Chapter 3
* * *
A few days earlier—
The day Hevenia had been punched by a guard.
She made a wish to the demon.
“Please save me… and all the prisoners.”
“You want me to let everyone leave?”
The demon asked, once again appearing while soaking in his bathtub.
“No.”
“We’re staying here.”
“I don’t understand. If you stay here, you’ll definitely die.”
“I treasure the prisoners.”
“But they’re still criminals who committed crimes.”
“They have to serve the rest of their sentences here.”
She smiled faintly.
“We’re going to spend a long, happy life together in exile.”
“…”
“I want us to repent for our sins together while apologizing to the victims.”
“I’m technically an attempted assassin of the Imperial Princess too.”
“Even if I only came here because of guilt by association.”
So—
Hevenia came up with an idea.
“I heard this exile camp used to be a huge city.”
“It did.”
“It was once a fairly large territory.”
The demon slowly smiled, already understanding what she meant.
Just as expected…
“We’re going into that forest full of man-eating monsters.”
“To the place where people lived before this became an exile camp.”
“So…”
“You want me to prepare a new home for you there?”
“Yes.”
“In that case, you won’t die immediately.”
“But that alone isn’t enough.”
“No.”
“It isn’t.”
If all the prisoners suddenly disappeared…
The Empire would certainly send people to search for them.
“So…”
“We have to die once.”
“…How?”
For the first time, Hevenia hesitated.
“I think…”
“It counts as self-defense.”
“…”
“And technically…”
“It’ll just be an accident.”
“I’m not the one killing them.”
* * *
Chaos erupted.
“There they are!”
“They’re heading for the exit!”
“They’re trying to escape!”
“Stop them!”
“Damn it! If they catch us, we’re all dead!”
The prisoners and I ran as fast as we could.
Behind us, the guards screamed at the top of their lungs.
As if you weren’t planning to kill us anyway!
And to think…
Every single prisoner had been innocent.
No wonder they were all so kind despite supposedly being vicious criminals!
Whenever they insisted they were innocent…
I’d secretly assumed they were just shameless criminals making excuses.
Now I felt horribly guilty.
“Move!”
“Get out of the way if you don’t want to get hurt!”
The people of Exilium swung the pickaxes they’d brought from the mine, forcing the guards away from the entrance.
Even now…
They did everything they could to avoid seriously hurting anyone.
Finally—
We escaped the village.
Beyond the gate was a narrow forest path.
Under the moonlight, it looked like a golden carpet.
But on both sides…
The dense, dark primeval forest stretched endlessly.
A hell filled with monsters.
I could clearly feel countless eyes watching us from within the darkness.
The man-eating monsters.
Even the prisoners, who hadn’t feared the guards, hesitated for the first time.
“Keep running!”
My shout snapped them back to reality.
They ran again.
Unlike them…
I gradually fell behind.
My calves burned.
My mouth filled with the taste of blood.
Even breathing hurt.
Damn it.
Is a seven-year-old’s body really this weak?
That brief moment…
Was all the guards needed.
“Ah!”
Someone grabbed my hair and yanked me backward.
The back of my head slammed into the ground.
Before I could recover from the pain…
I saw a guard holding a sword against my neck.
The prisoners immediately stopped running.
“That’s right.”
“Stay where you are.”
The guard pressed harder against my throat.
“Unless…”
“You want something to happen to this precious little girl.”
“You bastard!”
“Let me go!”
I kicked wildly.
“You locked up innocent people!”
“You tried to kill them!”
“And now you’re taking a child hostage!”
“What exactly are you so proud of—”
Smack!
My head snapped to the side.
My cheek burned.
At the same time…
The guard pressed even harder against my neck.
Through my blurry vision…
I recognized the bite mark on his arm.
Pathetic jerk.
He’s still angry because I bit him.
Picking fights with little girls… what a coward.
The guard kept shouting.
He ordered the prisoners to come back.
Otherwise…
He’d kill me.
And…
They obeyed.
They were coming back.
To save me.
Even though they knew…
They would be murdered if they did.
…Idiots.
I slowly moved my limp arm.
Something brushed against my fingertips.
“See?”
“The monsters can’t enter because…”
“There’s a barrier.”
Ian’s words echoed in my mind.
The barrier.
The instant my hand touched it…
It tried to push me away.
But I clenched it with all my strength.
Please…!
I bit my lip hard.
Behind us, the guards who had stayed in the village came running.
“Kill them all!”
But…
I couldn’t hear the prisoners running away.
That made me even more desperate.
Please…!
Blood dripped from my bitten lip.
“Open alreadyyyyy!!”
The moment my hand twisted as though turning a doorknob—
Click.
The sound of a lock opening echoed throughout the entire forest.
“Do ants know how to open and close things?”
“…Huh?”
“Hmm.”
“So not yet?”
“W-What are you talking about?”
“Then perhaps…”
“This is a good opportunity for you to learn.”
“Could you please stop saying things only you understand?”
The day she had summoned the demon for the second time—
After she wished to save the prisoners—
The long-haired demon, as always soaking in his bathtub, told her a secret.
“Y-You’re saying…”
“I have powers like a magical girl?”
“Not exactly.”
“It’s simply an ability every member of House Clavis possesses.”
“What kind of ability?”
“How do I use it?”
“What does it do?”
“Opening and closing.”
“…Opening and closing?”
“Yes.”
