A Brief Interlude
The bell tolled four times.
Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding—
In this village, the number of chimes carried different meanings. Four rings were rare.
Because four meant a funeral.
A memorial for those who had lost their lives in yesterday’s gluttony incident.
“Life really is fleeting, isn’t it, old man?”
I sat alone before a small tombstone and poured a cup of white liquor.
A cool morning breeze slipped through the quiet shade of the trees, tickling my hair.
The air at the funeral wasn’t particularly heavy.
Maybe it was because most of the remaining villagers were elderly, already standing at the edge of their lives.
Go on ahead. I’ll be following soon enough.
The calm way they tilted their cups for those who had gone first carried the air of enlightenment.
Even though I had already died once after coming to this world, I couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of awe at their distant composure.
“Still… why am I the only one pouring drinks at your grave? You should’ve met more people, seriously…”
Jack’s grave.
He had always chosen solitude. I’d heard it was a habit left over from his rough mercenary days.
“I don’t even remember seeing you in the original story. What kind of life did you live? Now I’m suddenly curious.”
Jack had always sat alone by the lakeside, quietly enjoying his fishing.
But perhaps even he had been lonely.
He seemed to enjoy it quite a bit when I sat beside him and kept him company. Though he never showed it on the surface.
And I… I had come to rely on him more than I realized.
Noriel. Whatever you want to do, don’t give up.
A faint smile spread across my lips.
It was my way of saying thank you.
“You even had the leisure to take care of the goals I’d given up on. Your personality really was something else.”
I brushed the dirt off my clothes and stood up.
This was probably how our conversations usually ended.
Without realizing it, I had slipped back into the habit I’d shared with him.
“I’ll drop by from time to time. Like you said, I’ll go traveling the world, then come back and unload all my complaints.”
As I turned to leave,
Asera’s face from yesterday suddenly floated into my mind.
“Oh right, you told me no woman like that would ever look at me. Well, surprisingly, it worked out. Guess there really is nothing impossible in this world.”
Behind the light joke, a wave of longing washed over me.
“So when I manage to accomplish those goals we talked about and have something to brag about, I’ll come back again.”
“Thank you, Jack.”
I think I’d said everything I wanted to say.
With no lingering regrets left, I turned on my heel.
The cool breeze blew once more.
It was probably just my imagination,
but it felt like someone was gently pushing me forward from behind.
* * *
What happened to Asera?
That was the first question that came to mind when the sun rose.
To be honest… I didn’t remember much of last night.
After fleeing back home from that spot yesterday, my memory had cut off completely.
Judging by the mountain of empty bottles on the table, I must have drunk myself into oblivion.
They say you can’t fool yourself. Even though I had steeled my resolve, the lingering heartache had been heavier than I thought.
Well, right now all I could hope for was that she had returned safely.
“But what the hell was that?”
A question lingered.
When I had walked away from Asera, I’d heard something collapsing behind me.
The sound of rubble crumbling.
At that exact timing? It felt too contrived.
Had someone blocked the path behind me?
Who?
“…Ha. Whatever. It’s over now.”
I decided not to dwell on things that had already passed. That included wondering how Asera had recognized me.
It would only stir up the feelings I had tried to suppress.
I let out a short sigh and began packing the bags and supplies piled on the table.
Gray Moss.
This was what I was going to sell in the neighboring village.
I had no grand plans to wander the world just yet.
There were still things to prepare, and for a while I needed to help with the village reconstruction.
That was why, right after the funeral, I had gone straight to the site.
Only to be politely turned away.
“Ah, Noriel? I appreciate the thought, but there’s no place for you here.”
“…Huh?”
“The allied nations sent down a corps that includes an engineering battalion. These soldiers are incredibly capable.”
The Mage Engineering Corps.
The reconstruction they led was on an entirely different level.
They lifted house-sized debris with magic as if it weighed nothing, then stacked the processed materials like building blocks.
Rebuilding an entire structure took less than ten minutes.
“You’d only get in the way. Oh, I heard the news. You’re off to sell something again? When you get back, treat us to a meal, haha.”
And just like that, I was unceremoniously chased off the site.
It was nice not having to work hard, but the reality of a world where magic solved everything felt a little depressing.
Still, it wasn’t a bad development.
