Chapter 66 – While Away (8)

“The Iron Dogs are the pinnacle of ‘magitech’ restored by Goliath’s counter-espionage unit based on feed formulas found in the Uzette Great Library,” Darling explained, struggling with a large silver rod as she carried it out of the carriage. “As you’d expect from the Empire’s technology, these versatile artifacts are used in everything from hunting, tracking, and assassination to fort defense, but they require meticulous upkeep.”

Creating a lump of 99.9% pure iron was no simple task, involving a painstaking smelting process with magical purification to remove impurities. The rare material was something only the largest forge in Farencia could produce.

“The biggest issue is that if you don’t feed them regularly, their loyalty wanes. If you neglect them and give them a pure iron treat like this, they’ll switch allegiance in no time. Even Goliath had trouble managing them.”

“Wait, hold on!” Erzebert interrupted, staring incredulously at the two Iron Dogs wagging their tails at Darling.

“Are you saying those hounds belong to the Twelve Alliances? Why on earth are they guarding the store?”

“How should I know how they ended up here? I just kept an eye on them when new ‘residents’ moved into the store,” Darling shrugged as if it was no big deal.

Having navigated through the Iron Dogs’ defenses, Darling arrived at the shop’s entrance. The door was tightly shut, but she easily located the back entrance.

“According to the kingdom’s building code, every establishment must have at least one fire escape. Even if that weren’t the case, knowing Louis, he would’ve left a back door open somewhere.”

“But… the door is still locked,” Erzebert pointed out.

“Are you talking about this?” Darling grinned, pushing aside a large potted plant beside the back door, revealing a hidden key. It was clear she knew Louis’s old-fashioned habits like the back of her hand.

Just before unlocking the door, Darling turned to Erzebert.

“You should go now.”

“What? Why?”

“He’s extremely sensitive to presences. He probably already knows we’re here. Don’t stir up any more trouble. I’ll handle this.”

“But… won’t it be dangerous?”

Erzebert was well aware of Louis’s fiery temper, but Darling, with her usual playful smile, shook her head.

“Louis has always been too much of a coward to lay a hand on me, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Still…”

“Do you think standing here will help? Now go, and take that stubborn bird with you!”

Half-pushing Erzebert out of the store’s premises, Darling then retrieved a large bundle from her carriage.

Inside it was everything she thought might improve Louis’s mood—everything she could offer.

Creak.

She entered the first floor of the store and headed straight for the stairs that led to Louis on the second floor.

“Store Owner, I’m coming in.”

Using the spare key she had made, Darling unlocked the door. Her crimson hair, bathed in the fading evening sunlight, spilled into the room.

***

Nova once told me that most human desires stem from the same root.

In my case, after years of living through the madness of war, the dividing walls between those desires had long since developed deep cracks.

The same went for emotions.

Everyone gets angry at some point. But being able to extinguish the flames of that anger in every situation isn’t always possible.

There must have been a reason. I knew that Adela and Liv hadn’t argued just about dinner.

But no matter the reason, the store was something precious to me. It made sense to be upset when something so dear was broken.

Even though I could rationalize it and repeat it to myself, a deep sadness clung to my chest, pinning me to the sofa.

If I lost control of myself, something disastrous might happen.

For now, suppressing my anger until I could laugh it off, pretending it wasn’t a big deal, seemed to be the best I could do.

We’re almost there, Eris. It’s almost over. Don’t worry. Terra, Nova, and Wiblet will join us soon.

Even if we fail… the Demon Realm won’t recover for at least a century.

In the silence of solitude, my mind was a shovel, endlessly digging up buried memories.

Since the adventure ended, my mind had become a barren wasteland where nothing could grow. And for someone like me, who grew up cutting down demons instead of playing with smartphones or computers, there wasn’t much I could do in moments like this.

I could only play with the dirt, turning over memories like dead worms wriggling up from the soil. Occasionally, instead of finding a harmless little worm, I’d uncover a rotting, blackened memory that stank.

Is it hard? Hmm… I don’t really know. I’ve never been good at that sort of thing. I can’t even remember my original name anymore.

Huh? Hey, don’t cry all of a sudden! Why? Oh, right. Let’s talk after we kill the one behind that door. You said you wanted to go on a journey, didn’t you?

I raised my head to see the clock on the wall. Huh, that didn’t fall down?

