Roxy Migurdia arrived in the town of Krasama. Krasama is located at the northwestern tip of the Demon Continent.
Krasama wasn't as prosperous as the town of Ricaris, but it was a thriving place all the same. At first glance, it seemed like just another featureless town—unremarkable and unremarkable. But in truth, the Demon Lord who reigned over this entire region had close ties with the sea-dwelling race, and trade flowed between them. Krasama served as a hub for that commerce, a gathering place for the sea-dwellers' goods and the Demon Continent's demonic merchandise. From the sea-dwellers came bounties of the ocean, and from the Demon Continent came pungent, aromatic herbs. In Krasama, one could enjoy dishes born from the combination of the two—an exquisite fusion of flavors. You could say it boasted some of the finest cuisine on the Demon Continent, rivaling any other town. For the record, the town it was competing with was Wengenport.
"The food here goes great with drinks!"
Talhand had been in high spirits ever since arriving in town. In Krasama, not only was the Demon Continent's fiery liquor available, but sweet liquor from the sea-dwelling race too. The dwarf Talhand was a lover of drink. As long as it was a fun drink, even the worst-tasting stuff was fine by him. Whenever he hit a tavern, he'd inevitably hit it off with the rough-and-tumble men there and drink enough to drown a person. Taverns were everywhere, and good-natured fellows were easy to find. And when you added delicious food to the mix, Talhand was in heaven.
That said, for Roxy, who had a child's palate despite her age, this town's food didn't quite agree with her. The Demon Continent's cuisine and seasonings had never suited her taste to begin with. So even if it had evolved, there was no way she'd find it delicious. She preferred sweet things.
However, the sea-dwellers' unique sweet liquor—now that was something else entirely. For Roxy, who had always assumed liquor was inherently bitter, sweet liquor was a revelation. The scent carried a gentle briny fragrance, and when it touched her lips, an indescribable sweetness spread throughout her mouth. A faint saltiness lingered in the aftertaste, but nibbling on some snacks in between made her appetite pick up even more.
"What's this, what's this—how unusual! Even Roxy's drinking!""Yes, I am.""You're in a fine mood today, aren't ya! Drink up! Innkeeper, bring us a barrel! I'll teach you how the dwarves drink!"
Seeing Roxy drinking along put Talhand in even higher spirits, and he placed another order. At times like these, Roxy was grateful for the Demon Continent's low cost of living. No matter how much food and drink they consumed, a single Asura copper coin could cover it all.
"Now that's some fine drinking technique, old-timer!""Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!""A real dwarf through and through!""Alright, bring it on, you bastard! Innkeeper, give me a barrel too!"
Inspired by Talhand, who had started drinking by the barrel, the other patrons began drinking up as well. Incidentally, Elinalise had already disappeared into the night with a man she'd hit it off with. Roxy would normally feel a twinge of alienation at this, but before she knew it, she was sitting next to a girl, cheering Talhand's rowdy antics with loud whoops.
"A-ha-ha-ha! What a fine dwarf you are! A barrel, I said, a barrel! Dwarves never change, not in any era! Right? You think so too, don't you?""Yes, I do.""Oh, here it comes—look, chug! Chug! Chug!""Chug, chug!"
Talhand, with dignified poise, embraced a barrel alongside a hulking demon and guzzled down liquor. Despite his broad frame, where on earth was it all going? Once he drained a barrel the size of a man's embrace, he let out a tremendous belch. Immediately, the next barrel of liquor was brought over.
"Hey, the drinks are running slow!""Shut up! We're out of stock!""Then go buy some from the next tavern over!""Oh! Right, good thinking! Hey you, go fetch some!""Leave it to me! You lot, chip in, chip in! We're drinking till we drop today, damn it!""Ohhhh!"
And so a collection bag began making the rounds.
"Ha-ha! Miss, have pity on a poor drunkard!""Here you go—today, drinks are on me!"
Roxy was simply in a great mood. She tossed in a green ore coin. The man saw it and, a sly grin plastered on his face, bobbed his head with a hehe.
"Much obliged, miss! Wow, a rich one!""Hehe, well, naturally, right?"
