Chapter 43
Mimino had no clear idea how much time had passed. Reiji had left—and the fact that such a small child had resolutely said goodbye and gone, that she had been unable to stop him, that she had been powerless to help him in his suffering, and, above all, that he had surely left out of concern for them was unbearably painful.
A cry that sounded like "Dad!" came from the next room, startling Mimino. She vigorously wiped her tear-streaked face with a hand towel—and then felt a fresh ache in her chest when she realized it was the same towel Reiji had used to wipe her face—but she immediately hurried into the adjoining room, where Dantes and Non were.
"What happened? Don't tell me Dantes's condition has... Huh?"
Mimino opened the door, thinking the burns must have gotten worse, and was left speechless.
"...Look, Mimino. This."
The wooden window in the room stood open, letting in the light. The soft light reflected from the floor illuminated Dantes's skin, which was no longer the dull color it had been before.
His body was flesh and blood once more.
"When I woke up, Dad's skin was black, and when I hurriedly wiped it, it turned out like this..."
Non stood there with a dazed expression, but...
"So, um... That means the petrification has been cured, right?"
"That's right. My body moves perfectly normally, and I feel fresher than ever... Is this what it means to be healthy? Well, the burns haven't completely healed yet."
Still dazed, Non listened to Mimino and Dantes.
"Dad..."
Tears spilled down her cheeks.
"Dad, Dad... Dad, Dad, Daaaaaad!"
"Don't cry, Non. ...I'm sorry for making you suffer all this time..."
"Waaaaaah!"
Dantes pulled her into his arms, cradling her head as she sobbed like a child.
Mimino blinked. Non was crying like this...
(She must have been suffering somewhere I couldn't see...)
That was only natural. She was a sixteen-year-old girl. Even though she lived in the Church, a place of strict rules, she was at the age when she would want to enjoy chatting with her companions and doing a little shopping on her days off.
And yet she had been faced with a situation where half her father's body had petrified and he would die if left untreated. Dantes and Non were a family of two, and Mimino of course knew that Non had devoted herself to treating Dantes.
But at some point, Mimino had started thinking of Non as a "good girl" and "a responsible one." She had simply convinced herself of that, without even trying to see Non's suffering properly.
(I... was an idiot. I never even asked what had been troubling Reiji-kun. I just assumed he'd tell me someday. Raikira was the same. The way he died...)
Remembering the moment of Raikira's death made her heart ache as though it were being squeezed tight.
"Thank you for everything, Mimino."
Those words from Dantes brought her back to herself.
"You had to go through a lot as well."
"No, it's fine. We're in the same party, after all... More importantly, how did you suddenly recover, Dantes?"
"..."
Dantes wore a troubled expression. Non had stopped crying and peered into his face.
"What's wrong, Dad...?"
"...I don't know exactly when, but I believe Reiji was in this room."
"Reiji-kun was!?"
"I think Reiji cured my petrification."
The room fell completely silent. Dantes continued, trying to remember what had happened during the night.
"...I was barely conscious and don't remember, but I vaguely recall someone saying something about 'medicine.' Mimino, where is Reiji?"
"..."
"Mimino...?"
She hadn't wanted to say it aloud. As long as she didn't put it into words, she felt she might be able to avoid facing reality.
But she couldn't lie to her companions.
Mimino forced herself to speak.
"Reiji-kun has left."
"...What do you mean?"
"He said he had to leave, so he was going to leave..."
"That idiot...!"
"Dad, wait! Don't get up yet!"
Non hurriedly stopped Dantes as he tried to climb out of bed.
"Don't try to stop me, Non. I remembered Reiji asking me for some spending money. He said there was something he wanted... Now I finally understand."
"What did Reiji-kun want?"
"You saw it at the Guild too, Mimino. His unparalleled knowledge of medicinal herbs, and that humble manner of his. If Reiji wanted something, there was only one thing I could think of—the cure for petrification."
"Huh!? The petrification curse can't be cured with medicine, can it!?"
"He knew that wasn't true. And I really was cured."
"Ah—"
Mimino remembered. Reiji had wanted the "Leaf of the Tree of Life" at the medicinal herb market.
Could that have led to a cure for petrification?
"B-but if that was the case, Reiji-kun would have told us from the start..."
"Maybe he wasn't certain. He was acting oddly when he supplied herbs to the Guild, too. His knowledge of medicinal herbs is extremely lopsided."
Indeed, Reiji clearly hadn't known the market prices of medicinal herbs or how the healing-potion system worked.
He was a mysterious boy in many ways.
He had extensive knowledge, a gentle manner, and a composed bearing. He seemed like the child of some noble family, but apparently, he had been a slave.
"My guess is... Reiji took a dangerous risk to cure my petrification. Perhaps he got his hands on a prohibited item or something."
"N-no, Reiji-kun..."
"He may have thought that, if it were discovered, it could cause trouble for 'Silver Balance.' Or perhaps it had already been discovered. That's why he hurried to leave... Non, I'm going to look for Reiji. How can I leave such a great debt unpaid? If he's going to be hanged, I'll take his place."
"...Dad. I understand."
Non's expression hardened as she activated 【Healing Magic】. Her magic power must have been nearly depleted as well; she exhaled a long, strained breath. Sweat stood out on her forehead.
"Dad, this will let you move a little. But don't forget that you nearly died yesterday. And avoid being hanged at all costs."
"Thank you, Non. You're a daughter I can be proud of."
"...Please don't do anything else that would make your daughter sad."
She was probably referring to the way he had put his body on the line to protect the adventurers yesterday.
"I'm sorry. ...Mimino, are you coming too?"
"I want to, but... I couldn't stop Reiji-kun."
If she'd stopped him with all her strength then, she wouldn't be scrambling around like this now.
But Mimino simply couldn't bring herself to stop Reiji. She had sensed his strong resolve, and, having done nothing in the dragon-subjugation battle—in fact, having been saved by him—she had felt she had no right to say anything.
"Heh."
Dantes chuckled softly.
"You're an idiot, Mimino. If one attempt fails, make another. Freedom is our creed."
"Freedom..."
"That's right. Freedom."
"...Yeah, that's right. I guess I was feeling discouraged."
With a smack, she slapped her cheeks with both hands.
Mimino steeled herself. No matter what it took, she would bring Reiji back.
Because—
"Reiji is our companion, after all."