"No, we didn't kill her. Jaldabaoth appeared before we could do that.”

"...Is that so? I see, I see."

The anger vanished, and Evileye wondered if he had even been angry in the first place. But, the silent Nabe's hard eyes were still filled with simmering wrath. It was difficult to tell if she disdained everyone in this way.

Momon coughed, and asked, "Then... if you hadn't tried to kill the insect maid, do you think Jaldabaoth would have attacked you?"

Evileye instantly realized why Momon had been angry. The insect maid had been neutral, and for all she knew, the two of them attacking her might have been the trigger for the current events.

It was only natural for adventurers to avoid unnecessary battles. If a group of high level adventurers didn't know this, it would disgrace the name of adamantite-ranked adventurers, and even Momon himself. That should be the reason why he was upset. Even so, Evileye couldn't fully agree with that line of reasoning.

"Jaldabaoth said that he would turn the capital into an inferno. A maid following someone like that couldn't possibly be a normal person. I believe the decision my colleagues made to fight her was the correct course of action."

That was the one thing she couldn't compromise on. That maid had been stronger than Gagaran and Tia. Knowing this, they had still fought on— there had to be a reason for that. She had to believe that her comrades had had a good reason for what they did.

The defensive Evileye and the silent Momon looked at each other, as though peering through her mask and his helmet. Although neither could see each other's face, Evileye was certain that she was staring into Momon's eyes.

In the end, Momon was the first to give in.

"Mmm. Ah. I see. You were right. I apologize."

He lowered his head to her. That shocked Evileye. Even though her belief in her comrades was firm, she still couldn't make her savior humble himself like that.

"Ah! Please, raise your head! Such a wonderful person like you should... Ueeeeee?"

As she realised what she had just said, Evileye let out a pathetic yelp.

While it was true that Momon was an outstanding individual, when you thought about it, using the word "wonderful" to describe him was...

Evileye squealed in her heart.

Aaaaah! I can't help it, he's too damn cool! Is it wrong for me to feel like a girl again, just once in hundreds of years? After all, he's a mighty warrior who's stronger than me...

Given the way Evileye was looking at Momon like a lovestruck schoolgirl, if he felt embarrassed and said so, that meant she still had a chance. If not, her chances would be miniscule.

Evileye's body had stopped developing at the age of twelve. As such, she possessed none of the parts that men wanted to see. Whether it came to inducing the fires of lust in others, or satisfying said lust, it would have been very difficult for her. Of course, a certain subset of men would have been very attracted to her, but they were a minority. With a beauty like Nabe nearby, her chances seemed even slimmer.

As Evileye gathered her courage to look at him, she found that Momon and Nabe were looking at the night sky instead.

She didn't quite know what they were doing at first, but when she remembered how she had wailed just now, it came to her. The two of them had taken her cry as a warning.

No, it's not~

With nothing to say, the feeling drove her to the brink of tears.

"...maybe you were mistaken? There's nothing there," Momon said as he scanned the surrounding sky.

"M-mistake, it was a mistake. I'm truly sorry."

"Ah, think nothing of it. It's better to be mistaken than ambushed."

Nabe returned her sword to her back, as Momon replied to Evileye with one sword in hand.

His gentleness left Evileye speechless. In that moment, the edge of her vision lit up. The color wasn't the pure white of magic, but a malevolent red, the color of a roaring blaze.

"Momon-san, look over there."

As Nabe said this, the two of them turned to look at the crimson radiance. Evileye's eyes widened, for she knew what had caused the fire.

"What? That's..."

The crimson fire spat tongues of flame toward the sky, as though it aimed to burn down the heavens. It was easily more than thirty meters high, and she could hardly imagine how wide it was— several hundred meters, maybe more.

The wall of flame swayed like a veil, and encircled the city like a girdle.

Evileye, who had been shocked senseless by the sight, heard a soft male voice in her ear.

"‘Flames of Gehenna’?"

As though her neck was on springs, she snapped her head to the side to face Momon.

"That, that, what, what is that? Momon, do you know what that huge wall of flame is?"

Momon's shoulders trembled slightly as he replied, with an uncharacteristic lack of confidence.

"Eh? Ah... no, no, I can't be very sure about that. Can I tell you again after I confirm the details?"

"That... that's all right..."

"I need to discuss something with Nabe, please excuse us."

"Eh, can't I come along too?"

"Ah, no, it's a personal thing. Please, excuse us."

It was so basic, so obvious that Evileye felt ashamed for even asking in the first place. Her wandering eyes settled on the woman known as the Beautiful Princess.

On her face was a triumphant smile.

She might have been mistaken, but then again, she might not. It was only natural for a woman to feel superior to all other women when a great man paid special attention to her.

Evileye was unable to suppress the strange feeling boiling up inside her. It was an anger that disgusted her; the flames of jealousy.

He's not just strong, he also knows things even I don't... I won't ever meet a man like him again.

Human females were naturally attracted to the strong. When threatened by a powerful outside force, it triggered their natural instinct to join with a strong male and bear his children, receiving protection for herself and her offspring. Of course, not all women would select a man in this manner. Personality, looks, many factors could lead to love. Even so, there was a very strong inclination to look for strength in a partner.