Chapter 101 :

Chapter 101 - Farewell (1)

Ratel, Jing, and Lia’s feeding frenzy only began to show signs of ending around dawn.

At least, it probably did.

Judging from Lia’s excited shout of, “I’ll treat everyone to breakfast today!” echoing up from downstairs right before I finally fell asleep, probably.

When I went down to the first floor, the first thing that entered my sight was Jing, snoring with his head buried on the table.

Whether last night’s victory had put him in a particularly good mood, the beer mugs he had emptied were piled up like a mountain.

The next thing I saw was Lia, frozen stiff while standing exactly as she had been when she was covering him with a blanket.

“Ran, you’re awake?”

Lia awkwardly lowered her voice and greeted me.

There was also a strangely anxious look about her.

She wasn’t stealing the blanket that was already there, she was covering him with it, so why was she making that face?

When I narrowed my eyes at the deeply suspicious sight, Lia soon squeezed both her eyes shut.

“Now that it’s come to this, Ran, you’re my witness.”

After saying that with grim determination, she carefully extended her fist and struck Jing’s shoulder.

With a force weaker than a fluttering leaf, Lia brushed her fist over his shoulder, then quickly stepped back and checked Jing’s reaction.

Fortunately, Jing did not move an inch and only snored quietly.

Lia, who had stroked her chest in relief, crept over to me, who had been watching her bizarre behavior, and whispered.

“Anyway, it counts as me hitting him once, right?”

I started to think back on whether she had enough of a grudge against Jing that she would normally want to land one blow on him, and only belatedly recalled a promise Jing had made to her and me.

-Until the Lucha tournament ends, Lord Ran and Miss Lia. Whichever one of you succeeds in attacking me, I will grant that person’s wish.

“Even so, shouldn’t the other party at least be conscious? Besides, the period has already passed.”

When I pointed out her trick, Lia mumbled.

“The tournament hasn’t completely wrapped up yet, has it? As for being conscious….Jing never set a condition like that. Still, if Jing says anything later, Ran, please take my side.”

“Seeing as you’re talking about later, it looks like you’ve decided to leave the village.”

“….Yes, I have to leave for Limis Village for the sake of the blessing, too.”

Lia, who seemed to think about something for a moment, soon moved toward the outside of the shop.

“You’re going to buy what you need before leaving, right? Let’s go together. I’ll treat you to breakfast, after all.”

I obediently followed behind her.

Just as Lia had said, it was true that I had come out to buy the things I needed before departure.

When traveling, there was nothing better than going together with a local to avoid getting ripped off.

“Lia! Congratulations on winning!”

The moment we entered the herb shop, the owner’s friendly voice greeted us, and Lia awkwardly bowed her head.

This made it the fifth time.

The fifth time Lia had been welcomed like this in the village.

At first, Lia had not known what to do with herself, but now she had regained enough composure to at least awkwardly nod back in response.

“Oh my, heavens. To think everyone in your family is a Lucha tournament winner, what in the world is going on? Your father, Edan, and now Lia too!”

He spoke in an extremely cheerful voice as he approached Lia.

As if the excessive hospitality still made her uncomfortable, Lia awkwardly scratched her elbow.

I was uncomfortable too.

We had no time, so when were we supposed to listen to every story about Lia’s father and Edan?

“When did you practice like that without anyone knowing? As expected, your brother…”

“I need oaks grass and mint.”

I cut off his chatter before it could grow any longer and interrupted him.

“Yes?”

The herb store owner, who had been loading up a whole round of chatter, could not immediately process my words and asked back.

“I said, give me oaks grass and mint. Are my words difficult to understand?”

“Ah, no. That’s not it. I was just about to talk with Lia for a moment…”

His words trailed off, and under my silent, fixed stare, he reluctantly turned his body toward the storage room.

“Oaks grass has a rather strong smell compared to its effect. If it’s for treating wounds, even if it costs a little more, olive leaves are still…”

Even while feeling displeased that I had cut him off, he diligently recommended herbs to me.

“Then please seal it carefully. Divide it into several portions.”

