Chapter 66: The Lost Seat
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 66: The Lost Seat
“Get your shaves and haircuts here! We’ll even clear up that peach fuzz! Just ten thousand Dalk for a shave, twenty-three thousand for a cut and shave!”
This was the barber street of Dakuren City.
Diane, having set up shop with Eris, was shouting at the top of her lungs. It was her way of repaying Eris, who had provided her with a bath, food, and a place to sleep.
Though she was gaunt, Diane was quite pretty, and her enthusiastic shouting managed to draw a decent crowd. On top of that, Eris’s skill was genuine; customers left satisfied and more than willing to pay.
Naturally, they drew envious glares from the surrounding barbers, but since some had seen Eris coming and going from the Lord’s Castle, they assumed she had powerful backing and refrained from any overt harassment. Eris also made sure to send customers to other barbers whenever the wait became too long, preventing their resentment from boiling over.
“Let’s eat before we continue.”
The busy morning rush had finally ended.
Eris hung a sign around her neck that read On Break and handed a sandwich to Diane. Having only been able to eat proper meals since meeting Eris, Diane savored every single bite, chewing slowly.
“I’m closing up shop after today.”
“Why?”
“I got a job.”
“Wh-where? Where at?”
Diane, who had planned on sticking with Eris for the time being, asked with surprise. Eris replied nonchalantly.
“The Adventurer Guild. I passed the exam to be a receptionist.”
“Oh… congratulations.”
“Don’t mention it.”
The conversation died there.
The sandwich, which had tasted so good just a moment ago, now felt like something she was chewing mechanically. Eris, finishing her meal first, let out a sigh.
“You did something wrong to Lord Alto, didn’t you?”
“…Yeah.”
Diane fiddled with the misanga in her pocket. It was the birthday present Alto had prepared for her in advance. It was so precious to her that she couldn’t bring herself to wear it, fearing it might wear down; instead, she kept it tucked away in her pocket or against her chest.
“The tattoo on your arm… are you of the Eruhin tribe?”
“I don’t know. My mom said so.”
“What about your father?”
“Don’t know. Never met him. Mom died when I was young. The only things I really learned were hunting and trapping.”
It was said that the Eruhin tribe engraved their family identity into their arms to remind themselves of who they were. But for Diane, who didn’t even know whose illegitimate child she was, the tattoo meant nothing.
In truth, her mother had told her about her father just before she died. However, Diane felt there was no reason to bother remembering a father she had never once seen.
“Were you an adventurer, then?”
“I was a Ranger.”
“And now?”
“I don’t know.”
“Why don’t you know?”
“…I just feel like I’m someone who doesn’t deserve to be anything.”
The sandwich had lost its flavor entirely. In Diane’s mind, the image of Alto telling her to leave was playing on a loop. Her eyes felt dry and stinging, yet no tears would come.
“You want to be forgiven, right?”
“I do. But I don’t know how.”
“Couldn’t you just silently do things that are helpful to Lord Alto?”
“Would Alto forgive me if I did that?”
“I don’t know. That’s up to Lord Alto.”
“I see.”
“My mother used to say: if you want to be recognized, work in silence.”
“I don’t want to be recognized. I want to be forgiven.”
“You want to be recognized as someone worthy of being forgiven, don’t you?”
“Is that it?”
It was a simple exchange, but there were no easy answers.
“She said that showing off to people is just vanity. She said if you just do what you’re supposed to do, you’ll be recognized eventually.”
“And if I’m not?”
“Do you have anything else to do?”
“No.”
“Then try it.”
“How?”
Eris began to wonder if this woman was actually younger than her.
“You were a Ranger, right? And that’s all you know how to do.”
“Right.”
“Then show up at the Adventurer Guild every day and look for things that might help Lord Alto.”
“Help Alto? Is there even such a thing? Alto is strong. He can do everything on his own.”
“No one in this world can do everything alone.”
“But Alto is really strong…”
As Diane spoke, thinking back to the Bloodhounds at the border, Eris sighed again.
“I’m saying you should help with the small things. You really are slow on the uptake.”
“Sorry…”
Shaking her head, Eris took off her break sign. As she began packing up her barber tools, Diane asked, confused.
“You’re not working anymore?”
“I’m not.”
“Why?”
Eris let out one final sigh.
“You’ve drained all my energy. I can’t do it anymore.”
* * *
They say old habits die hard.
After wandering aimlessly through the afternoon, Diane found herself near the Lord’s Castle without even realizing it. There, she discovered the tracks of Alto and his carriage.
Following those tracks instinctively, she eventually arrived at Alto’s house, which stood solitary on the outskirts of the city. Recognizing it instantly, Diane moved to knock on the door.
