“B-beasts?”
The girl’s voice clearly grew tense.
She anxiously wrung her small hands, the flames flickering unsteadily in the air.
“Did those demons catch up so quickly?”
Ed used the faint light from the flames to discern a direction they could proceed in.
He and Bailis seemed to be in a relatively spacious area at the moment, with a fork in the path at the end of the dim visibility.
It looked like one path led deeper into the lair, while the other led to the outside.
“Don’t panic; beasts and demons are different.” He said.
“Though both have magical circuits in their bodies, demons have intelligence closer to humans and are more threatening, while beasts—most of them can’t even properly utilize the magical power in their bodies. They’re basically just stronger, smarter wild animals.”
The girl visibly relaxed.
“That’s good, that’s good.” She patted her chest, exhaling a puff of white breath.
“I thought we’d have to fight those demons again.”
“Idiot, casually letting your guard down in an unfamiliar environment isn’t a good habit.”
Ed stepped forward toward the fork, reminding her in a low voice.
“Though most beasts are dumb, they’re not to be trifled with. Follow me, don’t get too far—this pitch-black environment, if something’s really hiding here, I can only say I’ll try to protect you, but I can’t guarantee absolute safety.”
“I can protect myself too…” The girl muttered softly but still followed the boy’s pace.
“And why do you always like calling me an idiot, Ed? When I was little, my mom often praised me for being smart.”
Ed glanced at her.
“Because only an idiot would say something like ‘Leave me and run’.”
The girl’s face flushed red.
“Wh-what… I was just… for your sake…”
She stammered, finally hanging her head and falling silent.
“That’s why I say you’re an idiot.”
The boy walked ahead and sighed.
“We’re companions; I couldn’t do something as pathetic as abandoning a companion to escape alone.”
In the shadows cast by the flickering firelight, the girl’s face alternated between light and dark.
“Companions, huh…”
She murmured, suddenly letting out a soft hum.
“I think you’re the big idiot—who would want to be companions with a witch.”
Her voice was very quiet, but it still caught some trace in Ed’s ears, just a few steps away.
“Hm? Did you say something just now, Bailis?”
“No.” The girl seemed to turn her head away in a huff.
“You heard wrong; let’s hurry up and go.”
Ed scratched his cheek, still a bit uneasy as he reminded: “If you notice anything unusual, make sure to tell me.”
“I know.”
Her voice sounded muffled.
Ed just assumed she was worried about the beast hiding somewhere.
He cautiously checked around the girl, and after finding no abnormalities, he turned his gaze back forward.
The fork wasn’t far from where they woke up; in the time they chatted, they reached the middle of the two paths.
Ed carefully examined the left and right paths.
But unfortunately, with his experience, he couldn’t spot any differences from the stone floors or walls that looked mostly the same.
The girl noticed the boy in front stop and poked her head out from behind him.
“It’s a fork. Ed, which way do we go?”
Ed shook his head. “I’m not sure; maybe one of these paths leads deeper into the beast’s lair, or perhaps to the exit outside.”
Bailis thought for a moment and adjusted the flame’s brightness higher to help Ed observe.
“Then what do we do?” She asked.
“Hesitating probably won’t solve anything. We’ll know after trying both. If we encounter a beast…”
“We run! Uh—”
The girl raised her other hand to answer eagerly, then retracted it upon seeing Ed’s strange look.
“Isn’t that it?”
“Of course not.”
Ed turned his gaze away, gripped the hilt, and drew his sword from the sheath.
In the leaping firelight, the pale blade reflected their faces.
“If we encounter a beast, we kill it.”
His voice was utterly cold, just like when the girl first met him.
Companions—for Bailis, it was a word she once thought was incredibly out of reach.
Who would willingly be companions with a witch?
Even if someone did, who wouldn’t secretly frown in disgust?
Existing as a witch in the human world seemed like an unavoidable original sin in itself.
Bailis had originally thought she had long grown accustomed to the gazes of hatred, loathing, or indifference cast her way over the past four years.
Later on, she had almost cut off all contact with the outside world.
This way is fine too. She had thought.
After all, without interaction, the risk of being discovered by knights decreased.
She wouldn’t starve alone; it was just a bit lonely.
That was all.
But in just a few short days, something seemed to have changed.
She looked up at the figure ahead—though not burly, it still provided ample security.
What an idiot—
She thought.
On that rainy night at the inn, Bailis learned how the church smeared her to the outside world.
Simply put, a bloodthirsty monster.
With such a horrifying description as a premise, she suddenly didn’t resent those who distanced themselves or cursed her anymore.
After all, to them, she was the life-taking monster promoted by the church.
And who would sympathize with a monster?
Yet even in such a utterly terrible situation, someone suddenly appeared and said to her, “We’re companions.”
Only then did Bailis realize she hadn’t grown accustomed—she had just walked too far in the darkness and forgotten what light felt like.
Yes, that’s what light should be like.
Warm, inclusive.
Making her want to sink entirely into it.
“Ed…”
An extremely faint murmur quietly mingled with their footsteps, seemingly unnoticed by anyone.
“You’re such a hopeless idiot.”
But the boy suddenly stopped in his tracks.
D-did he hear?
The girl’s nerves instantly tensed.
N-no, impossible; she had whispered it so very quietly.
B-but if he really heard, what should she do?
Would he get angry?
“Bailis—”
The blond boy spoke.
“Y-yes!” She closed her eyes tightly, answering loudly in panic.
“Um… what’s with you? Are you a bit cold?”
But he just stroked his chin, looking her up and down in confusion.
“Alright, that was thoughtless of me.” He said.
The boy took off his cloak, stained with a bit of blood, and draped it over the girl without argument.
“Though it’s a bit dirty, most of our luggage was lost during the escape, so there’s no other choice now. Wear it; it’ll make you feel better.”
The girl stared blankly at the cloak on her body. She gently touched it with her slender fingers; the soft wool brought a warm sensation, seeming to travel along her fingers into her palm, then flow through her blood along her arm and body, finally reaching that thumping, vibrant heart.
S-such a strange feeling…
The girl buried her head deeply.
Why was her face burning…
“Bailis, make the flame brighter; we seem to be almost there… Why are you spacing out?”
“…You idiot.”