The Place She Wanted to Visit
With her tiny wings flapping diligently, Eira led the way. Following her with an unconscious, contented smile, we arrived safely at an inn suitable for an overnight stay. ‘The quality’s no different, yet they charge more than double the price.’ I was reminded once again how fortunate I was to be staying long-term at Rotten’s inn.
“Haaam.”
After spending the night at an inn near the Magic Tower and grabbing a simple meal, we headed to the teleport platform. Several more hours of tedious carriage travel later, we finally returned to Rotten’s inn in the 4th District. ‘All I did today was eat and sit in a carriage, and it’s already noon.’
“Cheep!”
“Yeah. Let’s go in. I’ll introduce you to the others.”
Thud. I flung the inn door open with vigor.
“Huh? Aren!!”
Yeriel, seated at a table eating lunch, greeted me warmly.
“Yeriel, you’re in the middle of a meal? Where’s Rotten?”
“Yeah! Grandpa left some food in the kitchen and stepped out for a bit. Anyway, did everything go well?”
At the question, she tilted her head, glancing at my shoulder.
“Oh? Whoa! So cute! What’s that bird? Can I touch it?”
Eira was pretty adorable.
“Cheep! Cheep-cheep!”
‘Why’s she acting like that? Ah. Maybe because she’s Scarlet’s familiar, she’s picking up on that?’
Eira fluttered up to the top of my head to avoid the approaching Yeriel.
“Ugh. Avoiding me the moment we meet. Guess we’re not a good match? What’s her name?”
“Eira. Her name is Eira. Haha. She seems a bit shy around strangers.”
Smiling outwardly, I sent a private message.
‘Once you’re done eating, could you wait in your room? I have something important to tell you. I’ll stop by Lumia’s room first, then come find you.’
—Uh, huh? If it’s important, I’m getting nervous for no reason. Got it.
Thank goodness. As expected, Yeriel responded properly without reacting to the telepathic message right in front of her.
“Oh, right!”
Clapping her hands together, Yeriel wore a worried expression.
“Lumia didn’t look so good. Since healing magic didn’t change anything, I don’t think she’s actually sick…”
“That’s strange. Anyway, I got it. I’ll go check on her, so enjoy your meal.”
Leaving her to resume eating, I headed upstairs and knocked on Lumia’s door.
“Lumia, it’s me, Aren. Can I come in?”
Thud. Clack.
“You’re here. Come in.”
‘So what I heard earlier was true. She looks terrible. Why?’
“Your complexion’s awful. Did something happen? If there’s anything I can help with, just say the word.”
“Cheep! Cheep. Cheeeep.”
While I spoke and observed her expression, Eira approached Lumia and began showing off, acting cute.
“Eek. Where did she suddenly come from…? That’s bad for the heart.”
“Cheep!”
“I picked up a familiar at the Magic Tower on a whim. Cute, right?”
Swish. Lumia reached out to Eira, gently stroking her with a fingertip, then opened her mouth.
“Actually… after we returned from the Labyrinth this time, both of you stayed out overnight for your own reasons. Being alone in the inn brought back all sorts of thoughts. It felt like I’d gone back to those difficult times.”
Difficult times. She must have meant the period when her curse caused her to wipe out party members multiple times, leading to parties disbanding and constant persecution from those around her.
“Just a few months ago, I was really like a corpse, holed up in my room, living because I couldn’t die.”
Lumia lowered her head unconsciously as she recalled the past.
“I know that with you here now, something like that won’t happen again, but sometimes those memories surface and torment me. Haah, I try to force myself to forget and only think good thoughts, but it’s not easy.”
[It says that since Chaos looks a bit pitiful, she needs to be comforted.]
“This won’t do. Lumia, didn’t I ask you a few days ago if you wanted to go out together sometime? I asked if there was anywhere you usually wanted to go.”
“Yeah. Like I said last time, I remember.”
“It might be a bit sudden, but make a list of places you want to go or things you want to do by tonight. Let’s head out tomorrow.”
Her face brightened the moment I finished speaking. She tried to hide her emotions as usual, but the corners of her mouth that crept upward showed no sign of coming down.
“Okay! …By the way, is Yeriel coming too?”
Though she couldn’t express it directly, her trembling eyes desperately conveyed that she wanted me to say no. I obliged.
“No, let’s go just the two of us this time. It’s not a one-day trip—we’re planning to go back and forth over several days, and Yeriel probably has her own schedule anyway.”
“Cheeeep—”
Stroking Eira, who had returned to perch on my shoulder at some point, I spoke up.
