Epilogue
A CHANGE OCCURRED in the Erle Kingdom after the heroes departed.
"Lady Amagi..."
A structure to worship a new goddess was constructed in the
recovering kingdom's capital. Queen Enola made her way there now, clad
in an outfit that bared her shoulders—a dress fashioned after Amagi's
maid uniform.
At the altar of the church was a statue modeled on Amagi. As Enola
prayed before it, the rest of the worshippers followed suit, all wearing cute,
skirted maid uniforms with exposed shoulders. Women and men, young
and old, wore the same clothing and prayed to Amagi in unison.
"Lady Amagi, please watch over us. We will overcome this ordeal."
On that day in the castle, no one had been able to stop the tyrannical
Liam. Enola and her subjects were helpless to do anything but await their
fates. In the midst of that, one being alone defied the overwhelmingly
powerful Liam: Amagi. She had been bold and firm with Liam when no
one else—even the sages—could do anything but obey his every
command.
Enola still remembered the sight of the mighty Liam bowing to
Amagi's will. Naturally, the queen had concluded that Amagi must be a
higher being.
She had immediately commissioned the statue and holy vestments in
imitation of Amagi. Since Enola and her people took Amagi's maid
uniform for a divine garment, it had been adopted as the dress code of the
church that now worshiped her.
Enola went on praying fervently. "We have made a pact with the
beastmen, Lady Amagi, and pledged mutual noninterference. There is still
tension between our two peoples, but I am certain we will overcome this
trial as well."
The kingdom's reconstruction was proceeding steadily, thanks to the
blessing Amagi had granted them in the form of the supplies.
"Thank you for saving us, Lady Amagi."
To Enola's people, Amagi was tantamount to a goddess, and the
Page 255
gathered faithful in maid uniforms prayed with absolute sincerity to her
statue.
***
Meanwhile, Glass, the chief of the wolf—or rather, dog—tribe, had
erected a wooden statue of Liam in the center of their village. The
wolfmen weren't as skilled at crafting such things as the Erle Kingdom's
humans, but they had put their all into carving it nonetheless.
Standing before the statue, Glass addressed his tribe. "The dog tribe
is now sanctified, acknowledged by Master Liam himself! My daughter
Chino has been accepted into Master Liam's own household!"
Glass had used that event to raise his status among the wolfmen.
Although he wasn't without ambition, his motivation stemmed mainly
from a desire to give his tribe a rallying point now that Nogo was gone.
Determined to fill the hole the lion had left behind, Glass went as far as
preparing a holy statue that might or might not have resembled Liam.
Unfortunately, his tribe didn't have the reaction he'd hoped for.
"The dog thing is too much."
"We're wolves!"
"Does Glass have no pride?"
To the other wolfmen, Glass's daughter had been taken into a war
god's family, so they couldn't disparage her relatives. Still, they just
couldn't accept being called dogs.
Glass tried to use Liam's name to convince them. "If you wish to
call yourselves wolves in defiance of Master Liam, then do as you please.
Just understand that you will not benefit from Master Liam's protection, as
you will not be considered members of the dog tribe."
Liam had toyed with Nogo and even defeated the demon lord. The
wolfmen knew they could never defeat him, so they couldn't defy him
either. They folded their arms in dissatisfaction, but ceased arguing.
Glass's son raised his hand. "Is Chino coming back, Dad?"
"No. She has become the new foundation of our tribe." But I'm not
sure what to say about..."space" and all that.
Page 256
Glass put on a show of conviction for the others, but truthfully
didn't understand anything about what had befallen his daughter. Liam had
given him a simple explanation, but he lacked the fundamental knowledge
to comprehend things like intergalactic empires, other planets, and space
travel. And there was no way for him to really know what sort of treatment
Chino was receiving.
I believe she's safe... I hope so, at least. But she's probably missing
home, as well. Chino, thanks to your sacrifice, we were able to survive. I
will ensure your name is passed down in our tribe for generations to come.
If you must curse someone, curse your father for consigning you to this
fate.
He didn't regret offering up his daughter in the face of Liam's
overwhelming power. As a father, however, he felt somewhat pathetic for
having to resort to such a thing.
