Re:Zero Kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu

The Hidden Village Oni Sisters Chapter 5: The Oni That Cried

The Miload family is a branch family with Mathers as the main family, and their mansion is southeast of the Mathers margrave territory, close to the industrial city Costool.

The head of the Miload family, Dudley Miload, is an energetic person who will be turning 30 years old, and he is related by blood with Roswaal, although they are distant relatives. That said, Roswaal associates with the Miload family more because of Dudley’s wife, Grace Miload, rather than because of Dudley.

This is because──

[Roswaal: Grace was born with defects in controlling mana. Her body’s gate doesn’t work well, and her irregular flow of mana was almost harmful to her. I fiiiiix that. That’s why we’ve been acquaintances ever siiiiince.]

[Grace: After that, I married my husband Dudley and became related to Roswaal-sama. I didn’t think that it’d turn out like this, so it’s strange.]

[Roswaal: No no nooooo, it isn’t. I was sure of it the first time I saw you. I was sure that you were going to be a very important person to me.]

[Grace: Oh, you flatter me.]

Then, hearing Roswaal’s quick joke, the young woman──Grace Miload’s cheeks blush just a little bit, and she pushed the clown’s shoulder with her hand in embarrassment.

They were in Grace’s bedroom at the Miload residence. Next to Grace, who was lying down on the bed in the room, Roswaal was chatting with her while sitting on a chair. The situation was like that.

The one utterly confused with their friendly conversation was Rem. Rem didn’t know why she was even there in the first place.

[Ram: ──So? Roswaal-sama, why did you bring us along?]

Seeing Rem’s doubt, Ram, who was sitting next to her, speaks up for her. She spoke frankly like you’d expect, though the one who chuckled slightly in response was Grace.

She acknowledges Ram, whose eyes were squinted, with a “Sorry” and said,

[Grace: I have no intentions of taking away Roswaal-sama from you. Don’t get so offended.]

[Ram: ……I really don’t get what you’re talking about.]

[Grace: Oh, is that so? You don’t seem to be that slow of a child, though.]

Ram sighs at Grace, who says that with one eye closed. It was rare to see Ram back down in an argument, so Rem’s eyes widened in surprise.

[Roswaal: It makes me feel good seeing Ram defeated in an argument.]

[Grace: Roswaal-sama, you should stop teasing kids you like, too. Soon they really will hate you, and you’ve already hurt them, after all.]

[Roswaal: Woooow, that’s harsh. You can give a real punch with your words now, huh. Moms are just good at it……I guess that’s how it iiiiis?]

Roswaal says that, looking at Grace as he was scolded while acting triumphant. Those words make Grace smile slightly, and she softly stroked her stomach──her very large stomach.

The bulging that you couldn’t imagine someone thin like Grace having was proof that there was new life in there.

[Roswaal: Shall I predict if it’s going to be a boy or a girl?]

[Rem: You can figure out something like that with magic?]

[Roswaal: It’s not magic, it’s simply prediction……maybe something like fortune-telling? I’m confident that I’ll get it riiiight.]

[Grace: …….Well, I’ll pass. It’ll be a surprise until it’s born.]

Grace shakes her head in response to Roswaal’s proposal and she continues to rub her belly affectionately. Roswaal shrugs his shoulders to let Rem know that it’d be insensitive to say anything after that gesture.

──They went to the capital the other day to find a gift for the baby inside of Grace’s stomach.

Grace was already in the last month of pregnancy with her large stomach, so the baby could be born at any time. Normally, pregnant women shouldn’t have to deal with visitors, but──

[Roswaal: Sorry, Grace. I just thought that this would be a good experience for these two. I wanted them to see the beauty of a pregnant woman with new life inside of her.]

[Grace: How awful of you to call it beautiful despite my stomach being this big.]

[Roswaal: You don’t need to feel ashamed. This is an important ritual that keeps life going. Right now, as a woman you are……yes, this is the second most beautiful point of your life. The first being when you were at your wedding in a wedding dreeess.]

There was nothing weird about Roswaal saying exaggerative things, as he was someone who was usually pompous.

In fact, Grace smiled shyly, and Rem also felt admiration for him inside of her. Although, with her synesthesia, she sensed that Ram, who was next to her, was the one and only one whose mood was worsening.

[Roswaal: Well then, it’d be fun to keep chit-chatting, but I wouldn’t want to push a pregnant woman too hard. We still have more time. Let’s call it a day for now.]

[Grace: You sure? I’d still like to talk……ah]

Then, Grace, who was somewhat disappointed, took a side glance at Ram with a look that indicated that she realized something. And then, when the wife cleared her throat, she said,

[Grace: Okay. Well then, I’ll see you later. I’m sorry that I couldn’t be a very good host for you.]

[Roswaal: A pregnant woman shouldn’t worry about something like thaaaat. Anyways, see you later.]

Leaving those words behind, Roswaal leaves the room with Rem and Ram. On her bed, Grace continued to wave the three of them goodbye with a kind smile until they were gone.

Afterwards, the maid that was waiting in the hall guides the three of them to the mansion’s guest room.

The Miload residence was pretty big, though it wasn’t as big as the Mathers residence. There were a lot of maids, and it couldn’t compare to the Mathers residence, which only had a select few.

And so, when they were guided from Grace’s bedroom to the room for special visitors, saw off the maid that guided them, and took a breather,

[Ram: ──So? Why did Roswaal-sama bring us along?]

When the maid left, the first thing Ram said was the question that had been evaded earlier. Every word was the same, but she spoke with eyes that indicated she wouldn’t accept the same result.

Roswaal, being glared at by her light red eyes as he sat down on a couch in the room, smiled wryly.

[Roswaal: I’m sorry that you’re so suspicious of me, but you’re overthinking this. I made you meet Grace because I truly wanted to show you guys signs of new life. There was no one younger than you at the Oni village……meaning, you guys never came in contact with a pregnant woman, right?]

[Rem: ……Umm, no, never. Since Nee-sama and I were the first kids at the village.]

There was not a single child born after Ram and Rem, as the Onis had low birth rates. Therefore, strictly speaking, Rem, the younger sister, was the youngest at the village. Although, it isn’t really necessary to be technical, since they were twins.

In any case, Rem understood Roswaal’s goal, but she didn’t know what was his intent. What would come out of making Ram and Rem meet a woman with a baby inside of her womb?

Nevertheless, Rem tilted her head puzzling over that, whereas Ram had a dramatic reaction.

[Rem: Nee-sama?]

[Ram: ……Seriously, he fools around so much.]

Sounding annoyed, Ram forces those words out, and she bit her lip in vexation. Rem winced, not knowing why she was angry. However, as Ram showed violent emotion, Roswaal closed one eye, and while seeing the sisters in his yellow eye he said,

[Roswaal: It’d be perfect if you guys would be there to witness the moment the child is boooorn.]

