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Chapter 53 Part 2

「Haaaaahh~~~…..!」, Emmy was the first one to let out a big sigh of relief after seeing the Demon Lord completely disappear from the room.

 

「Mouu~ that was nerve-wracking…! So that was the Demon Lord!? Like, seriously? Did Russell really defeat something like that? Seriously!? Isn’t it way too scary!? To be honest, even I don’t think I can defeat him.」

 

Emmy, now relieved of her nervousness, began spitting out everything she had been holding inside her until now at me.

What stopped Emmy from speaking another word was… Sybilla’s hug.

 

Sybilla suddenly acted in a way she had never acted before, leaving Emmy speechless with wide eyes in shock.

Don’t look at me, I’ve no idea what’s going on with her either.

 

「Emmy-chan…」

 

「Y-Yesh…?」

 

While still bewildered because Sybilla suddenly hugged her out of nowhere, Emmny managed to squeeze out a reply.

Sybilla then moved her face close to Emmy’s…. and began ruffling her hair with all her might.

 

「Mouuu~! You’re just too cute, Emmy-chan! You can’t blame this Sybilla-chan for having a little crush on you!」

 

「Eh, huh, whuh, err, ummm….」

 

「To think that you went out of your way and say all of those things at the Demon Lord’s face for my sake! Ah mou~ I just love this girl!」

 

Sybilla was completely smitten with Emmy and kept stroking her head and nuzzling her cheek with a big smile on her face.

While Emmy on the other hand, was completely embarrassed and going 「Hawawa……」.

 

That scream was pretty intense after all. Even I was surprised because I didn’t think Emmy would get so angry at someone insulting Sybilla.

 

「You should learn one thing or two from Emmy’s cuteness, Russell~ How come you two are so different even though you grew up together in the same village~」

 

「You only have yourself to blame for the way I treated you…」

 

「Fuunn~ you know, I’m actually sad because Russell only cares about Emmy-chan~ Like… this one for example~」

 

「Hyahi!?」

 

Emmy freaked out when Sybilla touched her wrist.

……Looks like she noticed it.

 

「Hey, hey, after all of the things I’ve done for you, I wonder why you have never given me any present, huh, Russell~?」

 

「Eh? Russell, could it be that… you didn’t buy anything for Sybilla-san?」

 

「Yeah, that’s a no. I only bought one for you, Emmy.」

 

「Eh? …Hehe, ehehe… I see~」

 

When I told this fact to Emmy, her face behind Sybilla’s arms started to slacken.

In turn, Sybilla made a sulking as she furrowed her brow.

 

「…..Seeing Emmy-chan’s joyful face like this is infinitely adorable, but I still feel irritated all the same. Hey, what are you going to do about it now?」

 

As Sybilla looked at me with a face as if it was all completely my fault, I remembered what happened yesterday and clutched my head. This girl, I swear…. she just completely forgotten the parts that were inconvenient for her.

 

I crossed my arms and stared intently at Sybilla.

Not wanting to lose, she stared back at me with the same pose and expression.

 

「Emmy. Do you think Eve, the orphan, is thankful to have been saved?」

 

「Eh? Ah, well, that’s obvious, isn’t it? Wait, does Russell have any complaints about how Sybilla-san handled it!?」

 

I stared silently at Emmy… and after a sigh, I told her the reason why.

 

「Whose bag of silver coins do you think was that in the first place?」

 

「Ah…」

 

When Emmy turned her face to Sybilla, Sybilla turned her face away.

I knew it, she completely forgot about it, didn’t she?

 

「W-We live in the era of cashless transactions you know? …That’s why I don’t bother bringing a bag of silver coins with me. ….B-Besides, isn’t it fine, since we saved Eve-chan with that money!」

 

「Of course, I appreciate the way you used that bag of silver coins and I think what you did with it was better than any choice I could’ve made to spend it on something myself. Well done.」

 

「Then why did you bring up that topic in the first place?」

 

「What I’m trying to say is that I just thought it was a much better choice than buying a piece of jewelry for you, Sybilla.」

 

「Guhh…」

 

When I saw Sybilla’s shoulders slump, I suddenly realized that this might be the first time I beat her with just my mouth.