“The power to open and close.”
“Urgh…!”
Something hot surged up my throat.
I shoved the guard away and vomited.
Bright red blood splattered across the ground.
“Cough!”
“Hack!”
My vision spun.
My head throbbed.
A piercing ringing filled my ears.
All the strength drained from my body.
Wow…
I’m seriously dying.
Even so…
I forced my trembling legs to stand.
I had to make sure everyone was safe.
But…
The moment I took a step…
My legs gave out.
My vision grew darker and darker.
Just before I completely lost consciousness…
I vaguely saw people rushing toward me while shouting my name.
…Thank goodness.
They were safe.
That alone filled me with relief.
Someone caught my collapsing body.
“What a reckless little fool.”
The last thing I noticed…
Was the familiar scent of soap.
Then…
Everything went dark.
* * *
The demon clicked his tongue as he looked down at the unconscious Hevenia in his arms.
…I didn’t expect this.
She had actually removed every barrier surrounding the primeval forest.
No wonder she coughed up blood and collapsed.
What Hevenia had accomplished…
Was impossible for an ordinary seven-year-old who had only awakened her power a few days ago.
If the demon hadn’t immediately restored the barriers…
Hundreds of man-eating monsters would have poured out of the forest.
At that moment—
“E-Excuse me…”
The demon glanced sideways.
Livi cautiously approached.
Though trembling with fear…
She still held out both arms.
“H-Hevenia is hurt…”
“…”
“She lost so much blood…”
“S-She needs to rest…”
“So that’s why.”
“…What?”
After muttering something to himself…
The demon handed Hevenia over to Livi.
Livi bowed deeply before hurrying back to the others.
“Hevenia!”
“She’s breathing, right?”
“She’s still breathing?”
“This little thing lost so much blood…”
“Don’t worry.”
“She’s alive.”
The prisoners visibly relaxed.
Then…
Several of them stood and approached the demon.
“I’ve heard…”
“Summoning a demon requires paying a price.”
“Hevenia is still just a child.”
“So please…”
“Let us pay instead.”
“You’re all still alive.”
The demon interrupted them.
“For the same reason…”
“…that the little one made her wish.”
“…Huh?”
“I’ve already received my payment.”
“When the child wakes up…”
“Tell her to summon me once more.”
He snapped his fingers.
The winged eyeball hiding inside Hevenia’s hair flew out.
It spread a dome-shaped barrier over the prisoners…
Then slowly floated forward.
“Follow it.”
“It will guide you to your new home.”
Half of Hevenia’s wish had now been fulfilled.
As for the rest…
The demon turned around.
The surviving guards were crawling on the ground in terror.
“U-Ugh…”
“Aaaaaah!”
The demon didn’t stop them as they fled the forest.
Crunch!
A monster burst from the forest and swallowed one guard’s head whole.
The guards’ dying screams…
Mixed with the hungry roars of the monsters…
Echoed far beyond the forest.
“My.”
The demon listened to the sound of what had once been someone’s head rolling across the ground.
He also heard the horrified scream of the Imperial Knight waiting outside the forest when he recognized the severed head.
“What an unfortunate accident.”
The demon offered no prayers for the dead.
* * *
“…”
I stared blankly at the warm sunlight streaming through the window.
“…A window.”
A real glass window.
A soft blanket covered me.
I was lying on a fluffy bed.
I wasn’t even wearing my dirty prison uniform anymore.
Instead…
I was dressed in a lace nightgown.
Things that could never be found in Exilium.
My wish came true.
We really escaped somewhere safe.
The moment I let out a relieved sigh…
The door opened.
“L-Livi?”
“Hevenia!”
Livi, who had always looked just as ragged as I did…
Now looked completely different.
Wow…
Was she always this beautiful?
While I sat there in shock…
Livi ran back outside.
A moment later—
The door burst open.
The rest of the people from Exilium rushed inside.
They all looked just as clean and well-dressed as Livi.
I was stunned all over again.
“You little rascal!”
“Do you know how worried we were?”
“We really thought you were going to die…”
“You even summoned a demon!”
“Do you know what kind of price demons usually demand?”
Even now…
They were only worried about me.
…They’re alive.
The people who had almost been murdered by the guards…
Were alive.
Only then did all the tension leave my body.
“Hehe…”
“…Hic…”
My foolish smile quickly turned into tears.
I laughed and cried at the same time.
Ugly sobs escaped my mouth.
I’m twenty-five years old.
This is so embarrassing.
I hurriedly tried to wipe my tears with my sleeve—
Then I noticed…
“…”
“…”
I wasn’t the only one crying.
Everyone else had started crying too.
“Waaah!”
“Sob…”
“My dear…”
Relief that we were alive.
The injustice of being falsely accused.
The fear that we might never be able to leave this place.
All those emotions mixed together…
Until the entire room became a sea of tears.
“Hevenia.”
Ian gently clasped both of my hands as if he were praying.
“Thank you.”
“Really…”
“Thank you…”
Unable to finish his sentence…
He simply sobbed.
His heartbreaking cries made everyone else cry even harder.
“…Mm.”
Sniffling, I rested my forehead against Ian’s hands.
“Thank you too…”
“Thank you…”
“…for staying alive.”
After those words…
We cried together for a long, long time.
For the first time since arriving in Exilium…
We enjoyed the simple privilege of crying our hearts out without worrying about anyone watching us.
