A Fleeting Reunion, a Second Farewell
One month after the results of the entrance exam were announced. Perhaps because those who had failed the exam had already departed, the clamor of Hailyen's streets had quieted down a notch. Of course, even with the dip in noise, Hailyen was still a bustling, noisy place by nature.
'I suppose it's goodbye to Hailyen for a while,' Gwen thought, gazing out the inn window at the cityscape.
Hailyen, the City of Heroes. It would likely be the end of the year before she set foot here again. In the meantime, she would have to keep herself busy.
'But before that...' She knocked on the bedroom door.
"Elsie! It's about time to come out!"
"Just a moment!"
"You said 'just a moment' thirty minutes ago! We really have to go now."
It had been an hour since Elsie started getting ready for the matriculation ceremony, yet she showed no signs of emerging. What is taking her so long? Rustling noises echoed from within, suggesting she was indeed doing something. Still, Gwen couldn't fathom what could possibly require this much time. Even packing, the only task that might take a while, could be easily resolved by shoving everything into her inventory.
"I'm counting to three, then I'm coming in." She couldn't afford to wait any longer.
"One, two..."
"Gwen? No, wait!"
"Three."
Gwen slipped a dagger through the gap in the door, deftly popping the latch. She pushed the door open and stepped inside.
"Elsie?"
Her eyes swept over the girl. To put it mildly, it was an absolute disaster.
"Don't tell me you don't even know how to put on a school uniform?"
From the blouse to the skirt, not a single piece of clothing was worn correctly. To make matters worse, the neatly ironed fabric was now completely crumpled, likely from her frantic fumbling.
"But... back in the palace, the maids always helped me, and I haven't worn anything like this since..." Elsie stammered, her face flushing crimson as she tried to excuse herself.
Gwen didn't find the excuse entirely unreasonable. She was well aware that Elsie had spent a significant amount of time disguised as a boy. Even so, she hadn't expected it to be quite this bad.
"You should have just called me for help in the first place."
Gwen quickly shut the door she had forced open and began inspecting Elsie's attire.
"I'm sorry. I didn't want to bother you over something as trivial as putting on clothes."
"Trivial? You're entering the Academy today. Do you have any idea how important clothes are to a girl?"
"But it's not like I particularly want to be a normal girl..."
Gwen's hands, which had been adjusting Elsie's collar, suddenly froze. Elsie turned her head to look at her.
"Gwen?"
Gwen wore an expression Elsie had never seen before. But she quickly forced a smile and spoke.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't force my values on you. Still, clothes are important. At the very least..."
Her hand tapped against Elsie's chest.
"...you should be wearing undergarments, shouldn't you?"
"...But they're uncomfortable."
Gwen's hand drifted toward her inventory. Before the holy relic Ignes could be drawn, Elsie hastily stripped off her blouse and began putting on her undergarments with clumsy hands.
"Look at this. It seems your height isn't the only thing that's surpassed mine now," Gwen grumbled, though she still lent a hand to help Elsie dress.
"But enjoy it while it lasts. Just wait until I find the Rose Sword. I'll catch up to you in no time. I'm destined to become a tall, glamorous beauty."
"Yes, yes, of course you will," Elsie replied passively, having heard this exact claim countless times while traveling with her.
Once she was finally fully dressed, Elsie stood before the mirror. Yet, the reflection staring back at her felt foreign.
"Is this really alright?"
It was her first time seeing herself look so... feminine. Her short, lustrous blonde hair gleamed under the light. Her face, having lost most of its baby fat, had grown slender and defined. And above all, the female student uniform clung to her, accentuating her feminine silhouette. She couldn't get used to it.
But Gwen simply smiled. "You look beautiful. What's wrong with that?"
"But being pretty doesn't help with revenge..."
"Didn't Alan promise that you two would meet again someday?"
Apparently, when Alan had introduced Elsie to Gwen, he had left a letter promising a future reunion. Thinking back to how cleanly he had severed ties with her without a single word of the sort, Gwen felt a tiny prick of jealousy. Still, she knew that promise was exactly what Elsie needed. Having relied so heavily on Alan, Elsie's dependence on him had grown immense. But Alan had to leave her. He had his own path to walk. Under those circumstances, a promise of reunion was his only recourse—a lifeline to give the girl he had to let go a sliver of hope for the future, regardless of whether that promise could actually be kept.
"Do you want to look like a mess when you finally see Alan again?"