In a fluffy, pleasant daze, Roxy nodded grandly. Her reply might have sounded like her usual self, but she was drunk too.
"A-ha-ha-ha-ha! I've got money too today, so take it all and keep the party going! Today's a no-rudeness-rejected bash!"
The girl beside her also produced an iron coin from her pocket and tossed it into the collection bag. Normally, she'd have been teased for boasting big while tossing in a mere iron coin, but the man holding the bag was drunk too.
"U-he-he! Thank you, princess! Today I'll keep pouring until you puke!""Good, good—puke lots!"
The girl nodded imperiously, and the collection man circulated, gathering money from the others.
"How nice, how nice—this atmosphere reminds me of the old days!"
When the girl had sat down beside Roxy, Roxy had no idea. By the time she noticed, the girl was already there, munching on leftover food that Elinalise had left behind. Roxy didn't mind—she was drunk, after all.
"Here, have a drink.""Oh, much obliged. Still, I'm glad I stopped by—this place has a lively feel to it. Glug glug. Hey, why don't you have one too!""I'm already drinking.""More!""More? Well, if you insist…"
Roxy drained her cup with a slurp as the girl urged her on.
"Phah.""Another round for the lady!""Oh, thanks."
She set her cup down on the table with a clunk, and a cheerful man appeared out of nowhere to pour her another. Truly, this sweet liquor was something she could drink endlessly of.
"You're quite the drinker yourself! Young as you are, that's impressive!""I wouldn't want to be called 'young' by you."
Roxy looked the girl over. Knee-high boots, leather hot pants, a leather tube top. Pale skin showing off her collarbones, short torso, belly button, and thighs. Voluminous wavy purple hair, and goat-like horns.
She looked younger than Roxy in every way.
"Hehe, no need for flattery. I know my own age well enough!"
No such species existed, or so the usual Roxy would have thought. But she didn't think it. She was drunk.
"I know my own age well enough too. Here, have another drink.""Oh, much obliged. But liquor has improved greatly over the past few hundred years. There was nothing this sweet on the Demon Continent in the old days.""It's apparently the sea-dwellers' specialty. The Demon Lord here trades for it.""What?! That Baglahagler has been hiding this from me! Unforgivable!""Oh, come on—it's a no-rudeness-rejected bash, a no-rudeness-rejected bash!""Oh, right! Today's a no-rudeness-rejected bash!"
The Demon Lord Baglahagler was the Demon Lord who reigned over this region. He was a portly, pig-faced Demon Lord said to possess the greatest knowledge of food and drink on the entire Demon Continent. A moderate by nature, he nonetheless threw himself to the forefront during the Laplace War. By seizing every scrap of food and every drop of liquor from the human territories, he earned the title "Plundering Demon Lord."
"Whoa, he's down!""Ughhhh… next! Who's next? Anybody'll do—hell, come at me two at once!""Someone, anybody!"
Before long, Talhand had stripped off his shirt, plopped himself onto the table, and was resting his elbows on a barrel, radiating a commanding presence. The one who stepped up was the girl sitting beside him.
"Alright, leave it to me!""What's this, little lady—you think you can beat me? Maybe come back in another twenty years and try again, eh?""A-ha-ha-ha-ha! Foolish dwarf, can't you see it?! I've already lived for three hundred years!""Oh, have you now? My apologies then. Come at me!""Gladly… but first, let me hear your name! I'll remember you as the fool who dared challenge me!""I am 'Talhand of the Steadfast Peaks'!""Very well! The one who defeats you is 'Kishirika, the Demon Emperor of the Mystic Eyes'!"
And so, the battle between Kishirika and Talhand began.
The additional liquor they purchased ran out in the blink of an eye, and a second and then a third round of collections were taken up. Roxy, taking responsibility, tossed in about five green ore coins and sent a young tavern hand running. Burly men hauled in vast quantities of liquor. Everyone passed it around as Talhand and Kishirika steadily drained their cups.
Roxy served as the judge. She had no idea how to properly officiate, but she sat between them, drinking while vaguely counting their cup totals.