"We will worship my daughter Chino here in our village as well.
We only continue to exist because of her."
After this speech, the village prepared a wooden statue of Chino too.
Like Liam's, it hardly resembled her.
***
At House Banfield's mansion, the head maid Serena had received
two new maids.
"I'm Christiana!"
"I'm Marie!"
Both wore maid uniforms and posed cutely, with awkward smiles on
their faces and their cheek muscles twitching. Neither thought the cute
outfits and poses suited them, but Liam had mandated those. Since his
commands were absolute in the women's minds, maid uniforms and cute
poses were a mission they were willing to stake their lives on, no matter
how embarrassing it was.
Before the pitiful duo, Serena sighed deeply. "Your smiles are
forced, and your poses need work. Again, both of you."
At her instructions, Tia and Marie snapped at each other.
"It's because your smile was so ugly, fossil!"
Page 257
"It's your clumsy posing that's dragging us down, ground meat
woman!"
Serena watched coldly as they berated each other. "Master Liam's
really given me a thankless task, hasn't he? You know, you two could
stand to learn a couple things from the other new recruit." As she finished
her stern comments, she directed the quarreling duo's attention to the
household's other new maid. It was Chino, with her triangular dog ears
and fluffy tail. Like Tia and Marie, she was clad in a maid uniform.
"I am Chino of the proud wolf tribe! I have been told to serve as a
maid, so I will give it my all! Now, who am I supposed to fight, exactly?"
She was much more motivated than the other two, but she had no
idea what a maid was actually supposed to do. Serena felt a headache
coming on, but there was no issue with Chino's behavior. After all, the girl
didn't really need to be able to do her job, and Liam had specifically
permitted her haughty attitude. She was a maid in name only; her official
role was more as a mascot.
Tia scoffed at Chino. "You wish us to emulate this puny
beastwoman, Ms. Serena? There is nothing she can teach me. You may not
believe it, but as a maid, I'd already serve impeccably!"
Serena responded to Tia's triumphant boasting with the cold truth.
"Impeccably? Only Chino would be in the running for that."
"Huh?" Tia's eyes bugged at Serena's implication that she couldn't
compete with Chino.
Marie delighted at the sight, pointing at Tia and cackling. "Did you
hear that, ground meat? You're worse than a beastwoman from an
unsophisticated planet!"
"Watch your tone," Serena snapped. "When you're not putting on
that good-girl act, you're worse than unsophisticated."
"Wha—?!" Marie yelped.
Tia seemed to take Serena's dismissal hard. She stared at Chino with
dead eyes. "I can't accept being seen as inferior to this creature. I
undoubtedly surpass her in education, etiquette, and strength."
Chino lowered her tail and trembled under Tia's wrathful gaze, ears
flat against her head. "I-I'm the daughter of the wolf tribe's greatest hero,
you know!" she squeaked.
Marie brought her face closer to Chino's, furrowing her brow
Page 258
confrontationally. "What does Lord Liam see in a beastwoman like this? I
simply cannot believe he feels affection for it."
Tears in her eyes, Chino trembled under the ex-knights' intimidating
gazes.
Serena decided to tell them why Chino outshone them. "She has
much more decency than you two."
At this statement, Tia and Marie began complaining immediately.
"I'm a first-rate knight, and the sword in Lord Liam's hand! How
could I possibly be less decent than this beastwoman?"
"This runt is more decent than us? She looks completely useless to
me!"
The reason the two felt so competitive was Liam's affection for
Chino. The pair were normally civil with most people, but in matters
concerning Liam, they were unable to control themselves.
Serena gave them a hypothetical. "Answer this, then. Say a woman
likes a certain man. Due to his station, the man is out of her reach. The
woman desires a connection to him regardless, so she obtains his genetic
material and attempts to impregnate herself with his child. What would
you make of that?"
She was obviously describing Tia and Marie, but they both just gave
her blank looks.
"That's kind of scary," Tia said. "That woman should probably seek
medical help."
"I agree," said Marie. "It's unconscionable to have a man's child
without his consent."
