In the evening, two days after we set off from
the capital of Marado, if we keep going at this pace, we’ll reach the destination town of Acken tomorrow, so for tonight we’re staying at a port town along the road.
It is a port town worthy of being called one, with a big port where imported goods from other countries pass through in order to get to the town of Acken.
Just like a port town should be, there were many inns where we could stay, but considering the security, we chose the most luxurious one among them.
“Fu, it was a good bath.”
At night, Lize returns to the women’s room, one of two rooms rented, after having taken a bath.
“I’m used to sleeping outside, but sleeping on a bed is better, isn’t it.”
“You’re right….”
Urza replies, with her head in the clouds.
Urza was sitting on the couch, beside the window with a relaxed figure, while looking at the full moon in the sky.
For spirit mages, especially for Elves, the moon is something deeply connected to them, it is the time when they can receive the strongest blessings from the moon goddess Luna, who is also the guardian spirit of the Elves.
It’s a little fun for Elves, to bathe in the light of the full moon like this.
Lize knew that it’d be wasted effort, to try to talk to her, so she was lying on the bed.
“Then I’m going to sleep. Urza should also drink moderately.”
Because we have to get up early the next morning, Lize says, then she shuts her eyes. Lize falls asleep immediately, afterwards, regular sleeping sounds could be heard.
Urza kept looking at the full moon, while smiling a little wryly at her pace.
“……. At times like these, I want to drink wine, that I normally don’t drink…..”
When she drank a little wine, from the goblet she had put aside, her cheeks became slightly red.
After a while, drowsiness began to hit Urza, but thinking it wasn’t that cold, she thought it would be alright if she fell asleep like this, so she slowly closes her eyes.
Fu………. Spirit God Luna…… Your blessings for this journey……..
“Crap–! I totally forgot!”
“Urza, shut up.”
Lize, who’s half asleep began to speak.
“Ah, I apologize…… Or rather, I can’t stay like this!”
Urza jumps out of the room, and rushes to the room next door.
“Kail!”
She entered the room without even knocking first, but both of the beds were empty.
“Tch…… Seran’s probably enjoying the night life…….. But where did Kail go to?”
Seeing that the sword Sildonia wasn’t there, she thought he was out training again, having a lead, she went outside.
At that time, Kail was in a scarcely known field, a little away from the mail town, lying down sprawled on the ground.
His breathing was rough, and he was sweating large amounts, you can see he was just training intensely for a long time.
Sildonia, who was watching from the side, said she was impressed.
“Hmm, you called it illusion projection didn’t you? It seems pretty interesting. It’s a technique that didn’t exist in the time of myself, but it seems like even though many things were lost, many new things have also been gained……. As expected, humans are dependable.”
“It’s a fake, in the end, I wouldn’t last a second in a real fight…… But the chance isn’t zero……. There is a worth in continuing….”
Kail answers while breathing roughly.
Even if it was an illusion, until just a while ago, he was fighting against over a hundred demons.
“My physical strength has been raised a little….. But, I still have a long way to go.”
My movements keep getting sharper, and I’m able to move how I want to, but I have understood that I still lack in basic strength.
A month hasn’t even passed since he started giving his all by seriously training, so it can be said it’s only logical.
He thought he had found a new way to fight together with his magic, but right now, that’s something for the future.
“I’m tired…… Let’s return quickly and go to sleep.”
I forcefully move my body. Since it seems like I’d end up sleeping here, if I stayed like this.
“Yeah, since the strain would be too much if we continued like this. Rest is also important.”
“However I also thought about this last time, but this really is a good sword.”
Kail admires the sword in his hand, that fits perfectly, while looking at it.
“Of course. This sword which is Myself, is the crystallization of Zars’ magic techniques, you couldn’t find a better sword made by human hands than this. Well, it’s also housing Myself, so isn’t it only obvious?”
Sildonia just kept thumping her chest with pride.
“It’s sharpness also seems great. I have used other mithril swords before, but none of them were this sharp. “
“No, this sword which is Myself, isn’t made of mithril to be precise, you know?”
“Huh? Then….”
‘Just what?’, just when I was about to ask, an intruder appeared.
“I’ve found you! So you were here!”
With a ghastly face, Urza came closer to Kail while breathing roughly.
“Wha-What happened?”
“Have you forgotten! It’s the [Partial Contact]! It can only be done on a night with a full moon, you know.”
“……Ah, now that I think about it.”
Kail, who was looking at the full moon in the sky, had completely forgotten.
“It’s something you brought up!”
“……Can’t we do it next month? I’m tired and I want to sleep.”
Kail says really sleepily, that he wants to quickly go to sleep.
“It’s something that concerns my true name you know! Don’t say it as if it’s a hassle!”
“But, you forgot about it too….”
“Sh-Shut up! Anyway, I’m going to make preparations, so wait here!”
Sildonia left the two, and went to the inn, after saying “This kind of seems like a hassle”.
(Be that as it may, to think I’d be doing this ritual with a human partner……)
“Why did it become like this?” Urza was writing the magic circle in spirit language, while thinking of the reason she was doing this in the first place.
