Published at 24th of December 2020 09:46:46 AM
Chapter 319
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 .
“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 .
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 .
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 .
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 . ”
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“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 .
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 . ”
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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…
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!”
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 .
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“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 .
Jawbrie/translator-san:
Yes, that was by far the longest Jack of all Trades chapter yet . About 4x longer than usual! Hope you enjoyed the chapters . Thank you geekdivaherself for the warm comments and donation! It means a lot! I hope everyone has a great Christmas/Holiday and happy near year!