Chapter 494
Chapter 494: An Emotional Reunion
There probably aren’t any people around.
Liliana is aware of this, which is why she called my name.
In other words—there’s no longer any need for me to disguise my appearance.
I解除 my human form.
I feel a significant change in my height. The clothes that were baggy on my child’s body now fit perfectly.
And the world around me feels vividly colorful. Without needing to reach out to confirm, I can feel a—dreadful demon race horn on my temple.
I can perceive the magical energy, the elements that make up this world, in detail. Unlike the faint “presence” of a human, I can feel the pressure of magic, even the very existence of Ante and Leila behind me, clearly.
—Naturally, I can feel the Forest Elves in front of me.
I can distinctly “understand” them now.
“…………ッッ!”
The two attendants, a young female elf and an older elf, heighten their tension. The female elf is of baron rank, while the older elf might even reach viscount status—perhaps touching on count. Quite impressive indeed.
The older elf remains composed, but the female elf has clearly assumed a combat stance. The magic energy around her is activated—
Softly.
A wave of pure light spreads, washing away the impressions of the two.
A strong presence. Liliana has also undone her half-hearted disguise. From the average Forest Elf’s appearance, she transformed into a High Elf that vividly inherits the blood of royalty.
Right now, her existence shines brighter than anything else to me—dazzlingly so.
Ah, it seems I haven’t tanned to a dark hue just yet.
The elves refer to suntans as “the blessings of the sun.” After being repeatedly skinned and returning to her pure white skin, Liliana—still looks undeniably healthier than when she was in the Demon Lord Kingdom.
It symbolizes the time she spent in her homeland, living as her true self, and my heart swells with warmth.
“Alex…!”
She rushes toward me. Light and airy, like the wind.
I catch her. It feels as if a little bird has bumped into me.
And then she hugs me with all her might. I embrace her firmly in return, just enough not to break her. Soft, with a floral scent.
It felt nostalgic—everything, all of it.
“I’m so glad you managed to escape and come back home. Really.”
“Yeah…”
As I spoke, Liliana nodded repeatedly, but it seemed she couldn’t voice her thoughts through her tears.
For a while, we linger in that moment. I sway her gently, as if soothing a little child… It seems I’ve grown a bit taller too. When we parted, Liliana was taller than me, but now I’m catching up a little.
—Thanks to that, I’ve made eye contact with her two attendants over her shoulder.
“…………”
In stark contrast to when she cleverly figured things out in the village, the female elf’s guarded face shows her concern without any pretense, while the older elf watches me with a somewhat detached gaze, a smile that is still unreadable.
Uh, well… I’m really sorry about your precious daughter…
There are undoubtedly countless things she wants to say to me, and she has every right to complain.
…Setting that aside.
“Liliana. I thought your consciousness had returned…?”
What was with the incident yesterday?
“Euh. Well…”
She seems self-conscious about having revealed that disgraceful side of herself (of course she would), and when Liliana timidly releases her grip, she shows a look of embarrassment mixed with a sense of loneliness.
“Actually, there’s still that child within me.”
“…I see.”
There’s still a pup in there too. I can relate to it. The sealed self as Alexander—the self as Zilbagias.
If I wanted, I could even summon him right at this moment. He is a completely different person from me, yet he undeniably exists as part of me.
That cannot be—ignored or disregarded.
And it is the same for the pup…
“I wonder if he’s happy.”
From what I saw yesterday, I’m sure he is.
“Of course! I bet if he had a tail, he’d be wagging it like crazy right now!”
Laughing in response, Liliana only to pause and gave me a sort of expectant look as she said, “…Um.”
Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.
It would be sad to leave him out.
“Come here, Liliana.”
When I open my arms.
“…! Wuf!”
Liliana’s expression completely shifts, and she leaps at me again. With a solid impact, thankfully, because of her demon body, I manage to avoid falling over. Haha… she really is like a big dog! Especially this lack of reservation!
“Alright, alright!”
“Wuf wuf! Wafun!”
“I’m glad you seem well. It’s been a while.”
“…Wuf!”
Liliana licks my cheek—
And behind her, her attendants are making some incredible faces.
Yeah, I’m really sorry for treating your precious daughter like this… I truly apologize.
But this child is still Liliana.
It may be twisted, but she’s a really good kid.
The root cause is me, and all the responsibility lies with me, so I wouldn’t mind if they were angry with me as much as they wanted.
Still, please… can you also acknowledge this child…?
A different personality within herself. It may be a sensation only Liliana and I can understand. But because of that, I alone must be considerate of “Liliana.”
As I earnestly wish so, while petting her, I glance at the older elf—who, while breaking his vague smile, lets out a troubled, “muuh…”.
“Gukiki…!”
However, it seems my wish didn’t resonate with the female elf, who was about to roll her eyes in disbelief. Sorry.
…Still, while I’m petting Liliana, who seems to be relishing my scent with joyful sniffs, a thought crosses my mind.
“How did you manage to find me…?”
Even when she’s being pup-like, she must be deluding herself, since her sense of smell should be at a human level…
No, even if her sense of smell was as keen as Rujiakka’s, there’s no way she could track down me flying around on Leila…
“Wuf. Ah, well, you see…”
Liliana’s expression switched to a serious one as she placed her hands on her hips and showed signs of deliberation on how to explain.
“…To put it bluntly, I made a contract with a demon.”
…….
“““Huh?”””
Me, Ante, and even Leila’s voice overlapped perfectly from behind.
A contract with a demon…?
Eh!? How!? With who!?
“I’ll introduce you.”
And with no warning at all, a mass of magical power bursts forth from Liliana.
Right now, I can clearly perceive its form because I have horns.
It extends straight—no, it’s just extending straight!?
With a thud, it lands elegantly in front of me—a staff.
“Hey, long time no see. I guess this lady is our first meeting, huh?”
A gentle voice. Wait, hold on, I recognize that voice—!
“…Oh dear, I forgot to put on any clothes. My apologies!”
The staff spins around gracefully, instantly adorned in a dapper tailcoat.
““Odigos!?””
Once again, our astonished shouts overlap—me and Ante in shock.
“Good day. To Zilbagias—Antendeixis.”
The empty sleeves of the clothing made a cheeky gesture, as if tipping a hat in greeting.
