, right? I led you out safely!”

“But didn’t you try to trick us into a trap with lies at first? Isn’t it only natural you face consequences for your crimes?”

Lilith’s face twisted in despair. Tears welled up in her eyes, on the verge of spilling over.

Well, that was enough teasing.

“I went to the trouble of modifying her Yonic Gate, so it’d be a waste to just discard her now.”

Seeing a sliver of hope, Lilith’s eyes sparkled as she desperately pleaded.

“Right?! Right?! I can be useful! I’ll definitely be helpful to you!”

“First, you’ll need to fix how you address me. Given our positions, ‘you’ isn’t quite fitting, is it?”

For a moment, Lilith’s brow furrowed, but it quickly smoothed out. Though she couldn’t fully hide her annoyed tone, she asked:

“Then… what should I call you?”

“Hmm, considering your position… ‘Master’ sounds about right.”

“What?! That’s out of the question!”

She had no choice but to submit to force and speak formally, but she still had the pride of a demon. Bowing to a human as her master was unthinkable.

“Seems like you’re misunderstanding something.”

Arina twitched her finger. Immediately, a sharp pain shot up from Lilith’s abdomen, making her double over.

“Ghk—!!!”

“You don’t get a say in this.”

Writhing in pain, Lilith locked eyes with Arina, who looked down at her coldly, and thought:

‘Is it really okay to follow this woman? Maybe the village women would be better…’

But she didn’t dare voice her reluctance.

Knowing this malicious mage’s temperament, Lilith wouldn’t be respected even if she objected. And if she talked back again, the pain would only get worse.

“What’s going through that head of yours?”

“I get it! I get it, so please stop! Master!”

Following orders, Lilith begged while calling her “Master,” and the pain began to fade.

“Good.”

Satisfied with breaking her spirit, Arina turned away as if she had no further interest in Lilith.

Instead, her attention shifted to Marin, who had been unusually quiet. Before leaving the cave, Arina had revealed her secret to Marin.

The fact that she was really Riel Frost and what she had gone through. Marin had been shocked at first, lost in thought, but soon fell silent.

“Arina. I’m sorry, but something’s come up. I don’t think I can go any further with you.”

“Something came up? All of a sudden? We just got out of the dungeon.”

“I just remembered.”

Marin scratched her cheek with an awkward laugh. It was a little disappointing to part ways, but Arina had no reason or right to stop her.

After all, she’d only traveled with Marin to confirm whether she was the porter’s underling.

‘At this point, she’s probably innocent.’

“Alright. If you’ve got things to do, go ahead. I’ll be heading straight to the Empire. What about you?”

“I’ll probably go to the Holy Kingdom first. If we follow the roads, we’ll have to split here.”

For once, Marin was the one initiating the goodbye.

It was unusual—usually, she’d whine and cling if Arina tried to leave. What was up with her?

Though it felt strange, Arina accepted it, assuming Marin must have urgent business.

“Got it. And…”

“Hmm?”

Marin blinked, tilting her head slightly.

“Thanks. If I’d been alone, I wouldn’t have made it out safely.”

Arina averted her gaze, suddenly feeling awkward. Embarrassed, Marin scratched her head too.

“Haha, you’re thanking me? I was the one who insisted on going, which led us to the Demon King’s army.”

“No. Dullahán was unfinished business for me. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have gotten this chance.”

It felt somewhat relieving. By all rights, she’d been exiled, but officially, she had deserted the Hero’s party.

Even if she were dragged before the king now, she could confidently declare that she had fulfilled her duty as a Hero’s party member by defeating Dullahán.

When Arina expressed her sincere gratitude, Marin returned to her usual self, grinning brightly and scratching the back of her head.

“Aw, stop it…”

“Then, I’ll get going.”

“Yeah! See you again!”

Marin waved energetically while Arina timidly waved back. The awkward atmosphere made her eager to leave.

Then, she turned to Lilith, who was staring blankly at her departure.

“What are you waiting for? Aren’t you coming?”

“Huh? You didn’t say to follow you!”

Her expression wasn’t defiance but genuine confusion. What was Arina supposed to do with this mess?

“You lack the mindset of a slave. You should follow your Master without being told.”

“How was I supposed to know that?! You decided this on your own!”

“Don’t worry. I’ll teach you thoroughly until you understand. If your brain can’t grasp it, I’ll make sure your body remembers.”

“Ow! Let go, let me go!”

Dragging the beautiful pink-haired demon by her hair, Arina resumed her journey toward the Empire.

The Great Forest of Elria, the homeland of all elves, was a place forbidden to humans. Thus, the Riel Frost Pursuit Squad had descended to the human city closest to the forest, following information that she had fled south.

In the bustling crowd, a particularly conspicuous woman approached a man.

Golden hair, golden eyes—colors symbolizing her noble lineage. Even without that, few in the continent could rival her beauty.

Both men and women stole glances at her, not just because of her stunning looks, but also due to the overwhelming presence of the holy sword sheathed on her back.

A Hero. Ignoring the murmurs, Yuria approached the porter, who was lounging in the shade while leisurely sipping his drink.

“No good. No one here has seen Riel either.”

“What about the others?”

“No updates. They must not have found anything worth reporting.”

“Hmm, past here lies only the Great Forest. If she went in, the elves wouldn’t just let her be.”

“So it was probably a lie?”

“Can’t say for sure until we hear from Erwin.”

A beautiful Hero and a man who, while not quite her equal, was undeniably handsome.

Their presence alone was like a painting, drawing stares—some even shamelessly watching them.

Thanks to this, one spy blended seamlessly into the crowd, eavesdropping on their conversation.

Milena, who had joined Iain’s search for Arina, was keeping an eye on the Hero and her porter.

She’d started confidently, but with just two of them, finding one person across an entire continent was nearly impossible.

Luckily, Milena’s face was unknown to them. She planned to gather information from both the Hero’s party and the kingdom’s pursuers.

To anyone observing, she’d just look like an ordinary country girl.

As she monitored the Hero’s party, sipping her drink, Milena studied the porter’s face.

‘He’s handsome. Still doesn’t compare to my husband, though.’

Mid-thought, the porter locked eyes with her. Though startled, her years of practice kept her poker face intact.

‘He doesn’t know me. As long as I don’t act suspicious, it’s fine.’

Or so she thought—until the porter pointed directly at her.

Her hair stood on end. Had he realized she was a spy? How? Did the Hero’s party possess mind-reading abilities?

He whispered into the Hero’s ear. Should she run now?

Though likely unintentional, Milena’s trained ears clearly caught his words.

“See her? Pretty, isn’t she?”

Her readiness to bolt crumbled in an instant.

“You idiot…!”

Just as expected, the Hero bared her teeth in fury at the crude remark.

“Try saying that to Riel’s face sometime. See how she takes it.”

“Here we go again. What, are you her parents now?”

“Not parents, but Riel’s mine, got it?”

“What’s with girls these days?”

This was the Hero’s party’s conversation? Neither the noble, serious image she envisioned as a child nor the perverted rumors Iain spoke of, they were unlike anything Milena expected.

Just ordinary young people—that was her first impression of the Hero’s party.

Milena abruptly shook her head. Personal biases were the last thing a spy should indulge in.

She discarded unnecessary emotions, focusing solely on extracting pure information.

Arina wasn’t here. That was the only useful fact she could glean from their exchange.

‘Seems like there’s nothing else to get from the Hero’s party.’

Turning her back on the two, Milena prepared to leave.

She failed to notice the golden eyes silently following her.