Ch.11538. You’ve Kept Your Promise.

“Of course we should part ways here.”

On the day of departure.

Ases spoke as if there was no need to even discuss it.

Unlike her usual attire, she wore versatile light armor with leather and chainmail reinforcements only on critical areas. With a small bag tightly secured to her back by straps, she looked ready to leave at any moment.

“Why?”

Had there been no prior discussion?

To Mines, who asked with apparent surprise, Ases clicked her tongue as if he should already know.

“Anyone who needs to know probably already knows I smuggled Kariel out, so imagine if he and I show up together. How do you think people would react?”

“Well…”

“For now, all eyes will be on me, and we should use that to our advantage. Even if we meet up later, it’s better not to do so right away. I have a few places to visit anyway, so I’ll find you when I can. Though, who knows if you’ll still be around by then.”

After saying this, Ases headed in the completely opposite direction from Kariel and Mines, with her small bag slung over her shoulder.

Perhaps concerned about her confidently walking away…

“Will she… be alright?”

Mines voiced his inner thoughts.

He too was dressed for ease of movement—plain brown pants with an undyed linen top. Over this, he wore a blue short cape reaching his waist, and being so different from his usual attire, he seemed somewhat uncomfortable, constantly glancing down at himself.

“Who are you worried about?”

While Kariel and Mines might be special cases, by worldly standards, she was still a formidable force of destruction.

As if she couldn’t take care of herself.

“Y-you’re right.”

Due to his physical growth, wearing the clothes he had arrived in posed some problems.

Still, the cloak he had received from Elhermina, being a high-grade magical item, remained quite useful.

In fact, apart from that, all he had brought when leaving the institution was just his lute.

Even the sword he received from Elhermina had been integrated with the one Grandeus had provided.

The bulkier, heavier items were being stored in such practical ways.

And so.

The two watched Ases’s retreating figure before eventually turning toward the forest in the opposite direction.

The heat had subsided, and a faint refreshing breeze flowed through with the clean scent of the forest.

Their skin would quickly warm under direct sunlight, but aside from that…

The wind, seemingly preparing to carry a gradually cooling sensation, made for perfect traveling weather.

====

In winter, if branches weren’t pruned, snow would settle and freeze on them, causing them to break off in strong winds and fall onto village roofs or nearby areas.

In severe cases, passing children or adults would sometimes get injured by falling branches.

So, branches near the village were trimmed in advance, also serving as firewood.

But this wasn’t done carelessly.

“Leo. Trees are living beings too. Do you think we should just cut them however we want for our convenience?”

“Dad, but you said we can’t leave them alone, right?”

“That’s true. So, we’re not cutting off the tree’s hands or arms, we’re just trimming its nails.”

“Do trees have nails?”

“It’s just a figure of speech.”

He was explaining it in a way the little one could understand.

“Come up here and look.”

Leo, who had skillfully climbed the tree, focused his gaze on the part his father was pointing to, who had already ascended using a ladder.

“What do you see?”

“A tree?”

“……”

He pointed to a specific area.

“Look here.”

“??”

“We cut this part before. Now look at it. See? How the bark has naturally sealed around it?”

“Is that what happened?”

“…Develop your observation skills. This will be your job when I’m bedridden.”

“Do forest keepers do this kind of work? Other men help when they’re busy too, right?”

“…And that’s where problems arise. Well, since words aren’t enough, let me show you.”

Leo nimbly descended the tree after his father, following him to another tree.

“Look here.”

Though it was clearly another tree with pruned branches.

For some reason, unlike what he had seen earlier, the bark here hadn’t sealed over the cut surface.

Perhaps because of that.

The exposed area looked damaged, as if something had punctured it.

The man deliberately inserted his hand and pulled out fragments like he was scraping debris.

“When you cut nails, they grow back, but fingers don’t. As you can see, this kills the tree. It gets diseased.”

“Really?”

“Whoever cut this probably meant no harm. But as a result, if I hadn’t taken care of it, this tree would have quickly rotted, emitting a foul smell and mold. Good for mushrooms, perhaps, but everything around would have been ruined. Still, this is relatively minor.”

In this way.

Leo was able to examine various trees with his father, though he couldn’t quite tell the difference between them.

“If there are too few trees, the mountain will collapse. That would cause great damage to the village.”

“Really?”

“When I was young, some neighboring houses were crushed because of that. Since then, people started building their homes a bit farther from the mountain.”

“Ah.”

He had wondered why people would choose to build farther from the mountain, making it harder to gather firewood, when building closer would be more convenient.

But now he understood there was a reason.

Whether it was a house burning down or being crushed by a landslide, these weren’t matters to be taken lightly.

“But we have a mountain cabin too, don’t we?”

“Is it just for us? It’s for everyone to use.”