I would sell this batch as planned, come back down, and carefully map out my future actions.
“…”
Dohesi.
It bothered me a little that she was nowhere to be seen.
She had only shown up briefly at the funeral in the early morning. When I asked Auntie Hiko, she said Dohesi had gone looking for me instead.
I’d wanted to see her face after what happened yesterday, but she had vanished like smoke.
What was going on? Was she deliberately avoiding me?
I didn’t bother searching the village like I was hunting for a rat. She probably had her reasons.
Selling the Gray Moss and returning to the village would take about three days.
Maybe I’d be able to see her by then?
“Argh, damn it, where the hell are my underwear?”
“Here.”
“Oh, thanks—”
?
What.
Suddenly a hand thrust out from right beside me.
A short silence.
Goosebumps rose all over my body, but I knew the owner of that voice.
“…How long have you been there?”
“Who knows? Take a guess.”
“…Not since morning, right?”
“I said guess.”
It was, of course, Dohesi.
She was leaning lazily against the table where I sat.
“…Are you mad?”
“No?”
The problem was the aura radiating from her.
It was cold.
Insanely cold.
The moment I saw her face, her expression was so icy it sent a chill down my spine.
Dohesi stared at me quietly for a moment before speaking first.
“Noriel, I have something I want to ask you.”
“What’s with the heavy atmosphere all of a sudden—”
“Every time you go out to sell stuff, you do unnecessary things, don’t you?”
“? Like what?”
“Dating women or whatever.”
“???!?!”
What the hell was she talking about?
“You suddenly show up and spout nonsense…? I always come back even if it’s late at night to save on inn costs, so what—”
“—Then why did the knight who came down from the capital act like she knew you?”
Ah.
So she had seen that moment.
She must have witnessed the entire scene when I ran into Asera.
Only then did I understand why Dohesi’s face had sunk so darkly.
This was bad.
I had no way to explain this properly.
“S-she’s someone I don’t know. She must have mistaken me for someone else.”
“Hmm.”
“…You don’t believe me?”
“Nope. Not at all.”
She slowly walked past the table I was at and flopped down onto my bed.
Dohesi lay there staring at the ceiling, swinging her legs.
“That woman’s eyes weren’t the eyes of someone who mistook a stranger.”
“Then what were they?”
“The eyes of a woman who finally found her destiny?”
“?? How would you even know that?”
“…You don’t need to know.”
She snatched a pillow from the bed and buried half her face in it.
“Ah, you’re mad.”
“I said I’m not.”
“If you’re not mad, then call me ‘Lord Noriel’ really loudly.”
“…”
“See? You’re mad.”
“Ugh, what should I do? I seriously want to kill you right now.”
…I was joking, but it had been a long time since Dohesi had been this angry.
After spending so much time with her, I could tell right away.
It seemed yesterday’s event had caused a deep misunderstanding.
If I didn’t explain properly, she would stay like this.
“Hmm…”
I stopped packing my bag and walked over to sit down heavily beside her on the bed.
“…What? Go away.”
“? This is my bed.”
She kicked my shin.
It was just Dohesi being petty.
Rubbing the stinging spot, I quietly observed the mood before speaking first.
“Dohesi, first of all… thank you for yesterday. If it weren’t for you, I probably wouldn’t be sitting here right now.”
“…”
“And it wasn’t just yesterday. I’m always grateful. You’re the only one who looks after me. Especially now that the old man is gone.”
“…Yeah.”
A soft reply came back.
Dohesi slowly sat up. She still wouldn’t look at me.
“That knight… we only crossed paths briefly. And we probably won’t meet again. That’s the truth.”
It was true.
My determination not to interfere with Asera’s journey was sincere, no matter what anyone said.
“Dohesi, I’m going to leave soon to see the world. Just like the old man said.”
“…I know.”
She hugged her knees at those words.
“Yesterday you told me to take you with me when that time comes. So how about this? Once I sell this stuff and come back, we leave together? I’ll take my time planning out what comes next.”
“…A smart guy like you doesn’t need someone like me.”
She hugged her knees tighter and grumbled.
“No, that’s not true at all. Actually, I need you completely. Smart? So what? I can’t use magic and I have no talent. Having you with me would be incredibly reassuring. I mean it.”
