Chapter 59
Well, it had been stifling in the dwarf castle, but it wasn’t because of their position . It was just because the dwarves were very kind and friendly . Perhaps too much so .
In other words, there were a lot of people like Kaider, who seemed to like to take care of others .
They would constantly talk to them or try to put them alone with Kaider or Nyran .
“You youngsters should have some time together . ”
They would say . And yet they would constantly be watching them as well . Had it not been only a two days stay, Maki and Chiharu would have been very stressed out .
“I’m sorry . My mother, brothers, and their wives really like to fuss over people . ”
“It’s fine . We were expecting it . ”
Maki chuckled as Kaider apologized . As long as there was no ill intent, it was good to receive kindness as kindness . They were good people . That was all that mattered .
“But to be honest, I want to get away from here . ”
It was the same with young people in any country . Especially if they were single .
Even Edwy had worked hard for 2 days as a representative for Arthur .
“I feel like I’m the one who should get to make sweet and bitter memories, since I’m younger . Why is it that Aeris and Grudo get to enjoy their time with Maki and Chiharu?”
Edwy mumbled .
“Well, we don’t get to experience such things anymore, in our old age . You should be kind to us older folk . ”
Aeris said . But Maki hadn’t forgotten that ‘sweet moment’ he had had or the fact that Aeris was still not retired . And so she felt a little bad for Edwy, who was completely fooled by Aeris . In fact, Aeris had as many years ahead of him as Arthur . And so Maki thought it was very deceptive of him to act as if he were an old man who didn’t have much time left .
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Maki also knew that Chiharu was fooled by Aeris as well, but she didn’t feel sorry for her in the least .
Edmond was also invited to the castle, and they were happy that they got to talk with him .
They promised to meet again before separating .
After those 2 days of rest that were really about diplomacy, the company moved on to Noir . Maki and Chiharu returned to their cooking duties . While they didn’t want to disguise themselves as boys again, wearing dresses and staying in the carriage all day wasn’t fun either . And so they wore their boys’ clothes but excluded the wigs . And then they rose in the back of a wagon with the luggage .
The dwarf lands had many mountains, and they went up and down quite a few on their travels, which meant the scenery was always changing . As they excitedly climbed up the mountains, the trees became smaller and of a different variety . Sometimes the air would suddenly feel cool, and they would find a small river with beautiful, clear water . Or sometimes there would be waterfalls .
After fully enjoying the sights, they would pass out soup and then drink wine with the others . Then they would retire to an inn instead of a tent, and go to sleep .
Once everyone was asleep, quiet movement would be heard from Maki and Chiharu’s room .
“Quietly okay? Quietly . Are the lights off? Okay, now I’m going to open the window . ”
Maki said in a hushed voice . The two of them always took a room with a balcony . They said it was so the birdfolk could visit them . But there were other uses at night .
The two slipped out of the window and then waited for a few minutes . After a while, something came from the sky . It was black, which made it hard to see in the night sky .
“Come here . That’s a good boy . ”
Chiharu called in a soft voice . It was a gazer . It came down to the balcony and swayed happily .
“Did you have a lot of fun?”
The gazer swayed .
“You can go and play more if you like . ”
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It’s fine . I saw enough .
“I see . Then come here . ”
The gazer touched Chiharu’s outstretched hand and then shrunk down . A second later, a magic stone dropped near their feet . Maki whispered,
“Only one today . ”
“I don’t feel any other eyes on us . ”
Chiharu squinted at the night sky . There were a half-moon and several clouds that cast shadows .
“Okay, let’s go back in, Chiharu . ”
“Yes . ”
They quietly closed the window again .
Once that was done, the shadows underneath the window also disappeared .
After the incident at the dungeon, especially after the incident at the Mirror Lake, Maki and Chiharu started to feel that something was watching them . In fact, it had increased once their identities had been exposed, but there was something different about some of them . They were a little sad .
And then one night, when Maki had been looking out of the window, a large eye looked back at her . Maki thought it was very impressive that she hadn’t screamed . Her first thought was…
“If the soldiers see it, they will kill it . ”
And so she called Chiharu, and they had gone out onto the balcony .
“Hey, you . Come over here into the shadows!”
Maki scolded the gazer as she checked to see if there were any soldiers watching . Good . There was no one .
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The two of them crouched so no one would be able to see them on the balcony . And then Chiharu talked to the gazer .
“What is it? Did you come out of the dungeon?”
I guess . I wanted to go where it was bright . And I came out . The gazer swayed slowly . For some reason, Maki and Chiharu were able to tell what the gazer was thinking .
“You…went out…”
And I’m too tired . I want to go back . But I can’t .
“You do?”
Yes, beloved child . Send me back .
Chiharu raised her hand and the gazer approached happily . Then it turned into a magic stone .
“It was relieved . And said thank you . ”
“Yes . I felt it too . Oh, another one is coming . ”
Maki looked up at the sky . They sent three gazers back that night .
It was from then on . Maki and Chiharu only wanted rooms with balconies .
Of course, the birdfolk were happy about it, but balconies also made rooms more dangerous, from a security point of view . It was Nyran who persuaded Edwy to agree to it .
“I don’t see why there’s a problem . The soldiers will be patrolling the ground . ”
“Well, I suppose it is better than when they slept in tents . ”
Once the two had been given permission, they started to drink less and wait for the monsters at night . They could have just ignored them, but they felt sorry for the lost monsters . Besides, even if they missed out on some sleep, they could just take a nap in the wagon on the following morning .
There were fewer monsters the closer they got to the capital . And there were nights when there were none at all . Also, it seemed that it was only gazers that were able to leave the dungeon without any of the guards noticing . And they never saw any four-legged monsters .
Furthermore, they rarely had visits after leaving the capital, but the two of them still stayed up late and waited, just in case . They had decided to do this until they left the dwarf lands .
But neither of them knew that Kaider and Nyran watched them every night, their swords ready .
“Ah, I guess they are finished for the night . ”
Nyran muttered . And then Kaider said,
“I don’t get it . Why are Maki and Chiharu so kind to those monsters . It’s like they are in a different world . ”
“Yes . I feel like I’m seeing some story . ”
Maki and Chiharu’s silhouettes appeared in the moonlight . They always looked at the moon a little before going back to their room .
“Still…”
“Yeah . ”
“The moonlight is nice . ”
“It is . ”
The light of the moon made their bedclothes look a little seethrough .
“Not bad . ”
“Yes . ”
And the two hopeless men felt rewarded .