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The Inconvenient Truth
Flamm heard the chirping of birds in her drowsy state as she was roused from sleep. Soon enough, as she opened her eyelids, she could see the wooden ceiling she’s so familiar with. The sunlight passing through the gaps between the curtain poured on her face, so she tried to shield her eyes with her hand as she laid facing up.
“…It’s morning already” she whispered, then realizing how parched her throat was.
Flamm sat up, stroking her now ruffled hair as she takes a look around. Noticing the cabinet, the desk and the other bed amongst other things, she was sure she’s in her own room.
“Uhh…yesterday, I immediately jumped to bed after going home, and just like that…”
She fell asleep and that was it. That was all she could remember after getting back home. Then again, she was sure that it happened early in the morning, and since it’s currently morning—
“…I slept through the entire day?”
No matter how she thought of it, she’s slept for too long.
Perhaps that showed just how exhausted she was. She ran around for an entire day and fought her way to the next morning. Not even the enhancement provided by her equipment could keep her away from the limits of her body. Even now, her body still feels heavy, as if she still couldn’t get all of her strength back. Her body are aching here and there from muscular pain.
Flamm let out a huge yawn and chewed on her mouth. Her absent-mindedness showed that she wasn’t completely awake yet. Her head bobbed side to side from her drowsiness before stopping fast at one point, looking at the place directly next to her.
What she saw was an adorable fair beauty, sleeping soundly next to her. It was Milkit, clad in her sleepwear. Looking closely, her own bed is empty. She was either feeling too lonely to sleep alone or she was too worried that she doesn’t want to separate herself from Flamm. Either way, it seemed that Milkit had crawled into Flamm’s bed when the latter was fast asleep.
“She’s so cute when she’s sleeping…” Flamm said with a listless smile before lightly stroking the girl’s hair. The fact that she was wearing her sleepwear means that unlike her, she stayed awake even after they got home.
What happened to Gadio, Eterna and…Ink since then? Flamm spent her time waiting until her mind freshens up as she kept thinking.
Her hands were still on Milkit’s hair before it moved on to pet the girl’s cheek and rub the girl’s ears. She didn’t mean to wake her from her sleep, but judging from where the sun is, it’s way past the time when she should wake up, so she thought she should wake her up as well.
“Nyuu…mash…ter…”
“Hmm? Did I come up in her dream as well~?”
“Mashter…don’t…go…”
Flamm’s heart throbbed from the girl’s unconscious sleep-talking and her body temperature quickly rose. She understood that judging by the situation, Milkit would feel uneasy, but…
“A surprise attack like that isn’t fair you know~ you precious little thing~” said Flamm, mercilessly attacking Milkit’s soft cheek with the tip of her finger. As she did, the girl softly groaned, and when she opened her eyes, she saw her master’s figure looking at her.
“Master?”
“Good morning, Milkit.”
Flamm greeted Milkit with a great smile that formed just because Milkit is there. Without even needing to express herself, by just existing there, Flamm was able to smile.
“Ah…good morning, Master.”
Milkit, too, had her cheeks melt and smiled just by seeing Flamm right next to her. The two’s existence makes itself known within each other, creating a fleeting feeling for the two. Despite only being separated for several hours, the fear of not being able to see each other and the reunion thereafter further deepens their feelings towards each other. Their relationship had long changed from master and slave, and who knows better than the two themselves.
“I was surprised that you slept next to me.”
“Forgive me, Master. I see that you never woke up after falling asleep, so I was worried that you would never open your eyes again…”
“Aah…sorry for making you worry. Seems like I was dead tired back then.”
“That’s right…it was such a huge ordeal after all. I truly thank you for your work. I think that precisely because of your hard work, Ink-san is safe and sound.”
“I couldn’t have done it by myself.”
“Even if you said that, Eterna-san and Gadio-san said that we couldn’t have done it without you, Master.”
To think that even those two praised her for it. Unsure if she’s supposed to feel embarrassed or happy, Flamm grits her teeth. Right now, she’s neither worthless nor useless, and she had obtained strength that even heroes would acknowledge her for. She couldn’t bring herself to be conceited, but those words fueled Flamm’s self-confidence and strengthened her heart.
