A month passed. We didn't spend it visiting the capital. Instead, we stuck to a narrow route, pushing further north. We passed through countless small farming villages, watching wheat fields stretch out before us as we pressed on.
My brother was there, walking beside me. I was holding Eris's sword, just in case. She had allowed me to carry it for the entire trip, insisting on having something to defend us with since she didn't want to be a burden this time. Even with Ruijerd there, I felt the need to be, at the very least, useful.
"Rudy."
"What is it?"
"Thanks."
"Huh?"
"For agreeing to cover your side."
"It's nothing, Daiki."
I switched to Japanese.
"You want to rest, don't you?"
"You could say that, even if just a little. Though I admit that without this adventure, our life would be pretty boring, don't you think?"
I looked up at the sky. "Yeah, I think so."
We gathered no intel. We just headed north as fast as we could. We assumed we would figure everything out once we reached the refugee camp, but more importantly, we were almost there. We just wanted to reach our destination as quickly as possible.
"Daiki..."
"Yes, Eris?"
"What happened to 'Young Eris'?" he asked suddenly. "At some point, you stopped using it…"
"Birthday present...?" I tried to offer an excuse, though I knew how ridiculous it sounded.
"Uh-huh..." She gave me a look I couldn't quite decipher.
....
Finally, we arrived in the Fittoa Region.
I knew it. I had expected it to be completely empty, but even with that in mind, I had hoped there would be something. There were no wheat fields, no fields of vatirus flowers, no watermills, nor any storehouses for the harvest. All that remained was grass. It was the only thing that always endures after a catastrophe. The only thing that ends up growing.
In part, a very deep part, I felt that way too. It made me feel like an intruder. The scene created a sense of hollowness, one that settled deep inside us as we arrived at the current, and only, city in the Fittoa Region.
The Refugee Camp. Our final destination.
Ruijerd stopped the carriage just before we reached the entrance.
He climbed down from the driver's seat and walked around to the back.
"This is where we part ways."
Rudeus and Eris nearly stumbled trying to scramble out of the carriage.
"W-Wait a second!" Eris cried, brushing off her knees.
I, however, stepped down calmly. I had expected something like this. I had seen it coming during the journey, anticipating he would leave. While I hadn't grown as attached as they had, I couldn't deny the sense of loss. He had been with us for so long.
"Can't you at least rest for a day—no, just enter the city with us, at least?"
"Yeah, I mean—" Eris started.
"That is not necessary. You are already warriors. You do not need my protection."
Eris fell silent, and so did Rudeus. To be honest, my brother had mentioned that Ruijerd's promise was to find me and then take them back home. It was obvious that once we arrived, he would say goodbye. My brother, after years of being together, had hoped they would stay together forever.
And I didn't blame him. I felt the same way when I left Cliff, Emilia, and my Aunt Therese. I didn't know if I would see them again once I found my mother, so the only thing left for me was to cling to the idea of being with these two. They are all I have left, the only thing I can still protect.
"You may be right, Ruijerd. Even so, you protected us. If it weren't for you, I'm sure my brother would have fallen into some stupid trap ages ago."
"It's true. I'm sure we wouldn't have made it this far in three years," Rudeus added.
"Rudeus, I already told you." Ruijerd's face looked even more serene than usual. "As a mage, you have already reached a kind of perfection. Despite all the talent you possess, you still do not let it go to your head. You should realize how important it is to be capable of that at your age."
"And Daiki, you are something unusual. If you keep this up, you might surpass me in a few years. You have the talent, the mind, and the discipline. You should also realize how valuable that is. You are an anomaly, Daiki. Both of you are. And Eris as well. Thanks to me, and to your teachings, she has become a true warrior."
"I..." Rudeus paused for a moment. He held his head high and looked at him. "No, I understand. Ruijerd-san, thank you for everything you have done for us."
Rudeus was about to bow, but Ruijerd stopped him.
"Rudeus, do not bow your head to me."
"Why not...?"
"You may think that I have done a lot for you, but I believe that you have done much more for me. Thanks to you, I now see hope that my tribe can regain its honor once more."
