Legend of the Southern
Legend of the Southern
Yen Tie woke in the stillness.
The city outside the window was still draped in a bluish darkness, but she paid it no heed as she changed her clothes in the dark and began lighting the house's fires one by one. She kindled the hearth and the first-floor fireplace, placed a magic stone into the lantern to brighten the still-dark living room, and in a silence so deep not even the sound of insects could be heard, she quietly prepared breakfast.
From the day she received Eldmia's permission to work as a housekeeper, she had not seen the one she could call her employer, Eldmia, even once, yet she had not been idle for a single day. Cleaning every day, checking the condition of the food supplies, and gathering information that might be of help to Eldmia—a month had already nearly passed living like this.
She could have assumed Eldmia was dead and gone back, or decided that his absence absolved her of her duties, but Tie did not.
Given the circumstances, it was clear he had flown to the West through a gate the orcs had used, so Eldmia would return alive. That was a feeling unique to a Servant of the Dream. Although it wasn't something she could directly mention to reassure Asilie.
Starting with preparing the ingredients, Tie set a breakfast table focused on soft foods, then climbed to the second floor as she felt the morning sun rise. And she spoke aloud to wake Asilie, who was asleep clutching Laika.
"Asilie. It's morning."
Even though she hadn't spoken loudly, Asilie's ears reacted with a twitch. It was a sight that would have had Eldmia openly gawking, but Tie knew well that the situation wasn't so simple.
Asilie was simply unable to sleep deeply. Since the day Eldmia had vanished.
"...Good morning."
"Yes, good morning. Eldmia might just arrive today."
It wasn't just empty words to lift Asilie's spirits; it was something a person from the Noble Council had come and told her the day before yesterday. They had said he was heading from Irmiz to Millean, where the gate was located, so considering the speed of information delivery and all, he would more than likely arrive by today or tomorrow.
Knowing that, Asilie showed a slightly more energetic reaction than usual as she slowly rose from the bed.
But Laika only opened those eyes a crack to look around before lying back down to sleep. For the first few weeks, Laika had at least moved to look out the window, but lately often didn't budge from the bed at all, as if even that had become too taxing. Asilie stroked Laika's head once, then went down to the dining room with Tie and slowly began eating the food that had been laid out.
No matter how much one believed he was safe, anxiety was an unavoidable emotion. He might be alive but severely injured in a few places. Even so, the reason Asilie maintained relatively normal activity and psychological state was that she did not wish for Eldmia, upon returning unharmed, to see her in a worn-down state and be distressed by it.
But maintaining that state for a month was no easy task, and so fatigue had been building on Asilie's face day by day. And lately, Tie's primary focus had been gathering information that could alleviate Asilie's anxiety.
"There's a rumor circulating that a letter came to the Royal Family from Kelbast. Since it arrived urgently, even using the mages' space leap magic, it's certainly about matters concerning the orcs. Given that the talk is solely about the orcs, it seems Eldmia passed through Kelbast without any problems."
"You can even hear the inner stories of the royal household?"
"This is likely news the royal household deliberately leaked. The goal is to set the mood that the incident was so serious that even Kelbast's side hurriedly contacted them, not that the royal family and military were incompetent. According to Zikmel, who passed on the information, the letter actually arrived much faster, and the discussions have already progressed quite far."
There were things Tie had learned on her own, but information related to nobles or the royal household mostly came from the information broker Zikmel. Without Tie's side ever requesting it or offering payment first, ever since the news spread that Eldmia had gone missing and Asilie returned, Zikmel had been coming every five days to bring new stories and inform Tie.
Whether it was a calculated move to curry favor for when Eldmia returned, or consideration as an acquaintance, she didn't reject the help since it was undeniably useful.
In any case, Eldmia would be the one to judge later.
"Additionally, this is something I learned with the Order's help, but it seems Eldmia caused a rather huge incident in the West as well. A strange rumor is circulating in the Western Kingdoms that he picked a fight with a count's territory."
"...Again?"
