The Unfortunate Girl Wants an Easy Mode in Her Second Life – Chapter 160

Chapter 160: A Reconciliation Hug
ㅤAlmi picked up Hamilton’s head, which had rolled onto the ground.
ㅤ
ㅤHamilton’s face was frozen in an expression of hatred in death.
ㅤWas the smile he showed in his final moments real or an illusion?
ㅤThere’s no way to know now.
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ㅤAlmi turned towards us, sword in one hand and head in the other.
ㅤ
ㅤ”The traitor Hamilton has been slain.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Ah, yes…”
ㅤ
ㅤSherry-san let out a bewildered voice.
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ㅤ”There may still be enemies remaining within the ruins. I will now eliminate them all.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Y-yes. That would be a great help. The undead soldiers are troublesome enough as it is, and this time they’re also demons.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Almi━━”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Minato, please protect the Captain here. I will take care of the rest.”
ㅤ
ㅤAlmi said in a stiff voice, turning her back to me and starting to walk.
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ㅤI couldn’t bring myself to speak to her back.
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ㅤ
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ㅤAfter that, there isn’t much to tell.
ㅤAlmi and the knights wiped out the remaining enemies.
ㅤ
ㅤI stood frozen, unable to move.
ㅤ
ㅤSherry-san must have noticed something was wrong with me, but she didn’t say anything.
ㅤ
ㅤAfter everything was over, Almi and I, awkwardly holding back our emotions, headed to the capital city of Radius and explained the situation to Queen Renaria.
ㅤ
ㅤInterrupting me, Almi explained to the Queen how she had defeated the “traitor.”
ㅤThe story unfolded exactly as Hamilton had planned.
ㅤ
ㅤ”I see. The Tree Country is pleased that the situation has been resolved peacefully.
ㅤThis was all thanks to your cooperation. Although it was originally a problem stemming from internal conflict within the Demon Kingdom, your sincerity has been clearly conveyed.
ㅤI have heard from Sherry, as well as other soldiers and citizens, how much effort you put into protecting the inhabitants of the Mist Forest.
ㅤThe Tree Country and the Demon Kingdom. I am confident that our two countries can build a friendly relationship for the future.”
ㅤ
ㅤThe specifics were to be worked out later between the respective personnel.
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ㅤOur job in the Tree Country was finished.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Oh, yes. It’s not often that we have the opportunity to have both Twin Demon Kings present. So, I would like to have a private dinner party prepared. Sherry and I will attend from our side.”
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ㅤ”Ah, yes. It would be a great honor.”
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ㅤI somehow managed to reply, feeling somewhat absentminded.
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ㅤI wanted to talk to Almi before the dinner party.
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ㅤBut Almi avoided me and shut herself in the room that had been prepared.
ㅤI didn’t know what to say either.
ㅤA part of me was relieved that I didn’t have to talk, and I fell into self-loathing.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Minato. It’s almost time.”
ㅤ
ㅤSherry-san came to get me.
ㅤSince it was a dinner party, Sherry-san was wearing a mature-looking dress.
ㅤI had also changed into the dress I had brought with me.
ㅤ
ㅤHowever, I wasn’t in the mood to wear a dress and be cheerful.
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ㅤ”Ah, yeah.”
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ㅤI replied, sounding dejected even to myself.
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ㅤSherry-san looked at my face intently.
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ㅤ”I was hesitant to ask… but you seem to be in pain.”
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ㅤ”Me?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Yes. Not only Minato, but Almirash as well. In fact, she seems to be in a more serious condition.”
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ㅤ”Almi is?”
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ㅤ”Minato is just depressed, but Almirash seems to be forcing herself. I understand a little, being in a leadership position myself. Those who force themselves like that can sometimes break down if left alone.”
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ㅤSherry-san’s words startled me.
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ㅤ（That’s right. It’s Almi who’s suffering.）
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ㅤWhat am I doing feeling down when she’s going through this?
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ㅤ（I understand what Almi is thinking.）
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ㅤShe feels responsible for letting Hamilton meet such an end, and she’s trying to atone for it by fulfilling the role Hamilton had prepared for her.
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ㅤ（Was it a good thing that we exposed Hamilton’s intentions?）
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ㅤWould it have been better to let Almi hate Hamilton, just as he had planned?
ㅤ
ㅤ（No, that’s not right!）
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ㅤBy making Hamilton the villain, Almi and I would lose our dependence on him━━Hamilton might have thought that.
