I slowly opened my eyes in the dimly lit room. An unfamiliar ceiling... No, that wasn't right. It was the ceiling of the inn.
I pushed myself up and noticed something. Wait, wasn't I injured?
I was certain my arm had been broken, and I could have sworn my ribs were snapped too... but there wasn't so much as a bruise left behind.
I see... so it was all a dream.
The moment the thought crossed my mind—that the battle with the Black Bear had been a nightmare because my body was so perfectly restored—the door to the room swung open with a bang.
"Kaito!"
"Huh? Whoa!?"
The person who burst through the door was Isis-san, someone who definitely wasn't supposed to be here.
She lunged at me with incredible speed, the momentum of her embrace knocking me back onto the bed.
"...I'm so glad... Kaito..."
"Eh? Wait... Isis-san?"
I couldn't wrap my head around the situation. I didn't know why she was here, but more importantly, the current state of affairs was incredibly dangerous. Isis-san was clinging to me as if she never wanted to let go, pressing her soft, delicate body against mine.
How should I put it? It was as if I’d woken up from a hellish dream only to find myself in heaven.
"...Kaito... it's okay now... those who... bullied you... I killed them all."
"...Huh?"
I couldn't quite grasp the meaning of her words. The ones who bullied me? Did she mean the Black Bears?
Lilia-san was supposed to have cut the one I fought in half... were there more? When I asked her for details, it turned out a massive horde of Black Bears had appeared after I lost consciousness, and Isis-san had annihilated the lot of them.
Well, that made sense. The Black Bears were certainly monsters, but even if a thousand of them had banded together, I couldn't imagine a world where they stood a chance against her. And apparently, that’s exactly what happened.
Regardless, thanks to Isis-san, the damage to the city of Rigforresia was practically zero.
After holding me for a while longer, Isis-san stood up, a lonely shadow flickering across her face.
"...I... should go back soon... If I stay... Lilia and the others... will be scared."
"...Isis-san."
I see. The reason the ever-worried Lilia-san and the others hadn't checked on me wasn't because they didn't care; they literally couldn't get close because of the pressure from Isis-san’s Magic Power of Death.
A Magic Circle—likely for Teleportation Magic—manifested at her feet as she prepared to return to her castle.
"U-Um! Isis-san!"
"...What is it?"
"Thank you so much for today. I mean it. I want to thank you properly... so, would you like to go out for a meal with me sometime soon?"
"...!? ...Is that okay?"
"Yes. And please let me treat you. It wouldn't be much of a thank-you otherwise."
"...Yeah... I'm... really looking forward to it."
Suggesting a meal as a "thank-you" was a bit simplistic, even for me, but it was the only thing I could think of on the fly. However, the effect was immediate. The loneliness vanished from her expression, replaced by a bright, happy smile as she nodded.
With a small wave, she was enveloped in the light of her teleportation spell and vanished.
Once she was gone, I headed out into the hallway to apologize to the others for the scare I'd given them. Since Lilia-san was a Duke, this was one of the most prestigious inns in Rigforresia; the hallway was so wide and quiet it felt as though we had the entire place to ourselves.
After a short walk, I reached a lounge area where I spotted Lilia-san and the others in the distance.
"Kaito-san!?"
"...!"
"You're awake! Thank goodness."
Lilia-san, Lunamaria-san, and Sieg-san were all there, their faces flooding with relief the moment they saw me.
"I'm sorry for making you all worry."
"Don't be silly. Are you in any pain?"
"No, I'm perfectly fine."
"Is that so... Truly, what a relief."
I assured the anxious Lilia-san that my health was back to normal.
"Come to think of it, I don't see Kusunoki-san or Yuzuki-san. Were they hurt?"
"Ah, no. Neither of them sustained any 'injuries.'"
I had been worried they might have been harmed while I was out, but it seemed they were safe. Still, the way she phrased it felt off.
"Any 'injuries'? Did something else happen, then?"
"Aoi-san and Hina-san are currently resting in their rooms."
"...They were caught in the Death King's magic power and lost consciousness."
"A-Ah..."
Lilia-san and Lunamaria-san answered with a touch of hesitation. I see. It wasn't the bears; they had simply fainted from the sheer pressure of Isis-san's presence.
"Rei-sama and Fia-sama are currently attending an emergency meeting to reorganize the security force. They've essentially been decimated."
