I left the temple and walked down the long hallway, finally reaching the room with the two sisters: the young dragonian shaman who granted me the Dragon Blessing, Pen, and my former squadmate, Ravien.
«...Are you here?»
When I knocked on the door and walked in, Pen looked up at me, made eye contact, and then quickly turned around.
Why does she always act like a little girl?
He had to admit, however, that it was pretty cute that he acted so distant. Mr. Dragon and Ravien told me that he became depressed when he found out that he had died. I guess I promised to tell him more interesting stories next time...
A growl stopped my thoughts in their tracks. «What did you just say? What did you just say?»
«Have you... heard that?»
«Not really. So what was it?»
When I raised my eyebrow at him, Pen looked at me agitated and shouted: «What...?! I was just saying that I knew it was you and not a fake as soon as I saw your face».
It was an obvious lie. I definitely heard her say «that ugly face» right now.
«Pantieauros».
«¡Es Penityauuros!»
«Since it's been a few years, I guess you need another reminder. I'm not ugly, I'm manly. Understood?»
«...Sí, vale.»
So I was finally willing to admit it. Anyway, now that I was done making fun of her, I greeted her sister too. «It's been a while, Ravien.»
«You two... seem closer than I thought».
»Nearby»? We have only met once, when I received the Dragon Blessing».
«Still, you're probably the last outsider Pen interacted with. Someone outside the dragon clan».
Well, I guess so. How many outsiders would even have a valid reason to come to the Dragon Temple in the first place?
I sat in an empty seat next to the table while I asked them something they were asking me. «But from the way you reacted, it seemed like you knew it was coming, right?».
«...We found out from dad, yes».
«When was that?»
«While talking to you. We can hear dad's voice from anywhere if he wants».
So he could use his Dragon Speech not only to teleport, but also to transmit messages? He was even more talented than I thought.
«How much did you listen?»
«How much? Well, he just told us to stay still since you were coming towards us. Oh! He also said you had good news to tell me».
Ha, that guy.
«So what's the good news?» Pen looked at me with eyes full of curiosity. I avoided her gaze and looked at Ravien, but she just shrugged, unwilling to help me. I couldn't really understand those dragonians. Why did they give such important news to a stranger?
Well, it's not that telling him that was any problem for me.
There was no point in continuing to beat around the bush, so I said: «I killed the dragon slayer and gave him his heart back». A lot had happened, but it could all be summed up in that sentence.
«...What?» Still, the young dragonian stared at me in disbelief, struggling to assimilate what I was saying. No matter how succinct it was, that sentence was not easy to process.
«I'm serious. I gave your father his heart, so you should be able to recover soon».
«...Sister?»
«What you say is true, Pen.»
Even with her sister's confirmation, she still looked dumbfounded. It seemed like the shock of receiving this gift surpassed any joy he could feel.
After a long moment, Pen finally regained her composure. «...Thank you.»
I guess I should take back what I said about his childishness. She and Mr. Dragon were equal in that they both gave thanks with the utmost sincerity.
«Of course, even after you recover, not many things will change for you right away», I warned. «Right now I have a small situation».
«...A situation? What do you mean?»
I had taken the liberty of asking Mr. Dragon for a few things as we continued talking, and one of those requests was that my murder of the Dragon Slayer remain a secret for the time being. That meant that even after Pen recovered, she would still be trapped in the temple for the foreseeable future. In the end, however, he agreed with my logic.
«I'm sorry. I'm sure you're tired of being stuck in this place all the time. But for my sake, I...»
«Alright.» Pen interrupted my apology. «I don't really care about being trapped here».
They weren't empty words, I could hear the sincerity in their tone. It's not that he didn't understand why he felt that way. «That makes sense. You spend the day being silly and they serve you food whenever you want. It's not a bad life for...»
«What are you talking about, idiot?»
«...Hey? Isn't that okay with you?»
Pen let out a deep sigh. «Of course not. I'm sick of this place. I want to run around in the wind and smell the flowers again, but...» He interrupted himself and clenched his fists. «My father was trapped here, all this time, because of me. But now things are different. You can go wherever you want and see what you want».
His response was nothing like I expected.
«So, that's more than enough for me».
The family ...
Given his conviction, I couldn't help but wonder.
