Chapter 13: Discharged!

Ella’s mind was a tangled mess.

If you’re the Demon King, then who am I?

And can you stop blaming the upright Demon King for things you did yourself?

But she didn’t say a word.

How could she dare speak?

Celes wasn’t holding her tightly—at least, not with her arms—but her entire body was pressed right up against Ella’s, fitting almost perfectly.

The soft curves against Ella’s back, each breath at her nape, carried a suffocating tension.

After a moment of silence, the girl spoke again:

“Actually, I’m not the Demon King. Didn’t you already figure out who I am?”

Ella didn’t know what possessed her, but she replied instinctively, “I might not have figured it out.”

As soon as she said that, both of them fell silent.

Ella had no idea what the girl behind her was thinking.

Her own mind felt like it was overheating.

What do I do? What should a normal, good girl do in this situation?

The books never covered anything like this…

Still, as a village girl who was once captured and enslaved by the Demon King, I probably don’t have the strength to resist, right?

In just a short time, she felt the girl pressing even closer.

Their hips were now completely flush.

If she drew the White Bone Sword now, her days of hiding would be over.

All the effort she’d put in these days, her Vengeance Plan, the Rebellion Suppression—everything would go up in smoke.

Facing away from Celes, Ella bit her silver teeth.

Hold it in!

The night at the Bonfire Camp was so quiet, she could hear the beating of two hearts—her own, and the girl’s behind her.

After a long silence, Celes finally made a human decision, whispering, “I just want to hold you. Don’t move.”

Ella wouldn’t dare move.

Her back pressed against those hills, her hips against those valleys—she didn’t dare move at all.

In this position, any movement would be giving the other party an excuse.

Again, just two words: Hold it!

The girl’s lotus-like arms slid across the sheet, hands meeting at Ella’s lower belly, wrapping her slender waist from behind.

It really was just a hug.

Ella let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Alright, if it’s just a hug, that’s not so bad.

The position was a little questionable, but as long as Celes didn’t move—especially if she didn’t start wriggling—it’d be fine.

Right then, the hands at her belly slid up just a little.

Just a little, almost imperceptibly, but they definitely moved—Ella could feel it.

Warning bells blared in Ella’s mind.

“You… what are you doing?”

“Nothing,” Celes said.

“Just go to sleep.”

She sounded so matter-of-fact, just like she’d said “do your thing” or “go your own way” a few days ago.

How is this the same?

First you say it’s just a hug. Next, when your hands move higher, you’ll say it’s just a touch.

Then it’ll all go downhill—no end in sight!

At that moment, Celes’s hands slid up again, almost reaching the southern edge.

She couldn’t wait any longer. The highlands couldn’t be lost.

Ella placed her only defensive force—her own hands—at the foot of the snowy mountains, pressing against Celes’s hands.

A gentle upward force came, but was immediately blocked by a firmer downward push.

A faint hum came from behind; Celes sounded a little unhappy, but knowing she was in the wrong, she said nothing.

Instead, she started a silent contest of strength.

An invisible battle had begun.

On this narrow ground, there was no room for big movements—only finely honed, inch-perfect strength could be used.

Celes just so happened to excel at this technique.

But Ella’s will to fight was even stronger. Her hands, flat at the base of the southern hemisphere, were her final line.

Demonfolk, hold the line!

***

Dang!

Dang!

Dang!

From far away, the Great Cathedral’s bells rang out, telling the residents of the King’s City that dawn was coming.

The sky began to lighten, a sliver of pale gray on the horizon.

Celes let go, finally releasing the delicate body she’d clung to all night.

She slipped off the bed, left the girl’s room, and gently closed the door behind her.

Click.

Ella, who’d been pretending to sleep, opened her eyes.

She glanced tiredly at the sky outside the window—the dim, early light of dawn, just like so many mornings after all-nighters in her previous life.

She had never wanted to praise Light so sincerely.

The Highland of Snowy Mountains had been defended!

***

In the yard of the Bonfire Camp, Zero gave a little yawn, stretching her body in a morning exercise.

Thanks to Vina, she’d had bone broth with goji berries and red dates last night.

She hadn’t slept very well, and felt a bit drowsy even after waking.

“Zero.”

She turned at the sound, spotting a girl with long, icy blue hair standing at the gate.

“Morning, Celes. You look energetic—must’ve slept well last night, huh?”

“…Not really. I came to let you know: we’ll have a meeting in the hall soon—the sooner, the better.”

“Oh? What’s so urgent?”

Celes didn’t answer her here, and instead went off to notify the others.

Half an hour later, all four girls of the Hero Squad had gathered.

Like Zero, everyone had slept poorly because of last night’s soup.

Leah couldn’t stop yawning; each time, she’d turn away from the window to avoid yawning in the sunlight.

Can’t let the Goddess of Light see me yawn.

“Actually, with the goji berries and red dates, the soup did taste better,” Vina stuck out her tongue, “Ehehe, next time I’ll use less.”

Leah rolled her eyes.

“There won’t be a next time. I’m never eating a midnight snack again. Anyway, everyone’s here, right? Let’s get this discussion over with.”

“Wait,” Zero stood up, “Ella isn’t here yet. I’ll go get her.”

Celes stopped her: “No need. What we’re discussing now is her application to join the team.”

“So soon? I thought we still had a month…”

“But we have a mission coming up. We need to decide before we leave.”

Celes answered Zero’s question.

“But…”

Zero looked glum, and Vina wanted to say something too. But before anyone could, Celes turned to the Saintess:

“Leah, about your objection last time—I can explain. It’s true that Ella might not be strong enough for the team’s combat needs. But looking at it another way, we’re not lacking in combat power right now. Our usual tactical formation is already complete. Ella can serve as support and backup for the team. So, your reason for objecting last time doesn’t hold.”

Leah, holding her black tea, stared blankly for a few seconds.

“Huh?”

“Didn’t hear me? I’ll repeat.”

“No, wait, hold on. Weren’t you against it too before?”

Leah widened her eyes at Celes, as if she’d seen a ghost.

Celes’s gaze was calm and her expression unchanged.

“After careful thought, I changed my mind.”

She wasn’t lying—it really was after careful thought.

Last night, after hugging Ella all night in bed, she’d vented her pressure, and the stifling feeling was gone.

With a clear head, Celes reconsidered the situation.

Ella’s application to join the team was only the surface issue.

The real conflict was the two-to-two split in the team’s opinions.

The key was to identify the crucial problem; once that was handled, everything else would fall into place.

Previously, the key problem was that she couldn’t persuade Zero and Vina.

So the solution was simple, if she joined their side, she’d only need to convince Leah.

That cut the difficulty by more than half.

From a deadlock to a united front!