Let Me Take a Good Look at You

"So, you became an adventurer?"

After hearing about it from Darkness, Alice smiled faintly.

"And you even defeated one of the Demon Lord's Army generals because of it. Just as expected of Lalatina. That armor suits you very well."

The graceful, polite praise made Darkness blush slightly as she thanked Alice.

Perhaps only Fang Li noticed it.

For a brief instant, envy and loneliness flickered in Alice's eyes beneath her poised, courteous smile.

Alice must have felt deeply about Darkness disregarding her status and background, resolutely becoming an adventurer, and going on adventures in Axel.

This little girl, who was afraid of being lonely, probably wanted to be like Darkness too—to make companions and adventure outside.

(Just like before, she still lacks freedom...)

Fang Li sighed silently to himself.

Although Fang Li had only spent a short time with Alice, he found himself inexplicably concerned about her.

(Maybe it's because, like Emilia, she makes people worry about her?)

At that moment, Kureia, who had been accompanying them, finally spoke.

"Thanks to all of you, we have finally succeeded in eliminating one of the Demon Lord's Army generals that had long endangered our country." Kureia said, "Your achievements have not only greatly boosted the morale of our nation, which has long resisted the Demon Lord's Army, but also caught them completely off guard. To be honest, if you had not suddenly defeated one of their generals and made them wary, the Royal Capital might already have fallen."

Kureia's words left Fang Li and the others astonished.

"Why?" Kazuma voiced his confusion without the slightest reservation. "Hasn't the Royal Capital always been under attack by the Demon Lord's Army? It's never fallen so far, has it?"

"That is precisely why the Demon Lord's Army's attack this time was so fierce." Rain sighed.