CH 18

18 Depart, Evil Barrow

Author’s notes{

Trap is a safe opinion.

This time is a bit of Levia’s character breakdown.}

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Ruri’s side

Today, mister Setsu will depart from Evil barrow. When I am about to start preparing the stall I received for the very first time in the castle town, mister Setsu comes here expressly to greet me.

“Ruri, I’m gonna leave this place today, so yeah.”

Going to the toilet for a bit―――――is how it felt the way he told me and I unconsciously opened my mouth wide for a moment. During that time he searched his own pockets and threw some kind of string shaped object towards me.

I checked the object I received while I’m confused and upon closer inspection, it is a necklace. On the curiously shaped gem, there is a white cord going through it. I inquire about the meaning of the necklace and he said “It’s an accessory I’m giving to people I’m close with in case we separate”. Speaking of farewell gifts, is the brooch miss Desas is carrying also the same as this necklace I wonder?

That makes me happy and somewhat ecstatic and mister Setsu comes to look at me with unkind eyes. I get angry from that, but this person would end up running away smoothly.

I feel like it would be like this if I had a big brother. His attitude towards me too, it’s as if he sees me as his little sister. The truth is, I want him to see me more as a woman though……

When I’m being teased and I start getting teary eyed, this person would place his hands on my head. Mister Setsu’s hand is warm and before I notice, he is stroking my head gently. Actually he doesn’t do it very gently at all, but I don’t resist it.

“Well, you do your best with your stall okay? Once I return, I’ll help you make it prosper after all”

While saying those last words, mister Setsu walks out of the town and continued walking towards the gates. There were many things I still want to talk about, but I will trouble him if I restrain him here. I suppress the feeling of reluctance to part with him and watch mister Setsu’s back until he disappears.

If I run this store together with him, I wonder how happy I would become. For the sake of this newly made dream of mine, I must make this store prosper and overcome mister Setsu’s standards.

I put in my fighting spirit and prepared to open my store. Actually, tomorrow is the opening of the store, but I will boldly open the store today in the afternoon. I brace myself even more and start putting my hands on the ingredients that was meant for tomorrow.

“――――――The lot who got an accessory from me increased by a lot didn’t it……”

While I’m recalling the part with me giving an accessory to Ruri, I mutter a few words.

Basically, the accessories I give out contains my divine protection. Although I call it divine protection, it’s something unique that would invalidate attacks from the mind interference series, invalidate a life threatening attack once and it informs me when it falls into a crisis. I also wanted to put in a bit more powers like body strengthening, but the jewels and such used for storing them doesn’t have enough capacity to store that much power.

Currently, the ones holding this accessory are the three people who traveled together with me, Yuuhi, Desas and Ruri. There is one more person joining them, but that person is in a place distant from the three big continents, so I’m thinking about introducing her sooner or later.

While I’m thinking about that, I arrive at the gates on the outskirts. I receive a check from the soldiers guarding the gate (can’t have criminals and the like leave this place after all) and then I leave the town.

“――――――Well, aren’t you taking your time”

When I breathe in the outside air, I’m suddenly called out.

As I search for the owner of the voice, I find Levia standing at the edge of the street.

“Yeah, that’s because I went to Ruri’s place. It would’ve been fine if you had come together with me you know.”

“It’s fine, okay? I didn’t really want to act as the third wheel between the both of you in your alone time.”

My and Ruri’s time? It wasn’t a farewell scene where you have to pay that much attention to something like that, you know……

“Well, I will be having quite some alone time with just you, so I should give at least this much time to her.”

While saying that, Levia clings tightly to me when I start walking.

Speaking of why Levia is accompanying me in this trip, it’s nothing more than because I asked her to. I’ll be moving by sea and her strength is nothing to scoff at. She already intended to return to the sea, so I had no reason to not go together with her.

Nevertheless, she’s quite honest today. Even though she would always make a strange tsundere display……

“Which reminds me…… you remember our promise?”

“Hm? The thing about me doing whatever you ask? Have you already decided?”

“ …… It’s because you properly remember these things that you’re so sly …… you lady killer……”

I don’t know if she spoke in a voice so small so I can’t hear it, but I can hear everything with my strengthened hearing, you know? Can you not lump me together with those thickheaded guys?

“Err, I have decided. I can ask anything, right?”

“Yeah, if it’s within my ability.”

If you request outside of that I’ll tear off your scales, so please take care not to go out of range.