"That's cup number forty."
The fateful moment. Up until that instant, the match had seemed dead even. Talhand was a dwarf who matched his appearance in build—no surprise there. But Kishirika, who called herself a Demon Emperor despite looking like a young girl—where on earth was all the liquor going inside her? Nobody cared. They were all drunk.
And then came the decisive moment.
"Gurgle… kepu…"
The instant Talhand made a strange noise, liquor erupted from his mouth like a fountain. Then, clutching his barrel-shaped belly—which was exactly what it had become—he collapsed. He crashed from the table to the floor with a resounding thud, spewing a reek of alcohol from his mouth.
"Victory is mine!""Ooooooh! Incredible! She beat a dwarf in a drinking contest!""My name is Kishirika, the Great Demon Emperor Kishirika Kishiris! Say my name!""Kishirika! Kishirika! Kishirika!""Who is the greatest in the whole world?!""Kishirika! Kishirika! Kishirika!"
As Kishirika's victory cry rang out, a chant began, and Kishirika was enormously pleased with herself.
"A-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! A-ha-ha-ha-ha!""Yeah! Yeah!""Take it off! Take it off!"
What happened after that, Roxy couldn't clearly remember. She was dizzy from drinking too much herself. The thought crossed her mind that she ought to avenge her fallen comrade, but that never came to pass as her consciousness sank deeper and deeper.
The last thing she saw was Kishirika, standing on top of the bar counter, dancing around completely naked.
---
The next day, Roxy woke up.
"Ugh…"
Her head was pounding, and the smell of alcohol on her own breath made her grimace. She immediately used an antidote potion to purge the toxins from her body and cast Healing on her head. Looking around, she found herself in the tavern. There must have been a brawl—tables were smashed, bottles were broken, and countless empty barrels lay scattered about.
"Ugh, I drank way too much…"
Her memories were hazy. The fact that she'd overindulged, however, remained vivid. Glancing to the side, she saw Talhand lying shirtless with his eyes rolled back. For a moment she thought he was dead, but a dwarf dying from drinking was simply impossible. And even if that were how he went, she'd heard dwarves all dream at least once in childhood of drinking themselves to death—so it would have been an honorable end, wouldn't it?
But then, Roxy looked around again. Bodies were strewn everywhere. Both strong and weak drinkers lay groaning on the floor. Among them was the collection man from the night before. Everyone was thoroughly smashed, suffering from hangovers. Roxy thought to herself—they did this to themselves by drinking recklessly without even using any healing magic.
And among all those collapsed figures, two people were standing.
"So I'm telling you, compensation! Compensation! You can't expect me to run my business with this place trashed like this.""Well, yes, but still…""What, you can't pay? You were the one who said drinks were on you, weren't you?""I was, but I thought the initial payment would cover…""No money, huh?""Well, sorry—I'm completely broke…"
Roxy saw the angry innkeeper and the deflated Kishirika standing before her.
"So you've got no money?""I'm sorry, truly—I have nothing left.""Then I'll have to sell you at the slave market.""What! You would sell me?! Wait, wait—I'll contact Baglahagler right now, so just wait a moment!""Can't wait. You're just trying to run."
Roxy sighed and rummaged through her own pouch. She pulled out her coin purse, peered inside, and grimaced. Drunk as she'd been, she'd tossed a considerable amount into that collection bag.
(Well, Talhand's the one who actually drank it.)
Making this excuse to herself, Roxy unfastened the coin pouch from the unconscious Talhand's belt. Checking inside and confirming there was a sufficient amount, she stood up. Sour smell wafting from her shoulders made her grimace, but she approached the innkeeper.
"Here's the payment.""Hm?"
Roxy took out about six green ore coins from the purse and pressed them into the innkeeper's hand.
"That's a bit short.""I've single-handedly drunk through your entire stock, so you must have made sales too, right?""
"…………Fine."
The innkeeper turned on his heel and disappeared into the kitchen. Roxy sighed and tossed the coin purse onto Talhand's belly.
"Oh… ohh… I'm sorry, so sorry!"