[Ram: How ridiculous. Rem and I won’t go for a reason like that. Besides, Grace-sama’s baby doesn’t know about your expectations.]

[Rem: ──?]

Rem couldn’t keep up with Roswaal and Ram’s conversation and she was left behind.

Ram hugs her confused sister’s shoulder softly. And then, while still hugging her sister, Ram glares at Roswaal at firmly, and she spoke.

[Ram: Don’t disturb me and Rem anymore.]

[Roswaal: That’s a cruel misunderstanding. That said, I have no way to dispel your doubts. ……Weeeell, there’s three days left. Be patient and go with it until then.]

Roswaal concludes the conversation, and he looks towards the window as he leaned back in the chair. Rem, being allured by his look, also gets captivated by the sky dyed in the color of a sunset.

[Ram: To be more precise, there are two days and a half left. ──I do hope that there won’t be any evil schemes.]

However, judging from those words that came from Ram, who looked at the same sky, her bitterness and suspicions were still there.

2

10 days after the moon festival incident at the capital, Roswaal visited the Miload residence with Rem and Ram. The secret feud that happened behind the scenes of the moon festival was settled safely with the death of the witch cultist, who was the ringleader, and the information was not revealed to the public. All of the magical miasma stones set up all over the capital were found thanks to Ram’s reasoning and Rem’s sense of smell; it was a successful disposal.

The witch cult’s objective with the moon festival never became clear. There was no choice but to hope that it’d be revealed in the interrogation with the witch cultists the “Sword Saint” boy captured.

[Ram: Well, there probably isn’t much hope with that. Just by doing a little investigation, you can get overwhelmed by how dirty the witch cultists are. ……If they were people who just simply confessed, they wouldn’t have made it this far.]

[Rem: That’s……yes, I agree.]

In the guest room they were provided with, Rem lowers her eyes upon hearing Ram say those words while drinking her cup of black tea.

In her mind, she saw the witch cultist who didn’t even beg for his life when he was on the verge of death. The small man faced Rem and only spouted nonsense until he lost his life. Apparently he was more of a witch cultist than Rem’s first opponent who died of extreme pain and fear caused by her torture.

[Ram: Rem, are you worried?]

Ram worries about Rem, who was looking down and not drinking her cup. Hearing her sister’s words, Rem gasps quietly, and she shares the depressing anxiety that was weighing on her mind.

[Rem: I achieved retribution. Out of the four people, I’ve made two of them pay. But I got nothing out of the second one, and I’m not sure if I’ll be able to find the remaining two……]

[Ram: The captured witch cultists might all suicide……would be as dirty as I’ve heard they are.]

[Rem: Besides, I wasn’t helpful at all at the capital. I have the nose to find them, but he outsmarted me and got away……if Nee-sama wasn’t there, I might have never found him again.]

Rem may have got too cocky because of her first opponent──Fogg.

Rem defeated the man at the end of a fight to the death, and she got him to fess up the names of the remaining three enemies. After that, she didn’t know what to do with herself, and she was persuaded by Roswaal to live as ‘Ram’s Substitute’ and by trying her best to be that, she no longer saw her imperfect self.

By training with a weapon she was given, striving to master water magic ─ which she had an aptitude for ─ and seeking revenge, Rem felt like she had forgotten about her past self.

She felt like she’d forgotten about her past self that was a disgrace to the Oni clan, who could not possibly even try to be her sister’s substitute, as she was an imperfect tool that couldn’t hope to compare to Ram, the one admired as the reincarnation of an Oni God.

[Ram: Rem, you really are such a fool.]

She couldn’t just simply say to her sister that she’d accomplish something in place of her.

Besides, Rem didn’t accomplish a single thing on her own since the start of retribution. Roswaal was the one who captured Fogg, confined him, and weakened him. It was nothing more than Rem undoing the seal and beating Fogg to death from behind as he tried to take advantage of that.

Unbelievable how she could still shamelessly say stuff like “Retribution has been achieved”. Now she understood how much things were set up for her. She knew it so well that she wanted to die because of her lack of shame.

[Ram: ──Rem, it’s not like that. Relax.]

However, Ram, who put her cup down and got close to her, put a stop to such self-tormenting thoughts. Their shoulders touch. She wraps her shaking hand, and Rem looked at Ram’s face as she felt that warmth.

She nods at the wet, light blue eyes with only deep affection in her light pink eyes.

[Ram: Don’t say you were useless. I was able to shoot down that small man at the capital thanks to you. At the beginning, I was also able to figure out that the witch cult was planning something thanks to you. I’m able to be happy and well everyday thanks to you. Although the last part is what’s most important, you’re always contributing.]

[Rem: ────]

[Ram: You’re always doing your very best, and I……Onee-chan knows that. So you don’t need to blame yourself. There’s no need for you take all of it by yourself.]

[Rem: …….Nee-sama.]

[Ram: In fact, I’m the one that──]

Ram pats Rem’s head, as she looked like she was going to start sobbing because of the comfort, and she tried to continue saying something. However, her throat clogged when she was just about to say her last words.

What ran through Ram’s eyes were unusual hesitation and indecision, even though she was someone who always felt imposing. But, those complex emotions disappeared when she blinked, and she touched Rem’s cheek as she stopped patting Ram’s head.

[Ram: Never mind, it’s nothing. ──Besides, the enemy’s’ whereabouts isn’t something that should be worried about. I’m sure that Roswaal-sama will find the remaining two.]

[Rem: It is Roswaal-sama, but will he be able to find them easily?]

It wasn’t like she didn’t believe in Roswaal. In fact, as of right now, Roswaal was the one she trusted the most after her sister. Next people that came to her mind were her coworkers at the mansion, such as Frederica and Clind.

But, of course, they couldn’t possibly compete with Ram, no matter how much control they had.

[Rem: The witch cultists have hid themselves around the world for 400 years……even if they’re found, I have no idea how long it’d take.]

She wasn’t even sure if the remaining three enemies were still in the Kingdom of Lugnica. If they escaped to another kingdom, following their tracks would be no easy task. The flame of revenge continuing to burn for years, for decades──imagining it was horrifying.

Still, Ram smiled at Rem as she had those worries and said,

[Ram: Don’t worry, it won’t take that long. I mean, it took three months to defeat two enemies……doing some simple calculations, it’ll take three more months to find the remaining two.]

[Rem: ‘Doing some simple calculations’……oh Nee-sama.]

Ram’s joke makes Rem let out a smile as she put her hand on her mouth. It wasn’t going to be that easy, but she was happy that her sister tried to soothe her.

[Rem: It’s not going to go that well, and that’s just a fact. I just……I just happened to coincidentally find the first two.]

