Chapter 94
"It's been a long time—truly..."
"Likewise. I'm sorry we couldn't get in touch at all."
Only Non-san was at the Silver Citrus Inn. It was apparently the sort of room that would be full as soon as a bed and some luggage were put in it, so Non-san and I went to a nearby café. It was a cozy little place, furnished entirely with wooden tables and chairs, and it had a warm, woodsy atmosphere.
I ordered some juice, while Non-san ordered tea brewed with milk.
"There are so many things we need to catch up on... But for now, my father and Mimino-san have gone to the Adventurer's Guild."
"The guild?"
"They're arguing over how to divide up yesterday's giant snake..."
Apparently, the adventurers were saying, "Evacuating the residents should have been the top priority, but those outsider adventurers jumped the gun and defeated it." To make matters worse, almost none of the other adventurers had properly seen the battle against Ouroboros, so they seemed to think, "They just made short work of it once it was weakened."
The knights, meanwhile, insisted that they should first take custody of the corpse, determine which parts could be used, sell them for a lump sum, and then give the appropriate amount to the guild. The Adventurer's Guild was dead set against that, since they suspected the knights would skim some of the money.
As a result, the corpse was still untouched.
"Since it would've been a problem if you arrived after I'd left and we missed each other, I was the only one who stayed behind."
"I see... Personally, I don't really care what happens to that corpse."
"Heehee, you can't do that, Reiji-kun. You have to settle money matters properly. My father went off in high spirits, saying, 'We need to teach a lesson to anyone who talks down to us just because we're outsiders.'"
"Ah, hahaha..."
Dantes-san is scary.
"Mimino-san was even more fired up, though. She said, 'I'll wring a hefty reward out of them for Reiji-kun,' and even tried to bring along the poison she had sealed away so carefully. I stopped her, of course."
There was someone even scarier!
"...More importantly, why did all of you come to the Holy Capital?"
"We were in the Lef Magic Empire until quite recently, and we came to the Holy Capital after taking a protection job there. The Church still thinks I'm on a journey to have my father treated, but by now I've spent more time working as an adventurer. What about you, Reiji-kun? Why are you here?"
"I—"
I gave her a rough account of the past four years.
I told her about leaving Achenbach Duchy with the help of Zelly-san, who had been in the same mercenary corps as Raikira-san; working as a cleaner for the Holy King's Knights; and protecting Count Slyries from an attack, after which I was hired by the count's family.
I couldn't tell her about the presentation ceremony, though.
"I see... You've been through a lot too, Reiji-kun."
"Yes. ...I'm sorry I suddenly disappeared."
"I knew you must have had your reasons, Reiji-kun, so I won't blame you. Of course, I wanted to thank you for healing my father's body, but..."
"Ugh."
I used mithril for that treatment, after all... So I couldn't tell her that...
"A special elixir—or rather, a potion I happened to make by accident..."
"I wasn't planning to ask how it was made, so don't worry. But please let me repay you. I'm sure it's something money couldn't buy, though."
"N-no, really, it's fine."
As Non-san leaned forward, her chest rested heavily on the table. Well, uh, that's a little too stimulating for a fourteen-year-old's body.
"? Why are you looking away?"
"A-anyway—how about you let me join 'Silver Scales' as your way of thanking me?"
"!"
Non-san's expression suddenly brightened.
"Of course! But I don't think that would come close to being enough—"
"If we're party members, helping each other is only natural."
"...Reiji-san."
Non-san's eyes glistened as if she were moved, and she clasped both hands in front of her chest.
"No, I'm the one who should be thanking you. You took me in back in the forest, and everyone did everything they could to help me..."
If Mimino-san, Dantes-san, Non-san, and Raikira-san hadn't been there for me back then, I don't think I'd be who I am today. Even if I had somehow survived, I think my heart would have grown hard, and I might have ended up in an even more dangerous world.
"I was a mine slave working at the 'Six Heavens Mine,' and I escaped when my contract magic was undone. If I stayed in Achenbach Duchy, I was sure they'd come after me, and the dragon's attack caused the guards to spot me."
"So you had to flee in a hurry... That's the truth of what happened four years ago?"
"I couldn't let 'Silver Scales' suffer because of its involvement with me."
The biggest reason was the six-star Talent Jewel Lark had obtained, but there was no need to say that.
After hearing me out, Non-san gently closed her eyes and seemed to be thinking. When she did that, she truly looked like a devout nun. Well, I suppose she really was one.
"...We want to help you, Reiji-kun."
"You did more than enough for me four years ago."
"That isn't enough. You didn't just heal my father's body—you healed his heart as well. Even if my father had received healing magic from a high-ranking cleric, it surely wouldn't have healed his heart. Because you were there, my father can still stand on the front lines and fight. Can you imagine? Since you disappeared, Reiji-kun, I haven't let a single day pass without praying for your safety. Every morning, I prayed to God as soon as I woke up."
"Non-san..."
She reached out and took both my hands, which were resting on the table. Non-san's hands were warm—and unlike the young lady's, they were the hands of an adult woman.
Non-san had been praying for someone like me. As that fact sank into my chest, the bridge of my nose stung and tears threatened to spill. I had thought I had become stronger through the power of 【All Creation】. That it was my own strength. But... surely that wasn't the whole truth. Non-san's prayers for me must have affected me too. They had to have. I would believe it even if no one else did—just as Non-san had believed that her prayers would reach me.
"Non-san... will you listen to what happened to me?"
With that warmth making me want to cry, all I could do was keep my voice from trembling.
Then I told her everything in one go. What had happened at the presentation ceremony. The fact that the Holy King had summoned me. That I had to escape from here—had to run away "again."
I told Non-san even things that were practically top-level classified information—I had let it all spill out. By the time I finished, I was so exhausted that I felt I might melt into a puddle right there. Throughout it all, Non-san kept holding my hands.
When I grew embarrassed and pulled my hands away, Non-san looked a little disappointed—or was that just what I wanted to believe?
"...You've worked hard, Reiji-kun. I'm proud of you."
"Thank you."
Ah, no, Non-san. If you say things like that, I'll cry.
"Sigh... Even though Reiji-kun has been working so hard, the Adventurer's Guild and the knights can only talk about their own interests. I'm speechless..."
"...Non-san, I'm sorry. I told you things you didn't need to know."
"That's not true. As someone who belongs to the Church, there are parts I'm glad to have heard. But putting that aside, Reiji-kun—"
"Yes."
"This isn't something to be decided by weighing gains and losses."
"...Yes."
Non-san was unfair. She slipped straight into the depths of my heart.
If I considered only the pros and cons, I'd probably be better off 'running away.' But not everything in the world can be judged by pros and cons alone.
"You've worked this hard—why should you have to run? You can go meet the Holy King with your head held high. You have absolutely no reason to flee. And you care very deeply about the young lady of the count's family, don't you? You absolutely mustn't let things end like this."
"...Yes."
I thought she was right. When it came to the young lady, 'running away' had never been a possible choice for me from the start. The count hadn't mentioned the young lady, but that was his own kindness—or rather, his fairness. He wanted me to be able to make a level-headed decision.
Besides, both Non-san and I had already experienced how painful a parting like this could be four years ago.
"But what will you do if they try to force you into contract magic?"
That was my greatest source of anxiety. More than battle, contract magic was what truly terrified me—I had learned that all too well in the mine.
"There is one way to deal with contract magic."
Non-san raised her index finger straight up.
"Though it's a method not widely known, even within the Church."
Non-san laughed softly—and, as expected, she was a little scary.