"Long time no see, brave heroes. It's been fifteen years already." Kahabell spoke softly.
"Fifteen?" Hearing her words, Yusuke was stunned. Soon, he noticed two small children emerge from behind her, their hair color matching Kahabell's.
"They are my children. Adorable, aren't they?" Speaking of her children, Kahabell revealed a tender expression.
"Your personality has mellowed," looking at Kahabell, Yusuke and the others were once again shocked.
Subsequently, at her invitation, Takeru and the others proceeded to Kahabell's home. Yusuke and the others still found it somewhat hard to believe, looking at Kahabell before them. It was difficult to reconcile her with the memory of that fierce female knight.
"By the way, about Jiffon Buffo..." As everyone sat in Kahabell's home, they inquired about the mission clue.
"Yes, do you know anything about it?" Yusuke looked at Kahabell expectantly.
"While I don't know about Buffo, there is an island called Jiffon, famous for exporting high-quality weapons," Kahabell directly shared what she knew.
"So Jiffon is an island name!" Yusuke murmured to himself upon hearing her words.
Hearing this, Takeru fell into thought. Clearly, this mission was closely related to this island. That is to say, their next course of action was to head to this island.
"Are you still a knight now, Kahabell-san?" Having obtained the information they sought, Iu was also curious about Kahabell's current situation.
"I've retired." Hearing Iu's words, Kahabell directly removed her right hand. It turned out her right palm was merely a prosthetic.
"I lost my right hand on the battlefield. Fifteen years ago, the Deokk Empire officially began unifying the continent. Our Cortonel formed an alliance with other nations to oppose them, and a great war began. That battlefield... it was truly hell."
"Although I also went on four expeditions, after knowing the hardships and happiness of bearing and raising children, I couldn't do it anymore. I became weak." Hearing Iu's words, Kahabell recalled the events that erupted fifteen years ago after Yusuke and the others left, her heart filled with immense melancholy and loss.
"I, I believe that destruction is a hundred times easier than creation!" Sensing Kahabell's loss, Yusuke spoke softly.
"That's right. What you have done, bearing and raising children, is something far more difficult than killing others."
"Yes, so Kahabell-san hasn't become weak at all!"
Hearing Yusuke's words, Iu and Kusue earnestly chimed in. Kahabell, meanwhile, looked at Yusuke with tenderness.
Takeru and Hachiman also sensed something. From the beginning, Kahabell's gaze towards Yusuke had been consistently special, completely different from how she looked at the others. It carried admiration, love, loss, melancholy, looking very complex. Clearly, something had happened between them during their previous experiences.
As for Yusuke, he seemed somewhat obtuse and hadn't noticed this. Putting it all together, it might have been something like unrequited love.
At this moment, perhaps sensing the atmosphere was somewhat heavy, Keita spoke up, steering the conversation towards himself.
He briefly mentioned his background and how he had almost strayed from the right path, and how Yusuke had saved his life.
…
That night, Takeru and the others rested in the rooms Kahabell had arranged. Takeru, Hachiman, and the others meditated while also remaining on guard.
Having arrived in another world and not yet understanding their surroundings, Takeru naturally couldn't sleep soundly without any precautions.
Of course, although Takeru believed that even without any precautions, there should be nothing in this world capable of threatening him.
In the dead of night, Takeru sensed Kahabell quietly enter Yusuke's room. Yusuke, who was also awake, paused briefly before following her to the fortress walls.
"Takeru, there's a good show. Want to come?" Yuka, excited by the gossip, knocked on Takeru's door.
"I see," hearing her words, Takeru directly opened the door.
Seeing Takeru's face, Yuka's breathing quickened slightly. Takeru also noticed Iu, Kusue, and Mio were here as well.
Seeing Takeru, the three smiled lightly at him. As for Hachiman and Keita, they didn't seem to have been invited.
Soon, Takeru and the others arrived at a concealed spot on the wall. Although Takeru could have clearly perceived everything around him from his room using Observation Haki or mana sensing, seeing Iu and the other three so excited, Takeru followed them here.
