Graveyard of Life (I)

“Okay. Have a good night, everyone!”

““Bye bye~!!!””

Soon enough, the little celebratory party at the orphanage comes to a close.

As the sun begins to set, Freila puts an end to the festivities, stating that she needed to return home soon. Considering tomorrow is her big day, nobody disagrees and all the kids happily say their farewells and final congratulations to her.

Funny enough, by the end, it was Freila who seemed the most reluctant to leave, with little tears in her eyes as she said goodbye to the kids.

And so, after leaving the orphanage behind, Freila and I are now walking together on our way back.

“Thank you for today, Mamoru. You were a big help.”

“Really? I’m glad to hear that, but I feel like I didn’t really do much. All I did was run some errands and join your party.”

“That alone helped me a lot. I really couldn’t have done it without you. Plus, the kids seemed to really like you by the end. I’m sorry I took up so much of your day, though.”

“Hey, no need to apologize. I’m the one who practically forced you to let me tag along.”

“That is true, fufu. But even so, I’m glad I let you. When I first bumped into you, I never expected this, but in hindsight, it was a fortunate accident. How should I put this… you were a fun surprise that made today even more memorable for me.”

“Freila…”

She actually appreciated my help that much? I’m touched.

Maybe it’s just because I’m not used to getting compliments, but my heart feels all warm and fuzzy inside now. It almost makes me want to cry.

And just like that, the two of us continue to trade light banter and pleasant conversation until it is time for us to also part ways.

While Freila is heading back to her house, I’m going back to Miss Ancho’s restaurant. The older woman has agreed to let me use her spare room above the restaurant, thanks to Freila’s negotiation. However, I’m not planning to take her up on the offer, since I actually do have a place to go back to at Ariesa’s. I plan to just head there to let her know something came up and I don’t need the room anymore.

Before she leaves, Freila also gives me her MagiMail number. I don’t really know what it is, but it seems to be something like an email address – a way to contact her magically. She tells me that, if I ever need some help in the future, I can use it to reach her.

Always trying to be helpful even when saying goodbye… she really never breaks characters, does she?

“Well then, good night, Mamoru. Good luck with everything. I hope you find a good life in this city.”

Freila bids farewell to me with a big warm smile on my face while waving me off.

“Yeah, good night! I… I’m glad I met you. I hope we meet again someday, Freila!”

I say my goodbye with sincerity and hope, seeing her off with the best smile I can.

And so, the two of us walk off in separate directions.

For me, I do so knowing that it is very likely my final farewell.

Not just for tonight, but probably for good.

It’s better that way… since I’m a Demon Lord. I wouldn’t want to get her involved in my mess. I don’t want to taint her with my evil schemes.

At the beginning, I thought that Freila was like me. I thought she was headed on a path where she would die full of regrets after an empty life.

But now, I see that my fears were unnecessary. She has things that she is passionate about doing. She is surrounded by lots of people who love her. And on top of it all, she’s even getting married. Despite her overly caring nature, she’s living a happy and fulfilling life.

She’s actually the opposite of me. She has everything I’ve always wanted.

So, it’s okay. She doesn’t need me around. In fact, she’ll be better off without me.

Now, I can forget about her and go back to being the unforgivable evil I am without any doubts or distractions. Starting tomorrow, it’s back to the grind.

“Hm? Oh… I forgot to give this back to her.”

As I’m walking, I suddenly realize that I still have Freila’s handkerchief in my pocket. She gave it to me to freshen up, and I forgot to give it back.

“Shoot. How do I get this back to her?

I just decided that I would try not to see her again after today.

But I also don’t think it’s right to give up and hold onto it. Not just because it’s improper, but because I don’t want to leave any loose threads that I’ll regret in the future.

No choice, then. I’ll just run back and hand it to her now.

It’ll be a little awkward to do so after we said goodbye, but it’s better than nothing.

“Freila! … wait, where’d she go?”

I run back to where we split paths, but she’s suddenly nowhere in sight.

It hasn’t even been that long since we parted ways, but I don’t even see her walking away in the distance.

“Geez. Just how fast is she walking?”

I quickly go down the street I saw her take as we parted and try to catch up.

“Maybe she went inside one of these shops?”

“No, I don’t think so. She seemed like she was in a rush to get home, so I don’t think she’s doing any shopping on her way back…”

If only I knew where her house was, I could just go there directly. But I never asked since it would be rude…

“Huh? … Freila?”

Just then, as I’m running, I see in the corner of my eye a figure wearing a dark gray cloak turn the corner.

It’s the same cloak as Freila. It must be her.

“Hey, Freila! Wait up!”

I call out as I run after her, but it’s no use.

