---

Chapter 237. Even Awake

“There’s no way there are gravekeepers in this town.”

“Right?”

In response to my words, Enma nodded as if to say, “I knew that.”

Claire’s body resembles that of a young girl. With those slender arms, being a gravekeeper is impossible, and besides, there isn’t a large graveyard in the town. If we were to go along with that setting, at least she should have an older man’s body… but that would be poor Claire’s misfortune.

“We actually have almost no sense of smell, you know?”

Enma tapped the tip of her nose with her finger.

“Is it that smelly?”

She grabbed my arm and leaned in closer.

And the gentle scent wafting was—citrus perfume.

Oh, so this is… the fragrance Claire chose.

“Hey! Alex!”

Suddenly, the voice of young Claire echoed back.

“My dad baked bread with orange peel!”

One afternoon, Claire had come to visit, beaming with a big smile as she offered me the bread.

“Let’s eat it together!”

…I cautiously took the large loaf into my hands.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t put anything strange in it!”

“That’s just because you’re usually up to no good!”

With puffy cheeks, Claire and I went out to a nearby field.

“It’s delicious!”

“Yeah, it’s yummy!”

Truly, it was genuine bread, not a prank.

The sweet and sour fragrance of orange peel and the faint sweetness of honey.

We split it in half and enjoyed it while basking in the sun.

—Such memories were hazy.

But… those memories felt too distant.

Claire’s smile was faint and hard to recall—

The grin on Enma’s face in front of me—

—settled smoothly into my blurred memories.

“!!”

Before I knew it, I had pushed Enma away.

“…Huh?”

Enma’s expression went blank. I snapped back to reality.

“No… I’m sorry, I was just a bit surprised.”

I awkwardly smiled and took Enma’s hand.

“You came too close all of a sudden, so it startled me. I wouldn’t mind if it were you, though.”

…Because I have to think of you as an enemy.

“That body is Claire’s, isn’t it? So…”

I couldn’t stand it.

“Oh, I see. I was surprised too, but that’s definitely true.”

Enma chuckled in a silly way.

That face!

Don’t laugh…!!

Desperately, I tried to recall Claire’s smile from days gone by, but it had already been hopelessly overwritten.

“I was being careless again; I guess I lacked consideration…”

You’re always lacking consideration…!!

“So about the smell…”

I took a deep breath and steadied myself.

“I can’t really tell if it has that undead stench or not. But whether it can fool even beastmen is a mystery.”

In reality, even with Enma getting all touchy-feely, I didn’t feel any strong unpleasant odor. But the beastmen were a different story; those guys were truly from another dimension. How much I had relied on their sense of smell during my hero days!

It’s rude to assume, but if they were on the Demon Lord Army’s side…

…It would be a lot worse. No, the cat-like beastmen are also a huge threat with their power and speed.

“Well, Claire’s body shouldn’t have used much ‘meat’, so the smell shouldn’t be too strong. In my experience, if you’re in a place with other strong smells, it’s harder to detect. Like taverns or red-light districts.”

Huh… red-light districts…?

Seeing my puzzled face, Enma quickly waved her hands in a flustered manner.

“No, well, when I was wandering through the allied territories, various things happened, you know? If I were to lurk in a town, there were plenty of drifters, and it was easier in places filled with the smells of food and incense. Well, I rarely lurked around, though… haha.”

…Right.

Since you wipe out entire populations and turn them into undead wherever you go, you’ve been hunted by the Holy Church for years…!

“Haa. I really didn’t research enough.”

With a resigned expression, Enma scratched her head and sighed. Even though she doesn’t breathe.

“My apologies. It’s tricky, but I’ll think about it some more. Until the Autonomous District regains its vibrancy, it might be best for Claire to stay inside the castle.”

The reason Claire was dispatched… well, that works in my favor, at least.

“So, regretfully, I must head back.”

“Is that so…”

If I clumsily said something like, “That’s a shame,” Enma might stick around, so I merely tried to look regretful and gave a nod.

“Alright, see you later!”

Enma winked with a snap, blew a kiss, and then—

Her expression vanished abruptly as Claire collapsed to the ground.

…It was a split second! I could barely perceive the fluctuation of magic that suggested the gates of the spirit realm had opened!

Wait, if this keeps up, Claire will fall! I rushed over and caught her delicate body.

“Mm—”

Claire let out a sound and blinked rapidly.

Oh no, her consciousness is coming back. This situation might cause misunderstanding…

“—Nooooo! Stop, help me, help me, help me—”

Claire went into a half-panic.

What incredible strength! Caught off guard by her explosive power, I was thrown back.

“Ahhh! No, no, it hurts, it hurts, ah—!”

Crumpling to the floor, Claire suddenly looked up with a start—

“Eek…”

Seeing me—

She reflexively recoiled.

In her glassy eyes reflected the sight of a blue-skinned demon…

“…Ah, I see we’ve arrived.”

For a moment, Claire was expressionless and dazed, but then she relaxed her shoulders and stood up.

“So this is Evaroti?”

With an unperturbed tone asking as if nothing had happened, Claire made me—

“Ah… yeah.”

Like a fool, I could only nod.

“Wow. That was quick. The castle is prettier than I expected.”

Claire said with a forced smile.

What kind of dream was she having, I wonder…

I couldn’t ask her that.

 

---