The Final Day Before Reunion
A short while had passed, and today was the last day of the academy recess—the Thousand-Day Campaign Armistice Day.
Tomorrow classes would resume at Gransen Academy, so this was the day we would return.
I had invited my family, Riel, and Emilia as well, and we gathered for a proper breakfast before boarding the carriage to Little Lake.
We would take the train from Little Lake back to Gransen, exactly as we had come.
“U-um… Is it truly all right for me to be here?”
Emilia bowed her head with a face full of awe and asked Father.
The answer came not from Father, but from Mother.
“Some of the issues we’ve helped with in this matter, and you spoke of being a friend to my son and Riel. You may stay comfortably.”
“Y-yes… yess!!”
Since yesterday Emilia had begun speaking to me and Riel in a relaxed tone, but facing the Baron and Baroness who ruled this territory, tension was only natural.
“Kyou, are you feeling better?”
“It’s only minor wounds. Father, are you all right?”
While I was guiding the refugees, Father had led the knights and soldiers in fierce battles against the marauding monsters rushing toward the fortress.
Although casualties were high, we had somehow managed to defend the fortress, and Father himself had been wounded in his right arm.
“The doctor said I need to rest for a while. It’s fortunate there’s no interference with daily life.”
Mother let out a long sigh as she answered.
Because the number of monsters had been so great, disposing of their corpses was still underway, which was why they had hired people to help.
The bright side was that the great army of monsters had apparently ended with that single raid, for there was not even a trace of monster activity nearby.
That was why, starting today, carriage operations had resumed and we could finally return to Gransen.
“I think it’s fine to take a few days to rest. Father has always been so busy…”
“Haha, I was planning on doing exactly that. With Mother handling the paperwork, it should be all right.”
“Haha…”
Honestly, I swallowed the thought that paperwork suited Mother far better than Father…
After breakfast we headed outside the fortress to the carriage stop.
While the reserved carriage was being prepared for departure, we exchanged farewell greetings with our family.
“Father, Mother. Then I’ll be going.”
“Yes, and stay cautious of your health. The situation has been quite tense lately.”
Father waved his hand lightly.
Mother came over, pulled me into a hug, and whispered gently in my ear.
“When you brought that other girl, I thought there were so many strange things in the world…”
“…Ah… ahahaha…”
“Riel is truly a good girl. Whatever happens, promise me you’ll protect her.”
“…Yes. I promise.”
After releasing me, I went over to Astar and Kino.
“Astar, stay healthy. We can have another spar next time.”
“Yes. I’ll be looking forward to it, brother.”
“Kino, you… don’t go too far…”
“…? I don’t really understand what you mean.”
…If you get hurt too badly later, the scar will be very deep…
Inside the carriage.
Just like on the way here, Riel and Emilia were chatting animatedly while I sat quietly and listened.
Since this was their first time making a same-gender friend, the conversation had gone on for quite a while.
My gaze drifted to the two of them.
Riel’s expression was bright, while Emilia had pulled her hat low to hide her ears.
Leaving the north meant she might become a target of beastman discrimination again—that was a reasonable choice.
“Kyou, are you feeling better?”
“I’m all right. Look, the wound on my arm has practically healed thanks to the healing magic and medicine working together.”
I showed her the well-healed scar on my arm.
It was the result of a fundamental treatment using medicine combined with healing magic that promoted recovery.
Of course, deeper wounds would take several days, but minor cuts and bruises could be completely healed in a single day.
“Still… I was so worried when you returned to the fortress covered in wounds that I thought maybe I was late…”
“No. Although it was dangerous, thanks to you the reinforcements arrived quickly. I’m really grateful.”
“N-no…”
Even though I had told her to speak casually, she still used honorifics with me.
That was just her personality, so I didn’t correct her, but it seemed she had at least started dropping the “-ssi” suffix after my name.
“Guests! We’re arriving in Little Lake soon!”
The coachman’s voice came from up ahead.
At the station in Little Lake, several trains bound for the northern regions of the kingdom were lined up.
I had purchased a ticket for the train to Gransen, and I was heading toward the place where Riel and Emilia were waiting.
“…Ah.”
Suddenly a startled voice came from behind.
A woman’s voice—the voice I knew well.
“U-um…”
I almost ignored it, but the trembling urgency in that voice made me sigh and turn around.