«Thank you, Yandel, for saving my father.»
What is it like to have a real family?
***
After our conversation, Pen left the room, saying she needed some alone time. With that, Ravien and I were the only ones left. I didn't care as I had something to ask him privately.
«Ravien.»
«I hear you, so say what you have to say».
«Why did it take me so long to see you?».
«What... do you mean by that?»
Was he too lazy?
I had figured it might be a sensitive topic, so I tried to put it as delicately as possible, but I thought it should have been straight as the barbarian it was from the beginning. «I'm talking about the after party. I thought you didn't come because you were busy, but you don't seem that way to me».
«I heard that Mrs. Titana Akurava was not there either».
«Well, it's true», I said, nodding. «But that woman had a full plate».
There was an awkward pause. «...I was busy too».
«Oh yeah? So I guess that's it».
«Is that all you were wondering?» Ravien tried to act indifferently, calmly sipping his tea.
Ha, did I really think I was going to swallow that performance?
«Ravien, I'll be fine regardless of your answer, so be honest. Have you changed your mind?»
Although I didn't add more context than that, it was obvious to both of us what I was talking about.
«No. I have not done it».
«Really? Since we got back to town, I have a feeling you're trying to distance yourself from us, so...».
«I was never on the same page as you to begin with.»
«What do you mean?
When I stared at her, frowning, Ravien finally broke down. «Of course I am sad for the innocents who died in that cold place. Of course I'm angry at the marquis and the royal family for what they put us through. But...»
«But?»
«That is. Not everyone is like you, Yandel». Unfortunately, it seemed like I wasn't wrong to suspect that Ravien was distancing himself from us. The reason was also more or less what I expected. «No matter how united we may have been over the months, after all, it was just an expedition».
Things would have been different if a relative of his had died, but we were barely more than acquaintances. It wasn't strange that he felt that way.
«If you ask me yes, I think it's worth risking my life for revenge, the only answer I can give you is no, it's not worth it».
Ravien had put aside his emotions to make a logical decision. In any case, his reaction was normal. Even if a family member had died, most people wouldn't think of taking revenge on the royal family.
«I see... Thanks for telling me. It must have been difficult to be completely honest with me».
«...I'm sorry this is the only thing I can offer you, but I'm sure there is at least one other person in the group who feels the same way I do». The drive and energy is making it difficult for them to express their opinions».
It was probably true. People quickly changed their minds when their emotions calmed down. «I will take that advice into account».
«This is... a surprise. I honestly thought you would yell at me and call me a traitor.»
«If I did, would you change your mind? Because if I did, I'd call you that a hundred times».
«Oh... Well...» Ravien looked away, telling me everything I needed to know about his ability to let himself be convinced. Still, we had both said what we had to say, and our conversation came to a civilized end.
I watched for a moment as she looked at the ground, clearly frustrated with herself. It reminded me of my old self. After all, I used to be like her.
«Ravien», I heard myself say, «let me give you some advice too».
«Which is?»
«If everyone had been as rational as you that day, none of us would have made it back alive.».
There was nothing objectively correct to do. There were only the decisions we made and could make.
«Come see me if you change your mind», I said, approaching the door. «We will always welcome you with open arms».
He called me when I was leaving. «...although I think my father is still in a meeting».
«Oh, sure.»
In the end, I had to stay a little longer, uncomfortably drinking tea with her until Lord Dragon returned and teleported me home. Since I had left early in the morning, I was able to return at noon.
«Lord! He's back!»
«...You arrive home soon. I thought you said you'd be out late.»
When I returned to the house, Amelia and Erwen quickly came out to greet me.
«Ah, the meeting ended sooner than I thought. But what happened here?» I pointed to the backyard. Before I left, it was a vacant lot full of weeds, but now, it had been completely remodeled. There was a line drawn in the middle. One side was a garden full of bushes and plants, while the other was arranged as a training ground.
«Oh, this? Don't worry. It may seem a little strange, but... there was no other option».
«Since it would be unfair for one person to have everything to themselves, we decided to divide it in two».
So that's why it was both a garden and a training ground now. After struggling for the past few days, this was apparently the compromise they had reached.
«Yandel, have you eaten?»
«Just some sandwiches. And you?»
«Not yet!»
«So let's eat together.»
