Huyaje (3)

Lillith’s words made Gyeotmwa Jyosyegigot’s expression stiffen slightly. It was an expression as if he hadn’t expected the words to come out of her mouth.

Feeling a sense of crisis, wondering if the Hero’s expression meant he wasn’t pleased, Lillith quickly elaborated on what she had just said.

“Yes, I’m talking about the heroines you’re planning to abandon and discard. Honestly, every single one of them is a character I’ve grown fond of. Didn’t I tell you? I’ve seen 24 endings in my previous life.”

“Yeah, you did.”

“I don’t know about the male characters, but the female characters are ones who have seen at least one solo ending. By my standards, every single one of them deserves to be happy. But seeing those girls dote on you and struggle, only to end up heartbroken, I just can’t stand to watch that. It’s not in my nature to watch them cling to a love that will never be reciprocated.”

“…….”

“I’ll try to pair them up in a way that doesn’t affect the main story as much as possible. Anyway, your Demon King Subjugation party is practically complete already, isn’t it? No matter if you’re the protagonist, I won’t, I won’t tolerate you treating the heroines like shit anymore.”

Lillith had spoken with a considerable resolve, but now that she had said it, she felt a little scared.

She cautiously put up her guard, wondering if the Hero might consider her an obstacle to the story and harm her, but fortunately, the words that came from Gyeotmwa Jyosyegigot’s mouth were an affirmative answer to her.

“Alright, then do that.”

“…Huh?”

“Now that I’ve heard it, I actually feel like asking you to do it. I wonder why I hadn’t thought of something like this until now.”

“…Are you serious?”

“Yeah. Anyway, I have no intention of getting involved with the heroines of this world. If there’s a way for them to be happy even after I’m gone, that would be better.”

At his far more anticlimactic and hollow answer than she had expected, Lillith’s tension eased, and at the same time, a strange anger surged within her towards the Hero.

Because it was now clear that in a situation where she herself would have been happier than anyone, he merely dismissed the other heroines’ interest as ‘bothersome’.

“Alright, do as you please. Then I’ll do as I please.”

“Okay. I’ll leave it to you, Lilgirlchang.”

“…Tsk.”

Unable to hide her displeasure, Lillith stood up from her seat.

“First, the three main heroines are already out of my hands, so I’ll give up on them. If I try to separate them from you now, it’ll only create resentment, and it’ll negatively impact the story progression later.”

“Right, that can’t be helped.”

“Instead, from now on, I won’t let any of the other girls fall for you, so be aware of that.”

“Got it, Lilgirlchang. Good luck.”

“…Damn it.”

With Lillith gone, leaving with a curse, Gyeotmwa Jyosyegigot was once again left alone at the table with a single drunkard.

Watching Silena, who had passed out after drinking alcohol like water, claiming that elves don’t get drunk and not knowing her own limit, Gyeotmwa Jyosyegigot quietly muttered.

“Ugh, Hero… I’m an elf… Elves never lose in the forest…”

‘…I’ve never once treated my relationship with these girls like shit.’

Rather, because they had become such precious people to him, he was merely preparing for a farewell that would cause them the least amount of pain.

The misunderstanding between the two of them would be resolved not now, but in the distant future.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

The next morning after the Huyaje, inside the Blackwood Family’s carriage.

About 30 minutes after getting into the carriage, Isabel, who was sitting across from me and Ethan, cautiously observed my expression.

“Lillith, are you feeling unwell?”

“Huh?”

“Your expression has looked a bit off for a while now… Are you getting carriage sickness after a long time?”

“Were you, Lillith?”

The conversation I had with that Gyeotmwa Jyosyegigot fellow the day before had left me feeling a bit gloomy, and it seemed I hadn’t been able to control my expression because of it.

Seeing Isabel cautiously observing me with that expression, my face probably wasn’t a pleasant sight. Ethan was also belatedly checking on my mood.

“No, Young Master Ethan. It’s just that something from last night made me a little…”

“Last night? Did something happen that day?”

“…It’s probably because I drank a little too much. It’s not because of anything else.”

I couldn’t possibly reveal that I had met the Hero and talked to him using my knowledge from my previous life, so I just made up a suitable excuse.

“Really? Are you feeling unwell? Should we stop the carriage and rest for a bit?”

“It’s not that bad. It’s quite a distance from Luminor Academy to Blackwood, so if we rest now, we’ll get home late. Besides, didn’t we almost have a big problem once when we were camping?”

