Episode 4: Recollection

"Jamil… you! Why are you following me?"

"…"

"Hey!"

"You need me right now and… and…"

"And what!"

"You still don't know what's going on here…"

"If you want to talk, go ahead…"

Jamil started to talk.

A story I don't even want to hear…

◆◆ Recollection◆◆

"Lily… I'm home now, here, I brought cookies as a souvenir."

This is strange… why are there no lights in the room?

"Lily~ are you hiding?"

I can't imagine her going out at night like this.

This is strange… what's going on?

But Lily has never been out this late before.

I hope she's not involved in some kind of incident…

Her being involved in an incident would be terrible… I ran out of the house to look for my sister.

She's not there… strange, she's not anywhere.

I can't do it today, so I'll have to move the 'Knight' tomorrow.

Lily, where did you go…

When I returned to the inn after searching…

"Someone is here."

"You're home early…"

It's a decent mimicry, but my eyes can't be fooled.

This is a demon… an enemy.

"You're a demon… die."

I raised my wand… why, why is this guy 'smiling'

"You can kill me if you want… but if you kill me, you will never see your sister again."

No way…

"No way… did you kidnap my sister?"

"Well, if I don't return, she will be tortured and killed."

"You… what do you want!"

"For us, the 'Three Hopes' are an obstacle, so any one of them is fine… offer one of them, render them incapable of fighting… in exchange for your sister."

At that time, I was so preoccupied with my younger sister Lily that I couldn't think of anything else….

Either one… Kane is probably impossible.

If there's a chance I could take advantage of, it's Faye.

If it's her, one way or another…

◆◆◆

Su~ha~su~ha~

"Faye, I'm sorry, but can you come right away?"

"What happened? If it's a large-scale subjugation, we need to contact Kane as well…"

Usually that's the case…but

"It's a nearby village, but there are only a few left to defeat… however, there are many injured and some in a state where time is of the essence… I'm sorry, but we don't have time for that."

This is fine… it should be fine.

"Well, then we'll have to leave right away… child adventurer over there, excuse me, but I need to send a letter, please."

"Glad to help."

Faye wrote a letter and handed it to the child adventurer.

Damn… but there's nothing I can do about this…

"Then FAye… take this, you can drink it."

"What is it?"

"It's a potion that restores mana and relieves fatigue… we can't rest, so drink it."

"Understood."

Faye quickly drank the recovery potion.

"Then I'll run ahead."

I ran ahead of Faye.

Faye followed behind me… this is fine.

What I just gave her is not a recovery potion… but a slow-acting sleep drug.

And it's powerful enough to put even orcs to sleep…

"Uh… Jamil, sorry … just a little…"

It seemed to be working, because right behind me, Faye spoke in a broken tone and collapsed into a stupor.

"I'm sorry Faye… I can't replace my sister.'

Incapacitated…

With this, I have betrayed humanity.

"uuuuuh I'm sorry—

I cast a Wind Cutter spell and cut off Faye's right hand.

I threw the staff she was holding onto into the bushes along with her hand.

This sleeping drug is so powerful… she won't wake up even with all this.

"You're here anyway, aren't you?"

"Glad you understood…"

"Look, it's Faye, one of the Three Hopes as promised, her hand is amputated and she doesn't have her staff, so she's been nullified… now, as promised, give me back my sister…"

"Why should we bring her here? We know you'll kill me as soon as we return your sister…"

"Then I can't give you Faye."

"Ah, but aren't you the one in trouble? Can you bring her back with a missing hand?"

Damn… there's no going back for me.

"All right… take her… be sure to bring my sister back…"

"I will definitely bring her back within a few days…"

But… the demons never kept their promise to me.

"If you want your sister back, bring the Hero Kane with you."

"You promised, I gave you Saint Faye, keep your word."

"Remember, we hold your sister in our hands."

Saying that, the demon left as if he had no intention of arguing.

◆◆◆

"Hm~mm… where am I?"

"Welcome, Faye of the Three Hopes… or should I say former."

Where is this?

My body feels heavy and my right hand hurts… it's dark all around.

No way… lying there is the body of a girl.

"You're a demon… how dare you kill people… die…"

My right hand… my right hand is missing…

"Ahahaha, what can you do without your right hand! Foolish girl."

No right hand, no staff… and why am I hanging?

"Why, am I in this… Gufaaah!"

It cannot be, he suddenly stabbed with a knife …

"Don't think you'll get an easy death… when I use this small knife to slice open your belly… it will hurt, but you won't die right away."

"Gufu…how did you do this…"

"Foolish girl… Jamil betrayed you."

"Don't lie-ah! Argh! Jamil would never betray his comrades."

"But he betrayed you… see that corpse lying there? That's his sister… to get her back he gave up one of the Three Hopes… it was that easy… he even cut off your right hand."

I see… Jamil's sister was used as a shield… that idiot… demons don't keep their promises… your sister is proof of that… she's dead.

"Well … guhu, it can't be helped, Goho … people are like that… because we're alive … demons are garbage, gohogogo… I curse you— die, all demons to hell…"

"I don't fear your grudge."

"…"

I can't speak anymore…

Jamil… you're an idiot… there is no way the demons would keep their promises.

Kane… I wish I could have met you.

Even if it was just for one last time… I wanted to meet… I'm sorry, Kane …

And goodbye …

This is the end…

"At last, you've gone to your doom…"

I heard the demon's mocking laughter.