NoveLight ™
“Garid.”
If becoming independent and leaving your parents’ embrace marks the end of boyhood, then I guess I’ve never really left that stage.
Maybe I never will.
Garid is everything to me.
With a heavy heart, I looked down at the Crimson Aegis and sighed.
“...Honestly, I still don’t want to do this.”
Leaving Garid, going out into the world… none of it feels right.
“I’m not going to say something like, ‘Garid wouldn’t want me to live like this.’”
Maybe Garid really wouldn’t have wanted this, but I don’t want to use his wishes as an excuse for my actions.
That’s why the decision to leave Garid’s side, even for a while, is purely my own.
“...There’s something I want to find out.”
I doubt such a lofty figure will bother coming all the way here.
If you want something, you’ve got to dig your own well, as they say.
At least thanks to the snake’s barrier, I don’t have to worry about thieves. It’s a life-and-death pact, so it’s unlikely there’d be any tricks with the barrier. I can relax for the time being.
“So...”
After hesitating for a while, I finally spoke.
“I’ll be back, Dad.”
I promise. I’ll come back.
“...She’s late.”
I should’ve set a specific time.
I came down from the mountain at the usual time Journey arrives, but even when I stretched out my senses, I couldn’t feel her approaching.
Murmur, murmur.
She’s not here yet, but all these strange people are gathering around me.
I stood at a distance, scanning the people surrounding me.
From their vague appearances, they seemed to be Apostles.
They didn’t seem hostile, so I let them be, but being treated like a spectacle didn’t feel great.
Hmm...
Tap, tap.
I tapped the sword at my waist.
...If they’re Apostles, would it really matter if I killed them once?
“Kana!”
Just as I was seriously contemplating it, a familiar voice called out.
“J-just a moment! Coming through! Whoa, whoa!”
Journey, struggling to push through the thick crowd, finally popped out, almost as if she had been thrown forward.
That’s so typical of her.
“You’re late.”
“Sorry, sorry! I, uh... there was a lot to prepare!”
“Supplies.”
“Yep, supplies!”
Journey puffed out her chest proudly, even though I hadn’t asked for an explanation.
“Trust me, I’ll make you feel right at home!”
“Hm...”
...Why don’t I feel reassured?
“By the way, where are we going?”
See? She doesn’t even know where we’re going and just asked to come along. How can I trust her?
“The Sedes Holy Kingdom.”
Grassis is... or rather, was a kingdom located in the western part of the Ardina Continent.
In contrast, the Sedes Holy Kingdom is at the southeastern edge of the continent, so it’s going to be a long journey.
If I ran at full speed, we could get there quickly, but with a companion, that’s not an option.
“We could use a teleport gate... oh.”
Journey, murmuring to herself, suddenly realized something and looked at me nervously.
Teleport gates are operated by the Mage Tower, which is located in the Empire.
The tower isn’t technically part of the Empire, but it receives massive support from them, so they can’t afford to ignore the Empire’s influence.
Besides, to get to the Sedes Holy Kingdom, we’d need to use several gates, and that would inevitably involve passing through one in the Empire. That’s not ideal.
There’s a difference between the Empire not chasing me and me walking into their territory.
And there’s another problem.
“Do you have a lot of money?”
“Ah.”
Crossing the continent with teleportation would cost a fortune.
There’s a reason people still travel by carriage or horseback, despite teleport gates being faster and more convenient.
When the knights attacked last time, part of my disbelief stemmed from how expensive teleportation is.
Even during wartime, teleport gates were only used in extreme emergencies. Knowing that, you can imagine how I felt when they showed up using one.
The snake’s description of them as ‘reckless youths’ was off. ‘Reckless, wealthy youths’ would’ve been more accurate.
“So, are we walking?”
“We’ll need to find a carriage.”
I don’t want to walk that distance either.
It’s no easy feat spending days bouncing around in a carriage, but it’s still better than walking for days on end.
Not for me, but for my frail companion.
“If we find a merchant caravan headed to Sedes, we can offer to act as escorts. If not, we’ll have to hire a driver.”
Both options have their pros and cons, so it’s hard to say which is better.
And who knows if there’s even a caravan heading to Sedes from here.
“Let’s go.”
“Huh? Where?”
“The village.”
We won’t find a caravan or carriage here, so we’ll have to go into the village.
That means we’ll have to get through these Apostles...
Alright, I understand.
Shrring.
“Wait!”
Grab!
Just as I half-drew my sword, Journey hurriedly jumped in.
“I’ll talk to them...!”
Why bother? They’ll just respawn anyway.
Garid’s hometown is a small village at the base of a rugged mountain.
According to him, he used to travel up and down the treacherous paths, which even adults found difficult, as if it were his own backyard. Believe it or not.
Whether that was true or not didn’t really matter. The important thing was that, in such a small village, there was no chance of finding a merchant caravan or a carriage, so naturally, we started heading toward a larger city.
The closest big city from here would be Ordo.
When I asked Journey if she knew anything about Ordo, she nodded confidently.
“Ordo? Of course, I know!”
She began explaining, and while I couldn’t understand everything, I gathered that the city of Ordo still existed.
Well, it’s hard for a city that big to collapse in the blink of an eye.
It made me realize how impressive it was that Grassis managed to do just that—crumble so completely.
Anyway, after the fall of Grassis, it seemed Ordo had enough economic and military strength to stand on its own, eventually choosing the path of independence as a free city rather than falling under the Empire’s control.
Ordo, huh... I might see some familiar faces.
“Oh, right! Kana, take this.”
“...A cape?”
