Heroes and Their Qualifications (9)
A week had passed since then.
A week had gone by after coming up empty-handed.
Subjectively, it felt like I had only rested for two or three days at most, but time had flown by so quickly that a week had already elapsed. Perhaps the saying that painful moments last long and happy times are brief is meant for times like these. Now it was time to get back to business.
One can’t rest forever.
The task at hand is simple. If nothing unexpected happens, it should be over very quickly.
I go to the shop to collect the letter I had requested. Then I read it. After that, I take a little time to regroup before heading straight to the north to gather information on Bella.
I could head to the north immediately after opening the letter. But since the letter has been opened, I should check it, right? Travel can always be done later, but reading the letter is surprisingly difficult to time unless I have a bit of leeway like now.
Anyway, that’s how I’ll go north to find Bella.
Delivering the letter to Bella should be very easy.
How it will be opened is another matter.
If it doesn’t work out, I’ll have to resort to the last measure… opening it in some flashy way, just like before.
With Chloe’s precedent, this time I plan to finish things off for good, not just chase after her. I won’t make the same strange mistakes as last time. Now that it’s the end, the conditions of the letter are useless information, but it’s still satisfying to know for sure. It might even help in dealing with Chloe.
Well, this is all assuming I find Bella.
First, I need to locate Bella’s whereabouts.
The personnel heading north for the expedition are just Valkvogel and me. We’re the only two venturing into the perilous northern region of the Dragon Kingdom. Cecilia will not accompany us. It’s a simple matter of spreading our forces.
A week is a short yet long time, so there’s a chance Bella has left the north. To prepare for that, we needed someone to stay in the west and monitor the situation.
As it happened, we had one person who was incapacitated. The saint, Cecilia, showed no signs of recovery. Her condition had worsened to the point where she couldn’t walk without support, so I decided it was impossible for her to continue with us. Therefore, Cecilia’s role is to stay at the lodging and keep track of the situation.
When Cecilia first heard this, she seemed uneasy and wished to come along, but conducting a proper search with a sick person in tow is out of the question.
So, with nothing but empty words, I made her stay at the lodging.
There’s no time to care for Cecilia in a place where I can barely manage myself.
After all, I’m not even sure what kind of illness she has.
If only she’d tell me the name of her illness, I could help her as much as possible without hindering our actions. I don’t understand why she won’t tell me. Maybe because she’ll eventually return to the Holy Imperial Court, my help is deemed unnecessary.
Still, I could at least offer some assistance.
Valkvogel, who seems to know something, hasn’t been forthcoming either. Lately, she’s been giving off a vibe of closeness with Cecilia, so I casually asked her, thinking she might know something, but she just dodged the question… What are they conspiring together? Whenever they’re talking and I show up, they split up as if they had planned it. It’s definitely suspicious.
They’re not up to some strange trick, are they?
I’m already a bit anxious since my physical condition isn’t great, and the slightest mistake could lead to a full relapse…
…Well, I’ll manage somehow.
It’s too late to back out now.
Anyway, aside from such minor anxieties, there’s nothing particularly troubling.
Perhaps the most dangerous element is Nicola.
Since we parted near the border, Nicola hasn’t come looking for me, so it might just be needless worry. Maybe she really did come for a trip. Considering the flashy mess I’ve made, it wouldn’t be strange if Nicola got cut off.
Am I being too optimistic?
But sometimes, you have to think positively.
Living with a bit of optimism will make it easier to adapt back to the original world. It’s all about preparing in advance.
“Are you ready?”
I asked Valkvogel.
The day of reckoning had long begun. Now, all that’s left is to depart.
The task in the Dragon Kingdom is simple.
As the morning sun rises,
we head toward the northern part of the Dragon Kingdom.
The preparations for departure were completed days ago. My body is in top condition, and I’m equipped with the confidence that I could even defeat a suddenly appearing Demon King.
“Ready enough, what about you?”
Valkvogel shook the backpack she had slung over her shoulder as if to show it off. It’s the backpack I usually use, filled with miscellaneous items and a few medicines Cecilia had given me. Valkvogel carries everything else, except for a few important items.
Normally, I would have carried all the baggage, but my physical condition has been a bit unstable lately, so it was a necessary choice.
“What preparations do I need? As long as I take care of my body, there’s no problem.”
I pulled out a dagger from my waist with a confident expression. I liked its sharply honed appearance. It was as if it foretold my shining future.
“Don’t get into any rough stuff… especially fights, cough. They’re off-limits.”
Cecilia cast a worried glance my way.
Today, unusually, Cecilia had come out of her room. Normally, she can barely walk, and here she is coming out to see me off. She’s not in good health; she should just stay in bed instead of coming out and coughing. Really… she’s such a pain.