And so.

He felt he had learned quite a lot for one day.

But after a few days, he would forget.

And then learn new things again.

Different with each season.

Different with each passing year.

So much to learn and know.

“……”

Leo opened his eyes at the sound of crackling firewood, and saw Luirin poking at it with kindling. For a moment, he looked around with a dazed expression.

“Were you asleep?”

“You were sleeping deeply. Were you tired?”

It’s quite peaceful.

After the major events had concluded, and temporarily separated from his companions…

Or was it really temporary?

“……”

“Is it hard to adjust to the quiet after all the commotion? You’ve had that strange look for days now, even though it’s been quite a while.”

“Did I look like that?”

Leo scratched his brown hair.

His black eyes gazed steadily at the sky, which had not yet reached dawn.

“We should arrive today, right?”

“That’s right.”

Luirin’s silver eyes, complemented by her mystical light purple hair, sparkled beautifully in the firelight.

Perhaps because she wasn’t fully human.

Despite traveling together for quite some time, her appearance and physique hadn’t changed much from before.

She was tall, but only by about a hand’s width?

“Then I’ll just rest my eyes for a bit. I plan to sleep well after we arrive, so wake me up when the sun rises.”

“Yeah. Thanks for your consideration.”

As Luirin wrapped her distinctive magical cloak around herself like a blanket and closed her eyes, her breathing quickly relaxed.

“Phew.”

Though it wasn’t winter yet, the dawn was still chilly.

Leo, also wrapped in his lined cloak, absentmindedly stared at the fire, occasionally poking it and adding logs when needed.

-This marks just over three years since you first set out on a proper journey.

“That’s right.”

When the holy sword called out, he grasped it, and its voice naturally came to him.

-Quite a lot has happened since you took hold of me, hasn’t it?

“Indeed.”

He had become a hero against his will.

Immediately after, he even faced Lord Rueld, the leader of the Nine Great Heroes.

Though Rueld suggested following him as an option, Leo’s deep attachment to his village and country led him to humbly decline.

However, Leo becoming a hero caused greater ripples than expected.

Afterward, he was summoned here and there, caught up in all sorts of dangerous missions and conspiracies—it was quite chaotic.

Still, he had companions, and together they solved various problems, gathering clues to resolve the issues Lusiri had taken on.

Finally, after a long pursuit, they reached a separate resolution.

-Do you think she will keep her promise?

“…She was a victim in her own way too.”

In a sense, he had avenged Mines.

A being who had tried to kill Leo himself.

And one who had contributed to making the village that way.

In the end, that demon who had left the Eden Levan Alliance and embraced evil fell by the hands of Leo and his companions.

The various conspiracies and schemes he had been advancing were all nullified and frozen from that point on.

“The world seems complicated.”

-Of course it is.

A voice both solemn and gentle, as if comforting him.

How long had he been like this?

Sensing a small presence, he turned his gaze in that direction.

“Who’s there?”

A man appeared in worn leather attire.

Holding a bow that also looked to be in poor condition.

But.

“Uncle Jevan?”

“Huh? Who’s calling me uncle… Oh, you? You look like someone I know… Wait, Leo? Forest keeper Jusek’s son Leo, right?”

“……”

Leo wondered if this was a dream or reality.

Just after dreaming of being dragged around by his father in his childhood…

And now…

“You’re… alive?”

“Alive? Of course I am. But… it seems a lot of time has passed without us knowing? What happened? And why have you become so mature? It’s not like you.”

Jevan approached and sat near the campfire.

Then, upon making eye contact with Luirin, he startled.

“Good grief! You’re not an animal, so why is your presence so faint?!”

“…Leo. Is this someone you know?”

“Y-yes. That’s right. So…”

Leo felt an indescribable emotion in the whirlwind of feelings.

Words wouldn’t come out properly.

In that surge of emotion.

Leo recalled the promise again.

‘The promise…’

You kept it.

Kariel.

And.

Mines…

Leo remembered clearly.

In the frozen house.

Him and his family lying on a small bed.

And now that he was awake like this…

“F-father… how is he? And the villagers?”

“Father? Villagers? And not ‘Dad’? Why are you speaking so formally? It doesn’t suit your age.”

“…Ha…ha.”

Leo instinctively looked at Luirin.

She was openly taking credit, as if she had anticipated everything, though that couldn’t possibly be true.

“Uncle, while you were asleep, a lot happened.”

More importantly, did you know?

“I became a hero.”

Jevan immediately objected.

“There’s a limit to lying. A mountain village kid becoming a hero? Like a rabbit eating a dragon?”

“Well, you see…”

It’s true.

Though he was smiling, he felt awkward, somehow sad yet happy.

In any case.

It was truly difficult to put into words.

But it felt good.