Chapter 319 - Farewell, Vellefrost

Farewell, Vellefrost

As I liked to act quickly after making a decision, we soon found ourselves at the imperial castle, Revance Reve. It seemed fitting to make this our first visit on our route to say farewell to everyone.

“Uh, hmm.”

“Ah, Asagi!”

“Ohh!?”

We had come to the gate, and it was just as I was considering the best way to proceed. It wasn’t like I could just walk up to the gatekeeper and demand to see ‘the captain of their intelligence division.’ A voice suddenly called from behind me and I nearly jumped out of my shoes.

“What? What’s this? Maybe you need some more training!”

“Look, anyone would jump if someone shouted at them from behind like that!”

“Hahaha!”

Mister Tames laughed boisterously. We had met him in the guardhouse of Nicora. He had helped us during our battle against Eve, the leader of a group of bandits.

“I heard that you’d be leaving soon. How very polite of you to come and meet me first.”

“We only just talked about it recently. And yet you already know…”

“Don’t underestimate my agents!”

He said with a laugh. He seemed to like doing that. His job apparently kept him quite busy, and it was too bad we hadn’t seen much of him.

We had only seen him once in the city. I had given Manager a letter to deliver during the whole Reserentrible incident. It had gone to one of her military friends, and Mister Tames had helped so that they could send men to Reserentrible as quickly as possible. I was very grateful when he told me about it later.

“You’ve got to stop helping us so much…”

“Bah, it was nothing. I prefer it this way. Ah, that’s right. There’s someone else that wants to see you.”

“Who?”

Mister Tames looked upwards. When I looked up too, someone fell off from the castle gate.

“W-woah…”

“Why are you so surprised? Asagi Kamiyashiro…”

I had tried to catch the person before they landed, but the person drifted lightly to the ground as if they didn’t weigh a thing. I immediately sensed wind magic. They must have used it to kill their momentum.

“…Huh? You? Aren’t you…”

“Hehe. You owe me a lot for what you are now. Ain’t that right?”

She said with a smug expression. She was the agent who had given us the imperial military priority pass. It was true that we had a place to sleep, thanks to her.

“Thank you for that. It was a great help.”

“I only did what I should have.”

After that, she didn’t even introduce herself. She just said, ‘I’m busy. Have a good journey.’ And then she jumped away somewhere. I only felt the power of the wind for a brief second. Daniela watched and I heard her mutter ‘Ohh…’ to herself, so I would probably catch her practicing it later on.

“Don’t hesitate to return if you need to. There will always be a place for you in this city.”

“Yes…thank you. I’ll be sure to come and meet you if we do.”

“Aye!”

He slapped me on the shoulder. I felt his ardor, but couldn’t help but feel it was unnecessarily strong.

When I looked up after grimacing, Mister Tames was nowhere to be seen. He had disappeared, and I hadn’t even felt the presence of magic for a second.

“Crazy…”

“I also was not able to see him leave.”

“Well, that’s the captain of spies for you… Alright, let’s go then.”

The Emperor would likely receive a report from Mister Tames very soon. We owed him a lot as well, but he wasn’t the kind of person you could just show up at their doorstep one day.

While it had been the fruits of our efforts, we had received a lot of stuff. And so I bowed my head towards the castle as a show of gratitude.

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“Oh, I haven’t seen you since yesterday.”

“Did something happen?”

We had come up to the north district to say goodbye to Mister Hipericam. But Miss Licoris happened to be there as well.

“We’ll be leaving the city soon, so we thought we should say goodbye.”

“We would have, of course, visited you after that.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Definitely. You did help us a lot as well, Miss Licoris.”

“I see… So, you’ll be leaving. People talk about you two wherever you go. It will seem lonely when there are no more new stories.”

“Indeed. It’s one of the most popular subjects of late.”

“Uh, really?”

I didn’t know that…

“I did. After all, people would approach me all of the time.”

“Oh, so I’m the unpopular one.”

“Ahh…perhaps it is because of your horrifying face?”

