“How come you’re saying something right for once, brother? Yeah, I’ll beat them up thoroughly!”

“Haha! How come you’re acknowledging me for once? I feel good.”

Deborah clenched her fist and burned with determination, while Dain looked at her fondly and burst into hearty laughter.

Then Lord Diart handed me utensils and brought a soup bowl.

“Here, Shailyn. If you eat hastily you’ll get indigestion, so try the soup first.”

“Yes, try it. It’s the mushroom cream soup you said was delicious last time.”

The duke also recommended it with a gentle smile.

I looked at their faces one by one and soon my lips trembled at the warm emotion welling up inside.

“I……”

My eyes and the inside of my nose heated up sourly. Deborah stared at me and made a surprised voice.

“Sister, are you crying?!”

“Why, why are you crying? Did I pressure you too much when you didn’t want to eat?”

Lord Diart was also startled and grabbed my shoulder, not knowing what to do.

“Don’t misunderstand, Shailyn! None of us are pressuring you.”

“It’s okay, so if you hate it, honestly say you hate it.”

Dain and the duke also added warm words each to comfort me.

Tears fell with a plop. I captured these people with deeply worried faces in my blurrily rippling vision.

‘How can I leave these people behind? If I go, I’ll be alone again.’

I kept thinking for the past few days.

Which would I regret more — choosing to return or choosing to stay.

It seemed I would regret returning more. Seeing the Diart family made me certain.

‘The things I achieved exist in the original world too, but they also exist here.’

Living as an orphan all this time, I struggled and tried everything not to be looked down upon.

Thanks to that I became able to live reasonably well, but I couldn’t obtain what I truly wanted.

People who love me and people I love.

The place where such people existed was not reality but here.

“……I’m fine. I just teared up for a moment from being moved.”

I wiped my tears bravely and smiled. Lord Diart stroked my back and said affectionately.

“If something’s wrong, make sure to tell us. Nothing is more important than leaning on family when things are hard.”

“I understand. Thank you, Grandfather.”

“Yes, then hurry and…… what did you say?”

Lord Diart was pulling a bowl toward him when he suddenly stopped moving and looked at me. The other family members also froze as if they had seen Medusa’s face.

“Wh, wh, what did you just say?”

“Let’s eat together, Grandfather.”

“……!”

Lord Diart kicked back his chair and stood up. He covered his face with his wrinkled hands and turned his back. Seeing his shoulders, broad like Mount Tai even in old age, shaking slightly, Dain asked obliviously.

“Grandfather, are you crying?”

“……Don’t ask such things.”

“Ah, yes.”

Leaving Lord Diart, seeming to need time to compose his emotions, I turned my head toward the duke.

“Uncle, please eat too.”

“……Ah, yes.”

The duke showed a calmer reaction than Lord Diart and moved his arms stiffly like a robot.

I sniffled and smiled softly. Then the other people also began to smile little by little. Even Lord Diart, after wiping tears alone, smiled looking at us.

Though it was a meal earlier than usual, it was filled with more joyful and happy laughter than ever before.

* * *

Having made my decision, I called Carl to inform him as well. When I was waiting for him in the reception room in advance, Carl arrived earlier than the appointed time and paused upon seeing me.

“Carl, you came?”

“……Yeah.”

Carl entered while avoiding eye contact with me for some reason and asked bluntly.

“What did you call me for.”

Being nervous about what I was about to say, I didn’t notice his somewhat strange attitude and fidgeted with my fingers.

My staying here essentially meant confessing that I liked him.

I swallowed dryly and slowly opened my mouth.

“You know, I’ve decided.”

“What.”

“Not to leave this place.”

I thought Carl would also be very happy and pleased to hear the decision I made with great resolve.

Since it meant we wouldn’t have to part anymore.

“I want to continue being with you and other people. Without going back.”

So I looked at him full of anticipation for how happy Carl would be, but unexpectedly he had a coldly hardened face.

“Carl…… why is your reaction like that? Aren’t you happy?”

I carefully approached and grasped his sleeve. Of course I didn’t expect him to cry, but I thought he would at least show a smile.

Not this serious face.

Unable to hide my bewilderment, I shook Carl’s arm.

“Didn’t you also want me not to go back?”

“……No.”

Then Carl finally looked at my face and replied.

“No, Shailyn.”

He grabbed my shoulders with his large hands and furrowed his brow.

Then he said to me as I stood confused, not knowing why he was acting this way.

“I want you to go back.”

“……What?”

My eyes widened greatly with shock since I never expected him to try to send me away like this when I thought he would hold onto me.

“Why?”

“You’re not originally from here and you’re not the real Shailyn either.”

I felt strength entering the hands gripping my shoulders. Carl continued in a rigidly hardened voice.

“Then it makes sense for you to return to where you should be.”

“But then we’ll be separated for life. Are you okay with that?”

“Yes.”

Carl’s words trembled momentarily. I grabbed his arms tightly and looked up at his face while standing on tiptoe.

I discovered cracks of rippling emotion in his artificially frozen face and was certain.

“Liar.”

That Carl’s words just now contained not a single grain of sincerity.

“Now I understand why you told me not to lie. It’s too obvious to see.”

I let out a hollow laugh, released Carl’s arms, and stepped back. Then this time he grabbed my arm.

“Shailyn, just go back.”

It was a strangely desperate voice. Full of signs that he didn’t want to part with me yet wanted to send me away.

“If you stay here you’ll be in too much danger. Head Priest Raviel is a host born to contain a demon in his body. He’ll offer you as a sacrifice!”

“What are you talking about? Raviel is…… what?”

I opened my mouth in bewilderment at hearing something I never expected.

The head priest wasn’t simply a heretic, but was born to become a demon’s host.

Then one of the game’s male leads is a villain?

“The heretics plan to use the head priest to summon a demon. It would be fine if we stop this, but if we can’t stop it, only you will be sacrificed.”

Carl spat out words as if chewing them, his face collapsing as if in agony.

“Maybe even if we stop it, only you might be sacrificed.”

He slowly stepped back from me and turned around, showing his back.

“So go back.”

I stared at his back like that, then walked over and stood facing him again.

“Fine, then say I safely return. If heretics are making such scary plans, what happens to the people who remain?”

“That’s…… something we’ll handle ourselves. Don’t worry about it and go back.”

“How can you say that!”

Is this guy joking?

If heretics were only targeting my life so he wanted to send me away that would be one thing, but summoning a demon to this world means everyone is in danger.

It’s not over just because I alone become safe. Even if I cowardly run away, I wouldn’t be able to live with peace of mind.

“I can’t go until I confirm that you and my family will be safe even after I leave.”

When I firmly stated my intention, Carl immediately frowned. He shouted as if frustrated.

“Shailyn, this isn’t a matter to be stubborn about!”

“It’s not a matter to be resolved by force either!”

I also raised my voice and retorted equally.

Hmph, if this was a fight where the person with the louder voice wins, I won this time.

After having an intense staring contest with him, I soon bit my lips and suddenly hugged Carl’s waist.

“Just as you can’t bear to see me in danger, I’m the same way.”

I buried my face in his broad chest and shoulders and spoke clearly.

“I’ll protect you. So you protect me too. That works, doesn’t it.”

A quiet sigh came from above me, and soon a large hand softly settled on the back of my head.

“It’s not that I didn’t think of that. Honestly, the first thought wasn’t to send you away. I worried and worried again about how I could protect you and make you stay.”

Carl finally brought out the last words he had kept in his heart.