Chapter 31
An inn in Quaalid.
In a room with bunk beds, a man sat on a chair, exposing his bruised, purplish chest.
Before him stood a girl with long scarlet hair reaching her waist, dressed in a long skirt.
The girl spoke quietly.
“I told you not to approach her.”
The man bowed his head in apology, still half-naked.
“I’m sorry. I saw her heading into a deserted alley and acted rashly, ruining everything with my hasty judgment. I’ll gladly accept whatever punishment you see fit, Lady Lise.”
The woman called Lise took a jar of ointment from the backpack beside the bed instead of replying.
Seeing her scoop up the semisolid ointment with her fingertip, the man waved his hand in alarm, feeling unworthy of her attention.
“I-I’m fine! It’s only a bruise!”
“Hold still.”
The man stayed still, and she reached out toward her subordinate’s chest.
Her youthful, girlish appearance did nothing to diminish his respect for her, but when her delicate fingertips touched his chest, he had to turn his head in embarrassment.
“Ahem. I really didn’t expect there to be a bodyguard like that. I thought she was just an ordinary waitress.”
“After getting beaten up like that, you still haven’t learned not to judge people by their appearance?”
“I’m ashamed.”
Back when she’d been an instructor, plenty of recruits had challenged her because of her small frame and pretty face, only to end up with broken noses.
“You said we needed to find the Hero and secure a recruit, but it’s been a week and we haven’t done anything. I was getting a little frustrated…”
“Ivar, I told you I’d make the decisions as well as give the orders.”
“I’m sorry.”
Lise looked at Ivar, the knight who’d let his youthful blood stir up trouble.
He’d finished applying the ointment and was putting his shirt back on.
It was common for novice knights who’d just received their blessing to get carried away and take a hard fall. Ivar was no exception.
It was the complacency that came with a strong body.
It was grounds for discipline, but Lise knew she hadn’t explained things well enough, either.
“Are you that eager to go back?”
Ivar answered hastily.
“N-No!”
Watching over a retired Hero was certainly not the sort of assignment a young knight enjoyed.
As far as she could tell, Ivar was itching to earn distinction.
She’d brought him along as her squire because she didn’t know how dangerous things might get, but Quaalid was peaceful enough that a young knight grew bored and started making trouble.
“I’m satisfied just serving you.”
“Then why did you do something like that?”
“That’s… I-I thought you might be pleased, my lady.”
His endearing excuse made her laugh before she could stop herself.
“Ha!”
It was too late to send Ivar back and summon someone else.
Thinking it over in a slightly better mood, she knew there was no undoing what had happened.
Lise herself was also somewhat prone to the carefree optimism of thinking, ‘It’ll probably work out somehow.’
The confidence that came from a body so strong it had even grown younger.
“Now that things have come to this, I’ll have to show myself and speak with her.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No, I’d planned to approach her eventually. Let’s just say things have moved up a little. Are you sure the Hero has weakened?”
“Yes. She couldn’t even shake off my hand.”
“Understood.”
She sat on the bed and began to think.
Ivar glanced at her as he left the room to prepare lunch.
Just the small smile she’d shown him had made his heart pound.
**
Following the employee’s directions to the tavern’s back courtyard, he found Sigona there.
He greeted her cheerfully.
“Hi, Sigona!”
“Hello.”
Sigona smiled brightly at Tarmin, too.
Seeing her carrying a wooden crate, he rolled up his sleeves.
“I’ll help you.”
Sigona shook her head.
“No, this is the last one.”
“Oh, yeah?”
Sigona carried the crate into the storage shed in the courtyard without showing much strain, then came back out.
Watching her, he handed her the paper bag he was holding.
“You went clothes shopping with Enya, right? These are the clothes she accidentally took yesterday.”
“Oh. I was just about to ask you about them. Thank you.”
That morning, Tarmin had realized the clothes Enya had hidden were women’s clothes, and he’d clutched his head in despair.
He’d turned into some weirdo whining because she wouldn’t show him the women’s clothes.
And then, when she’d headed to her room saying she’d show him, he’d stopped her…
He shook his head vigorously, then spoke to Sigona.
“Sigona, Enya asked how you were doing. She said to tell her if you weren’t feeling well.”
At Enya’s name, Sigona’s expression grew troubled.
“Yes. There is something bothering me right now.”
“Really?”
…
He waited for her to continue, but nothing more came.
Puzzled, he looked at Sigona again.
“Sigona?”
Sigona hesitated, her face flushed.
Then, with difficulty, she managed to say something.
“Um…”
“Um?”
Was she afraid someone might overhear?
But Tarmin had known Sigona for almost ten years already.
They’d seen each other at their worst. What secret could she possibly have?
“I… have too much…”
“What was that, Sigona?”
Her voice had been too quiet.
Tarmin leaned closer to hear her.
“I couldn’t hear you. Could you say that again?”
“Ugh.”
As he moved closer to Sigona, he caught a faint scent of tea leaves and a trace of sweat.
At that moment, he found himself looking into Sigona’s eyes.