[Ram: ──Just happened to coincidentally find them, eh. Yeah…maybe that’s right.]

[Rem: Yes, it is. ……But I’m happy that Nee-sama cares. I’m more relaxed now, though just a little bit. Nee-sama is as lovely as ever.]

With a smile, Rem expresses her gratitude as she put her chest. Not all of the anxiety disturbing her chest was gone. But, she was able to ease up thanks to Ram, although it was just a little.

As expected, Ram is amazing. She knows everything about me. She tells me the words I want to hear the most when I want to hear them the most, does things I want her to do when I want it.

That’s why──

──I’ll give everything I have to be the replacement for Ram’s horn.

[Ram: Yes, I’m looking forward to it. Still……]

Ram responds with a smile without knowing about Rem’s determination she was thinking about, and she looks around the guest room. She paused in the middle of her sentence, and when she sighed slightly she said,

[Ram: This mansion is boring. There’s nothing to do since we’re treated as guests.]

[Rem: That’s……yes, I think so too. This is boring.]

Rem agrees with Ram’s listless sigh. Currently, they were being treated as guests as Roswaal’s servants at the Miload residence. They were, of course, provided with a guest room for visitors, and they weren’t assigned any work. To put it as it is, they had free time.

[Rem: ────]

Rem was always a girl who was terrible at putting time to use. Back then at the Oni village, whenever Ram was called over by the adults for ‘duties’, Rem would wait alone waiting for her sister’s return. No friends of her generation, no adults to look after her, alone──.

[Ram: Whenever there’s nothing to do like this, it brings me back to the days at the village.]

[Rem: ──Nee-sama, you’re amazing.]

[Ram: I am, as I’m Rem’s Onee-chan, after all. ……So, what about me is amazing?]

[Rem: You had said my exact thoughts.]

Ram proudly snorts at Rem, who was surprised by her innermost thoughts being read correctly. Seeing her sister in a good mood makes Rem smile, and then she was slightly surprised.

Since she noticed that this was the first time Ram brought up the village without it being out of anger or the desire for revenge.

[Ram: Come to think of it, there’s nothing memorable about the village. That’s why there are more noteworthy points even at Roswaal-sama’s mansion. Boring adults, and a village that never changes. A cute little sister.]

[Rem: My lovely sister was there, and that’s enough for me.]

[Ram: Well…yeah. There was nothing, but just running around in the hills and fields was fun as long as I was with you. Obviously we can’t act as we want like that in this mansion, though.]

She smiles wryly at Ram, who talked about a way to kill time and was looking at the door to the corridor this whole time. Ram was the world to Rem in those days. Her reason to live was being with Ram.

She pulls herself together as she thought about how much things have changed in just three months.

[Rem: As long as Nee-sama is with me, I don’t need anything else. I’ll be completely satisfied.]

[Ram: ……But all I did was make you feel lonely in those days.]

[Rem: Nee-sama had an important role, so it couldn’t be helped. Besides, I did fine alone. I would collect a bunch of stones at a river beach near home and pile them up. As I made a pile of stones, the evening arrived, and so it’d be another day where I spent my time properly……]

[Ram: Re─rem? You wasted time doing something like that…..?]

The truth nobody knew about is revealed and it startles Ram. After that, she looked at Rem with a compassionate expression and said,

[Ram: Sorry, Rem. I’m supposed to be the big sister, and yet I never noticed……]

[Rem: N─no, it’s not your fault, Nee-sama. It’s my fault for being bad at killing time. And on top of that, I……I’m too weak to have the same duties as Nee-sama.]

Ram apologized while looking down, making Rem panic as she shook her head.

Ram’s apology──Ram was always full of confidence and she is the greatest existence in this world, but for Rem, seeing her lovable sister apologize wasn’t that rare.

After all, whenever her sister was taken away by the adults, she would always apologize to Rem; for leaving her alone, for not going with her, for being different than her little sister, and for making her feel all sorts of complex emotions.

And so it moved her deeply, so deeply ─ deeper than any words, fists, or circumstances could.

[Ram: ──After all retribution is achieved, let’s put the Onis’ souls to rest. We’ll return to the village and tell the souls that have unfortunately lost a place to go that retribution is over.]

[Rem: ……Yes, Nee-sama. I want to do that as soon as possible.]

[Ram: Going to yam fields and getting covered in mud with Rem will have to wait until that’s accomplished.]

With a slight smile, Ram ends the conversation about the village like that. Rem’s sister’s words make her break into a smile, and she remembered the times when they’d run around the hills and fields together until they got in trouble with their parents.

And so, Ram, who nodded in response to Rem’s smile, suddenly headed towards the door out the room.

[Rem: Nee-sama?]

[Ram: Since we apparently can’t run around in the mansion, we’ll just have to kill time by getting the adults in the corridor to help us out.]

[???: Kya──]

As Ram said that, she opened the door straight away without doing anything else. That’s when the people outside lost their support and fell to the floor while screaming softly.

They were girls dressed as maids. Rem, who was surprised, noticed that they looked familiar.

They were all demi-humans that were at the Mathers residence with her for a month──they were the girls who were sent to a different workplace after receiving maid training.

Them being here meant that──

[Rem: So you were all being taken care of at the Miload family’s mansion.]

[???: Umm, yes, that’s right. Long time no see, Ram-san and Rem-san.]

They stand back up with awkward expressions, fixing their postures, and one of them, a rabbit eared girl, replies. Seeing her act like that, Ram snorts quietly with her arms folded.

[Ram: So? I thought you were all trained properly to be maids, so why were you naughtily eavesdropping on guests in a room?]

[???: Agh! You see, we didn’t mean any harm. It’s just, uh, Master……or well, not anymore, Madam and Roswaal-sama told us too.]

[Ram: Roswaal-sama and Grace-sama did?]

[???: Yes. They said to talk to you two since you guys might be bored……]

The girls speak nervously while looking at each other as they were scared of Ram. They should be 3-4 years older than Ram, but her calm aura was not that of an eight year old.

Ram had her eyes squinted and was pondering something. However, Rem felt pity for the girls who had pale faces because of Ram’s silence, and so she helped them out.

[Rem: Nee-sama, come on now, we’ve finally reunited with everyone.]

[Ram: ……It’s not like I doubt them or anything. I can definitely see Roswaal-sama saying something like that, and we really were bored.]

Ram tugs on her chin while sighing, sounding like she had surrendered. As she made that reaction, Rem and the girls look at each other, and then they were all felt relieved.

[???: W─well then, let’s have some tea. We have permission now, and there’s also sweets.]

With Ram’s permission, the rabbit eared girl brought the cart inside the room. Seeing the sweet aroma and warm steam waft, Rem finally loosened up.

[???: Please drink some tea and tell me about some things while you eat sweets. ……Like, you know, what’s Ram-san’s relationship with Master?]

