Right now, I'm sitting on the living room sofa.
Across from me sits
Both Sylphy and I are already sober.
Our breath might still smell faintly of alcohol, but the detoxification magic also has the power to sober you up.
"......"
Looking at Ruijerd's face, lit by the campfire, I'm reminded of the first time we met.
More than that, I can vividly recall the journey I took with the two of them—
"It's been a long time, hasn't it? Really."
"Yeah."
Ruijerd narrowed his eyes and raised the corner of his mouth.
He looked nostalgic.
"First, let me thank you for escorting my sisters."
"No need for thanks. Protecting children is the natural thing to do."
Right, right. Ruijerd is exactly this kind of person.
During our travels, I sometimes half-jokingly thought of him as a lolicon who loved kids.
The escort
I'd wondered if it might be Ghislaine, but when it comes to guarding children, Ruijerd is the one.
There's no one more reliable than him.
I'd almost want him to guard my sisters for the rest of their lives.
But it really has been a while since I last talked with Ruijerd.
What did we used to talk about?
Ruijerd isn't much of a talker either, so we never really did small talk.
"By the way,
Just as I was struggling to find a topic, Ruijerd cut straight to the one thing I didn't want to be asked about.
But for Ruijerd, it was something he wanted to know.
"Well... a lot happened. Let me start from the beginning—"
I told Ruijerd everything that happened after we parted ways in front of the refugee camp.
About getting together with Eris.
How she disappeared right after, and how I fell into the depths of despair.
How I couldn't stand back up.
How I spent two years as an adventurer searching for my mother.
Meeting
How, at Human God's suggestion, I enrolled in the magic university.
How I met Sylphy there, and how she healed me.
And how we got married.
"I see..."
Ruijerd listened quietly, without so much as a word of agreement.
Then, at the end, he murmured.
"It happens all the time."
"It happens all the time?"
I echoed his words back, and Ruijerd nodded.
"It's probably a sickness that afflicts warriors. Eris certainly didn't hate you."
"But... she said we weren't a match."
"I don't know Eris's true feelings. Whether she meant it literally, or whether you simply misunderstood."
"Misunderstood?"
"Yeah. Eris was never good with words."
Ruijerd himself isn't exactly a smooth talker either.
Coming from him, there was a chance that Eris's words had held some other meaning.
"But at the very least, during our travels, she was fond of you.
If you ever get the chance to meet her again, try having a calm conversation."
Maybe I had simply misunderstood.
"Didn't match" could have meant the opposite—that Eris felt she wasn't good enough for me.
She trained and came back once she'd caught up.
Meaning she'd asked me to wait for her.
"......"
...That said, being told this now doesn't really help.
No matter what she'd meant, I'd suffered for three years.
Eris hadn't sent a single word in those three years.
The one who saved me wasn't Eris. It was Sylphy.
So just because it was a misunderstanding, I'm supposed to throw Sylphy away and try again with Eris?
That's impossible.
It's too late.
Besides, honestly...
I'm a little scared to see Eris.
I don't doubt Ruijerd's words, but there's still the very real possibility that Eris truly had had enough of me.
If she approached me with the intent to reconcile and I ended up getting punched and unable to even make eye contact...
I'd be hurt all over again.
...Enough. I should stop thinking about it.
No matter what the truth was, the present is what it is.
There's no point mulling over it here.
"So, Ruijerd—what have you been up to?"
"......Yeah."
I changed the subject.
I decided to hear about Ruijerd's journey.
He still looked like he wanted to say something more, but he gave a short nod.
"I spent two years in the dense forests of the southern region."
Ruijerd had apparently narrowed down the areas on the Central Continent where the Superd Clan might be hiding, and headed for the forests.
He started with the dense jungle belt south of the Dragon God Mountains, then spent two years combing through it inch by inch.
The Superd Clan wasn't found.
However, he apparently discovered several sets of belongings that likely belonged to people who had died from teleportation.
He brought them to the nearest town and gathered information there as well.
In the end, his two-year search of the dense forests had been a dead end.
Ruijerd headed south along the coastline and made his way to Eastport.
His original plan was to gather information about the Millis region there, then head north to search the conflict zones.
But by luck, he ran into Paul and the others there.
The rest was as Paul's letter had described.
When Paul hesitated about sending the two children off on a journey, Ruijerd offered to escort them.