“My what!?”

But didn’t I have a very calm expression!?

This revelation led to us asking about what other false rumors had been plaguing the city recently. As we talked, more military personnel started to come in. Mister Hipericam had to leave the conversation a couple of times, and didn’t seem too happy about it.

“While it fills me with great remorse, we better be leaving soon.”

“Sorry to have taken so much time.”

“Oh, it’s no problem at all. I’m glad that we were able to help you two!”

“Yes, here are your keys… Oh, yes. I too am glad to have met you. Though, I must admit that I prefer peace and quiet.”

“Ehehe… Thanks. We’ll be sure to drop by if we’re ever in the city again.”

The people kept coming in, and so we quickly waved to Miss Licoris and Mister Hipericam.

“If you do, you should stay here. You can have your old room even.”

“I might not be able to give you another tour, but be sure to say hello.”

“Thank you.”

“Goodbye.”

Some of the soldiers overheard our conversation and offered words of farewell as we left. Even though we had no idea who they were, they knew us. As we couldn’t ignore them, we shook their hands and patted them on the back.

I felt a little tired when we stepped back out into the open air. But I also felt good. I felt satisfied. I mean, it seemed like I was pretty popular after all. Was that conceited?

The sun was already starting to set, and the curtain of night was falling over the imperial city. The sounds of the city and the magic lights seemed like a messenger telling us that it was much too early to go to bed.

“So, let us go to the next one.”

“Sorry for dragging you along, Daniela.”

“Do not worry. I see the importance of it. I have interacted with more people now that I travel with you. And I even enjoy it.”

She had been alone for so long. There was now a faraway look in her eyes, as if she was staring at her past self.

“Of course, I also know more about the sadness of leaving friends. It is not as if I never talked with people before, but I now regret the times I left towns without saying a word. Perhaps there were people who wanted to meet me before I left.”

“…I’m sure there were.”

That could have happened with us. Maybe we wouldn’t have become quite as close. We would have had dinner together one time and then Daniela would just disappear somewhere. I would have been sad. And even though I would have known that I’d never see her again, I would probably find myself searching for her face in crowds.

A proper goodbye offered people closer. It let them move on. And it led to the joy of a reunion. You would be remembered.

‘Ah, now that I think about it, what is he doing these days?’ Being remembered like that was enough reason for people to live.

“That’s why it’s important to me.”

“I feel the same way now. We are the same.”

Hearing that made me happy. I really was too easy.

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And so we walked through the city streets until we reached the Solitude store, just before closing.

“Welcome. Unfortunately, we’re just about to…huh?”

“Good evening Miss Amarilith.”

“Ah, it’s Asagi. I had assumed that you already left.”

We had actually already said goodbye to her before leaving to Reserentrible. Back then, I had assumed we’d never meet again.

“Well, a lot’s happened. And we were still in the city.”

“Ahh, is it related to Namila village?”

“That’s exactly it. But now that that’s solved, we’ll be leaving for good.”

“I see…”

She had also been a great help to us. All the fighting we did in the city and being able to brave the cold outside of it. It was because of her. And I had bought a lot of clothes.

“Well, there’s no need to do the whole song and dance again. Be safe.”

“Uh, not the best way to close things… But, see you.”

She offered her hand and I shook it. And then Daniela shook it as well.

“Thank you. I will take good care of the clothes.”

“You should wear such things more often, young lady.”

“Perhaps… But I am a little too old to be referred to as a ‘young lady.’”

“A little…?”

Well, I wasn’t sure about that.

“Mmgphh.”

I felt an elbow jab me in the ribs. On both sides.

“Watch your mouth, foolish bastard.”

“She’s right, Asagi. She’s still a young lady no matter how old she is.”

“Ggg…I’ll be careful…”

Always a young lady… I repeated this revelation in my mind as I held my ribs and walked out of the store.

That was our last stop for the day. It just wasn’t possible to do everything in a single day. That was unprecedented. But we enjoyed talking to everyone, at least.

