“Garid.”
If I were to define the end of childhood as the moment I leave my parents’ embrace and become independent, then I would say I haven’t yet escaped my childhood.
I might never escape it.
Because Garid is everything to me.
Letting out a sigh, I looked down at the Crimson Aegis with a troubled expression.
“…Honestly, I still don’t feel ready.”
Ready to leave Garid, ready to face the world.
“I won’t say something like, ‘Garid wouldn’t have wanted me to live like this.’”
Maybe Garid really wouldn’t want it, but I don’t want to use his wishes as an excuse for my actions.
So, the decision to briefly leave Garid’s side is entirely my own.
“…I have things I want to know.”
He probably won’t come all the way here in his esteemed form, so there’s nothing I can do.
A thirsty person needs to dig a well.
Thanks to the barrier set by the Snake Brat, I don’t have to worry about thieves, which is a relief.
It’s a pact made with one’s life, and I doubt they would tamper with the barrier, so I can rest easy for a while.
“So….”
After hesitating for a moment, I finally parted my lips and spoke.
“I’ll be back, Dad.”
I will definitely return.
*
“…I’m late.”
I should have set a meeting time.
I came down from the mountain according to Joanie’s usual arrival time, but even after stretching my senses, there was still no sign of her.
Buzz buzz.
While waiting for her, strange figures clustered around me.
Looking closely, they seem to be Apostles, given their blurred faces….
Though I don’t feel any hostility, leaving them be doesn’t sit well with me, either.
Hmm….
Tap, tap.
I tapped my sword at my waist.
…If they’re Apostles, wouldn’t it be okay to take one down?
“Kana!”
Just as I was seriously contemplating that thought, a familiar voice reached my ears.
“Just a second! I’m coming through! Whoa?!”
It seemed Joanie was struggling to push through the thick crowd and was suddenly flung out.
What can I say? A very Joanie-like entrance.
“You’re late.”
“Sorry, sorry! U-uh… I had a lot to prepare!”
“Prepare what?”
“Um, things to prepare!”
I hadn’t even asked, but Joanie puffed up her chest confidently.
“Just trust me. I’ll make it as comfy as home!”
“Hmm….”
…Why does that feel so untrustworthy?
“So, where are we going?”
See? Asking me to be taken somewhere without even mentioning the destination isn’t normal.
How can I trust someone like that?
“To the Sedeth Kingdom.”
Grasis was a kingdom located in the western part of the Ardina Continent…. on the other hand, the Sedeth Kingdom is at the southeastern end of the continent, so it’s going to be quite a journey.
If we run at full speed, it wouldn’t take long, but with a companion, that won’t be possible, I suppose.
“If we use the Teleport Gate… Ah.”
As Joanie muttered to herself and seemed to realize something, she looked at me anxiously.
The Teleport Gate is a service operated by the Tower of Magic, and that tower is in the Empire.
The headquarters is located in the Empire, but it isn’t part of the Empire; however, it receives enormous funding from the Empire every time, meaning they have to keep an eye on it.
Moreover, it’s unlikely we can reach the Sedeth Kingdom with one or two uses of the Gate, so fundamentally, we’d have to utilize gates within the Empire as well, and that feels a bit wrong.
It’s a different story if the Empire isn’t coming to catch me and I willingly crawl into its territory.
Plus, there’s another issue.
“Do you have a lot of money?”
“Ah.”
How much money is required to cross the continent via Teleport?
People don’t choose to ride in carts or horses over the convenient and fast Teleport Gate without reason.
When I was surprised the other day that knights had barged in, it was for this reason.
Even during the war, unless the situation was dire, we didn’t use them, so you can imagine how I felt having crossed over that way.
Considering that, the Snake Brat’s term ‘lively fools’ might be a bit inaccurate.
It should be ‘those with lots of money and who are lively.’
“Then, should we walk?”
“We need to find a cart.”
I don’t want to walk that long distance either.
Spending several days rattling around in a cart isn’t easy, but it’s better than walking for days on end.
