Roxy Migurdia arrived in the town of Krasma, located at the tip of
the northwestern part of the Demon Continent. It was a thriving town, albeit
not as robust as Rikarisu. Though it looked unremarkable at first glance, this
entire area was ruled by a Demon King. One with intimate ties to the seafolk,
allowing the town to trade with them. With the seafolk came seafood, and
with the demons came strong, fragrant spices unique to the Demon Continent,
and it was in the town of Krasma that you could taste the delicious food that
resulted from the combination. The town boasted such flavorful cuisine that it
regularly tied with Wind Port for the title of the place on the Demon
Continent with the most delicious food.
"This food really goes great with some alcohol!"
Ever since they arrived in this town, Talhand had been in good spirits.
Krasma didn't just have the bitter alcohol of the Demon Continent, but the
sweet alcohol of the seafolk as well. Talhand, being a dwarf, loved alcohol,
and as long as the drinking was fun, he didn't seem to mind how bad it tasted.
When he went to the pub, he invariably hit it off with the ruffians there and
drank enough alcohol to fill an entire bathtub. Pubs were everywhere in
Krasma, so between that and the good food, Talhand was in paradise.
As for Roxy, she still had the tastes of a child despite her age, so the
cuisine of this town didn't agree with her. The food and seasonings of the
Demon Continent weren't her thing, on the whole. She liked sweet things.
The saving grace was the seafolk's specialty, which was sweet alcohol.
It came as quite a shock to Roxy, who'd only ever associated alcohol with
bitterness. The liquor had an airy, seashore-like fragrance to it, and if you
took a drink, an indescribably sweet flavor would spread in your mouth. The
aftertaste left a bit of saltiness, which only made you want to snack as you
drank.
"Now that's a rare sight! So you're drinkin' too, eh, Roxy?!"
"Yes, I am."
"Yer in a good mood today, eh?" Talhand watched as Roxy drank and
cheerfully put in his next order. "Barkeep, bring us a cask! I'll teach ya how
to drink like a dwarf!"
In times like these, Roxy thought they were sure fortunate that things
were so cheap on the Demon Continent. You could drink and eat as much as
you wanted and still cover the cost with one Asura copper coin.
"Old man, you're really chugging that down good!"
"Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink!"
"Just what you'd expect from a dwarf!"
"Mmkay, let's have a competition! Barkeep, bring me a cask, too!"
Incidentally, Elinalise had already disappeared into the night with some
man she'd hit it off with. This was normally the point where Roxy would
start to feel a bit alienated, but before she realized it, she and the girl sitting
next to her were both hooting at the boisterous Talhand.
"Bwahaha! What a fine dwarf you are! No matter how the times may
change, the dwarves remain the same! You agree with me, don't ya?" the girl
asked.
"Yes, certainly," Roxy answered.
"Oh, here we go! Go on, chug! Chug! Chug!"
"Chug, chug!"
Talhand brazenly faced his drinking partner—a gigantic demon—with
his arms wrapped around his cask, quaffing away. His body was certainly
broad, but you still couldn't help but wonder where all that liquor was going.
Once he emptied his enormous cask, he let out a guttural sigh. Just as
quickly, the next drink was brought forth.
"Yer late with that alcohol!"
"Oh shut it! I'm out of stock!"
"In that case, go buy out the pub next door!"
"Ooh, there's an idea! Okay then, you go buy it for us!"
"Just leave it to me! Put in yer coins, boys, put 'em in! We're gonna
drink it up tonight!"
"Yeaaaaah!"
They passed around a bag for donations.
"Haha! Miss, you're being awfully generous to pitiful drunkards like
us!"
"Yes, it's my treat today!" Roxy dropped a green ore coin into the bag
as it made its rounds.
Seeing that, the man holding it grinned hugely and chuckled as he
bowed his head to her. "Impressive, miss! You must be rich!"
"Of course I am!" Roxy was in a pleasant mood, feeling light and airy
as she nodded at him in an exaggerated way. She was, in fact, already drunk.