That’s good, I guess. Or maybe it doesn’t matter. After all, it’s not much use as a clock since it can’t even tell the time.

You said the people from the Holy Kingdom were always chasing you, right? Don’t worry. I’ll make sure no one ever finds you again. You can go wherever you want on the continent.

So, what about me? Am I still fulfilling my purpose?

I’ll swear it, as my vow, my conviction.

Perhaps I’ve become like that clock—something that’s no longer needed.

It was like wandering through a dream, carried by the waves of memories when I heard the sound of footsteps. My blurry vision returned, and the golden light of the sunset flooded into the room.

“Oh, you’re awake. Pardon the intrusion. I’ve temporarily patched up the hole. It would’ve been easier with magic, but you’ve always preferred doing things by hand.”

Darling entered, breathless from the stairs, and pushed the scattered junk into a corner of the room.

She began pulling out familiar items from the bundle she brought, placing them near the couch where I sat.

“Hmm? You’re wondering where I got all these? Don’t bother asking. But, store owner, you’ve always had a bad memory. When things start disappearing from your house, wouldn’t you normally change the locks?”

Her words didn’t quite make sense. Was that the jacket I bought at the market? The things Adela and Liv had broken were replaced with similar items. Magic really is something.

“To you, these things might be precious, but everything finds its way back to its place eventually. Now, scoot over a bit.”

Darling shoved me aside and sat down next to me, resting one arm above her head, continuing to make strange requests of my tired self.

“Well, go on. Keep telling me the story you started when we were younger. I’m not sure what sort of play you saw in some far-off province, but even with your poor storytelling skills, it was quite interesting.”

When I was younger? Oh yeah, I used to love movies. I’d connect the DVD player to the TV and watch films with my parents until I fell asleep.

Though now that I think about it, those movies were a bit violent for a kid. Maybe I didn’t like them as much as I remember, but they’re definitely the most memorable pieces of Earth I’ve held onto.

“Tsk, tsk. To think humans believed they could reach the stars. They must’ve been out of their minds. But, even with that loose screw of yours, I find it rather endearing. Just live the way you are. It’s not like you’ll change anytime soon.”

As we talked, my mind slowly cleared, and Darling’s hair, glowing in the sunset, filled the air with a warm, comforting scent.

Sensing that my grip on her had tightened, she glanced up at me.

Her eyes were pretty, like amber holding the remains of an ancient mosquito from the age of the dinosaurs.

“Your way of describing things is always nauseating. Sometimes it’s amusing, but can’t you just say ‘pretty’ like a normal person?”

“Baroness?”

“Seems like you’ve come back to your senses, store owner.”

“Why are you here—no, how did you get in?”

“Does it matter right now? Look at the state you’re in.”

Me? I guess other than being a bit unwashed, I felt fine. As I stretched and tried to get up, Darling suddenly climbed onto my lap and pulled something out of her pouch.

“You’re not fully recovered yet, so stay still.”

“And what are you going to do with those scissors?”

“I’m going to cut your mop of a head. Didn’t you tell me once that you used to feel really good when the barber cut your hair?”

“Well, yes, but… hmm…”

She wasn’t wrong, but how did Darling know that?

And barbers don’t give haircuts like this, with their chests pressed up against you. Her body may be small, but her chest is… well, quite the opposite.

But I suppose it was working, somehow.

With each snip of the scissors, the flames of my anger faded, dissolving like bits of hardened sugar melting in my mouth.

Her scent filled my lungs, easing my tired body into sleep. As my thoughts drifted, her voice washed over me like a lullaby.

I guess… I hadn’t been sleeping until now.

“Store Owner, you probably think you’ve changed a lot. But, watching you, I think the same thing.”

Snip, snip.

“Do you remember what a wreck you were when you first came to Farencia? I thought you’d buried a corpse somewhere. I was so nervous that first night I couldn’t sleep.”

Snip, snip.

“You still burn out from time to time, but you’ve improved a lot. It’s a relief to me, personally. Maybe it’s a guess, but… the young mages at the academy might’ve had a good influence on you.”

Snip.

“Still, I haven’t given up on you, so be careful. If you ever come to Ruhillen Estate, you’d be able to rest much more comfortably than here. Anyway, now that I’ve won over your cute dogs, I’ll consider this visit a success.”

Kiss.

“Now, get some rest. You’ll be busy once you wake up.”