Kishirika was trembling as she looked up at Roxy. Roxy looked down at her, recalling what she'd once heard from a village elder about the Great Demon Emperor. The image was a bit different from what she'd imagined, but the characteristics were strikingly similar. For a long-lived species, appearance and actual age not matching wouldn't be unusual. Last night she'd been drunk so she hadn't paid much mind, but apparently this girl was even on intimate terms with the Demon Lord.
"Pardon me, but let me ask once more—you are indeed the Great Demon Emperor Kishirika Kishiris herself, correct?""Hm? Oh, yes, that's right. Nobody believes me these days, though. What's your name?""Forgive the late introduction. I'm Roxy, of the Migurd tribe in the Begaritta region."
When Roxy introduced herself, Kishirika gave an "oh" and nodded.
"Roxy? Oh, I know, I know! You're Rudeus's teacher, aren't you!""…………You know Rudy?""I happened to run into him in Wengenport. He was a rather interesting fellow!""I-I see…"
Roxy wondered what exactly Rudeus had said about her, but she was too afraid to ask. In truth, Kishirika was merely feigning familiarity based on information she'd gathered on the way here, but Roxy had no way of knowing that.
"Hmm. Rudeus helped me out too, so you two really are a fine teacher and student. You've helped me as well—here, let me give you a reward."
At the word "reward," Roxy's heart skipped a beat. The mystic eyes bestowed by the Great Demon Emperor were legendary. It was precisely that power that earned her the title of Demon Emperor rather than Demon Lord, granting her enough strength to spark the great Human-Demon War. But as Roxy got that far in her thinking, a certain notion struck her.
"Um, Your Majesty—could your mystic eyes find someone who's gone missing?""Hm, yes, of course. I recently bumped into Badi as well, so there's no one in this world I can't find.""Is that so… Then could you find Rudeus and his family? They're currently missing."
Roxy didn't hesitate. The mystic eye Kishirika might grant her was precious, but if it was one of Kishirika's superior eyes—the "Clairvoyance"—she'd heard there was nothing in this world it couldn't see.
"Oh! To use your one wish for someone else's sake—what a fine person you are! In another life, I might have given you the title of Demon Lord!""No, that's quite alright.""So humble. Well then…"
Suddenly, the color of Kishirika's eyes changed. She turned her head this way and that, then nodded.
"Rudeus is currently in the northern part of the Central Continent. He's dressed lightly and running. Perhaps he's training, hmm."
Roxy nodded firmly. It seemed that, just as she'd instructed, he'd set about searching the northern Central Continent. She'd wondered if he might head straight from Millis to the Begaritta Continent, but it seemed he wanted to check on his hometown first after all.
"His father is in Millis. With a maid… Hmm, this maid's name seems to be Lilia. Oh, and two daughters appear to be living in the same building."
Roxy let out a soft breath of relief. She'd heard that Lilia and Aisha were still missing, but apparently they'd been found safely. Perhaps Rudeus had discovered them on the Demon Continent and delivered them there. The Dead End party had been three, but if they weren't traveling together, he'd have had no way of knowing about the other two.
"The mother is… hold on."
Kishirika scrunched up her face and strained her eyes. Then she looked—and saw Zenith's location.
"The Begaritta Continent. The labyrinth city of Rapan."
Roxy's face lit up. It was far from here, but with this, the survival of everyone had been confirmed. She'd thought one or two might have died, but the Greyrat family truly was resilient. They seemed to be blessed with luck.
"But… something's a bit strange."
Kishirika frowned and moved her eyes around as if searching.
"Is there a problem?""Well, hmm—I can't see it quite clearly.""You can't see clearly? Even with Your Majesty's eyes?""I'm not quite at full strength yet… Well, you'll understand once you go there.""That's concerning. If there's an issue, I need to know the details…"
Kishirika tried to brush it off, but Roxy pressed further. In all her travels, she'd witnessed refugees suffering unspeakable hardships. If something was so terrible that even the Great Demon Emperor's mystic eyes couldn't perceive it, then depending on what it was, her current joy could turn out to be premature.
