Tilea's Worries

Ortissio is quitting the Evil God Army.

Yep, I said it as if he was just quitting a club. Right now, rumors are swirling around the underground empire that Ortissio is leaving the Evil God Army.

The truth of the matter is unclear, but I think it's true. Ortissio has been feeling out of place in the Evil God Army. He must be uncomfortable. Just recently, during the Vampire King incident, Ortissio was about to be blamed for it.

Edim's faction coerced the vampire to frame Ortissio as the mastermind. The members of the Evil God Army even jumped on this ridiculous logic because they wanted to blame Ortissio no matter what.

Guys, seriously?

How could weak Ortissio threaten a vampire?

I wanted to say that, but I didn't need to. Everyone already knew that. They just wanted to blame Ortissio for everything. It's bullying, plain and simple. I managed to stand up for Ortissio that time, but I'm sure he was left with a feeling of despair.

Ortissio used to enjoy being with everyone, but now it's just painful for him.

Ortissio is a fool who gets carried away despite being weak. He even attacked me and Jessica-chan in the past. Because of that, he's been shunned by his friends and is now all alone.

I felt so sorry for him that I couldn't help but protect him. Ortissio is a fool, but that's why he's kind of cute and hard to ignore.

However, everyone else, especially Timu and Dryas, treats Ortissio like an enemy.

Ortissio is surrounded on all sides.

If I continue to strictly admonish everyone, maybe Ortissio's situation will improve a little, but...

Maybe it's time.

I've been playing mother to Ortissio for quite a while, but he's grown up. He can't play around forever. Quitting is a good opportunity for him. It might be a little sad, but thinking about his future, I should see him off with a smile.

Now that it's decided, I'll celebrate Ortissio's departure with a lavish meal.

"Where's that traitor?!"

... What should I make?

Meat dishes are good, but fish dishes are also tempting.

"Find the rebel Ortissio!"

... Oh, I just remembered. We got some good chicken this month. Maybe I should make a special roasted chicken with olives.

"Kill him! Don't let the traitor escape!"

... Wait, we also have butter, so maybe a creamy chicken stew would be nice.

"Tear the great sinner Ortissio apart!"

Phew, as expected.

There's no way these guys will let Ortissio go quietly. You shouldn't underestimate people with a "chuunibyou" mindset. When they hear Ortissio is quitting, they'll start shouting about "treason" and "betrayal." They're yelling so loudly that I can hear them from my room!

What's with you guys? Do even our little Evil God Army club have iron-clad rules?

Do you need money or get beat up to leave?

Are you a gang or something?

Strong camaraderie is one thing, but this is going too far. This commotion is getting out of hand. Before it turns into a riot, I need to stop it.

I head to the room where Ortissio stays, in the Second Division's quarters.

When I arrive, a crowd of dozens is shouting, "Bring out Ortissio!" Meanwhile, the Second Division members are desperately trying to fend them off.

Isn't this already a riot?

Even if it's just for fun, this could lead to injuries. Especially the ones casting fire magic; that's seriously dangerous. Fires start from things like this.

I need to stop it quickly!

But how?

The corridors of the underground empire aren't narrow, but they're not wide enough for a crowd of dozens. The area in front of the Second Division's quarters is packed with people.

Hmm, thinking won't help. I'll use brute force.

"You guys, stop it!"

I tackle my way into the crowd. With this many people, I have no choice but to force my way in.

"Ouch! What the— oh, it's Tilea-sama!"

"Yes, yes, it's Tilea-sama. You guys, stop making a fuss!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

... They stopped.

Normally, when things get this heated, you'd expect people to shout, "Shut up!" or "Get lost!"

Yeah, it's like they've been hit with a bucket of cold water.

I was prepared for the worst, like getting hit by the heated crowd.

But you're all so obedient. That's one thing to appreciate.

"So, is Ortissio not here?"

I ask the members of the Second Division standing in front of the room.

"No, the commander is not in the room."

"Liar! Hiding him won't do you any good!"

