◇Sumire's POV◇
"You're late, Sumire."
The Demon Lord Eri-san sat on the bed with her long legs elegantly crossed, complaining at me.
"I got here as fast as I could! You're always calling me out of nowhere!" (Sumire)
I snapped back at her.
"Hurry up and come here." (Eri)
Eri-san ignored my protest and patted the empty space next to her on the bed.
What a selfish woman…
But she is a Demon Lord.
So, of course she's selfish.
"I brought your favorite: grape wine, cheese, and bread. Oh, and some fruit I picked up at the market." (Sumire)
I held out the basket of food I brought along the way.
"That can wait. Come on." (Eri)
Eri-san tugged my arm.
"Ah-! Don't pull me like that!" (Sumire)
She forced me to sit down on the bed.
…Creak. The bed let out a groan.
The silver-haired, bewitching beauty stared at me with a sly grin.
She was beautiful enough to make even me, a fellow woman, envious.
I have grown and matured in appearance over these past three years, but Eri-san hasn't changed at all.
Her looks were simply perfect.
But right now, her flawless face looked slightly puzzled.
"Sumire, did you lose some weight? Are you eating properly?" (Eri)
"I am eating. Actually, I gained a bit recently so I'm on a diet." (Sumire)
Everyone in the knight order is like a stamina monster, so they eat a lot, probably because they burn through so much energy.
I ended up overeating just trying to keep up.
"Eeh. Sumire, you should be more plump. Aim to be the chubby-type heroine!" (Eri)
"No way! Then you should aim for that look instead, Eri-san!" (Sumire)
"Too bad☆ Angels can't gain or lose weight. Sorry!" (Eri)
"Ugh… So unfair!" (Sumire)
She was born beautiful, and she never changes? That's cheating!
"More importantly… It's been a while, so… I'm going to take some, okay? Sumire." (Eri)
Eri-san licked her upper lip seductively as she gazed at me.
Here we go again…
"Haah… Just make it quick." (Sumire)
I let out a sigh and let my body relax.
"That depends on my mood☆" (Eri)
With that, Eri-san cupped my cheek and brought her beautiful face closer.
(I'll never get used to this part…) (Sumire)
It's frustrating, but my heart still races.
Her long silver hair brushed against my face, and then…our lips touched.
The next moment, I felt my body heat up as my mana was drawn out.
-I'm temporarily in charge of supplying mana to Eri-san since Eugy-kun isn't around.
It's one of the important jobs I currently hold alongside my duties with the Flower Crown Knights.
◇
"Fuu~ Sumire's mana today was so-so. Rating: ☆3.1." (Eri)
"I'm gonna smack you!?" (Sumire)
After kissing me to link our mana for several minutes, she had the nerve to say that, so I snapped.
Eri-san paused, thinking a bit, then placed her hand on my cheek.
"Thanks for the mana☆ You're the cutest in the world, Sumire♡" (Eri)
She said it with a needlessly charming voice and a smug expression.
"You don't mean that! I'm not falling for it!" (Eri)
"…You're such a handful, Sumire. Eugene must've had a tough time." (Sumire)
"Eugy-kun was always kind to me." (Sumire)
"Well, that guy's like that. Always playing nice with every girl." (Eri)
"That's not-wait… hmm? That might be true…" (Sumire)
I couldn't deny it.
"Anyway, you finished your mission today, right? Good job fighting Suzaku-chan, Sumire." (Eri)
Eri-san poured wine into two glasses as she spoke.
"You were watching?" (Sumire)
Isn't this the 7th Sealed Prison, protected by the strongest barrier that cuts off all contact with the outside world?
"Mana Detection. It's easy to pick up on Divine Beasts or the aura of an Ifrit like you." (Eri)
"I see… Thanks." (Sumire)
I accepted the glass of wine Eri-san handed me.
We touch our glasses with a soft clink.
I took a sip of the rich red wine.
The alcohol hit me fast, maybe because I was tired.
"This year's batch is meh." (Eri)
Eri-san swung her legs while sitting on the bed since she already finished her glass.