At least that’s what I think for this fragile companion.
“If there’s a merchant heading to Sedeth, we can join for protection, or if not, we’ll have to find a separate carriage.”
Since both options have their pros and cons, I can’t say which is better.
I’m uncertain whether there’s even a merchant heading to Sedeth from here.
“Let’s go for now.”
“Uh, where to?”
“To the village.”
Since we can’t find either merchants or carts here.
To do that, we have to get past those Apostles, though….
Alright, I understand.
Whoosh.
“Wait a second!”
Whoosh!
As I half-drew my sword, Joanie hurriedly dashed forward.
“I’ll handle this…!”
After all, even if she dies, she can come back, so why worry?
*
Garid’s hometown is a small village at the foot of a rugged mountain.
According to him, he wandered around that treacherous mountain, which even adults struggled with, as if it were his own backyard since childhood, but who knows if that’s true.
Whether Garid’s words are true or not isn’t important, so skipping it is best; besides, there’s no way a small village like this would have merchants or carts, so our steps naturally headed towards a bigger city.
The nearest big city from here would be Ordo.
When I asked Joanie if she knew about Ordo, she confidently nodded.
“Ordo? I know!”
Then she started to explain, and while I couldn’t catch all of it, I gathered that Ordo is still standing.
After all, it wouldn’t be easy for such a large city to fall at a single blow.
It makes me admire how Grasis managed to achieve that incredible feat.
In any case, it seems after the fall of Grasis, Ordo chose the path of independence as a free city, perhaps due to its able economic and military strength.
Ordo, Ordo…
Maybe I’ll see a familiar face there.
“Oh! Kana, catch this.”
“…A cape?”
“I mended it. What do you think? Isn’t it nice?”
Honestly, even as Joanie handed me the tattered cape, I had few expectations about her promise to fix it.
If it works, great; if not, oh well.
It had been worn for quite some time, so I had some attachment, but there were no significant memories tied to it, so even if I bought a new one, I would feel a bit regretful but wouldn’t be too upset.
What’s truly important lies elsewhere.
“….”
I fiddled with the choker around my neck.
“…Yeah, it’s nice.”
The torn hood was perfectly stitched back, and the frayed parts were also neatly repaired.
If you look closely, you can see the stitching marks, but at first glance, it can be mistaken as not having been repaired at all.
Who would have thought Joanie possessed such skills?
“A worm can roll, huh?”
If she opened a tailoring shop instead of wielding a sword and becoming a mercenary, she might have succeeded.
“Hmm? What did you say, Kana?”
“Nothing.”
Just as I was about to wear the cape and pull up the hood with a familiar touch…
“Kana, wait a second.”
“…?”
“Can you not wear the hood?”
Her sudden request made me tilt my head.
It’s not like I can’t, but…
“Why not?”
“It hides your cute face.”
“…What are you talking about?”
What a ridiculous line that sounds like it came from a cartoon.
If it were in my previous life, I might have felt a flutter, but after encountering various hardships, I don’t feel a thing.
I scoffed and turned my head away.
The hood? I’m not wearing it.
*
“…Cute.”
Joanie muttered softly.
Though Kana tried hard to remain calm, the girl’s ears, visible between her sweet pink hair, flushed red, and a slight blush appeared on her fair cheeks.
With a warm smile, Joanie watched Kana, who was turning her head away.
The viewers watching through the broadcast seemed to empathize with Joanie’s feelings, for the chat was in a frenzy.
-Cute, haha!
-I want to pet her…
-Why just you? Why just you? Why just you?
-I also want to talk to Kana, boohoo…
“Whoa, Kana is mine.”
-When did the shuttle have a say????
-Kana isn’t the host; the host is Kana’s, isn’t she?
-Hey, can opener.
-Jo! Orders are piling up, so hurry and come deliver!
“….”
Joanie’s eyes widened as she noticed a pack of hyenas eager to tease.