"Hahaha! I'm rich today too, so here you are, take it! And let's make
some more noise! We're all friends here today!" The girl sitting beside her
took a crude iron coin from her pocket and tossed it in the bag as well.
The man holding the bag might have barked at her for only donating
such a pittance, but he was drunk himself. "Heh heh! Thank ya kindly,
princess! I'll be usin' this to make sure you guys drink until you're pukin'!"
"Yeah, let's barf it all up!" The little girl gave a self-important nod as
the man kept doing on his rounds, gathering up people's money.
"Yeah, this is it, this is great! Makes me remember the old days!"
Roxy had no idea when the young girl had taken up the seat beside her.
By the time she'd noticed, the girl was already there, munching on the food
that Elinalise had left behind. Roxy didn't mind. She was drunk.
"Well, here, have another."
"Aah, thank you. Glad to see this is such a joyous atmosphere, makes
me glad I came. Here, you drink some too!" the girl said.
"I am drinking," Roxy replied.
"Drink some more!"
"More? I suppose I have no choice." Roxy did as she was told, and
gulped down the contents of the glass. "Pwah!"
"All right, one more for the young miss here!"
"Oh, thank you."
She slammed her glass onto the table and some jovial gentleman came
along and filled it for her. She really could drink this sweet liquor forever.
"You're quite something, a real drinker! Quite amazing for someone so
young!"
"I don't want to hear that from you," Roxy quipped, scrutinizing the
girl. She wore boots that came up to her knees, leather hot pants, and a
leather tube top. The pale skin of her clavicle, waist, belly button, and thighs
were all in full view. She had voluminous purple hair set in waves, and horns
like a goat. It was obvious, no matter how you looked at her, that she was
younger than Roxy.
"Heh heh, no need for flattery. I know how old I am!"
Roxy should have suspected something was up by now, but she didn't
have the wherewithal at the moment. Because she was drunk.
"I know my age as well," she said. "Well, drink up."
"Ohh, thank you. The alcohol here sure has gotten tastier in the last
few hundred years. In the old days, the Demon Content didn't have sweet
alcohol like this."
"This is the seafolk's alcohol," Roxy told her. "The Demon King here
struck a deal with them."
"What's that! Bagura Hagura, you bastard, you hid this from me! I
won't forgive you for it!"
"Let it go," Roxy cooed, "we're all here as equals today, right?
Equals!"
"Ohh, that's right, we're all equals here!"
Demon King Bagura Hagura was the ruler of this region. He was a
burly, pig-faced demon, said to be the most knowledgable entity on the
Demon Continent when it came to food and alcohol. Politically, he was a
moderate, but still participated on the front lines of Laplace's War. When he
was on human lands, he'd stolen food and liquor from house after house,
earning the title of the Plundering King.
"Ooh, he's out!"
"Gwaaahah, who's up next? I'll take on anyone! If ya want, I'll take on two of ya at once!"
At some point Talhand had stripped the clothes from his chest and
perched himself squarely atop a table. He had his elbow balanced on top of a
cask and was giving off an air of superiority.
"Anybody? Anybody at all?!"
The girl beside Roxy spoke up. "All right, leave it to me!"
"Whassat, girl, ya think ya can win against me? Maybe ya should try
again in another twenty years."
"Ha ha ha! Foolish dwarf! I've already lived three hundred years! A
mere twenty would change nothing!"
"Ah, is that so? M'bad, then. Go ahead and come at me!"
"Ah, but…first, I would ask you to state your name! I will be sure to
remember you for being foolish enough to challenge me!"
"Talhand of the Harsh, Large Mountain Summit!"
"All right then! The one to defeat you will be I, the Demon Emperor of
Demon Eyes, Kishirika Kishirisu!"
And so, Kishirika and Talhand's battle began. The additional alcohol
they bought was soon gone and funds had to be solicited a second and then a
third time. Roxy took it upon herself to donate five whole green ore coins,
sending the pub's errand boy running to get more. Brawny men came
carrying in large amounts of liquor, which those in the pub shared amongst
themselves as Talhand and Kishirika drank away. Roxy was to be the judge.