That headache Serena had felt coming on was now in full swing. If
these two women hadn't been important knights, she could simply have
laughed this situation off. But both were central figures in House Banfield,
and they behaved this ludicrously.
Do they not understand that I was talking about them? They
honestly do have talent... It's just that they lose control when it comes to
Lord Liam. It's maddening.
Standing up straight, Serena said bluntly, "That story was about how
you two feel toward Master Liam."
Tia and Marie exchanged a look and laughed.
Page 259
"You're quite the kidder, Ms. Serena."
"She is!"
Serena wondered what made them think they rose above that
"hypothetical" woman, but she soon found out.
Tia spread her arms, her wide smile fanatical. "Lord Liam is not
merely a man beyond my reach. To me, he is a god. To carry his child
would be a divine feat!"
Marie clasped her hands as if in prayer. She would have been
beautiful if not for her glassy, bloodshot eyes. "I'm not some stupid,
delusional woman. But I would do anything I could to bear Lord Liam's
child, no matter the taboos I broke. It would be worth it!"
Serena rolled her eyes resignedly. At this point, there was nothing
additional education could do for these two. "Master Liam is cruel to order
me to mentor them."
Chino was flabbergasted at the pair, too. "I don't really understand
what's going on, but I do think it's important to listen to people."
A reasonable opinion indeed. "She's much more worth educating,"
Serena muttered to herself.
"Chino!" Liam called, approaching the group. "You've never had
pancakes before, have you? Come on, I had my pastry chef make some.
Let's eat."
As he walked over in high spirits, Chino's tail wagged audibly. She
did her best to put on a disinterested front. "Pancakes? Sounds del—
disgusting! D-don't think you can win me over with s-something like
that!"
She stuttered a little, obviously wanting to try the pancakes.
Smiling at her response, Liam took her hand to lead her away.
"Serena, I'm borrowing Chino."
"L-lemme go!" Chino yelped.
Before Liam could leave, Serena directed his attention to the other
two women present. "Fine, but isn't there anything you wish to say to
these two?"
Page 260
Page 261
Liam stopped and turned to see Tia and Marie glaring coldly at
Chino, flames of jealousy practically rising from their heads.
"Eep!" Chino hid behind him.
He looked at Tia and Marie with open disgust. "If you ever do
anything to my Chino, I promise I'll kill you. Now, hurry up and learn
damn decorum from Serena! Come on, Chino, you're gonna love
pancakes!"
"W-well, I suppose I could keep you company!" Chino squeezed
Liam's hand hard as she fled. She must truly have been terrified of Tia and
Marie.
Seeing Liam lead Chino away by the hand, the two former knights
dropped to their knees.
"Lord Liaaam!"
"What do you see in that little brat?"
As she watched the pair sob miserably, Serena once again sighed.
"It's one problem child after another around here. All right, I'm running
you two ragged starting today. You'd better be ready for it."
They're tougher than the average knight. I'm sure I can be a little
rough with them.
Serena decided to give her all to educating Tia and Marie.
***
Rosetta, Eulisia, and Ciel had gathered in a meeting room to discuss
Rosetta's security force.
Eulisia was surprised to hear Rosetta's planned direction for the
unit. "You wish to help people in trouble? Well, it's not a bad idea. It will
require some extra time and budgeting, though."
"That's fine. Planning this out has helped me remember what I
really want to do." When Liam had told Rosetta to personally determine
her guard unit's responsibilities, she'd thought back to her past. "I used to
lead a painful life in a household that was only a duke's in name. When I
met Darling, I was saved. Still, that only rescued me and my nearest and
dearest. Now, I want to help other people in trouble."
Page 262
In short, Rosetta planned to go out of her way to recruit people in
need—for instance, those suffering from daunting problems like poverty
and debt.
Eulisia brought up the challenges that policy would entail. "Many
people are in debt or impoverished due to their own decisions. Do you
intend to recruit everyone?"
If Rosetta was being idealistic, Eulisia fully intended to stop her. For
instance, she couldn't go along with recruiting those in debt due to
gambling habits. If Rosetta's guard corps was essentially a charity, their
funds would run out quickly, however much they had.
