Homecoming (4)
I leaped for joy at the completion of the ice bomb I had named Lehern.
All the materials and money I had blown through trying to make the thing came flooding back. Now I no longer had to torment myself over those failures.
I had succeeded…! I had actually produced results!
“Hehe, hehehe!”
It was spring, but still only early spring—a little too chilly to be out without proper clothes.
“Ugh, cold!”
On top of that, the aftereffects of Lehern had spread a wave of cold through the air around me. No matter how much the weather was warming, it was bound to feel freezing.
I fled the spot as if escaping and hurried back to the old bookstore.
Shivering, I came to a stop in front of the shop—only to find Sister Mary standing there with her arms crossed, staring straight at me.
“Ah, um…”
“Julian, it seems nothing unfortunate happened, thankfully.”
“Y-yes…”
“Truly. How. Fortunate.”
Sister Mary was smiling. She was definitely smiling, yet the atmosphere around her was terrifying.
“I-I’m sorry…”
I really had been far too careless, hadn’t I?
“You should have at least taken Daniel with you.”
Sister Mary scolded me for bolting out without my escort. I truly had nothing to say in my defense.
“N-next time…”
“Julian—no, Saintess—how many times do you think you’ve said that and then failed to keep your word?”
Ugh…
Sister Mary’s lecture went on and on. The chilly weather and the clothes completely unsuited to the season only made it harder to endure.
“Achoo!”
My body shuddered, and a sneeze burst out.
Only then did Sister Mary notice my state of dress. She hurriedly opened the bookstore door.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake—if you were cold, you should have said so!”
Still scolding me, she quickly pushed me inside the building.
“Heh, hehe…”
I could only offer an awkward smile.
Once inside, I felt a little more alive. Still, the coughs and sneezes refused to stop. Fortunately, dinner time arrived soon enough, and a bowl of warm soup made me feel human again.
After we finished eating, I made an announcement in front of everyone.
“I’m going back to the village.”
“So the time has come, has it?”
“Yes. I’ve finished the ice bomb I was aiming for, so it’s about time I returned.”
The Master simply accepted it. It wasn’t as if this was a permanent farewell—I would come back someday. The reason I was returning to the village this time was to protect it.
“I see. It does feel rather sudden.”
“I’m not leaving tomorrow. There are things to prepare, so I plan to head back the day after.”
Priest Daniel and Sister Mary simply nodded and said they understood.
As for my sister…
“Going back?”
“Yeah. Gotta go protect the village.”
“Okay. Got it.”
Well, no problem there.
I should probably contact the young master as well, right? Or would it be rude to bother someone so busy? Still, we had been companions once—vanishing without a word felt wrong.
Anyway, I’d handle it tomorrow.
Early the next morning I sent Priest Daniel on errands. Along with orders to gather various bomb materials, I asked him to deliver a letter to the baron’s residence.
“A letter?”
“Yes. We’re returning to the village tomorrow, so I ought to let him know.”
“I’ll be back shortly.”
Priest Daniel left without another word. In the meantime, I decided to get the preliminary work done.
I raided the warehouse for materials, prepared batches of attunement agent in advance, cleaned up, packed our belongings…
“By the way, did you name the ice bomb Lehern?”
Sister Mary asked while looking through my alchemy notes.
“Yes.”
“What does it mean?”
Meaning…? There wasn’t any particular meaning. I had simply borrowed a name from the knowledge and memories of my previous life. But how was I supposed to explain that…?
“Uh, just… because it sounded cool and impressive?”
That was the only answer I could give.
“Is that so? Very well.”
Sister Mary still looked unconvinced, but she nodded.
The moment Priest Daniel returned with the materials, I dove straight into combining them and produced eight Lehern and six Fram.
Naturally, more Lehern came out—its materials were cheaper and easier to obtain.
I had increased the amount of materials used in each batch with power in mind, so the bombs themselves had grown larger. Whether the actual destructive force had increased remained untested… but in any case, each Lehern was about the size of a fist, and the Fram were roughly the same.
“What do you intend to do with these bombs?”
“These? I’m giving them to the young master.”
“To Maximilian?”
“Yes. Something like a secret weapon.”
Of course I wasn’t handing over everything. I planned to give him five Fram and five Lehern. Since I still had some unused Fram from earlier batches, that left me with three Fram and one Lehern of my own.
“You’re worried about him, then?”
Hmm?
“No? He’s stronger than I am—why would I worry? I just… hope that if he has these, he might be able to hold off those barbarians or whatever.”
If the young master performed well, the village would be safer too.
“I see…”
For some reason Sister Mary looked at me as if I were hopeless. Had I done something wrong?
Anyway, the preparations for departure were more or less finished, and I had also informed the temple.
“The journey will take at least five days.”
Would a carriage make it take longer? I wasn’t sure.
“Understood.”
