Diary of Guarding Monster Girls

She recalled how embarrassed she was back when Herbert forcibly controlled the Sealing Array.

"You dare threaten me... hehe."

She glared at Herbert, but before she could finish her words, she started laughing too.

What seemed like anger at that time, turned out to be quite amusing in retrospect.

How did two once adversaries eventually reach this point in their relationship?

Fremay herself couldn't figure out the answer to that question.

They just slowly spent time together... Oh right, almost forgot about this.

She looked at Herbert, her gaze unusually gentle.

"I'm so delighted you can hear my song."

After being lonely for so long and far from her people for many years, someone finally heard her song.

He was unharmed and alive... safe and sound!

At that moment, Fremay felt she had met destiny.

She finally found the person she had been waiting for.

Finally, at that moment, Fremay completely changed her view of Herbert.

He was no longer just a somewhat special young man, not just a Paladin Warden overseeing the prison.

He started to become a... special existence.

An incredibly important person to her.

And it was this special bond that was the catalyst for all the emotional factors.

She began to anticipate singing together with him.

Started hoping he would come sooner to hear her songs.

And also began... to miss him when he wasn't around.

But to call this feeling "love" would be too simple.

Love is simple, yet it's not that simple.

At this time, Fremay's feelings toward Herbert were more like a "fondness" between friends.

Even more so, a unique fondness beyond friendship.

Out of help for a friend, she followed Herbert's plans to deal with those who broke into the prison.

Even though she had no personal grievances with those Dark Elves, and she didn't enjoy killing, since it was a friend's request, she acted accordingly.

She would also grant him her blessing and make a promise when Herbert departed.

And it was that promise that allowed Fremay's vaguely budding emotions to fully bloom.

After Herbert left, although only a few days passed, she found herself starting to miss him.

Time, which was once meaningless to her, began to feel long and painful.

Even when she thought about Herbert leaving with other prisoners, she felt an inexplicable emotion.

Though that emotion was unfamiliar, after some thought, Fremay understood its essence—jealousy.

She was jealous of someone she had never met.

Jealous that she could leave this cage with Herbert.

Jealous that she could stay by his side all the time.

In order to find a way to relieve this jealousy, Fremay made a decision.

She began to craft these Alchemy Prosthetics for herself.

Using her own materials as a base, enduring failure after failure to pass the arduous time and quell her jealousy.

Finally, at the moment of successful crafting, Fremay felt genuine joy, but... only for a moment.

Would Herbert be pleased with her actions?

Would he be willing to let her stay by his side?

Were all her efforts just wishful thinking?

Or perhaps, her actions would not make him happy but instead cause him more trouble...

These anxious thoughts began to torment Fremay, driving her to restless rumination.

Once again, to clear her mind, Fremay started intensive training, trying to pass the time through exercise.

She even began to resent why time passed so slowly?

In the past, a hundred years was just a blink of an eye.

But now, even just over a month of separation seemed so unbearable.

Why haven't you returned to my side yet?

Have you forgotten the promise between us?

"It was also at that time... that you came back."

Fremay smiled, her smile no longer held a trace of melancholy but only pure joy.

She swam up to Herbert, gazing closely at his slightly trembling eyes.

"Herbert, do you know? At that moment, I was really happy."

"You truly returned to my side as promised, and... you didn't make me wait too long."

"Thank you for not making me wait too long."

"And thank you..."

At this point, Fremay suddenly closed her mouth, pursed her lips, and shook her head.

As Herbert was about to inquire, she quickly swam behind him.

Her slick arms gently lifted, intimately hugging his neck.

!!!

The affectionate gesture seemed more like she was avoiding directly facing him at that moment in Herbert's eyes.

After evading Herbert's gaze, Fremay felt slightly relieved, and whispered softly in his ear:

"Thank you for being touched by my efforts."

She could see Herbert being moved by her efforts and sensed his heartache for her.

Though he hadn't explicitly said it, everything was evident without words.

And after expressing this somewhat cheesy gratitude, Fremay felt her tail tense up.