[Rem: Nee-sama’s relationship with Roswaal-sama?]

The girls screamed noisily while blushing as Rem gave them a blank look. Being put in the spotlight, Ram shrugged her shoulders tiredly.

[Ram: I knew it. ──Good grief.]

3

The scheduled three days to stay at the Miload residence went by without anything happening just like that. For Rem, the three days at the mansion turned into something like an unexpected day off, and Rem and Ram never had to do anything like witnessing Grace giving birth, which Roswaal was looking forward to.

[Rem: Grace-sama was very kind. Good thing we came, huh, Nee-sama.]

[Ram: ……Yeah. As long as you had fun, I’m satisfied too.]

As opposed to Rem, who looked back at the three days peacefully, Ram responded with some tiredness showing in her voice.

During their stay, the girls at the Miload residence pried into truths and lies about Ram. It seemed that her iron strength of will lost to the curiosity the teenage girls had for love.

[Ram: How ridiculous. Just how much of an age difference do they think there is between me and Roswaal-sama anyway? If they get this turned on by someone younger than them, then they have some problems.]

[Rem: Nee-sama is mature, unlike a lot of 8 year olds, after all. ……Come to think of it, I wonder how old Roswaal-sama is. I never heard about that.]

[Ram: Despite how he looks, it seems that he’s 21. When I looked under his white make-up, surprisingly, I discovered a face appropriate of his age. It seems he uses makeup as a weapon to avoid being looked down upon for the difference between his position and age.]

[Rem: ……I’ve never seen Roswaal-sama without his clown makeup on. So Roswaal-sama really does let his guard down with Nee-sama.]

[Ram: That’s not…true.]

Hearing Rem’s honest doubt, Ram replies in a slightly evasive way.

They met up every night for Ram’s treatment as she’d lost her horn. Since Rem had no idea what her sister was doing when they did that, she couldn’t tell what they truly felt inside.

Plus, Ram and Roswaal were both good at hiding their inner thoughts. Still, Ram’s inner thoughts on Roswaal were different from what they were at first. She was sure about that.

Although, she didn’t know if it was because she liked Roswaal or if it was because she disliked him.

[Ram: Anyway, I’m free from that rain-like barrage of questions for today. If I can think of it as being patient until Dudley-sama returns, then it’s no big deal for me.]

[Rem: Nee-sama, you were having some trouble after all……]

The head of the Miload family, Dudley Miload, has been gone from the mansion these past three days.

Dudley is going to the Industrial City Costool and leaving behind his pregnant wife at the mansion because of his work. Rem and the others stayed at the mansion also to keep Grace company for the time being.

Accompanying the pregnant woman will also no longer be needed once Dulley returned to the mansion. That truly was something Ram was eagerly waiting for as someone who was tired from the maids’ curiosity.

[Rem: But I’m just a little sad. We won’t get to see Grace-sama giving birth.]

[Ram: ……Yeah, maybe not.]

Hearing Rem’s brief comment, Ram also showed her agreement with a few words.

At first, Ram was against childbirth as she hated going along with Roswaal’s expectations, but once she got to know Grace’s personality and started to like her, naturally, her thoughts also changed.

[Ram: But it’s like I’m on the palm of Roswaal-sama’s hand, and I hate it……]

Rem vaguely avoids touching on Ram’s extremely complicated feelings with a bitter smile.

Still, Rem was glad that they came. She smiled more, even though they were wry smiles. It was undoubtedly because of the people living in the mansion, Grace and the maids.

Her failure at the capital and the anxiety to accomplish retribution──it felt like those things were forgotten about, just a little bit.

The third day at the Miload residence began peacefully while she felt relieved like that.

Dudley will be back home in the afternoon, and Rem and the others will be leaving then. Since this was a special occasion, Rem showed her cooking skills for lunch, and she received lavish praise from Grace and the maids.

Furthermore, this was when they started to ease up quite a bit with how they treated Rem and the others as guests; they were given the permission to walk around the mansion pretty freely, and they started to feel more and more reluctant to leave.

Still, those times would have to come to an end. After things were cleaned up at lunch, it was the time when Dudley Miload was scheduled to return, and an earth dragon arrived at the Miload residence entrance.

However, the news the earth dragon had was a bit different from what they’d imagined and──

[Roswaal: Dudley had to stop midway because of dragon carriage trouble?]

[???: Y─yes, please forgive me. There was just a little bit more to go to reach the mansion, but we had to change dragon carriages because of a wheel problem. Which is why I came back like this……]

The young male servant says that and bows to Roswaal while having such a pale face that it was pitiful.

According to the young man who was Dudley’s servant, a wheel was taken off of the imperial carriage because of the mud on the way back from the city Costool, and it could no longer be used to travel. As a result, the young man returned to the mansion alone on the earth dragon as ordered by Dudley, and came to pick up a replacement dragon carriage. ──That was the situation.

[Roswaal: Dudley suuuure is unlucky at crucial times, though it’s always been like that. If Grace was going into labor right now, he’d regret it for a very long time.]

[???: Master wants to come back to his wife as soon as possible too……]

[Roswaal: I understand how he feels, of course. ──Let’s see, if that’s the case, then there’s a lot of catching up to do, so I guess we’ll go pick him up ourselves. Since we’ll make Dudley feel uncomfortable that waaaay.]

With a malicious smile, Roswaal taps the astonished servant’s shoulder. After that, he looked back at the mansion and winked at Rem and Ram, who were listening, and the maids.

[Roswaal: Aaaaand so, let’s take my dragon carriage. Ram, if you would.]

[Ram: Understood. Please wait a……]

Roswaal naturally calls on Ram, and Ram calmly accepts. That interaction makes the maids’ eyes light up for a moment. Seeing their reaction in the corner of her eye, Ram stops talking. Then, she looks at Roswaal, who was tilting his head, and said,

[Ram: Or well, I was going to go, but since I don’t feel well today, you should ask Rem.]

[Roswaal: You sure? I hope you’re alright. I was sure that nothing happened last niiiiight.]

[Ram: Yes, I’ll be fine. ──As long as you don’t say any more unnecessary things.]

Ram kept endorsing Rem while being wary of the eyes of the maids, which were shining brighter and brighter. Rem gives a bittersweet smile in response to Ram’s feelings, and she bows to Roswaal.

[Rem: As requested by Nee-sama, I’ll be taking over for her. Is that okay?]

[Roswaal: Yeeees, I don’t mind. I just called on Ram first because she looked gruuumpy. I have no problems with Rem. Let’s go, shall we?]

[Rem: Yes. I’ll get it ready right away.]