She had no idea how or what she was supposed to judge, but she took up a
seat between them and sipped away at her own drink as she accepted the role
of counting theirs.
"That's number forty," she announced.
Leaving aside Talhand, whose drinking habits matched his dwarven
heritage, just where was Kishirika, who looked like a little girl and
proclaimed herself a Demon Emperor, putting all that alcohol? No one
seemed to mind it because they were all drunk. And then the deciding
moment came.
"Mrgh… blegh…" Just seconds after Talhand squeaked out those strange noises, alcohol came rocketing out of him like a water fountain. Then
he collapsed, clutching his stomach, which now resembled the casks he'd
been drinking from. He fell from the top of the table to the ground with a
noisy thud, alcohol spilling from his mouth.
"I win!"
"Whooooa! Amazin'! You beat a dwarf in a drinking match!"
"My name is Kishirika, after all. The Demon World's Great Emperor
Kishirika Kishirisu! Now, say my name!"
"Kishirika! Kishirika! Kishirika!"
"Who's the greatest in the world?!"
"Kishirika! Kishirika! Kishirika!"
A chorus of chanting broke out when Kishirika was announced the
victor, brightening her mood.
"Ahahahahaha! Hahahaha!"
"That's it, that's it!"
"Take it off! Take it off!"
Roxy didn't remember much after that. She knew she needed to avenge
her fallen comrade, but she was suddenly dizzy, and unconsciousness was
creeping up on her. The last thing she saw was Kishirika climbing up on the
counter and dancing around naked.
The next morning, Roxy opened her eyes.
"Urgh…"
Her head was pounding, and her face puckered when she smelled the
stench of alcohol on her own breath. She immediately used a spell
specifically tailored for hangovers to remove the toxins from her body, then
used a healing spell on her head. When she looked around, she realized she
was in a pub. It looked as if there had been a brawl; the table was broken, and
empty casks and shattered bottles lay strewn about.
"Urgh, I really did drink too much." Her memory was hazy, but she did
remember drinking too much. She glanced to the side to see a half-naked Talhand lying there with
only the whites of his eyes showing. For a moment, Roxy thought he might
be dead, but a dwarf could never drink himself to death. Besides, Talhand
used to say that he'd once dreamed of drowning to death in alcohol, so even
if he had, it would have been the death he'd aspired to.
Roxy cast her gaze about the room once again. There were heaps of
bodies everywhere, all spread about and moaning. Among them was the man
who'd solicited money for more drinks. Everyone here had clearly drunk
themselves into oblivion and was now suffering in the throes of a hangover.
That's what you get for drinking so much when you can't even use
healing magic, Roxy thought.
Among the sea of unconscious forms, only two people were standing—
an angry barkeep and a disheartened Kishirika.
"Compensation, I'm asking for compensation. I can't sell nothin' with
all the destruction you all caused."
"Yeah, uh, but…"
"What, you can't pay? Ain't you the one who said you'd be treatin'
everyone?"
"I did say that, but I thought what I paid already would be enough…"
"So you don't have any money, do ya?"
"No, uh, sorry, not a single crude iron."
"Then I have no choice but to sell you in the slave market."
"What? You would dare sell me…?! Wait, wait, I'll contact Hagura,
just hold on!"
"I'm not gonna hold. You're just sayin' that so you can run away."
Roxy let out a sigh and dug into her pocket. She made a face when she
produced her coin bag and saw the state of it. She'd donated a hefty portion
of her funds when she was drunk last night.
No, the one who actually drank all of that was Talhand, she thought.
Roxy turned to the unconscious Talhand and swiped his coin purse. She
peered inside, found a decent amount within, and took to her feet. There was
a sour smell coming from her shoulder, which she scrunched her face at as she approached the barkeep. "Here's your money."
"Hm?"
Roxy took out six whole emerald ore coins and tucked them into the
barkeep's hand.
"That ain't quite enough."
"We bought up all your booze before we started sending out for more.
You have the earnings from that, don't you?"
