“Someone to manage it?”
“Yep, yep. You should be seeing him very soon.”
“But setting that aside, I've already arranged your next destination~”
Furni looked at Lin Ling and the others with a smile on her sluggish face, as if she had just found some highly useful tools.
Seeing Furni's smug, self-satisfied expression, Ivelia directed her pressure precisely onto her.
At the same time, her cold voice echoed in Furni's ears.
“Furni, we are not your tools.”
“Eh? Ah? What are you saying? What kind of talk is that!”
Caught completely off guard by Ivelia's pressure, Furni's tail thrashed wildly against the floor a few times.
“Of course I wouldn't treat everyone as tools. I'm a good dragon, you know~”
As if to prove she was indeed a good dragon, Furni even stuck her tongue out at them.
“...”
Seeing Furni like this, Ichikawa suddenly fell to his knees and slammed his fists against the floor.
“Why? Why does she only act like this after I already know her true nature?!”
Thud! Thud, thud, thud...
Startled by the thudding sounds of Ichikawa's pounding, the maids who were quietly working downstairs jumped in fright.
They thought Baron Will was causing trouble again, just like that terrifying explosion from moments ago.
“Just pretend we don't know anything.”
These words still echoed in the maids' hearts.
If they were ever going to break this bad habit, it would probably have to wait until Baron Will was gone.
They truly hoped those esteemed individuals from earlier were here to deal with that dreadful Baron, even if it seemed highly unlikely.
...
“Hey, hey, Ichikawa. A man shouldn't be secretly crying at a time like this.”
Lin Ling slipped out of Ivelia's embrace, squatted down next to Ichikawa, and gently patted his back.
“Here, have a cup of water to calm down.”
She handed a freshly poured cup of water to Ichikawa.
Ichikawa looked up at Lin Ling. At this moment, she seemed to be radiating a halo of holy light...
Just to be safe, he flicked a tiny spark of fire magic across the surface of the water.
A layer of flame instantly erupted over the top of the so-called water.
“Ha... haha... Imagining a holy light around this girl... Ha... haha...”
At that moment, Furni stepped forward and gently poked Ichikawa.
“Hmm?”
Following the direction of Furni's pointing finger, he saw the Demon King standing behind Lin Ling, constantly releasing golden magic particles from her hands.
So that 'holy light' effect was actually you creating special effects behind her!
Another round of pounding echoed against the floor.
Why? Why?! Did these two really have to show off their affection right in front of him?!
Otherworlds aren't fun at all.
Seeing that Ichikawa looked ready to draw his weapon and end his own life, Furni lunged forward and kicked his Hero's sword away.
“Don't die! Your happiness hasn't even arrived yet, Sir Hero!”
“I've already predicted that your happiness lies just ahead!”
Furni tightly gripped Ichikawa's hand that had been holding the sword.
If she didn't say some encouraging words now, this Hero who had only just gained some self-confidence might end up needing another round of "motivation."
Ivelia looked at Ichikawa, who had tears in his eyes, and then at Furni, who was currently pocketing his Hero's sword.
She reached out and opened a teleportation portal in front of them.
“Let's go back first. We can leave this place to Furni.”
Sensing the prying eyes outside the shattered door, which were currently blocked by her magic barrier, Ivelia shook her head helplessly.
“Right, right. You guys head back first.”
“By the time you get back, that fellow should be arriving soon as well.”
Seeing Ichikawa reach out toward her in an attempt to claw back his Hero's sword, scales instantly manifested on Furni's hand, and she flung Ichikawa—along with his sword—straight into the teleportation array.
“...”
“We'll be off then.”
Seeing that Ichikawa had already been tossed into the portal, Lin Ling took Ivelia's hand and stepped inside as well.
The lively atmosphere of the room vanished instantly, leaving behind only Furni and the cup of "water" that was still burning.
“My, my~ Another busy day.”
