Secret Story (2)
In the dead of night, when darkness had settled thick over the room, only our two voices echoed softly.
I closed my eyes and focused on Cecily’s voice coming from beside me.
“So, I have something I want to tell you, Noel. It’s my secret story.”
“I’ll listen to anything you have to say.”
“You already know I was a veteran of the Demon King’s army subjugation, right?”
“Yeah. You were an adventurer who started out as a priest, weren’t you?”
I had heard that much. She must have served as a healer during the war.
“I couldn’t fight until the very end. I had to leave midway. Because I injured my eyes.”
That was unavoidable. No one with an injury like that could keep fighting on the battlefield. And if she had withdrawn partway through…
“That’s why I didn’t receive a single coin of pension. I was driven out empty-handed.”
If she had left midway, they would have used that as an excuse to deny her any compensation. Truthfully, even if she had fought until the end, the result would have been the same. They would have found some fault to avoid paying, just like they had with me and the other adventurers. I’m not even sure they ever intended to give us anything in the first place. Maybe they had planned not to pay from the very beginning.
“After being kicked out with nothing, all I had left was a body pickled in recovery potions.”
For Cecily, who could no longer see, financial compensation must have been more desperately needed than for anyone else. Without it, she had no way to survive. Yet even she had received nothing.
“I wandered without a place to go and eventually came to this village. That’s where I met Irene and Yuria.”
“You must have gone through so much.”
“It was those two who suffered more than I did. They helped treat my recovery potion addiction and even arranged for me to work at the empty church in the village.”
“Wait—Irene?”
Yuria I could understand, but Irene? The idea that Irene had taken on something so complicated and difficult surprised me. She didn’t seem like the type to step forward for that kind of work. As I sat there stunned, Cecily gave my arm a light pinch.
“Irene is surprisingly a good person, you know? …Probably.”
“…Probably?”
“Let’s just say Irene is like that for now.”
“R-right.”
Cecily cleared her throat once, then continued.
“Anyway, what I want to say is this: if the people around you help you properly, you can get better.”
“So that’s why you made that suggestion to Kirke and Yuria?”
“Yes. That was my intention. This time, I thought I might be able to help others instead.”
It would probably work. After all, I was only able to keep living because Yuria had helped me. Having someone by your side was a tremendous source of strength.
“And here’s the main point. I believe Kirke will end up in a similar situation.”
“……”
She was right. If someone stayed beside Kirke and looked after her, she would adapt far better. The person who should be by her side right now was probably…
“I think you’re the one who can help Kirke, Noel.”
It would have to be me. In this village, I was the only one who knew Kirke best.
“It seems like Kirke likes you quite a lot.”
“We’re just friends, that’s all.”
Cecily pulled the blanket all the way up to her neck and pressed even closer to me.
“That’s everything I wanted to tell you.”
I said nothing. I already understood without needing more words. What Cecily wanted was to entrust Kirke to me. She couldn’t simply leave her alone—perhaps because she saw her own past self in her.
“Leave it to me.”
I answered Cecily with confidence.
A little more time passed, and Cecily soon fell asleep. She lay beside me, breathing softly.
I couldn’t sleep. It had been an exhausting day, but my mind was too full of thoughts for my eyes to close.
I slipped out of bed carefully so as not to wake her, then stepped outside.
Yuria was standing beside the door.
“How was it? Did you have a good night?”
“…Were you waiting here the whole time?”
“Yes. I had a feeling you wouldn’t be able to sleep, Noel.”
“How could you tell?!”
“Living together, you just come to know these things. You’re a simple person, after all.”
Yuria held a small cask in one hand. On closer look, it was a liquor barrel. She gave it a gentle shake, and the liquid inside sloshed softly.
“Would you like a drink?”
She was offering me alcohol, which was unusual for her. Why now?
“Why? You usually don’t like it when I drink.”
“A little once in a while is fine. Or…”
Yuria took one step closer. She gazed steadily into my eyes. She was taller than me, so she had to tilt her head down to look at me.
“…Or do you not want to drink with me?”
