After four days of walking, Niva still hadn't woken up. Lyrith carried her every time they resumed their journey. It wasn't because Alvaric ordered her to—Lyrith simply wanted to do it. When asked why she wanted to do that...
Lyrith would always answer, "Niva is cute."
Her answer never changed, even when she lost her memory again. Alvaric didn't forbid it because Lyrith seemed happy. It also lightened his burden. That way, he had a bit more freedom. Though, that didn't mean he would let Lyrith roam freely without supervision.
No matter what, Lyrith was unpredictable. She could do anything—something that might even put herself or Niva in danger.
"I want to eat," Lyrith said while glancing toward Alvaric.
"You have the meat I gave you earlier. Just eat that!"
She shook her head. "No. I want rabbit meat." She threw away the wolf meat in her hand.
Alvaric wanted to scold her, but he held himself back and nodded. "Fine."
After Lyrith's request, they decided to take a break. One giant beast was killed by Lyrith and cooked by Alvaric. This had happened more than once, so Alvaric was used to it. His food supplies even turned out to be much more than he expected.
In fact, Alvaric felt a little grateful. With Lyrith's strange personality, he had gathered more food. For the next two or three months, he might not even have to worry about it anymore. His supplies were enough—not just for one person, but for three meals a day.
***
Elsewhere, Alice had returned to the city. Her face was filled with fury and hatred. The look in her eyes could kill anyone who dared to speak to her. Some demi-humans who passed by instinctively stepped away. None of them dared to get close, as a terrifying aura radiated from Alice's body.
After walking for quite a while, she finally arrived at a large house. It belonged to the Zurath family, though its master was no longer there. Now, only the guards, servants, several workers, and some orphans adopted by Zurath lived there.
Zurath had no family, so he adopted many orphans. He treated them all with love and raised them with care. Alice was one of those children—one who had grown into a strong warrior.
"Welcome back, Miss!" some guards greeted.
Alice only raised her hand and kept walking forward. As soon as she entered the large house, she was greeted by several bowing servants and a group of children who immediately hugged her.
Seeing the children, she smiled. "Are you all doing okay?" Alice asked them.
They all nodded, but one of them remained silent for a moment. She looked behind Alice, frowned, and then looked up at her.
"Sis, where's Father Zurath?" the child asked.
Thump...
Alice's heart felt like it had stopped. She felt a tightness in her chest, her fists clenched for a long time. But after a moment, she smiled and knelt down.
"He's on a mission outside the city. He'll be back later. You don't need to worry," she said, gently patting the child's head.
The child nodded, but she still looked behind Alice for a moment before quietly turning and following Alice inside.
Alice then instructed the servants to take the children elsewhere.
"...Gather the others. We're going to hold an important meeting," Alice said firmly.
The guards, seeing the look in Alice's eyes, nodded and left at once. They would relay this to the house's senior staff.
The servants began ushering the children away. They sensed something had happened and didn't want to interfere.
Alice walked toward the meeting room. "I must avenge Father."
She said it firmly, her eyes full of resolve.
***
Back in the dungeon, Lyrith was walking while holding a rabbit leg in her right hand. She walked casually as if this place was completely safe.
And it was true—since the giant beasts here obeyed Lyrith. But for Alvaric, he still felt anxious.
"Is it really true that nothing will attack us?"
He wasn't sure if all the giant beasts in this dungeon were the same or if there were some that were different. That thought kept Alvaric cautious. But for the past four days, nothing had happened.
It should be truly safe. They were also nearly at the path leading upward.
Perhaps they only needed a day or so if they continued walking at this pace. If they ran, it might only take half a day—or even less.
As they were walking and focused on what was ahead, Niva's body—being carried on Lyrith's back—moved slightly. Her eyelids trembled, then slowly opened.
"Ugh…" she groaned weakly.
Lyrith stopped walking and glanced back. "She's awake," she said casually.
Alvaric immediately turned around, his eyes widening when he saw Niva's eyes fully open. But before he could speak, Niva's body tensed. She realized her position—she was being carried by someone… someone strangely familiar.
Niva turned to see who was carrying her. At that moment, she was shocked.
"Waaah!" she screamed.
Then in one quick motion, she pushed herself back and leapt off Lyrith's back.
THUD!
She hit the ground, rolled, gasping for air, her eyes locked on Lyrith with a look of fear and confusion.
"YOU!!" Niva shouted, pointing at Lyrith. "You're the one… who killed me…"
Lyrith tilted her head. "Killed you? Why would I kill you?" she asked back with an innocent expression.
Niva stared into Lyrith's eyes. It only made her more confused. There was no malice in them at all—but… she was sure this was the Demon Girl who had killed her.
"Calm down! I'll explain the situation," said a voice.
Niva turned toward the source. She was immediately shocked to see Alvaric standing on Lyrith's left side. The two of them looked… friendly.
That made Niva even more confused. "Why are you with… her?"
"I'll explain."
Alvaric then explained everything that had happened. After hearing it all, Niva nodded—relieved. She glanced to her right.
Lyrith was pressing her cheek against Niva's. Lyrith was even hugging her tightly, as if she adored Niva deeply.
"She's cute." Only two words came out.
Niva's face instantly flushed. She gave a shy smile, but then quickly stood up and stepped away. She pointed at Lyrith.
"I still don't trust you. So don't get too close to me," she warned, raising her voice slightly.
Lyrith didn't seem to care. She walked over and hugged Niva again, pressing her cheek once more.
Niva placed her hands on her hips. "Just this once, I'll let it slide—but not next time." She turned her gaze away.
Alvaric, standing nearby, smiled.