Ohh, that feels so good. I feel like I can sleep like a baby tonight.

 

Also, Emmy, if you keep playing with your wrist while grinning like an idiot like that you might as well just show it off for the world to see, you know.

 

「…Fufu, fufufufu…」

 

Sybilla, who had been looking down, suddenly burst out laughing, and I exchanged glances with Emmy at her strange behavior.

Sybilla turned her body and showed her face and her trademark fearless smile was on full display there.

 

「Look at us, we’ve just met a Demon Lord who’s clearly superior to us, yet we don’t seem even a little nervous about it, huh? 」

 

「Ah!」

 

Sybilla’s comment surprises Emmy, but then, as if she had just noticed something, she went 「Ahh」 in a relaxed voice.

 

「I thought we were screwed for real when he dodged Russell’s Abyss Nail, but… all of those fears are gone now.」

 

She’s right… none of us felt nervous anymore even though we just encountered the Demon Lord.

We’re exactly in the same emotional state as before we entered this floor.

 

Sybilla stroked Emmy’s head, this time gently brushing her hair.

Emmy was ticklish, but she just closed her eyes and accepted Sybilla’s hand.

 

「Anxiety and fear will only reduce your ability by half. It’s difficult to overcome this when you’re by yourself, but… honestly, I think I’ve found a good party. I really hit the jackpot this time. I’ll figure out how to deal with the Demon Lord, and as for Russell… you know what to do, right?」

 

「Of course.」

 

If we’re up against a fast-moving enemy, cutting their escape routes with Dark Sphere is the best strategy.

I can’t say for certain, but with that speed, I don’t think he’s the type who has outstanding durability or defensive abilities.

After that, I just need to whittle him down and crush him with my enormous magic power.

 

Besides, after seeing that incredibly strong Demon Lord, Sybilla assured that she would 『think of a way to deal with him』.

I can’t deny that I have high expectations for what kind of plan she will come up with to deal with that Demon Lord.

 

「Alrighty, then let’s conquer the lower floors right away!」

 

「Yes! Next time I won’t lose to the pressure anymore! Besides…」

 

「Hm?」

 

「Ah, nevermind, it’s nothing…」

 

Sybilla tilted her head slightly, but she then headed toward the neglected Red Gigant’s remains to get the materials it dropped.

Then, as if Emmy was waiting for the moment Sybilla walked away….. she turned around.

 

Her cheerful expression from earlier was nowhere to be found.

She had a serious expression on her face as she stared into my eyes.

……Yeah, I get it.

 

We both grew up in an orphanage.

But we have never been discouraged by this, and above all, we have been raised by Frederica and Gemma Baa-san with a love that can be said greater than that of our real family.

 

It’s true that oftentimes the meals weren’t that much and tasted bland.

There weren’t any expensive clothes, in fact, all of our clothes are donated hand-me-downs.

We were so poor that even Emmy couldn’t afford to replace her toy tiara, even though it already looked tattered.

 

Even so… I never once thought that I had a miserable childhood.

I’m sure Emmy would never think she had bad memories as a child either.

No matter how old and tattered the tiara may be, the memories that reside within it are the most important in shaping the person we are now.

 

….But that guy dares to dismiss them with one word, 『Cheap』.

Not only that, he dared to call people like Frederica and Gemma Baa-chan as 『Poor and lowly』.

 

——There’s no way I can forgive that.

 

I nodded as I look at Emmy in the eyes.

I’m sure that I must have had the same eyes as Emmy who stood in front of me right now.

 

「Hey you two, what’s wrong~? It’s time to go now~」

 

「……Yes!」

 

Emmy turned around and walked toward Sybilla.

I slowly followed behind her while thinking to myself.

 

You’ve made a mistake, Demon Lord of Seiris.

You have disgraced our favorite place… our memories, with a barrage of insults.

That was the one line you shouldn’t have crossed.

 

I’ll make sure to cut your head.

Just clean your neck and wait for me.