I said it again, but he was a merchant with an unnecessary amount of consideration.

“No, but still….it would be better to buy olive leaves instead…”

“You don’t need to worry about my nostrils, so just give it to me.”

“….”

“Quickly.”

Perhaps he read from the way I said only what I needed that I had no intention of having any conversation beyond what was necessary to buy and sell goods, because the shop owner silently chopped the dried oaks grass into small pieces and divided it into small pouches.

At last, after handing me the goods, he quickly turned his body toward Lia.

“So, Lia. About….”

However, his words could not continue to the end this time either.

“I’ll have oaks grass too, mister.”

Because Lia, just like me, cut off his words and placed an order.

“Hm?”

“Please hurry and pack mine together with Ran’s order too, mister. I’m busy.”

Flustered by Lia’s attitude, which was something he rarely saw, he received the order with a dazed expression when Lia urged him on.

Even after we left the shop under the herb store owner’s icy gaze, Lia was stopped several more times by the villagers.

Finally, after shaking off the leather shop uncle who had tried to force an orc leather bag into her hands with my help, Lia’s face looked noticeably exhausted as she left the shopping district.

Thanks to that, Lia’s steps on the way back to the lodging were not as quick as when we had gone out.

“It feels strange.”

“What does?”

I answered while organizing the luggage, then noticed that Lia had fallen behind at some point and turned back.

Lia was looking at the shopping district of the village, now a little farther away.

“For three years, I was desperate because I couldn’t fit in there. But now that people are coming to me first like this, it still feels strange.”

“You don’t look very happy.”

“….Yes. It just feels that way. No, rather, I think it might even feel bad.”

She tilted her head as she spoke, as if she herself did not understand her own feelings.

“I suppose you’ve grown detached from the village.”

At my answer, Lia’s eyes widened.

“I still like the village. It’s the hometown where I was born, after all. Until what happened three years ago, it was practically the villagers who raised me and my brother.”

“And then, in a single day, they changed their attitude like flipping over the palm of their hand, didn’t they?”

I did not know the details, but judging from today’s change in attitude, I doubted that day three years ago had been very different.

Her treatment must have worsened overnight, just like flipping over the palm of a hand.

With a bitter expression, Lia neither affirmed nor denied my words.

It seemed she did not particularly want to talk about this topic.

I had no desire to force someone else to tell me what was in their heart either.

“Or else, it could mean that Lia is now ready to move forward.”

“You mean I’m ready to leave the village?”

When I changed the subject, she resumed her stopped steps and stood beside me.

I also took a step forward again.

“You must have been ready for a long time.”

Lia looked at me with a face asking what I meant.

“You’ve always wanted to leave the village, haven’t you? That’s why you visited the bookstore run by that eccentric bookstore owner and flipped through travel books.”

Even while being cursed at by the eccentric owner for no reason.

“How did you know that?!”

Lia’s face turned red, and she raised her voice as if screaming.

It seemed the secret she had been hiding was quite embarrassing to her.

“You were holding one on the day we first met too. Jen Cooper’s ‘Useful Common Knowledge Travelers Should Know’.”

When I mentioned the book that had been magnificently torn apart while rolling across the floor, Lia’s face turned even redder.

“You, you saw that? Ran, your eyesight is really good.”

I had no intention of changing the direction of the conversation according to her attempt to divert it with such sudden praise.

“The reason you wanted to win the tournament together with Edan wasn’t simply because you wanted to leave the village, was it? You wanted to go on an adventure. When everything is already prepared, what are you hesitating over again?”

After letting out a pained groan, Lia opened her mouth.

“Ran, you sound like someone desperate to send me outside the village.”

“I am desperate.”

“Why?”

When I admitted it too easily, Lia asked in confusion.

“Because I want to leave together with Lia, of course.”

“….Why do you specifically want to leave with me?”

Lia asked again, still wearing a face that said she could not understand.

She really was a very suspicious human.

“Because Lia will definitely be helpful to us. You’re strong, persistent, and also…”

I paused for a moment and looked at her face, which was waiting for my next words with a serious expression.