“Ah, by the way, I heard that Ink is alright, but is she awake yet¹?”
“Yes, she’s resting in Eterna-san’s room right now. Eterna-san told me that we’ve gone through the most dangerous period, but we shouldn’t let our guard down for at least half a year.”
“Half a year…it might be long but…well it is long. No one would even think of transferring someone’s organ to another person.”
The reason she didn’t say it at that time was probably because she didn’t want to ruin the sliver of hope she finally had.
“At least until her wounds truly close, it’s better for us to not see her.”
“Really…I want to see her soon, but I guess just knowing that she’s fine is all I need.”
As long as they knew that, there’s no harm in waiting. After knowing her well-being, Flamm felt a weight off her chest as she got off the bed with Milkit and started to tidy herself up.
Since her clothes had become tattered from combat, she naturally would pick another outfit to wear, but it seems like most of her clothes had been shredded from a lot of combat she’s been on. She needs to go out and buy some more clothes soon. For now, she decided to don a plaid shirt on top of a white shirt. After checking herself with a twirl in front of a full-body mirror, she sat on a chair and started straightening up her hair. As she did, Milkit who had somehow changed to her maid outfit and wore her bandages looked closely at Flamm.
“What’s wrong?”
Her expression seemed nervous at a glance. The maid outfit for today is a combination of a pure white apron on top of a deep blue one-piece dress while her head was decorated with an Alice band; a truly orthodox style. It’s slightly plainer compared to her usual outfit, but it’s still a mystery how anything would suit her.
“Um…Master, there’s something I want to give you” Milkit said, opening a drawer from the cabinet and taking something from within. She then stopped where she was, closing her eyes in anxiousness. Not knowing what Milkit would want to give her, Flamm looked at Milkit, not through the mirror but directly after she turned around.
Milkit didn’t move, tightly gripping the item in her hand close to her chest but with a quiet whisper “alright,” she steeled herself and approached Flamm.
“Here…it is…”
Flamm extends her hands, looking up at Milkit as she stayed on her seat, and what Milkit gave her was…a hairpin with a decorative flower. The semi-transparent light-blue flower sparkled brightly through the sunlight pouring in.
“Wow…it’s so cute…Is this a present for me, Milkit?”
“Y-Yes…I’m sorry I could only give you such thing…”
Why is she sorry for giving a present? Immediately, Flamm objected; “No, don’t apologize.”
“It looks cheap in comparison with what you have given me, Master, but…I thought it could’ve helped when you were down because of Sarah-san disappearing, so I thought of giving it to you then. But in the end, I didn’t have the time to give it to you, but I didn’t want to not give it to you either…”
“I will always be happy with anything you give me, Milkit.”
“Master…you really are too kind…Thank you very much. I thought I should express my gratitude even for just a bit, so I tried making that.”
“It’s handmade!?”
Milkit nodded with her face red in embarrassment.
Flamm had thought of treasuring it being the first present Milkit gave her, but now that she knew it’s handmade, she’s dedicated in making it a family heirloom. She treasures it so much that she’d feel bad putting it on, but then again, she could only express her gratitude by wearing it. She must prepare an ornamental jewelry box for that hairpin alone.
“Thank you! I’m really really happy! I know it’s sudden, but can I try it on?”
“Of course.”
Flamm brushed her hair aside and put the hairpin in place. With her forehead peeking out more than usual in her now different hairstyle, she looked at the mirror. Milkit who also wanted to see how her master looked with her hand-crafted hairpin smiled happily at the sight.
“How is it?”
“You look stunning as always, Master.”
“Not that…no, well…I’m happy that you think so too, but…”
The two fell silent.
Their eyes met through the mirror, and somehow, the girls’ cheeks turned red from embarrassment.
After they were done changing, Flamm and Milkit descended the stairs and head for the living room. There, they met Gadio who were standing next to the window as he looks outside. He wasn’t wearing his armor, but instead he was clad in a black coat, something not even Flamm had seen him in before. Despite him only looking outside the window, the current him was stunning enough for a painting.
“Good morning, Gadio-san.”
“Hey Flamm…and Milkit too.”
Having her name called, Milkit nervously lowered her head. They were supposedly together yesterday too, but it seems like she still couldn’t get used to his demeanor.
