Ch.158Chapter 158: Homecoming (1)

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Though it was an impulsive idea to stroke her head, the effect was quite worthwhile.

Shizu, who showed a languid expression and made no effort to hide her sleepiness, accepted my touch without resistance before gradually closing her eyes.

*Breathe in… breathe out…*

She fell asleep with steady breathing.

On her sleeping face, the fatigue that had lingered earlier was replaced by…

“…th…anks…”

A sleep-talking word of gratitude and a peaceful expression.

I didn’t think that simply stroking her head would completely relieve the fatigue she’d accumulated over time.

But seeing the genuine happiness in her peaceful expression…

A sense of joy filled a corner of my heart, knowing that my efforts to keep moving despite my tired body had been worthwhile.

Now, staying here any longer would only disturb her sleep, so I should withdraw.

“Sleep well…”

As I stopped stroking the crown of her head and bid farewell, my voice carried a warmth that surprised even me.

Savoring the warmth that rose from my voice,

I slowly got up and carefully closed the door, afraid I might wake her, concluding our brief but meaningful time together.

Now there was only one place to go—my lodging where I would sleep.

Thanks to my accumulated fatigue, each step felt heavy.

Yet with each heavy step, I felt that sleep would come easily tonight.

After arriving at my lodging,

I carefully hung my flame-resistant coat on the rack near the entrance, washed up briefly, and immediately surrendered my body to the bed.

Feeling the softness of the bed, which offered comfort no less than a chair,

I raised my right hand to eye level, recalling the sensation of stroking her crown just earlier.

“I’m… getting… sleepy.”

A yawn and voice escaped my lips, revealing the fatigue that was about to dominate my physical being.

I lowered my right hand and closed my eyelids.

Sometimes when fatigue builds to an extreme, I find myself unable to fall asleep despite trying.

But as I recalled Shizu’s face, smiling at me with gratitude just before falling asleep,

My gently closed eyes remained shut.

Thanks to that, I was able to enjoy a deep sleep after quite some time.

It was my last night in Night Haven.

I would have to return someday, but not now.

The final thought before falling asleep was a vague plan contemplating an uncertain future.

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After such a long day, the next morning arrived.

Having prepared to leave the fortress, Shizu, Excel, and I left behind the memories of our month-long stay at Night Haven.

“Everyone’s here? Then let’s depart.”

Under my sister’s leadership, just like during the subjugation festival,

We boarded a large carriage that could easily accommodate eight people with room to spare.

Thus began our approximately three-hour journey to North Castler Town, the northern terminus of the transcontinental train.

In the beginning, just after leaving the fortress, the rough texture characteristic of the northern wasteland faintly penetrated the carriage cabin.

But as time passed and we entered a well-paved road suitable for carriages,

The four-wheeled carriage, pulled by four Ice Bringer horses with stamina unaffected by the northern cold, demonstrated its inherent comfort under the guidance of a skilled coachman.

I dare say, the ride was comparable to my family’s carriage that I used while staying in Lanos territory.

This despite the carriage maintaining a fairly fast pace to meet the tight train departure schedule.

Most likely, the latest suspension system installed in this carriage—made with materials achieving both high elasticity and lightweight design—effectively controlled unpleasant vibrations and noise, preventing them from reaching us passengers inside.

It was a moment when I realized we were riding in a carriage too luxurious for what was merely a three-hour journey.

In any case, given such an excellent carriage, the approximately three-hour trip to the train station in North Castler Town should have been comfortable and filled with warm feelings.

“Unnecessarily nice carriage… Something this good should be used for soldiers going on leave…”

My sister, noticing that such a fine carriage had been prepared out of consideration for her, scratched the back of her head with her right hand and expressed her dissatisfaction with this fact.

She knew well that there were many soldiers and knights who had taken leave to return home after the subjugation festival when schedules became more flexible.

She seemed displeased that this excessively large and luxurious carriage had been mobilized to carry just four people.

Presumably, she was bothered by the fact that a carriage meant to transport eight soldiers—its full capacity—back to their hometowns was instead being used to carry fewer of them.

“They could have provided a four-seater to match our number, or at least a six-seater considering our luggage… This excessive protocol is really…”

Normally in such a situation, one would be too excited about heading home to worry about such trivial matters.

But as the highest authority of the fortress, my sister seemed to regret the waste of such a precious carriage.

“Sigh… I’ll have to create new regulations when I get back.”