Her face, visible between her long red locks.
Sigona squeezed her eyes shut and thrust out both arms.
“You’re too close!”
“Ghk!”
Her arm struck him, sending him flying through the air.
As he felt his feet lift off the ground, he understood what she’d said.
Oh, she meant she had strength to spare.
**
Enya stood before a quiet cathedral.
It was located almost at the opposite end of Quaalid.
Unless someone went there on purpose, they’d never have any reason to visit.
Though she’d bought a great many clothes, Enya still wore her original neat outfit beneath an overcoat.
The long skirt and shirt had originally been prepared as burial clothes.
Bricks filled the spaces between the building’s round temple columns, and its splendid rose window shone in the light. Chaik’s temple had become a cathedral.
The place where her adventure began, and where it would end.
As she gazed at the entrance and caught her breath, someone spoke to her.
“Benoa?”
She turned and saw a familiar old man standing there.
“You’re Benoa, aren’t you?”
“Priest Dephanis.”
Enya breathed a sigh of relief.
“Phew.”
“You jump at being called, so you must have a lot of sins on your conscience.”
“Don’t tease me.”
He must have known what this place meant to Enya, yet he still had to make that sort of remark.
“You recognize me?”
“How could I forget those bright-red eyes?”
“You seem to have forgotten my name, though.”
“Isn’t Benoa good enough?”
Enya shook her head.
“That’s my surname. I go by Enya now.”
“It’ll all be over soon anyway, so what’s the point of that… No.”
The priest narrowed his eyes.
He recognized the desire inscribed in the name she’d chosen anew.
To gain a name was to gain a connection.
“You don’t want it to end yet, do you?”
“That’s…”
She shrugged.
The hem of her skirt fluttered lightly beneath her overcoat.
“Someone’s come along who told me not to die.”
“Hmph.”
The old priest fell into a pensive silence.
Enya smiled as she spoke to the man who was like a father to her.
“I didn’t want to go inside. I’m glad you’re here.”
“…There isn’t much difference either way.”
Whether she ended her life inside or tried to keep going outside, there wouldn’t be much difference.
“I want to try a little longer. Is that all right?”
“When have you ever waited for permission?”
“I didn’t come to ask permission. I just thought, well, I should tell you not to wait for me.”
“It will be painful.”
“I know.”
The priest grimaced.
Even speaking seemed painful for him.
“…A Hero’s body is too valuable to waste.”
“Yes.”
“The ghouls will come swarming to tear you apart.”
“I know.”
The priest shook his head and opened the cathedral door.
Just before he went inside, the old man looked at Enya.
“Enya.”
Hearing him call her by her new name, Enya looked at him in surprise.
“Yes?”
The priest spoke one last time.
“The only thing that stays round to the end is the moon in your heart.”
The door closed.
There was no one around to hear her, but Enya smiled faintly.
“I know.”
**
After a brief flight, Tarmin rolled across the frozen winter ground.
He groaned in pain, then finally came to his senses much later and said,
“Sigona, what’s so embarrassing about getting stronger? Isn’t that a good thing?”
“Don’t say weird things. Do you want to go rolling again?”
“You carried that huge crate by yourself just now, didn’t you? I’ll ask you to open my liquor bottles for me when I can’t get the stoppers out.”
“Taal, this is serious right now.”
“Sorry.”
He smiled as he apologized, but a hint of hurt remained on Sigona’s face.
“Still, it’s a relief that Enya asked whether you’d gotten stronger instead of asking if you were sick, right?”
“It’s better than being sick, but…”
Tarmin thought back on it.
Maybe she had been a little stronger than normal because she was a werewolf.
“Sigona, weren’t you pretty strong to begin with?”
“But ever since I used my strength yesterday, it’s been getting worse and worse… Now everything I touch keeps breaking.”
He looked at her in surprise.
Sigona gazed at her own hands as though she were afraid of them.
“You’re that strong?”
“I’ve already broken a few doorknobs and drinking glasses. That’s why I’m here instead of in the main room.”
Hearing that, he looked Sigona over again.
Her appearance didn’t seem any different from before the festival.
She was nearly as tall as an average man, but those slender-looking arms had still sent Tarmin flying.
Whatever had happened the night before had clearly caused this.
“I’ll talk to Enya. Or do you want to come by tonight?”
“Since I’m the one asking for help, I think I should go see my big sister.”
“Sure.”
Big sister? Since when had they gotten that close?
He was amused by the unfamiliar word when Sigona asked him,
“So, how is your big sister? Is she all right?”
“W-Why are you suddenly asking about Enya?”
The memories of last night came flooding back, and he jumped in alarm.
How should he answer… That she was good?
No! She was just asking how Enya was! Idiot.
Meanwhile, Sigona’s next words were something he never could have imagined.
“Yesterday, when I was coming back from buying clothes, I was attacked by some thug. He grabbed my arm, saying he wanted to protect my big sister… Didn’t you know?”
Sigona was startled by the grim look on his face.
“Sigona, what did you say?”
This was news to Tarmin.
***