It wasn’t just empty flattery to smooth things over.
After all, she was the first person in this world to reach out to me.
She stayed silent, head turned away, simply listening to my words.
“Dohesi.”
“…What.”
“You said it yourself, a long time ago.”
“Said what?”
“That when the time came to leave, I should take you with me.”
“…!”
Her shoulders twitched.
“It’s late, but it ended up happening anyway. Guess you really can’t predict how life will go.”
I let out a light chuckle.
“I didn’t forget. You didn’t forget either, right?”
“…”
Only then did Dohesi slowly turn her head toward me. She stared at me for a long time before letting out a sigh.
“…Haa, why do I always lose?”
She muttered so quietly I could barely hear it.
She got up from the bed, stretched lazily, then turned to face me.
She had finally returned to her usual self.
“Ugh, fine. You’re leaving early tomorrow, right? Take care and come back safely.”
“Huh? You could keep tormenting me more. You avoided me all day on purpose.”
“…I was just being a little petty.”
“What? So it was just a tantrum? And it cleared up so quickly. How convenient.”
“…I seriously want to beat the crap out of you. So annoying.”
She turned toward the door as if to leave.
“Ah, I’ll walk you home.”
“No need. I’m stronger than you. Just go to bed early.”
“…Is that consideration or an insult? Pick one.”
“It’s mockery.”
Dohesi grabbed the doorknob and looked back at me.
“Noriel. One more thing.”
“Y-yeah…? What else?”
What now?
At this rate, she was probably going to nag me about not drinking too much again.
If the village I was heading to happened to be in the middle of a festival and banned alcohol, it would be a disaster.
She smiled faintly and continued.
“Buy me caramel pudding on your way back. The ones you always bring taste really good.”
“Huh…?”
At those words, the tension that had risen slightly melted away.
She was looking at me with the same smile she always wore.
She really was cute at times like this.
An involuntary chuckle escaped me.
“Of course. I owed you from yesterday anyway, so I’ll bring back a ton.”
“Idiot.”
She tossed out that little jab and disappeared outside.
“…Thanks.”
In truth, my heart had been shaking violently inside.
The old man’s death. The incident with Asera.
It couldn’t have been easy to return to normal so quickly.
That was why her unchanging attitude was incredibly comforting.
I wondered if she knew.
Just how grateful I felt.
It was fine if she didn’t.
* * *
“…”
Dohesi stopped in her tracks on the way back to her house.
She blankly looked back at the house she had just left.
I’m always grateful. You’re the only one who looks after me.
So having you with me would be incredibly reassuring. I mean it.
“Does that guy even realize what his words do to people’s hearts…?”
A quiet sigh scattered into the wind.
Only then did Dohesi realize that her cheeks were pleasantly warm.
“…! Ah.”
She flinched and shook her head exaggeratedly.
If that man saw her like this, he would definitely tease her endlessly.
Dohesi cleared her throat and ruffled her messy hair.
Then her gaze stopped on one spot.
She had caught sight of the section of the village that had been reduced to ruins by yesterday’s disaster.
It was truly a miserable sight.
She had never seen anything like it before.
“…”
When that monster had rampaged through the village, she hadn’t been able to do anything.
Her body had frozen in front of an overwhelmingly powerful being.
What was the point of knowing how to use magic?
Even without that, Noriel—who always found the right answers and the right path—was dozens of times more amazing.
The reason she had jumped into the monster’s maw was half because she had been ready to die with him.
But when she opened her eyes after the explosion, the monster had already vanished, and the one who had created that miracle was entirely that man’s power.
The only thing she remembered was the strange voice that had rung in her ears the moment she leaped.
Dohesi understood.
With Noriel’s vessel, someday his name and fame would shine brilliantly on the grand stage of the wide world.
Will I still be able to stand beside him then?
When even taking one step outside the village terrified her.
Asking to see the world together had actually been a sudden burst of pettiness.
She was terrified that he would leave her behind and disappear to a faraway place.
She was scared to death of that.
“…This won’t do.”
Resolve.
She couldn’t stay frozen any longer.
She needed to make a change that would crush this fear and let her move forward.
Dohesi had no interest in grand, noble goals.
She simply wanted to stand forever by the side of the man who had allowed her current self to exist.