Truly, they seem more eager to prod than anything else.
With a puff, Joanie exhaled, changing her expression to one of triumph.
“Yeah~ No matter what you do, I’m the one dating Kana. Jealous? Hurt? Regretting it? What else can you do besides watching us?”
-Just you wait, grrr.
-Message deleted.
-Message deleted.
-Should I kill, Master?
“Whoa, no bad words allowed.”
Let’s keep it within boundaries.
Joanie subtly dealt with those trying to cross the line.
-Just you wait, I’m coming to kill you.
-Checking the path to Ordo.
-I’ve honed my sword for this day…
“Trying to jump me? With Kana by my side? Do you think you can win against our Kana? Come at me if you dare~”
-Whoa, haha, I wanna do a face slap.
-Using a kid as a shield, aren’t you ashamed??
-You’re an ugly young man.
“Hey, it doesn’t really bother me.”
Those who have experienced teasing from viewers have a knack for knowing how to annoy them.
Joanie chuckled at the flurry of anger directed at her, knowing just how to push their buttons.
Though a twinge of guilt hit her, thinking about using a kid as a shield…
‘Haven’t I done it once, so why not twice?’
Having been protected by Kana when the knights from the Lo Arka Empire came charging in, Joanie breezily let it slide.
Whether it was right or wrong to pride herself in that was of no concern in her mind.
As she teased the blushing Kana and ridiculed the viewers, a well-maintained road soon appeared before them.
“Follow this road straight to Ordo. …Though I suppose you already know that!”
Joanie began explaining to the viewers as usual but suddenly remembered that Kana was from Grasis, ending her explanation awkwardly.
How embarrassing is it to act like an authority when all along she was talking in front of a person from that very place?
Kana, however, acted unfazed, while Joanie’s face turned red in embarrassment.
Fanning herself, Joanie tried to act nonchalant as she opened her mouth.
“When we arrive, we’ll eat something delicious…”
Clunk.
“…Found it.”
But she couldn’t finish her sentence.
Before them, a mysterious figure appeared, pointing a sword at them.
“Cough!”
Joanie, thinking it was a knight pursuing Kana, looked up and startled, letting out a cough at the sword aimed at her.
It wasn’t a knight but a player…!
Realizing the figure’s identity, Joanie asked nervously in a trembling voice.
“W-who are you…?”
“I came because you wanted to see me!”
“Cough!”
Joanie, who had never imagined anyone would truly come, stepped back, one step at a time, in shock.
-Haha, this is hilarious!
-Love this sight!
-Haha, this is too great!
-I will not forget hero Nimu, sob sob!
The chat was already in a festive atmosphere.
Everyone wished for her demise.
Rolling her eyes as she gauged the situation, Joanie suddenly chuckled.
“Hmm, but I have Kana with me!”
Normally, she would’ve tried to negotiate or look for an escape, but now she had a strong protector, didn’t she?
Joanie turned her body and called out to Kana.
Kana?
“Yeah?”
“Look! We’re being blocked!”
We have to take care of this, right?
With expectations shining in her eyes, Joanie locked gazes with Kana, who tilted her head.
“…So?”
“…Huh?”
This…this isn’t the reaction I expected….
Joanie, more flustered than when the mysterious figure appeared, insisted again.
“I-I mean, they’re blocking our way.”
“Yeah, and?”
However, little did Joanie know that Kana had a couple of things she didn’t understand.
Firstly, Kana didn’t usually draw her sword unless it was a special situation or if there was a clear antagonist.
Secondly, Kana was excellent at sensing hostile intent.
In other words, realizing the figure before her bore no ill will towards her, Kana wasn’t inclined to jump into action.
“Seems like they’ve got business with you, so good luck.”
While Kana didn’t grasp everything, she understood the gist of the situation well enough and stepped back with folded arms.
“K-Kana!”
“Haha….”
The cry of someone betrayed by their trusted friend, the figure’s mocking laughter, and the jeers from the viewers created a dissonant harmony.
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