However, Rosetta shook her head. "I don't think Darling would
allow me to. I intend to choose those caught in situations they aren't to
blame for—people saddled with their parents' or ancestors' debts, for
example."
Eulisia didn't completely approve of that thinking, but it was better
than just helping people indiscriminately, so she compromised. "That
would be fine, I suppose. But if we do things this way, your guards won't
be elites. In the worst case, we might have to train each recruit from the
ground up."
Many people in debt wouldn't have received higher education, so in
general, Rosetta wouldn't be recruiting highly skilled individuals. They'd
have to make up for that.
"That's all right," Rosetta said. "We can take all the time we need.
Once we've recruited the bare minimum required for the guard unit to
function, we can build the force gradually. My focus is mainly giving
those in need another chance."
These guards were supposed to protect Rosetta, and here she was,
trying to help them for some reason. It would have been more efficient to
use Liam's funding to hire experienced soldiers, then build a fleet of state-
of-the-art ships and mobile knights.
On the other hand, Liam had told Rosetta to do what she wanted
with the money. All Eulisia had to do was put together a fleet that satisfied
Rosetta's wishes. And part of her didn't want to challenge Liam's future
wife further and potentially earn her ire.
"Most nobles' guards don't amount to much anyway," she said.
"But if they fulfill their basic responsibilities, that'll be all we can really
expect of them."
Page 263
"I'm counting on you," Rosetta told her, unbothered by her
reluctance.
Ciel, who'd listened to their conversation, was a bit perplexed by
how the initial plan had changed, but she couldn't naysay Rosetta's ideas.
Lady Rosetta really is kind. I don't think I'll have to worry about whatever
force she puts together.
And Rosetta's guards would stop Liam one day—Ciel could
imagine it easily.
Once they had a general plan, Rosetta's voice grew chipper. "All
that's left is to start! We can recruit from House Banfield's domain, but I'd
really like to get the Empire's permission to recruit from other territories
they directly manage as well. The lords of those domains might not end up
granting us permission, but I'd like to at least propose the idea."
Any ruler saw their subjects as resources, and perhaps few nobles
would allow any of their citizens to be taken away. Rosetta prepared
herself for that disappointment.
Despite the extra work she'd have to do, Eulisia looked cheerful.
She was probably happy to have any work to do at all.
"We have our work cut out for us," she said. "So, where should we
start?"
Thus, Rosetta's personal guard corps moved toward its
establishment.
***
"Is every single one of them an idiot?"
Grinding my teeth in frustration, I sat at my desk, watching a
monitor with Amagi at my side. We were viewing the latest public opinion
polls on the news, and I just couldn't believe the results.
"Most citizens approve of the increased taxes," Amagi explained as
I sulked. "They understand that, if the money goes toward social welfare,
they will see benefits in the long run. That is no doubt a result of our
government officials' efforts."
"They're making too much of an effort, if you ask me."
Since ancient times, bureaucrats given free reign had misbehaved.
Page 264
That was why I was sure that, if I didn't give my officials specific
instructions, they'd exploit the public perfectly well on their own. I would
have, at least!
It was all well and good that my officials had extolled our social
welfare program's virtues publicly, but their scheming was evidently so
clever, my subjects didn't even realize they were being tricked. They had
no qualms about the tax increase meant to torment them. It was infuriating.
"They ruined my perfect plan!"
"Have you ever had a perfect plan, Master? Normally, you are very
competent. But when you try to misbehave, it never quite works that way,
does it?"
Apparently, in Amagi's eyes, I was a failure as an evil lord. I
couldn't accept that!
"Amagi, connect me to the government office!"
"I will display the connection on the monitor."
The monitor we'd watched the news on switched to an image of a
sweaty-looking government official. He was obviously frightened that I'd
contacted him out of the blue, but he couldn't keep me waiting, so he had
answered.
"May I ask what you're calling about, Lord Liam?"
"The tax hike, obviously! Couldn't you have made it a little easier
for my subjects to understand what's going on?"