She drinks fast…
I should ask what I want to know before she gets too drunk since I came all the way here.
"Hey, Eri-san." (Sumire)
"What? Want a refill?" (Eri)
"No, it's about the fight with the Divine Beast earlier…" (Sumire)
"You did well, didn't you? You cast the Tactical Defense Barrier, which normally takes multiple people, all by yourself. Thanks to that, the others could focus on offense." (Eri)
She spoke as if she had actually seen it.
"Yeah, the knight order members and the adventurers praised me too…" (Sumire)
"Good for you." (Eri)
"But…should I try learning to cast barrier magic without chanting like Eugy-kun? Then I could support while attacking, and cast the barrier instantly." (Sumire)
"Sumire, I told you this before, didn't I? Eugene's chantless barrier spells work because their range is small. Plus, he's a frontliner who charges in solo, so without chantless casting, it would be useless. You, on the other hand, are mostly rear support: both for offense and defense. If you miss an attack, that's it, but barrier spells aren't wasted even if nothing hits. Plus, your mana is practically infinite, so you can maintain barrier strength indefinitely. With big barrier spells, strength and stability are everything. Proper chanting would be better for you." (Eri)
"Hmm, I see. Got it." (Sumire)
I nodded obediently.
I no longer had any formal magic lessons since the Lykeion Magic Academy was gone now.
I've been learning magic from Eri-san for the past three years.
There are other mages in the Flower Crown Knights, but they're all magic swordsmen who combine swordplay with spells. No one is a pure mage like me.
Most of all, my mana is apparently on a completely different level, and they all said "I can't teach someone like you!"
So, I ended up learning from Eri-san, who claims she was a Goddess instructor in the Divine Realm.
In return, I bring her wine, food…and give her mana.
The way I give her mana is…well, that thing we did earlier.
"Sumire, you're not using barrier magic right now, are you? You need to keep it up 24/7. That way, your proficiency goes up and you'll handle it better." (Eri)
"Ehh, can't I take a break when I'm off-duty?" (Sumire)
"Eugene kept it going." (Eri)
"Ugh, fine." (Sumire)
I'm weak when she brings up Eugy-kun.
Three years ago, I did think 'if only I was stronger' and regretted it after all…
I downed my wine in one go.
"Oh? Your engine is revved up now? Here. Drink, drink!" (Eri)
Eri-san poured me a second glass.
Does this world even have engines?
Eri-san sometimes uses Earth lingo.
She probably knows it makes me nostalgic.
"I'm not drinking that much today." (Sumire)
"Sure~ But deep down you're feeling lonely and want someone to listen to your complaints, right? Come on, tell your big sis. I'll comfort you." (Eri)
Ugh… She saw right through me.
Eri-san is really good at reading people and tempting them.
"Just a little more…" (Sumire)
"Yay! Let's drink till morning!" (Eri)
"I said I'm not drinking that much!" (Sumire)
I protested.
But in the end, I poured out all my frustrations to Eri-san, got forced to drink way too much, got drunk, and before I knew it, I'd fallen asleep.
◇
"…Huh?"
When I woke up, I wasn't in my room.
(Let's see, I brought Eri-san some supplies…gave her mana…and then…) (Sumire)
My memories slowly returned.
"Good morning, Sumire."
A voice called out beside me.
A beautiful silver-haired woman was sleeping right next to me.
Looks like I passed out in Eri-san's bed.
"…Good morning… Eri-san." (Sumire)
Ugh… my head hurts.
I drank too much…
Wait…what?
"Good morning!? Did I oversleep!?" (Sumire)
Even though I'm off-duty today, I could still be summoned if a powerful Divine Beast or a monster from the Zenith Tower appeared.
As I panicked and tried to get up-
"It's fine. Everything's peaceful outside. No summons for you, Sumire." (Eri)
Eri-san said it like it was obvious.
"How do you know that?" (Sumire)
"Well, I am amazing, you know? Even in the Divine Realm, I was pretty respected." (Eri)
She dodged the question.
