Chapter 57 - How Beautiful
Chestnut-colored hair, cut to semi-long length. The protagonist of this game, with beautiful, wide-open almond-shaped black eyes. —Hasumi Konata. She was so cute and fresh that one wondered what had become of her setting as an ordinary female high school student, the protagonist of 『The Demon Lord and the Hourglass』.It was Elenoa's mission to guide her to the Demon Lord.Elenoa first told the girl, who had collapsed onto the ground, to stand up. The girl managed to get to her feet while still in a daze, but she flinched at the High Priest's words:"Hero-sama. Please, lend us your strength."Even if such words were commonplace in stories, when directed at a young girl in reality, they carried an tremendous pressure.The girl pleaded, half in tears."Um, I'm not really a Hero or anything…""You are the Hero-sama. Because I brought you here."Elenoa cut off the girl's protest and hopped onto her shoulder. Ignoring the girl's confusion, the fairy suddenly looked around."Thank you for your hard work, mages. Leave the rest to us and please rest now."Prompted by the fairy, the mages immediately turned on their heels and exited from the underground area.The only one who looked back midway was Louis, wearing his hood. His eyes met the girl's there, and this would later be revealed as the first contact between the Hero and the Demon Lord.Perhaps Louis knew how this flow of events would go, for when his eyes met the girl's, he offered a smile. Then, after looking at Elenoa with apparent reluctance, he departed like the others.At this point, the girl and Louis did not exchange words."Who was that person just now?""That mage? His name is Louis Stylus. He's a highly skilled mage from a neighboring country.""A mage? Can you use magic here?""Yes. We'll talk about the details at the table. Are you hungry?""…Right now, I'm a bit beyond just being hungry…""Is that so? Well, it can't be helped, so at least have some tea. The world is different, so I can't guarantee the taste will suit the Hero-sama's palate, but…"That was a lie.Through her life here, Elenoa had already confirmed that the tastes and names of food in this world were no different from those in her previous life. It had caused the Hero unnecessary anxiety, but this too was one of Elenoa's necessary 'tasks'.The task was to avoid arousing suspicion in the Hero.To behave in a manner that was not unnatural for a resident of this world.Since she did not know how giving the girl unnecessary information might affect things, she had decided to act as 'just one character' blended into this world.The girl and the fairy followed the High Priest and entered the room next door.It was a place like a dining hall, with a heavy, long table placed in the center. Not a single ray of sunlight penetrated the space. The light came from trident-shaped candelabras. It reminded Elenoa of a particularly damp corner of the Demon Lord's Castle.This was a place Elenoa did not know, and she looked around with interest while riding on the girl's shoulder. It was endearing, like a cat that had just moved into a new home, and Elenoa chuckled at the girl.Elenoa tilted her head and looked at the girl."What?""No, it's nothing."It seemed Elenoa had unintentionally become a source of comfort. The girl's tone relaxed slightly.Oh well, Elenoa decided not to worry about it and continued to accompany the girl.The girl was shown to "seat yourself wherever you like," and she took a safe seat, the fourth from the head of the table at the very back.Elenoa sat on the backrest of the chair to the girl's right and suddenly clapped her hands.—Clap!"Eh…!"The girl's eyes widened in surprise.Cups for everyone appeared on the table. Filled with a deep amber liquid, white steam rose as if they had just been poured. They were warm and carried a faintly sweet scent."It's my special tea. I can add milk and lemon, but… do you not add them in your world? You should try drinking it.""…Mm. …I know this… or rather, it existed in my world too…. Darjeeling.""That's right. What, even the name is the same? Do you put milk or sugar in it?""Just sugar is fine, thank you.""I see. And the High Priest-sama takes it plain, right?""Yes. Elenoa's tea is delicious enough on its own.""Thank you. …And you, over there?"Elenoa looked at the seat diagonally to her right.There was a boy who appeared to be about the same age as the girl. The girl, who seemed to notice the boy's existence for the first time when Elenoa spoke to him, shook her chair as she stood up with a start.In contrast, the boy stood with his mouth agape, staring intently at Elenoa."O-oh. What, have I been seen through?""Yes, you were there from the start, weren't you? You shouldn't underestimate a fairy's eyes. Is it a skill or something?""That's a secret. Can't tell you."With a mischievous grin, the boy shrugged nonchalantly.Jet-black hair with tips that flicked outward, and curious, young-leaf-green eyes. Elenoa 'knew' the appearance of the boy clad in iron armor covering his limbs and chest.Unable to fully process her confusion, the girl asked the boy."Um, who are you?""I was asked to be your guard. Appointed directly by the High Priest-sama. Nice to meet you, Hero-sama?""