The amount of time Ryan had spent in the demon continent was not very long.
Even so, he was starting to feel uneasy.
His companions, Helen and Mirian, were probably looking for him, and he did not even know which part of the demon territory he was currently in.
Because of that, it was impossible for him to calculate how long it would take to return, or if it would even be possible for him to do so at all.
Now that they were gathered together with the kidnapped children, Ryan had to decide what he would do next. The prospect of having to play babysitter in such a dangerous place was also something he did not look forward to at all.
'But I can't just leave and abandon this brat here either.'
Ryan approached the boy.
"What's your name, brat?"
The boy did not respond. In fact, Beatrice repeated once again that ever since she rescued him, he had not uttered a single word.
Karol stepped closer and patted the boy's head; he remained motionless, hugging his knees tightly as he leaned against the wall next to the bed.
Then she spoke to him gently while brushing the hair away from his face.
"Hey, tell me your name. Don't you want to go home? We won't hurt you."
"Ever since my sister left, I tried talking to him, but he didn't answer me either..."
Beatrice sat down on the bed, crossed her legs, and placed her hand on her chin, lost in thought.
Then she spoke.
"I thought about it when I pulled him out of that place, but now I'm certain: when I found him, he was tied to a chair; he didn't have any wounds, but there was a lot of blood. There were also many empty potions lying around. You know what I mean, right?"
Karol's expression shifted; she clenched her fists and fixed her gaze on Ryan.
"We must take him with us, the poor boy is completely traumatized."
'Based on what they're saying, they clearly tortured him and healed his wounds just to repeat the process. But why would anyone do something like that? And why would a human noble be capable of plotting such a thing? Whoever is behind this... what exactly are they planning?'
"Yeah, I agree, and I want to leave as soon as possible; my companions must be worried."
Ryan stepped closer to Beatrice.
"What? What is it?" she asked, staring intently at him; she blushed slightly, perhaps remembering what had happened.
"I want you to show us the way back to Ehres Valley."
"So you come from that place? It's quite far away."
"Just how far away are we talking about?"
"It will take us at least four days to get there."
'Four days? That's way too long...'
Karol approached them with a look of confusion.
"Take us to get there? Why are you speaking as if you're coming along too? I don't think you have any business over there."
"Oh, well... that's because... I'm only going to guide you so you don't get into any trouble!"
"And why would you help us? It's enough for you to just show us the way," Ryan asked.
"That's because it will be my way of returning the favor for helping me get back to my brother! After this, I won't owe you a thing, understand, you miserable human?!"
"Yeah, whatever you say. But four days is a lot of time. Why don't we just use that secret tunnel you mentioned earlier instead?"
"Don't be stupid. If the soldiers of Demon King Rigal are plotting something, that tunnel is probably guarded by higher-ranking demons. If we run into archdemons or infernals... it will be the end of us."
She paused briefly and then spoke.
"That's why it's best to take the long way around; we'll avoid any fighting. And I will take care of sending a message to His Majesty. He will dispatch capable sentinels to investigate."
Karol placed her hand on her chin.
"Sentinels? Do you mean the personal guard of the Demon King's children?"
"Yes, exactly. In fact, the sentinel duels are happening soon, and I will participate to earn my place as Lord Solaris's sentinel," Beatrice responded with a wide smile.
Ryan and Karol exchanged glances.
"She means him, I assume?" Ryan asked.
"Yes... there's no doubt about it..."
"Eh? What are you talking about? Do you happen to know Lord Solaris?"
Ryan brought his hands together in a loud, sharp clap.
"That doesn't matter right now. For the time being, we are a temporary party, so we need to move out."
"Right!" Karol responded, and Beatrice nodded her head in agreement.
Beatrice approached the bed and, from underneath it, pulled out a type of backpack, extracting several sets of clothing, like hooded cloaks.
"We will be quite an unusual party. Wear these. If we happen to encounter any demons, I'll do the talking, so don't worry, nobody will bother us."
'I hope that's the case. Now all that's left is...'
Ryan approached the boy. He was still staring at the ground, his gaze hollow.
"Listen, kid," Ryan spoke firmly, his voice deeper than usual.
"We are going back to Ehres Valley, and I'll make sure to protect you until then. So tell me: what do you want to do? Stay here? Keep living like this? Or come with me?"
For a moment, the boy moved his hand; then, slowly, he raised his gaze with tears welling up in his eyes.
"I... I want to go back to my family."
Both Karol and Beatrice smiled.
"Well, it looks like he feels more at ease now," Beatrice commented.
Now they were completely ready; everyone prepared themselves and put on the attire Beatrice had given them.
And they set off on their journey.
◇◇◇
The road was long. But with Beatrice's help, they didn't face any issues or have any need to fight.
They could already see Ehres Valley from a distance.
"Alright, I think we'll only go this far."
"Yeah, we can already see the village from here. If you get any closer, they'll think demons are launching an attack. Heh, heh, heh, it's strange. Teaming up with demons shouldn't even be possible, but it was exciting."
"I'll say the same; you two are pretty interesting despite being humans."
Ryan interjected with a brief smile.
"What's wrong? Are you going to miss us by any chance?"
"Of course not!"
Ryan smiled and told her:
"Hmm, even so, maybe we'll run into each other again sometime."
"If that happens, then you must remember... we will be enemies."
'Enemies, huh? Well, that's only natural.'
"I know. Until then, make sure you don't die," Ryan responded and extended his hand to her.
Beatrice grasped his hand. And with a firm squeeze, they both looked directly into each other's eyes.
"You too, try not to go dying on me, Ryan."
For both of them, it was probably something more than just a simple farewell. But neither of them truly knew what might happen if they were to meet again.
Once they said their goodbyes, Ryan, along with Karol and the boy, headed toward the village.
The guards were incredibly surprised to see Ryan arrive with two small children.
One was the rescued boy, and the other was Karol, who had already run out of mana and was back in her child form.
Ryan explained what had happened to the guards, omitting the fact that he had been guided by demons.
The guards said they would pass the word along to their superiors, confirm the boy's identity, and look for his family.
Meanwhile, the boy would spend the night in the village infirmary. There, they would make sure to feed him and care for him while they looked into his identity.
Ryan thought about taking him along, but he didn't know if he would find Helen and Mirian at the inn or if some trouble might arise along the way.
Furthermore, the village infirmary would be better equipped to tend to the boy after everything he had been through.
So he decided to leave him under the care of the guards and the infirmary staff, agreeing to come back and visit him in the morning.
Once Ryan left the boy in the charge of the guards, he quickly headed over to the tavern.
It was already night; in fact, very late.
When he pushed open the tavern doors, there at a table in the back sat Helen, and opposite her was Mirian.
Both were surrounded by several bottles of liquor.
Helen's eyes were bloodshot.
"Ryan is a bastard! He actually dared to abandon us..."
Mirian drank another glass. Then she spoke.
"I can't believe he left us... after everything he's done to us... he's a total jerk!"