I Became the Burden of a Conscienceless Party

195 – Side Story 2. The Story Afterward Milia (3)

The story after that, Milia (3)

“Poetry, I don’t like it.”

Speaking your mind.

“no.”

A firm rejection.

“Jim, I can’t always go along with your stubbornness. You’ve been so forgiving in the past, so this time I’m going to be stubborn too.”

“No, what is that… … .”

Milia spoke with an expression as if she were scolding a picky eater.

I was speechless because it was so absurd, but when I thought about it carefully, it wasn’t logically wrong.

Because Millia’s plans, whether voluntary or involuntary, have never been successful.

I know that’s complete nonsense, but I could tell that it was impossible to convince Millia.

That’s understandable, because for Millia, this decision is just a very common-sense one.

Even if I truly hate it, there’s nothing I can do about it.

Just like in the past, when I joined the warrior party knowing that it would be a difficult and painful journey.

“Don’t be afraid.”

“No, how could I be afraid… … .”

“Safety is guaranteed. It will hurt at first, but after that, you won’t feel any pain.”

“It hurts? Is it a prerequisite for the procedure to be painful?”

Have you ever thought of doing the procedure without any pain?

Of course, even if there was a painless way to do it, I couldn’t agree to a procedure that would turn my body into a tentacle monster.

“My heart ached more when you were in danger.”

“no…….”

Why would you say that at a time like this? And with such an expressionless face?

Anyone who sees this will know it’s a lie.

“Jim, you don’t know as much about magic as I do, so that’s understandable. But I’m much better at magic than you are, so could you please keep your mouth shut?”

“… … .”

A statement I could never have imagined.

I never thought you would shut me up like this.

No matter what I say, she’ll probably think I’m teaching someone who’s worse at magic than her.

This is unconvincing.

So I cried.

After accepting the hopeless situation, I cried all night long.

Millia embraced me with her big heart, but… … .

Even the feelings that would normally be relieved didn’t go away this time.

***

It seemed like she had cried for a while and fallen asleep. When she slowly opened her eyes, the surroundings were dark and Milia was nowhere to be seen.

The situation is hopeless.

I’ve never been able to convince Millia before, and it won’t be the same this time. It can’t be helped, right?

For Millia, this is an inevitable sacrifice and a trial she must endure for the future.

Considering that all her actions are well-intentioned, it would be impossible to persuade her when she is already disobedient.

“Hero… … .”

Has Esmeralda ever been missed this much?

They say you don’t realize it until you lose it.

I could finally feel the importance of Esmeralda.

She, she alone, can understand and resolve this pain.

Of course, the method is violent and barbaric, like the way it inflicts pain on the person who causes the pain.

For someone who is trapped in their own world like Milia, there is no better way.

Survival of the fittest.

A natural law that must be followed even if values ​​differ.

To persuade Millia, we must follow the laws of nature.

“ah…….”

But Esmeralda is not here, and it is hard to think that she will be able to find it.

If it was Millia, she would have made a place for herself, so Esmeralda, who is simple-minded and ignorant, would not have been able to figure it out.

That is, there is no hero who can save me.

No one can save me.

then…….

“I… … have to save myself.”

If I cry and scream, there is no one to save me.

Don’t I have no choice but to become a warrior who will save me?

After crying quietly in a curled up position for a while, I stood up.

When I was down I was just a weak lamb, but now that I am up I have become a warrior.

But, I am weak.

It was impossible for me to subdue Millia by force in the first place.

However, the problem is that my gift of words is not that good at persuading her, and even if I were good at talking, it would be nearly impossible to persuade her.

Then I have to convince her in a completely different way.

In a way that is neither force nor wisdom.

If so, a fundamental solution to the problem will be necessary.

“Milia is worried about me.”

Yeah, that’s a prerequisite.

I, who have lost not only the power of a god but even magic, am a frail human who would be on the verge of death if hit with even one light spell.

To her, it looks like a glass artifact that needs to be handled with care.

So, Milia chose to make her glass crafts stronger.

Well then, let me show you.

That I’m not just weak.

That I have a different strength than her.

I need to explain to her that she has nothing to worry about.

Yeah, my own way.

The way I am most confident.

“Lady Milia, haven’t we spent our first night together yet?”

