episode_0102

After the space that Cheryl had created was destroyed, what caught my eye was a cold wall made of stone, a wide open door, and faces that felt familiar yet a little unfamiliar.

“… Huh?”

In the space that had returned to its original state, L had a puzzled expression on his face.

And in that state, I looked around here and there.

“Miss, why are you doing this?”

Dorothy asked straight to her.

As if there was something wrong.

To that question.

“… No, it’s nothing.”

El slowly shook her head.

The suspicious expression remained slightly, but it was never strong.

“… … .”

I knew this from Cheryl beforehand.

Dorothy and Charlie, who were not dragged into the space, were not even aware that something had happened, and Elle would have no memories of being in that space.

In the case of Dorothy and Charlie, it was natural since they were not called to that space, but in the case of Elle, they said they would take such action on purpose.

Considering L’s curiosity, he added that even if she left behind internal memories, there was a high probability that things would not go in a good direction for her.

Because I thought it was what she said, I wasn’t dissatisfied with her opinion.

However, it was true that I felt sorry for L, who unilaterally lent her body and went through the trouble of coming all the way here.

Sheryl also seemed to have expected that, and said that she had prepared some kind of compensation… It was not specifically stated what the reward was.

“Huh? That… … .”

At that time, Charlie opened his eyes wide and pointed somewhere.

In the direction his finger was pointing, there was a wide open door and a room beyond it.

And in that room, there were treasures that looked expensive even at a glance.

Treasures made of jewels and gold that have not faded even after a long period of time.

““… … .””

Watching the group look at the scene at a loss for words, I nodded inwardly.

Wouldn’t this be enough compensation?

In addition, Cheryl said that there was a separate compensation prepared for L herself, so you probably don’t have to worry.

Anyway, just like that, my six-year training and El’s request came to an end.

***

There was nothing wrong except for El’s slightly subtle reaction, and even that subtle detail was obscured by the treasures found in the room.

So the group was happy, took the treasure, and set out on a journey to return to Darbil.

Although the amount of treasure was quite large, it could all fit into a bag with enough empty space, and although it was quite heavy, the people in the group, except El, did not find such weight a problem, so transporting the treasure was not a big problem. There wasn’t.

Since the reward for the arduous journey was gold and silver, there was no way that the group’s steps back to Darbil would not be light.

Of course, based on common sense, all the gold and silver treasures the party found should have belonged to El, but El decided to share some of it with the party.

Not only Dorothy, but also Charlie and me.

It wasn’t necessary, but L made that decision anyway.

He added that it would have been impossible to achieve this without everyone’s strength.

Dorothy responded calmly, but from then on, Charlie became very talkative and began to lead the way back.

It was a natural reaction.

Even though Darville’s mercenaries basically receive a high commission fee, and Charlie is one of the mercenaries with a significantly higher commission fee, the gold and silver treasures that will be distributed to Charlie this time are at a level that he cannot earn even if he works for several years. Because it was the amount.

Perhaps, through this request, Charlie might be able to earn enough money to retire right away.

Maybe that’s why, since then, Charlie always seemed to be in a good mood, and he even showed a friendly side to me, who was always giggling.

So much so that it feels like he will even stand by for me.

Although I was surprised that a person could change to this extent with just money, I was a little wary of Charlie’s movements.

It is true that the amount he receives is considerable, but humans are inherently insatiable creatures.

Moreover, looking at his reputation around Darbil and the way he had shown himself so far, I thought there was a good chance that he had vain desires and was planning something bad.

However, despite those concerns, Charlie showed no such appearance at all.

It was obvious from the outside, but even though I was watching him with my senses the whole time, there was no sign of him scheming anything.

Although this felt unexpected, I felt fortunate at the same time.

Whether or not he is a person you like, if you look at it in isolation, he showed an appropriate attitude as a mercenary leading the group, and in any case, he was a colleague who shared the hardships together.

Everything ended smoothly, but I didn’t want to waste my time.

And in the case of another party member, Dorothy.

What should I say… It seemed different from usual.

