There Must Be Another Way

"Rado! Are you okay!"

On the other side of the rock, I hear the worried call of Bernard. Considering how crazy of a stunt this was, even I'm shocked.

"Y-Yeah! I got her, so you guys keep fighting over there!"

"W-What!?"

"Just go!"

They can't quite believe my words, but they don't have time to question me for too long. They almost immediately find themselves in combat with demons.

"Alright! Just get to a safe place!"

"Got it!"

With that taken care of, I can catch my breath and prop myself up on the ground.

"What are you doing, you fool!"

Pinned down beneath me is Ailith, her cheeks puffed with annoyance. Her eyes are no longer glowing, but their pressure continues to press me for answers.

"I was trying to save you!"

"That little wisp is nothing! I can handle that any day!"

"You don't get it! That magic is designed to kill demons! It was used by the heroes to kill the Demon Lord!"

Her eyes widened at my explanation. She disappears into thought, first showing disbelief before begrudgingly accepting with a little huff.

"So that's why that weapon felt strange."

"Exactly!"

"As for you—!"

A small hand reaches up towards me. I watch as she moves past my face and towards my cheek. The next thing I know, I'm assaulted by a terrible pain in my ear.

"OWOWOWOWOWOW!"

"What are you doing!"

"My ear! My ear! You're going to tear it off!"

With my lobes sufficiently reddened, Ailith glares up at me with hair flared out in all directions.

"We are enemies! You should not be risking your life to save me!"

"No!"

It's my turn to apply pressure. I may pale in comparison to a powerful demon, but my intense scowl causes a brief twitch in Ailith's eyes.

"I really can't let this happen! I don't want any of you to be hurt!"

"You fool! This is war!"

"I don't care!"

Now I'm yelling. Ailith has her mouth agape at my outburst, but I continue with this absurdity.

"We're going to find a way to keep these sides from fighting! The two of us can do it!"

Silence settles in between us, with me still pinning Ailith down. She takes in my words, ignoring arrows and blasts of magic flying over our rock. In the end, she lets out a heavy sigh.

"You truly are a fool…"

"I know. Now help me think of something."

"Very well."

Ailith pushes against my chest, prompting me to roll off of her and to the side. We stay laying down to avoid being seen or hit by any stray projectiles. As I hug against the rock, I begin wracking my brain.

"First, how do we get the knights away?"

"I'm not too knowledgeable to the workings of human military, but most will leave to protect something more important."

"Something important…"

It would have to be something pretty devastating to get an army engaged in battle on the run. There aren't many places so important that such urgency would be required.

"Somewhere they must protect above all else…"

"Just burn down another village."

"What is with you demons and burning villages!?"

Putting aside the constant pattern, I consider the option. It would be quite an issue to let demons freely pillage our towns, but part of me is hesitant.

"Are you sure that would be enough? Surely they would prioritise surviving this fight?"

"Indeed, that is why the fight must be made less dire."

"What do you mean?"

Turning away from the cloudless sky and towards Ailith, I see her holding up a finger to explain.

"If my children flee as well, then this fight will be less pressing than protecting a village."

"Doesn't that require distracting the demons as well?"

"Therein lies the issue…"

She offers a wry smile. Knowing those demons as well as she does, she knows that this is the hard part.

"Even on my command, they will not so quickly flee. If I truly needed them, they just may. However, I have nothing to push them to such an extent…"

"That is quite the predicament…"

Ailith would quickly lose the trust of her group if she forced a shameful retreat without a good reason. If we can't find a way to get both sides running in opposite directions at the same time, everything will fall apart.

"There must be something…"

I look over at my companion, who is also hard in thought. I continue to stare at that profile in hopes of finding something. Perhaps this was a bad idea as I keep getting distracted by her appearance. Laying down with a girl like this was a lifelong dream that I was certain would never happen. It's such a shame that she likes to hide behind her mask fragment.

"Wait…"

Something pops into my head, something that just might be the piece we were looking for.

"I've got it!"

BOOM

An explosion hits the rock we've been using as a shield. A piece breaks away from the top and threatens to flatten me.

"Woah!"

A hand grabs my shirt with inhuman strength and forcibly rolls me over. When the stone lands, I'm once again on top of Ailith. However, I'm too caught up in my plan to be concerned.

"Alright! Here's the plan!"

I'm not sure if anybody would hear us with all the fighting, but I still choose to lean down and whisper into her ear.

"Hm…"

Pulling back up, I observe her round face and await a response in anticipation. To my surprise, I found my collar dragged downwards, bringing her smile right in front of me.

"You have a good mind, Rado! That just might work!"

"T-Thanks! But, are you okay with it?"

"It's fine, this is to keep both of our young ones safe."

I'm not sure how truthful Ailith is being, but there's no point in pressing further. She has agreed to the plan and all that matters is our success.

"Just make sure to not actually hurt anyone!"

"I know. I'm simply going to set some empty buildings and trees on fire."

"I don't like the sound of that, but it'll have to do…"

Before I can release her from beneath me, I receive another tug. She stares directly into my eyes with a slight twitch in her lips.

"Are YOU going to be okay? You have a difficult role to play."

"I'll be fine."

To her frown, I smile. This isn't a bluff to try and calm her fears. I am truly prepared for what might happen.

"This is for the ones I swore to protect. I would do anything to save their lives."

"Very well."

Ailith loosens her grip and uses her hand to instead pat my chest. For a moment, her hand enters the secret pocket inside my shirt, and an extra weight is placed inside.

"Be safe, Rado. You will see my signal shortly."

"Got it!"

With our plan in motion, I continue hiding behind the rock as she stands up. Two black wings spread out behind her and prepare to take flight.

"And also…"

She turns away, with only the rhythmic swaying of her tail left to show me a peek into her feelings. Her voice is a quiet murmur from behind a commanding back.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

With that, she takes to the sky and disappears among the blue. Our plan has now officially begun.