"Well now… you can't expect me to see what I can't see. Oh, actually—she might just be inside a labyrinth. It's a labyrinth city, after all. I've never been myself.""You can't see inside the labyrinth?""Mm. The labyrinths of Begaritta are filled with extremely high concentrations of mana."
Roxy considered this. She'd heard that Zenith had once explored labyrinths alongside Paul, Elinalise, and Talhand. She'd seen firsthand just how capable Elinalise and Talhand were during this journey. If she'd been traveling with them, venturing into a labyrinth would have been well within reach. But why had there been no word for so long? It had been three years already…
"So she's definitely alive?""Mm. Of that, I'm certain."
Roxy decided to trust that. There must be some reason she'd had to enter the labyrinth. With that thought, Roxy bowed her head.
"I understand. Thank you very much.""No need—it's a thank-you for the help you gave me."
Kishirika nodded grandly, and with a slight wobble, walked out of the tavern.
---
That afternoon. Talhand rose as if nothing had happened and began drinking his hangover cure, while Elinalise returned with her neck covered in hickeys. The three of them held a meeting.
"How fortunate, running into the Great Demon Emperor."
When Roxy recounted the story of Kishirika, Elinalise simply smiled quietly. Roxy didn't think it was all that momentous an event either. Perhaps because they'd met while drunk in a tavern. Or perhaps because Kishirika had lacked any sense of dignity whatsoever.
"But this means our journey is over, doesn't it?"
Talhand said with a trace of reluctance. Even if they hurried, it would take about a year to return to the Millis Continent. But the purpose of their journey had been achieved. They'd confirmed the survival of all of Paul's family members, and identified the location of the last remaining one. It was over.
"What will you do, Roxy?""I'm going to return to Millis and tell Paul about this.""I see. Then this is where we part ways."
Elinalise and Talhand apparently didn't want to see Paul. Apparently a massive fight at their parting was the reason, but they never told her what had happened, and Roxy wasn't curious enough to press the matter.
"Hmm, but Rudeus is all alone, and so far away."
Talhand put his hand to his chin and muttered. Hearing this, Roxy snapped to attention. She'd be returning to Millis, and would likely go with Paul's group to the Begaritta Continent from there. That would leave Rudeus alone, unaware of any of this, searching the northern Central Continent. Since he was still searching, his location was unknown, and letters wouldn't reach him.
"I wish there were some way to let him know…"
Elinalise expressed the same sentiment, troubled. But there was no way to do it. The northern Central Continent was deceptively far despite appearing close.
Roxy thought as well. Rudeus was exceptional, but still young. It seemed a shame to let him waste this time in a futile search. Whether he reunited with his family or set out on his own, she at least wanted to tell him—there's no need to keep searching.
---
"I, the Great Emperor, shall swoop in with a BAAAH-BOOM!""And I too shall enter with a BAM-BA-BAM!"
Suddenly—utterly suddenly—the two of them appeared.
"We heard everything!""By eavesdropping!"
The door flew open with a bang and in strode a massive man. His skin was like obsidian—a clear sign he was of demonic race—and he had six arms. The top pair was folded across his chest, the middle pair pointed a finger at Roxy with a snap, and the bottom pair rested on his hips. His long purple hair reached down to his waist.
And perched proudly atop his shoulder was none other than the Great Demon Emperor herself.
"I am Kishirika Kishiris! Known to all as the Great—Demon—Emperor!""And her fiancé, the Demon Lord Badi-ga-dii!"
The two had appeared out of nowhere, leaving the other three gaping. The first to react was Elinalise.
"Well, good morning again, big brother.""Ha-ha-ha-ha! It was the best night of my life, big sister!"
Badi clenched his fist, tucked his thumb between his index and middle fingers, and responded. Roxy broke into a cold sweat as she asked:
"Y-you know each other?""Well… let's just say, yes…?"
Apparently, after leaving with that man from the tavern, Elinalise had gone to another tavern. The man had been full of ulterior motives and plied her with drinks, and Elinalise—who had ulterior motives of her own—had drunk him under the table. They'd both gotten dead drunk, and Elinalise had been taken back to his lodgings… Before she knew it, she'd woken up in the arms of this pitch-black man. And somehow, they'd just gone at it until the afternoon.
