CH 50

The duo entered the city of Ulaine Donagh, and made their way to the barracks.

One of Osiris’ men led them to the back entrance, from which Seto and Satis entered.

They were shown to a room as specially furnished as an inn’s room, where they would wait for Osiris to arrive.

The room was very luxurious, and fruits, tea and other beverages were served on a top-quality table.

The two were allowed to relax as they pleased, so they enjoyed this moment of respite.

[Wow, I never thought there would be such a room in this facility. It looks like they took every precaution to clean it so that they would be ready to accommodate important guests whenever they arrived.] (Satis)

[It’s kinda… hard to relax in it.] (Seto)

[Fufufu! I suppose this sort of room doesn’t suit a pair of travelers like us. …Anyway, Osiris doesn’t seem to be back yet, so let’s take it easy for the moment. I’ve healed your wounds with my recovery spell, but you need to rest for your mental exhaustion.] (Satis)

[Got it. I’ll do that.] (Seto)

After that battle with Sebek, Seto and Satis were finally able to catch a break.

The latter brewed some tea, while the latter sat down on the sofa to relax.

Satis hummed as she prepared the tea and teacakes, seemingly out of joy that Seto was safe.

As she brought everything over, Seto thought about that battle.

…If I had actually charged at him like I planned to, I probably would’ve been chopped to pieces. An automatic counter-attack made of invisible slashes, huh… I’ve never seen a magic sword power like that before. And that’s not the only problem. I think that guy’s swordsmanship was even greater than mine… If he and I were to fight once again… I wouldn’t be able to beat him as I am right now. In that case… (Seto)

Seto suddenly remembered the content of his letter.

“Following the day of the next full moon, let it be known that he who brings death to mine own land and to thee shalt appear. How doth thee plan on purging him? If there ever comes a time when thee seek power, accept mine trial.” 

He fought Sebek and somehow managed to make him retreat, but in the end, it was still just a temporary respite.

If he wanted power, then he had to undergo that trial.

A trial, huh. If I took it up, where would that happen? And what sort of trial would he test me with? (Seto)

As he pondered those questions, he suddenly heard the delightful sound of porcelain.

At that moment, Seto turned his attention back on reality.

Satis brought the tea and sweets to the table and sat down next to Seto.

The aroma of the tea soothed his still slightly strained mind, and the tasty-looking teacakes aroused his appetite.

[These are cream sandwich cookies. Probably the sort of snack that the upper class would eat, judging by the shape and quality. …I suppose Osiris lives in luxury.] (Satis)

[A-Am I really allowed to eat such fancy pastries…? I don’t know, is there some kind of table manners to have for eating this stuff?] (Seto)

[Ahaha! You don’t have to worry about anything of that sort, obviously. I’m sure Osiris himself brought them out because he wanted to treat us to something good. …Or would you like me to teach you table manners?] (Satis)

[Ah, no, it’s fine. I got it. I can just eat them normally, right? Well then…] (Seto)

Thus, the two of them enjoyed the tea and sweets.

Satis was happy from beginning to end to see Seto eating. She wiped his mouth, refilled his tea, and the two shared a moment of rest.

Seto also enjoyed that one moment with her.

But in his mind, he knew that he would inevitably have to tell her what he knew about Sebek and the trial.

For now, though, he wanted to enjoy this peaceful time with her, and decided to talk about it again soon enough.

As for Satis, she had also been observing Seto, and sensed that he wanted to talk to her about something.

She made the decision not to ask him about it, but to listen to him whenever he wants to tell her instead.

She had a feeling that the topic in question was probably related to Sebek.

Although she was concerned about Seto, she was still determined to believe in him.

The boy believed in her as well, and would never abandon her.

This strong bond that had somehow formed between the two of them had given rise to a sense of mutual trust.

And that peaceful time they spent with that sense of trust was truly a blissful one.

At that moment, they heard a knock on the door, and the two turned their attention to it.

[I’m coming in.] (Osiris)

That was Osiris’ voice.

[Ahh, Osiris. Sure.] (Seto)

Osiris entered and smiled at the two as they were making themselves at home.

