Kays Translations

Chapter 188: The Four’s Decision

Tauro and Aeris went to bed that night with heavy hearts.

After a full night’s rest, Aeris seemed much better the next morning. She ate normally and didn’t mention the previous day’s events.

Seeing that she had recovered somewhat, Tauro was about to discuss the future of Black-Gold Wings when [Presence Detection] alerted him to Shin and Rumeya approaching the house.

He decided to wait and speak with them when they arrived.

Before either man could knock, Tauro opened the door and welcomed them.

“Good morning, you two.”

Shin and Rumeya returned the greeting, but both wore tense, serious expressions.

Tauro could more or less guess why they had come. It appeared they had reached a decision.

Aeris sensed the same thing, and her expression darkened.

“There’s no point standing in the doorway. Come in and sit down,” Tauro said.

“Right…”

The two men took their seats, and the atmosphere in the room grew even heavier.

Rumeya finally spoke on behalf of them both.

“We’ve been promoted into the D-rank band!”

“Congratulations,” Tauro replied.

“You already knew? And… you aren’t angry?” Rumeya asked in surprise.

“It was your decision. We have no right to complain about it. More importantly, I’m happy that my friends were promoted.”

Tauro glanced at Aeris. After a moment, she nodded as well.

“And there’s something else…” Rumeya began, struggling to continue.

Shin gathered his courage and said it for him.

“We’re thinking of leaving Black-Gold Wings and forming a team with Yu and Ren. I know it sounds selfish, but we’ve both thought carefully about it.”

Aeris went pale, unable to hide her shock.

“I understand,” Tauro said quietly. “You’re serious about this, aren’t you? I suppose all of us now have people and things we want to protect.”

“Yeah,” Rumeya replied. “We don’t want our carelessness to cause you any more trouble, and we want to take proper care of Yu and Ren too.”

“Those feelings are important.”

“Are you really all right with this?” Shin asked. “We owe you so much, and we haven’t repaid any of it…”

“We’re friends. Debts between friends aren’t what matters here. When our precious friends choose a path that will make them happy, we should congratulate them.”

Tears gathered in Aeris’s eyes. Beneath the table, she reached for Tauro’s hand, and he gently squeezed hers in return.

“Thank you,” Rumeya said. “We’re also planning to move to O’Circus. Yu and Ren no longer feel comfortable staying in Dansas.”

Tauro suspected that the confrontation outside the Adventurers’ Guild had made the other adventurers wary of the women, but he kept the thought to himself.

“You both liked O’Circus. I’m sure you’ll do well there.”

“Thanks. I’ll work hard enough to make you proud that I was once a member of Black-Gold Wings,” Rumeya said.

“Perhaps we’ll meet again there, and you can show us around,” Aeris added, fighting back tears.

“Of course!” Shin replied. “Come whenever you like. We’ll become famous enough to surprise both of you.”

Shin’s eyes also began to fill with tears.

“Hey, Shin, Aeris—you two shouldn’t cry,” Rumeya said while wiping his own eyes.

“You’re already crying!” Aeris pointed out.

That broke the last of her restraint, and she began to weep. Shin followed almost immediately, repeatedly apologizing between sobs.

Tauro watched the three of them and only realized after a moment that tears were running down his own cheeks.

Black-Gold Wings had originally been formed almost by accident, but Tauro was genuinely proud that the four of them had become a team.

He was certain the others felt the same.

“Thank you, everyone. This was a wonderful team.”

At those words, all four of them cried together.

After Shin and Rumeya left, two pendants remained on the table—the Black-Gold Wings emblems Tauro had made for them.

The two men had returned them, saying they belonged to members of Black-Gold Wings.

Tauro had wanted them to keep the pendants as mementos, but they had insisted that returning them was the proper thing to do.

Exhausted from crying, Aeris withdrew to her room.

Tauro placed the two pendants in [Magic Storage] and stepped outside.

It was still around noon. The sky overhead was clear and blue, yet a brief sunshower began to fall.

The warm rain mingled with the tears still on Tauro’s cheeks.

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