“Are you going to be okay? We’ll be heading home soon, so you should be extra careful. You should go back inside and lie down. I’ve put everything you might need in your room, so don’t come out unless it’s necessary.”
“You shouldn’t fight with Bella either.”
It’s like she didn’t even hear me, just nagging again.
I’m not planning on attacking anyone first. All this worry, and in the end, she’s just spouting annoying concerns.
Ah, but I suppose I’ll have to pick her up in the end, so maybe it’s not really the end?
“…More importantly, make sure you lock the door properly. Don’t open it for anyone else.”
With those words, Valkvogel stood up.
“Are we done here? Then let’s get going.”
It’s the last leg of our journey, yet the atmosphere is no different from usual.
Not that I have any complaints. I don’t dislike this atmosphere either.
“Yeah, let’s go.”
Just feeling a bit restless, that’s all.
Well, it’s time to leave. No need to fret—just keep it simple and walk, like we always have.
Toward the final leg of our journey.
* * *
The first destination was a stopover, the Dragon Capital.
We were heading there to pick up a letter I had requested. While at it, I planned to buy some items to deal with the biggest threats in the north, the wyverns and lesser dragons.
Huh? Why am I buying them now? What have I been doing for a week?”
It was unavoidable for the sake of the optimal route. Going to Dragon Capital just for that one item would be a waste of time and energy. It’s better to buy it when retrieving the letter to save on travel.
It’s not because I’m lazy.
“…What’s the first thing you want to do when we get back to the original world?”
Valkvogel asked me that question.
We were taking a break at the time.
The location was somewhere beneath a tree.
Based on previous experience, we should reach Dragon Capital in about 20 minutes.
“Asking me that out of the blue… Well, I’ll probably just live to fill my stomach. I don’t really have anything I want to do.”
My world has ended.
Living is just simple inertia.
The idea of me doing something… it’s too much, and it’s repulsive.
The best I can do is live moderately and then go when it’s time.
And it’s a bit too much to say I’m looking for blood relatives.
“I see…”
Valkvogel had a contemplative look on her face. What kind of answer was she hoping to get from me? Was she asking with the intention of killing me if she didn’t like the answer, or was it just a question without any real purpose?
Just in case, I caught my breath and kept my guard up around her.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, Valkvogel didn’t speak to me again after that.
The break lasted five minutes.
And that was the end of it.
*
We started walking again, and about 30 minutes had passed.
We reached the front of a shabby store. It was the same old exterior as always, unchanged from before. Perhaps it’s because of how the store looks that it’s so easy to find.
…!
Maybe that’s why they don’t bother decorating it.
“Flan? Is this the right place? There’s something odd about the energy here….”
Valkvogel had already left me behind and was standing in front of the door. Her expression seemed to say that it was odd for her to have business in such a rundown place. Well, it could be confusing if it’s your first time seeing it. I was confused at first too.
“Yeah. This is it.”
I approached the front of the store too.
And then I waited without opening the door.
No, I couldn’t move.
It was as if I was frozen in place by a strong pressure, unable to twitch even a finger.
It wasn’t magic. If it were magic, Valkvogel wouldn’t have been able to move either. This was a different kind of force. Like a deer in front of a tiger, a power that any living creature would vaguely recognize.
That familiar kind—
It was killing intent.
And its source was approaching.
Thud.
Thud.
The footsteps were heavy.
“Ah, Flan. It’s been a while.”
A voice all too familiar.
My heart trembled.
It felt like all my senses were converging into one.
“That, you left a letter at this store. Some sort of request or something… I heard such information.”
Could I survive if I ran now… Well, if I did, I’d probably be caught quickly and have my lower half severed.
“So I picked it up in advance. To pass it on to you.”
A friendly tone with a rigid manner of speaking.
Dangerous.
It’s the tone he uses when he’s off duty.
This is dangerous.
“So… stay put.”
I turned around as naturally as I could. A familiar face, armor shining like it was the first time I saw it, a sword bestowed by the emperor himself. And that all too familiar face. Not a single thing about it had changed.
It was Nicola.
I had hoped, perhaps, it was someone else.
“…Did the emperor send you?”
That was all I could manage to say.
“……”
He didn’t speak. His expression said he didn’t want to. Nicola looked pained yet had a cold face. He was looking at me with such an icy gaze. Nicola with that face… how many years has it been since I last saw him?
Haha, is this a dream, perhaps?
I touched Valkvogel’s head, which was right next to my right hand.
Normally, she would have resisted, but she showed no sign of movement.
The thought that any lapse in attention could lead to death must have crossed her mind.
Valkvogel’s hair was as bristly as ever. The sensation of the severed horn was vivid in my hand. It definitely wasn’t a dream.
Then I guess I have to prepare, right?
Prepare to fight that thing.
I might actually die.
For real.
