Lizolera opened her eyes. She was in a room in the Diamond Plateau Village temple. Temple leaders from the other villages were deep in discussion around a large round table. It seemed their first meeting after the eruption was still ongoing.
Lizolera was relieved it hadn’t ended while she’d been dozing off. Even if she wasn’t expected to speak, her current position meant she couldn’t afford to look undignified. As she subtly straightened her posture, a voice whispered into her ear.
“Are you tired, Lady Lizolera?” It was her attendant, a divine demon boy, who had been standing nearby. He seemed to have noticed her napping.
Despite feeling embarrassed, Lizolera still responded in her usual tone. “I’m fine.”
“It’s not your fault. It’s only been three days since your return, so I don’t imagine you’ve had much time to rest. I could clear your schedule for you tomorrow,” the boy said with a serious expression.
Lizolera couldn’t help but feel that he was too earnest. He reminded her of Remzenel when he was young. Though he was certainly talented, a servant should ideally be able to find a bit of humor in their master dozing off. Lizolera waved the boy off.
“I said I’m fine. More importantly, you should listen carefully to what those children are saying. Even if it’s not useful right now, it’s valuable information for the future.”
“Yes, ma’am.” The boy gave a brief reply and turned to watch the meeting. Just as it was bothering her how serious he was, he turned back to Lizolera and hesitantly spoke up. “Umm... Did you have a nice dream?”
“Huh?”
“Your expression seemed to soften a little.”
Lizolera gave an awkward smile. He was too observant for her to deny it. The overly serious boy was quite capable, and he seemed to care for his master as well. He would make a good village chief in the future. “I was dreaming of the past,” Lizolera answered quietly. “Back when I was around your older sister’s age.”
“That must have been a long time ago,” the boy said with a solemn expression.
Lizolera couldn’t help but giggle. “Yeah. It was a dream from a very, very long time ago.”
In the end, Demon Lord Adyahha and his companions, known as the Elite Four, had been defeated by the Hero. Her heart had been crushed by that reality, but little by little, she had reclaimed her life. Eventually, they had become a distant memory.
With a faint, sorrowful smile, Lizolera murmured softly. It was a whisper so quiet that not even the young attendant at her side could catch it—fleeting words that disappeared the moment they left her lips. “He really was nothing like Seika.”