I rejoined the hero party.
The hero party’s next destination was a city in the northeast.
Afterward, we would slowly circle around and return to the continent where our journey began.
‘Around three months, maybe.’
It’s expected to take about three to six months to reach the continent.
There will be many events along the way, but the most important one will probably be the final heroine’s arrival.
There are also incidents involving demons and monsters, but...
‘It’s all so different now.’
The original story has become little more than a reference point.
Any additional variables must be resolved entirely by the hero party’s strength.
‘I can do this.’
Because these are the party members I believe in.
And for them, and for my journey, there are tasks I must accomplish.
The entity that helped resolve the hero party’s fate when I joined… I have two tasks to complete for it.
‘I can do it.’
I just need to focus.
And so, with that resolve, I focused on the related research I needed to continue.
"Louis, can you come out for a moment? I have a favor to ask."
"If it's from
Aswell
, I can’t refuse."
...First, I’ll help
Aswell
with his request.
Later...
"Louis, I was wondering..."
"Yes,
Lafiré
?"
I was sitting in front of the campfire, happily eating
Aria
's carrot soup when
Lafiré
, who had been absentmindedly staring into the fire after finishing her bowl, spoke up.
"When will you stop calling me 'Lady Lafiré?"
"Huh?"
"When are you going to stop calling me Lady
Lafiré
?"
"You're right, I also have an issue with it!"
Aria
chimed in, wiping her bowl, agreeing with
Lafiré
.
Serelin
didn’t say anything but nodded along, and
Aswell
was watching me with a content smile.
"Hmmm..."
"Honestly,
Aria
does it because of religious reasons or her personality, but you don’t."
"I’m just doing it out of personality..."
"That’s hard to say when you casually speak informally with
Niabella
. You’ve been calling
Aswell
by his name for a while now."
"..."
"Louis, are we still uncomfortable with each other?"
"Eh?"
I felt that
Lafiré
's expression and tone became quite meek as she looked away and asked in a barely audible voice.
"Did I do something wrong...? If I did, I’ll fix it..."
"I also... If I’ve done anything wrong, I’ll fix it..."
"Sorry, Louis. I’ve spent my life wielding a sword, so I didn’t have time to notice..."
"Eh, no, that’s not it."
What’s happening here?
Suddenly, I became the person who used honorifics because I felt uncomfortable and awkward with
Aria
,
Serelin
, and
Lafiré
.
That’s not at all the case.
When we first met, it was natural to use honorifics since it was our first encounter. And now, it just became a habit, so I didn’t think much about it.
With
Niabella
, she was younger than me from the start, and since she used honorifics with me, I spoke informally to her.
Aswell
? As for
Aswell
...
"Anyway, it's not because I’m uncomfortable."
"Really? Well, from now on, I’ll stop using honorifics. If you don’t like it..."
"Oh, okay."
"Don’t just say ‘okay.’ Say it properly. We’re going to adjust the way we address each other to mark your return."
"…
Lafiré
."
Aria
, and
Serelin
.
It was just calling their names, but for some reason, my face was getting hotter.
I really felt like I wanted to leave this place immediately.
I looked at
Aswell
desperately, hoping he would save me, but he was still watching me with a gentle smile.
"Ugh..."
"Hehe, Louis is so embarrassed!"
"Hehe, I’ve never seen you this shy."
"Don’t tease me."
Honestly, after everything that happened, I felt a little awkward.
But thanks to
Lafiré’s
help, or rather, through this situation, a lot of those feelings had washed away.
"I’m done eating, so I’ll go for a walk."
"…"
"…
Lafiré
."
"Okay! See you later."
I left the camp to feel the warmth of the carrot soup and took a stroll in the nearby forest.
The cold air turned my cheeks red, but thanks to the robe
Master
gave me, I didn’t feel cold.
"Haah..."
As I exhaled, my breath turned to white mist in the air.
It had been about two days since we left
Stormblast
.
Just two days ago, everything felt dark, and my whole body ached, but now it felt like something from a long time ago.