“Tomorrow, we’ll say goodbye to Adlus and then get a bite to eat with Manager and Lemon. Then we’ll leave.”

“Yes. But we must have dinner now.”

“Got it.”

It was back to the bakery. The baker was quite moved that we were impressed enough to return the very next day. But we soon disappointed him by informing him that it was for the last time.

That was nice to know. We told him about how much it pained us to leave, and he insisted on baking us something special for the road. And so we promised to come back in the morning.

It was these kind of small things that really made our travels memorable.

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The next morning, just as the sun started to rise above the walls of the city, Daniela and I stood in front of the bakery.

As we were leaving today, we had already checked out of the inn. They were quite sad to see us go, as had held the same room for quite a long time. I thought that we would try to get that room again if we ever returned. But it would definitely have to be when there wasn’t a tournament going on.

And so we got out early in the morning. Of course, we hadn’t eaten breakfast yet. There wasn’t a lot of time, and Daniela was in a rush to get out.

We could already smell the freshly baked bread while we were outside, and it was maddening to our empty stomachs.

“I cannot take it any longer. I am going inside.”

“Wait, you dumb bastard.”

Daniela’s eyes looked like those of a ravenous wolf, and she wiped away the saliva that dripped from her mouth.

“But, Asagi!”

“They’re going to give us a lot very soon. We just have to wait patiently for the store to open.”

“Grr…it is torture…”

She really could be quite disappointing when food entered the picture…

Perhaps our stupid conversation had been a little too loud. We heard a bell ring. It was the bell that was fixed above the door. When I looked up, I saw the baker smiling at us.

“Ah, I thought I heard some cheerful voices out here. It’s you two.”

“Sorry to disturb you so early in the morning. Daniela just couldn’t wait to come back and forced me out of bed early.”

“His bread is quite good. In fact, you are the rude one for sleeping with disinterest.”

Daniela said innocently as she folded her arms.

“Haha! Well, hearing such compliments make me feel that it was worth the effort. Now, come. I also prepared you some breakfast.”

“You really shouldn’t have…”

“It’s nothing. I doubt I’ll ever see another young elf who enjoys my bread as much as you do, Miss Daniela. …Oh, well, perhaps you are older than me.”

“There is no need to dwell on that. I have a deep respect for those who can cook with skill. Age has nothing to do with it.”

If only some of that respect could be directed towards me… Or was this a subtle critique of my cooking?

“Hah! I’m glad to hear it. Now, enough talk. The food will start to get cold.”

As soon as he opened the door, the smell of bread became so much stronger. I was nearly knocked off my feet.

“Now, here’s the bread that I promised. You should put it in that mysterious bag of yours.”

“Thank you. I really appreciate it.”

I accepted the bag that was full of bread and stuffed it into the hollow bag. While it was quite rude, considering he was just giving it to us, I was pretty distracted by the food on the table.

Freshly baked bread, fluffy scrambled eggs, and some crunchy bacon. There was also soup that looked like clam chowder.

“I didn’t expect to see any seafood here.”

“Ah, it sometimes shows up in the market. So you two are lucky. Now, eat up.”

“Thank you!”

No words were needed after that. We were too distracted to do anything but eat. Everything on the table was delicious.

The plates were scraped clean in no time. Daniela had that dissatisfied look on her face, but she didn’t complain, as she knew we would be eating with Manager soon enough.

However, she had still greatly enjoyed the food. It was easily one of the best breakfasts we’d had here.

“Thank you for that wonderful meal.”

“It was delicious.”

“Aye, you seemed to have enjoyed it. That makes me very quite happy.”

It could have been a last supper and I wouldn’t have complained.

I looked outside and saw that the sun had risen, and the streets were starting to fill up. Things would stay the same even though we were gone. This store would start to get crowded soon as well.

It was time to go.

“We’ll be sure to come back if we’re ever in the city again.”

“I see no reason why not. Please stay alive until then.”

“Uh, thank you… I feel like I can still improve in many ways.”

