[Are you ready, Daiki?]
'Ready for what?'
[Ultimately, living alone… or at least, mostly alone… or rather…]
'You're stuttering. Calm down.'
[Yes, sorry. It's just… maybe it's the cold, but more importantly, what will you do if you end up on your own again?]
'Are you saying I'll be alone again?'
[That's not it. In fact, I can assure you of one thing: you will have many people by your side.]
'Then why say things like that?'
[Rudeus will eventually find a girl, get married, and have children… what will you do in the meantime…?]
'…Try to move forward. Build a good future that doesn't depend on a partner. In the meantime, I'll manage by myself…'
[Daiki, come on. Do you think that will work in the long run? I have a feeling that when you see your brother happy with a woman, deep down in your heart, you'll feel jealous of him. And I'm sorry to say this, but you know I can't lie…]
'…You're right about one thing. I am in love, but I don't know how to feel about it either… She's gone, you know? I could have gone with her if it meant…'
[You weren't going to abandon the search for your mother, were you?]
'No. That's my main mission. I would have refused. Afterwards… I'll allow myself to live, okay?'
The question remained:
Could I really live after finding my mother?
Relax?
Do things other than just fighting?
There were too many questions in the end.
"Rudeus."
My brother jumped slightly when I spoke.
"Yes, brother? What is it?"
"How are you feeling about all this?" I asked, switching to Japanese.
"What do you mean? The mission was a success, we have more than enough money…"
"I don't mean that. I mean this new chapter. Do you feel better compared to before?"
"That is… a very good question, actually. I can assure you I feel better, but I still think I'm trash."
"In that case, I feel the same. But now we have a purpose, don't we?"
Rudeus nodded and settled back into his side of the carriage, hugging his staff.
"You're a good big brother, don't doubt it, okay? Now let me sleep, my spot is perfect."
Sara clicked her tongue, sounding annoyed, as she also settled into her corner.
"Can you stop speaking in that weird language and let us sleep?"
"Sorry," Rudeus replied.
I didn't answer her.
Should I have?
I didn't really feel like it, especially since she reminded me a little of Eris.
When we returned to the Adventurer's Guild a few days later, we found a mountain of claws, scales, and fangs from Winter Lizards piled up in front of the building. The members of Step Leader were still inside, bragging about their recent exploits.
"…See! The Ilbron Cave and the Galgau Ruins were actually connected! If it weren't for us, this city would've been overrun by Winter Lizards already!"
Soldat was enjoying his story immensely. The other adventurers in the room listened with skeptical smiles.
"Let's get this over with," muttered Suzanne, looking a bit grumpy.
The other members of Counter Arrow didn't want to linger.
We walked straight to the counter, handed the requested materials to the receptionist, and headed for the exit.
"Alright, Rudeus. Here is your share. Count it," said Suzanne.
"Sure. Thank you very much."
"And for you, Daiki. Here is your share. Make su—"
"Don't worry, keep it. I just tagged along to clear my head, and you guys need it more."
"But… are you sure? You practically did most of the work wiping those things out."
"Leave it, Suzanne," Timothy interrupted. "If he says so, there must be a reason. Even so…"
Timothy handed me a medium-sized bag full of Winter Lizard scales.
"Please, take these."
"…Thank you."
I accepted them.
I decided to hold onto them for now rather than selling them immediately. That way, when the demand for scales dropped, I could sell them for a tidy sum… or maybe use them for something else. I wasn't sure yet.
"Alright, everyone. See you later."
"…Rudeus! …Daiki!"
A voice called out just as we were leaving.
"Why don't you come to the victory party, at least this time?"
"Eh…?" Rudeus looked undecided.
"You know, the celebration. We were heading to the bar right now."
"Fine. I suppose I'll join you," Rudeus replied.
I stayed silent, but Sara looked at me immediately.
"And you? What are you doing?"
"Sorry, but I'm going for a walk."
"Don't be stupid. Come on, let's go. Besides… a walk? At night? What kind of excuse is that?"
[How do we tell her that you really were going to walk? By the way, say yes. Like she said: don't be stupid.]
"Alright, I'll go… but I won't drink."
"We'll see about that."
At a tavern quite a way from the Adventurer's Guild, the seven of us clinked our mugs.
"Cheers!"
"…Cheers!"
In the end, the idea of not drinking vanished the moment I saw the mug in front of me.
"What? Rudeus, aren't you going to drink?" asked Sara, eyeing his mug.
"…Well, I'm underage."
"Uh-huh. So what? Your brother is drinking."
I sighed and continued with my task without a word.
"What does it matter if we drink or not?" said Timothy, the only other person who had chosen the same drink as Rudeus. "The important thing is that we're having fun."
"Pfft. Whatever. The truth is you just can't handle your liquor, right?" Sara interjected.
"No, I just don't want to drink. There's a huge difference, you know?" Rudeus replied after sipping his diluted fruit juice.
"Hahaha!" Mimir cracked up while Timothy scratched his neck, uncomfortable. "Daiki can hold his liquor way better!"
"Well, anyway. Let's just celebrate the fact that we all got out of that mess in one piece, okay? Normally, at least one of us would have died there," Timothy concluded.
Was I really enjoying the drink, or was it just a means of escape into a different flavor?
Maybe I inherited the palate of a warrior like Paul, but the stomach of something else, since it still had no effect on me.
[It's not the alcohol that's failing. It's your insides. Too strong… for something so simple.]
'Can you see inside?'
[You are me. I am your memories. And yes… I can.]
"Anyway," said Sara, sounding somewhat sad. "You guys were lucky, you know? Normally a party would have left you for dead, but…"
"I appreciate it, Sara," I said bluntly. She stopped mid-sentence at my sudden gratitude.
