But then again, maybe Zenos— Her mind swirled. Liz was beautiful, thoughtful, good at all sorts of things including housework. Not only that, Zenos and Liz had a strong bond, having grown up together in the harsh environment of the orphanage.
A bond Lily couldn’t sever.
Zenos is... He’s... Her legs trembled. She felt dizzy.
From within the cave, Liz continued, “Now that we’ve met again, Zenos, I can see how important you are to me. Stay with me, just like the old days—”
Zenos, who had been silently lying underneath her, interjected. “What are you saying? We’re kind of already living together.”
“That’s not what I mean. I want to be with you, just the two of us, somewhere far from here.” A sweet scent wafted forth as she spoke, her voice clear as a chime.
Zophia had said Liz could wield the power of a succubus, and whether due to that magic or something else, what appeared to be a powerful aphrodisiac filled the cave. Even Lily nearly succumbed to its powerful draw. Liz’s voice, her actions, her breath, everything about her stimulated the senses, making even the elven girl feel as though her brain was drowning in a sea of pleasure.
Liz continued, “I think I could make you happy, Zenos.” A sharp pain throbbed deep inside a part of her heart she’d long sealed away. “I can cook delicious meals for you, take care of everything around you, and do even more than that. Anything you desire, I can grant. So stay with me...”
Slowly, Liz’s face inched toward Zenos’s. Her allure was almost dazzling, and the cave was swirling with the scent of aged honey, the smell flowing out like thick liquid.
Lily needed to move now. She knew that, but her legs wouldn’t move. Wh-Why? But...
As Lily continued to stand there, conflicted, she heard Zenos say, “I can’t do that, Liz.”
“Huh?” Lily blurted out as though waking from a dream as the rain continued to pelt her.
The cool outside air rushed into the cave, gradually neutralizing the pervasive scent. Liz’s puzzled voice echoed from within. “Why not?”
“Before I answer that,” Zenos replied, “there’s some sort of sweet smell in here making my head spin. Liz, are you using some sort of really nice perfume?”
“N-No, this is succub—”
“Huh?”
“N-Nothing.”
Still pinned down, Zenos furrowed his brow lightly. “Sorry. I almost lost consciousness for a second there, so I used a mind-enhancing spell to increase my sense of pain many times over and bit my tongue. It’s healed now, though.”
“You did what?” Liz asked, incredulous. “You should’ve just passed out!”
“What? I mean, it seemed like an important conversation. Wouldn’t be very nice if I went and fell asleep, would it?”
A stunned Liz watched in silence as Zenos slowly sat up.
“So, about us living together somewhere else... I’m really grateful to you, Liz. You gave everyone at the orphanage a place to belong, not just me. Even after all the crap I went through with my former adventuring party, I still had good memories, all thanks to you and my mentor.”
Liz suddenly leaned forward. “Th-Then you—”
“But after my party kicked me out, I met Lily, and we started the clinic. The plan was to just lead a quiet life, but, uh, a lot of stuff has happened since then.” Zenos’s calm, unconcerned tone blended in with the rainfall. “The one thing I can say for sure is that I’ve made that clinic into a place where I—no, a bunch of oddballs, me included—belong.”
“That’s... But...!”
In a somewhat gentle voice, Zenos continued. “It’s just like what you did for all of us at the orphanage, Liz.” The young woman stopped talking, and Zenos’s tone turned serious. “I’ve gone through many meetings and partings. There might be more in the future. But for now, at least, I want to protect that ramshackle clinic—the place where we belong. So I can’t go with you.”
Choking up, Liz opened her mouth. “I... I’m...”
“Is something going on with you, Liz?”
“Huh?”
“I mean, it occurred to me that maybe your amnesia was just an excuse for something.”
Liz gasped in surprise and straightened up. “H-How did you—”
“So it was, then. I was a bit curious after that luxurious feast you cooked up.”
“Why would my cooking make you think that?”
“I mean, back at the orphanage, we didn’t really have the ingredients to make that kinda stuff. I figured maybe you’d learned to cook after you left. And if so, then it couldn’t be true that you’d lost all your memories after leaving, yeah?”
After a brief silence, Liz said hoarsely, “Why would I lie, though?”
“Well, I figured you had to have a good reason to do something like that. It didn’t strike me as a simple prank, so I wanted to see where you were going with it.”
Silence fell upon the cave, with only the sound of rainfall echoing around them.
Wh-What happened? Lily wondered as she quietly peered into the cave. She spotted Liz sitting down, looking deflated. Her slender shoulders began to tremble slightly, as though she were laughing. The laughter, sounding somewhat resigned, grew louder and stronger.
After a long while, Liz’s laughter trailed off and she sighed heavily. “So you knew all along.” Another sigh. “Well, that didn’t work out. I can’t injure you, I can’t seduce you, and I can’t deceive you. What can I even do, then? You’re formidable, aren’t you? Ah, what a joke.”