With this [Partial Contract] you’ll be able to make your partner uphold an absolute promise, but at the same time it’s something that usually doesn’t happen since they usually don’t know the True Name.
However with the exception when your partner does know it, or if you let your partner know it, then this ritual also gets used as a ceremony.
There you present your True Name, where you and your partner swear everlasting love to each other – in other words a wedding ceremony – this [Partial Contract] holds almost the exact same meaning as a wedding ceremony.
For that reason teenage Elf girls talked romantically about this [Partial Contract].
Also Urza would usually imagine her partner in the far off future, with whom she would be holding the ceremony, she would blush, whenever she heard the story about the ritual.
(Even so….. Even if I don’t have another choice, to perform the ceremony with a man, whom I met only half a month ago……)
Certainly, this was something she never thought would happen half a month ago.
However, because of the situation, she had to accompany Kail and his party, but in reality she wasn’t that dissatisfied.
Originally, it was a journey in order to gain experience without a clear destination, she also didn’t have any complaints about her travelling companions.
Lize is a good girl.
They don’t share the same age, race, or personality, but she became a good friend.
Lately, I’ve been feeling a friendship beyond all of what I’ve felt these past years.
Humans….. I don’t know if it’s exactly right, but talking with Sildonia was fun too.
Urza, who was originally intelligent and curious, tried asking many things from time to time, but after a little while, she became so knowledgeable, that even the elders couldn’t compare to her.
While she was like that, her normal appearance, combined with her innocence, she saw a lot of wry smiles and bright smiles on her face.
Seran is…… Well, taking away all the times we took our eyes off him, he was kind of interesting.
Then Kail……. He was in a certain sense, the biggest problem.
From time to time, he interacts with me, as if he has known me for many years.
However, without thinking of it as being overly friendly, it’s kind of weird, saying it myself, but it’s as if he’s used to handling me, I was conscious of him controlling my actions then letting it go.
But what worries me the most, is that look in his eyes.
Usually, we are normally interacting with each other, but from time to time he stares at me and when our eyes meet, he looks away as if nothing happened.
I’m already aware about my own appearance, also since I started this journey there were many times I was looked at by men with eyes full of lust.
Of course, it wasn’t a nice feeling. At first, I thought he was the same, so I ignored it, but Kail was fundamentally different.
It isn’t like that of family or friends, how do I say this, it’s as if he’s protecting me from afar, when I’m looked upon with those eyes, it feels like he can see through my heart, I can’t calm down, however, I don’t feel bad because of it.
Anyway, it’s my first time experiencing being disturbed like this.
(…… Let’s stop this, I have to concentrate on the [Partial Contract] now.)
I get the feeling, that the more I think about it, the more mysterious it gets, Urza put her ideas on hold for now.
After finally having finished the preparations for the magic circle, Urza speaks to Kail who was waiting.
“Alright, preparations have finished. Kail, stand over here……. Don’t sleep! Wake up.”
“Eh?…… Ah, I’m sorry I was drowsy so……. However, that took a while didn’t it? I thought it’d be easier.”
“A [Contract] isn’t something that simple! It’s alright already, so stand over there, I’m starting!”
Within the light of the full moon, the ritual begins.
Being lit by the light of the full moon, highlighting the mysterious beauty of Urza – who was casting spirit words with closed eyes – even more.
While seeing Urza like that, Kail thought it was exactly the same as last time.
Kail has already experienced this [Partial Contract] once before, in other words, he has already done it before.
The night before the final battle, Urza didn’t know whether it would be the last night they would have, they talked about the ritual and Kail agreed to it.
The Urza of that time, was able to contract with a lot of high level spirits, it wasn’t wrong to call her a great spirit mage, and she wouldn’t have to wait for a full moon to use such a ritual, also, she didn’t need a magic circle like this one.
And the promise we made at that time was: If we come back alive from this battle, let us live the rest of our lives together.
It was also a true marriage vow.
However, we weren’t able to fulfill the promise from that time.
Covering Kail, she died in front of his eyes. Leaving only a sad smile in the end.
I’ll never be able to forget about that scene.
Eventually, warm soft light spilt from the magic circle and began to wrap around the two.
When it happens, the consciousness becomes light headed.
It was the same feeling as anemia, but without the discomfort, rather, it was a pleasant feeling of floating, the feeling of lethargy covering the whole body.
Kail remembers the last time something similar happened.
It was the same for Urza who was looking at Kail with unfocused eyes.
And I begin to speak, as the heat is rising to somewhere.
“……. In the name of the great spirit, God of the moon Luna, I Urza Ekses order thou…. I prohibit you the misuse of my true name, or to tell others…… Do you swear it?”
“I swear.”
To Urza’s question, Kail answered immediately. In the same way like last time.
When I do, an exceptionally strong light comes from the magic circle facing the moon, going up like a tower, then the light became a meteor, and bursted into particles of light.
And the light around us, dances downward like powdered snow, it was a fantastic scene.
Urza lightly sighs, and then raises her head, Kail was right in front of her eyes.
“Ah…..”
