“……”
Look at the moon…
To clear your mind?
Really?
In a dump like Vulcania, what’s so nice about the moon here?
But since Amir, the Hero, had taken the initiative to make such a request, how could she possibly refuse?
Histori was just about to naturally straighten her clothes and get ready to go, but the next second, a sudden flash of insight struck her brain.
—Wait a minute.
At a time like this, in the quiet dead of night, the Hero Amir invites her only traveling companion, saying the room is stuffy, wanting to go to the hotel rooftop with her to look at the moon…
…Huh, huh!?
Judging by her years of experience playing gal games, could it be that this is now…
The Hero’s romance route event?
Except, she’s the one being pursued?
No way?
Did she really hit the mark?
Did Amir actually see some merit in her and is planning to develop a different kind of relationship with her?
…Hey, I’m not ready to develop this kind of ‘more-than-friendship’ relationship with the great enemy of the Demon Race.
To be honest, there were times I even thought about killing her…
But, putting it another way, a witch like her with dark secrets, originally planning to kill the Hero, yet being won over by the Hero’s gentleness and consideration during their travels…
That’s also a classic gal game trope…
Ahem, ahem.
Even though Histori herself felt her thoughts were getting a bit outlandish, one thing was absolutely clear!
—That is, this was indeed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get closer to the Hero!
Amir had just been given the cold shoulder by the Dwarf Guild Master today.
This was probably one of the rare times in her life she’d faced a setback.
So, maybe Amir’s heart was feeling quite vulnerable right now!
Then, if she could seize this opportunity today, play the role of a gentle, understanding, considerate little sister in front of Amir, and properly soothe the Hero’s fragile heart, her favorability would definitely skyrocket!
By then, even if her hidden secrets were exposed, or all her plans were unraveled, an Amir who had already fallen for her might not be able to bring herself to kill her!
Seeing Histori remain silent for so long, Amir tilted her head slightly—
“What’s wrong? Histori, are you busy with something?”
“No, not at all. I’d be happy to help you unwind!”
Histori shook her head and nodded at Amir with a beaming smile.
To make it seem more genuine, she even used her abilities to squeeze out a cute blush on her cheeks.
And so, without even changing out of her pajamas, Histori just threw on her cloak and followed Amir up the narrow wooden stairs all the way to the hotel’s rooftop.
Blocked by volcanic ash, the moon in the sky, which should have been bright and clear, looked somewhat hazy, but Histori didn’t mind.
Why? Because on the way up, she had already prepared over a dozen sets of comforting, lyrical lines to use on Amir.
“Um, Lady Amir…”
Histori walked up behind Amir, put her hands behind her back, and spoke in what she thought was her softest, most soothing voice—
“Actually, you don’t need to worry too much about what happened during the day. It’s okay if we can’t borrow the Sacred Artifact. As long as we’re together, we’ll find another way. No matter what, I’ll always…”
Thump.
Before Histori could finish her heartfelt, pre-rehearsed speech, something dark and lumpy suddenly flew towards her face, landing squarely on it.
“…Mmph!?”
Nearly choking, Histori frantically pulled the thing off her face and took a closer look.
It was a piece of pure black fabric, along with an enormous cloak big enough to almost wrap Histori’s entire body.
“That… Lady Amir?”
Looking at these two items in her hands that looked nothing like gifts, the smile on Histori’s face stiffened slightly—
“These things you handed me… are…”
Naturally, Amir wasn’t looking up at the moon as she’d said, nor did she seem to want to pour her heart out.
Her gaze was fixed like a hawk’s on the square building several hundred meters away—the Dwarf Race’s Great Forging Assembly.
“It’s a stealth outfit.”
“I, I know it’s a stealth outfit, but, what are you planning to…”
Hearing Histori’s question, Amir turned her head, glanced at Histori with a puzzled look, and said matter-of-factly—
“Steal something. Isn’t it obvious?”
“……”
A cold wind carrying volcanic ash blew past, crushing the last remnants of those thoughts in Histori’s mind.
No, wasn’t the plan that tonight was stuffy and she wanted to look at the moon together!?
And, for a few moments, she actually thought Amir had chosen this hotel so far from the Forging Assembly because she was afraid Histori would get hot, but it was actually just to avoid drawing attention!?
Furthermore, her purpose for calling her up to the rooftop in the middle of the night wasn’t to have a heart-to-heart at all, but to drag her into a life of crime…
“Um, Hero, while I’m grateful you’d go this far to send me home, aren’t you… the Hero?”
“That’s correct.”
“In that case, then you…”
“I think that Nightmare already told you before.”
Amir gently waved her hand at Histori, cutting off her long-winded speech—
“Before becoming the Hero, I was always a wanted murderer in the Unified Kingdom. The Hero’s Blessing didn’t change my past, nor did it change my moral standards.”
She leisurely took off her loose, flax-colored robe, revealing the full-body black nightclothes she was already wearing underneath.
“So, just infiltrating a place and stealing something is child’s play for someone like me.”
With that, Amir reached out with her black-gloved fingertip and gently tapped Histori’s forehead—
“While the night is still good and the moonlight dim, you have one minute to change. If you don’t want to be caught by the dwarves and used as an anvil, you’d better stick close to me later.”
“…Alright, fine.”
Histori nodded at Amir, speechless.
Damn it, she thought after leaving the Demon King’s Castle, she could finally get a good night’s sleep in a bed, but she hadn’t even had a chance to take a bath before Amir dragged her out for this.
Sigh, who’s the real villain here?
Who’s the real Demon Race member?
Objectively speaking, it’s been Amir corrupting her all along, hasn’t it?
Histori reluctantly pulled the clothes on over her pajamas and wrapped the cloak around her neck.
Thankfully, the temperature in Vulcania wasn’t too high right now, so wearing these two layers wasn’t too hot.
Otherwise, forget about stealth with Amir; she’d probably need to buy a cooling potion from a roadside stall after just a few steps.
“Since you’re changed, let’s get ready to go.”
Amir nodded at Histori, then gently rubbed her chin—
“Oh, right, Histori. I remember your wings… can carry someone while flying, right?”