The figure just keeps running, barely out of earshot, and I struggle to keep up and not lose sight of her.

She’s fast. She’s legitimately running at full speed. But why? That’s not the speed of someone going home, even if she’s in a rush.

Where is she going then? And why did she put her hooded cloak back on?

“Don’t tell me…”

Suddenly, a dark thought reaches my mind.

Now that I think about it, I never did find out why Freila was being chased by the knights.

Could it be that she’s doing something bad right now?

“No… no, that can’t be. Not Freila. She’s too pure.”

I already felt suspicious of her before, but I erased such doubts once I got to know her.

Freila is a kind and genuine person. She’s such a good and righteous person that I can’t imagine her ever doing anything nefarious.

But then what is she doing right now?

“… she stopped.”

After a while, the cloaked figure comes to a rest.

She stands in the middle of a dark, empty alleyway, hugging the wall and peeking out from the corner.

As I finally catch up and approach her, I hesitate for a few seconds.

What am I doing? What is she doing? Do I really want to know? Even if it destroys my image of Freila?

I wonder these things but quickly banish them from mind. I’m just being paranoid or something. There’s no reason to doubt such a goodie-two-shoes.

Let’s just act like everything’s normal.

“Hey. Freila.”

“Whaah!”

Freila jumps after I pat her on the shoulder and make myself known.

It seems she really didn’t notice me following her at all.

“M-Mamoru? What are you doing here?”

“That’s my question. But first, here. I forgot to give this back.”

“My handkerchief? Oh, thank you.”

Okay, I’ve managed to return the handkerchief to her successfully. Now that’s one loose end taken care of. More importantly, though…

“So. Is that building across the street what you’re looking at?”

“Eh? Uh, umm… n-no, you see, the thing is…”

“Let me guess. You’re trying to enter it?”

“Geh! H-how did you know?”

Frankly, they were just some educated guesses based on where she was looking and how she was moving before I called out to her. She was intensely staring at the building over there, but not as if she were monitoring it. Rather, it looked like she was scanning the surroundings, making sure there was no one around to see or stop her from getting close.

I didn’t expect to completely hit the nail on the head. But now that I have, Freila seems to be panicking. I can see both worry and guilt clouding her expression as she tries to come up with an explanation.

But even so, I sense absolutely no malice in her eyes. They are as pure and sincere as always.

In that case…

“Okay. Then I’m coming with you.”

“Eh!? Y-you can’t be serious, Mamoru. Do you even know what that building is?”

“It’s a dangerous place, right? Then all the more reason I can’t let you go in alone.”

“Mamoru…”

In truth, I have no idea what’s happening or what I’m getting myself into. But I can tell this must be a risky place to enter. Otherwise, Freila wouldn’t be acting so cautious and sneaky. Yet, it is because of that that I can’t just leave her alone now that I’m here.

“Are you sure, Mamoru? This isn’t a game. If we get caught, we’ll both get in trouble. I’m one thing, but you’re not from this kingdom. You’ll likely get thrown in prison for this.”

“Then we won’t get caught. You’re not planning to, are you? Don’t worry. Whatever happens, I’ll accept it and take full responsibility for my choice. So don’t feel bad if anything happens to me either.”

“Haah. I figured you’d say that.”

Freila sighs regretfully and then calmly thinks the whole thing over.

“… okay. You can come with me.”

“Yes!”

“But! Only because I’m afraid you’ll follow after me anyways and recklessly get caught without me. Also, you have to do exactly as I say inside. If you make a loud noise and alert the guards or something, I’m running away by myself and leaving you behind.”

“Got it! I’ll happily be your decoy.”

“Geez…”

She says all that, but I have the distinct feeling that when push comes to shove, she’ll instantly take the role of decoy instead. That’s the kind of person she is.

“Okay. Then follow me. Let’s go.”

With Freila in the lead, we begin our impromptu infiltration.

We cross the street while keeping our eyes peeled for anyone watching and approach the building stealthily. Instead of going for the obvious front door, Freila sneaks around to the side of the building and leads us to a hidden backdoor that’s hard to even notice.

She makes me be the lookout as she gets to work on the backdoor. From out of her dress, she pulls out a set of lockpicking tools and carefully unlocks the door.

“I never thought I’d see you picking a lock…”

“Quiet. It’s open.”

There is a muffled yet satisfying click as the backdoor opens.

Freila puts her hand on the doorknob and turns to me one more time.

“Last chance to back out.”

“Don’t bother asking. I’m with you till the end.”

“… thank you.”

Freila opens the door, and we take our steps into the mysterious building.

Not knowing what is in store for me, I enter headfirst into the dark, treacherous viper’s den…