“Even though you’ve expended that much Prana, being able to wake up after a day is quite impressive.”
“Is it impressive for sleeping through a whole day…?”
A terrifying truth smoothly made her way into the girl’s mind. She must better manage her use in the future.
“Speaking of which, Gadio-san, is that how you usually dress?”
Gadio checks his outfit after Flamm pointed it out and replied in understanding;
“Yeah, I’ve always been wearing my armor in our travels, so I guess you’ve never seen me like this.”
It seems like his giant black armor that isn’t even Epic-grade in rarity is stored in another room on the first floor. For someone in Gadio’s status, it wouldn’t be weird if he were to don an Epic-grade armor, but it seems that he truly preferred that black armor over another.
As Flamm and Gadio conversed with each other, Milkit quickly tottered her way to the kitchen and begun preparing breakfast. Meanwhile, the former two made their way to the dining table and talked across the table.
“I know it’s a bit too late for me to say this, but I didn’t expect to be saved by you, Gadio-san.”
“I didn’t expect that you were in the middle of this chaos either. Not only that, I didn’t expect you to be fighting up front and I was also surprised that you have that slave seal on your cheek. What the hell happened since you left the party?”
The way he narrowed his eyes as he raised his doubt was…slightly scary, yet he was like that precisely because he was worried about Flamm. The girl he had traveled together to subjugate the Demon King had turned into a slave after all. Anyone could’ve seen that something went terribly wrong.
“I guess I should explain from the start…”
Flamm roughly explained what had happened to her. How Jean had sold her as a slave, how she met Milkit and how she obtained a cursed equipment that allowed her to fight. How she found the church’s research facility and fought monsters as they went to search for medicinal herbs. How the monsters are targeting her and how she had the power to destroy the core…
Gadio paid close attention to what Flamm told him, verbally indicating his attention from time to time.
After reaching the conclusion that led to today, Flamm finished her explanation with “and well, that’s how it went”, to which Gadio responded with a quiet “hmm…” as he crossed his arms, thinking.
“Jean, huh…I’ve thought that he’s a self-centered man, but I didn’t think he’d go this far. Seems like his pride won’t be satisfied by simply kicking you out, huh.”
“I didn’t think I could forgive him, but I guess everything ended well.”
“Because you met that girl?”
Flamm peeked at Milkit behind Gadio as he said that and answered,
“That too.”
“Too, huh. Are there anything else you’re glad about?”
“If I continued traveling under the church or Origin’s will…maybe I could really end up in the Demon King’s castle, and that’s what they would’ve wanted.”
“So Jean’s selfishness ended up crumbling the Church’s plan all along.”
“Though it’s hard to admit, yes.”
Still, there’s no way she could forgive Jean. She hated him to the point of wanting to beat him within an inch of his life the next time she sees him².
“By the way, you were investigating the church, weren’t you Gadio-san?”
“Yeah, I felt something shady after I left the party. I used my connection to probe around the Cathedral but…”
“Y-You’re bold, aren’t you?”
“Hm, I do admit it was quite coercive of me.”
It was something that brought a battle-hardened warrior like him to laugh, that was how reckless his invasion was.
“But that was the quickest way to do it. Thanks to that I managed to get information about the Spiral Children and the church’s history that it so desperately tried to hide.”
“History…like how they were involved in the war between the Humans and the Demons?”
“That too, and there’s also information about the demons’ raids ten and eight years ago.”
“The incident that swallowed the town Maria-san and Sarah-san lived before, right?”
As she asked that question, Flamm remembered that she hasn’t heard about Sarah from Gadio. She was concerned, but she couldn’t interrupt Gadio’s explanation.
“I assume you’re talking about Sarah Anvilen. I’m not sure about her, but at least Maria hated demons with passion. The reason is because she believed the demons are behind that raid.”
“But that wasn’t it, right?”
“From the beginning, the incident is too good to be true. The raid left children who had talents in recovery spells, something that’s very convenient for the Church. The thing is, there’s no record that said that Church Knights were dispatched to destroy the town.”
“Are you sure it wasn’t altered?”
“There’s a possibility that it was, but at that time, Maria was eight years old.”