…Um, Fairy-san…""He's not a bad person. It's my first time meeting him too, but if the High Priest-sama sent him, his skills are probably… reliable?""Ugh… that way of putting it is very worrying…""It's fine. Fight on!""You're acting like it's someone else's problem!""It is someone else's problem.""You two…"His role was that of a knight. He was a main capture target character who also potentially possessed the 'stealth' characteristic, contrary to that role."Let's introduce ourselves. I'm Alois, recognized as a guard knight attached to the Cathedral nearly a year ago. You can call me Al or Lois, as you please.""I'll go with Alois.""Alois is the only choice.""Hey, hey, did you know I have feelings too?"He whined exaggeratedly, "Woe is me," and he was exactly like the 'Knight-sama' Elenoa had favored most in her previous life. On the official homepage and package art, he was always in a prominent position.His personality was bright, casual like a childhood friend, and reasonably kind. With his light-hearted jokes, he eased the protagonist's heart as she faced various difficulties during her journey.She should have liked him, yet Elenoa's heart remained unmoved. Was it because her previous life and her current one were, after all, different?However, recalling the figure of the young man who was her husband, Elenoa murmured, "…Naturally."Even now, decades after the night of their contract, she felt as though her entire body was bound by gentle black vines. In the days leading up to this point, she had been drowned in his warmth and his voice, which acted like an aphrodisiac. She could not look at anyone else now.Quickly suppressing a sigh of affection that threatened to leak out, Elenoa tugged at the girl's hem."As I said before, I'm Elenoa. A fairy. I'm small, but I can do various things, so rely on me if anything happens.""Yes.""What do you mean, 'various things'?""Various things. I can use magic, and I'm also good at violent acts like hitting and kicking!""No, you're surprisingly violent…"Receiving such a subtle reaction, Elenoa made a face as if to say, "Huh?"But she didn't let it bother her and waited for the girl to speak next. Realizing she hadn't introduced herself, the girl cleared her throat lightly."I am Konata Hasumi. In this world, I suppose I'm Hasumi Konata. I don't really understand about being a Hero or having a guard yet…""We'll talk about that now. Right, High Priest-sama?""…You always leave the troublesome things to me, don't you?""After all, the Demon Lord and the Hero are just matters of human convenience."Elenoa spoke coldly and flapped her wings, dancing in the air. Not participating in the conversation and keeping her distance was actually part of the game's scenario.And she had a habit of wanting to touch the ceiling when she went to unknown places. She would fly along the walls, measure the distance from corner to corner of the room, and cautiously approach any flames.Having been a fairy for a hundred years, her actions had become detached from humans, tracing the 'Elenoa' and 'Eren' of the game. It was a quirk born of caution, but Elenoa was not aware of it.That Heroes to defeat the Demon Lord had been summoned from other worlds many times before.What kind of place the Demon Realm they were heading to was.That it would be a very dangerous journey, and she apologized to the Hero-sama for that.While the girl was being briefed on all these matters, the figure of the fairy, who paid no attention to the atmosphere, stood out prominently."Hero-sama, is something wrong?""Ah, no…. Um… I just thought, how beautiful."More than Elenoa herself understood or took pride in, she was beautiful. So much so that the girl's eyes followed her.For the girl, the existence of the fairy, and the 'tea magic' the fairy had shown earlier, were enough to make this place feel like another world.The knight and the High Priest also directed their gazes toward the fairy, who was trying to peek into the unlit fireplace."Like a dog."When the knight boy chuckled and let slip, "Interesting," with a hint of mockery, neither the girl nor the High Priest could deny it.The High Priest narrowed his eyes kindly and quietly evaluated the innocent fairy."Her wings are like those of an insect, yet her flapping is as elegant as that of a crested ibis. It seems she wandered into this church attracted by the pure magic power here, but… she must have been raised consuming very high-quality magic power even before that. That delicate brilliance is not something one sees often elsewhere.""Aren't all fairies beautiful?""Elenoa is special, I suppose. Well, admittedly, one rarely sees fairies these days."Noticing that she was being watched with amusement, Elenoa turned around and asked, "What?" Then, being laughed at again, she sulked by herself.