Alright, I’ve got a general grasp of the situation.

The real issue is what to do from here. Once this rain stops, the knights will turn their attention to the rare dungeon.

Just as I was thinking about that, Riona started speaking again.

“But that kid... I felt a little sorry for them…”

“That kid? Who are you talking about?”

“The homunculus.”

“The homunculus? You feel sorry for them?”

“El-tan, do you remember? That child said they hated humans.”

Now that she mentioned it, I did recall something like that.

At the time, I had been too focused on surviving to really take it in. But thinking back, they did say it—though their words were halting, as if their vocal cords were still underdeveloped.

“What do you mean?”

“…I think they were probably raised the same way I was.”

The small flame of the lamp flickered.

“Born from a flask, whipped by terrifying adults the moment they opened their eyes, and forced to learn how to kill.”

“…What? You… what are you saying…?”

I trailed off in shock.

Riona’s arms tightened around me.

“I was the same. I grew up in a place like that. There were lots of kids like me at first. I even had friends. We used to share what little food we had.”

By the time she was old enough to be aware of herself, she had been handed a knife. The moment she learned to speak, she was drilled in the art of killing. If she failed, she was whipped and had her meals taken away. She was also taught espionage. Those who couldn’t learn fast enough were beaten more and denied food. Those who cried out were hit even harder. The facility was always silent. The adults around her were terrifying.

“…That’s enough.”

On the first day, she had been forced to stab a motionless target. If she hesitated, she was beaten. She didn’t want to be hit, so she stabbed. The adults were terrifying. Before long, she was ordered to kill people on assignments. The children who failed or hesitated were killed instead. The adults were terrifying. After three years, less than half of the original children remained. Since everyone would disappear sooner or later, she stopped talking to anyone.

“That’s enough.”

The facility remained silent. Only three children were left. She was the only girl. Occasionally, she would hear faint laughter from the adults. As soon as her body had matured enough, she was called out at night for… other tasks. If she stayed quiet, it would end quickly. So, she remained silent.

…That’s why… even now… I’m still… afraid… of adults…

“Didn’t you hear me!? Stop talking!!”

I screamed. I didn’t care if the goblins heard me anymore.

Before I realized it, I had broken free from Riona’s arms, gritting my teeth as I pulled her head into my chest, silencing her.

“El-tan…?”

Damn it, the tears were falling again, like an idiot. They wouldn’t stop.

Pathetic. I didn’t want anyone to see me cry.

“Wow, I’m so happy. El-tan is hugging me. You know, El-tan, you’re small, so you’re not scary at all.”

“Stop talking.”

“Okay. I’ll stay quiet. I’m good at that. I’m good at both talking and staying silent.”

If such a country, if such a facility existed… I should have destroyed it in my past life. Back then, Blythe, Kilpus, and I had the power to do it.

Why did we choose peace negotiations? That decision led to the existence of this girl.

The choices we made created the world we live in now. So who has the right to judge her?

I know. I already know. If I destroy the Republic to save this girl, I will only create suffering a thousand, ten thousand times greater.

Someone… tell me…

“What… what should I have done…?”

“El-tan?”

The world is cruel.

“Are you… crying for me again?”

“Like hell I am.”

“Oh, I see. Hehe, that makes me happy.”

After pouring out everything inside her, Riona still smiled as if nothing had changed. It was unnatural. Everything around her was twisted. Only Riona, being normal, had been broken.

For a while, I just held her.

Once my tears finally stopped, I slowly pulled away from her.

“…Riona. What will you do now?”

“Hmm, I wonder. Now that I know I was just a disposable pawn and failed my mission, I can’t return to the Republic. But I’m also a wanted criminal in the Kingdom. Quite the dilemma.”

She crossed her arms, deep in thought.

“I don’t want to die, though. Maybe I’ll just hide in the Lehan dungeon. If I wait long enough, El-tan will come there for his curriculum training. Then we can have secret rendezvous. How romantic, right? Ehehe.”

Was she trying to act normal on purpose, or was this just who she was?

I sighed in exasperation.

“I’m not joking.”

“I was actually being kinda serious… Was that weird? I have pretty strong survival skills. If goblins can live there, I can too. I just need an unlimited magic lantern.”

I sighed again.

Letting her escape to the Republic was out of the question. Even if she made it back, they would just send her on another mission until she was used up and discarded.

…I had to make up my mind.

“Riona. Do you trust me?”

“Yeah. I do.”

She answered immediately, her eyes more honest than any child’s.

“What if I asked you to entrust your life to me?”

“Sure.”

“That’s what I thought. Even if you trust me, no one would hand their life over to a ten-year-old that easily—… Wait, really?”

Riona tilted her head in confusion.

“Really.”

This was bad.

Even I thought this was reckless. Did she not value her own life at all? If I told her that, she’d probably just call me an old man again.

“…Alright. Then we’re heading back to school and going straight to Kilpus—His Majesty.”

“……………………Huh!?”

Well, of course she’d be shocked.

She had just tried to assassinate him a few days ago.

“A-Am I going to be executed?”

“You’ll be fine. Believe it or not, I’m in a position where I can speak directly to His Majesty. If I appeal to his sense of mercy, that soft-hearted fool should be easy to persuade.”

…Should be… I hope…

“Huh? Speak directly? Mercy? What kind of position do you… are you actually friends?”

“!?”

“No way. The age gap is too big.”

She was getting dangerously close to the truth. I was sweating.

“Father and son?”

“!?”

“Nah, that’s not right either. El-tan looks like a royal, but you’re way too violent to be one.”

“O-Obviously!”

Shit… She was getting too close…

Even if I could only advise Kilpus, he wasn’t the kind of king to ignore those below him. He had sent me to find Riona, after all. He would understand. Even if we weren’t father and son.

Maybe I was being too optimistic.

Well, if it didn’t work, I’d just run. With Riona.

“Come on, get up. We leave while the rain is still falling. Once it stops, the knights will be swarming the city.”

I grabbed Riona’s hand and started walking.

“I don’t mind, but… shouldn’t you put on some clothes first? If you walk around like that, you’ll get arrested before me.”

“!?”

…She was right.

I stopped, turned back, and slipped into my damp uniform.