Editing Sorcery Hacker:Volume4 Phase03 (section)

===Part 12===

The dark elves secretly met around a corner in the hallway.

The image of Hemylina, the bespectacled aide, was now in the hallway instead of the ceiling space. The strange cube with doors for each face had rolled out here and now Hemylina was seated on the floor with her hands reaching toward the box. She was of course only an image. Her pose resembled a fortune teller or someone warming themselves at a campfire.

“Here.”

Mamilis held out a notebook-sized bag. But it was made of silver-colored mana-conducting silver and was quite sturdy. The Royal Guards accompanying Guardeleo had brought it, so it likely contained a collection of high-quality medical goods. The Royal Guards had brought several and this appeared to be a spare.

Was this really all Hemylina wanted?

Hemylina’s face lit up just like a teenage girl. No matter how cunning the dark elf strategist was, she may have retained her purity when it came to admiration for her emperor.

“Thank goodness… Now we might just be able to save the emperor’s life. You have my utmost thanks.”

“But how are you going to get it into the consul guest quarters? Hasn’t the thick barrier closed off the door, window, and walls?”

“That’s what the door cube is for.”

One of the small box’s doors opened. A void of darkness lurked within.

Curious, Mamilis stuck her hand inside and found her arm sank in past the elbow despite the box’s 0.1 esoule<ref>Approximately 12 centimeters.</ref> size. And she felt something touching her fingertips on “the other side”.

“Is this connected?”

“Despite its spatial linking, the box itself has a very limited remote movement range, so it isn’t as convenient as you would think.”

It was only about the size of an apple, so there didn’t seem any way for the notebook-sized medical kit to fit inside. Mamilis opened the bag and began tossing the items into the box one at a time.

But apparently that effort wasn’t necessary.

“I will widen the box’s opening, so you join us too. Jump in here and freedom awaits you. Our emperor and empire are in your debt. You need not remain on this despicable continent that discriminates against demons. Enter the consul guest quarters and you can join us as a citizen of the Philosommelier Personal Empire!”

But.

Mamilis shook her head.

“I can’t go.”

“Why not?”

“I know that emperor person is hurt and I can’t ignore that. That’s why I helped you. But that doesn’t mean I want to go to join you on your continent.”

“Why not!? Why remain in this horrific kingdom that discriminates against demons and even sheds the blood of its own kind!?”

Why indeed.

Mamilis considered the question and was a little surprised by her decision.

Why had she climbed above the ceiling to try and help Ayato?

Only now did Mamilis Coster realize how she felt.

(So that’s it.)

“I want coach to be proud of me.”

“…”

“Humans only think about themselves – especially the ones on this continent who discriminate against demons. I agree with you on that.”

Hearing that alone, one might think she had decided to go with Hemylina after all.

But Hemylina was not encouraged.

She could sense in the air that something was separating the two of them.



“But my grandma took in a dark elf like me.”



So Mamilis continued without interruption.



“And coach saved me from human traffickers.”



Hemylina simply listened.

She might not agree, but she did not interrupt.

“Doing those things on this continent must be a lot harder than doing it elsewhere. But they did it without a second thought. I can’t abandon them. I want them to be proud of me. I can’t just take. Now it’s my turn to give back. As a simple dark elf, I want to do something unprecedented.”

It wasn’t that Hemylina didn’t understand.

The bodyguards from her continent were half elves born from the pairing of human and elf. And Hemylina, a dark elf herself, was willing to go to war for her human emperor.

She couldn’t stop Mamilis.

The negotiation had failed.

“Next time we meet, you will be my enemy.”

“You can say that all you want, but coach will still save you and your injured emperor.”

All six doors opened.

The darkness lurking within vanished and the dark elf’s image was snuffed out along with it.