“Normally someone that age would’ve been able to differentiate between humans and demons, huh…”
“Yeah, so that wouldn’t explain her hatred. Consequently, there’s no way of making clear whether the raiders were humans or demons. There’s also the possibility of demons disguising themselves as humans. Either way, whoever the culprit was, there’s no doubt that they have connections with the church.”
“Is there any solid proof of that?”
“The survivors of that incident isn’t just Maria and Sarah.”
“There’s other survivors?”
Gadio nodded. That survivor could’ve talked to Sarah and Maria. Perhaps one of the nuns concerned about Sarah in the Central District might be one of them.
“Combined with the survivors of the second raid, there are five survivors taken in by the church, all five of them are pregnant women.”
“Pregnant…?”
That is definitely something she was hearing for the first time, further complicating the issue. For what reason would the Church be gathering pregnant women? Flamm could assume that they were gathering them for research, but…
“Do you not notice? The raids happened ten and eight years ago, which means right now their children would be between 8 to 10 years old.”
“…Ah…the Spiral Children…?”
“Yeah. Long story short, they abducted talented children and pregnant women for experiments…and then they used them to obliterate the heathens.“
“Obliterate…the heretics…then doesn’t that mean there should be a trace of that within Sarah?”
“Within Maria too. Perhaps they used to believe in Gods other than Origin in the past.”
“If that’s the case then we can be sure that the Church had something to do with those raids, right?”
Though that wouldn’t straighten why Maria abhorred the demons.
However, now that they can be sure that the Church is behind it, that is not their biggest problem at the moment, for the church might have a lot of tricks up their sleeve; probably disguise or brainwashing.
“By the way, let’s say the raiders are the Church Knights, why would they put the blame on the demons though? I feel like they could’ve said a giant monster attacked the village and not muddy the waters.”
Giant monsters attacking towns are rare, but they aren’t that rare, so what could be the reason behind directing people’s malice towards the demons?
“That’s a good question, Flamm. The cause is…well I can’t say it’s the direct reason behind it, but it was written down in the documents I found in the Cathedral.”
He seemed to have obtained a more detailed information, but that opens the question of where in the Cathedral did he manage to sneak in. It should’ve been stored in a location where Gadio would have been killed on sight if he was found out.
Seeing how Gadio is speaking about it as if it was nothing made Flamm realize that him and Eterna who calmly dealt with Ink’s implant were the people who have reached the stars.
“About fifty years ago, the past King devoted himself to the Origin cult. At roughly the same time, it came down from the government through stories that demons are evil.”
“Stories? Like fairy tales or plays? Why would they do that?”
“I don’t know why, but that’s the truth. After that, twenty years ago, it’s established within the masses that Demons are evil, and as the anti-demon sentiments grow, we reached the point of a war between humans and demons.”
“Wouldn’t that mean that Humans are the ones instigating the war?”
“That’s the fact.”
Flamm’s cheeks twitched at his unhesitant declaration.
“Seems like history can easily be twisted.”
“I bet it’ll be difficult for just the Church to do it, but it seems like the entire Kingdom is also conspiring on this by manipulating information. I wouldn’t say it’s an easy feat, but I think it’s not impossible. The fact that humans are evil, and the demons are just is an inconvenient truth any ruler would try to erase.”
Flamm once again remembered the time she spoke to one of the three Demonic Generals Neigass in the Enichidae cave. She recalled Neigass saying that humans invaded the territory of demons in the war between humans and demons. If that was the truth, then what she said about “demons never killed humans” could be considered the truth as well.
She never thought that the time would come when she found a demon’s words being more credible than the Church’s.
“Also, there’s another concealed truth behind the war.”
“There’s another?”
“The more you know the more you don’t. Anyways, about the war between humans and demons, when the humans were defeated in the war, the demons gave out a proposition. Do you know what that is?”
“Territory…or maybe not. Money or resources maybe?”
“Normally, yes, that’s what one would ask for, but not the demons. They demanded that the two races wouldn’t clash again in the future.”
The disparity between the image of demons and their peaceful demand caused dizziness upon Flamm. At this point, it was the humans that are evil.
However, is that the truth?
After unilaterally instigating a war, the humans did not acknowledge their loss and continued to conceal the truth.
“Is that demand still in effect?”
“It should.”
