Chapter 3

A few days earlier…

The day Hebenia had been punched by a guard.

She made a wish to the demon.

“Please save me… and all the prisoners.”

“Do you want me to let you escape?”

The demon asked as usual while soaking in his bathtub after being summoned.

“No.”

“I’m staying here.”

“I don’t understand. If you stay here, you’ll definitely die…”

“The prisoners are precious to me.”

“But they’re still criminals who committed crimes.”

“They should finish serving their sentences here.”

She smiled.

“And then spend the rest of their lives happily in exile with me.”

“…”

“I wanted them to apologize to the victims and live while repenting for what they did.”

“I’m technically an attempted assassin of the Imperial Princess too.”

“Even though I only ended up here because of collective punishment.”

Because of that…

Hebenia came up with an idea.

“I heard this exile camp used to be a huge city.”

“That’s right.”

“It used to be quite a large territory.”

The demon smiled faintly.

He had already guessed what she was thinking.

Sure enough…

“We’re going into the monster forest.”

“To the place where people lived back when this was still a city.”

“You want me to find a new home for you there?”

“Yes.”

“Then at least you won’t die immediately.”

“But that alone isn’t enough.”

“No.”

“It isn’t.”

If all the prisoners suddenly disappeared…

The Empire would undoubtedly send people to search for them.

“So…”

“We have to die once.”

“…How?”

For the first time…

Hebenia hesitated.

“I think it counts as self-defense.”

“…”

“And strictly speaking…”

“It’ll just be an accident.”

“Because I won’t be the one killing them.”

* * *

Chaos erupted.

“There they are!”

“They’re heading for the exit!”

“They’re trying to escape!”

“Catch them now!”

“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.

You were planning to kill us anyway!

And to think…

Every single prisoner had been innocent.

No wonder everyone was so kind despite supposedly being dangerous criminals!

Whenever they insisted they were innocent…

I’d assumed it was just the shamelessness of hardened criminals.

Knowing it had all been true…

Filled me with guilt.

“Move!”

“Get out of the way if you don’t want to get hurt!”

The people from the exile camp swung the pickaxes they’d brought from the mine.

They knocked the guards guarding the entrance out of the way.

Even now…

They were trying not to seriously injure anyone.

At last…

We escaped the village.

Outside the village was a narrow path.

Under the moonlight…

It looked like a glowing yellow carpet.

But on both sides of the trail…

The dark primeval forest stretched endlessly.

A hell filled with man-eating monsters.

Though hidden in darkness…

I could clearly feel countless eyes watching us.

The monsters everyone feared.

For the first time…

The brave prisoners hesitated.

“Keep running!”

My shout snapped them back to their senses.

They started running again.

But unlike them…

I gradually fell behind.

My calves throbbed.

The taste of blood filled my mouth.

Even breathing became painful.

Damn it…

Is a seven-year-old’s body really this weak?

That tiny delay…

Created an opportunity.

For the guards.

“Ah!”

Someone grabbed my hair and yanked me backward.

The back of my head slammed into the ground.

I looked up through tear-filled eyes.

A guard was holding a sword against my throat.

The footsteps of the fleeing prisoners suddenly stopped.

“That’s right.”

“Stop.”

The guard pressed harder on my neck.

“Ghk…”

“Otherwise…”

“Who knows what might happen to this precious little girl?”

“You bastard!”

“Let me go!”

I kicked and struggled furiously.

“You locked up innocent people!”

“You even tried to kill them!”

“And now you’re threatening everyone by taking a little girl hostage!”

“What are you so proud of—”

Smack!

My head snapped sideways.

My cheek burned.

The guard pressed even harder on my throat.

My vision blurred.

On his arm…

I saw the bite mark I’d left.

Pathetic jerk.

He’s still angry because I bit him.

Picking fights with little girls.

Coward.

The guard kept shouting.

“Come back!”

“Or I’ll kill her!”

The prisoners…

Turned around.

They came back.

To save me.

Even though they knew they’d all be murdered.

…Idiots.

I slowly moved my limp arm.

My hand touched something beside me.

“See?”

“The monsters can’t enter because…”

“…there’s a barrier.”

Ian’s lesson echoed in my mind.

The invisible barrier.

The instant my fingers touched it…

It tried to push my hand away.

But I forced my palm firmly against it.

Please…!

I bit my lip.

Behind me…

The guards who had stayed in the village came rushing over.

“Kill them all!”

I heard them shouting.

But I didn’t hear the prisoners running away.

That made me even more desperate.

Please…!

Blood trickled from my bitten lip.

“Open already!!”

The moment my hand twisted against the barrier…

Click.

The sound of a lock opening echoed through the entire forest.

“Can an ant…”

“…open and close things?”

“…Huh?”

“Not yet, I suppose.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Then perhaps this is the perfect opportunity for you to awaken.”

“Could you please stop talking like you’re the only one who understands?”

The second time I summoned the demon…

After wishing to save the prisoners…

The long-haired demon appeared in his bathtub again and revealed a secret.

“Y-You’re saying…”

“I have powers like a magical girl?”

“Not exactly.”

“It’s simply an ability every member of the Clavis family possesses.”

“What kind of ability?”

“How do I use it?”

“What does it do?”

“It opens.”

“And closes.”

“…Open and close?”

“Yes.”

“The power of Opening and Closing.”

“Urgh…!”

Something hot surged up my throat.

I shoved the guard pinning me down aside.

