Reunion with the Girls Who Left
"Haah, this line is way too long!"
"I'm so bored waiting."
"Don't forget to pack up all our stuff properly!"
It was around lunchtime. After a two-week journey, we had finally arrived at the gates of Herumont, the city hosting the Akwi Festival. We were riding in a covered luggage wagon, hurriedly repacking the gear we'd unpacked along the way. The entrance to the massive city was swarming with other travelers besides us. The line stretched at least five hundred meters. The guards at the gate were thoroughly checking everyone, and it looked like it'd take forever to get in.
With this many people, can't they speed things up a bit... Sighs kept escaping my lips.
"Master! I'm so excited! Even from far away, the city looks so pretty...!"
Estel was buzzing with energy. The long line should've bored her, but she seemed even more thrilled.
"I'm gonna go peek at the people up front real quick!"
As she hopped down from the stationary wagon's cargo hold, Belldia called out loudly.
"Estel! Don't go out of the wagon! You'll get sunburned and it'll be a disaster!"
Belldia Rackrowa. She'd joined us on this trip as coordinator and stylist. All of Estel's makeup and outfits were her handiwork.
'Don't we need one more person?' ...It had started half as a joke, half serious, but Belldia had closed up her workshop and come along, figuring it was an investment in Estel. I was truly grateful she'd come this far.
On top of that, the rookie party members had tagged along too. The dwarf warrior Bolcas, archer Pardel, mage Lijel, priest Minerri. Officially to escort us, but also to catch Estel's performance—killing two birds with one stone.
"Heh heh, beer's best in the afternoon! Ahh, gotta pee..."
"Mr. Bolcas! You can't go in the wagon! Mr. Pardel! Take him and go pee together!"
"I'm not desperate..."
"Herumont, city of romance... This'll be fun."
Anyway, with such a lively crew, things were noisy and entertaining. And most importantly, the trip here had been safe.
"Seru, want a snack?"
Minerri, who had been scolding Bolcas, smiled at me and offered her palm, laden with his drinking biscuits.
"Thanks."
I grabbed a handful and popped them into my mouth one by one. They were soggy and salty. The warm, big-sisterly Minerri kept chatting.
"Looks like it'll take about two hours for our turn."
"Yeah. Guess I'll catch a nap while waiting."
"Everyone here's for the Akwi Festival, huh."
Estel returned from scoping out the line ahead.
"Oh my god! There are tons of famous guild folks up front lining up too! What do I do? I'm already shaking!"
"What do ya mean? Just smash 'em all!"
Bolcas clenched his fist, chomping on jerky.
Pardel let out a deep sigh.
"You make it sound so easy."
The mage Lijel, sitting beside him, quietly turned a page in her book before speaking.
"Hope the city's sightseeing lasts a while. If it ends early, we head home early."
Belldia helped Estel climb back into the cargo hold and added,
"Famous guilds mean tons of fans too. Ngh, what'd you eat? You're heavy today."
"Just air~"
Estel plopped right next to me the moment she was up, as if deliberately wedging between me and Minerri mid-conversation. She blocked Minerri's view and sat smack in the middle.
"Master, whatcha eating?"
"Biscuits."
"Huh? That's that old guy's booze snacks."
"Snagged some."
"Gimme some too."
She snapped the biscuit I had in my mouth in half and popped her piece in. We'd grown incredibly close over the past six months. Now we could guess each other's moods just from breathing. Mornings, we'd naturally share bread facing each other; nights, we'd sleep under the same roof as if it were obvious. Like siblings? No, sometimes we even seemed like an old married couple. We knew each other's habits, speech patterns, quirks inside out, and could casually call out nonsense without a second thought. I even knew her cycle and ran errands for pads without hesitation.
But we bickered plenty over petty stuff too. Who ate more bread, why'd you use my favorite towel first—those little spats had become routine, but they somehow proved how close we'd gotten.
"Ahh, so salty! Water! Water!"
"Here, drink some beer!"
"Shut it, you bearded geezer!"
"Little squirt can't even handle booze. Tsk tsk."
"Who's a squirt? Gotta think about my throat!"
Watching Bolcas and Estel bicker brought smiles to all our faces unbidden. Even these trivial fights chased away the boredom of travel.
At long last, after an eternity of waiting, it was our turn.
"Next!"
The guard waved our wagon forward with a broad gesture, and we rolled into the shadow of the walls. Belldia yelled again at the entrance, "Pack the luggage properly!" Estel stuck close to my side, her face flushed with excitement. The adventurer party pulled out their papers, like passports. We all got our stamps, a cursory inspection of belongings, and then waited in a corner. As the representative, I followed the guard's lead into the guardhouse for the final signature.