“Then wouldn’t Cyril-chan…or rather, the whole Demon Lord subjugation party be a grave violation of that demand?”
Flamm’s doubt is justified, but Gadio only lets out a tired scoff towards no one in particular.
“What I’m going to say from now on is only my assumption, so I can’t take any responsibility of whether it’s the truth or not.”
“I don’t mind. Please tell me.”
“First, we are, at the very best, a mishmash of civilians.”
“Well, I figured that out.”
They were people of different affiliation and social status, there were no comon ground to them. Gadio and Linus are S-ranked adventurer, Jean is a Sage acknowledged by the kingdom, while Eterna is a witch of unknown origins.
“That’s exactly why. We are just a bunch of volunteers driven by our own sense of righteousness and that’s how they used us. We’re not an army, just a bunch of civilians running on a rampage, so our actions had nothing to do with the Kingdom.”
“Wha…isn’t that just sophism!?”
“Yeah, of course the demons wouldn’t just take the beating with all smiles. Still, the kingdom insists that we’re a bunch of civilians, and that’s why I guessed they created the group of Three Demonic Generals, to create and oppose the Heroes’ advances.”
Flamm was speechless. In short, the recent demon subjugation activities that has been happening within the kingdom was something caused by the kingdom’s mistakes. Rather, being able to end where they are itself was a miracle. There aren’t many demons compared to humans, but their strength can overwhelm the average humans. They could possibly flatten a human country without breaking a sweat if they wanted to.
However, the demons do not seek war. It is unclear why, but they do not wish to kill or hurt humans. That was why, using the excuse that “the heroes are civilians”, it is not seen as a declaration of war and therefore there was no reason for them to declare war. The kingdom took advantage of that goodwill or naivety of the demons and commenced an act of aggression. The Kingdom and the Church is nothing but a heresy.
“What could’ve caused the kingdom to despise the demons this far?”
“I hoped it would’ve been a simple thing like wanting to expand territory…but it’s inconsistent with the risk taken. Why would the late king suddenly started to devote himself to the Origin cult fifty years ago and branded the demons as evil, and why is the current king still following through with it…I don’t think we’ll get anywhere until we solve that puzzle.”
They need to disclose the King’s truth. If they could, they could perhaps figure out the Church’s goal and why they are after Flamm. It won’t be simple; even if she has Eterna and Gadio on her side, the wall she needs to overcome wouldn’t be so easily conquered.
However, if they can’t disclose everything and ruin their plot…Flamm wouldn’t be able to obtain the peace she longed for with the Church constantly on her tail.
“Well, it’s best that you don’t think too much for now. We just have to steadily collect information.”
“It irritates me.”
“Keep that feeling close to your heart and use it to drive yoruself forward.”
When they finished their conversation, Milkit puts down a plate with bread in front of the two and two other in front of the other empty seats, seemingly for Eterna and Milkit’s own portion, while Ink’s portion is prepared separately in the kitchen. Looks like she would bring it up to Eterna’s room later.
“Time for breakfast. Let’s shelf this discussion for another time.”
“Wait, I have just one question before we start breakfast. It’s something very important that I must ask.”
The conversation finally ends and Flamm can ask Gadio the question she’s most concerned about at last.
“Where is Sarah-chan?”
“…Ah, that little girl?” Gadio showed a slightly troubled expression. He supposedly said that she was okay, but Flamm couldn’t help but to feel a tinge of anxiety just by seeing his expression.
“Is she with someone?”
“That’s right.”
“Are they someone you know…?”
“Can’t say she is. I’ve talked with her some, but…”
His added details continue to complicate the matter, but Flamm steeled her determination and asked once again.
“No matter what condition she’s in, I’ll accept her, so please tell me, Gadio-san.”
“She’s fine, she’s just fine, totally. She’s neither hurt nor sick, and she’s completely safe. The thing is, the person with her is…”
“Who…is it?”
With his arms still crossed, Gadio fell silent breifly, and with a soft sigh, he answered;
“One of the Three Demonic Generals, Neigass. Sarah is following her around.”
“Huh? HUUUUUHH!?”
Flamm shouted in astonishment after hearing the name appear when she least expected it. Her shout caused Milkit to jump and drop a piece of weiner that was on top of the plate to the floor.