I Couldn’t Stop my Childhood Friend from Turning Into a Villain

By the time the weeping Princess had fallen asleep from exhaustion, I had returned to the Marquis’s residence with Liel.

Originally, I had intended to stay at the palace to rest for a while longer, but out of respect for Liel, I did not.

Instead of returning to the manor with Liel, I offered him one condition.

I would only let him take me as far as the mansion, and he would return to the academy either tonight or early in the morning.

Unsurprisingly, Liel stiffened as if we were going to have a second round, but he softened when I quickly told him he was welcome to come anytime he wanted to take a day off from training.

“You can just come and make sure I’m okay.”

He seemed unsure of what to do, since I’d been telling him not to come because he would be tired at the academy.

Just because I backed down earlier doesn’t mean I’ve given up on sending you back.

I smiled triumphantly for the first time in a long time and waited patiently for Liel’s mouth to open again.

I could practically hear his mind racing.

“…… Okay, I’ll come back this weekend.”

I nodded, thinking that this was great timing, since he was taking a break from training this weekend.

Part of me calculated that he’d come back a few times and give up because it was too hard.

“Be careful.”

I waved to Liel, just in case he changed his mind.

Eventually, Liel climbed back into the carriage like a man with his back to the wind. He glanced back a few times along the way, as if wishing he hadn’t, but he didn’t turn around.

Finally, the carriage pulled away, and he slowly lowered his hand. My eyes drifted to the dirt where the carriage wheels had left their mark.

I stood still, reliving the events of the day.

It was the first time I’d ever seen a demon in the flesh, so the memories were vivid.

“A giant ant and a praying mantis…….”

They were all insectoid demons, but their size was far beyond that of a single insect.

What’s more, their vertically slit pupils, which were supposed to be their symbol, stuck in my mind and wouldn’t go away.

Nevertheless—

“At least it crawled like a real insect…….”

There were no major after-effects, neither mental nor physical. Surprising even myself, I could understand why Liel was so worried about me.

“Is it just me, or do I have a lot of nerve……?”

Or maybe I’ve been forcibly strengthened by Liel since I was a child, and my defenses against demons and fiends have been strengthened—

“My lady!”

“Heok!”

Startled by the unexpected voice, I flailed my limbs as if in a reflexive seizure.

I spun around with a pounding heart, and there stood the coachman who had worked at our manor since childhood.

“Ahyu, my lady, I see you’re as safe as Sarah said, we were so worried!”

“Uh, uh…….”

I was too busy trying to soothe my stunned heart to even say sorry for worrying him.

I guess I don’t have a lot of nerve, huh……?

⁂

At night, the temperature plummeted. The knights who had just finished their work shivered as the cold seeped into their skin.

Their sweat had turned to chills.

“You’ve worked late into the night.”

Meanwhile, Dailor, returning from his patrol of the Empire’s outer walls, greeted the hardworking knights.

The paladins bowed to him. Several of them had lamented the fact that the beast had broken in at the same time as Dailor was patrolling the Outer Wall.

“I’ve heard the news, but given the nature of the matter, I’d like a more detailed report before I take it to the High Priest……”

He said, glancing at the knights around him. Then a paladin raised his hand, indicating that he would do so.

Soon the paladin was speaking eloquently, explaining everything he knew.

Dailor nodded dutifully, his face serious as he listened.

The paladin’s story was not long. In fact, it could have been shorter if he hadn’t added Lucy and Liel’s story.

“Of those crushed by the building, only the Marquis of Seywint survived; the others were crushed by…….”

His voice trailed off in mournfulness. In contrast, Dailor’s eyes sparkled, lighting up the dark surroundings.

“There is a survivor?”

There was a hint of curiosity in Dailor’s voice as he asked the knight. The knight didn’t notice, though, and answered with the same gravity.

“Yes, sir. I don’t know if there was a gap in the rubble, but she was lucky to survive.”

Even as he spoke, he remembered Liel clearing the building with a murderous glare and hastily brushed the goosebumps off his arms.

“I believe she is now back at the mansion with Young Master Marsen.”

“If it were me, I wouldn’t feel well if I were caught in a collapse of this magnitude, but she went back?”

The curiosity in Dailor’s eyes intensified.

“That’s because……. She wasn’t seriously injured, and she came to her senses quickly.”

The knights around him shook their heads in agreement. As if to prove that there was no lie or exaggeration.