ㅤBut that’s a huge misunderstanding.
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ㅤ”I won’t let him have his way.”
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ㅤSherry-san responded to my unintentional mutter.
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ㅤ”That’s right. People betray. You can’t take it all seriously, or you’ll break down. You and Minato did nothing wrong. Don’t worry about it and live looking forward.”
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ㅤSherry-san’s sincere advice left me with mixed feelings.
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ㅤ”Y-yeah. You’re right. Ahaha… Thank you, Sherry-san.”
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ㅤ”Yes. More importantly, we’ll keep Her Majesty waiting if we don’t hurry.”
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ㅤ”Ah, sorry. I’ll go get Almi.”
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ㅤ”No, let’s go together.”
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ㅤSherry-san and I went to get Almi.
ㅤShe was close by.
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ㅤ”Almi? It’s time.”
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ㅤ”Ah, yes. Wait.”
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ㅤWe knocked on the door, and Almi appeared immediately.
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ㅤAlmi was also dressed up.
ㅤIt’s quite difficult to match clothes to her blue hair and eyes.
ㅤShe usually ends up in cool-toned・light-colored outfits like today’s dress, so I, being with her, tend to wear warm or darker colors to balance it out. My black hair and eyes don’t make me too picky about clothes.
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ㅤI spoke to the slightly awkward Almi.
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ㅤ”Hey, Almi.”
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ㅤ”W-what, Minato?”
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ㅤ”I understand what you’re thinking, but maybe it’s a little different.”
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ㅤ”…What, suddenly?”
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ㅤ”Hamilton didn’t think this would be exposed. In other words, he didn’t intend to burden you with this. He was trying to take on all the burden himself and protect you. I think his method was wrong, though.”
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ㅤAlmi fell silent.
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ㅤ”You see… um. From now on, I’ll protect you, Almi.”
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ㅤ”…Huh?”
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ㅤ”So, I’ll protect you, Almi. And I want you to protect me. We’re similar, so it’s strange for only one of us to protect the other, right?”
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ㅤ”Um… I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
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ㅤ”We’re not really that strong, to be honest. We’re half-baked, unable to be Demon Kings on our own.
ㅤBut we decided to do it together. Everyone, including Hamilton, acknowledged our decision.
ㅤSo, I’m sure it’s okay.”
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ㅤI spoke to Almi, whose eyes were darting around.
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ㅤ”Let’s go back to the beginning when we’re lost. We’re just right when we’re extremely optimistic. We aim for our ideals brightly and cheerfully.
ㅤWe don’t have to care about what others expect of us. People think all sorts of selfish things, assume things, and try to force them on us. It’s frustrating because they think we’re easily swayed and take advantage of that.
ㅤWhen you’re alone, you tend to accept what’s forced upon you. I’m also frustrated with myself for that.
ㅤBut it’s my nature, so even if I’m careful, I can’t fix it.”
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ㅤ”Is that… how I am now?”
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ㅤ”I think so. So… um, this is difficult. You see, this might be misunderstood, but to put it bluntly, I want you to treat me specially.”
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ㅤ”Treat you specially?”
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ㅤ”Yes. I’m a special person to you, Almi. So, I want you to prioritize my words over what others say. Of course, the same goes for you to me.”
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ㅤ”That’s… right. Yes, needless to say, Minato is special. But I might have forgotten until you said it.”
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ㅤAlmi’s face relaxed a little.
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ㅤ”I think if we do that, we can deflect anything others try to force on us. We’ll create our own world and put up a barrier.”
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ㅤ”Yes, you’re right.”
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ㅤAlmi smiled.
ㅤSeeing her smile for the first time in a while made my body tingle.
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ㅤI impulsively hugged Almi.
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ㅤ”Whoa! H-hey, Minato?”
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ㅤ”I’m glad. I was scared you might go somewhere far away.”
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ㅤI hugged Almi tightly.
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ㅤ”I… won’t go anywhere, Minato.”
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ㅤ”Me neither. I’ll be with you, Almi.”
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ㅤWe got into a strange mood and completely forgot about our surroundings.
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ㅤSherry-san said quietly.
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ㅤ”Ah, um. You should do that kind of thing when you’re alone, okay? And, have you forgotten I’m here?”
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ㅤ…Needless to say, Almi and I hurriedly separated.