“So, you wanted to know why we’re invading?” Royalfang said. “Well, you guessed right.”
His goal was to free his comrades who’d gone undercover among the humans. Failing that, we needed to return their remains, provide an accounting of what had happened—and, of course, identify those responsible.
“I won’t push any further than that. We’re the ones who went and snuck into your territory, after all. Honestly, I’m impressed you managed to sniff our people out. Maybe I ought to compliment you, one opponent to another.”
The Golden Lion joked, but his eyes were completely devoid of humor.
“Right now, you two are prisoners of war. That means we’re not going to beat you, we’re not going to burn you, and we’re not going to string you up. Do you understand why?”
“Laws of war,” I replied. “Captured enemy soldiers are to be treated humanely?”
“Exactly. That’s all there is to it. That’s all I’m trying to say...” His beast-like eyes shone and shimmered as he drank down his cup. “We’re here to bring our people home—the ones who got captured there in that city of yours. If you happen to know where they were taken, then spit it out now. Your friend shared a drink with me, after all. Just give me that much, and I’ll settle the rest.”
The lion sat cross-legged, calmly staring down at me and Cion. I didn’t sense any violence in his demeanor, but he was unmistakably a man soldiers could entrust their lives to—a general, through and through.
Demons who were taken prisoner in Arshelm...?
I hadn’t heard anything about that from the saint. Unfortunately, Arshelm had been under the jurisdiction of the late Cardinal Kyrius. He’d been a torture-obsessed pervert, but he’d also taken a hardline stance against the demons. For all I knew, he could’ve been capturing them for some sort of experiments or research; it wasn’t hard to imagine...
“Judging by that look, they haven’t told you anything, have they?”
There was a hint of disappointment in his voice, but he refilled his cup of liquor and unlocked our chains.
“We’ve said our piece. If you’re living among the humans, then now’s the time to get going. If you’d rather stay here with us, though, we’ll welcome you with open arms. We don’t abandon our people.”
I was confused for a brief moment, before I realized he was talking about my ears and tail.
“These are merely a sort of magic trick, I’m afraid.” I flicked one of my dog ears with a finger and smiled ruefully. “In any case, as a bride of the Gods, I am bound to return to their side.”
“Let’s pray we don’t meet on the battlefield, then,” he said before turning to Cion. “You too, girlie. Tonight, we’re drinking buddies, so I’ll let you off the hook. But if I see you again out there, I’ll have vengeance for my fallen comrades. I’ll carve their memories into you—every last one.”
Up until that moment, Cion had been flushed and tipsy, but now her eyes widened and the color instantly drained from her face. She instinctively reached for her sword, but it wasn’t at her hip; the Golden Lion tossed it back to her with a teasing air.
“We’re warriors, my men and I,” he said. “If you’re one too, then you know when it’s time to retreat, don’t you?”
Cion stumbled to her feet and slung her sword back around her waist as she looked to me. Our opponents weren’t bracing for a fight; if they were going to let us go, then that was all we could ask for.
“Thank you for taking the time to meet with us,” I said with a bow.
I took Cion’s wrist, and we made our exit. The whole way out of the encampment, I could feel murderous glares stabbing into me all over my body—countless stings of rage, as numerous as the things these people had lost.
“This won’t be easy, will it...”
As I muttered to no one in particular, Cion’s wrist slipped out of my grasp; now, her hand was holding mine.
“It’s all right,” she said. “It’s going to be all right.”
Her hood was pulled tight over her head, leaving her expression unreadable as she walked beside me. But ever so slightly—so faintly that I wondered if my ears were playing tricks on me—Cion’s voice seemed to be trembling.
“Cion...?”
“Hmm?”
I’d spoken up on an impulse, but we were still in the middle of enemy territory. This wasn’t the time or the place for small talk.
“Alicia...?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
After my false start, I didn’t say anything more, and I found myself walking a step behind Cion. It wasn’t just to escape the silence—the sun had already long since set, and if I wasn’t careful, I could easily lose my footing in the darkness of the unfamiliar forest.
But all the same, my thoughts kept circling around that tremor in Cion’s voice. She’d spent her whole life thinking of demons as enemies to hunt down—as monsters that couldn’t be reasoned with. How would this encounter affect her? Had it really been a good idea to bring her along at all? It was too late to question my choices now, but I still felt a little uneasy.
As we left the demon encampment, made our way through the thick forest, and passed by the site of today’s battle...
“Cion... W-Wait a sec...”
My feet came to a stop.
“Ah, sorry—was I going too fast?”
“No— Well, maybe a little... I mean, I guess so...” I faltered. “Bringing out those ears and tail just leaves me feeling a bit unwell afterward.” There was a throbbing pain in the back of my head, and I was kind of nauseous too. “Is it okay if we rest for a bit?”
She nodded. “Sorry. I should’ve been paying more attention.”
“No, it’s fine...”
Out here, an attack could come from any direction at any moment. It was only natural that Cion would be focused on our surroundings. Normally, she’d fuss over me to a downright excessive degree, but even now, her senses were still directed out into the darkness of the forest.