Then vomited.

Bright red blood splattered onto the ground.

“Cough! Cough!”

The world spun around me.

A sharp headache pounded inside my skull.

A loud ringing filled my ears.

All strength drained from my body.

Wow…

I’m really going to die.

Even so…

I forced my trembling legs to stand.

I had to make sure everyone was safe.

But…

The moment I tried to take a step…

My legs gave out.

The spinning world faded into darkness.

Just before I completely lost consciousness…

I vaguely saw everyone running toward me while shouting my name.

…Thank goodness.

They were safe.

That alone was enough.

Someone caught my collapsing body.

“What a mess.”

The familiar scent of soap filled my nose.

Then…

Everything went black.

* * *

The demon clicked his tongue as he looked at the unconscious Hebenia in his arms.

…That was unexpected.

He had never imagined she’d remove every barrier in the entire primeval forest.

No wonder she coughed up blood and collapsed.

What Hebenia had just done…

Was far beyond what a seven-year-old who had awakened her power only days ago should have been capable of.

If the demon hadn’t immediately restored the barriers…

Hundreds of man-eating monsters would have flooded out of the forest.

At that moment…

“U-Um…”

The demon glanced sideways.

The brown-haired woman, Ribi, had cautiously approached him.

Though trembling all over…

She stretched out both arms.

“H-Hebenia is hurt…”

“…”

“She lost so much blood…”

“S-So she needs to rest…”

“I see.”

“…Pardon?”

The demon muttered something under his breath.

Then quietly handed Hebenia over.

Ribi bowed deeply before hurrying back to the others.

“Hebenia!”

“Is she breathing?”

“She is breathing, right?”

“This tiny little thing lost so much blood…!”

“She’s alive.”

“Don’t worry.”

The prisoners visibly relaxed after hearing the demon’s words.

A few of them stood and walked toward him.

“I’ve heard…”

“…that anyone who summons a demon must pay a price.”

“Hebenia is still a child.”

“So let us pay it instead…”

“You’re all alive right now…”

The demon interrupted them.

“…for exactly the same reason the little one made her wish.”

“…What?”

“I’ve already received my payment.”

“When she wakes up…”

“Tell her to summon me once more.”

After saying only what he wanted…

The demon snapped his fingers.

The winged eyeball hidden in Hebenia’s hair flew out.

It created a dome-shaped barrier around the prisoners.

Then slowly floated forward.

“Follow it.”

“It will guide you to your new home.”

At least half of Hebenia’s wish…

Had now come true.

The only thing left is…

The demon looked back.

The guards were crawling on the ground like terrified insects.

“W-We…”

“AAAAAH!”

The demon made no effort to stop them as they fled the forest.

Crunch!

A monster burst out from the forest…

And swallowed one guard’s head whole.

The dying screams…

Mixed together with the hungry roars of countless monsters.

The sound echoed far beyond the forest.

“Oh dear.”

Thud… Roll…

The demon heard something that had once been someone’s head rolling across the ground.

He also heard the horrified scream of the Imperial Knight waiting outside the forest…

After recognizing whose head it was.

“What an unfortunate accident.”

The demon offered no prayers for the dead.

* * *

“…”

I blankly stared at the warm sunlight shining through the window.

“…A glass window.”

Sunlight.

A soft blanket covering my body.

A fluffy bed.

And instead of my filthy prison clothes…

I was wearing a lace nightgown.

These were all luxuries I had never seen in the exile camp.

My wish came true.

We escaped somewhere safe.

I let out a sigh of relief.

Just then…

The door opened.

“R-Ribi?”

“Hebenia!”

Ribi, who had always looked just as dirty as I did…

Had become almost unrecognizable.

Wow…

Was she always this pretty?

While I sat there in stunned silence…

Ribi suddenly rushed back outside.

A moment later…

The door burst open.

The entire exile family rushed into the room noisily.

They all looked so clean and well dressed that I was shocked all over again.

“Oh, you silly child!”

“Do you know how worried we were?”

“We really thought you were going to die…”

“And you even summoned a demon!”

“What if it had taken something terrible as payment?”

Even now…

They were only worried about me.

…They’re alive.

The people who had nearly been killed by the guards…

Were alive.

Only then did all the tension finally leave my body.

“Hehe…”

“Hic…”

The smile spreading across my face…

Quickly turned into tears.

Laughter and sobbing mixed together into embarrassing little hiccups.

I’m twenty-five years old.

I shouldn’t be crying like this.

Feeling embarrassed, I hurriedly raised my sleeve to wipe my eyes.

Then…

“…”

“…”

I wasn’t the only one crying.

The people from the exile camp were crying too.

“Waaah!”

“Sniff…”

“My dear…”

Relief that they had survived.

The bitterness of being falsely accused.

The fear that they might never return to the outside world.

All those emotions blended together…

Until the room became filled with tears.

“Hebenia.”

Ian gently clasped my hands together as if praying.

“Thank you.”

“Really…”

“Truly…”

He couldn’t finish his sentence.

All he could do was sob.

His broken cries made everyone listening want to cry too.

“…Yeah.”

Sniffling, I rested my forehead against Ian’s hands.

“Thank you too…”

“Thank you for staying alive.”

Those words were enough.

After that…

We cried together for a very long time.

For the first time since arriving at the exile camp…

We enjoyed the simple privilege of crying as much as we wanted…

Without worrying about anyone watching us.