Chapter 126

“This is the completed coat.”

“Wow! It’s wonderful! The fluffy sleeves are so cute! Fur, right, fur!”

“I’m glad you like it. Now, for the payment—”

It was January 3rd, the New Year.

On this day, Melt and I came to pick up her finished coat.

The clerk handed me the invoice, but Melt snatched it away.

“I’ll pay myself! Let’s see… one large gold coin and three regular gold coins! So expensive!”

“Hey, hey… don’t say things like that.”

“Hehe, indeed, our store is high-end. But I assure you, the quality matches the price.”

“That’s true! The stitching is incredibly neat, the fabric is beautiful and sturdy! The dyeing is uniform… and it’s not mineral pigment, it’s plant dye! You probably reacted the sap from Elpaia with pollen from Lisaria, right?”

Melt was speaking words I didn’t know…! I see… when it comes to plant-based knowledge, Melt really is practically an expert.

“W… wow… I’m astonished… what a remarkable eye for aesthetics.”

“Here’s the money. Let’s put it on right away!”

Happily, Melt slipped her arms into the coat she had just purchased.

A light-blue duffle coat, adorned with white fur—a truly cute design.

Even to a layperson, it was easy to see the careful craftsmanship.

“Wow, it’s warm! And it feels so nice on my skin.”

“It really suits you. Here, this is a present from me.”

I handed Melt the items I had purchased during our previous visit to the store.

In fact, I had asked the clerk to attach fur to the mittens and scarf I bought, so they would match the coat as a gift.

“Wow! I got a present! Thank you!”

“It would have been perfect timing if we had gotten it a little earlier though.”

…Like on Earth, deep red clothing, and a mysterious old man sneaking into other people’s houses!

Although that tradition doesn’t exist in this world.

“All right, now that the shopping’s done, let’s head to the General Guild.”

“Yes! It’s been a while since we said ‘let’s go over there.’ I wonder if they have passenger carriages?”

“Hm… maybe. You probably still need the country’s permission to go there.”

Today, we would leave this country.

But we weren’t heading to Golda proper—just to the easier-to-travel areas.

…The Great Dreamhill Forest. That place is now our own domain.

Which is why Melt had longed to visit her hometown.

That’s also why we needed to submit a “long-term expedition report” to the General Guild.

Apparently, Sheele had already submitted hers properly. Silent hadn’t!

Even as Same, I hadn’t submitted one before. But this time, since we were clearly traveling to Golda, we had to file it.

As we headed to the guild, I thought about the current state of Golda.

The royal capital had turned into a sea of blood. The number of dead surely reached into the thousands.

I knew purification magic existed in this world, but even that would have its limits.

Then there was the destabilization from the complete destruction of the royal castle and the rebellion of the remaining nobles.

But we weren’t heading to the capital. Just to the Great Forest.

“It feels like so much time has passed, even though it’s only been a few months.”

“I was thinking the same thing. Coming to Lendia… living in Lindblum…”

“Becoming adventurers, doing all sorts of jobs. Every day was so fun.”

“Yeah, every day was fresh. I want to visit other cities besides Lindblum now—it’ll be even more fun.”

“Right! First, the port town… oh! Seim, wait! Before the port town, I need to go to the eastern city for the escort mission first!”

Melt suddenly remembered something and explained in a flustered voice.

“On the previous mission, I commissioned a custom-made light armor from the armor craftsman there!”

“Oh yeah, you mentioned that before.”

“Since I need to pick it up, can we go to that city first after visiting my hometown?”

“Sure, I’m curious too. A city known for its blacksmithing sounds interesting.”

It was probably the city called Isbell.

I remember they exported a lot of weapons to Lindblum for the war.

…Since the war ended quickly, they probably had a surplus of equipment by now.

“We have so many places to visit, it’s exciting.”

“Yeah. Strangely, it doesn’t feel bothersome at all.”

Surely it’s because this world is fun.

Because this life is fun.

Because I love walking through it with her, my irreplaceable family.

Finally, we reached the guild safely and submitted our long-term expedition report at the adventurer guild reception.

“This is for the long-term expedition, correct? May I ask where you plan to go, if it’s not too much trouble?”

“To the former Golda territory. There are people there who helped us, and I want to see how things turned out after the war.”

“Um… the Golda region is currently under a complete entry ban from the Divine Principality…”

“Then please ask your superiors whether they will deny Same and Melt permission.”

“Uh… understood.”

It would probably be approved. Honestly, it’s a somewhat arrogant thought, but at this point, I doubt the guild of this country could refuse my request.

…At first, Silent was supposed to occupy this kind of position. But before I knew it, I had taken that place, rising peacefully to something like a privileged class.

While waiting at the reception, an unexpected person appeared at the counter.

“Same-sama, Melt-sama. We have prepared a meeting room. Could you please come there and discuss your matter in detail?”

“I’m surprised… understood.”

It was Remia.

I hadn’t expected her to appear at the reception, so I was genuinely surprised.

She guided us to a meeting room on the second floor.

“Remiya isn’t an adventurer, but a staff member?”

“Yes, that’s correct. She was originally a mercenary, but after coming to this city, she switched to being an adventurer and was later recruited as staff.”

“I see… that explains it.”

A valuable piece of information. So she was a former mercenary…

In the meeting room, Melt was already sitting on the sofa, while Remiya looked somewhat troubled.

The contrast between them created a slightly awkward, indescribable feeling.

