We hurried toward the door.
Beyond it, the interior shifted abruptly. The fancy decor vanished, replaced by the original, cave-like atmosphere of the dungeon. As I had expected, the area outside the Room of Truth was different; no matter how much I focused, we could no longer hear each other’s thoughts.
Relieved that no more "accidents" would occur, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.
We started down the straight path in search of the treasure chest. Even with Elsie gone, I moved with caution just in case. Before long, a treasure chest came into view ahead of us. It was surrounded by several pillars, all of them intricately decorated. This had to be the chest Elsie had mentioned.
"Hey, is that—"
"K-Kiskacchi—"
Our voices overlapped, leaving a thick, awkward silence in their wake. Ryune, who had been dead silent until a moment ago, was now fidgeting, her lips moving as she struggled to find the right words.
"Um, about what happened earlier..." she began, her tone hesitant.
"Earlier...?"
"About Ryune saying she liked Kiska."
Hearing her say it out loud again made me feel incredibly self-conscious.
"Since it’s already out there, I’ll say it clearly: what I said about liking you... it was my true, honest feelings."
"I-I see..." I managed a safe, noncommittal reply, unsure how else to respond.
"I... I want to know how Kiska feels..."
"I... I'm..."
"Actually, never mind! Let's wait to talk about it until everything has settled down. That’s better, right? Whatever Kiska’s answer is, I’ll be ready to accept it."
She cut me off before I could speak. She was right—it was better to wait until things were calm. This wasn't the time for romance. However, how was I supposed to answer her? I was happy she felt that way, but I...
"You two took your time. I was just about to lose my patience."
A voice shattered my train of thought. Before I realized it, she was standing right there.
"Master...!!"
Ryune lunged at Nyau and threw her arms around her. "Master, I missed you so much!"
Nyau gently patted the back of the teary-eyed girl with an exasperated sigh. Looking at them, they seemed just like a mother and daughter.
"Judging by your appearance, you've been through quite a lot. Honestly, I’d hoped you could overcome a trial of this level more easily, but... well, the important thing is that you’re both safe."
Nyau took in Ryune's horns and fangs, clearly deducing what had occurred. It seemed Ryune’s ability to take on a Demon Form was common knowledge between the two of them.
"I'm glad you're safe too, Nyau. I was worried about you," I said.
Nyau let out a weary sigh. "Since when did someone like Kiska-san become so insolent as to worry about me?"
Her point was fair, perhaps, but I couldn't help but find her response unnecessarily thorny.
"Sigh... based on your reactions, neither of you realized the secret of this space, did you? If you’d grasped the trick, none of this would have been frightening."
Secret? What was she talking about? If we’d known this "secret," could we have avoided all that agony?
"Master... there’s something I have to apologize for," Ryune said, still clinging to Nyau.
"Something to apologize for?"
"Well... Ryune fell in love with Kiska..."
I watched them, holding my breath.
"Sigh... Oh, was that all? I could hear your entire conversation earlier, so I already knew without you having to tell me."
Nyau spoke as if it were the most trivial thing in the world.
"Master, you aren't mad?"
"On the contrary, I’d like to know why you thought I’d be angry."
"But I was trying so hard to get you and Kiskacchi together..."
Nyau let out her deepest sigh yet at Ryune's words.
"Listen closely. To me, Kiska-san is a Traitor of the Hero's Party. I’ve told you repeatedly that I feel nothing but loathing for him. There is no way I could ever harbor affection for him."
"Please don't talk about Kiskacchi like that..." Ryune pleaded earnestly.
Nyau just scowled, looking annoyed. "Well, I haven't the faintest clue what you see in a man like this."
Nyau glared at me with pure disgust. Ryune countered by insisting, "Kiskacchi is actually very kind."
"Sigh, fine. Do whatever you want. I’m not so bored that I’d interfere in my apprentice’s love life. Just get together and flirt to your heart's content for all I care!"
"Master, thank you!"
That seemed to settle things, I guess. Nyau walked over to me and snapped, "If you make Ryune cry, I won't forgive you," before turning away in a huff.
"I'm so glad Master gave us her blessing," Ryune said to me, looking relieved.
"Yeah... I suppose so," I replied with a strained smile.
To be honest, their conversation wasn't really sinking in. I knew why, but I was afraid to put it into words. I should have known from the beginning—that Nyau felt nothing for me. After all, in this timeline, nothing had ever happened between us.
"Anyway, hurry up and open the treasure chest. We can't stay in this gloomy, stinking place forever."
With that, Nyau began walking toward the treasure chest.