"Huh? Wait, but fiancé just now… Hang on—should I have greeted you first?"
Roxy's eyes spun in confusion, but she bowed her head regardless.
"Mm, Roxy, lift your face. Don't worry—Badi is popular, so this sort of thing is an everyday occurrence.""Mm! Or rather, Kishirika is still physically too small, so there's nothing to be done about it!"
That brazen declaration overwhelmed Roxy's capacity to process information. Lately, thanks to Elinalise, Roxy had grown quite accustomed to scandalous topics—but when it was the Great Demon Emperor's own fiancé, a Demon Lord, having an affair with one of her traveling companions, it was simply beyond her comprehension.
"But—! That sort of thing doesn't matter!""Indeed, it was just a passing fling!"
With these two so amped up, Roxy honestly couldn't keep up.
The Demon Lord Badi-ga-dii. She knew of him. The Demon Lord who ruled the Begaritta region. "The Immortal Demon Lord Badi-ga-dii," younger brother of the "Undying Demon Lord Atofe," who had rampaged through the Laplace War. During that war, he'd been aligned with the moderates and had fought the Demon God Laplace at Kishirika Castle, where he was defeated. Currently missing, but supposed to be a person of great authority.
"Roxy, I too owe Rudeus a debt of gratitude. If he is lost, then I shall lend my aid as well!""Though I must say, it's only because I'm using my political power—so it'll be a loan, mind you!"
Before the bewildered Roxy could respond, Talhand stirred back to life. He stroked his thickly grown beard and sent a skeptical gaze toward Kishirika.
"Is that quite alright?""Oh, you're the dwarf from yesterday! Of course, of course—right, Badi?"
Kishirika gave the Demon Lord a light bonk on the head, and he nodded.
"Mm. I too have been curious about this Rudeus—this brat Kishirika keeps raving about whenever I see her. I want to see for myself whether he's truly all that!""Oh my, is that jealousy, darling?""Of course it's jealousy, honey.""Honestly, Badi, you're still such a child. The only one I love is you…""Hmph. I won't rest on the throne of love. Rivals must be crushed."
Crushed—that could be a problem, Roxy thought, but she sensed these two wouldn't listen.
"Hehehehe""Ha-ha-ha""A-ha-ha-ha-ha! A-ha-ha-ha! A-ha-guh-hah-hah-hah""Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Ha-ha-ha-ha! Ha-ha… Are you okay?"
Before Roxy's comprehension could catch up, the conversation was charging ahead at full speed.
---
One of the world's truisms: all the oceans in the world are ruled by the sea-dwelling race, and those who live on land are restricted from traversing them. This was related to a dispute that arose during the postwar settlement of the Laplace War, but let's set that aside.
The Demon Lord Baglahagler had a personal friendship with the King of the Sea-Dwellers. Having a friendship didn't mean he could openly break the laws of the entire sea-dwelling race, but still—quietly letting through individual friends was apparently tolerated.
Demon Lord Badi-ga-dii and Demon Lord Baglahagler were old acquaintances. With that connection, crossing to the Central Continent without going through the Heaven Continent would be easy as anything.
However, if Roxy and the other two crossed the sea, the report to Millis would be delayed. Someone needed to head to Millis. And the Demon Continent couldn't be crossed alone. The Central Continent, with its relative safety, might be one thing, but the Demon Continent was rife with dangerous monsters. For example, Roxy was an excellent magician. Quick in judgment and fast in incantation, she might manage on her own in a fight. But she still needed to sleep at night, and against enemies attacking in a group, there was always the risk of being caught off guard. At minimum, two people were necessary.
"I refuse. I don't want to even see Paul's face.""Neither do I.""Understood. Then I'll go."
Pushed around by the two of them, Roxy agreed to head to Millis first. She would have liked to see Rudeus, but there was nothing to be done. Then, for the remaining two, they exchanged glances, and Talhand was the first to cave.
"Hmm, then I suppose it's me. To be honest, I don't much care for ships…""Sorry about that, Talhand."