"Decimated!? Reorganized? Wait, I thought you said there was no damage..."
"There was no damage from the Black Bears, no. However, after witnessing the Death King's overwhelming power, nearly half the guards have suffered a total mental collapse..."
"It's hardly surprising. Even my own trembling wouldn't stop for a long time. One could argue that Kusunoki-sama and Yuzuki-sama were lucky to have fainted right at the start."
The collateral damage broke the spirits of the entire guard force? Just how terrifying was that magic power? I could tell exactly how harrowing the experience must have been just by looking at the three of them, who were visibly shuddering at the memory. It seemed fainting before the fear could set in really was a mercy.
Just as we reached that point in the conversation, Lilia-san stood up with a grim expression, walked over to me, and suddenly dropped to the floor, prostrating herself in a deep bow.
"...Eh?"
"Kaito-san, I am truly, deeply sorry."
"L-Lilia-san!? What’s this all of a sudden!?"
Confused by her sudden display of extreme apology, I watched as she held out the necklace I had given her the night before.
"Chrome's Necklace?"
"...This necklace was enchanted with a Defense Magic Formula. It wasn't exceptionally powerful, but it was there. In other words, if I hadn't borrowed this from you, you would never have been injured like that."
Chrome's Necklace had defensive magic? That was news to me. I thought it only handled Search Magic, but apparently, it was packed with all sorts of things. Lilia-san hadn't known either until the incident, after which Rei-sama—a Former Court Mage—had examined it.
Lilia-san kept her head pressed to the floor, her voice beginning to crack.
"No, in the first place, if only I had been more competent... I promised to ensure your safety, yet I was so wrapped up in my own concerns that I forgot to even assign you guards. I let you get hurt. All of this... all of it is my fault."
"No, wait, it's not really your—"
"It is! If I had been more reliable, I could have prevented it. If I had just done my job... I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."
Her voice dissolved into tears as she continued to apologize to the floor. Watching her, I felt a spark of irritation begin to flare up.
I’ll say it again: I’m no saint. I don't get angry often, but I have my limits.
"Kaito-san... please, I'm so sorry..."
"...Lilia-san. I'll apologize first. I'm sorry for this."
"...Eh?"
As she continued to sob out apologies, I reached down and rapped her squarely on the head with my knuckle.
"Ow!?"
No matter how powerful she was, Lilia-san didn't keep her Physical Enhancement Magic active 24/7. Taking a knuckle to the crown in her natural state clearly stung, and she immediately clutched her head with both hands.
"I sat here and listened to you drone on with this nonsense... Just how twisted does your sense of duty have to be for you to reach a conclusion like that!?"
"Eh? What?"
"This was an accident! I got hurt because I was being reckless, and you aren't at fault in the slightest, Lilia-san! In fact, instead of you apologizing, I should be the one thanking you! Thank you for coming to save us!"
"Eh? Ah, y-yes? You're... you're welcome?"
Overwhelmed by my sudden lecture, she nodded frantically in confusion.
"Good. Then the subject is closed! If you say it was your fault one more time, I'm going to hit you again."
"Y-Yes, sir!"
"Honestly, thinking everything is your responsibility is a terrible habit. I know you're a serious person, but there's a time and a place for it. Even the other day..."
As Lilia-san shifted from her prostrate position to a formal kneel, I kept the lecture going. I knew it wasn't really my place, and I was probably being a hypocrite, but someone needed to give this woman a reality check. At the very least, I wanted to break her habit of using bizarre logic to blame herself for everything—if only for my own peace of mind in the future.
"Wonderful. Truly. I feel like giving Miyama-sama a standing ovation. Someone finally said it..."
"..."
"Lu-Luna!? Sieg, don't just nod, help me! Kaito-san is actually really scary right now..."
"Lilia-san! I'm not done talking yet!"
"Y-Yes!? I'm sorry!"
Lilia-san’s eyes were tearing up again for a completely different reason, but I had no intention of letting her off the hook this time. I kept the sermon going.
Dear Mother, Father—it’s really not like me, but I ended up giving someone a lecture. Well, what can I say? There is such a thing as being too serious.
(Lilia's Logic: If I had been more reliable, I could have prevented Kaito's injury -> If I had arranged guards... -> Therefore, the fact that he was hurt is my fault -> It is entirely my fault.)