Suzanne smiled at this and nudged Sara slightly.
"You were the one who wanted to go back first, remember? Mimir said they were a lost cause. Although I trusted the twins, you insisted that we had to go back for them…"
"Hey! Shut up already, Suzanne!" Sara reached out and tried to silence her, but Suzanne squirmed away. "Listen, you helped us last time, right? I don't like owing favors, that's all."
"You didn't owe us a thing, Sara. We simply did our job as temporary members of your party, nothing more," I replied, looking away.
By pure coincidence, I met Mimir's gaze.
"Uh, hey, just so you know, I'm grateful too," he said a bit awkwardly. "It's not like I wanted to leave you behind, but… you know how it is, right?"
"Yeah, I get it. It was my choice to come, after all. And it was my duty as a big brother to protect Rudeus, so don't sweat it."
"Well, in any case, we all came back in one piece, and now we have plenty of money in our pockets. If you ask me, that's what matters!" Suzanne's words put a smile back on everyone's faces, at least for a moment.
"Yeah… it was a shame we had to run into those idiots at the end," Sara mentioned, looking a bit uncomfortable at the memory.
"What is their problem? I know they're the strongest party in the guild, but they're so arrogant… Ah! And did you see the hit Daiki gave him? I think he started crying afterwards… hic… it was fun." Suzanne had already drunk too much, but I had to admit she was having a good time.
Sara watched her continue drinking until I put down my mug and decided to call it a night.
"…Well?"
"What's up?"
"I still haven't forgiven you for using my arrow as a dagger. That was…"
"Incredible?" added Suzanne.
"Yes…" Sara replied, visibly defeated. "But I won't forgive you, okay? That was my moment!"
"Oh, sorry. I always think about the environment."
"…So, you mean you helped me?"
"Yes, that's right. That 'whoosh!' woke me up a bit."
I heard a small laugh in her voice.
"That 'whoosh!' was to save you, you know?"
"I could see the arrow, but not my brother. He's quite fast," mentioned Rudeus. "Besides, he knows how to use his surroundings. I'm sure he's capable of predicting three scenarios just by observing."
"Don't exaggerate. I simply saw an opportunity and took it."
"Yeah, whatever… What's the point?"
"I suppose you're right."
I stood up and stretched.
"Right. As I said before, I'm going for a walk," I told Rudeus. "Go to the inn later. It's too cold for you to be wandering around in the middle of the night, and I need some time to think."
With that, I left the bar.
I found myself walking through the deserted streets.
Every step made the ice on the ground crunch.
Eventually, I decided to sit on a small hill overlooking the mountains.
[Are you crazy, Daiki?]
'It serves as training.'
[I don't mean that. I mean leaving them back at the bar while you go for a walk. Don't you think they'll look at you funny?]
"Daiki? Are you there?"
A voice called out from behind. I turned to find Sara bundled up in warm clothes.
"Sara? What are you doing here? It's…"
"It's freezing, I know. But it was getting boring in there, too much booze and noise. I needed this too."
"That's exactly what I needed. I used to like silence. It was a way to stay serene, but it also made me hear all my thoughts…" I mused.
Sara sat next to me, and I conjured a small flame in my palm.
"Thanks, I was freezing," she said, warming her hands.
"It's the magic I can control best. It's… ironic."
"Ironic? What's your connection with fire?"
"Well, it seems that whenever I'm close to it, I end up losing something of equal value. Fire represents life, so it takes away what makes me feel alive, you understand?"
"That is… very deep," said Sara.
"I suppose so, but what else can I do? It seems inevitable at this point."
"Hey, Daiki, I…" Sara adjusted her hat. "I'm sorry for treating you like that from the start… shit, I'll give it to you straight: at first I thought you were just like those nobles who didn't help my family, but little by little I started to get to know you and your brother, and I realized how wrong I was. So I'm going to say it, but only once, okay?"
"Go ahead."
"…I'm sorry."
"That was it?"
She punched my arm.
"What do you mean 'that was it'! I'm telling you something very important."
"Well, you already told me after the bears. That was more than enough."
"What? So you never felt anything negative?"
"On the contrary, I like being with you and the party. You make me feel more… alive, and the nights by the campfire are good."
[Enjoy this while it lasts, because the fire always dies. It can spread uncontrollably, but it ends.]
'…You're absolutely right.'
"Stupid. Next time we invite you, you're coming, okay? You don't have to act all mysterious," she said, but there was a smile on her face.
"Alright, but next time it's on me. You okay with that, Sara?"
"Yes. Let's go back, Suzanne will get mad and I don't want to deal with her when she's drunk. Ah, and tomorrow I want to try something with you, you up for it?"
"Sure, what is it?"
"It's target practice. I want to improve with my bow, and I think you're the perfect target."
"You want me to be a… live target?"
"Yes, what's the problem? Besides, that way you can train your reflexes. It's a win-win. What do you say, deal?" She stood up and offered me her hand.
"Deal." I took her hand and stood up.
And so, we went back to the bar, where we were greeted with smiles.
And for once, I decided to let myself feel the warmth of this place.
---------------------------------------
Author's Note:
Hi guys, just a quick note to apologize for taking three days to upload something. Basically, I started writing an original work on Web Novel, both in Spanish and English. I felt it was necessary to grow as an author, plus it gives me the possibility of generating income, something I currently need if I want to make a living from writing fanfiction, or rather, writing in general.
That's why I'm leaving you this little interlude, so you at least have something in the meantime. I promise you for the tenth time (I think… I don't even remember how many times I've said it) that I do not plan to abandon this project.
Thanks in advance, and I hope this February treats you well.