"You're all guilty for hiding a traitor!"

The crowd starts getting riled up again in response to the Second Division's words.

"Guys, I told you to stop it!"

"We're terribly sorry."

And again, they quiet down.

Seriously, learn something already.

They're obedient but also short-tempered. Chuunibyou patients are really hard to handle.

"Tilea-sama, I beg you, please believe in Commander Ortissio. He is not a traitor. The rumors about him betraying the Evil God Army are baseless."

A member of the Second Division pleads with his head bowed.

"What are you saying? There's no smoke without fire."

"Okay, stop! If you keep this up, I'll have to use force."

I raise my fist and threaten them, making the chuunibyou patients shrink back.

Sigh, even though I've been cooking and training, it's still surprising that they'd be intimidated by me. They talk tough but are actually pretty timid.

After getting the crowd to retreat like a bunch of scared cats, I focus on finding Ortissio.

Alright, the riot is settled for now. Now, where could Ortissio be?

Since it's such a commotion, he must be hiding somewhere, unable to come out.

"Ortissio, where are you?"

I search through each room in the underground empire.

"Ortissio, you lost little lamb, where are you?"

As I'm looking for Ortissio, I see Timu coming towards me, carrying a large bundle.

"Ah, it's Onee-sama!"

Timu calls out, but I freeze on the spot.

T-Tim, where did you get those things?

My eyes are drawn to what Timu is carrying:

Hammers, nails, a spiked club—pretty much the usual tools. A full set of torture devices.

"Tim, I'm going to ask a very obvious question."

"Yes, what is it?"

"What are those things in your hands for?"

"Of course, they're to make the traitor Ortissio experience hell."

Timu answers with a beaming smile.

There isn't a hint of hesitation.

Ah—ah—ah—gosh—why are chuunibyou patients like this?

"Onee-sama, is something wrong? If you don't like these, don't worry. I also have the Iron Maiden and the Brazen Bull that you mentioned before."

Ugh, Timu, why do you remember such things? Forget those casual talks. Did you really make those horrible tools?

Seriously, I regret joking around with chuunibyou patients.

If Timu had a sensible friend, they could stop him, but unfortunately, everyone around him thinks the same way.

What should I do?

As I'm racking my brains,

"Camilla-sama!"

Edim comes running towards us from down the corridor.

Oh, Edim's here. Edim is a chuunibyou patient, but she's more sensible than Timu. I want Edim, as a friend, to stop Timu's rampage.

—What's that?

Edim is carrying something too.

"Camilla-sama, I found something good. A dull blade. With this, we can slowly chop off his neck without killing him instantly!"

"Good job."

"That's not good at all!"

I reflexively slap Timu on the back of his head.

Edim is carrying a rusty, blunt sword. It's not a common tool for torture.

Edim, where did you even find that?

Wait, no!

A rusty sword is dangerous. If you accidentally cut yourself, you could get tetanus.

"Onee-sama?"

Timu looks puzzled, rubbing his head. Edim also looks confused. Neither of them understands my feelings at all.

"Tim, hand over all those dangerous tools. They're confiscated."

"Yes. But what about Ortissio's execution? He betrayed us twice. He must be tortured."

"Tim, leave Ortissio's matter to me. You go back to your room and do your homework."

"Onee-sama, homework is just low-level problems from the academy, right? They aren't even questions for me—"

"Tim, just do it."

"Understood, Onee-sama."

"And Edim!"

"Yes? Is there something about Ortissio's execution that I should handle—"

"Stop that. Timu will mimic you!"

"Um, what exactly do you mean...?"

"Just stop it, really. That rusty sword is dangerous. You don't even know what tetanus is, right?"

I pinch Edim's cheeks hard while scolding him.

"Ow, ow, ow. I, I understand, Tilea-sama. I'm really sorry."

After thoroughly pinching Edim's cheeks, I sent the two back to their rooms. Of course, I had Ohon, a nearby soldier, dispose of the torture tools.

Now, back to searching for Ortissio.

