Chapter 47: Smooth Criminal (5)

“Yes……?”

At my sudden proposal, Lily's widened eyes turned to me.

“What, does that mean……”

“Don't our interests align?”

I met Lily's gaze with a grin and said.

“We need a skilled healer. And you, Ms. Lily, want this village to be safe.”

A win-win situation, isn't it?

“Wait, what?”

The first person to react to these words was not Lily, but Ibi.

“You're going to take a succubus who can't even control herself with us? Are you out of your mind?”

Do you want to get drained to death too?

Lily flinched at Ibi's blunt remark.

Ibi, who had been looking back and forth between Lily and me with a look of incomprehension, suddenly gasped as if she had realized something.

“……No, don't tell me. Is that your goal?”

“No, you brat.”

I immediately dismissed that nonsense, which made me sigh, but Ibi still tried to take a step away from me with a look of disgust.

In the first place, that misunderstanding was wrong from the premise.

“And Ms. Lily can control herself just fine.”

“…Isn't the whole reason we're in this mess because she can't?”

That's both right and wrong.

“Ms. Lily.”

When her name was called by me, Lily showed a flinching, cowering reaction. …I'm telling you, it's not like that.

“You said you've been going to pray at dawn for five years since you became an adult, right?”

Of course, considering her deep faith, it wouldn't be that strange.

And in fact, no one thought it was.

“The reason for that was actually because you couldn't fall asleep, wasn't it?”

“…!”

Because she had no idea she was a succubus.

Well, maybe she had found out in her dreams now.

“As you became an adult, the succubus desires that had been dormant within you began to manifest.”

So Lily prayed.

She asked for help, to be able to suppress her impure desires.

Lily, who had lowered her head again, couldn't deny my words at all.

Because it was the truth.

“…So doesn't that mean she can't control it?”

“Five years, Ibi.”

In other words, she had been suppressing her true nature for a whopping five years.

That's not something just anyone can do.

It means she is a person of incredible ‘mentality’.

Moreover, the desire that had manifested as a succubus was not the kind of lust that people commonly feel.

As I said before, draining is a succubus's ‘meal’.

In short, it was an appetite, a survival instinct.

It wasn't something you could endure just by wanting to.

“Ms. Lily has been starving for five years and has still controlled herself.”

So it can't be helped.

No matter how deep her faith or how strong her mentality, as a living being, it's simply impossible to continue to go against her survival instincts.

As Lily said before, when driven to an extreme situation, even the most good and strong people are bound to become extreme.

Recently, Lily had finally reached her limit, and the series of incidents was the result of the instincts she had been suppressing for so long running wild.

And that instinct had made Lily herself not remember her actions at all.

A kind of defense mechanism, shall we say.

“……You are right.”

Suddenly, Lily collapsed to the ground as if she had broken down.

“I… have harbored feelings that a cleric should not.”

Because her last line of defense had crumbled.

“It was really… all my doing….”

She had reached a stage where she could no longer deny it.

“Unfortunately, you can no longer stay in this village.”

It might sound like a cruel sentence, but it was the truth.

The villagers would never come close to the truth that Lily was the culprit.

Instead, at first, as we have already seen, they would point their arrows at outsiders, and later, they would turn them on each other.

“The same thing will continue to happen.”

But even in that situation, the arrow would never be pointed at Lily.

Literally, until the end of this village.

How many people could accept that the person who was called the pride of the village and the blessing of Sistina was actually a succubus who threatened the villagers?

Moreover, Lily's appearance when she was dominated by her instincts was, as we have already seen, her usual self.

Because just as her true form as a succubus was her true self, the polite and devout nun who had apologized and prayed before casting 「Charm」 on me was also her true self.

Even when consumed by instinct, she does not lose her true nature.

If her personality had completely changed, it would have been easier to distinguish, but since even that was impossible, Lily had never been and would never be a suspect.

“That's why, I'm saying you should come with us.”

Therefore, this was the only way.

Lily had to leave the village.

“But…”

Because she knew that fact well, Lily couldn't easily continue.

“I… have to pay for my sins.”

“So, you're going to take your own life?”

“……!”

Lily once again showed a reaction as if she had been hit right on the mark.

“H-How…”

The reason Lily's survival instinct had made her not remember her actions was because it knew very well how Lily would try to stop that instinct once she reached the truth.

That she would do something that would go completely against her survival instinct.

“Because you're the kind of person who would, Ms. Lily.”

And I would never let that happen.

“The long starvation of five years would not have been solved by simply losing consciousness. But in the end, no one died.”

Those people will wake up soon.

I immediately added.

“Even while being dominated by instinct, you never crossed the line. ──Because you are a person with a good nature.”

Because you are the kind of person who would apologize to a prey that had deliberately provoked you while you were out of your mind with hunger, and ask for forgiveness from the god you believe in.

“I know very well that such a person would not make the bishop who raised you since you were young or the villagers go through an experience that would make them suffer from regret and pain for the rest of their lives.”

That's why Lily would quietly leave the village and face a lonely death by herself so that no one would be harmed by her ever again.

