Lord of Disease (JP-GL) 275

275: A Special Time

I was waiting for someone at the gatepost. I was in my usual Lord of Disease attire, minus the shoulder cloth, with twelve Black Hound Barghests hidden in my robe.

I was idly playing with the time, gazing at the calm, early summer sky.

“—Well then, I’ll be off. Rebecca, I’m counting on you.”

“Yes, have fun.”

The mansion door opened, and Liz came out. I had been waiting outside to savor the feeling of meeting her before our date.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Master.”

“…Liz.” My face broke into a smile the moment I saw her.

A refreshing breeze blew, and her usual red scarf fluttered. She lightly held her hair in place. The only thing that was the same as usual was her scarf.

I had left the payment and arrangements to Samarkand, so this was the first time I was seeing the date outfit Elisha-san had made.

Liz smiled shyly and asked, “What do you… think?”

“You’re the cutest.”

That was all I could say.

In the Listrea Demon Kingdom, the noble and popular colors were black or other dark colors. Liz’s maid uniform, while it had white in the apron and brim, was based on navy. The military uniforms worn by Bridget and Catral-san, and Lathus’s coat, were also dark.

So, there had been a suggestion to go with a chic, dark color. A dark color would have suited her dark brown skin.

But I thought…

Pale colors looked good on a dark elf girl.

And so, she was wearing a light, flowing, pale blue checkered one-piece, with a thin, pure white jacket over it. The lace trim on the cuffs and the thin fabric, which occasionally showed a hint of her skin, enhanced her charm. The scarf, which served as a splash of red, was probably not an item a fashion designer would have chosen if they were to coordinate her outfit from scratch.

But the Liz in my mind almost always wore a scarf. It was a sign of her resolve, a reminder that she was always on the battlefield. And for me, though I wasn’t sure if she was aware of it, it was a precious item that sometimes conveyed a hint of her true feelings. And it was an important item that connected her as an assassin, a maid… and in her private life.

“…Yes, your usual maid uniform and assassin’s garb suit you, but… this kind of outfit also looks really good on you. You’re so cute.”

“Ehehe…” Liz’s cheeks relaxed into a smile.

Elisha-san had done a really good job. Good job, Elisha-san.

“Maybe I should buy you more clothes like this. Can I spend my entire fortune at Elisha-san’s shop?”

“Rejected.”

The usual. Why was I so soothed by her sharp tone and her sidelong glance? I had a feeling my tastes had become a little twisted since I had come here.

“And besides… it’s good because it’s special.”

“…Yes… you’re right.”

This time was special, for me, and for me alone.

I liked black and dark colors. But not just that.

Someday, I hoped it would be normal for all the girls in Listrea to wear cute clothes and walk through the city with the people they loved. And if it was also natural for there to be cute girls among them… that would be even better.

“Now, shall we go?”

“Huh? Liz?”

Liz, who was not carrying her small bag, linked her free arm with mine.

“…Aren’t you going?”

“No… um… your arm…”

“Ah. …You’re the one who said it was a date, aren’t you, Master?” Liz unlinked her arm and looked a little sullen.

“Yes… I’m sorry. I thought I was the only one.”

The light in Liz’s eyes disappeared. [Optimization]… a mental adjustment spell…?

“For a Master who can’t even remember what she said, there is a punishment.” And her tone turned cold. She reached out, and I flinched, reflexively closing my eyes. She gently took my hand.

I opened my eyes, and as I had felt, my hand was in hers… we were holding hands.

“Huh, um… this?”

Liz, her eyes still devoid of light, nodded, her expression a mask.

“Yes. It is a punishment, to walk hand in hand with your subordinate, like a child.”

“…I think it’s a reward.”

“If you think so, then so be it.” Liz turned away and pulled me along.

…After a while, I could feel the heat from her palm. And I couldn’t help but feel that the tips of her ears were a little red.

“…Um, Liz. Did you… borrow the momentum of the mental adjustment spell…?”

“Our Master is an idiot. Of course not.”

I decided not to press the matter. And not to look at her face.

I squeezed her hand, afraid that this happiness would disappear.

“…Master?” Liz stopped and turned around. Her cheeks were still faintly red, but her expression was serious, as if she had noticed a change in my mood.

“…Hey, Liz. There aren’t any… knives… in that bag, are there?”

“No. Though there are some inside.”

They’re inside.

“Why do you ask?”

“Because the balance of happiness is off. I thought I might be stabbed and die.”

I had been in the barn. I had been on the ramparts.

I had survived by pushing those who had pushed me into the barn off the ramparts.

I had told Elisha-san that I was fighting for a world where the standard of value was not ‘to win a war.’ I believed that my subordinates, no matter how ruthless their actions, deserved to be happy.

But… I also thought that there were people who should take responsibility.

The fact that this world was like this, that the human and non-human races were engaged in a war of extermination, was probably not because there was a single ‘bad person.’ There was no one you could kill to solve everything.

And yet, there were times when it was ‘necessary’ to do so. To say that now, the bad guys were gone—that now, the world was at peace, and that ‘that was an exception.’

In the history I knew, there had been many times when a scaffold had been needed for that purpose.

And if a ‘sacrifice’ was needed after the war, then there was no one other than the Lord of Disease—

“Are you an idiot?”

Liz, her face a mask of exasperation, cut me down.

“There is no balance in life. There are times when honest people get the short end of the stick, and there are times when bastards who should be dead live long and happy lives. —That’s why.”

Liz squeezed my hand tightly and held it up.

“…That’s why I’m doing this. To be a blade that protects those who should be protected, and kills the bastards who should be dead.”

I had never heard the reason why she had become an assassin. But at the very least, the reason she was here, as my maid, my vice-commander, and my assassin, was probably that.

“…Am I… one of those bastards?”

“Not in Listrea. Though you’re probably thought of that way in the other countries.”

“But you know, while all of our field operative units are working so hard, I’m on a date with a cute girl who’s on vacation.”

“What’s new?”

She had a point. Liz’s expression was one of exasperation again. And she relaxed her expression.

“Our Master is really bad at relaxing.”

The transition from an exasperated face to a beautiful smile was a foul.

“…L-Liz isn’t bad either.”

“I manage to relax during my daily duties.” Liz said, her voice flat.

I tilted my head.

“…Was there a place to relax?”

“Well, I serve a master who is reckless and whose words and actions are strange, and who is a handful, so that has become surprisingly fun… no, it’s a secret.”

“Wait, what was that?”

“I said, it’s a secret. Now, let’s go.”

Liz pulled my hand, and I couldn’t say anything more, and I started walking.

But I squeezed her hand, a gesture filled with all the gratitude and other emotions I couldn’t put into words.

And she squeezed back, a counter, and my heart was knocked out.