"...Yes, again. The territory suffered considerable damage... and some are calling him the Demon King Eldmia, they say."
Thinking about it, it was an absurd story. Just who could use the word 'again' upon hearing that some individual had picked a fight with a count? Both of them briefly considered that, but ultimately concluded it was entirely possible since it was Eldmia, and they both ended up laughing.
"'Demon King,' huh. Eldi would find that dumbfounding."
For someone living to find their mortal enemy amongst the Demon King's Army to be nicknamed the Demon King. At the utterly ironic story, Asilie let out a genuine laugh for the first time in a month, and seeing that reaction, Tie thought it had been worth pushing a bit harder to enlist the Order's help.
Whatever anyone said, Asilie was one of Eldmia's greatest sore spots. Efforts made to keep her in good condition would clearly be beneficial to her and the Order in some form. Finishing a meal accompanied by laughter after so long, the two cleaned up and went about their respective tasks.
It was nothing grand. Tie headed outside to gather information as always, and Asilie began preparing for an outing to share the day's talk with Ragnis.
The first time Ragnis had seen his face in a long while had been on the battlefield, and he'd vanished again right after that single meeting, leaving her rather disappointed. Still, whether Ragnis had grown strangely accustomed to it or simply developed faith in him, her main reaction was anger at how recklessly Eldmia had acted rather than worry... but Asilie knew well that there was a great deal of wistful regret mixed in.
Perhaps Ragnis had already received a rough account through the royal family's people. Using the information Tie gave as an excuse, it wouldn't be bad to go see Ragnis first and talk for a while today. No matter how much Asilie loved him, being made to worry was another matter, and she also needed a friend to grumble with, even briefly.
Having made up her mind, Asilie also gathered the equipment she had left untouched for some time, planning to show her face at the adventurer's guild as well.
It was then. Laika suddenly bolted upright and leaped off the bed.
"Laika?"
"Woof!"
Even if they couldn't communicate with words, there was no way Asilie wouldn't know what Laika's behavior meant after a month of living together in stillness. Before she could even properly react in surprise, Laika dashed out of the room.
And Asilie also ran belatedly, even abandoning the bow she was about to sling over her shoulder.
What unfolded before her eyes as she burst through the door with a swelling heart was the sight of Laika, unable to run down the stairs because of those short legs, awkwardly descending one step at a time backwards. A sudden laugh burst out at the unexpected ambush of a scene, but Asilie, whose heart wasn't calm enough to scoop Laika up and carry the little one downstairs, quickly slipped past.
"Sorry, Laika!"
"Yip...!"
Watching Asilie scramble down the stairs with a resentful stare, Laika squeezed both eyes shut and made a big decision.
Then Laika turned sideways and tumbled down the stairs in a roll. The ride was a little dizzying, but it barely hurt and was fast, leaving Laika extremely satisfied.
It was a spectacle anyone would have marveled at, but Asilie, the only possible witness, paid no heed to the crashing sounds behind her and practically flew down to the first floor, flinging the door open. The cold air she hadn't properly felt while staying only at home immediately washed over her with the wind. She thought it was her imagination, but Asilie caught the scent of the World Tree in that breeze.
A feeling of longing surged up, but even that wasn't very important right now. What mattered was that Eldmia's surprised face, just entering the yard, was no illusion or fantasy.
Other than his genuinely startled expression, Eldmia looked remarkably fine. So clean that it was hard to believe he was someone who'd been wandering outside for nearly a month, and he was even carrying a massive double-handed axe in one hand that she had no idea where he'd gotten.
Not only that, but next to the earring she had put on him, he wore an earring she'd never seen before. Since Eldmia didn't have a hobby of adorning himself with accessories, it was clearly a magic tool he'd acquired somewhere.
To someone who didn't know him, he looked like he'd deliberately gone on an adventure. For Asilie, who remembered his last appearance vanishing without proper preparation, it was something to be dumbfounded by...
"...I'm back?"
At the single line Eldmia sheepishly uttered with a smile, Asilie could do nothing but smile back.