“Of course not.”
Hearing my answer, Yuria sat down on the floor. I sat beside her.
She handed me a cup and poured. The liquor filled it to the brim. Afraid it would spill, I quickly took a sip.
“So? How did you know I wouldn’t be able to sleep?”
“That’s easy. You have insomnia. Whenever you have too many thoughts running through your head, you can’t fall asleep.”
“You knew about that?”
“That’s why I also know you drink every night to fall asleep, and that you sometimes wake up in a panic from nightmares.”
So she had noticed all of it. I felt bad for worrying her.
“You heard Cecily talk about her past, right? I’ve already seen someone like you before.”
Ah. She had mentioned helping Cecily together with Irene. In that case, it would have been easy for her to recognize the signs. If she had already seen similar symptoms, she could have predicted it.
Suddenly I was curious. Why had Yuria and Irene gone to such lengths to help Cecily?
I asked her gently.
“Yuria. What was Cecily like when you first met her?”
“She was worse than you.”
Cecily couldn’t see. Everyday life was impossible for her, let alone making a living. On top of that, she had been addicted to potions. She really had been in worse shape than me. At least I could still see.
“The moment I first saw her, I thought of you.”
“…Me?”
“I was afraid you might come back in the same condition.”
Yuria filled her own cup halfway and took a sip.
“Sure enough, you came back in exactly that state.”
“Ahaha…”
I must have made her worry terribly. From the moment I left home saying I would become a hero, I had probably kept her anxious the entire time.
“Still, at least you didn’t come back injured… that’s something.”
Yuria looked at me, her gaze sliding over my small frame. My body was different now. There were no visible wounds, but it had changed drastically. In a way, could this also count as an injury?
“It’s not completely fine, is it? There are some changes, after all.”
“Well, I still like it. You’re cute like this.”
She placed her hand on top of my head.
“I like how small you are. I like the soft, warm, squishy feeling that only a child’s body has. When I hug you, it feels like a doll that fits perfectly in my arms.”
Her hand moved playfully, ruffling my hair.
“And above all, I like that your personality hasn’t changed at all. I love that inside, you’re still the same Noel.”
Her words were embarrassingly sweet. My face grew hot—maybe from the alcohol. I calmed myself and took another sip.
“Now that I think about it, how did you know Cecily was telling me about her past?”
“I was listening from right here the whole time.”
“You were eavesdropping?”
“It bothered me. I kept wondering what you and Cecily were doing alone together.”
Yuria downed the rest of her drink in one go. I emptied my cup as well.
After we finished, Yuria stood up first. I followed.
“Let’s go to bed. If you stay up any later, you won’t be able to wake up tomorrow.”
She took my shoulder and gently pushed me back into the room, then followed me inside and closed the door.
…Wait, why was she coming in?
“Huh? What are you doing?”
“I’m sleeping here too.”
“Three people in my bed?”
“Yes.”
My bed wasn’t nearly as wide as Yuria’s. It was already cramped with just two people.
“Then you’re telling me to sleep alone?”
“Wouldn’t that be more comfortable for you?”
“Are you trying to leave me out?”
“That’s… not what I meant.”
“Then let’s just sleep together. You’re small, Noel, so three of us should fit.”
It would be tight, but maybe possible. A little uncomfortable, though.
Yuria gave me a light push, urging me to lie down first. I lay awkwardly in the middle of the bed. She squeezed into the narrow space that remained.
It really was cramped.
“Maybe you should just go to your own room…”
“I don’t want to.”
She wrapped her arms around me, pulling our bodies close.
“If we sleep like this, it’ll be fine. Three people can fit if I hold you.”
“Why are you being so stubborn today?”
She was different from usual—almost acting spoiled.
“I want to sleep with you too, Noel.”
She was determined to have her way. I gave up and let my body relax. Arguing any further would only tire me out.
Sandwiched between Yuria and Cecily on the bed, with Yuria hugging me like a doll, I thought tonight would be quite an uncomfortable night. With that thought, I closed my heavy eyelids.