“Since it came up, I should have a talk with Yeriel too. Let’s eat together later in the evening. Get some rest.”
Click.
I was relieved that Lumia seemed to have recovered somewhat. ‘After telling Yeriel about Scarlet, I’ll stay in my room and rest today. I’ll leave Eira with Lumia for now, so it should be fine.’
Letting out a sigh of relief, I headed to Yeriel’s room.
***
As expected, she was shocked the moment she heard.
“Whaaat?! Scarlet is alive? Is that true?!”
“Shh! People can hear. You should lower your voice a bit.”
“Ah. Right. I was just so surprised.”
Huff. Huff. After taking deep breaths to calm her startled heart, Yeriel asked again.
“I’m certain she died by your hand in that battle. How could she have come back to life? Even if she’s a noble, resurrection is…”
“I’m not sure if this is a good thing, but she doesn’t seem to hold any ill will toward us. It just looks like her obsession with me has intensified a little.”
“O-obsession? Right. If I think back to how Scarlet looked right before she died, she was completely out of her mind! Is this really okay?”
Yeriel seemed quite shaken, perhaps because the news was so unexpected.
“At least the terrible things you’re imagining won’t happen, so don’t worry.”
I shook my head.
“You were one of the people involved back then, so I thought I should tell you. But I don’t want you to agonize over it or keep worrying. Just think of it as something that happened and move on.”
“Mm-hmm. Even if something happens, you’ll handle it just fine, Aren. I’ll just trust you and forget about it. Oh, right! Then that little bird earlier…?”
I confirmed that it was Scarlet’s familiar.
“I shouldn’t let it show. Got it. It seems like there’s more you want to say?”
I told her about my promise with Lumia and asked about her schedule.
“I was going to be busy this week anyway since my sister called for me and there are things I need to do at the church. But!”
Thwack!
“Promise me you two won’t do anything weird while leaving me out? …What? What do you mean by weird? I-I mean, you know, man-woman stuff!”
Yeriel pointed at me with her index finger, then shouted as if embarrassed that she had to say it out loud, covering her reddened cheeks. I was momentarily stunned by the completely unexpected remark, but managed to brush it off somehow. ‘I never thought a priestess like Yeriel would say something like that first… She’s an adult, so she’s old enough to know these things, but it still caught me off guard.’
“Ah, one last thing. Did the issue with your traits get resolved at the cathedral? I should’ve asked about that first. Sorry for not paying attention.”
“Hehe. I was wondering why you hadn’t asked and was debating whether to bring it up first. It’s completely gone, so don’t worry! Since it was the first time, it wasn’t too burdensome either.”
Whew, thank goodness. With that, our conversation wrapped up without issues, and I left the room. ‘I’ve been awake half the day in the carriage, so I’m a bit tired. It’s still daytime, but it shouldn’t matter. I’ll just sleep for a bit.’
After a short nap, I greeted Rotten upon his return, and the three of us enjoyed a pleasant evening meal together, chatting happily. It was a relaxing day.
***
The first day of going out alone with Lumia dawned.
“I’m off. Don’t worry if I come back late or don’t come back at all.”
“Ahem. Yeah, yeah. I got it, so hurry up and go. Aren, take good care of Lumia. Always remember that you mustn’t lose her.”
“Grandpa, seriously. Do you think I’m a child?”
From the morning, warm exchanges between Rotten and Lumia took place as we began our itinerary.
“Alright, let’s get started properly. It doesn’t matter where, so lead me to the places you want to go, Lumia.”
“Okay. Make sure to keep up.”
Step. Step.
Occasionally, people frowned at Lumia or picked fights, but we either ignored them or, if it got too bad, I glared at them with the intent to kill, whether they were strong or weak.
“Which one do you like? This? Or would this be better?”
“I-I like them all. I can’t choose.”
“Really? Excuse me, I’ll take this one, this one, and that one over there too.”
“Thank you. Take care on your way back, customer!”
After trying on clothes she liked at a clothing store and buying several outfits while complimenting how pretty they were, we purchased unique accessories and talismans said to be from distant lands at a street stall we passed, splitting them between us. On top of that—
“Tsk! Young folks these days are only busy tearing others down and can’t even recognize their own limits.”
“You said it.”
“Here, your ordered bread is ready! Eat up, and this one’s on the house!”
We visited a famous bakery, received comfort from the hearty proprietress, and sat at a table enjoying freshly baked warm bread with tea.
Whoosh.
“I feel more at ease than ever before.”