A sparse, quiet room with an old wooden desk.
"Sign here, please."
I took the quill from the clerk and quietly wrote my name.
We're finally in Herumont.
Everything starts in this city. My hand gripped the quill a bit tighter as I wrote. From this moment, Estel's future—and mine—could change completely.
I finished signing, set the quill down gently, and wiped the sweat from my hand on my pants.
"All set?"
"Yes, that's it. Exit through that door."
I nodded and walked slowly down the corridor. Then, the door on the opposite side creaked open, and someone entered the building.
Faces I recognized instantly. It was unexpected.
Lilfrea, Maribel, Clara... They had arrived in Herumont too. Flashy hair ornaments, outfits even more refined and luxurious than before. They exuded the grandeur of a major guild's bards, with several knights trailing behind.
What an astonishing coincidence. A reunion I never imagined.
I hadn't dreamed I'd see these three here. But my emotions were calm. The stab of pain in my chest from back then had dulled with time; now it was just unpleasant, no lingering regrets or attachments. My stiff expression was simply from running into faces I never wanted to see again.
Clack, clack. Only our footsteps echoed in the corridor. Our eyes met briefly, but I kept walking straight ahead.
Then, a mocking voice drifted from behind.
"Long time no see?"
I stopped dead without thinking. A familiar, chilling voice. I knew it without turning. Maribel. The one who'd hurled the most venom at me out of the three. And once, it had been one of the sounds I loved most. I admired powerful vocals, and Maribel excelled at that.
I turned slowly, meeting their gazes.
"Yeah. Hope you've been well."
I kept my voice neutral, lifting just the corner of my mouth.
Their eyes scanned me from head to toe, meticulously checking if I'd changed since before. They looked me over and, deciding I still fell short, faint smirks spread across their faces.
"What's brought you to this city?"
Lilfrea asked, arms crossed, her pretty face iced over. Her tone was frigid.
"Just passing through."
I answered curtly. No drawn-out explanations, no questions about them. I just wanted this unpleasant encounter over.
Clara tilted her head, continuing in her signature innocent tone.
"Just passing through...? In the city hosting the Akwi Festival...? Right on time...?"
Her clear, pure voice—every word subtly twisted the knife. Overt suspicion laced it. I'd loved that angelic voice once, but hearing demonic words from it pissed me off.
Maribel tilted her head too.
"Hmm... You aren't here sniffing around for more naive kids to dupe, are you?"
Lilfrea scoffed lightly, shaking her head.
"Oh dear. Give it up. No one lasts long with your teaching methods."
Maribel nodded as if it were obvious.
"Learn from a big guild system and update yourself."
She eyed my outfit again. Belldia had tailored it neatly for the trip.
"Trying to look sharp. The girls would run if they knew you were broke."
They got all excited among themselves just listening. How well-fed and pampered they must be now—arrogance amplified since before. Then Clara's words shattered my restraint.
"Teacher. Just... look for something else... Bards aren't your thing..."
Crack. Something snapped inside me unbidden. No more just listening.
They could've just greeted politely and passed after so long. Unbelievable.
"Don't strut around just 'cause you joined a big guild. You didn't earn it with your own talent."
They looked stunned.
"What? You sure talk big."
I shot back coolly.
"I've realized a lot since splitting from you. Don't pick up half-baked kids and get betrayed—better to raise ones with solid character, even if they're weaker. Turns out that's real happiness. And here you are, living off what I taught, acting all high and mighty."
"Unbelievable."
"You blind or what?"
"T-Teacher... you haven't lost it, have you...?"
"You lost it first. I'm just trying to stand back up after you flew the coop. So mind your own business."
Then, heavy armored footsteps approached from behind, and a knight stepped out. A familiar face.
"Hey, buddy. Living the good life? Manners out the window again."
The guy who'd beaten me in that inn room before. Rock, was it?
"Warned you to watch your mouth. What're you doing in front of these fine birds?"
He reached to pat my cheek, like last time. But not this time. Back then, the girls' betrayal had broken me, but no more.
I snatched his incoming wrist.
"Watch your own hand."
"Wh...?"
Rock's face twisted in confusion, then pain. I wrenched harder. Joints popped; he groaned.
"Guh... Argh...!"
I stared him down.
"I trained as a knight aspirant once. Before I met these kids."
With that, I twisted his arm and slammed him face-first into the corridor floor.
Thud! The impact echoed. Sunlight poured through the window, heralding the start of our first day in Herumont.