Ch.101101. Between Incidents (4)

For a very brief moment, the Queen’s face, which had shown an expression devoid of dignity, quickly regained its composure and returned to normal. She looked at me with a contemplative expression before speaking.

“You want to become stronger? You’re saying you want to become stronger even after defeating three Calamities?”

“As I’ve mentioned before, facing a Calamity is insufficient no matter how strong one is. Especially if one wishes to avoid casualties, I believe one needs power that truly overwhelms the Calamity.”

I declared firmly. Simply pursuing limitless strength—to face beings capable of destroying this world, one must literally become stronger than the world itself. The Queen quietly gazed into my eyes. I allowed myself to be read by the Queen who was trying to read me.

“This is difficult. I don’t know how to make you stronger here. Even if I piled mountains of holy relics or treasures for you to take, they wouldn’t compare to a single Holy Sword.”

The Queen stared at me for a long while before saying this. Then she glanced sideways at the royal guard knights and softly exhaled with a small “hmm.”

“Still, a wish is a wish, isn’t it? I’ll summon you to the palace soon. I’ll do my best to help. Don’t expect too much though.”

“I’m grateful just for your consideration, Your Majesty. I will certainly strive to repay your support.”

She seemed to have something in mind. I nodded happily, and the Queen gave me another meaningful smile.

“Very well. Of course, I didn’t intend to ask only you. Since the entire hero party has fought hard, I was planning to grant one personal request to each of the other party members as well.”

The Queen’s gaze turned toward George, Daphne, and Marianne. All three widened their eyes in surprise and turned their heads toward the Queen. The Queen smiled at the hero party. Then, as if giving them time to think, she left them to converse quietly among themselves.

“Speak freely. Captain George, you may go first.”

George exchanged glances with Daphne and Marianne, then spoke without hesitation, as if expressing a thought he had always carried.

“Then, after gathering our party members’ opinions, I would like to make just one request.”

Strong curiosity appeared in the Queen’s red eyes. George gestured slightly toward me and threw out something completely unexpected and utterly bewildering to me.

“I would like Ilroy, that fellow, to remain uninvolved in other matters during his vacation. Please ensure that he can fully enjoy his own time, at least until there are signs of the next Calamity.”

I frowned deeply, while the Queen smiled with apparent amusement. No, what context is this nonsense coming from? And Daphne and Marianne are in on it too…

“You truly care deeply for the hero. Although the hero himself doesn’t seem particularly interested in taking care of himself. He certainly does need a quiet vacation.”

George nodded in agreement. I felt like I was being pranked. They were discussing my vacation without including me, the person who should decide how to spend it.

“During his last vacation, he struggled in Barktins, and after defeating the Kraken, he was busy managing internal party affairs. Before that, he must have been preoccupied after being selected as the hero. He probably hasn’t had proper rest for the past few years.”

What is he suddenly talking about? But George didn’t even try to turn his head toward me. I watched, completely ignored, as George passionately expounded on my need for rest.

“Please protect the hero during this brief respite. I earnestly request this.”

The Queen nodded without hesitation. She glanced at my frowning expression before turning back to George.

“Very well. I promise. Unless a Calamity suddenly strikes, I won’t summon the entire hero party for any other matters. Make sure you all rest as much as you want during that time.”

And it was a vacation with no set end date. I turned my head sharply toward George, but he just shrugged his shoulders, pretending not to notice.

“If you only look forward and keep running, you’ll break down. That’s a fact that doesn’t change even if you’re the hero.”

“What unnecessary consideration.”

George saw my disgusted expression and chuckled as if he’d successfully pulled a prank.

“The world won’t end just because you take a short break. If it would, it would have ended long ago.”

I sighed deeply at George’s laughter, and the Queen issued a dismissal. It was a deflating exit compared to her majestic entrance that had encompassed the crowd.

==

As I stepped outside the palace, a snowflake fell on my head. The streets of the royal capital, covered in snow, weren’t as cold as they looked. Perhaps because the wind wasn’t blowing strongly. The streets near the palace, which the guards had probably diligently swept, were clean. I walked, continuously exhaling visible breath.

“Congratulations, you’ve received a long vacation, Ilroy.”

“…I didn’t particularly think it was necessary. Why did you say that?”

I needed neither a vacation nor sympathy. I grumbled inwardly while putting my hands in my pockets. In my other hand was a bag containing the uniform I had changed out of before leaving the palace. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to wearing this white uniform, no matter how many times I put it on.

“Because we need to rest too. Otherwise, were you planning to immediately set off to find the next Calamity, Ilroy?”

Daphne said primly. I closed my mouth, unable to refute. It’s true that not just me, but the entire hero party has been pushing hard. Daphne seemed to be gradually figuring out how to make me shut up.

“No… there’s probably quite some time left before we face the sixth Calamity. Since there’s nothing particularly concerning this time, we should be able to properly enjoy our vacation.”

There weren’t any major events in the original story either, were there? As long as monsters don’t go crazy and collectively invade the royal capital, we should be fine just staying put until facing the sixth Calamity, the comet. Well, I didn’t plan to just sit around doing nothing either.

“Let’s just think about how to spend our vacation. We can worry about the Calamity later.”