“Ah! And we’re stopping somewhere along the way. That’ll add another day.”
It was about time I started looking for a way to become a man again. Lately I had grown so used to this life that I hadn’t even thought about returning to being male. I hadn’t even begun the research. Alchemy research was fun, but without a clear purpose it was hard to choose materials properly…
A gender-changing potion? As if something like that would just pop into my head.
Something abstract like the Philosopher’s Stone I could at least imagine…
“Anyway, we leave the territory tomorrow.”
On the way back to the village I planned to stop by those ruins and examine the magic circle once more. Last time I had known nothing about magic, but things were different now. I could use both magic and holy magic, and I had knowledge to go with it.
If any of the magic circle remained, I might discover a way to become a man again. I would go clinging to that slender hope…
Time passed, and the day of departure arrived.
“Nothing left behind?”
“No, we finished preparing everything yesterday.”
Sister Mary checked more thoroughly than anyone. After bidding farewell to the Master, we left the old bookstore.
“All right—let’s go.”
There was no reason to delay, so we set out at once.
When we reached the city gate leading toward the village, the young master was waiting for us.
“Young Master Maximilian?”
“You’re departing, then?”
“Yes.”
“I suppose we won’t be seeing each other for quite some time.”
A lonely note colored his voice.
“Is that so?”
If he came to the forward base, wouldn’t we actually see each other more often?
I didn’t bother explaining.
“By the way, aren’t you busy?”
“I am. I’ll be leaving this place myself in a few days.”
“To that forward base, right?”
“Yes.”
The young master kept wearing that lonely, forlorn expression. It somehow made him look rather foolish.
He clearly didn’t know much about our village.
That made it a little funny and a little heartbreaking at the same time.
“Well then, nothing to worry about.”
I smiled, turned, and asked Sister Mary to take out the box. Taking it from her, I held it out to the young master.
“This is my gift to you.”
“A gift?”
The gloomy look that had clouded his face until a moment ago brightened instantly.
I opened the box and showed him the contents.
“You know these well, don’t you?”
Fram—he had seen both the real thing and its power before.
“These are something new I made. I haven’t verified their power yet, but unlike Fram they have ice attributes.”
His expression stiffened slightly, but I ignored it and continued explaining.
“I named them Lehern. The method of use is the same.”
“I… see…”
“Yes. I’m giving them to you as a secret weapon.”
Looking somewhat dazed, the young master accepted my gift.
“You can share them with others if you want. Just keep them secret, all right?”
When I said it playfully, the corner of his mouth twitched upward.
“I will use them gratefully.”
“Good. Don’t get hurt.”
After handing the box to his attendant, the young master looked at me with a suddenly serious expression. The strong resolve swirling in his eyes made me feel a little… pressured.
“W-well then, I’ll be going.”
The moment I tried to step back and escape, he caught my hand.
“Miss Julian… th-there’s something I wish to say.”
“I-is there?”
What on earth was he about to say with such a serious face?
A faint unease stirred. Instinct told me I needed to get out of there.
“Miss Julian.”
Yet his earnest gaze made my resolve waver.
He looked so serious… was it really all right to run away?
“Y-yes…?”
“Miss Julian… I-I…”
His face flushed a deep crimson, and his breathing grew a little rough.
“Hah… f-forgive me.”
He took a deep breath, then looked at me again.
Even that hadn’t calmed him; his eyes were still trembling.
“I… I like you.”
……In that instant my body seemed to freeze solid.
What?
What had this man—the young master—just said?
That he liked me?
“W-won’t you stay… stay by my side?”
When he went that far, even I couldn’t miss the meaning.
The young master.
Young Master Maximilian saw me as a woman. Well, that much was only natural—but right now this man was confessing to me.
My heart gave a restless flutter. The moment I heard his confession, goosebumps raced across my skin.
At the same time, a faint joy stirred as well.
Probably because he was a good man…
Countless thoughts whirled through my head.
No clear answer emerged.
At the end of them all, one truth rose to the surface……
I was a man. I had been a man. And that man was going to date another man?
That… was something that must never happen.
Yes. Something that must never happen.
“I-I’m sorry! Y-young master, I do think you’re a wonderful person, b-but I… I never saw you as a man!”
I stammered out my answer. The young master simply stared at me blankly.
“I… see. F-forgive me for saying such a thing. I’m… sorry.”
Ah… seeing his reaction made me feel guilty.
Then heat gradually rose through my body. It was embarrassment.
We weren’t alone here.
Behind me stood my sister, Sister Mary, and Priest Daniel; in front of us were the attendants and guards who had come with the young master.
He had confessed publicly, and I had rejected him on the spot.
“I-I’m so sorry!”
Desperate to escape the situation, I decided to get out of there.
Bowing my head as if apologizing, I seized the opening and ran. Straight out through the gate.
I couldn’t hold on any longer—I fled.