As we stood up and shook his hand, people started to come in. They were probably regulars, as they immediately sat down. Maybe it was their favorite spot.

“Well, see you.”

“Good luck.”

“Aye, I’ll pray that you have a good journey. Be careful.”

And with that, we left the store. It was nice and bright outside. It even felt warmer than usual…

I turned around to look at the sign one last time.

“Guite’s Bakery. …We’ll be back.”

“Yes, of course.”

And we’ll eat until we are full. It was with that promise in my heart that we headed for the noble district.

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Adlus lived somewhere in the southwest of the noble district. The house was made of white materials and the citizens of the city called it the ‘White House.’ This pure-white structure was inhabited by the light elves.

Of course, due to Adlus’s belief in the superiority of light elves, this house did not have the best reputation among some people. However, he had softened a little once the tournament was finished, and it seemed like that was changing.

And it was at this house that we showed up without an appointment.

“Hey, Adlus. You’re in there, aren’t you? Get the hell out.”

“Hey. You surely have nothing important to do. Stop wasting our time.”

There was a bell on the door that had a magic stone in it that allowed it to act as an intercom of sorts. And so our voices would be heard from within the house.

“Hurry up!”

“We will not wait a minute longer.”

“You obnoxious pair! Don’t move!”

Came the screech. And then there was silence.

“I feel so important now that I can call on a noble without sending word ahead.”

“Well, it should not be a problem with this man.”

“Yeah…oh.”

The grand, white gate opened and Adlus came sliding out. He was literally sliding on water that he had created with magic. If he didn’t stop, we’d be soaked.

“Asagi.”

“I know.”

I gathered blue mana towards my hand and created a screen of water in front of us like some kind of fountain. And then I changed it to a darker blue, freezing the wall in an instant. The reason I had started from water, was because I knew it would annoy him. Hahah. Yup. He looked angry.

“What must you bother me so early in the day…?”

“Good morning. We’re going to leave the city today. See ya.”

“Goodbye.”

“Hey, wait.”

I waved at him as I started to turn around, but he stopped us. What now…

“Now, don’t look at me like that. You are leaving? Well, would it have hurt you so much to tell me sooner?”

“Well, we were pretty busy with preparations. So, uh, sorry?”

“Hmph… Well, better late than never, I suppose. However, I will not let you off that easily. Come and have some tea.”

I expected as much. Now, had he demanded to have one last duel, I would have activated Legs of the God Wolf and been out of there before he could finish his sentence.

The interior of the house was also white. It gave me a headache. It messed with your depth perception, which made stairs pretty dangerous. They said that black was a manly color, but both black and white were no good in my opinion.

We continued to walk down a white hallway and went through a white door and into a white dining room.

“Bring three cups of hot tea.”

“Yes, Master Adlus.”

We had passed several maids on the way here. They were all light elves as well.

The cook in the dining hall was also an elf.

“You really have no one but light elves here?”

“They are elves who live on this continent. The longer you live, the more wounds you have to show for it. I offer them protection. It has started to attract others.”

So, I guess this scene around us was the result of all that.

“And if you die, Daniela is more than welcome to live here.”

“Buzz off.”

“I will take care of myself.”

“We’ll see how long that lasts.”

We both ground our teeth and glared at him. But Adlus looked unperturbed.

I had to be careful…

“Here is your tea.”

“Thank you.”

The cups were placed on the white table without making a sound. The maid gave me a menacing look before she left.

It was clearly his fault!

“Hmm…it is good.”

“It’s hot…”

“It’s an original herb tea that’s created from herbs grown in my own gardens. It’s the first thing that I taste every morning.”

Adlus had a very elegant way of holding his tea cup. I tried my best not to look like an idiot while I held mine. Yes, it was pretty good…

For a while, nothing happened outside of the tilting of cups in our hands. It was just as I was going to ask for a second cup, that Adlus opened his mouth.

“I am grateful to you two.”

“Eh?”

