Chapter 128 (1/2)

A fact has been definite as we progressed through the Demon Zone.

[—The closer we go towards the depths, the stronger the monsters are.]

The monsters we encountered were getting stronger the further we go.

The variations of strength of the species living in that area have decreased.

They were still monsters that Seras and Eve could handle but…

My Abnormal State Skills still preserved its record of a hundred percent success rate.

However, we still haven’t encountered any Human-Faced.

Step by step, stone by stone, I finally arrived at the opposite shore.

In the last step, Eve pulled my hand and helped me on my final step.

Eve had first hopped her way to the other shore and waited there for her comrades.

Saying my thanks, I placed down the luggages I’m carrying on the ground.

Currently, we have just crossed a river.

The water flowing in this river is slightly muddy.

The river has risen a bit due to the rain this morning.

There weren’t any bridge built around here.

However, there are some stones that we could use as footholds.

We would be able to cross the river and reach the other shore as long as I followed these stones.

Based on our light observations, it would take a lot of time for us if we were to pass through a detour.

Therefore, we decided to cross through here.

[The next one is Liz.]

Standing on the opposite shore, Liz looks down at the river surface at her feet.

Thinking of warning her, I called out.

[There were some slippery spots on the stone, so be careful with your steps, okay?]

[Y- Yes, Touka-sama.]

Liz stretches her legs and steps on the nearest stepping stone.

Eve groans.

[U- Umu… As I thought, I guess I should have carried her behind my back.]

[She herself wanted to do it. We should respect her decisions, however spontaneous it may be.]

[But Touka, what if she slips and—]

[I- I’m alright, Big Sister.]

Liz then leaps towards the next stepping stone.

[If I were to rely on Big Sister on just something like this, I would end up thinking that I’m useless—]

Slip

[Ah!]

Liz slipped on a wet rock.

[Pigii~!]

Catch—

Pigimaru stretched out its body like a rope and caught Liz’ body.

Liz managed to not fall and she stabilized her step on the stepping stone.

[Ah— Thank you, Pigimaru-chan…]

[Pinii~♪]

[…Also, sorry I’ve troubled you.]

[Pininii~]

The tip of his protrusion swayed left and right.

It’s kind of similar to how we shake our heads.

“Don’t worry about it~”

It seems that he’s trying to say something like that.

Recently, he has been showing what he wants not by his color but by his movement.

[Phew…]

Eve lets out a sigh of relief and relaxes her posture that looks like she’s about to jump towards the river.

She then looked up towards me.

[It seems you’ve already prepared a safety measure in case something happens.]

[Well, yeah.]

I’ve already given Pigimaru some instructions in advance.

If it looks like it would be dangerous for Liz, I want you to help her right away.

With that child’s weight, even Pigimaru’s own power is enough to pull her up.

[If Liz looks like she wants to do something herself, I want her to do it as much as she could.]

Eve looks like she wants to say something.

[Is it that strange that I care so much about Liz?]

[Umu, I’ve never thought you’d be. Do you like children?]

[…Liz kind of resembles me back then.]

With the assistance of Pigimaru acting as her lifeline, Liz gets closer to the shore.

Eve looks like she realized something.

[Now that I recalled about that time we stepped into the White Coin… Touka, that is to say you—]

[Well, that’s how it is. It might have been more for my self-satisfaction than you think.]

Eve looked quite troubled.

[Umu. I never expected that you also went through a harsh life, too.]

[I was helped out at some point in my life. Though I said that, I haven’t felt that I’m thoroughly free from my past even after I was saved.]

I held out a hand and pulled Liz.

Did she notice the changes in our situation?

Liz alternately looked at me and Eve.

[D- Did something happen?]

[It’s nothing— Also, you should pay attention to people who answer like that. Usually, it would be something that they don’t want others to hear.]

Hearing my advice, Liz turns towards Eve.

[Big Sister, is that how it is…? Umm… It’s because I failed to cross over myself…]

[That’s not it. We definitely weren’t talking about that.]

Eve decisively denies it.

Her impression of being stupidly honest had been quite prominent already.

However, she’s still quick-witted even at times like this.

That’s Eve Speed.

[I’ve never heard much about relationships between Elves and Humans… When it comes to High Elves and Humans though, information about them would be even more limited than the former. We’re talking about his question about what race would his child be if Touka had a child with Seras. However, it’s still early for Liz to hear— Hmm?]

Slip

It appears that as Seras was about to step into the final stepping stone before the shore, she lost her footing and slipped.

Splash!

Quickly turning around, Liz leans forward.

[Seras!?]

▽

[……Is it really alright for us to move without drying your body first?]

I handed a dry cloth towards Seras.

Receiving the cloth, she starts wiping her hair.

[My apologies. I mean, it must have been because I’ve lost the nervousness from the monsters we’ve encountered… that I have become negligent. I’m quite embarrassed.]

Seras looks a bit shy as she looks down on the ground.

Well, it wouldn’t be unusual for her to be disturbed when a conversation about my and her child suddenly jumps out of the blue.

And, that disturbance made her lose her footing.

Even I was thinking “Where in the world did Eve pull that out?”.

Even if you’re trying to deceive her, there should be more than one thing you could have said rather than that…

However, it seems Eve herself doesn’t understand what’s going on.

I don’t really know now whether this were-leopard is insensitive or quick-witted.

[Well, Eve and I thought that you’d be able to cross the river without any problem. I had believed that you could easily do it, that’s why we’re delayed when we finally realized what happened.]

Even Pigimaru never thought that Seras would fall down.

However, he immediately rescued Seras when she fell in the river.

Her clothes were still drenched though.

[Kushun~]

Seras sneezed.

[It would be bad if you get a cold. For the time being, wear this.]

I took off the Great Sage’s robe and gave it to her.

[No no, it’s okay.]

I forcibly pushed the robe to her.

I don’t think she looks or sounds like she doesn’t like it.

Her shyness was clearly visible.

Seras is the type who would typically say no if you don’t press her this much…