I've said this many times, but this is the 7th Sealed Prison, protected by the most secure barriers in the entire Dungeon City.
She shouldn't be able to know anything about the outside world.
…And yet.
The Demon Lord somehow always knows exactly what's going on outside.
Maybe even better than I do.
(Is Eri-san really sealed here?) (Sumire)
She's clearly way more free compared to the other mythic creatures sealed in the 7th Prison.
That's what has been bothering me lately.
I am too scared to say it out loud, though.
I stood in front of the body mirror and fixed my bedhead and the wrinkles in my clothes.
I thought I'd head back to my room and change, but then…
"Sumire, go to the Zenith Tower." (Eri)
Eri-san said it in a serious voice.
"Ehh, why?" (Sumire)
I voiced my complaint.
The Zenith Tower was on the opposite side from my room, so I'd have to take a long detour.
No one can even go in there anyway, so there's no reason to go out of my way.
But those feelings were blown away by her next words.
"I think…the seal on the Zenith Tower is about to break." (Eri)
My eyes went wide.
"You mean…!!" (Sumire)
"It means Eugene is coming back." (Eri)
Those words made my heart pound so hard it hurt.
At the same time, anxiety surged within me.
It's been about three years since Eugy-kun was sealed in the Zenith Tower.
Is he okay?
Maybe she read the look on my face…
"You don't need to worry, Sumire. We're connected to Eugene through a magical contract. If Eugene were dead, we'd know immediately. He's fine." (Eri)
"Yeah… You're right." (Sumire)
I nodded.
That's right.
Eugy-kun promised me.
He said he'd definitely come back.
So I believe in him.
"I'll go to the Zenith Tower now, Eri-san." (Sumire)
"Take care. And bring that idiot Eugene here afterward." (Eri)
"Yeah, I'll definitely bring him." (Sumire)
I left the 7th Sealed Prison after that promise.
I headed straight for the entrance of the Zenith Tower.
The entrance to the Last Dungeon that has been sealed by a giant door for the past three years.
A crowd had gathered when I arrived.
Among them, I spotted a familiar girl from the Flower Crown Knights.
"Hey, did something happen?" (Sumire)
"Sumire-chan! Where have you been? Actually, the seal on the Zenith Tower has been acting weird since this morning. I'm on guard duty here."
"The seal…?" (Sumire)
I looked and saw light leaking out through the cracks of the door.
It is the first time I've seen that in the past three years.
The light gradually grew stronger.
…Click. I heard the sound of something unlocking.
…Rumble.
The door trembled for just a moment.
I thought I imagined it…but I didn't.
…Rumble… Rumble… Rumble Rumble…
The door was definitely opening.
"The seal is breaking…?" (Sumire)
"I'll go get Captain Isolde! Sumire-chan, put up a barrier in the meantime!"
"Got it! Leave it to me." (Sumire)
I nodded firmly.
There's a chance that once the seal breaks, a horde of monsters will come pouring out.
So I began putting up a barrier.
I quickly chanted the incantation and formed a protective barrier that would shield everyone present.
All the while, the door continued to creak open, little by little.
But I kept my eyes fixed on it, filled with both fear and hope.
Rumble Rumble… Rumble Rumble… The massive door scraped against the ground with a dull rumble as it moved.
The door that hasn't opened even once in the past three years.
Since that day when the Dungeon City was destroyed by the Red Dragon…
Now, it slowly opened…and through the gap, a figure appeared.
A familiar face.
The person I'd been longing to see all this time.
He looked a little more dignified than I remembered.
"...…Eugy-kun." (Sumire)
Tears welled up in my eyes.
Eugy-kun stepped out of the door, glanced around, and the moment he noticed me…
"Sumire!"
He rushed to my side in an instant.
"Eugy-kun!!!" (Sumire)
I didn't hesitate. I threw my arms around him.
He hugged me back, firmly, but gently.
"Sorry… I'm late." (Eugene)
"Yeah… Welcome home." (Sumire)
And like that, after three long years, I was finally reunited with the person I love -Eugy-kun.