Delamis Palace – Transfer Chamber
When Colette placed her hand on the pedestal, the transfer gate emitted a dazzling light and the gate opened. Soon, four figures appeared from the gate. These were people I recognized, and even though not much time had passed since we last parted, it felt strangely nostalgic.
“Oh, Kelvin.”
“Yo, long time no see.”
I greeted them with a wave, and they returned the gesture. Sylvia, walking at the front, was the first to speak to me. Hmm? Was Sylvia always sensitive to the cold? Sylvia had a long scarf wrapped around her neck. Today in Delamis was a warm, pleasant spring day, warm enough to wear light clothing. She had used ice magic in the tournament at the Ascension Ceremony, and I didn’t recall her being particularly sensitive to the cold. Did she come from a very cold region?
“What the hell!? Kelvin!?”
Ah, I was convinced that wasn’t the case. Nagua appeared next from the gate, his heavy footsteps announcing his arrival through the gate. Nagua was wearing tribal clothing like an Indian, with his upper body almost bare. Even for the sturdy beastman Nagua, that attire wouldn’t be suitable for a snowy mountain.
“Hey, Nagua. Stop acting soAggressive… Ah, it reminds me of the tavern tragedy.”
“That was a spectacular defeat, wasn’t it? I have it seared into my memory too.”
“Forget it! Forget it right now!”
“Nagua, it’s okay. Everyone has their embarrassing moments. In your case, no one would care if you had a few more.”
“Mhm, that’s right. Nagua can do it if he tries.”
“………”
After his companions, even Sylvia’s affirmation left Nagua in a daze. Still, it was nostalgic. In the tavern, Sera landed one hit, no, maybe four hits? Well, never mind. In any case, Nagua, who had picked a fight and was instantly defeated by Sera, was naturally the cause of his own downfall, but his defeat was so spectacular it was almost pitiful. I remembered that defeat well.
However, then a whole lot of others came through. Sylvia, Nagua, Emma, Kokudori, Ariel. It was good that everyone seemed unchanged from that time. …Not really. I don’t know what they were doing on the Western Continent, but their levels had all increased. Nagua seemed capable of giving Touya a good fight. Sylvia and Emma were particularly noticeable though.
“…Runoa. Ashley.”
Shutra, hiding behind me, whispered my name softly.
“…! Hey, what did you just say—”
Nagua reacted suspiciously to Shutra, who had called out Sylvia and Emma’s real names. Your ability to recover is amazing.
“Shutra!?”
“No way, is that Shutra!?”
“Gwah!”
Unfortunately, Sylvia and the others were more interested in Shutra, and Nagua was unceremoniously pushed aside. “As expected,” Kokudori and Ariel muttered, putting their hands to their foreheads behind him. It seemed things were the same for them on the Western Continent.
“…Huh? Didn’t something get smaller?”
“…Cute.”
Ah, right. I have to explain that first.
***
Delamis Palace
After moving from the Transfer Chamber to the guest rooms, we discussed Trisen after Sylvia and the others had left, and then Emma began to explain the circumstances.
“—And that’s what happened, so I withdrew from Trisen. After all, Runoa was the General of the Magic Knight Corps, and I was her副官. We knew that if we honestly said we were leaving the army, we’d be stopped, so we left as inconspicuously as possible.”
To summarize Emma’s story: Just as they had heard from Sister Mulligan at the orphanage, they abandoned their positions in Trisen to search for Sister Ellen, who had founded the orphanage, and became adventurers. Sister Ellen was like a mother to them, and the reason for their departure was that she suddenly stopped sending them letters. In their last exchange by letter, it was written:
“My chronic illness has worsened. I’ll be taking leave from the orphanage to focus on my treatment. I won’t be able to contact you by letter anymore. But don’t worry. I will definitely return to you. Also, this is a personal request from me. Do not try to find me. If possible, leave the Eastern Continent. I know it’s strange to say this to you who have grown so well, but please be good and wait for me. My heart is always with you. Runoa, Ashley. Please take care.”
Perhaps written in a hurry, the usually meticulous and beautiful handwriting was somewhat messy, and the text only conveyed the bare minimum of information. However, this letter was problematic. While their intention might have been to prevent them from searching for her and to keep them away from the Eastern Continent, Sister Ellen’s intentions might have been different. This could be interpreted as her having only a short time left to live. She was undergoing treatment somewhere on the Eastern Continent, but the chances of recovery were slim. However, it could also be interpreted as her wanting them not to worry. It was no wonder Sylvia and the others broke away from Trisen. In fact, after becoming adventurers, they seem to have searched all over the Eastern Continent.
“Shutra, I… I’m sorry…”
Perhaps filled with guilt, Sylvia and Emma both bowed their heads to Shutra. Shutra quietly stared at them. I couldn’t gauge how Shutra felt about the situation at the time, having lost her memory. Was she resentful of being betrayed by her best friend, or was she trying to forgive them? Her memory had been tampered with for Demon King Zel’s convenience, and perhaps her memories of that time were mixed with her childhood memories.
Emma’s reasoning was understandable. Considering Trisen at the time, which prioritized military strength, they wouldn’t have simply accepted their resignation if they had just said they were leaving. Moreover, Sylvia, who had become a part of the military’s leadership, might have known one or two state secrets. The two of them must have felt the atmosphere of Trisen at the time firsthand. In the worst-case scenario, they might have been eliminated. After using their General’s authority to search but finding no success, and with no prospect of achieving further results, they had no choice but to act on their own. Thus, after disappearing from Trisen, the two changed their names, falsified their backgrounds, and became adventurers, traveling to various places.
Well. Now it was up to Shutra to decide what she thought—
“Both of you, look me in the eyes.”
“….?”
Sylvia and Emma, who had raised their heads, met Shutra’s gaze.
“Um, as Brother Kelvin mentioned earlier, my memory is hazy. The days I spent with Runoa and Ashley feel like yesterday, and I remember the shock of them disappearing. I was so sad. I was lonely. But, maybe… I was also doing things that I shouldn’t have. Things that used my friends. So, um… will you be my friends again?”
Shutra extended her small, white hands in front of them. Her blue eyes, filled with large tears, sent a pleading gaze.
“That’s what we should be asking you.”
“Yeah. That’s right, that’s right. Shutra, will you and we make up?”
The girls gently covered Shutra’s small hands with their own and embraced her. The moment they touched, Shutra’s hands trembled slightly, but then she let out the tears she had been holding back and gave a carefree smile.
“Yes!”
Shutra leaped over the table and hugged Sylvia and Emma. …Colette was shedding tears behind them, but at that moment, she looked like a true saint, befitting her role as a shrine maiden.
