Someone appears in front of me just as Iâm finishing todayâs work and getting ready to go home.
Itâs someone whoâs pretty popular around here, the guildmaster of the adventurer guild.
âItâs been a while. And thank you very much.â
âHn~? For what~?â
âYou granted Mister Ignisâ wish.â
Oh, that? I did guide them, but that really is a special thing that can only be obtained there. Maybe they could find it in the dungeon if they were extremely lucky, but the odds are very low.
âItâs not like I really listened to his request or anything~. I just told them because they were after that thing~.â
âEven so. If Miss Celes hadnât told them about it, it would have taken longer.â
I canât argue with that. Even she didnât know about it⊠No, Ignis might have ended up telling her.
âAlso~. I canât have him go crazy in here~.â
If I treated him like an enemy, I might have caused a riot.
Reese says Ignis would never do that, but thatâs because she doesnât know him very well.
Things are calm now, but⊠Well, itâs fine for now.
âSo, what do you need~?â
ââŠMiss Celes, are you planning to stay here?â
âI am~. I donât think thatâs strange~.â
âBut the humansâŠ!â
I get why sheâs worried, but itâs ironic considering sheâs a human on the side of the demons, who are said to be enemies of mankind.
Itâs true that itâs hard for people like me to live in human societies. Although I donât remember when it came to be like that.
âItâs all right~. Itâs not like all humans are bad~. And~âŠâ
I canât leave this land.
Who knows what would happen if I abandoned the dungeon, after the demons messed with it.
A long time ago, during the reign of the king that was said to have become a lunatic in his later years, they tried to mess with me, and I did leave this land.
And then monsters started bursting out of the dungeon, and there was all sorts of trouble.
Now itâs just a nice memory, how they laughed at me with scorn when I tried to discuss my concerns with them, and how in the end they came crying to me asking for help. I canât help but smile, remembering those faces covered in tears and snot.
The contract I formed then is still active today, so if Iâm harmed, this country will be punished. Kind of like divine punishment in a way.
âH-humâŠâ
I guess I really was smiling. I canât even describe the look Reese is giving me.
âAnyway~. You donât have to worry about that~. Actually, are you all right~?â
âI have this, so yes. And to begin withâŠâ
Reese seems to be holding some sort of magic item. It looks pretty elaborately made, and it represses its magic energy response to the point where you wouldnât notice it unless you were looking for it.
âI see~. Well, letâs just say neither of us should overdo it then~.â
I think our opinions are going to continue running parallel and never intersect, so itâs best to end this conversation here.
âSo, is there anything else~?â
âN-no, that is allâŠâ
âI see~. We have other eyes on us, so we should probably refrain from seeing each other~.â
Itâs not really a problem, because I have a partner watching over our surroundings, but just in case.
If it comes to that, I could do something, but Reese⊠Is pretty weak. Of course, thereâs also the fact that Iâm just too strong.
Reese bows deeply, and vanishes into the darkness.
Sheâs kind of awkward. I worry about her.
Good grief, playing with a ladyâs heart like that. I need to give Ignis a mouthful over that.
I look in the direction of the Dragon Kingdom of Ruflet, and remember the boy reading the book whose letters normal people canât read, like it was nothing. And that girl that was with him.
I thought back to it like time had stopped. It was like I was seeing my old friend.
The way she looked at him⊠Was it love? Hum, probably?
Thatâs why I was worried. And sure enough, Ignis told me he came from another world.
I figured he wasnât a normal human, since he could read that book, but of all things, an otherworlder⊠No, I think deep down, I knew.
âIt will be fine~. But~âŠâ
The boy got away from the hands of politicians, but I feel like Ignis wants to use him for something. For what, I donât knowâŠ
âI just hope he can stay in peace with no issues~âŠâ
I canât help but wish for that.
I want young people to be happy, and not be stained by anything.