"Ah…well, I guess," he said as he turned on his heel and headed back
into the kitchen area.
Roxy let out another sigh as she tossed the coin purse onto Talhand's
belly.
"Ooh…ooooh…I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Kishirika was trembling as
she looked up at Roxy.
Roxy looked down at her, remembering what she'd heard from her old
village chief about the Demon World's Great Emperor. She was a bit
different from what Roxy had pictured, but her peculiarities lined up. If she
was from a demon tribe with a long lifespan, it made sense that her physical
appearance didn't match her age. She seemed to be on good terms with the
Demon King of the area, too.
"Excuse me, just to confirm—I'm not mistaken in assuming that you
are the Great Emperor of the Demon World, Kishirika Kishirisu herself, am
I?"
"Hm? Oh, that's right! No one seems to believe me lately, though! And
your name is?"
"Pardon the late introduction," Roxy said. "I'm Roxy, of the Biegoya
Region's Migurd tribe."
Kishirika gave an, "Oooh," when she heard Roxy's name. "Roxy?
Ohh, I know you! You're Rudeus' master!"
"…You know Rudy?"
"I happened to run into him in Wind Port. That boy was quite
entertaining!"
"Y-you don't say…" Roxy wondered suspiciously just what it was that Rudeus had said about her, but she was too scared to ask.
"Hm, Rudeus helped me in a pinch, and you've shown yourself to be a
great teacher. You helped me as well, so let's see…why don't I give you a
reward?"
Roxy's heart leaped when she heard the word reward. The Great
Emperor of the Demon World was famous for bestowing demon eyes on
people. It was precisely because of that power that she was called Emperor
rather than King, and it was that ability which had given her the military
strength to launch the Great Human-Demon War.
Which gave Roxy an idea. "Um, Your Greatness, are you able to look
for missing people with your demon eyes?"
"Yes, I can. There's not a person in this world I can't find," Kishirika
boasted.
"All right…then I'd like you to look for Rudeus and his family.
They're currently missing," Roxy said without hesitation. It was a shame to
forego receiving a demon eye from Kishirika, but she'd heard Kishirika's
Eye of All-Seeing could find anything and anyone, anywhere in the world.
"Oho, how admirable of you, to use your one and only wish for the
sake of another! Were the world such that I was in the position to do so, I'd
bestow upon you the position of Demon King!"
"No, I don't need that."
"Oh, I see, too humble for that. Well, then…" Kishirika's eye rotated,
changing color. She craned her neck this way and that, humming to herself as
she nodded. "Rudeus is in the northern part of the Central Continent. He's
wearing light clothing and running. Training, perhaps."
Roxy bobbed her head. It seemed that, just as the message left for him
had requested, he was going to search the northern part of the Central
Continent. He could've headed straight for Begaritt from Millishion, but he'd
probably wanted to see the state of his home before he set off.
"His father is in Millishion, along with a maid. Hmm, the maid is
apparently named Lilia…and they're living in the same building, with their
two daughters."
"Oh," Roxy let her breath out. She'd heard that Lilia and Aisha were still missing, but they'd apparently been found and were safe. Perhaps
Rudeus had found them on the Demon Continent and escorted them home.
"His mother is…hold on a moment." Kishirika hummed and screwed
up her face, squinting her eye. "She's in Begaritt Continent, in the Maze City
of Rapan…it seems."
Roxy's face lit up. It was far from here, but at least she'd confirmed
that they were all alive. As you'd expect of the Greyrat family—their luck
was strong.
"However…something is a bit odd." Kishirika's face scrunched and
her eye slowly turned.
"Is there some kind of problem?"
"No…hmm, I can't quite see."
"You can't see? Even with your eye, Your Greatness?"
"I'm not quite at my full strength yet," Kishirika explained. "Well,
you'll understand if you see for yourself."
"That's troubling. If something's wrong, I need to know the details."
Roxy pressed her for an explanation. In her ventures thus far, she'd seen the
tragedies that befell the refugees. It was disconcerting that even the Great
Emperor of the Demon World was having trouble zeroing in on Zenith with
her demon eyes.