“I believe that my philanthropic efforts had led me to think too highly of myself. And it took meeting you two to remind me of what I was. Yes, you two. I made a fool of myself to many during the tournament. But it turned out to be quite educational for me.”

He said all of this with the most serious expression. Yes, our first meeting had been terrible. Then we fought and made peace. And then we fought side by side in Namila village. I saw him as a comrade now, but I also found it awkward to reply when he talked like this.

“Adlus…”

“Excuse me, is there more tea?”

“…”

“…”

Hey, I wasn’t the best at reading the room either, but even I knew that this was one of those moments.

“Daniela… It’s quite rare for Adlus to open his heart like this, you know? It’s like he’s getting very introspective now that we are leaving. Don’t you feel sorry for the guy? Look, he just seems very embarrassed due to your ill-timed interruption…”

“Wait. You have clearly done worse just now. See? Adlus is now shaking with anger.”

“No, Adlus shakes like that when he is sad. You see, he’s usually a very proud guy, and yet he pushed that all aside in order to bare his true feelings to us. I was about to thank him for it and everything would have concluded happily. But you ruined the atmosphere, Daniela.”

“I do not agree. You are the one who destroyed it, Asagi. I have lived longer and have more experience than you. I can read the air. I knew very well that Adlus had become filled with emotion and was about to speak. It was evident with the very first word that poured from his mouth. I knew this was going to be a lengthy confession. And so I wanted to ask for more tea, so that I would not have to interrupt him in the middle of his story. After all, would it not have been severely awkward if I did it when he was nearing the climax of his revelation?”

“I suppose you have a good point there… Daniela, you’re really smart.”

“You agree? Then Asagi, you would be wise to follow my lead and ask for another cup of tea as well.”

“That’s true. Alright.”

“More tea!”

“GET OUUUUUUUUUUTTTTT!!!!!”

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In spite of that outburst, we did get our second cups of tea.

“Well, I think you learned to just be yourself.”

“Indeed. It is not like you to put on airs in that way. You are the proud and arrogant Adlus. And you are still a comrade.”

“Uh, no. I might have been a little more honest than usual, but I had no intention of coming off…oh, never mind. Yes, perhaps I was acting a little strange. But it’s been a long time since I’ve met people as strong as you…and so I feel a little regret at the thought of your departure.”

Adlus stared at his cup that he had placed on the table. His voice was quiet as he watched the surface of the herb tea. His face was calm and quite different from the red-faced man who was blowing a fuse a moment ago. As I was more than capable of reading the room, I watched and kept quiet.

“Do come back. Because I don’t intend on leaving this city. You will always be welcome.”

“And yet you tried to kick us out a second ago.”

Said the completely unperceptive Daniela. I elbowed her.

“We have no idea when it will be, but we’ll return. We like the city just as you do.”

“Of course. This is a very comfortable place. And there are many light elves…”

A place with lots of people like Daniela. Perhaps that gave her a sense of comfort too.

Every place was special to me. In my old world, life had been boring. But here, everything was special, not just the places, but also the people.

“I will pray that you have a safe journey. And don’t hesitate to ask for help if you need it. We will always be on your side.”

As we left the white house, I recalled Adlus’s last words.

It really had been a horrible first impression. We had been flinging death threats at each other. Things only got worse after that. And then came the tournament. But things changed dramatically after that. The battle had resulted in a degree of respect and acceptance, and then there was the stampede.

“He’s an okay guy.”

“His words are not great, but his actions make up for it. Someone who was bad to the core would not be able to do the same.”

“Seriously.”

And hey, we had put on a good show during the tournament, right? And we were victorious at Namila village as well. Our time in the imperial capital would not have been as interesting without him.

“Still, his sudden turn back there was quite awkward to see.”

“Yeah. Well, thankfully, it’s about time to go and meet Manager. We can get something to eat.”

“Yes.”

And so we headed to our final destination in order to meet Manager and Lemon.

Meat, Meat, Meat, Meat.

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That being said, we’ve really come here a lot.

“You’re late.”

