Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Return
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A few days after the Black Tower had completely vanished.
-Knock knock knock.
Someone rapped on the door.
I was currently staying in temporary lodgings.
The moment I gave permission to enter, in walked someone who exceeded all my expectations.
"Sir Solad?"
It was the familiar great helm, emblazoned with a sun emblem at the center of his chest.
Solad, the enigmatic knight who never appeared in the game.
I had no idea what had brought him all the way here, but something about his atmosphere felt different from usual, so I invited him inside first.
"Please, have a seat. Unfortunately, I have no tea to offer..."
"That's fine. More importantly, I've come because I have something to tell you."
"Something to tell me?"
"Yes."
Solad reached up and removed his helmet.
I was startled by the sudden reveal of his face, but the moment the contents of the helmet were exposed, I was utterly shocked.
"Mr. Alfred...?"
"Thank you so much for saving our city."
"No, what is this..."
Alfred was supposed to be dead, wasn't he?
Even in the game, it was clearly depicted that Alfred had died. What in the world was going on?
As if sensing my confusion, Alfred interlaced his fingers and spoke.
"You're wondering how I'm alive and why I'm dressed like this, right? Allow me to explain."
What followed was Alfred's full account.
He had realized that Abyss, whom he served, had lost his memories and struck a deal with the black mages.
Abyss had tried to act in secret, without Alfred's knowledge, but Alfred could tell what his master had done from even the slightest changes in his behavior.
But no matter the case, Alfred was just a butler.
He couldn't interfere with his master's actions.
Left with no choice but to watch over Abyss, Alfred began to think.
Wasn't a butler who couldn't even stop his master from straying down the wrong path utterly useless?
Then, Ariana and our group arrived in the city, and Alfred noticed Abyss plotting to kill us.
Once again, he would have to stand by and watch as people died at Abyss's hands.
But.
"Seeing you changed my mind."
"Seeing... me?"
"Watching you and the Saintess reminded me of the master from my younger days—and myself. My lord wanted to advance the city as a pioneer of magitech, and whenever trouble arose, the lord and I would exchange a glance before rushing to the scene."
As he spoke, Alfred smiled nostalgically, but that smile carried a wistful longing for the past.
"The moment that thought crossed my mind, I realized I had been wrong. That's why I went around slaying the murks to bring a brilliant sun back to this city once more. And when my lord tried to use them to kill the two of you, I gladly threw myself in the way. Hoping you two could have a future different from ours. Thanks to the scroll my lord had given me, I survived, though."
I had simply been getting along with Ariana as usual.
Yet that alone had led Alfred to act differently from the original story.
"So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you both."
"...No, I didn't really do anything—"
"No. You've done more than enough, Sir Is. So please...!"
And so, from that morning, I received Alfred's heartfelt gratitude.
Before long, we departed Solaria.
"Saintess, everyone—safe travels, and may your journey be comfortable."
"Thank you. I wish we could stay longer and help more, but..."
"It's alright. The young master will return soon from his studies abroad and become the new lord, so the city will improve in no time."
"I see..."
Ariana had been startled at first by the revelation that Alfred was alive, but once I explained the circumstances, she understood.
"Saintess, shall we board?"
"Yes, Is."
Finally, we climbed into the carriage.
We had wrapped up in the north faster than planned, but Solaria had eaten up so much time that I wanted to hurry back to the capital.
'No more deviations from the plot...'
Ever since becoming her direct Holy Knight, how many times had we veered off the original story?
-Swish.
"Is...?"
The Ia currently wrapped around my left arm was proof enough of that—a being that never existed in the original game.
Of course, she wasn't malevolent and even served as a boost to my strength, so she was beneficial...
"No, I was just thinking how impressive Ia is for acting as my armor like this."
"I good?"
"You've been great."
As I smiled and gently stroked her, I felt Ia quiver happily.
Even in my past life, I'd thought it would be nice to have something like a pet, and sure enough, having Ia around made things so much more convenient.
She loved me unconditionally, could serve as my armor, and even provided something like animal therapy.
How perfect was that?
She seemed to like the name "Ia," which Ariana had suggested and I'd agreed to.
"Hee hee, Ia. In a situation like this, you can relax a bit, you know?"
"Really...?"
As I stroked Ia freely, Ariana spoke to her with a warm, motherly smile.
"Yes, unless something on the scale of Solaria happens out of nowhere, it's fine to relax."
"Is... really okay?"
At her words, Ia looked to me for permission.
"Of course. Besides, once we're back in the capital, I'll repair my armor or get a new set, so after that, you can stay relaxed. Your presence might seem strange to people at first... but with the Saintess and me by your side, everyone will accept you."
With permission granted, Ia detached from my arm and transformed into her female form right beside me.
Her head-to-toe black coloration marked her as a murk, but judging purely by her appearance, she was no different from a cute girl.
"I only need Is."
With that, Ia hugged my arm tightly.
I wore a fatherly smile as I patted her head.
"The sharp features you inherited from the sacrificial offering have softened into those of a cute girl. A fine change."
Ia had originally taken on a female form by inheriting the will of the offering presented to the murks.
She resembled the offering quite a bit, which had always given me mixed feelings whenever I looked at her, but fortunately, unlike the offering, she was growing softer and cuter.
"Am I pretty?"
"You're a beautiful girl, Ia."
"Hee hee..."
Ia snuggled fully into my embrace.
Is this what it feels like to have a daughter?
I couldn't contain my fatherly grin as I held her.
I sat her on my lap and hugged her from behind.
It really felt like I had a daughter.
I glanced at Ariana, who was smiling warmly, but for some reason, her expression had turned subtly odd compared to before.
Like she was seeing something slightly off, but not entirely wrong.
But in the end, Ariana said nothing, so we continued chatting in that state.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ -Knock knock knock.
-We've arrived in the capital. Please prepare to disembark.
"Understood."
I informed the knight outside, then checked on Ariana's condition.
The trip from Solaria to the capital hadn't taken too long by carriage, so she looked quite alright.
"We're finally here...!"
"Yes, it feels like it's been over two months."
Of course, counting pure travel time, it had been even longer.
'Being medieval means travel just takes time—nothing to be done about it.'
At least as Holy Knight and Saintess, we're still fresh, but the knights outside the carriage must be pretty worn out by now.
They'd lived rough in Solaria, after all.
Even on the way back by carriage, I'd chatted occasionally with Adel, and she'd really been through hell.
Their attacks barely worked on the others, so they'd lit fires themselves and somehow subdued and escaped that way.
'Still, as expected of the knight heroine—she survived well.'
I'd been so focused on traveling with Ariana that I'd barely thought of Adel, but seeing her unscathed brought real relief.
'Adel will soon become Bellatrix's guard knight anyway.'
Once that happened, we wouldn't see each other often anymore, but she'd never face something like Solaria again.
As those thoughts ran through my mind, word came from outside that we'd arrived at the Imperial Capital.
We stepped down from the carriage and stood before it.