Chapter 54
My first contact with Win, the half-elf child, had gotten off to a wonderful start, but there was one major problem.
The problem was that I had absolutely no idea what I was going to do next.
I mean, if I were making excuses, I had been so excited to meet Win that I hadn't been able to think beyond that, let alone imagine what would come afterward, so I suppose it couldn't be helped.
If I chose to continue traveling without a plan, however, Win, not me, would end up bearing the burden.
That would be far too irresponsible, and I didn't think I could bear putting Win through hardship.
If Airena found out I had no plan... Being scolded would be fine, but in the worst case, I might end up living off her again.
I could certainly make a living as a blacksmith, but Airena's wealth, as one of the foremost adventurers, was literally on another level.
...I couldn't deny that spending lots of time playing with Win until he grew a little older sounded appealing, but once you fall into the quagmire of being supported and spoiled, it's quite difficult to climb back out.
In other words, there was a chance that Win would eventually see me as a useless adult who didn't work.
Just imagining that was enough to make my heart break.
That meant that, whatever the scale, I absolutely had to work.
So while I was working, I would have no choice but to entrust Win's care to someone else—perhaps by hiring a housekeeper.
But I couldn't rely on or hire just anyone.
If I was going to entrust my precious Win to someone, even temporarily, I needed to be confident that he would be safe with them.
The first person who came to mind was Kaeha's mother—Kaeha being my swordsmanship teacher—but returning to the Kingdom of Rudoria at this point would be more than a little premature.
At the very least, I should quietly wait for the king's apology and the change in leadership Airena had mentioned to take place officially.
Kaeha's mother was the person who felt most like family to me, presumptuous as that might be, so I definitely wanted her to meet Win, but...
Ah, but once that apology and change in leadership were complete, entering the Kingdom of Rudoria to help the elves return to the forests of their homeland wouldn't be a bad course of action for me.
Kaeha's Yosogi-style dojo would be perfectly safe as well.
The next person who came to mind was Kareena, the woman I had met in the town of Saurote in the Republic of Virestrica.
...Personally, I found her dependable and liked her, but Kareena was a spy working for the town of Saurote. Even I couldn't bring myself to leave a young child like Win in her care.
There was also Kauschman, my blacksmithing apprentice, magic teacher, and, incidentally, partner in mischief, but... he had openly declared that he didn't like children.
If he took a liking to Win, he would probably teach him all sorts of questionable things.
Kauschman would make a good teacher if Win wanted to learn magic, but though he was my partner in mischief, he had plenty of qualities that no one should emulate.
Yes, I could practically hear you saying, "Look who's talking," but no means no.
Then there was someone else... Ah, yes. If it was only for a relatively short time, I could think of someone.
When I met her before, she was still young enough to be called a child, but five or six years had passed since then, so she should be old enough to rely on now.
It was the inn girl I had met in Jampemon, a city in the Duchy of Travoyia, one of the Small States.
Her name was Nonna, I believe.
A stone ship floating in a sea of golden wheat.
Ah, I wanted Win to see that sight.
Jampemon was a prosperous town, with delicious food and kind people.
I still had the letter issued to me by the blacksmiths' guild of the Duchy of Travoyia, so I would stay in Jampemon for a year or two, until the situation in the Kingdom of Rudoria changed.
All right, it's decided. A perfect plan.
And so I secured Win against my chest with a cloth, left Sweeji, the capital of Zaints, and once again set out for the Small States.
Win could walk on his own, but traveling from town to town would be far too much for a child's legs and stamina.
It was probably an arduous enough journey that simply being carried by me would tire him out if he didn't have the cloth's support.
I parted from Airena at an inn in Sweeji while she was on her way to the Kingdom of Rudoria for negotiations.
The next time I saw her would probably be after the situation in the Kingdom of Rudoria had changed, when I returned to the royal capital.
"I was surprised. I had no idea Eisa-sama had actually thought about what came next. Ah, no, I don't mean that in a bad way. It's just that Eisa-sama has the power to handle almost anything, so you're the sort of person who makes decisions and responds to any situation on the spot..."
That, incidentally, was Airena's reaction when she heard about my plans.
She seemed to be taking extraordinary care not to offend me, but I also felt that she had said something incredibly rude. I suppose this was what they meant by reaping what you sow.
...Somehow, I felt as though I were being encouraged to do some serious self-reflection.
Well, in any case, the road ahead of us was bright, and the world was full of color and light.
"Win, look. There's a big bird flying up in the sky."
A huge, huge bird was flying across the patch of sky I was pointing toward.
It was far away, yet it was so large that I could see it clearly. It was probably a monster.
But that hardly mattered. Win was staring in amazement at the bird soaring majestically through the vast sky, his mouth hanging half-open in wonder.
He looked so adorable that I was delighted.
This world was incredibly vast, and there were so many things to amaze him, so I would travel around and see them all with him.
I would teach him about the things he could never have known in the forest—or perhaps learn about them together.
Because surely that would be ever so much fun.