Rem does a courtesy, and she went to go get the imperial carriage left at the other side of the mansion. The dragon carriage was medium-sized, and the earth dragon held at the stable was a four legged large earth dragon. She takes out the dark brown earth dragon from the stable, and gets on the driver’s seat connected to the dragon carriage. She controls the reigns skilfully, and it took less than five minutes for the dragon carriage to return to the main entrance.

[Roswaal: Impressive. Truly excellent.]

[Ram: She’s my little sister, after all. That’s just natural.]

[Roswaal: I’m glad to see that you’re in a good mood agaaaain. ──Well then, we’ll bring back Dudley as soon as possible.]

Ram praises Rem, and Roswaal catches her off her guard and pats her head gently. The feeling flusters Ram, but she didn’t stop Roswaal because of it. Roswaal dashingly steps onto the dragon carriage Rem was controlling, and then he nodded at the boy who was Dudley’s servant.

[Roswaal: Alright, would you please show us the way? Think of it this way, every second we’re delayed, Grace gets more loooonely.]

[???: Ah, yes! Understood I will guide you!]

Hearing Roswaal call out to him, the young man jumps onto the earth dragon next to him respectfully.

He did come to get a replacement dragon carriage, but he was probably feeling disturbed inside since the Margrave made him come along. But, Roswaal being whimsical was nothing unusual, so Rem wasn’t surprised.

[Rem: Alright, Nee-sama. We’ll be gone for a little bit.]

[Ram: Don’t cry, Rem.]

[Rem: I haven’t cried over things like this lately.]

[Ram: Then that makes me feel a bit lonely.]

Rem has that exchange with Ram, they smile at each other, and she drives the dragon carriage. They leave the Miload residence, and the dragon carriage proceeded straight over the main road while following the guiding young man.

[Rem: By the way, Roswaal-sama, what do you think of Dudley-sama?]

Along the way, from the back of the driver’s seat──Rem speaks while facing the small window connecting the passenger carriage and the driver’s seat. After that, Roswaal, who was looking outside the small window, went “Oh?” as he raised an eyebrow.

[Roswaal: Did Grace and the maids not tell you about Dulley?]

[Rem: Everyone told me that he’s a good husband and a good master. Incidentally, I was wondering what impression Roswaal-sama had of him, so I asked.]

[Roswaal: I see. Weeell, my impression is no different from theirs, either. He’s a good friend, a good relative……definitely a good person. So good that I get a little irritated just by looking at hiiiiim.]

[Rem: Irritated, you say?]

Thinking that it was unusual for him to lean towards an assessment of ‘close friend’ or ‘relative’, Rem asks again.

[Roswaal: He’s not the one to doubt others, you see. He tries to accept everything. It’s a part of how he married his wife, who had a problem with her Gate, and why he helps with my hobby.]

[Rem: Your hobby……I guess this is about the “Demi-human Lover” thing.]

Frederica had told her before about those words in an annoyed manner.

Roswaal took care of Demi-humans with no place to go, trained them, and gave them word. And there was gossip that insulted Roswaal as a “Demi-human Lover” for his actions.

[Rem: Roswaal-sama is a splendid gentleman. That’s what I think.]

[Roswaal: Hahaha, thaaaank you. Well, even though people talk about me behind my back like that, Dudley still is more than happy to help me. There were a lot of Demi-human maids in his mansion, right?]

[Rem: ……He helps you, and yet you feel irritated by him?]

[Roswaal: He’s someone that can believe people without doubting them one bit. Even more so when he owes the person. Weeeell, anyone could say that, though.]

Roswaal’s thinking was complicated, so Rem couldn’t really understand what he meant. She just understood that he liked Dudley, but also couldn’t deal with him very well.

Having innate goodness and being a nice person don’t always go hand in hand. Rem keeps that thought in mind. In any case──

[Rem: ──I see it. I think that’s the dragon carriage.]

With the conversation put on pause, a stopped carriage comes into view right at the end of the main road. They stop at the end of the road, and there was a slightly tilted carriage. ──This had to be the dragon carriage talked about earlier.

[Rem: There, there……]

Rem stops the earth dragon right by that dragon carriage, and she jumps off the driver’s seat after exchanging looks with Roswaal. The young male servant next to her also gets off the earth dragon, and he ran up to his master’s dragon carriage.

[???: Master, I’m sorry to have kept you waiting! I came back with a replacement dragon carriage……or rather, I came back with more amazing people!]

Noticing chaos and agitation in the young man’s voice, Rem reflexively broke into a smile. It looked like the Margrave accompanying him stressed out his heart more than she’d thought. After the young man practically said that he was finally free from uncomfortableness, he jumped onto the dragon carriage and called out to him inside.

[???: Yes, yes, it’ll be fine. No, in that dragon carriage. ……Ahh, for crying out loud, you’ll know once you see it! Oh, young maid, come on in.]

The young man gives a confusing explanation to the master inside, and he beckons Rem. Hearing him call out to her, Rem steps on the ramp, and she──

[Rem: ────]

was going to bow to Dudley inside and call out to him. But then her thoughts froze.

[Rem: Ah……]

Rem lets out a moan upon seeing the scene before her eyes, and she couldn’t move, legs becoming numb. It was as if her vision had poisoned her. In fact, it was a hell that would prevent you from moving an inch.

──The luxurious dragon carriage was turned into an unimaginable sea of blood.

The small dragon carriage was full of a suffocating smell of blood, and there were several large, red pieces of meat in a pool of blood on the floor. ‘Pieces of meat’ is what they should be called. You couldn’t call them dead bodies when they were this damaged.

You shouldn’t call them stuff like dead bodies when their dignities were damaged this much.

[???: The one inside is Master, and the two in the front are the driver and the real servant.]

[Rem: ────]

The young man standing right by Rem, who was stiffening up, faces her, and he gives an explanation as he pointed at the pieces of meat. Rem couldn’t even move an inch when she heard that level voice.

She felt nauseated. Her whole body became weak. Gastric juice from her writhing stomach ran up her throat.

[Rem: Oo…eh……]

[???: Don’t breath with your nose. Make sure you breath with your mouth. Then, if you focus on your stomach, it’ll settle down immediately. If you feel pain, then at your feet there’s……ahh, it might be hard to tell, but the things on the seat are feet. Start with that to grasp the whole body in order.]

She was dizzy. Her thoughts were breaking. Her knees were shaking, and she felt like she was going to collapse into the pool of blood.

Why, why, why──it was so hard to move her body. Her mind and her consciousness were unstable.

But, even if her limbs gave up on her, there was one sense working vehemently.

It was too late. Fatally late. Why hadn’t she noticed it? Even though the scent was this strong──

[???: ──Juuuuust calm down. That’s just pieces of meat, after all.]

[Rem: Witch cultist……!!]

Rem senses the miasma, though it was too late, and she tried to jump back with the strength she scraped up in her body. However, for some reason, Rem fell down to her knees against her will, and she felt like she was going to faint.