“That’s not like you, Asagi.”

“Sorry. The road was really crowded.”

There were more people now then there was during the morning. The street in front of this restaurant was especially busy.

“Alright, since we’re all here, let’s go inside.”

“Ah, could you wait a minute? There’s actually one more person…”

“Hm?”

Manager stopped Daniela just as she put her hand on the door. She looked puzzled. Had we invited someone else?

“I can see by your expression that you don’t remember.”

“Huh?”

“Ah, there he is!”

Lemon said, and I turned around to see someone with reddish-brown hair. The face underneath it looked all kinds of disgruntled.

“Oh…”

“What do you mean, ‘oh’? Eh!”

“Uhhh… Well, um. Hey, it’s nice to see you, Rex.”

I hadn’t seen him since Reserentrible.

“And you said that we’d meet again in the capital!”

“Yes, I did say that…”

“I was waiting, you know!?”

“I’m sorry!!”

I bowed, but it didn’t save me from getting bashed.

“Damn it, you bastard! You’ll have to pay for the meal now!”

“Sure thing! I’ll pay for everyone.”

“Alright, let’s go eat some meat!”

It was supposed to be a farewell party for Manager and Lemon. But it turned into something closer to an Asagi Apology party…

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As the sounds of sizzling meat filled the air, Daniela and the others ate happily. My mood wasn’t quite as joyful. I felt left out in a way.

“Haaa… And I was so looking forward to seeing you again, Asagi…”

Rex said as he drained his first cup.

“Hey, I was happy to see you too. And it was really unexpected.”

“Hmm…”

“Honest.”

“But you were in no hurry to see me again?”

“Uh…”

Hold it. It doesn’t matter if he’s acting like an obnoxious girlfriend. He’s not exactly wrong.

“I think you have made your point, Rex.”

“But, Daniela…”

Even as she flipped the pieces of meat on the grill with a serious face, Daniela took the time to come to my aid.

“Do you know that an Automata was sold at the auction house?”

“Aye, there were rumors of it all over the city. People have been wondering where it was found and who bought it.”

“I cannot tell you who bought it, but it was Asagi who sold it.”

“What!? Is that true!!”

Rex shouted as he slapped the table.

“Where did you find such a rare item!”

“It was in some old ruin that’s north of Replant.”

“Liar! There is nothing there! It’s just a tourist attraction!”

“It’s underground. I flipped over some rubble by a giant pillar and found the entrance. It led underground and I found the thing.”

“Seriously…?”

He must have gone there too. It was because he knew of the place that he looked so disappointed.

“By the way, there was another one, so you can pick it up if you go.”

“There is!?”

“Though, there are no more reactor cores. I sold them all in the auction.”

“You did…”

His emotions were going up and down like crazy. Was he going to be alright?

“Who cares about any of that?”

“I do…”

“The point I was trying to make was that the Automata led to a certain conflict. In other words, we had no time at all to rest after the events in Reserentrible. And even after the matter was solved, there was the stampede. Between the dungeon and now, we have hardly had any time to rest.”

“I see…”

End of explanation. Daniela immediately started filling her cheeks with meat.

“Still, it was my decision to get involved in all of these incidents. So I’ll take the blame. Sorry.”

“Bah, it’s nothing. Besides, if we’re being honest, I knew you had gone to Namlia village. Everyone was talking about Adlus, Light Wind, and Silvergreen going.”

Rex threw some meat into his mouth and washed it down with his ale.

“Well, at least I caught you before you left. So it was all good in the end.”

“I guess…”

“Didn’t I say it was? Now, stop sulking and eat! You’re the one paying for it, after all!”

“…Uh, alright. We’ll eat all the meat in this place!”

“Hey, Asagi. Do not take my portion!”

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As Rex and Daniela had started a war over the best pieces of meat, I decided to move next to Manager in order to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

“I still can’t believe that you’re leaving.”

“Sorry. I know it took you a long time to finally catch me.”

“It’s fine. In fact, I’m glad you’re leaving.”