"Come to think of it, I also met your teacher."
"
"Yeah..."
Ruijerd smiled wryly.
"She was quite different from the impression I'd gotten from your stories."
"How so?"
"The moment I told her my race name and showed her the eye on my forehead, she was visibly terrified."
"Ah..."
Come to think of it, Roxy had been the one who told me the Superd Clan was a terrifying race.
She was a demon race herself, after all, and nobody fears the Superd Clan more than the demons.
Can't be helped.
Roxy trembling with fear at the sight of Ruijerd.
I kind of wish I could've seen that.
"So then, you traveled here together with Ginger?"
"Yeah. We arrived in the evening and went to the magic university, but couldn't find you."
The four of them assumed I was living in the dorms, so they headed to the university.
But by that point, we'd already moved to a bar.
Since a lot of people wouldn't know where we'd gone, they apparently asked around for my address.
To avoid crossing paths, Ruijerd split from Ginger there, and the three of them searched for my house.
But somewhere along the way, either Aisha or Norn took a wrong turn, or maybe the directions they'd been given were off, and they got lost.
While wandering around unfamiliar streets, Ruijerd picked up on my presence and found the house.
"I see... Well, in any case, let me properly thank you. Thank you so much."
"No need for thanks. We're friends."
Hearing Ruijerd say that, I couldn't help but grin.
Being acknowledged by this man was one of my proudest accomplishments.
"Still, you got here awfully fast."
The letter had only arrived last month.
I'd thought even an early arrival would take another two or three months.
"Your sister was very eager."
"Which one?"
"Aisha. Thanks to her, we made efficient progress."
Apparently, Aisha had suggested they use merchant caravans that traveled at night.
But such caravans generally don't accept outsiders.
Aisha had offered to let them use Ruijerd as a guard in exchange for passage.
Ruijerd and Ginger would serve as escorts.
The cargo weight of two young girls as payment.
A good deal.
Though apparently, even that negotiation wasn't simple.
Anyway, they'd travel, and when the caravan stopped, they'd move on to the next one.
By constantly switching caravans, they could travel efficiently.
They gathered information on each caravan's schedule and current location, and sometimes even backtracked a whole town to reach a different caravan.
When the other three asked why they were going backward, Aisha answered: "Because this way is faster."
Huh. A genius, huh.
Impressive stuff.
"But wouldn't that have been exhausting for you, Ruijerd? Guarding the caravan at night and staying awake during the day for travel?"
"No problem. In the old days, I'd travel for days without rest all the time... but."
"But?"
"It did feel like I was being worked to the bone for the first time in a while."
Ruijerd said that with a thin smile.
He was probably remembering his days in the Demon Army.
Still, Aisha...
Using Ruijerd as her personal workhorse.
Who does she think she is?
"I'm sorry about that. My sister must have been a huge bother—"
"It's a funny story."
Ruijerd really was soft on kids, as always.
Even if he didn't mind, I couldn't let her grow up into the kind of adult who bosses around her elders.
I'd have to have a word with her later.
"But while you were working so hard, my sister was fast asleep, wasn't she?"
"She wasn't sleeping. She was constantly calculating the most efficient route to get here."
Hmm.
So she hadn't just made Ruijerd do all the work while she lounged around.
She'd been running the numbers day and night.
...Well, that's fine then.
"But she's still a child."
Aisha had been cheerfully planning a schedule with zero downtime, but it hadn't accounted for physical limitations, and at some point she and Norn had both collapsed and had to rest.
According to Aisha's internal schedule, they'd planned to arrive before winter made travel impossible.
In other words, they'd planned to beat even the letter.
"Ginger must have had a tough time too. How did she take it?"
"She was actually happy about it. She said there was nothing better than seeing His Highness as soon as possible."
People in this world sure are brawny-brained.
Come to think of it, had Ginger been faithfully carrying out
What a loyal person.
I wondered if she'd reunited with Zanoba by now.
I'd like to see how she reacted to
"She intends to return to the prince's service right away."
"I see. By the way, Ruijerd—how long will you be staying?"
I asked casually.
Maybe a week?
It wouldn't take long to introduce him to my friends.
Zanoba would be thrilled.
What would Linnia and Pursena have to say?
I wondered what
He might already know Badigadi.
"I'll be leaving tomorrow."
My hopes were immediately crushed by Ruijerd's words.