But she froze before she could reach it. The memory of Alto’s cold expression as he cast her out at the castle flashed through her mind.
She found a spot where she could hide while keeping a clear view of the house and crouched down. Light was leaking from the windows.
When had the sun gone down?
Smoke began to rise from the chimney.
Alto must be cooking.
Alto was a good cook. Whenever Diane wanted to eat something, he would remember and make sure to cook it for her.
On the other hand, Gerend…
She had never shared a home-cooked meal with Gerend. They always went to restaurants, where Krima and Diane would pay for lavish meals—always whatever Gerend wanted to eat. If Diane even tried to reach for a piece of meat he particularly liked, Krima would usually give her a sharp, warning glare.
“What’s for dinner tonight?”
A woman’s voice drifted from inside the house. It was Airune. She had brought Alto home in the carriage specifically to have him all to herself. Furthermore, she had boldly declared to Count Dakuus and his wife that she would be staying the night. The Count and Countess had welcomed the news with open arms.
“Beef stew. I let it simmer for a long time to bring out the savory flavor.”
“Mmm, sounds delicious!”
Beef stew.
It was one of Diane’s favorite dishes. The tender chunks of meat soaked in the boiling broth would practically melt in her mouth after just a few chews. A stew that would vanish after five or six spoonfuls.
She could almost see herself holding out an empty bowl and shouting to Alto.
‘Gyahaha! Give me another bowl!’
‘You must really like it, Diane.’
‘Yeah! It’s great! The stew you make is the best, Alto!’
‘I’m glad to hear that.’
‘Hurry up, give me more!’
‘Here you go. Tell me if you want more. There’s plenty.’
‘Gyahahaha!’
That had been their ordinary daily life at the Party House. It was a life she could have enjoyed forever.
But she couldn’t anymore.
And who was it that had kicked that life away?
It was her.
It was the price of letting her eyes wander to another man. This was the consequence she had brought upon herself by cheating, by turning away from the man who would have loved her.
Gurgle.
The scent of the stew Alto had made reached all the way out here. Feeling the pang of hunger, Diane reached into her pocket and pulled out the leftover sandwich from lunch.
“Ssshh…”
She lifted her nose, inhaling as much of the beef stew’s aroma as she could.
“Ahn.”
She opened her mouth wide and took a large bite of the sandwich.
“It’s good.”
The sandwich, which had gone cold and was starting to harden, was still tasty. But a sandwich could never taste like beef stew.
Chomp, chomp.
She intentionally made loud chewing noises. Whenever she did that, Alto would gently scold her, saying it wasn’t polite.
Chomp, chomp.
A delicious sandwich with mayonnaise.
Chomp, chomp.
Alto used to make the mustard sweet and spread it on thick for her.
“……”
That, too, was now a luxury she could no longer afford.
“Ugh…”
Now that they were gone, those moments felt so incredibly precious.
“Uuuuu… ugh…!”
The reason they felt even more precious was likely because she could never have them back. She screwed up her face as hard as she could, trying to hold back the tears. She was a person who didn’t even have the right to cry. She tried with all her might to stop them…
“Oh my god, this is so good!”
“I’m glad you like it.”
“It’s way better than anything in a restaurant.”
“I put in some extra effort since it’s for you, Rune.”
“Give me another bowl.”
“As much as you want.”
“Mmm~ so tasty!”
“Tell me if you want more. There’s plenty.”
Thud.
The sandwich slipped from her hand. Rolling on the dirt floor, it became something that could no longer be eaten. It had become something irreversible, just like her current self.
“Heugh!”
That seat had originally been hers.
“Huaaaaang!”
The seat of the immature girl who would thrust an empty bowl at Alto and pester him for more.
“Hwaaaaaaaaang!”
Not anymore.
With tears, snot, and even saliva dripping down, Diane sobbed under her breath.
Bit by bit, she was realizing it.
What kind of mistake she had made.
What she had lost because of it.
How the kind and gentle man had changed.
Everything was hard to bear, but if she had to pick the hardest thing of all…
It was the fact that she had absolutely no idea how to make things go back to the way they were.
If only she could go back to the past, she would have driven a throwing knife into her own limbs for trying to follow Gerend. She would have stayed by the side of the struggling Alto and comforted him. She would have persuaded Mirei’s party not to act that way.
But what was the point? There was no meaning in reciting the explanation over an answer sheet that had already been turned in.
“Huuuuuuuuu…!”
“Alto, don’t you hear something? A sound like… sobbing.”
“Probably just an animal. You hear them sometimes since we’re on the outskirts.”
At the sound of the conversation from inside the house, Diane simply covered her mouth with her fist and waited for the tears to stop.
Strangely, the tears did not stop for a very, very long time.