The young man grabbed her body with his arms and he lifted her forcibly.

[Rem: Ka…ah……!]

[???: You sure are light. All Onis have is physical strength, so where does the weight of their muscles go? I wonder if I’d find out by dissecting one. There was no time to do that at that mountain, you see.]

While holding onto Rem, the young man kept laughing with a frivolous and innocent look. It wasn’t like he’d completely changed. He was extremely calm, extremely composed. That was dreadful.

[Rem: Ros……]

[???: Ahh, you want to ask your Master to save you? Well you can’t. All the fun would be ruined once someone gets in the way of this meeting, right? So……]

The dragon carriage that turned into a horrible scene was shady, and Roswaal couldn’t see the interaction from the passenger carriage. Seeing Rem trying to tell her master about the dilemma, the young man flaps his free hand cruelly.

A light, air-expelling sound──right after that, Rem saw red light on the other side of the dragon carriage.

[Rem: ────]

The hot wind blowing through shakes her maid outfit, and she bellowed as she opened her mouth. However, even her own yell was drowned out by the explosion, and the high pitched ringing in her ears destroys her eardrums. But, it was still easy to guess what’d happened by looking at the flames that rose with the produced shock wave and hot wind.

[???: They’re the flames that burned your home. Or perhaps the flames that burned your family. Though, that was a failure.]

She didn’t know what he meant by saying it was a failure. Still, the result was clear.

The eruption of smoke closes in, and the heated sand envelops Rem and the young man. On the other side of the dragon carriage tilted by the impact, there was serious damage to the dragon carriage Roswaal was on, and it was most likely being engulfed in flames.

With her master on it, the young man──no, the witch cultist, blew away the dragon carriage.

[???: How’s it feel to be so powerless that even your master gets burnt after your village and family? How’s it feel being unable to reach the enemy you hate so much that you want to kill him, even though he’s right before your eyes?]

[Rem: I’ll…kill you……!]

[???: Yes, that’s it. Those eyes, that voice, and that horn are what I wanted.]

In response to Rem’s anger and her desire for revenge, the horn of an Oni comes out on her forehead. The white horn shining brightly sucks in the mana in the atmosphere, filling her whole body with over the top energy.

However──

[Rem: Oo……?]

[???: It is a beautiful, splendid horn……but power didn’t go in like you expected, huh?]

Hearing Rem’s moan, the young man chuckles with a complacent smile.

Just like the young man said, forget about power surging in her hands and legs, Rem’s horn was dying down in proportion to its radiance. There weren’t even any strange problems with her horn sucking in the mana in the atmosphere. If that was the case──

[Rem: The mana……]

[???: is being interfered with, yes. I was born with this nature. I randomly contaminate the mana around me. If it’s in my surroundings, the mana turns into poison. That’s why it was easy to take control of your village.]

[Rem: ────]

Being told the shocking truth, Rem was at a lost for words.

The Onis are admired as the strongest race among Demi-humans. Rem had thought that it didn’t make sense for them to be annihilated in one night by witch cultists, even if there were disadvantages like it being a night attack and a difference in numbers. Her suspicions were cleared after finding out that the young man had an unusual ability that was the worst for the Oni horn.

As long as she was faced with the young man’s special characteristic, the Oni horn was invalidated──no, more like a detrimental result would be caused.

That’s how the witch cultists cornered the Oni clan, her father, and her mother and killed them──

[???: And so, the few survivors, you and your sister, will fall prey to us too.]

[Rem: E─even Nee-sama……!]

[???: Of course. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been worth going through the trouble to do all sorts of cheap tricks. We worked really hard for you and your sister. Although……]

Stopping there, the young man looks at the center of the explosion, whose fumes were still not settled down yet.

[???: I’d thought that the Margrave was going to be the biggest obstacle, but I didn’t expect him to get blown away this easily.]

[Rem: ────]

[???: Surprisingly, it was no big deal. There were rumors saying that he is the strongest magic user in the kingdom, so I even brought forces, thinking that he was going to give me some trouble.]

Around the young man tilting his head, dark shadows suddenly appear in the dragon carriage from every direction. Countless shadows dressed in black from their heads appeared as if coming out of the ground.

The unmistakable stink and malice, without a doubt, were the witch cultists──.

[???: Now then, what’s left is the fun of choking you out and retrieving you with your sister. I’ll be expecting you to act honorably as a descendant of the prideful Oni clan.]

The young man grabs her neck harder as he said that scornfully. Rem, getting exhausted, couldn’t fight against the large amount of harmful mana being taken in. Even her thoughts slowed down, and her eyelids were strangely heavy.

[Rem: ──Ah]

Ram, Roswaal, Frederica, Clind, Grace, and the maids come to her mind.

And yet, everything was swallowed up by the darkness of her distant consciousness──

[???: ──Al Goa]

Just then, a crimson red fire blast swirled in the air, and the surrounding dark shadows were blown away with the heat weave.

[???: Wha──!?]

The young man, suddenly seeing the produced blast and soil, raised his voice in surprise. Without a pause, the young man reflexively jumps back, and attempts to get away from danger.

[???: You little…..!]

However, Rem didn’t overlook the fact that the young man turned his attention away from himself. Rem shook off his arms right away, and she escaped his control as she fell to the ground. Her body got held up in someone else’s arms.

They were surprisingly strong arms, and Rem knew this feeling. It was──

[Rem: ──Roswaal-sama!]

[Roswaal: Now I’ve saved your life three times. Peeeerhaps now’s about the time you should seriously think about how you’ll pay back your debt for real.]

Roswaal winks at Rem, who gave an applause while being held by him. No doubt about it, he acted calm because of his use of magic, and it also made Rem’s eyes shine, who still felt tired.

Keeping his distance while looking amazed, the young man shrugs his shoulders at Roswaal, who didn’t even have any burn marks on his clothes and was standing in his way.

[???: Oi oi, I’m beaten. I did consider the possibility of you not getting killed by that, but you not even getting scratched sure as hell didn’t cross my mind. What kind of magic did you use?]

[Roswaal: That’s a secret. Unlike a certain someone, I’m not an idiot who shows off his own cards for self saaaaatifaction. Anyhow, that sure is a troublesome nature.]

Roswaal responds sarcastically to the young man who had talked about his own special characteristic, and he looks down on his right hand. While opening and shutting his palm, with one eye closed, he said,

[Roswaal: The mana around turns into poison. In other words, the space becomes very troubling for magic users. To think that Ur magic can actually repress power to such an extent…]

[???: ……Usually you wouldn’t be able to cast magic freely either, and yet you pulled it off. I’ll have to give you props for that. But, this place has to feel uncomfortable for you, huh?]