Even though he received money that would make an average person’s eyes widen, he didn’t look overjoyed and seemed calm.

All she cared about was always El.

It could be said that he was truly a loyal guard and the correct attitude of a military officer.

At first glance, from what I heard from L, it seemed like he wasn’t usually this calm.

If you think about those words, it would mean that she, too, is feeling a certain amount of tension while thinking about El’s safety in a place called the forest.

If you think about it, she was also quite an unusual person.

It is clear that Elle is the child of a noble family, but Dorothy’s skills are clearly not good enough to be a bodyguard for a noble lady.

If you have that level of skill at that age, if time goes by like this, you will most likely be able to reach a level of martial arts that represents that country, or a level close to it.

It wasn’t strange that she would move on to a bigger stage right away, and her future would shine more brightly if she chose that path.

However, it seemed as if Dorothy was not interested in such things at all and was satisfied with her position.

This would mean that she truly cared for Elle, but I was a little concerned about how Dorothy ended up being Elle’s bodyguard.

Well, of course, I had no intention of asking her or El directly.

And the last member of the group, El, was not much different from before.

I was relieved by that fact.

Although it was said that it had no effect on her body, her consciousness remained dormant for a period of half a year.

Cheryl boasted that there would be no problems or problems with him, but it was a period where she couldn’t help but worry that something might go wrong.

However, as he showed himself to be fine, my worries soon subsided, and our group made our way back to Darbil without any problems.

The road itself was quite peaceful.

There were almost no encounters with monsters, and no other accidents occurred.

I just calmly went back the way I came, with fairly light steps.

It happened one day.

On a night like any other, while I was on watch, an unexpected guest walked out of the tent.

“… Miss.”

It was El.

“Can I sit down for a moment?”

“… Of course.”

When L asked with a smiling face, I could only nod silently.

So, L and I sat side by side and kept watch.

There were no words exchanged between the two.

There is only the occasional sound of grass blades rustling in the wind.

How long was it like that?

“Mr. Andel, do you know what happened that day?”

Suddenly, L asked that question.

Although I was a little embarrassed by this, I didn’t show it outwardly.

“If you say that day… ?”

“That day. The day we arrived at our destination. The moment I opened the door.”

“Hmm… I’m not sure what you’re talking about. Was there anything else besides opening the door and finding the treasure inside?”

I pretended to be Taeyeon.

Like a person saying something obvious.

Without a single bit of awkwardness.

Then El looked at me intently,

“… Yes. That was it.”

Saying that, he nodded slightly.

“Obviously that was it… Somehow, I feel like something happened at that moment. however… I can’t remember what it was.”

“… … .”

I quietly listened to El.

I’m afraid that if I bring up the topic for no reason, it will seem awkward.

However, inside, I quietly shook my head.

Listening to the conversation, it seems true that the memory itself was erased cleanly, but L seemed to feel a slight awkwardness about it.

“And for some reason, I felt like Mr. Andel knew about it. So, I asked.”

“… okay. but… I don’t know anything. All I saw that day was what I told you about earlier.”

“… Right?”

L laughed.

However, the smile was not as bright as usual.

And silence fell between us again.

Neither L nor I said anything.

I just looked up at the starry night sky.

Then, after enough time had passed for the starlight to be engraved in my eyes.

“I actually wanted to be a wizard.”

L started to bring up things that weren’t asked.

“Our family is actually a fairly famous wizard family. My parents, older brother, and older sisters all learned magic from birth, and they stood out and became outstanding wizards. Since I was born into such a family, it was natural for me to follow the path of magic. but… There was a crucial difference between my family and I. I had no talent for magic. And that’s to a terrible extent.”

So calmly, she told a story about her past.

“No matter how hard I tried, it was difficult to learn magic properly, let alone improve my skills. Even though I concentrated on reducing my sleeping time, all I could do was learn basic magic. In the end, I gave up on magic.”

It may not be something you want to say out loud to others, but her voice was calm throughout.

“At that point, my family stopped expecting anything from me. That doesn’t mean they looked at me with disdain, but rather they treated me warmly… Magic was no longer even mentioned.”