"That's... quite soon."
"Yeah. I recently received information about a demon sighting deep in the forest to the northeast. I'm planning to go look for it."
Ruijerd had already found his next destination.
Part of me wished he'd stay a little longer.
But no—keeping him would be tasteless.
"And besides, I don't want to intrude on your life."
"Intrude? No way."
I wouldn't let anyone call Ruijerd an intruder.
"...It is a bit uncomfortable to be here, though."
There was a tinge of sadness in his voice.
Maybe seeing that I hadn't ended up with Eris had been a small blow to him.
"......"
In my mind, I could still vividly recall the journey three years ago—the three of us together.
I didn't know how Ruijerd felt, but if I were in his shoes, watching me cozy up with Sylphy would probably be a somewhat painful sight.
"I suppose there's nothing to be done about that..."
I felt as though a crack had formed in my friendship with Ruijerd.
Maybe our friendship had been built entirely around Eris.
"Rudeus."
I looked up at the sound of my name.
At some point, I'd been staring at the floor again.
Ruijerd was smiling faintly.
"Don't make that face. I'll come back."
All I could do was return a wry smile.
I didn't regret marrying Sylphy.
But it felt like I'd gotten something big wrong somehow.
"If you ever run into Eris, hear her side of the story."
"...I will."
I looked Ruijerd in the eyes and said that.
There was a gentle light in his gaze.
--- Shortly after, Sylphy came out of the bath.
Norn had apparently fallen asleep in the tub.
Aisha had been excited during the bath, but the moment she got out, she collapsed into sleep.
The relaxing effect of a bath, I suppose.
A warm soak does wonders for a tired body.
"You must be tired."
"Yeah. Aisha-chan seemed to remember me. She took one look and said, 'It's Sylphy-nee!' Right on the money. A certain someone couldn't even recognize me."
"It's the hair length, sunglasses, and whether I'm wearing men's clothes. So no points for that."
"Norn-chan didn't remember me either."
"It's pretty rare to remember the neighbor girl from when you were three or four."
"I guess so."
The two of them had been changed into nightclothes by Sylphy and were now sleeping soundly together in one bed.
I'd talk to them tomorrow.
"Oh, um, nice to meet you. I'm
"Yeah. Ruijerd Speldia."
Sylphy shook hands with Ruijerd awkwardly.
Two people who'd been tormented by green hair.
Neither of them had green hair anymore.
"So... Ruijerd, what should we do about a room?"
"Anywhere is fine."
"Rudy, maybe we should give him the big room? He's an important guest to you, right?"
I doubted room size mattered much to Ruijerd.
He wasn't going to use a bed anyway.
"Sleep wherever you like. Make yourself at home."
"I'll do that then. I'll turn in early."
Ruijerd stood up.
"Good night."
Sylphy and I sat frozen, listening to the sounds of his movement.
He'd apparently gone into the room where the two girls were sleeping.
That lolicon.
Well, even during our travels, he never took his eyes off kids while they slept.
That was just the kind of man he was.
This time, he'd deliberately left his footsteps audible for us.
If he'd had anything to feel guilty about, he could have silenced both his footsteps and his presence to slip inside undetected.
He had nothing to hide.
"Did... did I do something rude?"
Suddenly, Sylphy's voice came out, tinged with worry.
Ruijerd's attitude had admittedly been a bit aloof.
Normally, he wasn't the cold type—not with someone who'd extended a handshake, at least.
He must have had his reservations about my marriage to Sylphy.
"No, it's nothing you did. He's just not the type who warms up easily to someone he's meeting for the first time."
"If that's all it is..."
Sylphy looked slightly hurt.
"Let's go to bed too."
"Yeah."
We hadn't eaten dinner, but I wasn't hungry.
Ah, I should've at least put out something for Ruijerd to munch on.
Oh well.
I put out the fire in the hearth and checked the locks on the door.
The world's most useful weapon was living in my house, but I still couldn't forget about security.
Then I turned off the lights and went upstairs with Sylphy.
We climbed into bed together.
Then, suddenly, Sylphy spoke up.
"Let's, um, skip it for tonight."
"Huh? Yeah, okay."
That night, I didn't hold Sylphy.
It was the first time for a reason other than her period.
--- The next morning.
I woke up in bed as usual.
Sylphy was still asleep.