Talhand's shoulders drooped. Roxy thought he could simply send a letter once he reached Millis, but the two of them had their own reasons, so she decided not to overthink it. After all, she had no reason to avoid seeing Paul.
---
And so, Roxy's party split into two groups. Roxy and Talhand would retrace their steps back to Millis.
Elinalise, meanwhile, would head to the northern Central Continent together with the Great Demon Emperor Kishirika Kishiris and the Demon Lord Badi-ga-dii. There was still some time before the ship departed, but Roxy chose to leave first.
"Elinalise, thank you for everything.""The same to you, Roxy."
Roxy shook Elinalise's hand firmly.
"Roxy, when you find a good man, don't let him get away. You have to grab him tight, using both your upper mouth and your lower mouth.""That again?""Just listen. Go after the one you really like with everything you've got. Love is something you can grow slowly afterward."
At Elinalise's words, Talhand sighed.
"You said that to Zenith too, didn't you?""I did. And that's how Zenith got Paul. My advice is flawless."
Hearing this, Roxy thought, that makes sense. To Roxy, Paul and Zenith were the ideal couple. If it was Elinalise's advice that brought them together, then it was worth heeding.
"Understood, Elinalise. I'll go for it."
Their hands parted. Roxy, being short, had to look up at Elinalise.
"Tell Rudy I said hello.""Of course. I'll also tell him about how you were tossing and turning at night, all lonely.""H-how do you know that?! Stop saying things like that! I wasn't thinking about Rudy at all!""Sure, sure."
Then it suddenly occurred to Roxy: what if, when Rudeus and Elinalise met, they ended up staying at the same inn together? If Elinalise went north now, she'd probably find Rudeus in about a year. Nearly ten years had passed since then. Rudeus should be thirteen or fourteen by now. At that age, it wouldn't be strange for Elinalise to catch his eye. And that, just a little bit, bothered her.
"What's the matter? Why'd you go quiet all of a sudden?""It's nothing. But… if Rudy really did turn out to be good-looking, would you make a move?"
She asked as casually as she could, and Elinalise let out a snort.
"I have absolutely no intention of becoming Paul's stepdaughter."
She said it with genuine distaste. Roxy felt relieved.
"Then I should be off.""Safe travels, Roxy. Take care.""You too, Elinalise."
Elinalise glanced at Talhand. Looking down at him with the gaze one might use for an insect, she regarded the dwarf who stood shorter than she did.
"Talhand, go drop dead somewhere."
Talhand made a thoroughly displeased face and spat.
"Right back at you, word for word."
Watching this, Roxy reflected anew that the two of them actually got along quite well.
---
And then, Elinalise boarded the ship. It was an ancient vessel belonging to the sea-dwelling race. Pulled through the water by sea monsters, it looked somewhat shabby compared to human ships. But it was faster and safer than any human vessel.
Elinalise walked up the gangplank alongside Badi-ga-dii. Behind them, Kishirika's laughter rang out.
"A-ha-ha-ha-ha! Until we meet again, Badi! If you miss me, come back to the Demon Continent anytime!""Mm, may my fiancée stay well! We shall meet again! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!""Who knows how many years it'll be this time! A-ha-ha-ha-ha!"
The Great Demon Emperor Kishirika Kishiris did not board the ship. Elinalise cocked her head at that.
"Hm? She's not coming aboard?""Mm, Kishirika cannot leave the Demon Continent!""What—is it a curse?""Something similar."
The Great Demon Emperor Kishirika could not leave the Demon Continent. And so, today as always, she would wander its expanse.
Roxy was utterly unaware of this. She assumed Kishirika had boarded the ship together with them and was heading off to find Rudeus.
Elinalise, for her part, wished Roxy had been the one to come along instead. The Demon Continent, for all its surface calm, was still dangerous. With Talhand present the risk would be minimal, but having even one extra person improved safety. And if that person was the Great Demon Emperor, security was practically guaranteed. But she immediately dismissed that thought.
If that one latched onto her, it'd be Roxy's problem.
---
Roxy Migurdia's journey continues.