“You also have a sneaky side that can attack even a sleeping person. Those are the best qualifications for an adventurer.”

I could not say that in the original work, Ratel would receive a lot of help from her, so I had roughly glossed over it, but Lia did not seem to dislike that answer.

Judging from the way her face crumpled as if deflated, yet the corners of her mouth subtly rose.

“….By the time I finish my adventure and come back, I’ll have to try talking with Edan again.”

Lia muttered as if to herself.

It seemed she was still thinking of returning to the village.

That was a little troublesome.

I looked at Lia’s profile, which somehow seemed relieved.

Unlike the original work, where she left the village for Edan’s sake, the current Lia still had a family member named Edan left behind.

And the option of Edan coming with us was now practically nonexistent.

If Lia, after receiving the blessing, said she would return to Lucha whenever she wanted, that would become another troublesome problem.

Because I would have to check once again whether the secret of the first holy relic would be enough to hold her.

And if that did not work, I would have no choice but to use her guilt again.

The conversation did not continue any further.

While I was turning things over in my head, Lia and I had already arrived in front of the small inn where Jing and Ratel would be waiting.

Lia quickly opened the door and went in, signaling the end of the conversation.

* * *

Two mornings later, the village was noisy from the morning again because of the conclusion of the Lucha tournament.

They still had to sweep, polish, and decorate the road stretching from the temple to the village exit.

Following tradition, we had to ride horses along the road the villagers had made for us.

Lia, who had never ridden a horse before, used her natural athletic sense to succeed in climbing onto the horse and making it walk, but her form looked so unstable that Ratel had to lead her from the very front.

The people standing on both sides of the procession cheered for us.

It was a strange procession.

Jing, who did not welcome people’s attention, pulled his robe low over his head as he guided his horse.

Ratel was not the kind of person who would wave his hand in a place like this, and the same went for me.

Lia no longer wanted to smile, and she did not need to.

At the sight of the winners looking as if they were being dragged to an execution ground, the sound of the people’s cheers also quieted down somewhat.

The procession, with only the sound of applause remaining, became solemn in a way that did not match the situation.

Rather, since there was no need to put on a useless show, it was convenient.

Behind Lia, I slowly moved my horse while watching her repeatedly glance sideways through the crowd.

She must be looking for Edan.

No matter how much she tried to detach herself from the village, she probably would not want to part without even exchanging a farewell with her only family.

No matter how filthy his actions were, no matter how dirty his obsession was, once she knew that all of it was rooted in affection, it would not be easy to abandon the one remaining root she had.

The relationship between Lia and Edan was too sweet to abandon and too painful to stay together with.

Even during her journey in the original work, Lia thought of her only family several times.

It seemed this had not changed, whether in the original work or now.

“It seems Edan has not come.”

Jing, who was riding beside me, whispered quietly.

“I suppose he did not want to see with his own eyes his younger sister abandoning him and leaving.”

When I answered calmly, Jing let out a small sigh from beyond his robe.

“Still, it might be the last time, so I thought he would at least come to see her face.”

Perhaps his inferiority complex had made him unable to endure even seeing Lia’s face.

Well, I was not sure.

Originally, Edan was not a character who directly appeared in the original work.

The Edan I knew was only the vile Edan and the image of him I had heard about through Lia’s mouth in the original work.

What stopped me as I rode on while recalling his stubborn face was Jing suddenly taking off his robe and lifting his head.

With a stiff face, he gripped the reins of his horse and increased his speed a little.

“What is it?”

“Something is strange.”

When I asked at his ominous expression, his gaze turned toward one direction in the crowd along with his answer.

Jing’s horse moved ahead of mine.

Following his gaze, I too noticed, one step too late, the strange movement Jing had discovered.

And it was not difficult to realize who the tall, large-built man was charging toward without hesitation.

“Lia! Turn right!”

Jing’s shout tore through the sound of people’s applause and rang out.

At the same time, a man pushed through the people and sprang forward.

The sword in his hand flashed.