Chapter 293
Chapter 293. Farewell and Departure Gift
――In a certain mountainous area of the Demon Lord Kingdom.
“This is good enough; I can go on my own from here.”
Liliana, clad in makeshift travel gear, turned back. Clothes stripped from the corpses of the Izanis tribe, hastily resized boots, my leather backpack, and a bag of her favorite dried fruits…
While Liliana was busy erasing various pieces of evidence—burning the plants she created with Leila’s breath and extinguishing the souls of the Izanis tribe—things were a chaotic rush.
To avoid the patrols of the Dragon race, we traveled here with a low-level flight using concealment magic for about two hours. Due to the ambush tactics, high altitudes were under strict surveillance, so we had to approach the area from below.
That said, doubling down on our caution and carefully selecting minimally populated areas to fly through, we didn’t cover much distance.
“I’m sorry. I really wanted to take you all the way to the eastern edge of the autonomous district…”
Even if I went ‘missing’ after Emelgias’s attack, the blank time I could use to make excuses was at most four to five hours. Considering the need to return to the fortress in that time, this was the limit for flying without arousing suspicion.
“Just getting this far is impressive. The greenery continues, and I even got a map. The forest will guide me from here.”
Liliana laughed while tapping her backpack.
From here, Liliana would attempt to traverse the forests and hills on her own and cross the border. With the forest’s favor, her mastery of advanced magic and miracles, and her physical resilience, it should be possible for her.
‘—It seems appropriate to say she went missing during combat.’
After discussing it, we decided to disguise Liliana’s situation that way.
‘Although it looked like Liliana suffered fatal wounds from Emelgias’s enhanced magical attacks, confirming anything during combat was difficult. After settling matters with Emelgias, we searched again, but her figure had vanished…’
Thus, I couldn’t accept the reality of losing Liliana and was searching the surroundings on Leila, wondering—there was a risk that if I reported she regained her consciousness and escaped, a mountain hunt would begin, and Liliana could be killed, which led me to cover it up and try to handle things by myself.
To be honest, it felt like nothing short of madness, but considering one of my brothers just went mad and started a war right after, above all, this plan would likely have Diagias as a powerful ally.
‘My woman has gone missing! Of course, I’ll search for her!!’
I could almost see Diagias responding immediately. He’s a reliable big brother.
With this storyline, it wouldn’t be surprising if Liliana was spotted within the allied territory.
However, it would also be better to create an impression that she might still be hiding within the Demon Lord Kingdom—to provoke chaos within the Demon Lord Kingdom. Moreover, if Liliana’s information caused damage to the kingdom, it would risk me being held responsible.
Liliana should ideally stay out of sight as much as possible.
With her appearance as a High Elf, not to mention her immense magical power, Liliana would certainly stand out, so figuring out how she could act unnoticed even within the allied territory was a challenge—but—
“Will this be alright?”
For one last confirmation, Liliana’s appearance changed before me. Her golden hair turned into dull brown, her pointed long ears became slightly shorter, and her skin tanned to a darker shade.
“Perfect. From any angle, she looks like a regular Forest Elf.”
Even her magical power had been weakened.
‘—Leila. Can I have your blood?’
The key lay with Leila’s blood.
‘I want to learn humanization magic too.’
If I, a demon, could learn it, there was no reason a High Elf like Liliana couldn’t.
Having quickly mastered humanization, Liliana could perfectly masquerade as a human if she used the magic well—or, if done half-heartedly—like Leila, who kept her horns while transforming, would make her ears slightly shorter and her power a little diminished, allowing her to disguise perfectly as an ordinary Forest Elf.
When the situation called for it, she would switch back to her normal form to return to her village. She would finally reveal her true identity only when there were no spies around.
And then, she would meet her mother—the High Elf Queen.
That was the plan.
‘—For now, I should only inform the queen about Alex.’
It was decided that I would only inform the Queen, as the nation’s top figure, about my existence, which was the highest of secrets. Known for her intelligence, High Elf Queen—I had heard of her character from Liliana.
The queen would surely understand the value of my presence and the instability that could become a fatal blow if exposed. She would meticulously choose whom to share that information with.
“—Liliana. Take this.”
I handed a notebook to Liliana, who had returned to her High Elf appearance.
“It’s information about necromancy, as far as I know. It might be useful.”
It felt a bit lacking to give such a gift as a farewell, but I had nothing else to offer. I couldn’t even provide her with proper travel gear…
While it was true that the Demon Lord posed a threat, Enma was also quite troublesome. After the collapse of the Demon Lord Kingdom, the next enemy would likely be him. It would be ideal if we could coordinate with the Forest Elves at that time.
That is, if I was still alive by then.
“Yeah…”
Liliana carefully stowed the notebook in her backpack and looked at us.
…Once she returned to her village, Liliana would be kept hidden and heavily guarded. The chances of us meeting again would be slim.
This was a farewell for this life—those words wouldn’t leave my mind. It was more than just bittersweet.
But there was no time left.
‘It was really short, but take care.’
Floating from my belt, the stabbing sword took the form of Barbara, who said that.
“Thank you. I’m sorry for almost purifying you several times.”
‘Ahaha. It can’t be helped!’
With an apologetic smile, Liliana laughed back at Barbara. The dog-like Liliana was the undead’s arch-nemesis. Even though it was just hours ago that they had spoken normally for the first time, they both laughed together like old friends.
“Liliana… Please, take care.”
At a loss for words, Leila started to tear up. While flying, I sensed Leila’s emotions through【Kizuna】.
The loneliness of Liliana leaving, but the joy that she could return home. And a tiny feeling of longing for her, who would reunite with her family—those complicated emotions swirled together.
“Leila… Thank you for everything. Take care…”
Liliana hugged Leila tightly.
“…Well, about everything I said.”
With a slightly awkward demeanor, Antendeixis materialized and spoke up.
“Don’t worry about this one; I’ll take even better care of her than before. …You must reach your homeland safely. Especially for her sake!”
“…Yes. Thank you, I will definitely keep the secret!”
Liliana also smiled wryly at Antendeixis’s twisted way of saying things at this point.
Finally.
Her blue eyes fixed on me.
She stepped closer and bent down slightly.
“Hey, Alex… Can you pet my head one last time?”
I was caught off guard a bit.
I reached out my hand without a word.
Her silky golden hair. The contours and warmth of her gently familiar form.
…Not good. I was about to start crying.
I had wanted to send her off with a smile.
As she remained being petted, Liliana began to tremble, then suddenly clung to me.
She held me so tightly it almost hurt. I wrapped my arms around her in return.
“…Goodbye, Liliana. You’ve helped me so much, not just in this life but in my past one too. Thank you so much. Just stay safe and healthy… that’s all I wish for.”
“Alex.”
Suddenly, Liliana placed her hands on both my cheeks.
Huh?
In my view, enlarged to a close-up,
“――――”
My lips were sealed.
Tears reflected in her eyes were more beautiful than I’d ever seen—
“I love you, Alex.”
With a forced smile, Liliana said.
“I will never forget you.”
With that, she stepped back a few steps, appearing sheepish.
“—Goodbye.”
Then, she turned her back and dashed into the forest. Using speed-enhancing magic, she quickly grew smaller, like the wind—
“――――”
I had a lot I wanted to say. I wanted to say something at the end.
But it all got blown away.
“Liliana…”
By the time I called her name, her figure had vanished into the thicket.
Suddenly, she was gone.
Like a fairy from a storybook forest.
It was as if I had woken from a pleasant dream.