"No, of course not," Elsie said, running a hand through her short hair. "I'm just... worried he won't recognize me. That's why I haven't let my hair grow out."
Gwen let out a wry chuckle at that. "You worry too much. Save those anxieties for after you actually meet him. Besides, you can just be the one to recognize him first."
Of course, Alan would have grown over the past two years as well, but surely not to the drastic extent Elsie had.
"I suppose you're right," Elsie said, her expression finally softening into a relaxed smile.
Watching her, Gwen couldn't help but think, Why am I slightly annoyed by this?
Yet, the reality was that there was no guarantee Elsie would ever meet Alan again. He had vanished completely after ascending to the rank of a high-grade hero. The only real window of opportunity would be Elsie's graduation exhibition, but even that was far from certain.
Gwen offered a bittersweet smile and urged her forward. "Now that you're fully dressed, hurry up. We're late."
"I'll be going now, Gwen."
Standing before the gates of the Hero Academy—a place strictly off-limits to outsiders except during the graduation exhibition and school festivals—Elsie turned back to look at Gwen one last time.
Though their time together hadn't been long, and they had bickered constantly, Gwen was still a precious mentor to her. She had learned so much from her, far beyond just swordsmanship. Despite Gwen's petite stature, she still felt incredibly mature and imposing, even now that Elsie had grown taller than her. Why on earth did Alan refuse to become the disciple of someone like her and vanish? It was a question that still baffled Elsie.
"Right. I'll see you at the graduation exhibition."
On the other hand, Gwen wasn't entirely without worry. Having witnessed Elsie struggle even to dress herself this morning, and knowing her royal upbringing, Gwen knew the girl lacked common sense in many areas. Still, she couldn't hover over her forever.
I feel like a worried parent, she thought, a strange sensation washing over her.
Ultimately, she turned around and took her leave. She, too, had many things to attend to.
Come to think of it...
Petals drifted lazily on the warm spring breeze.
It's spring already.
She had been running so hard and fast that she had barely paid attention to the changing seasons. The only time her relentless pace had paused was after meeting Alan. From the autumn she met Alan to the winter they parted. From the spring she met Elsie, through summer, autumn, winter, and now, spring once more.
Just then, a boy caught her eye. He was a black-haired youth wearing the uniform of the Hero Academy.
He was someone she had definitely seen before.
The one I saw at the Church HQ last time...
The boy who had been practicing archery. Seeing him in uniform meant he had passed the entrance exam. Given how fierce the competition must have been this year due to Ryutmila, he had to be exceptionally skilled.
But why?
It was the same sensation she had felt before—an inexplicably familiar aura radiating from him. His build could be explained by a growth spurt, but his hair color and facial features were entirely different. Besides, there was no logical reason for Alan, who had already achieved the rank of a high-grade hero, to enroll in the Hero Academy...
At that moment, a realization struck her.
Ah...
Actually, there was a perfectly logical reason. From his perspective, the Hero Academy was the fastest and most convenient way to secure a brand-new identity. Considering his preference for operating in the shadows due to his physical limitations, it made perfect sense. And if that were the case, it also explained why he was wielding a bow instead of a sword.
But still...
She reached out to her Constellation.
It's just wild speculation, right?
No answer came.
Of course it is.
It wasn't as if she could just grab a passing student and interrogate him. She had absolutely no proof other than a vague similarity in his presence. In the end, she walked past the boy without saying a word.
"Long time no see."
A faint whisper brushed past her ear as they crossed paths. She whipped around instantly. But the black-haired boy was already walking away, his eyes fixed straight ahead. He moved forward with steady, unyielding steps, leaving the falling petals in his wake.
Alan?
That back was unmistakably Alan's. Yet, she couldn't bring herself to call out to him. She understood the sheer weight of his resolve—the determination of a man who, despite having slain three Demon Kings, chose to start anew at the Hero Academy.
Suddenly, she felt a pang of envy toward Elsie. With this, the promise Alan had made to her would be kept, even if Elsie remained blissfully unaware of it for now.
It's a shame, but I'll see you next time.
She was already planning to return at the end of the year for Elsie's graduation exhibition, so they would surely cross paths again. When that time came, she wanted to have a proper conversation. She wanted to know what he had been up to, how far his swordsmanship had progressed—there were so many things she was curious about. But now was not the moment.
She turned back around and began walking in the opposite direction.
A fleeting reunion, and at the same time, their second farewell.