Rather than simply getting angry, she was trying to prevent such situations from recurring, which confirmed she was indeed the sister I knew.

“…Why are you smiling?”

“Because I see you thinking about work even now.”

I revealed the smile forming at the corners of my mouth while offering this brief excuse.

Since we were in the privacy of the carriage,

My sister, who would normally have stood up and given me a light knock on the head for such behavior…

“…As the highest authority of the fortress, I naturally need to pay attention to these things.”

Instead, she merely chided me with a grumbling voice without rising from her seat.

She had no choice.

If she stood up now, she would have to wake someone who was sleeping with their face leaning against her body.

“…This kid, I think he deliberately rested his face on my shoulder.”

It was Excel.

Having eagerly taken a seat beside my sister as soon as we boarded the carriage, Excel had continuously engaged her in excited conversation.

But about 10 minutes ago, apparently tired of repeatedly talking to my sister, he had fallen asleep with his face resting on her shoulder.

Certainly, when we first boarded the carriage, his eyes were sparkling as he initiated various conversations, dominating the atmosphere inside.

Perhaps the desolation of the northern wasteland along the carriage route had drained his energy.

As his speech gradually diminished, his head came to rest on my sister’s shoulder.

And so, my sister’s shoulder and Excel’s head entered into an uncomfortable cohabitation.

Ah, should I use the word “uncomfortable”?

At first, my sister, thinking he might be playing a prank, showed every sign of wanting to remove Excel’s face from her shoulder with a serious expression.

But when she saw the peaceful expression on his face as he rested against her shoulder, not moving despite her attempts to shake him off…

“Sigh…”

With such a quiet sigh, my sister reluctantly lent her shoulder, careful not to disturb his sleep, so perhaps the word “uncomfortable” can be omitted.

Though she was clearly displeased at first,

As the expression on Excel’s face, resting on her shoulder, gradually became more peaceful…

“He’s not a child anymore…”

There was a sense of comfort in my sister’s expression as she lowered her gaze to look at him.

I know I’m not in a position to say this, but…

“Your words and expression don’t match at all, you know?”

I couldn’t help but make such a teasing remark.

It was at that moment that my sister, who had briefly lowered her gaze, raised her head and met my eyes.

I thought she might get angry at my mischievous comment, but…

“Pfft!”

Instead, my sister responded with something close to a snicker.

Though her reaction was different from what I expected…

“You’re one to talk, little brother.”

As she composed her expression in an instant and delivered these words while slightly raising her finger, I checked what her finger was pointing at.

“…Indeed.”

I scratched the back of my head with my left hand, finding my earlier perplexity amusing.

“Mmm…”

In the direction my sister pointed was Shizu, who had fallen asleep pressed closely against my side while making soft murmurs.

Despite having fallen asleep quite early yesterday, fatigue must have built up again from the forced march that began early this morning.

She too had fallen asleep with her body pressed against my side and her head resting on my shoulder.

I didn’t think she would wake up if I moved slightly.

But considering how hard she must have worked, I didn’t want to disturb her sleep even a little.

“Can’t move, can you?”

“…I think she’ll wake up if I move.”

I said this while quietly looking at her sleeping form.

“See what I mean?”

A faint smile appeared again on my sister’s face as she barely managed to compose her expression while looking at me.

“The siblings have both ended up serving as pillows for those around them.”

She said this in a calm voice that still carried a hint of amusement.

It was true.

Around my sister’s eyes, faint dark circles were prominent from focusing on work until just before leaving on vacation.

Though to a different degree, the same was true for me.

Despite feeling fatigue, neither my sister nor I had fallen asleep, instead taking responsibility for the comfort of the precious people sitting beside us.

Is this something siblings have in common?

People rarely commented on how much we resembled each other, from our hair color onward.

But in this one thing, we were truly alike.

Realizing this, I couldn’t stop a pleasant curve from forming at the corners of my mouth.

“We still have time before reaching our destination, so make yourself comfortable.”

My sister said this while slightly lowering her body to allow Excel, who was leaning on her shoulder, to sleep comfortably.

Watching her, I too slightly lowered my body to make Shizu comfortable as she slept.

There was still time before we would reach our destination, North Castler Town, south of Night Haven.

And considering the three or four days it would take to board the transcontinental train and reach Lanos territory after arriving there,

The journey had only just begun.

Yet I found myself thinking that this journey would be enjoyable.