I pointed at the back of the fallen Duke.

[Eve.] [Umu.] [You may be wanting to hear the Duke begging for his life, but please keep it as brief as possible.]

Eve didn’t reply immediately. I temporarily stopped counting the corpses on the ground and said,

[If you don’t like to do it, I’ll—] [No.]

Eve opens her mouth.

[Let me do this myself.] [Alright. Just come find me after you’re done.]

Nodding towards me once, Eve stands before the Duke. And in her hand, she’s holding a sword. I went back to counting the number of corpses on the ground.

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[Nuuuoooohhh… Guuhhhggiiiigggiiiii… Hiiii…. Hiiiiiiiii…]

Finally, the Duke couldn’t escape from reality anymore. I could see it from behind him. The Duke’s fear.

[I think it might have been better for you if you can’t speak. That way, I don’t have to be worried that I would be deceived again by your words… I’m just a simple person, afterall.]

Eve’s voice stops. Her voice was as cold as ice.

[I think that if you managed to deceive me now, it’s possible that I might have some feelings that would suddenly gush up within me and I might suddenly find myself forgiving you. However… Reaching your hand towards that child is a bad move.] [Giiguuuuuhhh… Guuuhhhhh….] [Even if you shed tears, I will not be fooled anymore.] [Giigiiigiiiiiiiiii……..] [Farewell.]

A short, low scream is all that’s left of him in the end.

I think back to the final words Eve said.

If you were to think about it normally, you would think that her words were directed at the Duke.

However, depending on how you look at it, it’s possible that these words were directed to her own naive past self.

▽

Footsteps began approaching and stopped behind me.

[Touka.] […Are you done with it?] [Umu.]

Eve feels more cheerful than I had thought.

[Touka-dono.]

Seras came out of the forest along with Liz on her hand. Now, she had already changed back to her original appearance. The power of the spirits requires appropriate compensation when you use them. It’s not something you should arbitrarily use when it’s not necessary. Well, she doesn’t really need the power of altering her appearance right now. Seras is looking around the area.

[It looks like it’s finally over.]

Liz tightly grasps the hem of Seras’ clothes. She’s standing really close around Seras’ waist. I spoke.

[Liz, if you don’t like seeing their corpses—] [I- I’m alright…] [Are you sure?] [I’ve already seen a lot of them back when I was travelling with my sister… most of them were people who tried attacking us…]

So, this isn’t the first time she had seen corpses huh… However, it looks like she’s still trembling a bit. Well, this really isn’t something you could get used to.

[Seras, I still have some things to do here along with Eve. Will you take Liz with you and prepare for our departure?] [Understood. Now then, after we retrieve our luggages we left behind, we would still have to catch the horse that should still be loitering around the area.] [I’m counting on you. Ah, one more thing.] [What is it?] [Thanks for backing me up with your arrows earlier.]

Seras suddenly looked quite uncertain.

[That was also my own judgement that you’ve never instructed—] [I’ve already told you before, right? I trust your own judgement.]

She closes her eyes as she digests my words. With her eyes closed, she places her hands on her chest.

[Yes, thank you very much…] [Sigh… You’re the sub-leader of this “Mercenary Corp”. At the time that I can’t give out my instructions, I will leave the judgement to you. Eve. Liz. Are you fine with that?] [Umu.] [Y- Yes.]

Eve and Liz replied. Seras smiles.

[I’ll be in your care from hereafter, you two.] [One more thing, Seras.] [What is it?] [Before you prepare for our departure, will you take that thing I’ve shown you earlier from my luggage? I think I’ll use it later. Let’s see… You can just leave it around the area.]

Seras immediately looks like she understands what I meant.

[Yes, understood.]

After deciding for a general area where we would meet up later, Seras turns towards the forest.

[Umm… Seras-sama.]

Looking quite nervous, Liz stops her.

[What is it, Liz?] [P-Please let me… help out too.]

Liz’s voice is trembling.

[I’m also a member… of Touka-sama’s Mercenary Corp after all…] [Liz?]

There were some tears on the corner of Liz’s eyes.

[I also want to be helpful at something…]

She’s doing something bad. I feel like Liz somehow thinks something like that. Seras gently pats Liz on her head.

[I understand. Then, will you please help me carry some of the luggage? Is that okay?] [Y- Yes… Thank you, Seras-sama…]

The two then started going into the forest.

Liz is afraid to speak of her own will. I think that’s a bad thing. It’s probably the influence of living together with that proprietress.

They’ve denied her of it.

All children have wills of their own. They didn’t let them hold their own thoughts. They would then be told to only follow what they have been told. Like that, they would then be able to hold onto your own head.

After that, the children would lose confidence in their own thoughts.

Whatever they felt like doing, they would end up thinking that it’s wrong. Her emotions would gradually start freezing her in place…

It seems that the wounds Liz received in her heart were quite deep.

[Eve.] [What is it?] [It seems you’d need some time to heal the wounds she suffered.] [Even if I’m insensitive, I would still be responsible for that child’s well-being… Naturally, I intend to keep doing that.]

I looked at them as Liz disappeared into the forest.

[While we’re travelling together, me and Seras will also be working together with that.] [Ah… Thank you, Touka.]

▽

[Putting that aside, Touka. What are we going to do?]

There are corpses scattered all around. We have been counting all of the corpses until just now. There was no person that was able to run away. It’s a complete annihilation. I’ve also made sure the people I’ve poisoned before can never talk anymore as they lay dead on the ground.

[……………………..]

I guess I’ll explain some things to Eve huh… I put my hand into my pouch.

[Look at this, Eve.] [This is ice…?]

This thing I’m holding with my fingertips… Small blocks of ice. Squinting her eyes, Eve observed what I’m holding.

[Fumu…? There seems to be some kind of bug inside the ice but…]

[That’s right. This is a living insect that I’ve frozen with my <Freeze> skill.]