“It may be within your ability…… There was this wedding dress Desas was wearing wasn’t there?”

“Yeah”

It’s that dress that doesn’t suit Desas because it’s pure white. Come to think of it, who should I entrust with making something like the black and red dress? Should I get the usual guy make it?

“That…… you see? ……I was thinking that, you know…… I also kind of want to put on that dress……”

With her voice gradually becoming smaller, she unconsciously casted down her eyes at the end. When she becomes honest, she becomes cute doesn’t she. I want to hear something more definite, so I pressed her further.

“A sea colored dress you see…… and above the sea we could make a place with ice……”

“Oh, like that……”

“And then――――――wait, I can’t say something embarrassing like that, you know!?”

Tsk, I thought I could enjoy this a bit longer…… Well in short――――――

“――――――you want to marry me.”

“Uugh! Don’t just go saying that so straightforwardly!”

I easily avoid the fist of anger she launches that’s cutting through the wind like a roar towards me. That’s a rather strong punch for a retort. Average people would break in pieces from that.

“Don’t dodge it!”

“No way”

I catch her fist and and strike her head with a chop. Levia, who got struck, became meek while pressing on the part she was hit at.

“Ugh～～～……*sigh*, it’s not good, is it? Being honest seems so hard for me.”

Levia is suddenly drained of her strength, pushing quite some weight onto my shoulders.

“Isn’t it unreasonable to think you can become honest immediately…… so why again?”

“I mean, didn’t someone like Desas convey her feelings to you in such an amazingly straightforward way? There are also many others who yearn for you…… and it doesn’t seem like something like my feelings would reach you, so……”

While saying so, Levia hides her face again.

…… How do I say this. To put it simply, even if you say things like you’re dishonest or you have a hot-cold personality, it only won’t get through if the other party is thickheaded…… On the other hand it’s easy to understand for me, who likes to tease people, but――――――

“――――――your feelings reached me so don’t worry, okay? If you want to marry me, just say it and I’ll respond to you properly”

Hey try saying it, try saying it――――――is what I instigate her. Of course, it’s accompanied with a smug face.*

Levia, whose face is becoming increasingly red, tries to spin some words while her lips quivers and becoming teary eyed……

“Wo, would you…… m, marry――――――

―――――as if I can say that so easily, you stupid!”

“Buhuo!? Hey, stop that Water laser!”

I ran all around while receiving a firetruck water discharge like water magic in my face. Levia, who has become angry, ran wildly without stopping for a while; by the time she stopped, the sun has already gone high in the sky.

That’s strange, it was still morning some time ago thoughー

This was the moment I understood my departure didn’t stop like usual――――――

“Hah!”

In the center of the training grounds outside Destinea castle, two girls are throwing violent magic at each other. One girl fires stones of ice and the other girl fires flames resembling the setting sun.

“Miss Yuuhi! Please pay more attention to your output! Even though it erased stones this size, a flame that large is unneeded!”

“Ye, yes! Instructor Eruka!”

This time a somewhat repressed flame meets the stones of ice the other girl fired once again. It comes in contact with two stones and an intense steam is created.

However――――――

(kuh…… This time it is too weak!?)

The stones that didn’t melt away broke through the flames and hit Yuuhi’s cranium. Catchi a lump of ice about the size of a baseball, she receives a strong shock to her head and collapsed onto the floor.

“ …… Shall I leave it at this then. Are you alright, miss Yuuhi?”

“Yes…… somehow. Ow ow……”

Yuuhi gets up while pressing on her head. As a result of body strengthening constantly being applied there were no considerable damage, but it appears that the skin was cut.

“Uhm…… so the output wasn’t good, was it…… if I make it a little bit bigger and increase its thickness――――――”

“――――――Yuu!”

Her name being called all of a sudden, Yuuhi interrupts her thoughts and turns her sight towards the direction of the voice. There is the figure of Kouma, running towards her with all his strength.

Kouma finally reaches Yuuhi, who is now sitting, and then he supports Yuuhi’s body and applies the restoration magic Heal to the cranium. Incidentally, restoration magic is a light attribute magic, so for Kouma who has the aptitude in light attribute, Heal is one of his field of expertise.

“Doing this kind of training during your day off again…… That’s why you’re this injured.”

“Er, yeah……?”

As Kouma heals Yuuhi’s wounds with a serious expression, he lends her his shoulder so she can stand up. Yuuhi doesn’t particularly need his shoulder to stand up, but she didn’t refuse out of consideration and stand up as she was told.