“I fixed it. How is it? Looks good, right?”
Honestly, when Journey offered to fix my torn cape, I hadn’t expected much.
If she could fix it, great. If not, no big deal.
It was something I’d worn for a while and had grown fond of, but there wasn’t much sentimental value attached to it. Even if I had to buy a new one, I would’ve only been a little disappointed.
What mattered to me was something else entirely.
“...”
I absentmindedly touched the choker around my neck.
“...Yeah, it’s fine.”
The ripped hood was seamlessly mended, and the frayed areas were neatly patched up.
If you looked closely, you could see the stitching, but at a glance, you wouldn’t even know it had been repaired. Journey had done a surprisingly good job.
I didn’t expect her to have such a talent.
“Even a slowpoke has its talents, I guess.”
Instead of wielding a sword as a mercenary, she could’ve made it big by opening a repair shop.
“Huh? Kana, what did you say?”
“Nothing.”
Just as I was about to pull the cape around me and flip up the hood with a familiar motion, Journey stopped me.
“Kana, wait a second.”
“...?”
“Can you not wear the hood?”
Her sudden request made me tilt my head in confusion.
It wasn’t that I couldn’t, but...
“Why?”
“It hides your cute face.”
“...What nonsense are you saying?”
To say something so embarrassing like it was nothing—straight out of a comic book.
In another life, I might’ve blushed, but after everything I’ve been through, it didn’t faze me at all.
Scoffing, I turned my head away with a slight huff.
And I didn’t wear the hood.
"...Cute."
Journey murmured softly.
Though Kana tried to maintain her composure, her ears, peeking through her sweet pink hair, had turned a noticeable shade of red, and a faint blush appeared on her pale cheeks. Journey, smiling warmly, gazed at Kana, who had turned her head away.
The viewers watching the broadcast seemed to share Journey's sentiment, as the chat exploded with excitement.
"Uh-uh, Kana's mine," Journey teased with a playful grin.
"..."
Journey narrowed her eyes at the horde of hyenas seizing the opportunity to tease her.
As expected, they were always looking for a chance to mock her.
She exhaled, then quickly replaced her expression with a victorious smirk.
“Yeah, you guys can say whatever you want, but I’m the one who’s actually going on a date with Kana. Jealous? Frustrated? Well, what are you going to do about it besides watch?”
"Hey, no bad words."
Journey skillfully handled the viewers who were trying to push the limits.
“You’re coming for me? You really think you can take Kana on? Come at me if you dare~”
"Heheh, but it doesn’t bother me at all."
Having dealt with endless teasing from her viewers, Journey knew exactly how to push their buttons, and she couldn’t stop smirking as she watched the chat go wild.
The comment about hiding behind a child did sting a bit, though…
‘Well, I’ve done it once, what’s the harm in doing it again?’
When the knights from the Empire had attacked, Journey had been protected by Kana. She didn’t mind lightly brushing off the viewers' comments.
Whether it was right or wrong to be proud of that moment didn’t cross her mind.
Amid teasing the viewers and admiring Kana’s shy demeanor, Journey suddenly noticed a well-maintained road stretching out before her.
“If we follow this road, we’ll reach Ordo. ...Though I’m sure Kana already knows that!”
Journey began explaining to the viewers as usual but quickly realized that it was pointless, considering Kana was from Grassis. She trailed off awkwardly.
Talking about the area in front of Kana was like trying to show off in front of an expert.
While Kana didn’t seem to mind, Journey’s face turned red with embarrassment.
Fanning her face with her hands to cool down, Journey spoke again, trying to play it off.
“When we get there, we should eat some...”
Plod, plod.
Clack.
"...Found you."
Journey didn’t get to finish her sentence.
A stranger suddenly appeared in front of them, sword drawn.
“Hic!”
At first, Journey thought it was one of the knights chasing Kana, but when she looked up and saw the sword pointed at her, she let out a startled hiccup.
It wasn’t a knight—it was a player!
Journey, realizing the identity of the attacker, asked in a trembling voice, “W-w-who are you...?”
"You said to come, so I came!"
“Hic!”
Journey, who never actually expected anyone to show up, was so taken aback by the sudden appearance that she took a step back in fear.
The chat had already turned into a festival of laughter.
Everyone was eagerly awaiting her demise.
Rolling her eyes around in panic, Journey suddenly smiled nervously.
“Hmph! Well, I’ve got Kana, you know?”
Normally, she would have tried to reason with the person or find a way to escape, but this time, she had a reliable bodyguard with her.
Journey turned to Kana and called out.
“Kana?”
“Yeah?”
“Look! He’s blocking our way!”
Kana, who was meeting Journey’s hopeful gaze, tilted her head in confusion.
“So?”
“...What?”
This... wasn’t the reaction Journey was expecting.
Even more flustered than when the attacker first appeared, Journey tried again.
“He’s blocking the path! You know, the way we’re supposed to go?”
“Yeah, so?”
But there was something Journey didn’t know.
First, Kana didn’t draw her sword unless it was a special situation or the person in question had hostile intent.
Second, Kana’s ability to sense hostility was highly developed.
In other words, since the stranger wasn’t targeting her, Kana had no reason to act.
“It seems like they have business with you, so you should handle it yourself.”
Journey didn’t fully understand Kana’s words, but the meaning was clear enough. The way Kana crossed her arms and took a step back confirmed it.
“K-Kanaaa!”
“Fu, fufufufu...”
The wail of betrayal from Journey, the attacker’s mocking laugh, and the viewers’ cackling all blended into a cacophony of humiliation.