Episode 247
A quiet building on the outskirts of the Empire.
"Please stop for a moment."
"What brings you here?"
Two guards stationed at the entrance blocked a woman who was staggering toward them.
"Mmm..."
But the woman, blocked by the guards, let out a small groan and tried to push past them forcibly.
"State your reason for coming here... ugh."
"W-what strength...?"
Of course, the guards weren't about to let such a woman pass easily, but for some reason, the two of them were being pushed back by her strength.
These weren't ordinary guards, but combatants that Klana had planted at the secret hideout.
"Mmm..."
As they continued to be pushed back and finally drew weapons from their clothes, the woman's eyes turned sharp.
- Clatter...!
"".......!?""
And the next moment, the weapons they were holding were all rolling on the ground.
"...I also just received a message. The letter I received a few hours ago only contained this location."
Looking at the guards who were dumbfounded by this,
Isollet, who was in a state of drunken intoxication.
"So I cannot state my reason."
Even while drunk, she muttered in a cold voice, quietly opened the door and stepped into the quiet building.
"...Hmm."
Having stepped inside the building, she quietly looked around.
'Spatial expansion magic is cast. Or perhaps illusion magic.'
The building that looked shabby and small from the outside had transformed into something no different from a grand palace upon entering.
'As expected... not an ordinary person. An average riffraff couldn't pull this off. Then, who exactly?'
Thinking that the person who sent her the letter wasn't ordinary, she was lost in thought, then let out a chuckle and muttered.
"Well, it doesn't matter anymore."
Her expression was already submerged in deep darkness.
"I've already... lost my purpose in life, lost everything."
She came here because of the slight possibility that the unidentified letter had something to do with Frey.
If not for that, she would have stayed locked in her room without even coming here.
"...This way, please."
"Hmm."
Thus, Isollet, who had been quietly looking down, began following a maid who appeared from somewhere, with hollow eyes.
"Please wait here."
"........."
After silently following the maid for a while, Isollet arrived at a waiting room that was quite neatly decorated.
"Hoo."
Sitting on a small sofa in the waiting room as the maid said, Isollet let out a short sigh.
- Rustle, rustle...
And after making a dazed expression for a moment, she suddenly took something out of her clothes.
"........."
It was none other than Frey's photo and his shirt.
The photo was received when she went to his house, and the shirt was what she hadn't been able to return to him during the Hero appointment ceremony incident.
"Uuu..."
Still drunk, she did as she had done for the past week - she covered herself with his shirt and started rubbing the photo against her cheek.
"Back then... I should have locked you up back then..."
Finding slight comfort in the faint remaining aura and scent of Frey while drunk, she suddenly made a dark expression and looked at Frey's photo she was rubbing against her cheek.
"So no one could find you... hidden so deeply that everyone would forget..."
Looking at the photo that was already worn out despite having received it not long ago, Isollet's voice gradually grew darker like her expression.
"Even as a ghost... just once, won't you appear just once...?"
Whispering with a desperate voice in such a situation, Isollet.
"I'll take good care of you... please..."
She practically lay on the sofa and started shaking.
"I'll even get you plastic surgery... if that doesn't work, as my servant... if even that's rejected, I'll run away to the Eastern Continent... I even planned to live in a quiet countryside... I even looked at houses..."
Her hot tears were soaking Frey's shirt and photo.
"...Sniff."
After struggling on the sofa for a while, she sniffed and suddenly opened her eyes wide.
'Someone... is there.'
Since she was covered by Frey's shirt, she couldn't tell who it was, but her senses, which had become even more sensitive after the appointment ceremony, detected a gaze.
'...As expected, a trap to kill me.'
So she tried to think with her cooled head.
'Well, it doesn't matter anymore.'
But soon returning to a state of resignation, she covered herself with the shirt, bowed her head deeply and muttered.
"Who is it."
"Uh..."
Then, a trembling voice reached her ears.
"Nuna?"
That voice was an all-too-familiar voice.
"W-what are you doing...?"
Frey in patient clothes with a frightened expression was looking down at her.
".......!"
Inside Isollet, something snapped.
.
"W-we're here...!"
"........."
Meanwhile, at that time.
"F-Frey... seeing Frey... hehe."
Serena, who got off the carriage with Miho, was humming and looking around.
"Miho, Frey will be okay, right? He's not too hurt, right? He suffered such big injuries but I haven't even been able to visit once..."
Smiling despite being unfamiliar with the countryside scenery and smells, she soon asked with a trembling expression.
"...When I diagnosed him last time, he was showing quite a recovery. So please stop asking, human."
Unlike Serena, Miho, who seemed annoyed perhaps because her dreadful hometown came to mind, looked at Serena and spoke.
"By the way, how did you shake off all those pursuers?"
"Huh?"
"Weren't you being followed? That Vener? Beller? Whatever her name is, the woman who put them on you."
Hearing that, Serena slightly raised the corner of her mouth and whispered.
"They're gone now."
"...Scary, human."
Shaking her head at her cold smile, Miho pointed to a shabby building and said.
"There it is. That's where Frey is..."
"Frey!!"
"...Sigh."
Without even listening to all of Miho's words, Serena shouted Frey's name and ran to the building, passed the guards who quietly nodded after confirming her face, and entered the building.