"I love watching the sunrise here. I wanted to watch it with you one last time." Standing on the wall, Kahabell spoke to Yusuke with a face full of tenderness.
After speaking, she directly took Yusuke's right hand with her left. Seeing this, no matter how obtuse Yusuke was, he finally understood Kahabell's feelings for him...
"I thought... I would never see you again." With immense longing and endless melancholy, Kahabell spoke again to Yusuke.
Seeing her like this, Yusuke felt terribly uneasy. His original personality was quite calm and goal-oriented, even somewhat of a replica of Hachiman, with some differences but many similarities.
As long as the outcome was good, everyone along the way could be treated as pawns. However, after experiencing event after event, his personality had changed somewhat.
Now, hearing this girl who had once given him immense help say this, his heart was filled with complexity and an indescribable pain. Even his final farewell had been utterly casual...
"I'm very sorry for getting you involved. If it weren't for getting dragged in by me, Berg wouldn't have died either." Recalling the end, Yusuke could only utter a feeble apology.
Hearing Yusuke's words, Kahabell unconsciously tightened her grip on his arm. This wasn't what she wanted to hear. She would never regret that time.
Thinking this, Kahabell took a deep breath. "Ah, youth. There has never been a longer journey in my life than that one. With those memories, I was able to return alive from hell. Thank you for dragging me into it."
'Is that really true? Did I truly help this person?' Looking at Kahabell's smile, Yusuke began to doubt himself. After all, back then, he had only seen her as someone with immense utility.
"Back then, we were quite suited for each other, weren't we?" As the sun rose, the beautiful scenery illuminated by its light perfectly unfolded before everyone. Kahabell spoke softly, with anticipation...
"Back then, we were quite alike," Yusuke said softly in response.
"Have you heard what happened when you collapsed from overusing magic?"
"No."
"I see... That's a bit disappointing." With reluctance and nervousness, Kahabell mustered her courage, grasped Yusuke's shoulders, and kissed him on the lips...
"I really liked you back then." After a long moment, their lips parted. Kahabell lowered her head, crystalline tears sliding from her eyes.
"In the end, I became an old lady first. Sorry about that." With her past love, at this moment, Kahabell completely bid farewell to her youth.
"It's okay..." Looking at Kahabell before him, Yusuke felt a heavy pain in his heart, but didn't know how to respond. In the end, he could only utter such words.
He even began to doubt the true meaning of his coming to this world. What were the so-called missions? What exactly were they doing?
"Let's go back." Iu, who had been eavesdropping while hiding on the wall, saw this scene and spoke softly, her tone tinged with sadness.
"Yes," Kusue and Yuka responded softly. Takeru and Tsumugi also had no objections. To be honest, Kahabell's words had somewhat moved Takeru.
Although he didn't know the specifics of what happened, Kahabell's feelings were without any falseness.
Besides Takeru, the four women beside him also felt incredibly sorrowful.
"I thought it would be interesting, so I came to watch," Iu said listlessly.
"So this kind of heartbreak exists too," Kusue said, quite affected.
"Ogye~!" At that moment, a plump bird circled above Takeru and the others' heads.
"Brave heroes!" A voice filled with endless joy reached their ears. The owner of the voice was a middle-aged man.
"Long time no see. I'm Shikasu!" Seeing everyone couldn't quite remember him, Shikasu quickly spoke. The plump bird landed on his head.
Looking at the middle-aged man before her, Kusue's eyes moistened slightly. Clearly, the last time they met, this man had been a child. Now, thirty years had passed, and he had become a middle-aged man.
"Thank you so much for protecting the village from the mountain spirits back then," Shikasu looked at Kusue and the others and thanked them again.
"L-Long time no see. I hope you've been well!" Looking at Shikasu before her, Kusue's eyes were slightly moist. Because she knew that her desperate protection back then had been worthwhile.
At the very least, the child from back then, thanks to her protection, had now safely grown into an adult. That was already enough.