Normally she'd curl up small against my arm to sleep, but today she was using a proper pillow and looked restless.
Usually, seeing her like that would fill me with unconditional affection, and I'd gently touch her slender chest, stirred by just a little desire, savoring that finishing touch on the female form and feeling blissful.
But today, strangely, I couldn't muster that feeling.
My mood was stormy today.
An inauspicious day for a soaring dragon.
Ruijerd had come, and I should've been happy.
Was it really about Eris after all?
Something felt murky and restless in my chest.
Maybe exercising would help clear it a bit.
For now, I decided to start my daily training.
But I just couldn't muster the motivation.
No—still, even five minutes, no, ten minutes of warm-up would make a difference.
Thinking that, I headed outside.
A chilling scene filled my eyes.
There were visitors at the front door.
Two of them.
Two people taller than me.
One was a bald warrior.
A man who'd shaved off his green hair and kept it that way ever since.
He wore no cold-weather gear, just his usual ethnic-style clothing, and held a trident.
Ruijerd.
And the other one.
A massive, muscular frame. Pitch-black skin. Purple hair.
Six arms crossed, standing magnificently in front of Ruijerd.
"......"
"......"
The atmosphere was terrible.
Hostile.
A flashpoint.
If the maintenance chief were here, he'd probably get stabbed.
"......"
There was no smile on Badigadi's face.
He was in a bad mood.
That was rare.
The always-smiling Badigadi wasn't even trying to smile.
What did Ruijerd's face look like?
I couldn't tell from behind.
Actually—were these two really acquainted?
Both of them had survived since the Laplace War era.
One had been Laplace's guard captain, and the other was on the dove faction—the opposite side from Laplace.
Now, Ruijerd loathed Laplace to his core, but there had probably been various entanglements back then.
"...Hm."
Badigadi glanced at me.
Then he looked at Ruijerd once more.
"I see."
Badigadi nodded as if he'd figured it out on his own.
Then, without another word, he turned on his heel.
His footsteps crunched through the snow as he disappeared down the road.
"......"
Ruijerd turned around quietly.
His face was taut with tension.
He was breaking into a rare cold sweat.
"Did something happen with His Majesty Badigadi?"
"...Old business."
Those few words were enough for me to guess.
The Superd Clan back then attacked anyone in their path—friend or foe alike.
He'd probably killed people in Badigadi's territory too.
No matter how unseriously he ruled, Laplace was still a king.
He wouldn't have let his lands be ravaged without a response.
What had their relationship been like afterward?
I couldn't imagine the ever-optimistic Badigadi had persecuted the Superd Clan in underhanded ways.
No—or maybe the opposite.
Because he was optimistic, he might have actually taken the side of the powerless people who'd been trampled.
Even if Laplace was involved.
Ruijerd had killed them, and Badigadi had retaliated.
That much was probably true.
Wait, hold on.
There was also the possibility that Badigadi didn't know the Superd Clan incident had been orchestrated by Laplace.
I should bring that up if I got the chance to talk to him.
...Actually, on that note—if I told the Demon King that I planned to mass-produce and sell Ruijerd dolls in the future, what kind of face would he make?
I hoped he'd laugh it off.
Hmm...
Well, regardless, it would be a problem if Ruijerd and Badigadi's relationship stayed bad.
"Ruijerd, for what it's worth, His Majesty has been quite generous to me ever since I came to this town. I can imagine what happened back then, but..."
"Don't worry. I have no intention of fighting him."
Ruijerd said that with a wry smile.
He said it, but it was obvious that Ruijerd had been radiating killing intent moments ago.
If I hadn't come outside, one of them might have made a move.
"Still, I can't believe he's in a place like this."
"I think he came here to see me, actually."
"Yeah, that sounds like him."
Ruijerd gave another wry smile and went back inside.
So Ruijerd and Badigadi didn't get along.
I'd never even considered that possibility.
I'd always assumed Badigadi was on good terms with everyone.
--- When I went back inside, Sylphy was up and preparing breakfast.
For some reason, Aisha was beside her, dressed in a maid outfit and helping out.
Norn still seemed to be asleep.
I thought about going to wake her and headed up the stairs.
I knocked and immediately turned the doorknob, but a bad feeling stopped me from opening the door.
"Breakfast will be ready soon, so please come downstairs."
There was no reply, but straining my ears, I could hear the rustle of clothing.
She was getting changed after all.