A familiar behavior to me.

However, it was clearly a first for her.

The difference in experience is what decides the outcome.

***

Jim waited for Milia with a much more peaceful mind.

It’s a bonus to just sit on the floor and create an atmosphere.

It was a declaration of intent to show a changed self from now on.

“load?”

Millia could also sense the changed atmosphere.

The gap was bigger than I thought, because it was Jim who personally showed that adults can cry ugly all night long.

“Are you done crying now?”

“Yes, I shed all my regrets and sorrows in tears.”

“… … ?”

What nonsense is this?

Milia tilted her head as she watched Jim begin to act in an incomprehensible manner, but soon realized that it was always like that and nodded.

“Then that’s good.”

“Lady Milia.”

“huh.”

“Miss Milia, you said you would lock me up here and perform the procedure on me because I am weak, right?”

“huh.”

“So what if I’m not actually weak?”

“You were kidnapped?”

“Then who kidnapped me?”

“… … .”

“How many people in the world do you think would be capable of kidnapping me from the Demon King’s Castle, which is no different from an iron fortress?”

This incident stemmed from Jim’s escape, so it’s virtually impossible to kidnap him from the outside.

Milia will know too.

That makes sense… … .

“If there is an entity that can penetrate the magical traps set up by Lady Millia and invade from the outside, then even if I receive this treatment, the result will be the same. Surely Lady Millia knows that, right?”

“… … .”

“You know, right? I didn’t ask on purpose. The person who kidnapped me is not outside, but inside.”

Of course, it was he who kidnapped Jim.

Although it was a set-up, Millia believes she was kidnapped.

The fact that he made that judgment, even though he knew it was close to impossible, must have been because there was someone who could do it.

Yeah, inside, not outside.

Members of the warrior party who are strong enough to break through her magic.

Millia was convinced that the person who had kidnapped Jim was a member of the warrior party.

But still, I didn’t ask.

“You were afraid to ask, weren’t you? I was afraid that I would be influenced by my captor and accept that lifestyle.”

Milia secretly has low self-esteem.

In the past, in the fortress city, people even shed tears for fear that their luggage would not be left behind because of their shortcomings.

Because she thought the other person was quite attractive.

Even if Jim chose someone else, I couldn’t help but understand.

However, there is a big difference between understanding and accepting.

Milia couldn’t accept that fact, so she made a fuss.

It’s the same now. She wanted to strengthen her connection with Jim even if it meant forcing herself.

And that plan, born of impatience, was full of holes.

“Actually, it was Tina who kidnapped me. It was because of the dragon’s blood that I developed side effects.”

Jim boldly sold out Tina in order to convince Millia.

I never thought about what Tina would do to Millia in the future.

You have to live for yourself first.

“However, I was on my way back to the Demon King’s Castle after persuading Lady Tina. During that process, Lady Millia summoned me.”

That’s not wrong.

Jim imprinted the hierarchy on Tina, giving her the possibility of escaping from the underground caverns.

I was just summoned by Millia before I could even write it.

“Lady Milia. Back then, Lady Tina was much more domineering and self-willed than Lady Milia is now.”

“I am a kind and considerate person.”

“… … Then let’s leave that as a difference in perspective.”

It is impossible to make someone with different common sense understand by trying to force your common sense on them.

“Anyway, didn’t you see, Milia? What Tina looked like at the ruins of the past?”

“She even abandoned her colleagues and kidnapped their luggage. She was a crazy woman.”

Milia would do the same without hesitation if given the chance, but she did not miss this opportunity to criticize. Isn’t this a legitimate opportunity to criticize without having to pretend to be good?

“Well, I persuaded Tina. I used the power I had.”

“… … .”

Milia looked at Jim with a suspicious look.

But, it had credibility.

Tina is a sage that even Milia cannot help but acknowledge.

If Tina had done something like kidnapping, I can only assume that her dragon’s blood had run wild like in the past.

And Jim said he convinced Tina like that. There’s no way she would tell such an easily caught lie, and it must be based on fact.

“From now on, I will show you, Milia, what that power is like.”

“… …Strength? How?”

Jim said.

Yes, to seize the initiative, be overbearing and confident.

“Take it off.”

It was an absolutely trashy statement.