"I didn't do anything. Basically, I wasn't able to do anything."
"No, you did a lot. You taught me that my direct method of saving children was not the only way."
"But none of my methods were very effective," he countered.
"Even so, I have changed. I remember it all. The words of that old woman in Rikarisu City who, thanks to your plans, said she wasn't afraid of the Superd Tribe. The look on the faces of those adventurers when they heard the name Dead End. They weren't terrified, they were laughing cheerfully. The kinship I felt toward the warriors of the Doldia Tribe and how they accepted me even after I told them I was a Superd. And the soldiers of Shirone, and how they wept while thanking me when they were reunited with their families."
"I didn't do anything. Those were things you achieved on your own."
"No. I could not do anything on my own. I worked alone for the four hundred years after the war, unable to take a single step forward. The one who showed me the path was you, Rudeus."
"But that actually happened thanks to the advice of the Man-God."
"I do not care about a god I have never seen."
Exactly. To hell with that god.
"The person who truly helped me was you," Ruijerd continued. "No matter what you think, I feel a great debt of gratitude toward you. That is why I do not want you to bow your head. We stand as equals. If you want to thank me, look me in the eye."
Ruijerd extended his arm toward him. It was an invitation, not from a protector to a protégé, but from one man to another.
Rudeus looked up. His eyes met those of the Superd warrior, and slowly, he extended his own arm to grasp that hand marked by centuries of battle.
"I will say it once more. Thank you, Rudeus. I thank you for everything you did for me."
"Same here. Thank you for everything you did for us."
I could see my brother's eyes beginning to shine, wet with tears. Ruijerd had just accepted Rudeus exactly as he was, validating his effort and erasing, if only for a moment, that image of a failure my brother tended to have of himself. A part of me also felt miserable. A miserable person with luck. I hadn't gone to the Demon Continent with them. I felt like someone who arrived late to the war and now pretended to share the veterans' scars.
After a moment, he pulled his hand away from my brother and placed it on Eris's head.
"Eris."
"...What?"
"Can I treat you like a child one last time?"
"Fine, do as you like," she replied sharply, crossing her arms and looking away to hide the quiver in her lips.
There was a soft smile on Ruijerd's face.
"Eris, you have talent. Enough that you will be much, much stronger than me."
"Liar." Eris's voice cracked a little. "After all, I lost to..."
Ruijerd let out a low laugh and repeated the same words he always used when they practiced, but this time with a different weight.
"You survived an attack in battle from a man who bears the name of a god. You understand what that means, right?"
"...I understand."
"Good girl." Ruijerd gave her head one last pat before withdrawing his hand.
Eris clenched her fists tightly, fighting an internal battle not to break down right there.
"What are you going to do now?" Rudeus asked him.
"I don't know. For now, I intend to search for any survivors of the Superd Tribe on the Central Continent. Restoring my tribe's honor is nothing but a distant dream if I remain alone."
"I understand. Good luck. If I have some free time, I'll see if I can do something to help you with that."
"...Heh. And if I have some free time, I'll see if I can help you look for your mother."
Ruijerd turned around. He carried no luggage, no extra provisions. He was a warrior who could survive with nothing more than his spear and the clothes on his back. However, he stopped in his tracks and turned once more, reaching for his neck.
"That reminds me, I need to return this."
He took off the Migurd Tribe pendant. The one my brother had received from Roxy.
"Please, keep it," Rudeus said without hesitation.
"Are you sure? Is it not important to you?"
"That is exactly why I want you to keep it."
Ruijerd nodded, understanding the value of the gesture. He put the amulet away with reverence.
"Very well. Rudeus, Eris... Daiki."
His eyes settled on me for the last time. He said nothing else, just nodded. A short nod, from warrior to warrior. A silent acknowledgment that now, the safety of these two rested in my hands and in my brother's.
I returned the gesture, tightening my grip on the hilt of Eris's sword.
"Until we meet again," Ruijerd said.
"Until we meet again," we both replied.
Eris, Rudeus, and I stood there in silence, watching until he disappeared completely.
And just like that, our journey came to an end.