She said with a grin, but her disappointment was still evident. She had told me that she traveled all the way here from the north in order to find me. Thinking about that nearly made me hesitate, but of course, she wouldn’t allow it.

“…By the way, why were you two and Rex…”

“We were at the same inn. We even had dinner together a number of times.”

“I see. That’s an interesting coincidence…”

So that’s why she had brought him here. He had probably been loudly complaining about me not coming to see him.

“Yes, I brought him all the way here to see you. I hope you’re grateful?”

“Thanks…”

“Hahaha!”

She seemed happy. It was probably the wine.

“Still…we will miss you.”

“I’m sure we’ll be back eventually… But won’t you also travel again?”

“Yes… Lemon and I have been talking about going out together. It would be nice. Have you decided?”

Manager tilted her wine glass in Lemon’s direction. Lemon placed some meat onto Manager’s plate and answered without pausing to think.

“I’ll go with you. It should be so much more interesting.”

“Well, there you have it. We will be leaving soon as well.”

“Right… Well, if you ever happen to see us, let us know.”

“Of course, we will. You’re the only one here that I’ve known for a long time. I don’t need to feel any more lonely than I already do.”

“…Yeah.”

Both of us were not from this world. And that would never change no matter how far we went. Cultures, values, views… And there were things you only learned in the place that you were born.

“Now, enough of that sappy stuff. Lemon, Asagi is paying tonight, so you best take advantage of his generosity. Don’t put everything on my plate. Eat up.”

“Uh… But I’ve been cooking it for you, Rindo.”

“Then I suppose I’ll have to cook some for you.”

Such good friends…

“I’m going to go get some air.”

“We’ll be ordering more meat, just so you know.”

“Yeah, order as much as you want.”

I stood up and handed some coins to the waiter in advance. It was more than enough. And then I opened the door and stepped outside.

It was still not quite midday. And yet Manager and Rex were drinking. Well, it was a special day…I think.

The town was lively today as well. It always was, and I never tired of seeing it. I felt like I was really settling into the scenery. Of course, I would probably still stick out if I walked around in it.

“Hah…”

I couldn’t help but sigh as I looked up at the clear blue sky. The milky cloud rose into the air and dispersed.

I leaned against the wall and slid down until I was in a sitting position. After a while, I heard the door creaking. When I turned to look, I saw Manager standing next to me.

“Aren’t you busy making more orders?”

“Lemon and Daniela have that covered.”

“That’s good to know.”

They were elves, so perhaps they needed to eat more to live longer. I just wished she took more vegetables as well.

Manager seemed like she didn’t have any reason for being out here. She just sat down silently.

“Sitting here like this really takes me back to that time.”

“Back… What time was that?”

“You know, the next morning after the typhoon.”

“…Ah.”

Now I remembered.

I had been on the night shift when a giant typhoon attacked Honshu. I had gone to the convenience store, like I always did. Only the rain was horrible from the moment I left the house. Still, there was a high-school student who worked there part-time who was waiting for me. So I couldn’t exactly cancel.

As there was no avoiding getting wet, I just put my shirt, pants, and socks into a plastic bag and rode my bicycle while holding an umbrella in one hand. I remember peddling desperately and then rolling into the store and pushing out the highschool student. And that was the start of my night shift.

I was very familiar with the job. Most of the necessary work could be finished in two hours. When I looked up at the clock, it had just reached midnight.

“Alright. I can take it easy now. After all, no one’s going to come here at night when there’s a typhoon out there. Hehe.”

So, I could expect to be able to just sit in the office and look at my phone the whole time. Thank you, Mister Typhoon! It was as I was leaning back in my chair with a smirk on my face, that divine punishment came down upon me.

A black out.

“…It really was terrible.”

“Seriously. I was just about to go to sleep when I hear your frantic voice on the phone. And then I had to go to the store.”

“But, I really wouldn’t have been able to do anything if you didn’t come.”

“Well, you’re not wrong.”