Daphne said with a smile. A snowflake landed on the bridge of her nose. I folded my arms, looking at the huddled hero party.

“Alright, let’s disband for today. Everyone must be tired, so go home. Until further notice, don’t come to work and rest. I’d appreciate it if you came in to sort out the budget though.”

Daphne gave me a sulky look at my joke.

“Let’s all go on a trip together later. If we leave Ilroy alone, I feel like he’ll get into trouble again. We need to keep him close and monitor him.”

Daphne said this and then turned to Marianne.

“…Please keep a good eye on that person, Marianne. Don’t get caught up in Ilroy’s pace.”

“Of course.”

Marianne answered confidently. I swallowed dryly, sensing the strange current flowing between the two. They weren’t giving each other hostile looks at all. I heard that Daphne had blocked Marianne from entering the mist. I watched their conversation with complicated feelings.

“Well, I’ll go ahead first. Take your time coming back.”

Surprisingly, Daphne was the first to say she was leaving. I waved lightly and sighed, raising my eyes to follow Daphne as she walked away. I should talk to Daphne separately later. Right now, she was clearly giving off vibes that she wanted to be alone and not be approached.

“I’ll head back too. This vacation, I really should spend doing nothing as well. How about winter fishing, Ilroy? I know some pretty good spots.”

Winter fishing. I wasn’t particularly interested in fishing, but somehow the proposal from this jack-of-all-trades was intriguing. When I showed subtle interest, George placed his hand on my shoulder and raised his eyebrows.

“Interested? It’ll be completely in the wild. Self-sufficient with firewood, fire, and even locally sourced food. You probably won’t regret it.”

George threw out these enticing words and then left, waving his hand. Left alone with Marianne in the snowy street, I turned to look at her. Marianne was pretending to have returned to her usual self. She looked at me with sparkling eyes, without any expression. She looked somewhat like a cat, which made me burst into laughter.

“Shall we go back too?”

Marianne nodded nonchalantly. The neighborhood kids seem tired of seeing snow. They walk along chattering with bright red noses. People don’t often walk on the frozen paths. Marianne walked beside me, occasionally looking around at the scenery.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

“Yes. I think we should buy something to take home.”

“How about eating out? Aren’t you tired?”

Marianne shook her head vigorously at my question.

“No. I’ll cook. It’s been a while.”

We walked to the market street. I picked up the ingredients Marianne selected, and she carefully chose vegetables and meat with eager eyes. Normally, I would have said I’d buy them myself. I watched Marianne as she listened to the merchants and nodded very slightly.

“…That’s enough.”

Marianne said, showing me the ingredients cradled in her arms. The tip of a baguette in the paper basket poked my chin. Somehow her back looked like it should be humming a tune. The snow accumulated on her head gradually slid down with each bouncy step.

“What are you planning to cook?”

“I’m thinking of making a stew similar to what I ate when I was young. I remember eating it once at the orphanage. That was probably the first time in my life I ever ate meat.”

Marianne, unusually, shared a story about herself. No, was this the first time?

“I couldn’t forget that taste, so even after becoming an inquisitor, I kept trying to find that flavor.”

In a quiet alley beyond the market, which was a shortcut to our headquarters, I quietly listened to Marianne’s story.

“What I eventually realized was that it would be difficult to perfectly recreate the taste I had as a child. No matter what I did or tasted, it never matched that flavor from back then.”

Marianne spoke about this without emotion. Her tone suggested it didn’t matter much to her anymore. We reached the headquarters and murmured while looking at the somewhat desolate lobby.

“We’re back.”

I lit the fireplace. A warm color filled the lobby. Marianne took the ingredients we had gathered and went to the kitchen to start cooking. I waited for the house to fill with the aroma of Marianne’s cooking. It was a soft, warm smell.

“It’s ready.”

Marianne called to me as I was half-dozing in the rocking chair near the fireplace. I immediately went up to the kitchen to help with the finishing touches. Peeking into the pot, I saw a thick, rich broth filled with hearty ingredients.

“…You made quite a lot.”

“It tastes better when reheated once more.”

Marianne answered as she ladled stew into my bowl. We ate dinner in a quiet but comfortable atmosphere. Marianne took one bite of the stew, opened her eyes wide in surprise, put down her spoon for a moment, and moved her lips. Seeing this, I smiled.

“It’s delicious. Don’t you think so too?”

“…I thought I would never taste that flavor again.”

Marianne murmured, looking down at her bowl. Then, she raised her head and met my eyes. The candles in the kitchen shone as brightly as Marianne’s golden eyes.

“I wonder why.”

Marianne mumbled again as she lifted her spoon. She took another bite of the stew and slowly moved her lips, as if trying to savor the taste for a very long time.

“I think I really consider this place my home.”

Marianne confessed.

“I want to stay by Ilroy’s side like this.”

As she said this, Marianne had a smile on her face. I stared blankly at that smile and opened my mouth to give some kind of answer, but Marianne quickly waved her hand.

“I’ll listen to what Ilroy has to say after all our remaining work is done. For now, I’m satisfied just being like this.”

Marianne looked at me and then changed her smile to be more gentle and natural. We looked at each other like that, then picked up our spoons and started eating the stew again. The sound of spoons coming and going filled the kitchen for a while.