[How do you like this room? A most suitable space for our most meritorious guests, right?] (Osiris)

[Yeah, it’s very cozy here. And the tea and sweets are delicious. It’s very satisfying.] (Seto)

[That’s good to hear. …You guys really earned one great achievement today. To think you would take a detour through the woods and raid the enemy’s base from the rear… Who came up with that plan?] (Osiris)

[It was Satis. She also provided support to help me get there.] (Seto)

Osiris nodded in satisfaction.

Seeing one’s tactics as a former executive of the Demon King’s army and the other’s ability to take action on the battlefield as a former child soldier, he once again realized that the two of them were the best duo.

[The risks were high, but you bravely backed us up in spite of it. …So here’s the thing. I’d like to give you guys an even greater reward.] (Osiris)

[It’s fine, we don’t need any reward. As long as no harm was done to this city or Benjamin Village, that’s all that matters.] (Seto)

[But then I wouldn’t feel at peace. The army and the citizens are considering me the hero of this battle. But what you guys have accomplished is just as praiseworthy. And without having to take orders from anyone, at that. Not only did you take down the enemy commander, but thanks to your efforts in keeping Sebek away from the front lines, we won the battle.] (Osiris)

Osiris would not let up.

Lady Justice never forgets her debts, one could say.

[It’s all right, Seto. We should take whatever we can take. Otherwise, Osiris won’t be satisfied.] (Satis)

[Hmm, is that so? …Okay, then.] (Seto)

[Hehehe, that’s the spirit.] (Osiris)

At Osiris’ signal, one of his subordinates entered the room with the reward, and slowly lowered it down in front of the duo.

It was a large bag full of gold.

[Th-That much!?] (Seto)

[What, not enough? Then I’ll add anoth-] (Osiris)

[No, no, no! It’s fine! Th-This much is enough!] (Seto)

When Seto saw this amount of gold greater than he had ever seen before, he was so taken aback he unconsciously fell into his seat.

Compared to the wages he received back when he was a child soldier, this amount was hundreds of times larger.

[Whaaa~? You don’t want extra money?] (Satis)

[Well, having money is reassuring, but… Even if I accepted that much, I wouldn’t know what to use it for.] (Seto)

[Hahaha! I guess you wouldn’t! Even for your average adult soldier, this much gold is just pie in the sky. …Well, now that I’ve given you the reward money, there’s something I’d like to talk about with you guys.] (Osiris)

After saying that, Osiris sat on the sofa across from them, took a deep breath, and broke the ice.

[Say… Would you guys like to work here? I have a high opinion of your skills. What do you say? Would you like to join my unit and fight together?] (Osiris)

It was a direct solicitation from Osiris.

He gave them both his most sincere look.

Whatever their reply was, he intended to take it earnestly.

It was a very attractive proposition for the two of them.

A place where their own powers would be used correctly this time.

However, the two answered straight away with a smile.

[It’s a really nice offer, but we…] (Seto)

[Indeed, we’re sorry to refuse. The two of us will be heading to another destination. I’m sure that in all likelihood, we’ll have to fight again, but… instead of fighting for a country, or an organization, we’ll be fighting for our own sake.] (Satis)

[I see… For your own sake, huh… That’s too bad. Using your powers that could be useful to a lot of people to protect each other, is it…? …I understand. This might actually be the best choice for you guys right now. Man, sorry for asking you something so stupid. Take your time to relax in here. I’ll be in my office, so if you ever need something, just let me know.] (Osiris)

Osiris left while saying so with a smile on his face.

After he left the room, Seto and Satis decided on which day they would leave the city.

It would be early tomorrow morning.

[I’m gonna let him know that we’ll be leaving the city tomorrow. Wait for me here, Satis.] (Seto)

[Very well.] (Satis)

Seto left the guest room and walked toward Osiris’ office.

He also had his own reason to consult him.

I’ll let him know of our schedule, but there’s one more thing I’d like to ask him about. …I don’t know if Osiris will understand too, but it’s worth asking him. (Seto)