After several more minutes of searching the underground empire, I encountered a pervert.

I had a bad feeling immediately.

Especially the rope that the pervert was holding.

I could already imagine what he intended to do with it.

As I approached, the pervert greeted me with a smile.

“Tilea-sama!”

“Neilsen, what’s that rope for?”

“This? It’s to tie up the traitor Ortissio.”

“Oh, to tie him up? And then what?”

“After tying him up, I’ll teach him the meaning of loyalty with my fists.”

The pervert swung his fists around, throwing jabs and one-twos, all with an annoying, flashy style.

“Okay, can I borrow that rope for a bit?”

“As you wish.”

I took the rope from the pervert and pulled it taut with both hands.

“Wow, this is pretty sturdy.”

“Yes, it’s a divine tool, the Rope of Heaven. It’s said to have even restrained the god Heracles.”

“Oh, a divine tool, huh? That’s impressive.”

Feigning interest, I tied the pervert up tightly.

“T-Tilea-sama?”

There, that should do it.

Now...

I tied the bound pervert to a doorknob.

“Tilea-sama, what is this? Tilea-samaaa!”

Someone will find and free him eventually.

I continued my search for Ortissio.

Then, I encountered Dryas.

It couldn’t be, right? I trust Dryas, the smart one, to not do something foolish.

“Tilea-sama.”

“So, Dryas, are you carrying something too?”

“Something?”

“Like torture tools for Ortissio?”

“Of course, I have some.”

Dryas pulled out a small vial from his pocket, filled with a mysterious blue liquid.

Looks like we have another fool.

“What’s this?”

“Poison. It won’t kill immediately, but it’s perfect for making someone suffer slowly.”

Dryas explained with a smile.

Poison, huh...

Dryas is smart, but that makes him even more dangerous.

Sigh, these guys are really testing my patience.

“Give it to me!”

“Yes.”

I snatched the vial from Dryas, unable to hide my irritation.

A poison made by the forest elves...

What kind of poison is it?

I opened the vial and sniffed it.

It had an almond scent, with a hint of rhionicotoxin.

“The ingredients are deathcap mushrooms and poison dart frogs?”

“As expected of you, Tilea-sama. Yes, those are two of the ingredients.”

“You know, those poison dart frogs are extremely toxic, right?”

“Yes, but I’ve added columbine to ensure it doesn’t kill instantly.”

He’s not only seriously mistaken but also saying incredibly dangerous things.

“Dryas, I’m confiscating this.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Sigh, maybe I praised him too much and he got carried away.

Use your imagination a little. What if someone accidentally drank this?

Dryas, making poison doesn’t make you clever.

After searching the underground empire thoroughly, Ortissio was still nowhere to be found.

Where the heck is he?

I guess I'll go down to the second basement level.

“...sama.”

“Huh? Did someone call me?”

I heard a faint voice and looked around.

“Tilea-sama.”

Oh, it’s Gil, the silent pervert!

“What’s up? Why are you sneaking around?”

“Tilea-sama, Commander Ortissio is here.”

“Really? Ortissio’s in there?”

“Yes.”

Gil led me into a nearby room.

“Where is he?”

“Over here.”

Gil pointed to a large cupboard.

Well, it’s big, but it’s still just a cupboard.

There’s barely enough space for a grown man.

I opened the cupboard.

“Ortissio!?”

“I failed, I failed, I failed, I failed, I failed, I failed, I failed, I failed, I failed, I failed, I failed, I failed, I failed, I failed, I failed, I’m a traitor to the Evil God Army now. Stupid, stupid, what was I thinking being Tilea-sama’s loyal servant? The day I took in Edim’s vampire squad, I was caught in Edim’s crossfire. I failed, I failed, I failed, I failed, what’s the cause? Useless subordinates? Meddling strategists? Or did I fail to control them properly? But I’m not to blame, it’s the meddling strategist’s fault.”

There, huddled in the cupboard, was Ortissio, looking like he was on the verge of death, muttering curses.