Chapter 69
「Never expected that you would cry like that.」
In the carriage, while hugging her knees, Roury mutters something while crying her eyes out.
The three already left the Elven country and are on their way to Toura.
Souta grasps the reins while listening to the voice from the coach seat. Dina hands her a handkerchief without saying anything.
★
On the day Roury decided to leave, after dinner, she told Arezel that she would head to Toura with Souta and Dina.
Arezel who heard that turned pale. She stopped her meal there and went to shut herself in in her room.
Everyone was calling her from outside the room, but there was no reaction.
Next morning, Arezel had still yet to show her face and still secluded herself.
In the end, the three started to prepare for their departure.
After the preparation of the carriage finished, and all they needed to do was leave the workshop. The only one there to say goodbye was Narasu.
Hidden beneath her usual cheerfulness was a shadow of gloominess. The inside of the carriage was filled with a depressed atmosphere.
Souta didn’t open his mouth. He operated the carriage silently and proceeded to the checkpoint in the valley.
The process took some time, but because of the dagger, the talk proceeded more smoothly than before.
Even the matter of Roury accompanying Souta, although they were reluctant, they allowed her to pa.s.s.
And then when they pa.s.sed the inspection and wanted to board the carriage, a voice calling for Roury from afar can be heard.
It was a mystery how she caught up to Souta’s carriage in time, but Arezel really reached them before they left the checkpoint.
Roury got down from the carriage and walked toward Arezel, who was out of breath.
After handing a letter to Roury, Arezel began to cry loudly on the spot.
「I’m sorry, in reality, I wanted to talk more, uwwaa~~!!」
Hearing that, Roury also shed tears in the same way.
「It’s fine… I suddenly… said that… it’s because I didn’t say it properly!!」
Then the two continued to shed tears while arguing who was at fault.
Souta and Dina watched them with warm eyes, while the staffs who were around only looked from afar, amazed.
About twenty minutes later, the two whose tears had finally stopped exchanged their words of farewell.
「Roury-sama, I’m sorry I ran away. We’ve been together for so long, so in shock, I didn’t know what to do…」
「No, it’s fine. I also don’t know what to say. In the end, I just left like that.」
「But …」
Feeling that the two were going to be stuck in the same loop, Souta interjected.
「Rather than looking at who’s at fault, you two won’t be able to meet for a long time. Isn’t there something more important you want to talk about?」
Arezel nodded, agreeing with Souta.
「Umm, thank you for everything so far. I’m having a lot, a lottttt~ of fun with Roury-sama. Even when Master and Souta went to the cave, you listened to my story and went there soon, so reliable….. So cool.」
Tears spilled from her eyes even while she was talking, but she still said everything she want to without pause.
「Thank you, I also enjoyed the time with Arezel very much. And it’s the same with Master, living with the two of you was really enjoyable. But, I’m sorry, I can’t let Elmia, my daughter, stay separated from her mother all the time, as Elmia is as important as Arezel……」
Although their conversation still continued, Souta distanced himself so he couldn’t hear them.
After they spoke for a while, at the end, Arezel gave something that looked like letters to Roury. The letters also included Souta and Dina’s portions, though they received them from Roury inst
ead of Arezel.
In the end, they were able to separate with smiles.
While holding the reins, Souta takes out the letter from Arezel, opens the seal, and reads it.
It starts with a thank you for Souta’s help, followed by a short paragraph of Arezel’s thoughts, and at the end, she requests him to take care of Roury and asks him to be strict with her.
「Arezel and Roury are like sisters. More specifically, a little sister who’s worried about her problematic older sister.」
Swept away by the wind, that mutter disappears and never reaches Roury.
When they arrive at the forest where Souta helped Arezel, they decide to take a break before entering.
After taking out fur instead of cushions from the bag, they sit on it and eat the meal that was also taken out from the bag.
Once their break is over, they enter the forest. While the essence of magic is still as dense as before, the trace of s.p.a.ce magic that was used as a trap before is already gone.
Although he feels a presence that seems like it’s observing them, since they don’t show themselves or trying to do something to them, Souta decides not to mind it and just continues onward with a little haste.
From there, there is also nothing that happens on the road leading to Toura, and all in all, it’s a smooth trip.
On the way, Roury got bored and muttered something disturbing. Fearing that she might trigger a flag, Souta was a bit anxious, but in the end they arrive at Toura without incident.
Before entering, Souta wears the camouflage bracelet. Also, Souta, who should be traveling alone, bringing along two elves makes a bit of a ruckus. But when he tells them that she’s Elmia’s mother, they stop questioning him and let them pa.s.s without trouble.
「First things first, let’s go back to my house. After that… Why don’t we go to Carena’s shop after we leave the carriage?」
They nod at Souta’s suggestion. They’re a bit tired from the long journey in the carriage, and as they hoped for a break in a place where they could rest comfortably, Souta’s proposal is a wish come true.