Inside the cabin, only I was left, bound and unable to move, while Selian had gone outside.
I had feared this, but did Friscia and her group actually engage in a fight? The sound of banging from outside the cabin was constant.
Luna and Lilith seemed a bit anxious, but Friscia and Lindy were genuinely skilled. With Bear and Tokki also involved, there wasn’t much to worry about unless it was a serious situation. However, the opponents happened to be Selian’s group.
How skilled were the ones who had captured me? They were strong enough three years ago, and they were among the powerful on the continent. No need to explain further. But I could dare say that their current abilities were far beyond that level.
Both sides certainly had enough power to avoid a childish brawl. If one side were overwhelmingly stronger, the fight might end without lives lost, but the disparity in power was not something that could end so easily.
A situation created from misunderstandings. I hoped they would recognize each other and stop fighting, but that expectation was misguided. To halt this situation, I had to take action myself. That was why I was trying so hard to bounce up.
Bit by bit, as I propelled myself with the chair, I got closer to the door. In the meantime, I struggled to loosen the gag that was choking me. My mouth, stuffed with a gag, had already dribbled saliva everywhere.
Maybe because I was impatient, the mere distance of a little over ten steps to the door felt incredibly far. It seemed tougher than usual, likely because I was using muscles I didn’t normally use.
Just a bit more, just a bit more. Finally, after squeezing every last bit of energy, I reached the door. Now, how was I going to get through this door?
Of course, I couldn’t simply turn the doorknob and leave. With my arms and legs tied and collapsed in the chair, I couldn’t get up to turn the knob.
So I lifted my somewhat free head.
Bam!
It was slightly dented, but not enough. Once more.
Bam!
A small hole was made, but that was all. There was no way I could get through. Again, bam. Bam. Bam.
After several head-butts, a space was finally made sufficient for my body to slip through. The not-so-gently fractured wood splintered, leaving the clothes hanging there to tear — a minor issue, but it allowed me to loosen the gag that had been blocking my mouth.
As expected, the two factions were embroiled in a massive fight. The fortunate thing was that I didn’t see anyone injured yet. However, there was no time to just observe. I had to stop them right away.
But how? If my hands and feet were free, I could step in and block them, but in this situation, all I could do was shout. Of course, in the cacophony of the battlefield, how far would my voice reach? But with no other option, I took a deep breath and shouted with all my might.
“Guys, stop! We’re on the same side! We’re on the same side!”
Even so, as expected, my shout was drowned out by the noise, and I couldn’t hear it myself.
Nevertheless, at that moment, as if everything had been choreographed, everything suddenly stopped.
If one side stopped but the other did not, they would surely fall into danger by being attacked. Yet, both sides paused and heeded my wish without suspicion.
“Hah, hah….”
Relieved that the immediate danger was averted, I sighed and felt the exhaustion from the sudden rush deplete me. Despite only moving a short distance, I was drenched in sweat, and my breathing was rapid. Though the situation was what it was, I couldn’t help but feel regret for my lack of training lately.
“Hah, hah…? Huh…?”
However, instead of taking action after the misunderstanding was resolved, everyone was just standing still, staring at me. It was bizarre enough that I was caught off guard by their fixed gazes.
“Um… could someone untie me? I’m not thinking of running away anymore…”
As I opened my mouth, one by one, they began to approach me and gathered around. Being face down on the floor while looking up at my friends was incredibly uncomfortable. I wished someone would set the fallen chair upright, but they just surrounded me, staring down.
“Hah, hah….”
It seemed I was not the only one exhausted after fighting with all my might; everyone looked equally tired, catching their breath.
However, while it’s good that they were taking a moment to breathe, couldn’t someone help me up first? I felt like I’d get a cramp from lying here.
“Hey… guys?”
But no matter how much I called, there was no response. As I considered what I had done wrong, something landed heavily on my body.
Something that blocked the cold night air. I turned my head slightly and saw a blanket that I didn’t know where it came from draped over me. With Tokki standing next to me, it seemed to be his way of showing consideration upon seeing my torn clothes. Bear, too, didn’t want to fall behind and helped raise me from the floor.
Then they quickly walked back to Friscia.
“Phew… phew… that was a bit dangerous.”
Finally able to catch her breath, Lindy spoke up. As she said, it was indeed a dangerously reckless fight. If I had delayed my intervention even slightly, and if my cries hadn’t reached my friends, it could have turned disastrous.
“Well, in any case, the reason this happened is all because of Alicia. I knew a day like this would eventually come.”
“That foolish Alicia.”
Even without Lindy and Friscia’s reprimands, I felt it deeply. Especially when I heard Yuli’s shout earlier, I realized how difficult my selfish actions had made things for them.
“Um… Master? Are you okay? You seem to be leaking a lot from your body…”
“Hmm? I’m fine, though?”
I checked my condition, wondering if my clothes were just torn, or if my skin was scratched and bleeding, but I felt no sting, indicating I was unhurt.
“…Master, you say?”
Oh no. Now that I think about it, Lilith was a high-ranking demon among demons. Especially for Selian and Mariel, she would definitely raise suspicions about her. Even if the fight had stopped now, I needed to clear up their misunderstandings about Lilith since the fight began from sensing her presence.
“Well, you see…!”
“Seems you have a lot to talk about, so how about we head back to the city? I doubt you’re planning to stay here any longer.”
Before I could clarify the misunderstandings, Lindy interrupted my attempt and took charge of the situation.
“Don’t worry about the location; we can provide a place to talk. If that’s not an option, you can come to the house where Alicia is living.”
“The Hero is… living together…?”
“Yeah. It’s comfortable enough that my house is practically her home.”
“…Let’s give it a try.”
It would only be while we stayed in the city, so there was no need to call it living together so dramatically. Still, thanks to Lindy stepping up, there was no further misunderstanding that arose.
“Um… should we take Alicia this way? Bear, why don’t you carry Alicia over?”
Lindy even commanded Bear. However, both Bear and her owner Friscia didn’t seem displeased by it.
Following Lindy’s order, Bear lifted me effortlessly. It’s not like I was being treated as some sort of loot…
“No, if you just untie me, I can walk on my own…”
“Nope. Alicia needs to be disciplined a little bit. Just stay there tied up and wait. After the kids are done, we’ll need to hear the story from you as well.”
Of course, I recognized my wrongdoings. But still, being carried tied to a chair through the city was too much to bear.
However, unable to retort, my only option was to keep my head bowed low until we reached home, trying to hide my face as much as possible from the onlookers.
*
“Alright, this room should be enough, right? Feel free to use it. Just a heads-up, it’s not soundproof, so don’t do anything unnecessary.”
Even though my friends were angry with me, there was no need for blows, and since I didn’t know them well, Lindy warned me before leaving the room.
In the closed room, there was only me, still bound to the chair, and the friends I hadn’t seen in three years.
The four girls hovered around me, still seated in the chair, gazing down at me. An awkward silence filled the room.
They were probably also wondering what to say.
Ultimately, this situation was caused by my foolish actions. I had plenty to discuss, but there was something more pressing I needed to say first.
“I’m sorry.”
If I’ve made a mistake, it’s only natural to apologize. After three long years, I finally said the words I had been avoiding all along.
