CH 300

Episode 300 – The Bond of Three People

Three days after leaving Grezesta, I managed to arrive back in Landaust safely.

However, the sun was already setting, and I had no time to relax since Eagle’s Talon would be closed if I didn’t go right away. After quickly going through the entrance inspection, I headed straight to Eagle’s Talon.

When I entered the store, I saw Soulgram on display right at the front of the entrance as usual. Soulgram had always caught my eye, but now I couldn’t help but stare at it in a different way.

“Fuhahaha! I was wondering who it was, but it’s just you, Lewin. Look, Aruna is here, too. She won’t leave no matter how many times I tell her, so please take her back with you.” (Arthur)

Arthur came out from the back of the store and spoke to me with his usual vigor. When I heard Arthur say ‘Aruna’, I looked up with a start and peered timidly towards the back of the store. Sure enough, Aruna was sitting backwards in a chair and resting her chin on the backrest of the chair as she glared at me.

“Hey, come here, Aruna!” Lewin’s here―Hey, wait. Are you going home?” (Arthur)

Aruna came towards me after Arthur called out to her, but she passed right by me, shoving the door open and leaving the store.

An awkward atmosphere fell over the store as Arthur stared at the door with wide eyes.

“Actually, we disbanded the party. I’m sorry for not discussing it with you.” (Lewin)

“Disbanded?! I see… No wonder she was sitting in the shop in a bad mood for so long, not going anywhere. Was this disbandment caused by the attack of the Demon King’s Army?” (Arthur)

“That’s one of the reasons.” (Lewin)

“I wished that you would have consulted me first, but if that’s the case, I can’t say anything. It’s a shame, though. I thought you guys were the best party of adventurers out there.” (Arthur)

“I’m sorry, Arthur-san.” (Lewin)

“No, no. I know you didn’t want to disband the party, Lewin. You don’t need to apologize.” (Arthur)

Despite checking in with him so late and not giving him any explanation, Arthur still treated me warmly. I could tell that he was a good person, just like the grandma.

“So did you come today to check in with me?” (Arthur)

“That’s one thing, but I came here to ask you about another matter, Arthur-san.” (Lewin)

I had never mentioned to Arthur that I knew her, so he probably didn’t expect her name to come out of my mouth.

“Irene…? By Irene, do you mean that Irene?!” (Arthur)

“It’s probably the Irene that you’re thinking about, Arthur-san.” (Lewin)

“W-What a surprise. How did you find out about Irene?” (Arthur)

“I didn’t find out about her or anything. I knew her from the beginning. I came to Landaust from Grezesta, and Irene-san was something like my benefactor when I was in Grezesta.”

“….What an amazing coincidence. If I recall correctly, she did say that she was going to Grezesta. But I never would have thought that you knew Irene, Lewin.” (Arthur)

I could tell that he was really surprised from the way that he was trembling slightly. Judging from their reactions, I could guess that the grandma, Charlotte, and Arthur weren’t just ordinary former party members.

“It wasn’t just Irene-san, I spoke to Charlotte-san the other day as well. Harold-san also told me to give you his regards.” (Lewin)

“Well I’ll be damned… One familiar face after the next. Are they all at Grezesta now?” (Arthur)

“Yes. Irene-san runs an apothecary, and Charlotte-san is the Guild Chief of the Healer’s Guild. Harold-san is the owner of a bar.” (Lewin)

“Fuhahahah. They’re the same as ever. I’ve been in touch with Harold from time to time, but I’m glad to hear they’re doing well.” (Arthur)

Arthur laughed happily as if he was remembering the old days.

“Arthur-san, you don’t seem to hate Harold-san?” (Lewin)

“Hm? Ah, because Irene and Charlotte don’t like him, huh? I don’t dislike him. He’s an outstanding informant. Well, we had a dispute in the past, but I’ve decided to let it slide.” (Arthur)

“I see. Those two seemed to dislike him a lot, so I thought that you would also dislike him.” (Lewin)

“Fuhaahaha. I can picture them hating him. After hearing about them, it makes me kind of want to see them now after such a long time… Whoops, we strayed from the topic. What did you want to ask again?” (Arthur)

Grezesta and Landaust. I figured that the two cities weren’t far from each other, so he could have gone to see them if he wanted to, but…

I guess there were other circumstances apart from feelings at play here. The grandma always seemed a bit strange whenever Arthur was brought up, so for now, I got the feeling that I shouldn’t butt in here.

“I’m looking for a plant that can revive the dead. If you have any information at all, I’d like to know…” (Lewin)

“A plant that can raise the dead, huh? If I recall correctly, there was a fairytale about that in the Empire.” (Arthur)

“Eh?! Is that story about a princess who was killed by a witch and then resurrected?” (Lewin)

“Yeah, that one! One time, I was curious about it and wanted to look into it, but the forest where that witch lives is in the region where the Demon King is. I couldn’t investigate any further in detail because of that, so I gave up on it.” (Arthur)

“Huh? …Then that means the fairy tale is a true story?” (Lewin)

“No, we can’t know that for sure without looking deeper into it. But I’ve investigated and found that it’s true that the witch in the fairytale passed down in the Empire is the same witch on the Demon King’s side.” (Arthur)

It felt as if all of the information had come together at once. When I went to the grandma’s place, it felt as if I had grasped an inkling of the story, but Arthur’s information made it seem more real.

Considering the contents of this tale, there was little guarantee that it was a true story, but… it was worth going after. Arthur’s information had moved me enough to make me believe so.