---

If this place were ordinary, escaping with Lilith wouldn’t be that difficult. Frecia, turned into a cat, could just slip through the window and use teleportation magic to whisk Lilith away.

But the problem is that this place is anything but ordinary.

The area has long been dominated by the demonic race, effectively making it half-demonic in nature, and its overall unfriendly environment serves as a barrier against human teleportation magic.

Thinking about how last time Frecia teleported me to the capital and ended up completely exhausted, this situation wouldn’t be much different. Perhaps it could even be worse.

So, teleportation magic—which is basically a gamble—is out of the question.

Instead, I decided to execute a common strategy. One side creates a distraction to draw attention while the other sneaks in to rescue Lilith during the brief window of opportunity. It’s a cliché plan, but that’s what makes it simple and effective.

However, no matter how lax the guards might become, a minimum level of security will still be present, making me more suitable for escaping with Lilith than Frecia.

“There shouldn’t be any suspicion about the cat-turned-boss, but be careful. A small fire should do the trick for distraction…”

Even though I’d asked her to create a flashy spectacle, I worried that Frecia might just drop a meteor with her magic, so I specified a method. If she really did drop a meteor, instead of drawing attention, it would only increase their vigilance further.

“Meow.”

Frecia gave a light swish of her tail, as if to say not to worry, and leapt away, disappearing into the distance.

Now, all I had to do was wait, assess the situation, and infiltrate.

Time passed as I struggled to find a good spot to set ablaze, and finally, I spotted smoke rising in the distance. After a brief wait, the demonic race seemed to receive word of the situation and began to move busily, pulling the guards guarding Lilith’s room away towards the chaos.

In the end, two of the guards left their posts and headed for the source of the fire.

Though it was only two out of a dozen vigilant guards, that was more than enough.

Taking advantage of the moment the guards by the door let their guard down, I slipped into the room without anyone noticing me.

“Master!”

Lilith, already having received a rundown from Frecia, welcomed me with a joyful expression instead of looking shocked.

“To think both of you came for me…!”

“We’re the ones who got into trouble helping you, so of course we had to come. So, are you hurt anywhere?”

“Hehe…”

Feeling troubled, she jumped into my arms, and rather than pushing her away, I raised a hand to gently stroke her hair. That seemed to relax her, and she smiled wide.

But I couldn’t waste the time Frecia had bought for us. We needed to hurry before it was too late.

“Alright. Let’s get out of here before we’re caught. The fire is still spreading, but it won’t last long.”

With Frecia’s powers, setting ablaze a building or two was nothing; she could burn down the entire city without breaking a sweat. However, once it reached that level, even those without any sense would figure out that the fire was more than just an accident. Our goal was simply to divert some attention, so it was best to avoid any suspicion we could.

“Don’t stray from me.”

I pulled Lilith close and cautioned her. No matter how excellent my stealth was, it could only conceal my own body; I couldn’t completely hide Lilith. So, I had to keep her close, moving as if we were one.

“Let’s keep our breaths quiet until we’re completely clear.”

Lilith didn’t know how to use stealth like me, and sounds like footsteps or rustling clothes would inevitably make noise no matter how hard we tried. So, I specifically asked her to pay attention to her breathing.

It would be absurd to think guards would pay attention to our breathing, but better safe than sorry.

“Let me know when you’re ready. We’ll move right away.”

“Okay…”

Lilith took a deep breath in response and then nodded.

Swiftly checking through the barred window to see when the guards’ gazes turned away, I quickly opened the door and stepped out. Now, all that was left was to escape the city without being seen by anyone.

I figured Frecia, being clever, had likely already sneaked away before anyone caught her tail.

I aimed for the blind spots, moving slowly. Alone, it wouldn’t have been much of an issue, but moving with Lilith made me unavoidably tense. The more anxious I became, the harder I gripped her.

“Hah… Hah…”

How far had we gone? In the meantime, Lilith was breathing heavily, her face flushed bright red, resembling a well-ripened apple.

I had asked her to hold her breathing before we left the room, but it seemed she was actually holding her breath.

However, moving so cautiously and slowly meant it took us longer, and eventually, she probably couldn’t hold it any longer and let out a gasp. Given the need for silence, I leaned closer to her ear and whispered quietly to shush her.

“Shh… Shh…”

With each passing moment, her breathing grew more ragged. I couldn’t exactly cover her mouth, and so I tried to whisper as softly as I could into her ear.

“Hah…!”

But unable to hold back, she finally let out a loud exhale. Suddenly, the eyes of several wandering demons turned towards us.

Stealth wasn’t infallible, and there was no way to hide when everyone’s eyes were fixed on us. Especially not with Lilith by my side.

“Lilith!”

“Who’s the girl with Lilith?”

“She looks human, but… wait, she really is a human? No way… is she trying to kidnap Lilith?”

Of course, Lilith’s identity was quickly exposed, and so was mine. In the chaos, the demons mistakenly believed I was trying to kidnap Lilith. They had kidnapped her themselves, yet they dared to act so brazenly; I was left utterly stunned.

“Emergency! Sound the alarm! It’s an emergency situation!”

“You cruel human! Could you not let Lilith go immediately?!”

In a tense moment. But perhaps there was some luck here; due to the misunderstanding, the demons took out their weapons but didn’t initiate an immediate fight. They must have thought I was taking Lilith hostage.

But this standoff couldn’t last forever. I couldn’t just sit still and let myself be a punching bag, so while one hand continued to hold Lilith tightly, the other remained poised to draw my sword at a moment’s notice.

“What’s going on? Why is a demon chasing someone trying to put out the fire in the supply depot? Don’t they realize they’ll be sucking their thumbs until the next supply if everything burns down?”

“I heard a human girl was caught trying to kidnap Lilith!”

“What!? Let a supply depot or two burn down; gather everyone! And even those trying to put it out should be brought here too!”

Isn’t putting out the fire the right thing to do right now? The demons surrounding me were already a burden, and I wished they’d just go put out the fire.

However, contrary to my hopes, the news spread quickly, and the demons only multiplied, surrounding us more tightly.

“Not good. It seems our relationship hasn’t been discovered yet, so Lilith, you act appropriately while watching the situation.”

That way, even if she ended up trapped again surrounded by guards, at least the fact she was a traitor wouldn’t be discovered, keeping her safe.

In the meantime, I would somehow break through the encirclement, escape, regroup with my friends, and return to rescue Lilith.

“Ugh…”

But just as I whispered my plan into her ear, she seemed to lose her strength, collapsing to the ground.

“How dare you…! You vile creature! Daring to touch Lady Lilith!”

“I’ll take the lead. You all focus on rescuing Lady Lilith.”

With Lilith down, the demons observing could no longer just stand by; they began tightening their encirclement, and it felt like an imminent rush was about to happen.

Just as one of the demons, claws elongated, lunged at us.

“Wait!”

A loud voice shouted, and something burst through the crowd between me and the demons.

 

---