Furni looked sluggishly in the direction of the tavern, her sharp hearing fully activated as she picked up the sound of every single passing carriage.
“It would be so nice if Karl were on one of these carriages~”
At the same time, her fully opened senses continued to register the fearful emotions of the maids downstairs.
“I'd better get on with the guardian dragon's cleanup duty first.”
“Can't let those two little Heroes look down on me.”
Casting a teleportation spell on the demon who was sneaking a peek outside the door, Furni stretched and headed downstairs.
...
“Ouch!”
Tossed into the portal by Furni, Ichikawa tumbled out of the channel and fell flat on his face inside the tavern.
Even though it was currently dusk, the tavern was completely devoid of customers.
“Ow, ow, ow!”
Rubbing his head as he scrambled up, Ichikawa's impression of Furni was now utterly shattered.
“Boss, a cup of water, please.”
“Of course.”
Lina quietly poked her little head out from the room behind the bar, watching the returned Ichikawa.
Taking the fresh water from Charis, she trotted over to Ichikawa.
“Big Brother Ichikawa, here's your water...”
She held the cup out with both hands. To make it easier for him to reach, Lina even stood on her tiptoes, trying to bring the water as close to him as possible.
“Ah, thank you.”
Taking the cup from Lina's small, cupped hands, Ichikawa could see the sparkle in the little girl's eyes, as if she were anticipating something.
Yet, it was precisely this look that caused Ichikawa's hand to freeze mid-air.
“...”
“I'm sorry, Lina. I didn't find any trace of your mother.”
Ichikawa's hand tightened around the cup, squeezing it hard.
He stared down at the clear water in the cup, his reflection showing a face filled with shame—he didn't even dare to look at Lina standing beside him.
When he had used his magic perception back then, he had only sensed the middle-aged woman in the maid outfit and Will.
However, that woman didn't possess a single demon trait; her hair wasn't white, and her magic circuit functioned in the human style.
Aside from those two, Ichikawa hadn't sensed anyone else with magic inside that manor.
“Wait, wait!”
“What's going on? Did I miss something again?!”
Noticing the heavy atmosphere between Ichikawa and Lina, Lin Ling hastily stepped in to diffuse it.
“Little Lina's mom was in that manor?!”
How could Ichikawa not have told her about something like this?
Lin Ling immediately shot a murderous glare at Ichikawa.
Well, looking at him, he probably didn't do it on purpose.
After staring at Ichikawa for a moment, Lin Ling turned her gaze back to Lina.
Wait, no!
A sudden flash of memory crossed Lin Ling's mind, and she looked back at Ivelia.
“Demon King! That's right, we've met her! We might have actually seen little Lina's mother!”
Hearing Lin Ling's words, Ichikawa snapped his gaze toward her.
“We saw her?”
“The woman in the maid outfit! She was clearly shocked when she saw Ivelia back then.”
Lin Ling quickly explained her deduction to Ichikawa.
Right at that moment, a blue teleportation portal opened inside the tavern once more, and the woman they were just discussing was roughly pushed out of it.
The moment Charis saw the woman, the cup in his hand shattered on the floor, and he vaulted straight over the bar counter.
“Miraka? Is it really you?!”
“Mom? Mom!”
Before the woman could even reply, Lina, who had been standing beside Ichikawa, threw herself toward her.
“My Lina.”
Seeing Lina running toward her, the woman didn't care to figure out why that blue-haired lady had teleported her here; her only instinct was to embrace her family, who were now right in front of her.
Watching this scene unfold from a short distance away, Ichikawa looked at Lin Ling in astonishment.
To think Lin Ling had actually remembered something the woman had said in passing.
At this moment, Lin Ling's face was filled with pride for having guessed correctly, alongside a warm sense of relief at seeing Lina's family reunited.
The teleportation spell that had been quietly spinning in her hand slowly dissipated.
And so, they stood a short distance away, quietly watching Charis's family share their emotional reunion.
Rate on N.U.
