Chapter 2: Trying Out Undoing the Seal – Part 1
Part 1
After lunch──
Diablo’s group returned to the inn.
Rem muttered.
「……If we are going to 《Starfall Tower》, then we will need to get going about now.」
「It’s because a hindrance interrupted our meal that it took up time after all.」
「Ahaha……Things were a disaster because of that weird person, wasn’t it.」
Diablo nodded, and Shera gave a laughter as if she didn’t have a single worry in the world.
Rem breathed a sigh.
「……A person that is able to call being glared at by a Holy Knight a “hindrance to a meal”, I’m sure there aren’t many of that kind of person.」
「Well, there is no need to worry about that guy. More importantly──」
Diablo shifted his attention to the inn’s door.
Alicia was in the room next to them.
She accompanied them here from 《The Triangle Ears》 but……
Most likely, silently going out was probably impossible. Her perception was sharp, and when leaving the inn, they would have to pass in front of her room.
Rem looked like she was perplexed about something.
「……It might be best to be honest with her.」
「That’s true. Alicia-san is, a good person after all, so she’ll understand.」
Going by Shera’s view, most people were virtuous. Of course, to Diablo, he considered Alicia to be trustworthy. She could probably be said to already be a companion.
However, it was because of that.
Rem was troubled over it.
「……Alicia is a State Knight……No matter what the circumstances may be, she probably can’t just shut her eyes to the Demon King Revival. Rather than inconveniencing her, it might be best to keep quiet about it.」
Maybe because they had a small talk before, it seems that Rem and Alicia had become friendly with each other.
Thinking about their positions, hiding it would be for both of their sakes.
However, he wanted to be honest with her. Because he considered her a companion.
This type of delicate human relations, putting it plainly, was something that he completely did not understand. Just what would be the correct thing to do.
Just what should he say, to that their relationship would not go wrong.
If she were a complete stranger, it would instead be really simple. It was because she was someone they were close to that it was difficult.
Because he thought that it was absolutely impossible for himself, Diablo kept quiet.
Rem asked.
「What, do you think would be the best thing to do?」
──Asking me about personal problems, is like asking a turtle for tips on how to fly, you know?
However, it would be deplorable of him to reply with an ‘I don’t know’.
Diablo tried saying something that “seemed authentic”.
「You are worrying about it. That is the answer.」
After he himself said that, he thought to himself “Haa?”. Even if it was just some random answer, there is a limit to it.
Even so, Rem nodded looking like she comprehended that.
「……I see. Certainly, unless it were a person that I should talk about it with, I probably wouldn’t be worried about it. It is because I thought that she was a companion that I place my trust in that I’m worrying about this. In that case, I should consult with that trustworthy companion that made me worry to this extent……That is what you are saying, right?」
「U, umu.」
Rem made a cheerful face.
「……As expected of you, Diablo. Not only are you strong, to think that you were sensitive to the matters of the heart……From your point of view, I surely must be a small existence for worrying over such a trivial matter.」
He started to feel a bit apologetic.
Just by somehow saying something that sounded wise, the one that came up with the answer was Rem herself.
Even Shera’s eyes were sparkling in admiration.
「Diablo, you really are amazing! That’s exactly right, since Alicia is a companion, she’ll understand if we talk with her!」
「Of, of course.」
「……Yes. Though we might be imposing some trouble on her.」
And so, they called Alicia to their room.
Alicia accepted it surprisingly quickly.
She sympathized with how Rem suffered with keeping it a secret for so long, shed tears, and promised to cooperate with all of her might. Rem started weeping from that kind attitude, and Shera also received that and started crying.
There was no problem. As he thought, it was for the best that they be honest with Alicia.
Or that’s how it should have been but……
Diablo was beside the wall with his arms crossed, gazing at the appearance of the three girls sheding tears and sympathizing with each other.
It was somehow, cheap.
He thought that it resembled that.
As if──it was as if he was looking at his classmates right before they were changing grades.
They’d cry, talk, and vow to have lifelong friendships with each other. But when it became the new school year, he would never see them all in the same place together.
He didn’t understand the meaning of that.
Rem’s troubles were something that risked her life, and even for Shera, if she was intent on being present at the Demon King Revival, it was probably understandable that she was risking her life. It would be nice if she understood that.
And then, Alicia should have had some conflicts in terms of her position. For a woman to take up the position of State Knight, she should have had some uncommon hardships.
The girls’ tears were different from his classmates’ “make-believe farewell”. Even though that is how it should have been, there was some kind of sense of discomfort.
Diablo breathed a sight in his heart.
──Good grief, I wonder if it’s because I have a communication disorder, don’t have any friends, and never joined a LINE group, that I can only see things through such a warped viewpoint?