Seeing the diligent movement of their heads, Dailor covered his mouth with one hand. They remained silent for a while.

The knights didn’t think much of his sudden silence; they assumed he was just marveling at Lucy’s good fortune, just as they were.

Dailor lowered his hand, smiled, and opened his mouth again.

“Well, it’s already too late, so let’s just go back now. There’s no point staying here when it’s dark and we can’t do any more overtime.”

At his words, the knights left one by one, murmuring as if they had been waiting.

But Dailor, who had insisted leaving now, just stood there and waved at the back of their heads.

After a while, he was the only one left among the debris.

It was then that a smile crept across his face, and he turned to look at the crumbling palace.

How happy his master will be when she hears this news.

No, on the contrary, it might make things worse. She said that we must never kill one side before the other.

Even if it was just to make sure, Dailor had gone against her orders and acted on his own accord.

All he had was the confidence that if he was right, he wouldn’t die for nothing.

Of course, the outcome was a bit ambiguous.

If things had gone as planned, we would have had to easily avoid this kind of situation without any harm, even if we didn’t survive.

“Anything is possible.”

Having accomplished something of significance, Dailor’s face beamed like a child who’s just finished his homework.

⁂

Compared to the day when a rare incident occurred in the history of the empire, since then, nothing has happened and it has been peaceful.

The only thing that was troublesome by my standards at the time was that I was bombarded with incessant requests for my well-being from various houses.

The way they looked at me like I was some kind of architectural marvel was also a problem, if not a burden.

Also, the number of lesser demons hiding within the empire had noticeably decreased. Time has passed uneventfully, as if the events of that day were a one-time disaster.

Until I was a blur in people’s memories.

So smoothly, in fact, that before I knew it, Liel had completed all of his credits and returned to the duchy, or more accurately, to our manor.

The graduation ceremony was pushed back half a year, to the same time as Melissa’s, due to Liel taking a semester off from school.

His knighthood wasn’t granted until after graduation, so he spent the next half year traveling from place to place.

As with his last vacation, he never seemed to be able to stay in one place.

So this time, I couldn’t resist asking. Where the hell is he going?

He told me that he was traveling back and forth between the palace and the academy, taking commissions and making money.

That was surprising enough, but what he said next was just as surprising.

“When I graduate, I’m moving out. I need to prepare.”

Not only was Liel diligent, but he was also organized.

He was already preparing to stand on his own.

“If I save a little more, I’ll be able to buy the mansion I’ve been eyeing.”

When he said that, Liel’s face looked strangely proud.

After all, he hadn’t spent enough time in the duke’s mansion to roam around our house or outside.

He probably would have wanted to graduate and move out as soon as he reached the age of maturity, but maybe that plan was derailed by me.

I handed the Templar papers to Liel and sat down across from him, and as I watched him sign the papers, I pondered.

This is the seed I planted, so I want to help him in any way I can…….

I thought about how neat Liel’s handwriting was under the nib, and finally spoke up.

“Liel.”

I called out to him in a serious voice, and he stopped moving his hand and lifted his head to look at me.

“Yes?”

“I’ve been thinking, um…… I didn’t give you an entrance exam gift.”

“Entrance exam gift?”

Liel’s eyes widened, as if he didn’t know why I mentioned the old times. After a moment, he replied.

“We weren’t supposed to give each other one.”

Why?

He still didn’t seem to understand why I was bringing up the idea of the entrance exam gift. I decided this was the time to speak up.

“But we didn’t agree on graduation gifts.”

I straightened up and put on my best stern face, as if I were about to give him a stern lecture, and he looked at me even more puzzled.

“Even if I look like this, I have some money.”

Not just a little, but a lot.

“And I don’t splurge without thinking.”

“Lucy?”

“So I’ve got quite a bit of money on hand.”

I’m not touching the family budget, I’m spending my own money, so I guess it’s okay.

“Do you want me to buy you a mansion for your graduation?”

I didn’t say this to disrespect Liel, after all, he had saved enough money to buy a house in less than half a year.

It was just a pure favor and a congratulatory gift from me.

Of course, I was prepared to walk away if he refused. I didn’t want Liel to feel pressured.

“….two houses are also possible”

As if he was hesitating to answer, I held up two fingers and added more to my statement.

Soon after, with his eyes only blinking, Liel hastily covered his mouth with one hand.

His shoulder slightly trembled as he seemed to be holding back his laughter.

Are you making fun of me right now…?