No lucky pervert scenes for me.
I wasn't the oblivious type anymore.
"...Okay."
Hearing her voice from inside put me at ease, and I went back downstairs.
The five of us ate breakfast together.
Aisha had impeccable manners for her age—she ate neatly.
Ruijerd, as always, used only a fork.
Norn ate with sleepy eyes and wasn't very skilled with her utensils.
But using a fork was still plenty good enough—compared to just stabbing meat with a knife and shoving it in your mouth.
"Well then, I should be heading out."
Right after the meal ended, Ruijerd set off.
His belongings were, as always, few and light.
The four of us saw him to the town's exit.
Ruijerd said it wasn't necessary, but this wasn't a matter of necessity.
Seeing off a friend is the obvious thing to do.
We walked through the town with little conversation, the five of us.
Before long, Norn grabbed the hem of Ruijerd's robe.
Such a tentative grip—it was the kind of gesture you'd expect a small sound effect to accompany.
Ruijerd's pace slowed slightly.
We followed suit, walking slower.
Norn didn't want to part with Ruijerd.
I understood the feeling. I felt the same way.
I wanted to talk with him more.
Should I ask him to stay?
Honestly, I wanted to spend more time with Ruijerd too.
There were things we hadn't had time to discuss in a single night.
There were people I wanted to introduce him to, things I wanted him to see.
But Eris was still nagging at me.
I didn't want Ruijerd to have an unpleasant experience.
It wasn't Sylphy's fault, but...
It felt like I couldn't talk with him freely without resolving things with Eris first.
But I didn't even know where Eris was now.
Lost in these thoughts, we arrived at the town gate before I knew it.
"Take care."
"You too, Ruijerd..."
We exchanged brief words of farewell.
There should have been so much more to say, but when the moment came, words wouldn't come.
Well, it wasn't a final farewell.
We'd talk again when things had settled down.
Incidentally, Ginger had apparently already said her goodbyes as of yesterday.
"Thank you very much!"
Aisha bowed politely and energetically.
The travel method she'd devised wouldn't have worked without Ruijerd.
She clearly understood that.
Surely, in ways Aisha and Norn didn't know about, Ruijerd had been protecting them.
"Aisha. Don't push Rudeus too hard."
"Yes! I know!"
Ruijerd smiled wryly and patted Aisha on the head.
"Um, um, Ruijerd..."
Norn wouldn't let go of Ruijerd's clothes.
Her anxious face clearly read: I don't want you to go.
"Don't worry. We'll meet again."
Ruijerd smiled softly and placed a hand on her head.
It was a nostalgic sight.
I'd made that same worried face once, and Ruijerd had patted my head just like that.
Norn looked down, then back up.
She started to say something, then pressed her lips together.
Her expression shifted through a hundred faces, but at last, as if steeling herself, she spoke.
"I... I want to go with you too!"
She declared.
Ruijerd looked troubled and stroked Norn's head.
"......"
He didn't say a word. He just stroked her hair.
But tears welled up in Norn's eyes almost instantly.
"From now on, don't rely on me—rely on Rudeus."
"But—but he hurt Father!"
"It's in the past. He's reflected on it. So has your father. You heard about his hardships during the journey, and you understood, didn't you?"
"But he was drunk again yesterday, and the woman next to him is different from the one I saw before! I can't trust him!"
The woman next to him is different from the one I saw before.
I thought the atmosphere had frozen.
But apparently, I was the only one who thought so.
Come to think of it, I'd already told Sylphy about Eris.
This wasn't cheating, and I wasn't trying to be a playboy.
But Norn had seen it differently.
Ruijerd looked back and forth between me and Sylphy, then smiled wryly.
"That's how things go between men and women. It doesn't mean your brother is dishonest."
"......"
With that, Ruijerd removed his hand from Norn's head.
Norn reluctantly let go of him too.
"You over there... what was your name again?"
"Oh! I'm Sylphiette."
"Sylphiette. I'm leaving them in your care along with Rudeus."
"Y-Yes!"
Ruijerd exchanged a few last words with Sylphy.
What had he thought of her?
I could only hope that, despite his reservations, he harbored no ill feelings.
"Well then, let's meet again."
I watched Ruijerd until he disappeared from sight.
The last time I'd watched that back, it had been filled with gratitude.
I was sure Aisha and Norn felt the same way.