They wouldn't get it unless the government sent the point home. I
didn't want to see people going about their business, not realizing they
were being fleeced; I'd intended them to be aware of it! This was supposed
to be revenge for those heir protests. I wanted to see them suffer!
"Easier to understand? I'm not sure we could be any more—"
"You can do it, can't you? Come on, I know you guys have it in
you!"
Bureaucrats were all about nefarious doings. There was no way they
couldn't convey bluntly that people were being milked.
"W-we'll re-examine our strategy right away, sir!"
"Good. I want this done right, okay? You won't betray my
expectations—will you?"
Page 265
I threw in that old-fashioned intimidation for good measure. It was
nothing but unwanted pressure when a boss forced something impossible
on you and said, "I'm expecting a lot, okay?" Now that I'd motivated him,
I was sure his office would strive to make this "social welfare" plan look
as pointless as possible, pissing off my subjects.
"I'll make you stupid citizens regret angering me," I muttered after
the call had ended. "Just you wait."
Amagi looked astounded that I wouldn't let the protests go. "You
are still bitter about that?"
"Of course I am. My subjects are going to feel my wrath for
humiliating me!"
I needed to return to the Capital Planet shortly to resume my
training, so I wanted to see them suffer as soon as possible.
***
A few months later, the government announced a revision of the
social welfare program. The news thrilled House Banfield's citizenry.
"This is a lot easier to understand now!"
"Apparently Lord Liam ordered them to do that."
"I heard he told his officials he expected a lot from them. That got
them motivated!"
The program was just as welcome as before, but it would be much
easier to use now.
"Man, the policies were fine the way they were. I guess Lord Liam
wanted to go the extra mile."
"He really has our best interests at heart, doesn't he?"
"He's headed back to the Capital Planet now, right?"
"His noble training should be done soon. I don't think he'll be back
for another few years, though."
"Aww, couldn't he finish up sooner?"
"Will he stay here on his home planet once he's done training?"
Despite Liam's expectations, his subjects wound up even more
Page 266
grateful to him than before.
***
Hearing the news report from the top floor of the hotel where I lived
on the Capital Planet, I actually fell to my knees. My subjects were
happier with me after I ordered my government to review the social
welfare program.
"The people appreciate you making the program easier to use,"
Amagi reported, a hint of happiness behind her expressionless exterior.
"They are very grateful."
"I was trying to torment them!"
It was almost scary how stupid my subjects had proven.
I slowly got back to my feet. "Amagi, we need to increase the
educational standards in our domain. They're obviously not good enough
yet."
"The current standards are insufficient?"
"My subjects can't even tell they're being exploited! Why are they
thankful? They're supposed to be pissed!"
In my past life, government approval ratings would have
plummeted. Why were people grateful to me?! Were all my subjects
idiots? I didn't want that. It kind of scared me. I was starting to think my
domain's approach to schooling was the source of the problem.
"Compulsory education is currently nine years," Amagi reminded
me.
"Extend it to twelve. Review the curriculum, too. I want those fools
better educated."
It was honestly more unsettling that they couldn't understand they
were being taken advantage of than if they could see it. I wasn't trying to
fool them. I was trying to torture the morons!
It really looked like my road as an evil lord was going to be long
and rough.
***
Page 267
When Kanami opened her eyes, she was back in the park she'd been
summoned from.
"Huh? What am I doing here?"
Her mind was fuzzy at first, everything that had happened to her
seeming dreamlike. Had she really been summoned to another world as a
hero? It was now morning, and it was natural for her to think she'd slept
here in the park and dreamed the whole adventure. Yet the small bag she
clutched in her hand told her otherwise. Checking inside, she saw the gems
and gold coins she had hoped to find.
"Ah ha ha! It wasn't a dream."
Looking up at the early morning sky from the park bench, Kanami
remembered Liam. At the end, he'd stroked her hair gently. The sensation
had been very nostalgic; it had felt just like her dad stroking her hair. Tears
welled up in her eyes at the thought. She knew Liam wasn't really her dad,
but she couldn't help feeling as though she'd finally seen him again.
"Why did he remind me of my dad? Dad wasn't anything like
Liam."