"Well…complain if you like, but I can't see what I can't see. Ohh,
that's right. This may come as a surprise, but she may be in the middle of that
labyrinth. It's a labyrinth city, and I've never been there myself, so I can't say
for sure."
"You can't see inside the labyrinth?" Roxy asked.
"No. Begaritt's labyrinth is overflowing with a high concentration of
mana."
Roxy fell into thought. Zenith had once gone dungeon delving with
Paul, Elinalise and Talhand. She understood their strength well after
journeying alongside them. However, why hadn't she been in contact yet?
Three years had passed since the Displacement Incident.
"At any rate, she is alive, yes?"
"Indeed, there's no doubt about that," Kishirika assured her.
Roxy decided to believe those words. Whatever the reason, they would
have to delve into that labyrinth.
She lowered her head. "I understand, then. Thank you."
"Think nothing of it. It's a show of gratitude for the help you
provided." Kishirika gave an exaggerated nod and, still a little unsteady on
her feet, took her leave from the pub.
***
That afternoon, Talhand awoke and resumed his drinking as if nothing
had happened, and Elinalise returned with hickies peppered across her neck.
Roxy gathered the two of them for a meeting.
"It was good fortune to run into the Great Emperor of the Demon
World." When she heard about Kishirika, Elinalise just laughed quietly. Roxy didn't think it was that significant an event, perhaps because they'd met while
they were drunk at a pub. Or perhaps it was Kishirika's lack of dignity.
"Leavin' that aside, that means our journey's over, right?" Talhand
responded, seeming a bit reluctant to see the end of their quest.
It would take them a year to reach the Millis Continent from here, but
it was true that their objective had been fulfilled. They'd confirmed that all of
Paul's family were alive, and even knew where the last two were located.
It was over.
"What are you going to do, Roxy?"
"I'm going to return to Millishion and talk to Paul about what I found,"
she said.
"Then we'll part ways with you somewhere before then," Elinalise
replied.
It seemed Elinalise and Talhand didn't want to meet Paul. The reason
was apparently the huge fight they'd had when he left, but they wouldn't tell
her exactly what had happened. Roxy wasn't particularly interested, either, so
she hadn't been all that persistent in asking.
"Hmm, but Rudeus is pretty far off and all by himself," Talhand
blurted out, pressing his hand to his chin.
That brought Roxy to a sudden realization. She would head to
Millishion from here, and then, most likely, travel alongside Paul to the
Begaritt Continent. If she did that, then Rudeus would be left alone, unaware
of the circumstances, searching the northern part of the Central Continent by
himself.
"We need to find some way to let him know," Elinalise said,
concerned.
But how? The northern part of the Central Continent looked nearby on
a map, but it was much further in reality. Roxy fell back into thought. Rudeus
was exceptional, but he was still young. It was cruel to leave him to struggle
in vain in such a vulnerable period of his life. Whether he reunited with his
family or struck out on his own, she at least wanted to tell him that he didn't
need to search anymore.
"And that's where I come in…du-du-du-dun!"
"And me! Dun-du-dun!"
Suddenly, two interlopers appeared out of nowhere.
"I listened in on your conversation!"
"By eavesdropping!"
The first to come bursting through the door was a well-built man. A
single glance at him was enough to know he was a demon, for he had skin
like obsidian and six arms. The ones on top were folded in over his chest, the
ones in the middle were making finger guns at Roxy, and the bottom ones
were resting on his waist. His hair, which flowed down to his waist, was
purple. Perched on his shoulder, reclining at leisure, was the Demon World's
Great Emperor.
"Here we go! I'm Kishirika Kishirika! People call me… the Great!
Emperor! Of! The! Demon! World!"
"And I'm her fiancé, the Demon King Badigadi!"
The other three stared, dumbfounded. The first to react was Elinalise.
"Um, I think we last saw each other this morning, sir."
"Ahahaha, I had an amazing night with you, miss!" Badi clenched one
fist and inserted his thumb between his index and middle finger as he
responded.