"Please follow me."
"Lululu~♪"
Humming and following the maid who had guided Isollet just before, Serena soon fell into deep thought.
'For the time being... I'll just spend time nursing him.'
Nursing the sick Frey devotedly, wiping his sweat and making delicious porridge.
Making him realize that only she can be by his side when times are hard, to regain his love.
Even after calculating several times with her genius brain, it was a perfect plan with no possibility of failure.
'And then... when his body is fully recovered, I'll ask him out on a date.'
Of course, an ordinary genius would have stopped there, but Serena's brain was already moving to the next step.
'The date location will be a remote island. Swimming in the ocean there... and entering hot springs together... then when night comes... creating that kind of atmosphere...'
The problem was that it was flowing into the realm of delusion rather than calculation.
'I should prepare from now. How much budget will it take? Will there be an island with hot springs? I need to develop perfume full of pheromones.'
But she had a fearsome brain that could make even delusions reality.
'Will a storm strong enough to trap a ship for about 3 to 4 days blow? If I threaten the Tower Lord again, it might work somehow...'
Like that, Serena, who had been making a goofy smile while planning a grand scheme with Frey.
'H-how should I do prenatal education?'
Suddenly, the most difficult problem of all came to mind.
'What about baby clothes... ah, I already bought those. Names, names? Since stars and moon came together, night sky? No, that's too long. Then... Night? That's not bad either...'
- Thump...!
"Eek."
Walking while thinking about trivial things, she suddenly stopped and bumped her forehead into the maid's back.
"Owow... hmm?"
Rubbing her forehead while shedding a little tear, she started tilting her head.
"...Huh."
But only for a moment, her expression changing coldly.
"N-nuna... I... can't breathe..."
"You can't go, you can't go anywhere now... Frey."
Inside the waiting room door that the maid opened, an outrageous scene was unfolding.
"I won't... I won't ever let you go again..."
"Mmph..."
Her slender fiancé was nestled in another woman's arms.
Even though Frey was on the delicate side, this wouldn't normally happen, but it did because the opponent happened to be Isollet.
"Frey... I'll raise you. Let's live happily in the countryside."
"W-wait..."
"If you really hate it, I'll hide you in my house. Or you can hide in my clothes like before. I'll get the scrolls myself."
"Ugh..."
"If not that either, do you want a rebellion? If you want it, I'll do it. So please don't disappear..."
Watching her prospective husband, who was nestled in Isollet's arms with a red face not knowing what to do, Serena quietly straightened her fan.
"...Click."
Then, she tried to step into the room, glaring at Isollet who had stood up with Frey still tucked in her arms and started looking around like a goblin who stole treasure.
"Kyaa!!"
"...Ow."
At that moment, someone quickly rushed into the room and tackled Isollet.
"You shouldn't do this."
The protagonist was Lulu, who had predicted this situation and was waiting nearby.
- Swish...
After rescuing Frey from Isollet's arms and politely seating him in a chair, Lulu quietly lay down at Frey's feet.
"Grrr..."
"Hmm..."
And, while still threatening Isollet who had been drunk and not in her right mind until then, she stayed stuck to Frey's feet.
'At that level... maybe acceptable as a guard dog.'
Watching Lulu, Serena smiled with satisfaction that she had taken her previous advice well.
- Hop...!
"......?"
But when Isollet sat on the chair across with a blank expression, Lulu suddenly hopped onto Frey's lap, and Serena tilted her head.
"Gororon..."
Lulu, who had climbed onto Frey's lap, stayed in that position and lay down to hug Frey, then started rubbing her cheek and head against his stomach.
"What is it? Something feels prickly..."
Frey tilted his head at the prickly sensation he felt every time her hair brushed against him, and when Lulu lay down exposing her belly, he naturally put his hand inside her clothes and started stroking her belly.
"...Daze♥"
Lulu, with a happy expression, looked up at Frey and made a puppy sound with clear intent, and Serena's expression turned cold again.
[Hidden Quest: Serena's Curse of Subservience Removal]
[Progress: 20%]
"Hmm?"
At that moment, such a mission appeared before Frey's eyes.
.
Meanwhile, at that time, Hero Party temporary assembly point.
"Thank you all for gathering."
The Hero Party members gathered in a tent instead of the destroyed headquarters were looking at Vener who was briefing at the front.
"Then, I will tell you the reason why you all gathered here today."
Everyone who was flustered by the sudden summons without notice started quietly focusing on her words at Vener's serious expression.
"It seems Frey is alive."
To them, Vener dropped a bombshell statement.
"That is why I need your help."
Thus, inside the tent fallen into shock, Vener continued in a low voice.
"Since it's quite dangerous work, I'll accept volunteers."
Looking at Ariane and Alice who were already shining their eyes.
"Today, those who will execute the Frey raid operation with me, please raise your..."
"Wah!!!!"
But the first to raise their hand was an unexpected person.
"As expected, amazing!!!"
"Saintess?"
Perroteche, who appeared throwing open the tent door, had bandages and band-aids all over her body and was raising her hand wide open.
"I'll stand at the front!!"
Her eyes were shining like they did a week ago.
"Annoying Vener!!"