GalaxyTL
…Hmm? What’s that? I hear a bunch of loud voices. Hm? Or rather, a huge commotion? No, this is… a fight!?
“F-Fighting’s not allowed!”
I sat up and shouted, and a bunch of familiar faces all turned towards me. Eh, huh? Could this be…
“M-M-Meg-chaaaan!!”
Saura-san dove towards me, tears and snot streaming down her face. Whoa!? But just as she was about to land, someone grabbed her by the waist, and she’s struggling in mid-air. This is… kinda cute.
Ah, as I thought, this is…
“O-Ortus… I’m… hooome.”
“Ah, Meg-chan!”
Maybe because I suddenly sat up or maybe because I haven’t completely recovered from the fatigue, I plopped back down. It’s good to be back, my pillow.
“Control yourselves! Look, you woke her up! I understand you’re worried, but she’s off limits! Out!”
“But we heard she was about to wake up, so… And now she’s…”
“Out. I won’t tell you again.”
Dr. Ludo said this to everyone, his voice as cold as ice, emanating an aura that wouldn’t allow for any objections. The scene was bizarre, with everyone nodding repeatedly without a word. It seems like Dr. Ludo was the one who grabbed Saura-san.
Looking around, not only Saura-san, but Kei-san, Nika-san, Maille-san, Carter-san, and many others seemed to have come. Even Schlie-san’s here, standing near the door, the gentleman he is. Ah, Juma-kun’s prostrating himself at my feet…
“Sorry, Meg-chan. We’ll be quiet now! Geez, they should have just kept quiet about you showing signs of waking up!”
“They never listen.”
“Even Maryla-san and Reki…”
It’s natural for these two to be here, since they’re on the medical team. But…
“Get some more rest, Meg.”
“Gil-san…”
I turned towards the familiar feeling of being gently patted on the head, and there was my beloved Gil-san. Dr. Ludo said he was the only one allowed to stay. Because it’ll help me relax.
By the way, Dad and Father-sama are still on the human continent, dealing with the aftermath. I see… So I really am back.
“Uu, uuu…”
“Meg…!?”
Tears kept spilling out. I’m back. I was able to come back. I really did.
I believed in it, I never gave up hope of coming back. But…
“Ugh, sniff… I-I’m hoooome, Ortus… Waaaaah!!”
It’s okay to cry now, right? I cried out loud, without holding back. Everyone around me let me. They gently patted my head. Maryla-san cried with me, and even Dr. Ludo and Reki were tearing up a little. And Gil-san embraced me gently. So I cried even more.
I’m so happy about this normal, everyday life.
It wasn’t actually “normal” at all.
I want to protect this normal life. I resolved to become even stronger, so I can do that. So once I’m done, I won’t cry anymore.
So I’ll cry a lot now, to my heart’s content.
My tears had subsided when Schlie-san brought me tea with perfect timing. He knocked lightly and politely stated his reason for visiting, and because he’s so well-liked, he was immediately allowed in. As expected.
Ah, even Schlie-san’s scent brings back memories. I feel like crying again. Stop it, me! I’m not going to cry anymore!
“I’ll leave immediately after putting this down. But, um… could I hug you, just for a bit?”
Of course you can, Schlie-saaaaan!! I even dove towards him. But I’m still weak, and I almost fell off the bed. “Oops,” he said, gently catching me. “You really are a handful, aren’t you?”, he said, as he embraced me tightly. Ah, so kind. That nice scent. I buried my face in his chest, struggling between holding back tears and savoring the moment.
“…This is… making me lose control.”
“Endure it, Schlie.”
Dr. Ludo responded to Schlie-san’s mutter, sounding exasperated. Was it too much? Sorry, Schlie-san.
After that, though reluctant, Schlie-san left. As expected of a beautiful woman in appearance, but a gentleman in heart.
I still need to rest, so while it’s not very proper, I had my tea in bed, as Dr. Ludo told me about what had happened while I was asleep. Ahhh, delicious. The cup’s rattling because I don’t have any grip strength, so it probably looks awful having Gil-san feed me.
“First of all, Meg. It’s been about 20 days since you lost consciousness.”
I immediately started coughing at his next words. At least I didn’t spit out my tea! Gil-san patted my back and handed me a towel. How attentive. Dr. Ludo, seeing that, apologized with a wry smile, saying he should have waited until I’d finished drinking. It’s okay, don’t worry about it!
“The Don and Demon King haven’t returned from the human continent. They’re… waiting for you to wake up.”
“For me?”
It seems Dad and Father-sama negotiated with the emperor to let me decide Ravi-san and Gordon’s punishment. They said not to execute them until then. And then they managed to obtain that right.
Wh-What are you doing, Dad… !? Well, I’m grateful! If they were executed while I was unconscious, I wouldn’t be able to handle it.
“They also asked if it was possible to have the female adventurer protected here. But they were refused, saying that a serious criminal can’t be brought to the Demon Continent. We knew from the start that it would be impossible though.”
I see, they still asked, even though they knew. I’m grateful for that. You can’t be making unreasonable demands when it comes to the rules. Or rather, maybe they intentionally made that unreasonable demand first to make it easier for them to accept the condition of waiting for me. Yeah, that’s probably it.
“So you’ll be heading back to the human continent again, Meg. Of course, Gil will go with you.”
“I’ll never leave your side again. I want you to believe that.”
So I’ll be going with Gil-san… Then I have nothing to worry about. But Gil-san’s eyes are wavering anxiously. Knowing Gil-san, with his strong sense of responsibility, he’s probably blaming himself for what happened.
I gently took Gil-san’s hand in both of mine.
“I… never doubted you, not even for a moment.”
Gil-san’s eyes widened, then he gave a rare, happy smile and said, “I see.”
“Well then, I’ll live up to that trust. It’s all I can do.”
We grinned at each other. Ah, I’m so happy.
“Meg…? You seem… more mature.”
“Huh?”
Dr. Ludo, who’d been watching, said this as if noticing something. More mature? Have I really? I’ve been through a lot, so I think I have, but I’m glad if it shows.
“The way you talk has become more fluent. You’re not slurring your words anymore.”
“Fueh?”
R-Really!? Now that he mentions it, I don’t feel like I’ve been messing up and getting flustered recently. Not completely, but…
I might actually be able to talk without slurring my words now. That slurring… was it… me being “spoiled”?
I was living a comfortable life in Ortus, being treated kindly, and just went with the flow. I thought about how I needed to do better, but that was all I did. I liked being spoiled, so I let myself be spoiled.
But this time, I was in a situation where I had to do things on my own, I made a lot of effort, and I thought about a lot of things in order to survive. I might not have done anything amazing, compared to the other Ortus members, but there’s no doubt my way of thinking changed.
Have I matured? I hope so.
Even if I go back to my spoiled life, I’ll make sure not to be spoiled too much. This time I’ll consciously put in the effort to mature.
Because I’m Meg, of Ortus.
“I think I can say it now!”
“Say what?”
When I said that, clenching my fist, Gil-san asked, and I grinned and called out to him!
“Gilnyandio-san… Uwaaaaah, whyyy!?”
I thought I could say it now! Dr. Ludo burst out laughing, and Maryla-san and even Reki were holding their stomachs laughing. Even Gil-san was trembling with suppressed laughter a beat later. No, just laugh already!
It seems like it’ll take a bit more time for me to stop being spoiled… Uwaaah!!