Nothing worked in the store. Not the cash registers or the refrigerators. As we wouldn’t be able to do anything if customers came in, I quickly put a sign on the door to show that we were closed.

“In the end, we had to stay there and watch the store until morning.”

“Liar. Manager, you went right to sleep.”

“I did? I don’t remember that.”

You don’t remember because you were sleeping.”

I remember her telling me to wake her up in the morning. I thought it was rather heartless of her, since I had called her there for help, but she was quickly fast asleep and would not wake up.

“But I do remember one thing. The next morning. The sky was so beautiful…”

After the typhoon had passed, it was as if the clouds and all the dust had been blown away cleanly. And the bright sunlight shone down from a pure blue sky. Me and Manager looked up from the parking lot and stood there speechless…

“It was just like how the sky is now.”

“The air is so clean here… It really reminds me of those days.”

“…Do you still want to go back?”

“If it was possible, yes. But I’ve already decided to live here. Well, if that ever happens…maybe I’ll visit the old store.”

“Haha. That will never happen…”

Manager sighed. I suppose it was the end…of our talk. She was telling me to stop asking questions. And so, even though I had opened my mouth, I didn’t say anything.

“There will be a pile of cooked meat right about now.”

“Have you rested enough, Manager?”

“Yeah. I should eat as much as I can.”

“Alright, let’s go back then…”

I got back on my feet and went inside the store. But when I turned around, she was still looking up at the sky.

□　　　□　　　□　　　□

We were nearing the end of our little barbecue party. It was time to leave. When I looked around, I saw that Rex was quite drunk and red in the face. Manager looked like she had eaten a lot and was satisfied. Lemon must have had some of Rex’s drink, because she looked tipsy. Daniela was still eating.

“We should go soon…”

“What? I am still cooking here.”

“It’s nearly midday. We won’t reach Yukka if we don’t leave soon.”

“Hmph… Very well, just let me finish these ones.”

Yukka was far away. I think it was around four days. So I intended on using Legs of the God Wolf at some point along the way. And by that, I meant we would be skipping the giant tree with all of the blood apes. I did not want to camp anywhere close to it.

Once the last piece of meat was cooked and eaten, we picked up our things and left the restaurant.

“My, to have paid everything in advance. You’ve really grown, Asagi.”

“It was just a whim.”

She slapped me on the back. I couldn’t tell her it was something I had read in a magazine during my night shift…

“I wonder how much growth you’ll show next time we meet?”

“Haha. Oh, I’m sure I’ll be the strongest man in the world.”

“You already are.”

Lemon said with a laugh. Her legs seemed very unstable. However, Daniela was stronger. I still had a long way to go.

“I’m going to try, anyway. Good luck, Lemon. You too, Manager.”

“Yeah, and you. Daniela as well. I look forward to meeting you both again.”

“Aye, Rindo. Goodbye, Lemon.”

“Yes. Please be safe, Daniela and Asagi!”

Manager and Lemon waved. Rex looked like he had eaten too much, but he raised his hand shakily.

“You…”

“Don’t say anything…I’m going to hurl…”

“Well, good luck. And drink some water.”

“Ahhhh…sorry…goodbye…”

I handed Rex a handmade cup of ice water. This might not have been the neatest way to say goodbye, but at least everyone had really enjoyed the meal. I was happy about that. Even though I wished some had drank a little less.

“Well. All of you, see you again!”

“Be safe!”

I adjusted my bag and turned back and waved. The three of them stood together and waved back. Lemon smiled. Manager looked a little sad. Rex looked sick. I turned back to get one last glimpse of them several times, but they were quickly swallowed up by the crowd. I suddenly stopped.

“Asagi.”

“…I know. Let’s go.”

I looked back and saw that Daniela was standing in front of me with her hand extended. I held it and we walked, side by side.

Hunting the wind dragon. The Imperial Sword Tournament. Reuniting with Manager. The Auction. Dungeon exploration. The truth. Guarding the mansion. Stampede.

A lot had happened here. But today, we were setting out to our next adventure.