Two days after returning from Milrose, Shia and a night demon girl we had met at the orphanage during a patrol with Selene, her name was… Croco-chan, I think, were waiting in my private room at the Demon King’s castle.
「Um… why is she here?」
「I found her while I was visiting the orphanage with Amilia-sama the other day. Croco has a unique magic called Shadow Transfer.」
「Shadow Transfer?」
「Yeah, exactly what it sounds like. She can teleport from shadow to shadow.」
「Heeeh… that’s amazing.」
「And she can hide inside shadows too. Perfect for stealth work, right?」
「Well… yeah, that’s true…」
I glanced at Croco-chan. Our eyes met. She blushed deeply, embarrassed, and sank halfway into the shadow while still peeking at me shyly.
「Besides, thinking about her future, training her now is definitely worth it.」
「Her future?」
「Yeah. We might end up going to your world, or this one, or maybe even others. Even if we stay here, if she half-heartedly becomes an adventurer, it’d be safer to bring her to your world and let her do that properly.」
「No, I’m not planning to bring her along…」
「Come on! Someone who can hide in shadows and teleport is a rare talent! Espionage, assassination, infiltration, sabotage, she’d be perfect for anything!」
Shia looked at me like I was crazy. No way, I can’t make a little girl do things like that.
「And even if you don’t use her… power like that can’t stay hidden forever. If some powerful person notices her, the orphanage could get dragged into trouble.」
「Then… couldn’t the royal castle protect her? Or she could become an independent adventurer?」
「Either way, the orphanage would probably get targeted. And once Croco feels responsible, she’ll end up turning to crime, you can see it coming. Adventuring might work for a while… but she’d have to constantly hide her ability. It’s only a matter of time before it blows up.」
Shia sighed heavily and shrugged in resignation.
「Hmm… but we don’t have to bring her along on this mission…」
「Actually, this was Croco’s request. She wants to help you and me.」
「Really?」
I turned to Croco-chan. She nodded vigorously.
「I asked to help… And Shia-san said if Yuuki-sama approves of me, I’ll get a reeeally big salary…」
Her eyes were fixed on me, earnest and determined. Hmm… leaving her alone like this could cause problems later. Maybe it’s better to act now.
「Okay! Then basically, you have to listen carefully to what Shia and I say. Got it?」
「Yes! I’ll do my besk!!」
Croco-chan puffed out her chest, but bit her tongue in excitement. She winced in pain, so I quickly cast 『Heal』 on her.
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
「Alright, we’ve teleported this far…」
「It’s still daytime～」
「We’re going in… at night, right?」
Croco-chan poked her head out from the bag, blinking curiously.
「Yeah. It’s much harder to get spotted in the dark.」
「Well, just in case something like this happened, I prepared this.」
Shia pulled out a mysterious key.
「Shia, what’s that?」
「The emergency escape key used by the royal castle.」
「How did you… oh, right. You used it when we were chasing you at first.」
「Exactly. I know where the exit is anyway, and in the worst case, Master will figure something out, right?」
「Well… that would be easier. I’ll handle it if it comes to that.」
We continued until we reached a spot with a clear view of the royal castle. A small pond lay ahead.
「There’s a hidden door on that little island. Let’s head there.」
「Got it. Shia, hold on. Croco-chan, stay in the shadows.」
「Eh? Is that okay?」 「Yes!」
「It’s fine… I can carry you both faster anyway.」
I scooped Shia into my arms and leaped toward the island in one smooth jump. Upon landing, we found a rusted iron door half-buried in tall grass.
「Here we are.」
「Th-the key… yeah, it still works.」
Shia’s cheeks flushed as she fumbled with the lock. For safety, I took over and pushed the door open.
――――Giiigiiigii…
「「Uwaaah～ it stinks of mold!」」
A rotten, stagnant water smell hit us hard.
「Shia, use this. Croco-chan, are you okay with the smell?」
I handed Shia a gas mask. Croco-chan, still hidden in the shadows, seemed unaffected.
「For dow, I’ll use wid dagic to freshid up the air.」
I’m pinching my nose, making my words muffled and garbled, but Shia nodded firmly to show she understood.
I channeled wind magic through the underground passage, forcing fresh air inside. Slowly, the stench began to fade until we could finally speak normally again.
「Ugh… that was rough…」
「Yeah… Looking back, I can’t believe I used this place so often…」
Shia stared off into the distance with a faraway look.
「Anyway, let’s keep moving. This leads to the underground prison, right?」
「Yep. My room was basically down there most of the time.」
「That’s awful…」
「The previous king, Amilia’s father, actually gave me a proper room in the castle. After that, it was just drugs and violence to keep me obedient.」
「「……」」
「Ah, don’t look at me like that! Master healed me, and now I’m perfectly fine and full of energy!」
Shia waved her hands frantically. Croco-chan and I gently pulled her into a hug, patting her head soothingly.
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