Episode 14
And so, morning.
“…Nnngh.”
Slumped face-down at a table in the inn’s dining hall, I drew a somewhat anxious “Is something wrong?” out of Teresia.
“Ahh, well, couldn’t really sleep.”
“Sleep deprivation is the enemy of good health, Yurina.”
“I do actually know that much myself.”
“If something’s troubling you, I’ll listen, you know?”
…I was genuinely grateful for the sentiment, but unfortunately, what was currently troubling me wasn’t something I could tell her.
Things about the demon lord. Things about the saint.
She’d probably listen sincerely if I told her.
Which was exactly why I couldn’t tell her.
“It’s really nothing, just got a bit too worked up to sleep, that’s all, Teresia, I’m fine.”
“…You really are fine, right?”
“Fine, fine. Even yesterday, I counted sheep and finally managed to fall asleep somewhere around a few hundred.”
“Is that really something you’d call ‘fine’?”
Guilt welled up at the sight of her looking at me with such concern, but I hardened my heart and repeated, with a laugh, “I’m fine.”
“So, Teresia. What are you doing today?”
“Please rest, Yurina. To begin with, the fact remains that you sustained a serious injury.”
“Eh, no, but — I’m perfectly fine and spry, though.”
“Suppose, hypothetically, I had a cold, and insisted I was fine and tried to go outside anyway — what would you do, Yurina?”
“Tell you honestly to stay in bed.”
“Well, there you have it.”
“…I see your point.”
Put that way, I had no comeback.
Reluctantly, I nodded. “Understood, got it.”
“I’ll stay quietly in my room today.”
“Good. Once you’re well, you can go out as much as you like — for now, please think of this as convalescence and take it easy.”
“Even so, I feel like I’ve already rested plenty…”
“Everyone who should be resting says exactly that.”
“So then, what are you planning to do today, Teresia?”
At my question, Teresia made a troubled little “hmm, hmmm.”
Was it possible she hadn’t thought about it at all?
If that were the case, I was about to suggest we just laze around together in the room all day — but it seemed she actually had plans.
“I do have something planned today, actually.”
“Oh, is that right.”
“Today… well, I’m planning to go see Monica-san.”
“To see Monica-san?”
Setting aside Teresia’s opinion of a person called Monica, what business did she have going to see her?
No — I had, of course, properly seen the two of them talking yesterday, and I understood there was something going on between them.
I might be the only one being left out of the loop, but at the very least — I trust Teresia.
If Teresia is keeping something secret from me, there must be a reason for it.
At least, that’s how I choose to see it.
“That’s right. To put it simply, I’m planning to discuss what comes next.”
“What comes next?”
“‘The saint defeated the demon lord.’ If this were a story, that would be the happy ending. But as you can see, the world is still continuing on regardless.”
“Yeah… that’s true.”
“To think through how we should conduct ourselves going forward, I need to organize the information properly, just once. That’s why I’m planning to borrow Monica-san’s help.”
“She is sharp, after all…”
“I don’t think many people would describe a sage as merely ‘sharp,’ but broadly speaking, you’re right.”
“I see~”
I nodded.
Well, borrowing an expert’s wisdom was probably the best approach in a situation like this, and it would be a problem if I stuck my nose in and just complicated things.
I should keep doing what I’ve always done — listening obediently to what Teresia tells me.
…Though now, unlike before, I do technically possess the demon lord’s power.
I hold overwhelming power now.
But it’s a dangerous power that shouldn’t be used lightly — if anything, it’s probably better not to use it at all.
So what I ought to do hasn’t actually changed.
As an ordinary nobody, follow Teresia to the ends of the earth.
“Well then, once I finish eating I’ll head straight for the Blue-Winged Crow.”
“Okay, got it. I’ll be a good girl and stay quietly in my room.”
Right on cue, our food arrived.
Breakfast was bread topped with bacon and eggs, soup, and a salad.
A perfectly pleasant meal lineup — except.
“……”
Teresia was wearing a distinctly sour expression.
I wondered why, then understood at once when I spotted the tomatoes sitting on top of her salad — a food she hates.
“Yurina.”
“Eat it yourself.”
“I am not, in fact, a good girl.”
“No, a saint should be a good girl.”
“I’ll add the bacon and eggs to it too, then.”
“Then you’d genuinely end up malnourished.”
At my words, she reluctantly started eating.
…Honestly, in moments like this, Teresia’s still such a child in her own way.