Sooner or later, whether we intervened or not, that was the end of all the worldlines where Lily was not accepted as a companion.

“Do you think those people, or Lady Sistina, would want that?”

“Even so…”

“Even so, you won't be able to easily forgive yourself.”

No matter how impossible it was to control the situation, she would be crushed by the guilt that it was she who had committed all those acts.

“But what you're trying to do, Ms. Lily, is not atonement at all. How can cutting off even the chance to be forgiven be atonement?”

Please give those people, and Lady Sistina, a chance to forgive you.

As if mulling over my words, Lily's head slowly lowered.

“We are going to the Demon King's Castle.”

“…!”

It was time for the final push.

“That's why we need a skilled healer, no, we need you.”

At the same time, two dice began to roll.

“The bishop must have heard it a while ago. ‘The movements of the demon race beyond the Wall are unusual’. Stout has sent an expedition because of this news. That news is true. A new Demon King is gathering them.”

It was time for [Persuasion].

“If the Demon King crosses the Wall, this Sista Village will not be safe either.”

Let's go defeat the Demon King together.

“Let's make this village safe from your instincts, and from the greatest threat that will come in the future.”

As if in response to my strong will to never leave Lily behind, the faces of both dice came up as 6, even though I hadn't used 「Moment of the Star」.

“Wouldn't that be the best atonement you can make right now, Ms. Lily?”

--

[Persuasion]

Great Success

--

“……B-But.”

And yet, Lily still continued in a voice filled with anguish.

“The village might be safe… but if I’m with you, you will surely……”

“Experience the same thing?”

“I will… hurt you…!”

At Lily's words, Ibi crossed her arms as if to say, ‘that's what I'm talking about’.

To accept Lily as a companion, two [Persuasion] checks were needed, and this was the second one.

Just because she had learned the truth didn't mean she could control the rampaging succubus instincts.

“Don't worry.”

Well, I can, though.

“I'll take responsibility for that.”

“……Pardon?”

“Take responsibility, what do you mean…”

At my confident declaration, everyone's attention was focused on me.

“──Lily.”

Then I looked into Lily's eyes and said.

“It's hard to explain right now… but trust me. I know a way. I will help you control yourself.”

So that she, who had begun to look up at me with moist, desperate eyes, as if she wanted to believe my words so much, could be at ease.

“None of us will be hurt by you.”

With a gentle smile.

“I swear it, here and now.”

And after a while.

Lily finally nodded her head without a word.

At that, I looked at my companions one by one.

Miki had supported my decision from the beginning and was completely welcoming.

Rine calmly nodded her head.

Finally, Ibi also sighed as if she had no choice and gestured for me to do as I pleased.

“Then it's decided.”

--

Cleric ‘Lily’ officially joins the party.

--

I held out my hand once more, and.

“I look forward to working with you, Lily.”

This time, with the hand that was properly held, I helped Lily up from her seat.

* * *

“We have caught the culprit.”

The next day, we called the chief and the bishop and told them.

“No more villagers will collapse in the middle of the night.”

“Ooh…!”

“So, who on earth did this…”

“It was the work of a devil.”

“…!”

“A-A devil?”

“It was a succubus. It had been draining the villagers' essence.”

“Ah, so that's why people…”

“We failed to capture it, but we drove it out for sure last night. It will not appear in this village again.”

Ms. Lily's help was great.

When I added that, Lily flinched slightly, then quietly nodded her head.

“It won't… cause any more harm to the village.”

Since we hadn't brought the culprit in person, it was natural to be suspicious, but when Lily also played along, everyone soon seemed to agree.

They might doubt my words, but they would believe anything Lily said.

“How can we ever thank you…”

“Ah, it's alright. We have already received enough thanks.”

“Pardon?”

“Ms. Lily has decided to accompany us.”

At these words, the two of them were once again greatly surprised.

“Sister Lily…?”

Especially the bishop.

“We were on our way to the Wall in the north. To take responsibility for the threat that has befallen this village, Ms. Lily has decided to go to the Wall with us.”

It wasn't a lie.

It was as if she had chosen the path of self-exile to take responsibility.

“…To bring this matter to a close, it is something I must do.”

For Lily, who was not good at lying, I was just telling a part of the truth.

“I believe this is the best way I can repay these people who have worked so hard for the village, and all of you who have cared for me.”

“……It seems you have already made your decision, sister.”

“…Yes, Bishop.”

The bishop was greatly surprised by the sudden decision, but he soon let out a long breath and nodded his head.

“If that is the case, I will support your decision.”

As if he had already known that a day like this would come.

“Sister Lily is an outstanding healer. She will surely be of great help to you.”

“Yes. I know that very well.”

…To be honest, I don't really know how much the bishop knows.

It was never mentioned in the first place.

Whether he had already known that Lily was too big of a vessel for this small village to contain, or if… he had actually noticed something about her identity.

So there were many opinions about how much the bishop actually knew, but.

“Sister Lily.”

What everyone agreed on for sure was.

“Please… stay healthy.”

That he had the heart of a parent cheering for his child's future.