“Huh? What big problem? Did something happen while I was sleeping that day, Lillith?”

“…….”

“…W-well, the bonfire went out once in the middle. We quickly lit it again, though.”

“Losing warmth in the early morning when the temperature drops is a big deal. It didn’t mean anything else.”

“Ah, I see. Indeed, keeping warm is important when sleeping outdoors…”

Ethan and I quickly changed the subject, as we had decided not to mention the story of us clearing out the bandit group that attacked our tent.

In truth, it was all in the past now, so even if we revealed it, Isabel wouldn’t be too shocked, but I still hoped she would remain innocent until the very end if possible.

It’s strange to say this after bringing her to an academy where violence, power struggles, bloodshed, and sometimes even murder occur, but that’s how it was.

“If you’re tired from the carriage sickness, you can lean on my shoulder, Lillith.”

“No, it’s not really carriage sickness, and I’m not that tired.”

“If my shoulder isn’t comfortable, do you want to lie on my lap?”

“What?”

“Anyway, Father isn’t here today. Even though the carriage is narrow, there seems to be enough space for one Lillith to lie down.”

“…….”

After barely suppressing the sudden urge to ‘lie down’, I shook my head for now.

Even though Ethan and I had crossed a line in our relationship, acting on my desires so openly in this situation… was still a little embarrassing.

“T-that’s alright, Young Master Ethan. You don’t have to worry that much about me.”

“Actually, it doesn’t matter if it’s not carriage sickness or a hangover. If you want to lie on my lap, you can.”

“…What?”

“Personally, I’d prefer if you did lie down. It’ll take a long time to get to Blackwood anyway, won’t it? I thought it might be nice to pass the time this way.”

“…….”

“There’s no need to be shy anymore, Lillith. You were holding hands and linking arms and walking around the Academy, weren’t you?”

“That’s true, but…”

Well, I mean. If you put it that way, I don’t have much to say.

Over the past semester, it was undeniably true that I had indulged in many personal desires with Ethan.

Since the time I could remain by Ethan’s side would be at most about two and a half years, I had the desire to try various things during the period I remained his lover. No matter that my body had become female, the desire to be in a relationship wasn’t something that easily faded.

But that was only something I could do boldly when an unspecified number of people were watching, doing such things openly inside a carriage where a specific person, Isabel, was openly watching, felt a bit burdensome.

“…It’s alright. If Young Master Ethan and I engage in public displays of affection, Isabel, who is sharing the same space, might feel a little uncomfortable.”

“Oh, me? N-no! I don’t mind at all, so don’t worry, and you can stick close to Young Master Ethan!”

“Isabel says it’s fine too, Lillith.”

“Ah, no… Still, the very act of being seen by Isabel is a bit embarrassing for me…”

“Lillith, I’ve closed my eyes! I’ll keep them closed like this!”

“Is it still too much for you to be seen, Lillith?”

“…….”

Seriously, why on earth?

I don’t know why they only get along so well at times like this. Anyone would think Isabel was Ethan’s exclusive maid.

Of course, I know that Isabel is reacting like that entirely out of consideration for me.

Even Isabel in the game would risk her own safety for Lillith’s happiness and betray the Blackwood Family.

And the current Isabel… she probably thinks that me and Ethan getting along well is what makes me happy, so she’s acting like this.

Her consideration was appreciated, yet it was strangely embarrassing. It felt like I was reporting to her that I found happiness in engaging in public displays of affection with Ethan.

“Lillith? I told you I closed my eyes, didn’t I?”

“Lillith, come over here and lie down.”

“…….”

Ultimately, unable to resist their urging… No, to be precise, I, who only ‘pretended’ to be unable to resist, also quietly rested my head on Ethan’s lap, as my desires dictated.

A lap pillow between lovers.

Somehow, it felt subtly different from the lap pillow I had imagined in my previous life… but it wasn’t bad, so I just accepted it.

The me in my previous life was, after all, the me from my previous life, and the me now, at least physically, was a woman.

“Whoa… This is, like, so, so, whoa…”

“…Isabel, you’re really keeping your eyes closed, right?”

“Ah, u-uh! I-I’m properly keeping them closed, so you don’t have to worry, Lillith!”

It was a reaction that clearly showed she was peeking at Ethan and me through slitted eyes, but her answer was utterly shameless.

Until we stopped for a short break, I spent the entire time resting my head on Ethan’s lap, easing my gloomy mood, and during that time, I made eye contact with Isabel, who was sitting across from us, about five times.