Roxy felt a sudden cold sweat as she asked, "D-do you two know each
other?"
"Um, basically, I guess we do…?"
Apparently, Elinalise had left the pub Roxy was in and gone with a
man to a different one last night. There, the man had plied Elinalise with
alcohol, and she had happily returned the favor. Next thing she knew, she
was waking up in the pitch-black arms of the man before them. After which,
the two of them went at it again all afternoon.
"Huh? But just now, you said fiancé…what? Ah, I suppose we should
introduce ourselves first?" Flustered, Roxy's eyes darted back and forth, but
she finally settled on bowing her head.
"Hm, Roxy, raise your head. Since Badi is so popular, this is a near-
daily occurrence."
"Hm, more like it's physically impossible for me to put it in Kishirika
yet, so I have no other choice."
The words were spoken in such a carefree manner that Roxy's brain
struggled to digest their meaning. Courtesy of Elinalise, she had gained a
smattering of knowledge on such matters, but the adulterous relations
between her companion and a man who called himself a Demon King and the
fiancé of the Great Emperor of the Demon World went beyond her realm of
understanding.
"However! Leaving all of that aside!"
"Indeed; it's just a passing fling anyway!"
Roxy knew of the Demon King Badigadi, or the Immortal Demon King
Badigadi, as he was known. He was the Demon King who ruled over the
Biegoya Region, younger brother of the Immortal Demon King Atofe. Atofe
was aligned with the moderates during the war and fought against the Demon
God Laplace at Kishirika's Castle, where he was defeated. His current
whereabouts were unknown, but he was a venerated figure.
"Roxy, I owe a debt to Rudeus. If he has lost his way, then I will lend
him my strength!"
"Although she'll be borrowing my strength to do it!"
Before Roxy, as confused as she was, could respond, Talhand
recovered. He stroked his thick beard, directing a quizzical look toward
Kishirika. "Yer sure about this?"
"Ooh, you're the dwarf from yesterday! Yes, I'm sure, right, Badi?"
Kishirika smacked him on the head and the Demon King nodded.
"Yeah, I'm curious about this brat named Rudeus whom Kishirika
keeps praising every chance she gets! I want to see with my own eyes just
how great he really is!"
"What's this? Are you jealous, darling?" Kishirika cooed.
"Why of course I am, honey," Badi replied in turn.
"Tsk, you're still such a child. I love you and only you."
"Heh, I'm not going to let that make me complacent. I'll crush any
rivals who appear."
And you crushing Rudeus would be bad, Roxy thought to herself, but
she had a feeling they wouldn't listen to her.
"Heh heh heh."
"Hahaha."
"Ahahahaha! Hahahah! Haha-urk!"
"Hahahaha! Ahahaha! Ha… you okay?"
The conversation proceeded apace before Roxy could even begin to
make sense of it.
***
It was common knowledge in this world that the seas were ruled by the
seafolk, who in turn controlled the ability of those living on land to cross
them. This setup was a result of discord that broke out in the process of
Laplace's War coming to an end, but we'll leave that aside for now.
The Demon King Bagura Hagura and the King of the Seafolk were
close personal friends, and the King of the Seafolk allowed his friend passage
in secret. Meanwhile, Demon King Badgadi and the Demon King Bagura
Hagura were also old acquaintances. By making use of that connection, their
group could bypass the route that would take them through the Divine
Continent, and head straight for the Central Continent instead.
However, if Roxy went with them, the report to Millishion would be
delayed. Someone had to go to Millishion to update Paul, and Roxy couldn't
do it alone. The Demon Continent was too dangerous, even for an
exceptional magician like her. Her judgment was sharp and her spell
incantation quick, but she still had to sleep at night.
"I absolutely refuse. I don't want to see Paul's face," said Elinalise.
"Yeah, me either," Talhand chimed in.
"Very well, then. I will be the one to go." Since the two of them were
being selfish, Roxy would first head to Millishion. Personally, she would
have preferred to see Rudeus, but she had no other choice.
