CH-148.2

 Chapter 148.2

I draw a large magic circle around my feet.

Then, the floor of the store became transparent, revealing a staircase leading to the underground.

"Ah. I see. That's the underground where Zeshia and the others live!"

Eleonore raises her voice.

An underground city was constructed under this Midhaze as a place for 10,000 Zeshias' to reside. As this was created after the reincarnation, it is not among the rumors and legends of the Demon King of Tyranny.

It is also the lowest level of Delsgade's underground dungeon.

"But with Melheis around, wouldn't he be aware of that?"

Sasha expresses her concern.

"I haven't informed him of the structure of the underground city. If the demons are dispatched to the lowest level, that would be a favorable development. After all, it is my garden."

"Yeah, even Zeshia and the others are willing to cooperate with us in disrupting them."

The underground district is about the same size as Midhaze.

If troops were to be deployed to a place that is out of the reach of the ｢Dark Area Demera｣, they would be at a pressure point.

Well, they wouldn't be so foolish as to purposely scare off a snake by poking it with a brush.

"Shall we all go?"

Misha gazes up at me.

"No."

While saying this, I turned my attention to the Fan Union girls.

"You guys stay here. Please watch over my mom and dad."

The girls all nodded in agreement.

"I understand!"

"We will protect them!"

"I'll be sure to mention it to your parents!"

The girls promptly left for the back room.

"The rest of us are all going to Delsgade. Are you ready?"

Lay and the others give a firm nod.

I suppose it was pointless to ask them, but they all have determined expressions on their faces.

"Let's move."

The sound of a door opening was heard just as I was about to walk down the stairs.

The person who appeared is Emilia.

She sends me a downcast look.

Hmm. She looks as if she has something to say.

"Go ahead and make your way downstairs. Eleonore, you're in charge of guiding the way."

"You got it."

With Eleonore leading the way, Lay and the others descended the stairs.

I shift my attention to Emilia, whose face remains downcast and her mouth shut.

Even though roughly a minute has passed, she has not uttered a single word.

"My time is running out. If there is something you want to say, please go ahead."

When I mentioned this, Emilia looked at me.

"… You…"

Her voice shook to the point where her words didn't make sense.

She appeared terrified, but her voice rang out once again, as if determined.

"… You… you are already satisfied, right? Please break the curse of reincarnation and kill me… I beg you…"

I wonder how long it had passed since Emilia turned into a half-breed. From her words, it is evident that she must have undergone a severe hardship.

Even her animosity towards me seemed to have withered away, for her eyes were not hostile in the slightest, and she even looked as if she was sincerely pleading with me.

"Hmm. You're not going to ask for me to return you to the royal family?"

After a moment of hesitation, Emilia says powerlessly.

"… Return…?"

"Even if you do, it won't turn back time, though."

Her eyebrows furrowed as if she didn't comprehend what was being said.

"Avos Dilhevia has appeared. This Midhaze will be the ideal city for the royalty that you once longed for."

Emilia listens to my words with a vacant expression on her face.

"Do you think it's beautiful?"

"… About what…?"

"Would you have been able to live in that beautiful city if you had been on the ruling side, even if you were royalty? Can you believe that after all of your days as a half-breed, if you could just return to the royal family, you would still be considered a noble person?"

There is no reply from her, but rather she stares me straight in the eye.

"If you still truly believe that, I will restore you to your original form. You may go to Avos Dilhevia."

Emilia opened her mouth, yet did not speak, biting her lip firmly.

Her eyes fall as she glares down at the floor.

Tears well up in her eyes, staining the floor.

Regardless of how long I waited, she uttered not a word.

She could not say anything. Perhaps she has no answer.

Her days passed as a half-breed are etched in her memory.

If she were to return to the royal family and oppress the half-breeds, she would remember, whether she chose to or not, about how she had been oppressed.

Nevertheless, she lacks the courage to live as a half-breed.

Therefore, she begged me to kill her.

Her pride was based solely on her royalty, but living as a half-breed has shattered her sense of values, leading her to thoroughly lose sight of herself.

It is not surprising.

Originally, being a member of the royal family is of no value to her.

Ultimately, she began to recognize this.

The whole thing had been a fiction.

Unless she is conscious of herself as Emilia, rather than making up excuses for being a member of the royal family or a half-breed, she will not be able to progress.

I am not that benevolent enough to save her.

The only way for her to find answers to her problems and sufferings is through her own efforts.　

"Emilia."

At my voice, she looks up briefly.

"You defended my mother."

As if she were embarrassed, Emilia averted her gaze.

"Thank you."

Stepping slowly, I descend the stairs.

After a while, perhaps assuming I'm no longer there, a muttering that shudders with disorientation can be heard from her..

"… What… should I… do…?"

Eventually, a faint sob resonated from there.