Her hair was a little longer and messier than before, her complexion quite gaunt and pale, but the face was unmistakably the one I remembered.
Liliana Edwin—my former fiancée.
“Kyou…ssi.”
“Miss Edwin. It’s been a while.”
Liliana, whose face had been so pale, lifted her gaze to mine.
If our relationship had not been so strained, her complexion would have been enough to worry anyone.
“I heard you were under house arrest, but… why are you in Little Lake?”
“U-um… that is…”
“I thought that once your house arrest ended you’d return to the academy.”
Liliana had been silent for a while, then seemed to gather her breath and spoke.
“The academy… I’ve dropped out.”
“…Is that so?”
I was genuinely surprised.
According to Mother’s story and Baron Edwin’s letter, Liliana had been quite obsessed with attending the academy.
I had roughly guessed the reason was Allen, and to learn that she had eventually left struck me as unexpected.
“I’ve entered the Magic Tower.”
“The Magic Tower… so that’s why you came to Little Lake…”
“Yes. I’m heading to the White Magic Tower in the north.”
The White Magic Tower located in the frozen north.
A tower for women that men were strongly discouraged from entering, with strict internal rules and strict education.
As a result of its nature, students would not be able to leave for several years.
“U-um… so…”
“Speak.”
“I probably won’t be able to leave the tower for several years.”
“That’s likely.”
Of course Liliana possessed talent for magic.
If she developed that talent properly, she might emerge after about three years, but otherwise she might need to stay at the tower for a full ten years.
Most of her youth would be spent trapped inside that stifling tower.
“So… I came to apologize…”
“…”
So that was it.
“Before entering the tower… I wanted to apologize once more, so I’ve been waiting.”
“…”
“If I enter, I won’t be able to come out for several years… so even if I’m not accepted before that, at least I can apologize…”
Liliana’s head bowed deeply.
The hat she was wearing fell to the floor with a soft thump.
“I’m truly sorry. My pride wounded you deeply… I’m sorry…”
Honestly, I didn’t know what to say.
At first I had simply hated her for betraying me and lost interest.
But given how the situation had turned out, I couldn’t be sure what her true feelings had been.
One thing was certain: it was already far too late to return to the way things were.
Still, there was one thing I had to clarify.
“I have one question.”
“…Please go ahead.”
“May I ask why you fell for Allen Ludwig?”
Liliana’s face showed confusion.
It might have been a thoughtless question.
But I had to ask in order to set my own stance clearly going forward.
“…Honestly, I don’t know.”
Liliana answered first.
“Honestly, I had no interest in him. He was… a little handsome. Even though my father is a knight, in the end he’s a commoner… I thought there was no way I’d have anything to do with him.”
Liliana’s face was on the verge of tears.
“I did receive some help from him outside the academy. It was just normal gratitude at first… but after receiving help several times, before I knew it my eyes kept drifting to him, and I became… pulled along.”
Even those small acts of help—picking up something dropped or steadying someone about to fall—had grown into something much larger, according to Liliana.
After listening in silence, I let her speak again.
“But… I don’t know now.”
“…You don’t know?”
“Yes. I’m sure I liked him. I wanted to throw away everything… but now I really don’t know…”
Liliana closed her eyes and clutched her head.
“I can’t tell whether that was truly my heart or whether I was truly the one who felt it… I was so confused… and frightened…”
“…”
“So… honestly, I don’t want to think about him anymore.”
“Is that so? I asked an unnecessary question. I apologize.”
“Ah… no, it was a perfectly reasonable question.”
Suddenly, from behind, it felt as though someone was calling my name.
I turned.
There, far down the platform, Riel was waving her hand and calling out to me.
“…It’s probably time for both of us to go our separate ways.”
“…Yes.”
Liliana bowed her head in farewell with a final apology, then I turned back.
Since Riel was waving at me, I raised my hand in response.
…Yeah, that should be enough.
It was time for me to give my own prepared answer.
“When you reach the Magic Tower, life there will be several times harder than at the academy.”
“…That’s likely. I’ve made my preparations.”
“Well, with Father’s recognition of your talent, you should come out after a few years.”
“…”
I started walking toward Riel.
I gave Liliana a light wave and left the spot.
“Then, work hard at the tower. I hope we can see each other again as friends sometime. …Riel.”
“Yes, Kyou.”
Leaving behind Liliana’s slightly steadied voice, I walked over to Riel.