[Roswaal: It sure does. Buuuut, apart from that……]

While staying cautious of the witch cultists slowly closing in, Roswaal looked at the young man profoundly. Then he let Rem down from his arms. After being saved by Roswaal from a predicament, strength somehow returns to Rem’s hands and legs, and she felt like she could even run.

However, Rem couldn’t fight at all without her horn. Although, the Oni horn was useless in this situation, anyways. Rem came here, and she was held back by her own powerlessness again.

Seeing Rem look like she was going to cry, Roswaal tugs his chin in and says,

[Roswaal: Listen, Rem. I’ll take care of this place. Return to the mansion, and save Ram and Grace. ──I want you to take care of that.]

[Rem: Roswaal-sama!? But……]

Roswaal’s proposal to split up and have him handle a dangerous situation surprises Rem.

Around them, witch cultists were flooding in and it didn’t even seem like they lost numbers after the first attack, and the young man who was a magic user’s worst enemy was still in good shape. Roswaal’s disadvantage was as clear as day.

But at the same time. Ram and Grace were left at the mansion defenseless. That was also terrifying to Rem.

She hesitated and worried. An answer wasn’t coming to her. Even so, time still passed cruelly──.

[Roswaal: Rem, leave this up to me.]

[Rem: ────]

[Roswaal: You should relax. Also, allow me to deeeeeemonstrate. ──Demonstrate how your master is the strongest magic user out there. I’ll burn the limbs of that enemy over there and give them to you guys.]

As Rem’s eyes widened, Roswaal pointed at the young man and declared that confidently. Those words made the young man make an unpleasant expression, but after Rem blinked several times, she nodded deeply.

Her master said that much. And they certainly had created a bond for her to believe that.

[Rem: ──Good luck.]

[Roswaal: You and Ram get home safely, too.]

Rem bows, and she starts to run away from that place at once. She had far from enough power to dash without relying on her Oni horn. But still, Rem kicked the dirt and broke through the enclosure.

Of course, the witch cultists brandished their cross swords over their heads and threw themselves at her, but──

[Roswaal(?)2: El huma. El fura.]

The swirling wind carries slashes of ice, cutting up the dark shadows throwing themselves at the girl carelessly. The blood gushing out freezes, and the slashing blood cuts up another dark shadow. The damage spreads.

And so, meanwhile, Rem was leaving the battlefield at full speed without turning back once. That was the indication that she trusted in him to protect her back, no matter what.

[Roswaal: I did hope that she’d trust me innocently like that, but it does make me feel ticklish.]

[??? You’re quite calm, huh, Margrave. Do you not see what the situation’s like?]

With a firm voice, the young man speaks to Roswaal, who watched Rem go off with a slight smile on his face. The boy, who had kept his calm up until then, glares at Roswaal, who was in front of the dragon carriage, and said,

[???: The situation has changed a little bit, but the forces to kill you are still alive. Plus, that Oni girl will still have a bad time once she gets back to the mansion. You are cruel.]

[Roswaal: Hmmmm, that seems to be a bit different from the flow of events I see.]

[???: How interesting.]

[Roswaal: Not even. It sounds like your source of confidence are at the mansion……but my Oni sisters, who I’m proud of, will deal with them. Unfortunately, you guys will also turn into dust with me here. Oh, but you’re the only one that’s going to get captured alive, so don’t fret. Your life should be taken away by the two of them.]

Completely relaxed, Roswaal calmly states that while putting up his hands. Rather than getting angered by that attitude, the young man puts his hands together with an impressed expression and claps.

[???: If you can talk big that much in a situation where you can’t even work out mana properly, then color me impressed. Man, I can’t wait for those sisters to turn into dead bodies with their original form still there……guess I’ll deal with it by using you.]

The young man smiles delightfully all of a sudden, and that’s when the witch cultists around him started to move simultaneously. The dark shadows prepare the weapons in their hands, and they went to tear the lone man limb from limb.

[Roswaal: You’ll ‘deal with it’. ‘Deal with it’, huh. That’s a pretty cocky way of putting it.]

Inside this silent delusion that completely covered his vision with black, Roswaal checks on the dead bodies lying in the back──in the dragon carriage─that disastrous scene, and he sighed.

And then──

[Roswaal: ──I guess I’ll make up for Dudley’s death by taking your guys’ lives.]

4

The first one to sense a change with the situation was Ram, who had steeled herself for her sister’s absence.

[Grace: Ram-chan?]

Grace tilted her head curiously at Ram, who looked up in the middle of the conversation. Ram directed a narrow-eyed look out the window without responding to those words at all.

The mansion’s atmosphere completely chills, and the sound of the wind felt silent. Bitterness mixes with the dry atmosphere, and while tasting the increasing tension with the tip of her tongue, Ram quietly squinted her light pink eyes.

The change in the atmosphere irritating her skin─that was a sign of a hunting ground.

For Ram, as someone who was born in an Oni village among the mountains, hunting signs and her daily life were inseparable. Of course, the adults never took a young girl like her to go hunting, but she went into the mountains without telling them, and killing stray mabeasts wasn’t just a one or two time thing.

It was not hunting for fun, but a procedure necessary to measure her own capacities accurately.

Although, Ram was also proud of her innocent sister praising her enthusiastically every time she told her that she’d killed a mabeast. It’s just that she’d never told anyone other than her sister about her actions.

Getting back on track, what Ram felt in the manion’s surroundings at this time was that sort of hunting sign that reminded her of the past. However, there was one point that was clearly different.

A change in her position──here, at this time, Ram was not the hunter, but the hunted.

[Ram: Neither Roswaal-sama nor Rem are here……]

They were vulnerable. This couldn’t possibly be just a coincidental attack. Something had to have happened to Rem and Roswaal after they were lured away from the mansion. ──But, Ram’s mind was as calm as possible.

She was worried about Rem, but Roswaal was also with her. Though she hated to admit it, as long as Rem had that master dressed as a clown by her side, her life wouldn’t be exposed to danger.

The current problem was this person next to her who didn’t have those two to protect her.

[???: Ram-san, what have you been……]

[Ram: ──Get ready to move Grace-sama immediately. In this occasion, lifting her up will have to do. Furthermore, call the guards in the mansion right away.]

[???: ────]

The maid, who had a dubious expression, blinked in surprise, becoming dumbfounded upon hearing Ram’s instructions. That reaction made Ram want to click her tongue, but she couldn’t blame her for not having sense of urgency.

Because Ram and the others were the ones who brought this attack’s danger into the mansion, after all.

[Ram: Anyhow, just do as I say. This mansion is──]

Without trying to convince her, Ram raises her voice to force the best course of action. However, before she declared that, an intense impact was pushing up the building from below.

[???: ──]

A roaring sound and a shock appears at the maid’s feet, making her lose balance, and she fell to the floor as she screamed. Ram also felt such a shock that she had to kneel down on one knee, and she jumped onto the couch immediately. On it, there was Grace, holding onto her stomach, her beautiful face pale from anxiety and shock.