After thinking, he was looking at me with the same eyes again, without having the time to resist, Kail’s lips sealed Urza’s.
Only for a moment, truly the fragment of a moment, Urza thought it’d be alright to entrust herself to him, but when she did, she immediately regained herself.
“Wha-Wha-Wha-Wha What the hell are you doing! You bastard~~~!?”
Kail regained himself because of Urza’s screaming.
“Eh?……. Ah! No, well that’s…… Since the last part of the contract is a kiss so….. Eh? Was I mistaken?”
The last time, that was what he had been prodding over with Urza.
“Th-That’s something you only do at a marriage ceremony as a bonus at the end! The contract itself had already ended the moment you swore the vow!”
“Ah…….. I see, in other words, this is something like an unfortunate accident isn’t it?”
From Kail’s perspective, she was his lover, which he acted lovely with on a daily basis, of course, Urza wouldn’t be convinced by that.
“…… It’s an add on, since we have a magic circle and I have a spirit stone in my hand, let’s make a [Contract] with another spirit.”
“Hoh.”
“The contract partner is Salamander. The spirit of flames may be hard to control, but as I am right now, I should be able to…… And for the first order, I’ll ask him to burn down this sex offender, right before my eyes.”
“Hey!?”
“Hey, it’s started you know! Be grateful that you’re still breathing!”
“But burning someone to death also stops his breathing!”
After that night, from the suburbs of the port town, the screams of a man, and rising fire, could be heard for a while, it was a rumor around town as an unnatural phenomenon.
“Why do all three of you together look so sleepy.”
The morning of the next day, when they passed the corridor, Lize the only one who had enough sleep, asked the sleepy looking Kail and the others.
“Well, a bit of a misfortunate accident….”
“Shut up! You don’t have the right to say that, you bastard!”
Urza whose anger still hadn’t dissipated, raises her voice, to counter Kail.
“Also why is it that I smell a burnt odor from Kail?”
“That also was something like an unfortunate misunderstanding…….. No it’s nothing at all.”
Kail shuts up, because of Urza’s glare.
“Ah, by the way the reason why I’m sleepy is…”
“I didn’t ask you Seran.”
“So it’s like that……”
“By the way…… The [Partial Contract] has ended, so are you still going to keep on travelling with us?”
To Kail’s question, Urza was speechless for a bit, but she made a grimacing face at the end.
“I-I don’t have another choice right. In the first place, I still don’t know why Kail knew my True Name.”
“I see….. If it’s like that, you really don’t have a choice, do you.”
Urza was about to say something to Kail, who was looking a little happy.
She went “Hmph!”, and faced the other way, then walked next to Lize, who was in the front, with angry footsteps.
Being able to stay together with Urza. To Kail, this was something he was purely happy about.
There are many reasons for why Kail wanted Urza to be their travelling partner after that coincidental meeting, because a spirit mage is useful, because she can become a fighting force……… But the main reason, is because he wanted to be together with her.
The fight against the demons, an everyday life where you live with death by your side, in the midst of losing bits and pieces of humanity on a daily basis, but the reason why Kail never fell into despair, was because Urza was by his side.
They could only be called real lovers, just a month before the final battle, but Urza’s existence itself was a healing factor to him.
If in the final battle against the demon lord, Urza and he both survived, they would, just like they swore, live the rest of their lives together.
I truly loved her from the depths of my heart.
If my reunion with Urza was at least one or two years later, I might have been able to set my feelings straight to some degree.
I might have been satisfied by just knowing she was alive, but a reunion I never expected happened just a few days later.
Thus I confirmed again that, I still love her from the depths of my heart.
(However…)
While Kail was thinking about all of that, his sight wandered to Lize, who was walking next to Urza.
If that great advance never happened I’d probably have married Lize.
Actually there was a marriage-like talk once.
Getting married, having children….. Living a peaceful live in the that town of Rimase, we probably would’ve lived happily ever after like that.
After losing Lize, it was just like something from a pipe dream…. Right now, that dream was within my reach.
(If I do say so myself, but I know I’m dishonest sometimes….)
Truthfully, I love the both of them the same amount.
But if I can make an excuse, I want to blame it on this special situation, that no one else has ever experienced.
I promised both of the two woman to marry them, that we’d live the rest of our lives together, but both of them died and parted with me, right before my very eyes.
And I was reunited with them at almost the same time, and now they’re here with me.
If there is someone else who’s in the same situation as me, I’d love to meet him.
So much that I want to get advice from him.
“……Alright!”
After thinking for a while, I say something while clenching my fist, as if I have determined something.
“I have a mission of preparing for the “Great Advance”! It isn’t the time to let my heart astray over something like this, when the world is in danger! Personal things can be postponed!”
Using the great excuse of saving the world, he postpones the inevitable, and in a certain way he makes the worst decision, then Kail yet begins to walk strongly again.
“Don’t these guys seem kind of weird?”
“That’s the thing called youth.”
Actually last night, Sildonia who was out of the main body of her sword, saw the whole event, so she nodded with an all knowing face to Seran who was twisting his head.