She just needed one more to go with her. The two exchanged glances, and soon enough, Talhand folded. "Guess it'll be me. To tell the truth, not
lookin' forward to bein' on one of those ships again."
"My sympathies," Elinalise said.
Talhand's shoulders drooped. Roxy didn't see why the two of them
couldn't just head to Millishion and inform Paul via letter, but they
apparently had their reasons, so she didn't think too deeply about it.
And so, Roxy's party split into two. Roxy and Talhand would retrace
their path back to Millishion. Elinalise would travel with the Great Emperor
of the Demon World Kishirika Kishirisu and the Demon King Badigadi to the
northern part of the Central Continent. There was quite a bit of time before
the latter's ship set off, so Roxy decided to depart ahead of them.
"Miss Elinalise, thank you for everything."
"Same to you, Roxy." The two exchanged a firm handshake. "If you
find a good man, you better not let him go. You have to use your upper and
lower lips to get a tight grip on him."
"You're bringing that up again?"
"None of that, just listen to me. If there's someone you really like, go
hard for them. Love is something that can grow afterward."
Talhand breathed a sigh at Elinalise's words. "You said the same thing
to Zenith, didn't ya?"
"I did. That's how she got Paul. My teaching is flawless."
So that's it, Roxy thought as she listened in. Paul and Zenith seemed
like the ideal husband and wife to her. If it was Elinalise's advice that
brought them together, then it was advice worth listening to.
"Very well, Miss Elinalise. If I find such a person, I will 'go hard for
them.'"
"Of course. I'll be sure to tell Rudeus how miserable you were at night,
rustling in your bedsheets as you went at it alone."
"Wait—why do you know about that? And please don't say that. I
wasn't thinking about Rudy when I did it."
"Of course, of course."
Roxy had a realization just then. If Elinalise began her search now, she'd probably find Rudeus within about a year. Rudeus would be thirteen or
fourteen by now. At that age, it wasn't unusual to think Elinalise might be
interested in him. That kind of bothered her.
"You went quiet all of a sudden. What's wrong?"
"No, it's just… If Rudy has become a fine man, will you go for him?"
Roxy tried to sound as casual as she could when asking, and when she
did, Elinalise breathed out a disgusted, "Ha! I don't have the faintest desire to
become Paul's daughter-in-law." She looked genuinely disgusted.
Feeling reassured, Roxy just said, "Oh, all right." Then, "Well, we'd
best be on our way."
"Farewell, Roxy. Have a safe trip."
"Yes, you too, Miss Elinalise."
Elinalise took a glance at Talhand. She loomed over the short, stubby
dwarf, glaring down at him as if he were some kind of insect. "Talhand,
please go off and die in a ditch somewhere."
Talhand looked equally displeased at seeing her and hocked some spit
onto the ground. "I'm returnin' those words right back to ya."
Watching this, Roxy was reminded once again that the two of them
were, somehow, close.
Later, Elinalise boarded her own ship. It was a seafolk vessel, back in
ancient times. It was pulled along by sea creatures, making the human-made
ships look shabby in comparison, but human ships were actually faster and
safer.
Elinalise walked up the ramp alongside Badigadi. From behind them
came Kishirika's echoing laughter.
"Hahahaha! Well then, let's see each other again, Badi! When you
want to see me again, return to the Demon Continent!"
"Indeed, and stay in good health as well, my betrothed! We'll
eventually meet again! Ahahaha!"
"Who knows how many years it will be until the next time, though!
Bwaahaha!"
The Great Emperor of the Demon World, Kishirika Kishirisu, did not
board the ship. When Elinalise saw that, she cocked her head. "Hm? She's
not going to come along with us?"
"Mm. Kishirika can't leave the Demon Continent."
"Oh, a curse?"
"Something like that."
If that was how things were, Elinalise would have preferred Kishirika
accompany Roxy and Talhand. Their safety would be assured with the Great
Emperor of the Demon World around. Then again—she thought about what it
would be like for Roxy to have someone like Kishirika following her around,
and changed her mind.
Meanwhile, Roxy Migurdia's journey continued.