CH 30

Well, in times like this… Chiharu went back to making her usual troubled expression. Kreis saw this and came to her rescue.

“Kaider, don’t you have any better pick up lines?”

“What! No, really! I have seen…”

Said Kaider. His eyes went from their hair to their body as if he was trying to remember.

“Black hair, I think…”

“Horrid.”

“Huh?”

Chiharu said without thinking.

“Oh, I’m sorry. But I think that this is the first time we’ve met.”

She said softly.

“Forgive me, that was rude of me. I am a friend of these two. My name is Kaider, and this is Nyran. Uh, we are looking for two human children. Did you happen to see them anywhere?”

“I believe that we would have noticed seeing any children here that were humans like us. Unfortunately, we have not.”

“I see…that is too bad.”

“What, Kaider? Does it bother you so much?”

“I’ve been watching them ever since we sat together on the train. But they said they were going to Gromble alone. But we’re headed there with the soldiers in just two days. I thought that we might as well take them with us.”

“Take them? Like as an attendant?”

“Yes, or they could help the cooks. I hear that they do not have enough hands from Midland, as this was on such short notice. They are both very independent, and wouldn’t expect any direct help. But they are too skinny to become Adventurers.”

“I see.”

“I will continue to look for them. Excuse me, ladies.”

And so Kaider and Nyran left the restaurant.

“I don’t remember him being like that.”

“He finally matured.”

Edmond said as Kreis tilted his head in puzzlement.

“Uh, that nice man…”

Maki asked.

“Ah, Kaider? He is a little rough, being an Adventurer and all. But he is also the third prince of this country.”

“Prince?”

“Prince?”

Him? Kreis continued.

“Being a capable blacksmith and leading the people has always been seen as proof of being a royal in this country. Kaider as well. He is an odd one though. He insisted that blacksmiths needed to know how to use a sword, and so he went out to become an Adventurer.”

“Is that so.”

Edwy was such a prince-like prince.

“I feel like it might be safer for you two to move with the Midland troops as well.”

“Oh, I’m sure we’ll only get in the way of their very, very important work. After all, we’re just going to meet our father.”

Maki said.

“No, no, no. If anything, it might actually be more dangerous to travel with so many soldiers and Adventurers.”

Kreis said indecisively.

“Really. But please come to use if you need help with anything. We’ll be at our store for the next two to three days.”

Edmond said and showed them where it was located.

“Yes. Thank you so much.”

They continued a light conversation after that and tasted the apple wine that had been enhanced with dried apple peels. And then they walked Maki and Chiharu to their room. The people in the dwarf country were all very kind.

“So, Kaider was a prince…a prince…heh.”

“Maki-chan, that’s rude. And he was so nice. But…haha.”

The two of them spent the next few minutes laughing in their room.

“No, no. He’s so nice and is still searching for Norfe and Chouze. His appearance aside, he is clearly a prince at heart.”

“What do you mean by appearance? Kaider is quite handsome?”

“Chiharu… Did you always like them buff?”

“For the most part, yes. I mean, his thick red hair is wavy like a lion.”

“A red lion. Hehe.”

“The nice forehead and angular features. The bright brown eyes.”

“Chiharu, you aren’t…”

“No, it’s just a general observation. I actually thought he was your type?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah! I didn’t even notice. I was too busy trying to trick him. That’s right, to generalize, Kaider is quite handsome.”

Maki said in agreement.

“I feel bad that he’s still looking…”

“Yeah…”

They felt guilty. About that, and about laughing.

“But more than that, plan B. It totally failed.”

“I didn’t think we’d get so much attention.”

“What will we do now?”

The two of them rolled onto the bed and started to think.

“Well, I guess we have to move to Plan C.”

“I suppose.”

“But still, Chiharu.”

“What?”

“Plan C is not enough.”

“That’s true.”

“Where should we go?”

They looked up at the grains of the wooden ceiling. Chiharu opened her mouth.

“1, have the birdfolk take us to the beastlands.”

“Yes, Master Chiharu. I just thought of a crazy future where we are surrounded by bird people.”

“2, have the birdfolk take us to the elf lands.”

“Yes, Master Chiharu. They probably wouldn’t agree to that.”

“That Miragaia! Well then, 3. We’ll follow the soldiers to Gromble.”

“I think that could work.”

“4, we just relax and enjoy traveling the dwarf lands.”

“Totally.”

“5, we backtrack.”

“Yes. We can stay at the hot spring for a week.”

“Yes.”

They could take it so easy. But.

“The miasma is already thin over there.”

“Yeah.”

“And it’s still thick in Gromble.”

“Yeah.”

“Alright, so our destination. Let’s say it at the same time, okay?”

“Here we go.”

“Here we go.”

They nodded at each other.

“Gromble.”

“Gromble.”

Right?

“Hmm, I wonder why?”

“An old habit from Japan? I don’t feel like I can have fun when others are working hard.”

“We’re adults, after all. We can’t just throw away our responsibilities.”

“Adults, huh? Well, we did have a nice long 12 days vacation at least.”

“It was so fun. Even though there was a guardian half of the time.”

“Though, they spied on us.”

“Prince.”

“Hah!”

They rolled around laughing again.

“But, we won’t return so easily.”

“Yeah.”

“Let’s ask Edmond for help.”

“Yes, let’s.”

They needed to get some rest for tomorrow. But…

“Haha…”

“Chiharu?”

“Your face during dinner…when you fluttered your eyelashes.”

“Ughh. I didn’t think you would find it so funny…hehe.”

It took them a while to fall asleep.

In the dwarf castle, Aeris was holding the bag that was from Chiharu.

“So many magic gems. She had hated the idea of growing these so much, but they were going to places thick with miasma on their own. What sense of responsibility. Chiharu, I hope that you are not suffering. I wish that I could at least be by your side.”

Sauro was staring at Aeris after handing him the bag.

“Aeris, she isn’t suffering at all. They’re having lots of fun, actually.”

“No, no. They probably want to return, but cannot. What about their travel expenses?”

“They seem to be richer.”

“What about strange men following them around?”

“…”

Well, he couldn’t say there wasn’t one. But Sauro knew that there was nothing he could say to satisfy Aeris. Still, it was getting tiresome, so he did hope that they would return soon.