[Ram: ────]

“I have to protect them”, is what Ram thinks instinctively.

For Ram, that was something she would very rarely feel for anyone except for Rem. However, Grace, with how she was now, made her act like this, and she just naturally judged her to be someone that she ought to protect.

──She had no horn.

But, even so, there still was the blood of the reincarnation of an Oni god flowing within her body.

[Ram: ──Look.]

She puts her determination and her secret skill to use.

Ram started using “Clairvoyance”, a secret skill of the Onis’, without the mana that would normally circulate through the horn. The power goes around the Miload residence ─ its limited range ─ and finds an existence that could synchronize with the kneeling girl’s mana, even though it was just slightly. ──Just then, Ram’s field of vision suddenly opened.

[Ram: ────]

It was red, a very red scene.

The bottom and top of her field of vision were dyed bright red, and a figure was blurred over and over while flickering. It had to be because Ram’s target was wildly writhing on the floor.

Her vision was red, red as far as she could see. It wasn’t deep red that made her think of blood; it was bright red that reminded her of bright light. This is what people call flames.

The person who Ram borrowed her vision from gets engulfed in flames, and now was the exact moment she started burning to death.

[Ram: ────]

Seeing that cruel scene didn’t crush Ram’s heart. She focuses on finding a clue inside the vision dyed red. Once the body she’s borrowing vision from dies, needles to say, the connection breaks. If that happens, then the owner of this body dies in vain.

That couldn’t happen. She wouldn’t let it. Get a hold of something, just something, no matter what──.

[Ram: ──!]

A figure passes by the corner of her vision, and right after Ram gasped upon seeing it, the connection breaks. It was proof of the target of the magic being burned by flames and dying once and for all.

But, she obtained a clue. In exchange for her death, she obtained information on the attacker. However, it was Ram’s worst enemy.

What went through her vision was a large, muscular, short-haired man──Ram had encountered that man once before in red scenery like the one happening right now.

It was when she was surrounded by her kind’s burnt corpses in the Oni village burning down. That disastrous scene.

[Ram: A thief has broken into the mansion’s east wing. Guards are rushing over, but half of them have been burned. I can’t say that this place is safe either. Let’s move somewhere else.]

[???: Th─thief, no way……there must be some mistake……]

[Ram: Did you not hear the shaking and noise just now? Moreover, the thief is actually the witch cult……I saw their black clothes come into mansion outside the window. Must I explain even further?]

The maid who couldn’t accept reality for a moment gazes in wonderment upon hearing ‘witch cult’. They were words convenient for making her understand that this was an emergency. The unfortunate thing was that it wasn’t a lie, but the truth.

This was a terrible attack by the witch cult to eradicate the Oni clan.

[Ram: In any case, it would be stupid to stay in this mansion. You are too insistent on keeping Grace-sama here. We have to move her.]

[???: But we can’t put such a burden on her! She should stay he……]

[Grace: No, let’s do what Ram-chan……no, what Ram-san says.]

It was Grace who interrupted the objecting maid and agreed with Ram in a firm tone. The pregnant girl sits up in the bed, and despite having a pale face, she stared at Ram with courageous eyes.

[Grace: You’re Roswaal-sama’s dear child. I’m positive that you are capable of making the best judgements.]

[Ram: ……If that disgraceful title helps, then I won’t deny it in this situation.]

[Grace: Aww, you don’t have to be embarrassed.]

Ram responds to Grace, who acted unexpectedly relaxed. Then, the rabbit eared girl who’d been watching them rolls up the sleeves of her maid outfit.

[???: O─okay, understood. I’m ready, too. Madam, it’s going to be a little uncomfortable, but please grab onto me.]

[Grace: Yes, Limrear, if you would.]

Even though her arms were thin, demi-humans are demi-humans. The rabbit eared maid──Limrear picks up Grace in her arms, and Ram put her ears against the door out the room as she watched that. No presences in the corridor. For starters, they had to move.

How long was it going to take for Rem and Roswaal to break past the witch cult and return to the mansion? She had to escape from the attackers hiding in the mansion until they did──.

[Ram: It’s definitely easier said than done.]

Most likely, that was going to be a hopelessly difficult obstacle.

However, as Ram said that out loud, she didn’t let the two of them with her notice her anxiety whatsoever.

5

And so, their fierce escape play began on the stage, the Miload residence.

The three of them leave Grace’s bedroom, and they escaped upstairs for now. After just a few tens of seconds, there was the sound of the bedroom downstairs breaking in the mansion, proving that Ram’s judgement was correct.

[Ram: Although, it really sucks how I can’t be proud of it at all even though I was right.]

Ram speaks her thoughts while she held her breath in the room she ran away into.

After muttering, almost in a whisper, she used ‘Clairvoyance’ and strived to find an escape route. Inside the mansion, there were several people hiding from the witch cult attack, just like Ram and the others were. For now, she had to guarantee Grace’s safety by borrowing their ─ the girls’ eyes.

[Ram: I can’t really say that it’d be wise to stay in one place. Fortunately, there aren’t many enemies. Let’s move.]

[Limrear: But that’d be dangerous……]

[Ram: This’ll get hit at some point if we don’t move since the pursuer is hitting places one by one. Besides……it seems they aren’t that naive, either.]

Sensing presences nearing downstairs, Ram tells the two of them to run away while they still have places they could run to. They exit the room, and run off to a different wing, carefully destroying their traces so they don’t get caught by their pursuers.

Relying on her secret skill and insight, Ram grasped the attackers’ characteristics pretty much correctly.

He was a witch cultist who was the village’s enemy. He was invading the mansion by himself. She was sure of that after what she’d seen. However, this wasn’t information that she could accept with open arms.

Since he was alone, this proved that he has the power to take control of the mansion on his own. In fact, as Ram checked her memory, she came to the conclusion that they were at a disadvantage.

If they fought, their chances of winning were slim. But even if they weren’t, they’d get burnt to death once found. That’s just a cold, hard fact.

[Limrear: In that case, can’t we go through the garden and flee outside the premise?]

[Ram: ……Someone has already tried that and failed. As for what happened, that’s better left unsaid.]

Hearing Ram’s cruel explanation, Limrear understood that she’d lost her coworker, and she was at a loss for words.

When she was using ‘Clairvoyance’, she saw her target forcefully trying to run away from the mansion and she ended up failing.

The reason being because of the invisible explosive spells set outside the mansion──it was the trap used by the witch cultist Roswaal had kept in the mansion before.

Most likely, there were countless of the same kind of traps set up around the mansion. Evade that carefully, escape, and don’t get found by the witch cultist. ──That would be impossible.

[Ram: He’s scrupulous with pre