“Return to your room like this, you should rest today.”

“…………”

“Do you understand me?”

“ …… Yeah.”

“Then that’s fine.”

The two walks to their respective rooms. While leaving, Kouma looks at Eruka and threw a gaze filled with resentment. Without saying anything, Eruka watches their backs as they walk away. As masochistic as she may be, she didn’t like that kind of gaze.

When Yuuhi returned to her room, she was made to lie down on the bed by Kouma. She could already move around like it was nothing and in the first place, the training will still continue as is. She wasn’t planning on continuing since it was stopped by Eruka, but she couldn’t agree the way she was told by Kouma and the way he forcibly took her away.

“Your daily training is also considerably harsh, isn’t it? To receive a training that hard in addition to that is……”

“ …… Even then I have to do it.”

“Why?”

For the sake of being together with Yuki-kun――――――is what she was about to say, but Yuuhi recalled the fact Kouma is on Destinea’s side, so she stopped somehow. It’s because she was strictly told that she is not allowed to talk about to anyone with the exception to people approved by Eruka.

“ …… At any rate, it’s because I want to become stronger.”

“Is that, is that so……”

He showed a face that seemingly wants to say “I won’t consent, even if you say that”, but Kouma doesn’t quite have the courage to pursue any further than this towards Yuuhi’s seriousness.

“ …… But you haven’t rested enough at all, let’s go to the town for today’s holiday. Okay?”

“ …… Sorry, but I have to get more training.”

Being told this clearly, Kouma opens his eyes wide from the shock he received and Yuuhi rises up on the bed without worrying about him. She stands up as is and walks out of the room. She is unsatisfied from the training from some time ago, so she is thinking about earnestly requesting Eruka for additional training. 　

The arm of that girl is grabbed by Kouma from the side.

While experiencing unpleasantness from being touched by a man other than Setsu, Yuuhi turns her face towards Kouma. What is on that face is an annoyed expression. And then he turns his face filled with slight resentment towards her.

“Yuu, whenever you do your best…… it always has something to do with Suzaku Setsu.”

“Eh?”

Unintentionally being hit by the bull’s eye, Yuuhi is surprised. Certainly in the olden days, when Yuuhi was doing her best, it mainly had something to do with Setsu. When he is absent from school, she takes his priority over herself when taking notes. Afterwards, no matter how many errands she has to do, she does it at a terrifying speed and then goes directly to Setsu’s house. When he collapses at school due to lack of sleep from reading too many novels, she would carry him to the school infirmary by herself.

Being told she was someone who always tries her hardest from the start, Yuuhi’s tenacity is mostly gained for Setsu’s sake.

“This time also…… has something to do with him, am I right? Just what in the world is so good about that gloomy person! Rather than him, I would absolutel――――――y!?”

Suddenly, a sharp pain runs through Kouma’s arm which was holding Yuuhi’s arm. When he looks at it, the girl is grabbing the wrist of his arm with her free hand. Filled with so much strength that it would seem to make creaking sounds, she dug her fingers into Kouma’s arm.

“Don’t speak so badly about Yuki-kun. Don’t speak so cruelly about him―――――― even if it’s you, Kouma-kun, I will burn you, you know?”

“gh!?”

From her lovely, well-featured appearance, an unimaginable thirst for blood struck Kouma’s body. His strength unintentionally escapes and he is about to fall down, but his arm that was grabbed is pulled up as is and he is forcibly made to stand.

There is already this much difference made between Yuuhi and Kouma. It was only a short time since Setsu was gone, but it doesn’t mean Yuuhi’s bundle of talent would not grow when receiving Eruka’s serious guidance.

Letting go of the dazed Kouma, Yuuhi decides to leave the room now.

“I’ll train to the point that it won’t interfere with tomorrow’s labyrinth training without you worrying, okay? So be relieved?”

Leaving behind those words, Yuuhi leaves the room and closes the door.

There was no concerns about that from Kouma’s point of view, but even now he is standing there, doing nothing.

By the time he regains his footing after receiving the entire bloodthirst from the one he loves, dozens of minutes have already passed.

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Author’s notes{

Next chapter, the arrival to port city.

Now, I wonder what the outcome of Kouma-kun’s love will be! (we already know)

And how shall Yuuhi-chan grow (meaningfully) from here on out!?}

*T.N. Not sure if a smug face is what he’s making. Googling ゲス顔 gives me images, but….