Chapter 37
The village was in a festive mood.
It was only natural that everyone was happy now that the being threatening the village had been captured and the village was safe.
Everywhere I looked, all I could see were villagers showering us with praise.
Unlike before, we had managed to save Lumia before it was too late, so I was satisfied as well.
But why?
I still couldn't forget the expression Lumia had worn when she received the rod from Cecilia after everything had been resolved. How could I forget that wistful expression she had worn even though everything had clearly turned out well?
It was an expression as if she hadn't wanted things to go this way.
Or perhaps it was the expression of someone who hadn't expected things to turn out this way.
This was only my guess based on Lumia's expression, not a certainty, so perhaps it was simply the expression she had made after seeing someone die. If it was the latter, it wasn't a serious problem and I could comfort her, but if it was the former, the problem would be considerably bigger.
Just before the tentacle monster attacked, when I had leaped in to save Lumia, the look she gave me seemed to ask why I was there.
I had been sure things had gone well, so why had Lumia made that expression?
“Is a festival normally held this suddenly?”
In response to Cecilia's question, the village chief laughed heartily and answered that since they had started preparing after hearing that the Hero had arrived in the capital, now was, in effect, exactly the right time to hold it. The capital was probably in chaos because the Saint and the Hero who were supposed to be there had disappeared, though..
Cecilia and I avoided each other's eyes.
The village had held a festival like this before when we saved it from the necromancer, which I considered a good thing, and I looked back at Lumia. Right now, what mattered more than anything else was what Lumia was thinking.
Was she all right?
What if, like before..
‘No, that can't be.’
I had definitely returned to the past.
Hadn't I been thinking that all this time?
I tried to approach Lumia and say something, but before I could, the village chief—the old man who had approached me first—caught hold of me, preventing me from getting to her.
I wanted to pull free and go to Lumia, but I worried that if I did, I might not get to speak with Ruril—and then we might not be able to leave on our journey together.
I couldn't let that happen, so I pretended nothing was wrong and listened attentively to what the village chief had to say.
Yet even as I listened to him, I couldn't stop looking toward Lumia.
Apparently not particularly interested in enjoying the festival, Lumia walked past the people toward the inn the village chief had indicated earlier.
Every time I saw her stagger after colliding with someone, I desperately wanted to rush over to her, but..
No, that wasn't it.
Couldn't I talk to her later?
Even if I couldn't travel with Ruril, I felt I had to go after Lumia right now.
I turned back to the village chief.
At some point, the village chief had started heaping praise on Ruril, a blissful smile on his face.
Normally, I would have listened to everything he had to say and told him I wanted to travel with Ruril, but right now Lumia was more important.
“I'm very sorry.. could we talk a little later?”
“Hmm? I don't mind, but.. has something happened..?”
“My party member doesn't seem to be doing well.. I'm worried about her.”
“Goodness, I was holding you up for no reason.. Go on, then.”
The village chief said so and stepped aside.
I immediately passed the village chief and headed for the inn he had arranged for us earlier.
I didn't know how far Lumia had gone, but how difficult would it be for someone who couldn't speak or hear to try to get around alone? I couldn't truly empathize with what it felt like to walk alone through a world where nothing could be heard, but I could understand how difficult it must be.
Fortunately, the inn itself wasn't very far away, so I seemed to have arrived while I was speaking with the village chief. I entered the inn and looked around inside, since Lumia might not have gone upstairs yet.
But seeing as she was nowhere to be found, she must have already gone up.
I went straight to the clerk at the counter.
“Hmm? What is it..”
“Have you seen a blue-haired girl with light-purple highlights?”
“Ah! That girl—no, the hero who saved the village, she just went upstairs..”
“I'm her companion. Could you tell me which room she went into?”
As I spoke, I took out the paper the village chief had given me earlier and showed it to the clerk.
The village chief had been right that the inn staff would recognize me as soon as I showed them this; the moment the clerk saw it, they told me she was in Room 207.
“Thank you.”
After saying that, I immediately climbed the stairs.
When I reached the room, I carefully spoke to Lumia through the firmly closed door.
“... Are you all right, Lumia?”
“...”
No answer came.
Of course there wasn't.
Lumia couldn't speak.
In fact, unless I was the one speaking to her, she wouldn't even know that someone was trying to talk to her. Up until we met the necromancer, Lumia had been no different from usual. She had suddenly changed after I unleashed my power and defeated the necromancer.
This was a future entirely different from the one I had known.
Compared with the events that were supposed to happen in the future, this was a minor deviation, but I knew all too well how greatly even a minor deviation could change the future.
I slumped down in front of the door and leaned my back against it.
“Could you open the door..?”
There was still no answer.
Although I hoped that wasn't the case, I couldn't shake the anxiety that it might be true.
Could Lumia remember too? Could she have made that expression because she had returned to the past as well?
That was what I wanted to ask.
If Lumia remembered what would happen in the future—and what was supposed to happen today—then there was no point in my having returned here.
I had returned to the past solely for that: to save Lumia.
“There's something I've been hiding from you.”
So I decided to show her that I trusted her first.
It was a truth that would have to come to light someday anyway.
The reason I'd told only Cecilia was, on the surface, that it was for Lumia's sake; in reality, I'd merely disguised my fear of revealing the truth—and my flight from it—as concern for Lumia.
If I told her, I could simply tell her that I had regressed—that I'd returned to the past—and leave out what was necessary to defeat the Demon King.
The reason I hadn't been able to tell her was ultimately that I myself had been afraid.
“I want to tell you that story now.”
And I wanted to hear
Lumia's answer.
Please, just tell me you don't know.
I wanted her to say she knew nothing.. and ask what I meant.
Then I could relax.
“I'll wait here.. until you open it.”
After saying that, I lowered my head.
...
...
...
How much time had passed?
It felt like about an hour.
Sitting in the same position with my back against the door for an hour left me stiff. The door was still firmly closed.
I intended to stay here until she opened it anyway. I straightened from my hunched position and leaned against the door.
No, I was about to.
I would have, if the door hadn't opened.
“Ugh..!”
The moment I tried to lean back, the door opened, and Lumia walked out. She was wearing pajamas—when had she changed?—and looked down at me in surprise.
She clearly hadn't expected me to still be there.
“Ah, hello..”
“...”
She looked down at me incredulously, then let out a deep sigh and held out her hand. I looked down at the hand she extended as if telling me to take it, then raised my own.
Somehow.. it felt like I was seeing her the way she had been when we first met after my regression.
The way she'd placed her hand on mine with a questioning look had been incredibly cute.
As I recalled that moment with a wistful expression, Lumia pulled me to my feet and walked back into the room.
It seemed like she was telling me to follow.
“..?”
Once inside, Lumia picked up the paper she'd received from Cecilia earlier, wrote something on it, and held it out to me.
- Didn't you have something you wanted to talk about?
“Ah.. you're going to listen?”
Lumia nodded.
“Yeah..”
I swallowed hard.
I planned to reveal only my identity, leaving out what was necessary to defeat the Demon King, since I couldn't possibly tell her that.
“Don't be surprised. Just listen.”
Hoo..
Haa..
After taking a few deep breaths, I opened my mouth with a resolute expression.
...
...
“I returned from the future. To a perfect past.. one I hadn't ruined.”
And so,
I began to explain.