The two men's personalities were about as different as could be.
Still, Kanami's heart felt lighter somehow.
She clutched the precious bag more tightly. "Well, I don't really
want to, but I should go back home at least once. It's been a few days, so
Mom might actually be worried about me. Nah, probably not," she
muttered self-deprecatingly.
Actually, her mother probably was worried, but only that her source
of income was missing. Kanami's mood soured as she thought about how
her mother valued money more than her daughter. Still, she had to head
home for now, so she reluctantly rose from the bench.
***
Kanami opened the door to her apartment and stepped inside
hesitantly. It was her own home, of course, but it had been a while since
she'd been here. She needed to summon a little courage to venture inside.
"I'm home," she announced quietly, but the only thing she heard in
Page 268
response was her mother snoring.
She looked down at the kotatsu where her mother slept and the
bottles lying around her, disgusted. Her mother hadn't so much as
attempted to search for her, simply drinking herself to sleep as usual.
As Kanami stood there, growing angry, she noticed something
strange. She looked around the room, and her eyes widened in surprise. "It
hasn't changed!"
The room looked exactly the same as it had the day she'd run off for
the park. She looked in the kitchen, where she found that the dinner she'd
been making had been eaten but not yet cleaned up. It didn't appear that
the dishes had sat out for days, only overnight.
She turned the TV on to check the date on the morning news, and
was surprised to find she had been summoned and returned in a single
night. She was sure she'd spent over a week in the Erle Kingdom, but only
a few hours had passed in this world.
As Kanami's surprise faded, anger at her mother welled up to take
its place. She knew her mother hadn't looked for her after she ran off the
night before. Instead, she'd just eaten the dinner Kanami hadn't even
finished making and then drunk herself to sleep. If she'd simply believed
Kanami would return soon, she obviously didn't understand why her
daughter had left. Did her mother not feel the slightest guilt for suggesting
Kanami work a seedy job at night to pay for her mother's lifestyle? The
thought filled Kanami with a mixture of rage and sadness.
That was when she remembered what Liam told her. She whispered
it to herself quietly. "I'm the one who has to take responsibility for my
path."
She could easily accept Liam's words when she saw her mother in
this state. At this rate, her own mother would ruin her life. Kanami
clenched her fist in frustration, squeezing the bag containing gemstones
and gold.
"If I don't change now, I'll never be able to," she murmured to
herself.
She immediately began searching for contact information for her
mother's parents, who'd become estranged from their daughter and
granddaughter. Of course, they'd disowned Kanami's mother after she was
abandoned by the man she'd cheated with and crawled back to her parents
without a hint of shame. They'd forbidden her to return home, cutting her
Page 269
off from any support they were previously willing to provide. Kanami
wasn't sure of the full story, since she hadn't had any contact with them
since then either.
"Darn. Can't find anything. What should I do?"
She couldn't talk to her grandparents if she didn't know how to
contact them. Kanami began to lose heart, but she quickly stood, changed
out of her school uniform, and grabbed her wallet, getting ready to leave.
"I'll go to my grandparents' house if I can't call them. I think I
remember which station to get off at." She recalled visiting their house a
few times as a child.
Today was a weekday, so she should've been going to school, but
she wanted to act quickly. At least, that was probably what Liam would
have advised her to do. "I can contact school later."
Kanami left her apartment, only turning back once. She didn't feel
any remorse about leaving her mother; for better or worse, she was ready
to cut ties with her right here. There was something she wanted to tell her
father, though. Although she knew he couldn't hear her, she wanted to say
the words out loud.
"I'm sorry, Dad. I'll live life looking forward from now on. If you
can forgive me, I hope you'll watch over me."
Steeling herself, she ran off to the station. She didn't want to waste
another second.
***
Things went surprisingly smoothly after that. When Kanami visited
her grandparents, they were surprised to see her, but they welcomed her in.
She told them everything about her mother and herself without sparing any
details. That her mother was unemployed, that Kanami was forced to work
to support them both, that they were badly in debt. Her grandparents must
have pitied her when she started crying in the middle of her story, because
that very day they decided to take her in.