Could it be that the reason she can tell this story so calmly is because this is a story that has already ended within her?

“But around that time, I developed a strange ability. What should I say… Should I say intuition? When I have a good intuition, something good always happens, and when I have an ominous intuition, an accident always happens. At first I thought it was a coincidence… It wasn’t long before I realized it wasn’t just a coincidence.”

She said that at first, people around her only thought it was strange, but at some point, they came to regard her intuition as special.

“At the same time, I had a dream. A dream that shows what will happen in the future, like a precognitive dream.”

As intuition developed, she sometimes began to have precognitive dreams.

Most of them showed events in the near future that could be viewed once or twice, but there was one exception.

That is, a dream of going to the forest.

“I couldn’t help but become interested because I had that dream not just once or twice, but almost every day.”

While she was having repeated dreams, she became interested in the dreams themselves.

“I learned this after having the same dream dozens or hundreds of times. That the forest exists next to Darbil. Intrigued, I started researching the forest and Darbil, and like branching branches, I began to study everything related to it. Research on the history of the forest and Darbil, and the old empire that existed there… That’s how I fell in love with archeology.”

That’s how she ended up focusing on archeology instead of magic.

“And at some point, I started thinking about it. I need to go there. I definitely have to go there at least once. Of course, my parents opposed it, saying it was dangerous, but I didn’t give up. In the end, I was able to get permission under the condition that I never leave Dorothy by my side, and I came here. and… This is how I achieved my long-time goal.”

“… How do you feel when you achieve your goal?”

I couldn’t help but ask inadvertently when I saw the look in her eyes.

“Well. I do not know. I feel relieved, but it’s not that I’m not happy… I feel like I’m missing something. Maybe it’s because I feel like I’ve forgotten something.”

“I forgot… … .”

“Yes. I am sure. At that time, something definitely happened.”

“… What is the reason?”

“Because of this.”

Grumbling─

As soon as she finished speaking, a clear flame bloomed on her hand.

I recognized it. That it is a flame made of magic.

“It’s a magic that I haven’t been able to use properly until now. however… From that day on, I was able to use it so simply. I feel like I can use not only this, but other magic that I couldn’t even think of after only knowing the theory.”

“… … .”

A magical talent that suddenly appeared.

I noticed.

This is one of the rewards Cheryl gave Elle.

Cheryl gave her a chance.

The possibility of magic.

“… That’s an amazing thing.”

“Sure. I have no idea what is going on.”

A clear question shone like starlight in her eyes.

However, her expression never looked bad.

“But, I’m going to stop thinking about things in a complicated way. I don’t even know what happened… I decided to just think of it as a gift someone gave me.”

“… I see.”

I thought that was fortunate.

Probably because even if she were to question it right now, there would be no way to resolve it.

I don’t know if it’s after a long time has passed.

“What are you planning to do now, young lady? Didn’t you achieve your goal?”

“Hmm… well. Because I’m not the type to act with a set purpose in mind… … .”

To my question, L couldn’t come up with an answer right away and looked worried.

However, that time was not that long.

Soon, she seemed to remember something, and her usual bright smile appeared on her face.

“Well, with this happening, I guess I can become an explorer who explores the ruins of the entire continent.”

“… Well, that was a wonderful dream.”

That’s not an empty remark, I truly thought so.

“Right?”

L smiled, and I smiled back at her.

And so, with the back-and-forth conversation, the vigil came to an end, and the group set off on their way back to Darbil.

After that, the journey proceeded uneventfully, and the group quickly approached Darbil.

However, when we reached the vicinity of Darbil, we realized that the surroundings were in disarray.

The chaos grew worse as they got closer to Darbil, and when they finally arrived there, the group became convinced that something had definitely happened.

More people than usual were showing up in Darville, and a completely different atmosphere than usual was filling Darville.

To resolve his doubts, Charlie immediately stopped the mercenary on the street and asked him what had happened.

The mercenary glanced at the group with an annoyed look, and then spoke.

“They say a warrior’s tomb was discovered in the forest.”

Shocking news.