I thought it would be nice to go out to eat for the first time in a long time, but before I could even ask, I was told that Auyen was already cooking for us. At first, I couldn't understand what I was hearing at all. «Is that guy cooking...?».
«Didn't you know? He also made the dinner you ate yesterday».
«...I thought you bought it. Is there even a kitchen here?»
Amelia gave me a look of pity. «We converted one of the rooms on the first floor into a kitchen a while ago. How did you not notice?».
I didn't answer.
«Yandel, I know you're busy, but you should pay attention to where you live».
I had nothing to say to that. I was already planning to take advantage of my free time in the next few days to rest well, at least.
For now, I followed Amelia to the new kitchen.
«Ah, it's here, captain!» auyen, who was wearing a white apron, greeted me. I looked up at the counter and saw a meal served on clean white plates.
«Sir, come here. He'll take care of everything, so sit down».
«Oh... Sure».
What else could Auyen do? The guy was a sailor, an equestrian, and now a cook?
...Is he good at everything other than fighting?
Once again I realized how important strength was in this world. If I wasn't strong, maybe this guy would be sending me.
«What do you think? Is it to your taste?»
«It's perfect. It tastes great, and there are plenty of meat side dishes too.»
«Since we never know when you will return, the mistresses always make me prepare a lot to eat».
«...¿Las amas?»
«Oh...» Auyen shuddered at his slip of the tongue. Since he himself realized that I had screwed up, I didn't bother messing with him anymore and just ate.
«You can leave it. I'll clean it».
When we finished eating, Auyen came over and picked up the plates. How weird. This special treatment made me feel like a true nobleman.
«Sir, you have no other plans for today, do you?»
«Yeah. I've left the rest of the day free just in case».
«So... how about we have tea in the garden?»
«Oh, eso sien genial.»
«Tersia, I want black tea», Amelia intervened.
«Ha... yes you are shameless».
Despite their complaints, Erwen ended up making us black tea and the three of us sat down to chat in the garden. Under the warm rays of the sun, I looked at the fence that isolated our house from the outside world, creating a comfortable bubble. It's been a while since I've taken a break like this.
This is good...
Even the arguments between Erwen and Amelia seemed like a relaxing background noise, and I felt relaxed for the first time in a long time.
Maybe my state of exhaustion explained what happened next.
«The family ...»
Without realizing it, the word escaped my mouth. I only uttered it in a murmur, which meant that no one should have heard it unless they were listening carefully. However, the duo arguing next to me suddenly fell silent.
An awkward silence filled the garden.
«...Yandel, what did you just say?».
«Yes, what did you say, sir?».
The two turned to me in unison, as if they hadn't been fighting a few seconds ago.
«...Nothing.» I quickly tried to get him off of me, but his expressions told me that they weren't going to let him go.
«No, what did you mean? We have clearly heard you say 'family'...».
i growled. Why had it escaped me? Since my encounter with that little dragonian and what she told me today, the word had been on my mind and I ended up letting it go....
«I just...» I let out a heavy sigh. «I was wondering if this is what it feels like to have a family».
It was a sincere response. But despite my frankness, the two fell silent again, closing their mouths with a snap.
If they don't say something soon, this is only going to get more awkward...
Erwen looked down at her cup of tea, refusing to look at me.
Then suddenly he raised his eyes and murmured, almost imperceptibly: «...The left side of the fence».
The left side of the fence? What was he talking about suddenly?
Just as I was going to ask her what she meant, Amelia spoke up and answered my question. «Someone is watching us».
¿What?
«Tersia, let's ambush them on the count of three.»
«Okay.»
Without requiring any intervention on my part, the two crept up to the fence and prepared to attack whoever was watching us.
«. ...Ehhh?!»
In an instant, they swooped in and began dragging the stalker like a trophy, like predators that had just caught their prey.
«...Oh. It's you... I don't know if I should be happy to see you or not».
Amelia's reaction warned me that something was wrong.
Erwen, meanwhile, was silent, her expression frozen.
«Ahaha...» His prey fell to the ground and he looked at me with a clumsy smile. «It-it's been a while... Bjorrrn-Ack!» He grimaced in pain as if he had bitten his tongue trying to wrap it in words.
Amelia, Erwen and I stared at her in silence.
Your Missha.