The peaceful atmosphere now, and the loud voices of the party members from far away.
I loved these things, which is why I rejoined the journey.
"…"
So, for this journey, I will try my best.
Overcoming my trials and walking the right path with my companions.
"Umm..."
"Louis."
"Yikes."
When I turned around, I saw
Aswell
waving at me, his breath visible in the cold air.
"Why... why are you here?"
Thump. Thump.
I tried to calm my pounding heart, surprised, and asked
Aswell
why he was here. By now, he should be spending time with the other heroines. Why had he come here?
"Well... I didn’t want to go too far, so I followed you out. I was worried."
He followed me out because he was worried?
Thump.
How could such a simple reason still make my heart race like this?
"If it’s uncomfortable, I’ll go back."
When I didn’t say anything,
Aswell
turned away with an awkward smile.
Swish.
"…
Louis
?"
"Well, um... it might be fine."
"Huh?"
I couldn’t believe what I was saying.
I was so surprised by the sudden situation that I lost track of grammar and kept talking.
"I think it’s not good to keep going back and forth inefficiently."
"Ah, um... so, you mean it’s okay to stay here?"
"To put it simply... yeah, I guess."
"…Thank you."
Thankfully, I managed to stop
Aswell
from going back.
...Thankfully?
"Well, so, were you just walking around?"
"Yes? Yes, I was just thinking about what happened back at
Stormblast
."
"Ah, I see... Did
Duke
or
Master
tell you?"
"What about?"
"I was asked by both of them."
"Really?"
That was a surprise.
There was no mention of it when we said our farewells, and they didn’t say anything when they packed materials for me, either.
A faint anger bubbled up when I remembered that
Master
and
Kunder
might have bothered
Aswell
.
"What did they say?"
"Just... that they were counting on me."
...Huh?
"That’s all. I thought they might have told you something else, but I guess not."
"Ah, I see..."
Hearing an unexpected request, I quietly lowered my head.
‘...What exactly did those two ask him for?’
They’ve always cared for me like parents, but this request... it felt more than that.
It was almost like asking the person they recognized as my boyfriend to look after me...
‘That’s impossible!’
"Don’t worry about it too much. I’ll do my part too."
"No, that’s not possible. I have a promise I made to you a long time ago."
"...?"
"The promise I made to prioritize you."
"..."
I wanted to say something, but the look in
Aswell’s
eyes, sparkling like the stars in the night sky, stopped me from speaking.
"Well, then... I’ll rely on you."
"Ah, yeah."
We both awkwardly bowed to each other, and an uncomfortable silence followed.
I desperately tried to find a way to break the silence, but now I was curious about
Aswell’s
thoughts.
"
Aswell
."
"Hmm?"
"I have a question."
"Ask me anything."
"Is there anyone in the party who’s on your mind?"
"....Huh?"
It was a question I thought I could ask a passionate 20-year-old guy.
But for some reason,
Aswell
’s face turned red with embarrassment.
Last night, I never got an answer from
Aswell
.
After avoiding my curious gaze for a while, he said, “I actually have something to do” and ran off.
But now that I think about it, it wasn’t that hard to understand.
‘I guess he thought I would just figure it out.’
Instead of anything happening, it would have been fortunate if nothing went wrong and he didn’t leave the party.
Of course, I know about the original story, and since I’ve helped them directly, I understand the situation.
No matter who the hero confessed to, they’d accept it.
Before we left
Lacre
, we tried to make time for
Aswell
, so what about now?
In the original,
Aria
was the first one to end up with him, but what about now?
I slowly closed my eyes and imagined that
Aswell
might end up with one of the party members.
Ouch.
Hmm...?
But soon, I felt a sharp pain in my chest, so I stopped.
"Louis. Looks like we’re almost there."
"Ah? Oh... Yeah."
I could see the huge walls of the northeastern city in the distance.
After
Lafiré
’s words, I focused on finalizing the plans for our arrival, completely unaware of the unknown pain.