“Please, Same, have a seat as well.”

“All right… so, what is the matter? Surely you didn’t bring us here just for a long-term expedition form, right? We’ve already informed Her Majesty that we don’t intend to take requests from the country or the guild for the time being. I thought that would have been conveyed to you as well.”

This person is not someone to underestimate. In some ways, even more than Bark.

However, what she began to say was—

“Same, I heard from Kokuri. Silent-sama… is still alive?”

“Oh, that matter. Yes, Silent sustained serious injuries but is alive. He’s currently with the main force of the brigade, focusing on recovery.”

“I’m relieved… he really is safe…”

Her concern was for Silent.

It seems she had brought us here to ensure that no one else, including Bark, would learn of Silent’s survival.

I had suspected it vaguely, but Remiya seems to really care about Silent. Not romantically, I think, but she appears to feel something beyond trust as an adventurer.

Perhaps her background as a former mercenary has something to do with it.

“I also understand that Silent is a hero from another world. Same, you knew about this as well?”

“Yes. Like Silente, we are also responsible for a youth named Shizuma. Both were summoned as hero candidates from another world. Silent grew suspicious while being educated in Golda, then ran away. He later joined up with Shizuma, who had already fled from Golda, and then joined the brigade.”

“…About your long-term expedition form—could it be that it’s to temporarily return to the brigade? If so… there’s something I’d like you to deliver to Silent.”

As if that were the main point, Remiya handed over a small package.

“This is not from the guild, but materials of elixir I personally possessed. You also have the skilled alchemist Melt. I would like you to use this to help with Silent’s recovery.”

“W… well, even without this, Silent will fully recover if treatment continues, though it will take time.”

“Even so. This is my wish. Please, I hope you can accept it.”

I couldn’t bring myself to refuse the package.

Though I normally act cool, I know from dealings with Still that she’s truly compassionate.

“All right. I will accept it. We will promise to have the brigade prepare it later and use the resulting product to aid Silent’s treatment.”

“Thank you. Then… I will authorize your movement to the former Golda territory. However, there are reports that some nobles still remain in the capital, gathering remaining troops and attempting resistance with private forces. Please exercise caution if you happen to pass through the capital.”

“Is the resistance really that strong?”

“No, if it were only force, it would be easy. But the queen’s policy is to minimize bloodshed.”

“I see. Silent might scoff, but since the war is over, we don’t want more bloodshed.”

“Hehe, yes… he might laugh. My colleagues in that country are probably acting to capture the leading nobles. The resistance should be quelled shortly.”

“Understood. We didn’t plan to go to the capital anyway.”

With this, we could proceed to Golda.

With an official pass issued by the guild, we could now cross the border without issue.

“I’m supposedly a skilled alchemist! I’m a little embarrassed, considering I’m not even part of the guild.”

“But honestly, don’t you probably know more than anyone else in this city?”

“Hmm… maybe?”

As we returned from the meeting room to the first floor, I recalled my conversation with Remiya earlier.

Aside from Silent, no other topic had come up.

…But I know. Just as Still had investigated and predicted, the attacker “Fulerica,” who was supposed to have been locked in the underground prison, had escaped.

However, judging by the fact that it hasn’t caused a major uproar, perhaps the incident is officially considered as “never having happened.”

Still, the guild staff should know this. Of course, Remiya does too.

After all, Still had obtained this information from one of the guild receptionists.

…That guy really seems to have gathered information from all over. Half of it probably involved flirting to get stories from various women.

As expected, he’s a top-tier handsome guy—at least in looks.

“Alright… I hear there’s a carriage to the border, so we’ll ride that, but after that, we’ll have to go on foot. We’ll probably be camping out too, but is that okay?”

“That’s fine! I’m a camping master!”

“A master… well, I guess that’s true too.”

At the border, a field hospital still remains. Supplies are still being transported there.

Most patients have already been moved to Lindblum, but those too weak to travel remain there, and Golda soldiers who have been treated by Still are also kept there as prisoners.

Presumably, they serve as a trump card against the resisting nobles.

I’ve heard that in wars like this, younger sons or third sons of nobles often join to claim glory.

Looking at it this way, the war isn’t completely over yet.

Even a war that ended so quickly left such scars. If a full-scale war had broken out, how many lives would have been lost, and how much secondary damage would have occurred?

Considering that, the accomplishments of Silent… and of the brigade that was dispatched, and of Seim, must be immeasurable.

“Well, let’s relax until the carriage arrives.”

“Yes… it feels strange. Waiting here for the carriage that will take us over there.”

“Yeah, it’s completely the opposite of when we first arrived.”

“This… is what they call ‘poignant,’ right? Poignant indeed.”

“Yeah.”

Melt had almost given up on returning to her hometown.

Still, she probably held onto the faint hope that if she went with me, the one who had conquered the scorched valley, it might just be possible.

And now that hope will come true. Surely, there’s a weight to that that goes beyond words.

“Ah! It’s Rikka and the others! I’ll go tell them we’re heading out a bit!”

“Got it. Make sure to fudge the destination a little.”

“Of course!”

It’s not just me—she’s also made connections with others.

She’s now firmly woven into the social fabric.

That makes me happy. I feel like some kind of guardian on my own, but that feeling makes me happy.

“…So first, we return to the starting point, huh.”

To decide the next destination, going back to the place where it all began feels strangely poetic.

Thinking about that, somewhat out of character for me, I absentmindedly watched Melt and the others.

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