“Yeah. They say high-level magic keeps it from getting dirty, but just looking at it feels like it purifies me inside too.”
The magically crafted fountain in the center of the 4th District that maintained perfect cleanliness regardless of circumstances. We sat on a nearby bench, chatting comfortably and passing the time.
Ding-ding—
“For the brilliant fate each star holds—!”
Ding-ding-ding—
“The valiant lion knight Decarsen! With unyielding spirit and a single gleaming blue sword—tear through all the storms of adversity and hardship—!”
After taking a carriage to the 5th District, we visited an inn with an unusual name. Though it wasn’t even evening yet, let alone night, we enjoyed an early meal while watching a bard passionately playing the lute and singing.
Clink.
As we slowly savored the expensive dishes and the meal was nearly over, I spoke up.
“Lumia, do you still have many places in mind? Where should we go next?”
Lumia perked up her ears, hesitating with a troubled expression.
“I had a lot of places I thought I wanted to visit, but now that the opportunity’s here, it’s not easy to decide.”
Well, of course… Lumia, whose daily life had consisted only of being holed up in her room or practicing magic in the backyard, saying it wasn’t easy was understandable. After all, when you ask someone what they want to eat or have, if they always have one clear answer no matter the situation, they respond immediately. But if you ask the same question to someone who has many desires or nothing at all and only yearns for everything, the answer usually doesn’t come right away—instead, the hesitation drags on.
‘What do I do…? I don’t know what Lumia wants, and I don’t know anything about this area, so it’s awkward to suggest somewhere specific.’
While we both pondered in silence at our table, voices from the neighboring table drifted over—two bearded men chatting.
“Kuhaha! Nothing beats a beer after simple labor! The request ended early too. How about it? Want to bet on the gladiators like last week and make a killing?”
“Stop it, just stop. I heard a famous circus troupe has rented out the coliseum starting yesterday for a few days. They’re putting on some kind of performance.”
“Huh? A circus?”
“Yeah. You know, people who have other specialized jobs besides being adventurers, like us who take on requests after coming up empty in the Labyrinth? The ones who treat the Labyrinth as a side gig.”
“Of course there are. No, there are plenty. If I had the ability, I wouldn’t be sweating through these repetitive simple requests to make a living either. Damn, suddenly the booze tastes worse.”
The man with shaggy hair and a scruffy beard grabbed his mug with a sulky look and took a rough swig.
“Listen here, friend. Don’t get worked up and just hear me out. Since we’re on the topic, how about we go watch too?”
“What, go watch that circus or whatever? It’s not free, and why waste money on something like that! Do I look like a kid to you?”
“Tsk tsk.”
The adventurer across from him clicked his tongue at the man’s baseless irritation. Wagging his index finger, he said,
“You’re like a fool who knows one thing but not two. I heard a bit, and apparently all the circus troupe members are skilled. There are even rare cases of people gaining enlightenment just by watching their acrobatics.”
“Enlightenment, my ass. That’s a word you save for geniuses. What else?”
“Anyway, you’re always so impatient. The most famous member there is supposedly a dazzlingly beautiful woman. We can just go for a change of pace and to see a pretty girl. What do you say?”
“You bastard! You should’ve led with that instead of rambling! Let’s go right now. We need to grab seats first!”
“Hey, hey! Finish your food first! …Sheesh. You’re crazy for money and women. Fine, let’s go.”
The two men, who had been talking loud enough for everyone to hear, hurried outside. I immediately met Lumia’s gaze. Same thought. Same feeling. Looking into her jewel-like eyes, I could tell exactly what she was hoping for right away.
“Aren.”
“Yeah. You don’t need to say more. You want to go see the circus performance those men mentioned earlier, right?”
Nod.
“Perfect timing since we were stuck deciding! They said the circus troupe rented out the gladiators’ coliseum, didn’t they?”
While paying at the counter, I casually asked, and the pot-bellied innkeeper replied nonchalantly.
“Well, if you’re looking for entertainment in the 5th District, you can’t leave out the gladiator matches. Since it’s made up of volunteers and vicious criminals who used to be adventurers, there’s no guilt, but plenty of spectacle.”
The innkeeper rolled his eyes and scratched his cheek.
“Come to think of it, I heard they’re putting on some kind of performance there for a few days. The finale features Medea, who’s apparently so beautiful that rumors are flying. Now that you mention it, I should close up tomorrow and go watch too.”
After thanking him for kindly giving us the location, we left the inn. A circus performance of magic and acrobatics in another world… I was looking forward to it.