The next day they went to her apartment together. Kanami's mother,
not expecting to see her parents, scowled in frustration when they suddenly
showed up. She was embarrassed at her living situation, and angry that
they hadn't helped her out—not to mention furious at Kanami for bringing
Page 270
them there.
When Kanami's grandparents berated her, Kanami's mother just
listened quietly at first, but eventually she couldn't take any more
criticism. She exploded at her parents, claiming everything that had
happened to her was their fault for not helping her.
That was when Kanami knew for sure she'd made the right decision
in leaving, and that it was pointless ever to expect any common sense from
the woman. After that incident, Kanami's grandparents took her back to
their home to live with them.
***
A few months later, Kanami was living a new life. She had
transferred to a school she could commute to from her grandparents'
house. They lived in the countryside, so things were quite different. She
moved about by bus, and even if she had wanted a job, there was nowhere
nearby to work. Unlike the city, this area lacked a lot of conveniences, but
that didn't mean Kanami disliked living there.
Her grandparents' house was old, but large, so Kanami had her own
room. Since she didn't have to work, she could concentrate on her studies,
which she was grateful for. Her grandmother did most of the chores,
though Kanami helped out some with cooking and cleaning. Compared to
living with her mother, this was paradise.
Having just finished dinner, Kanami sat at her desk studying
diligently. She wanted to make up for lost time, and hoped to receive a
scholarship. She'd have to get good grades if she wanted a scholarship or
an interest-free loan, but one's family situation was also taken into
account, so she felt she had a chance. Still, it wouldn't be easy, given her
current grades. She'd previously spent so much time on housework and
earning money, she hadn't been academic by any stretch of the
imagination. She was putting the effort in now, but there might be nothing
she could do at this point. She'd considered giving up on higher education
and simply enjoying the rest of her time in high school. But whenever such
a thought occurred to her, she remembered the same thing:
"I'm the one who has to take responsibility for my path." she
muttered to herself as she studied, like a mantra. Every time she thought
about giving up, she remembered Liam's words.
Page 271
Strangely enough, her memories of Enola—who she'd become close
with in that other world—faded as time passed. She remembered the girl
being kind, hardworking, and a good friend. For some reason, though, she
thought of Liam much more often.
Kanami opened a desk drawer and took out the small leather bag she
kept carefully tucked away there. Whenever she lost heart, she found
herself reaching for this bag of gems and gold, which had a comforting
weight to it.
"I couldn't bring myself to sell them, in the end," she murmured.
Several times, she'd thought about doing so and putting the
proceeds toward her tuition. After a bit of online research, she felt
confident she could get several million yen for them. With that, she could
at least start college, then later get a job to help pay for the rest of school.
She could easily picture Liam cocking his head with an exasperated
expression, asking why she hadn't sold them yet.
One reason was that she had no easy way to do so, of course. But
mostly, she just didn't want to get rid of the treasure. Being a teenage girl,
it wasn't as if she had no interest in gems and jewels, but she didn't like
the way they looked so much that she couldn't part with them. They just
seemed more valuable than any money she could have made off them.
To Kanami, the contents of this bag, small enough to fit in one hand,
were proof of the extraordinary adventure she'd had that day—an
experience she never wanted to forget.
"I bet Liam would be disgusted with me."
When she remembered how he'd told her she wasn't a good judge of
men, she felt a little angry, but she knew he was the whole reason she'd
been able to start this new life. She could sit here studying calmly thanks
to the fresh chance he'd given her. Of course, there was one other person
she had to thank for her current circumstances—her father.
Page 272
Page 273
Her memories of him had faded quite a bit since she knew him as a
child, but her parting conversation with Liam had helped her remember a
few things. She hadn't realized it at the time, but these days, she found
herself thinking I remember Dad saying that back then, or He always
scolded me like that, or That's what he tried to teach me.
She wouldn't have expected a trip to another world to help her
remember her beloved father.
"Okay, I should do a little more studying."
Her break over, Kanami hit the books again. First, though, she
stowed the bag in its drawer so she wouldn't forget that experience. She'd
definitely keep the bag and its contents a while longer.
Page 274