"Why are you still here, anyway?"

I had thought I might run into a familiar face, but I didn’t expect to actually see one.

"With your skills, you could have gone somewhere better."

"Come on, Commander! What’s wrong with Ordo? It’s a great place to live."

Eric grumbled, leaning back in his chair.

"Ordo’s my hometown, after all. I don’t want to keep playing knight, but I still need to make a living, so this position suits me just fine."

"Hmm..."

Listening to his voice, which carried the tone of someone who had given up on a lot of things, I remembered the old Eric. It felt like just yesterday when he was a reckless brat who didn’t know his limits. How much he’s changed...

"I guess even a young fool matures with time."

"A young fool... Yes, well, I suppose so."

"...You have something to say?"

Eric gave me a look, as if he’d just heard something absurd, then quickly changed his expression.

"Oh no, of course not! How could I say anything to someone as high and mighty as you, Commander?"

Yeah, he’s probably thinking, ‘I can’t believe I’m being called a brat by someone younger and smaller than me...’ How predictable.

Still, since he didn’t actually say it out loud, I’ll let it slide.

"That guard earlier..."

"Garrett?"

"I don’t know his name. He’s from Ordo, right? Seemed like he didn’t understand Grannic."

"He’s from Ordo, yes, and you’re right—he can’t speak Grannic."

"...Does that even make sense?"

"What’s so strange about it?"

Eric skillfully prepared some tea as he spoke.

"Honestly, Grassis was on a decline long before it fell, wasn’t it? The ones with money fled to the Empire, and the children born later were taught Arkish first. It’s not surprising that the younger generation doesn’t know Grannic."

"But you know it."

"That’s for the same reason as you, Commander. My father was a big fan of Grassis..."

Well, that’s true. Garid’s patriotism was practically legendary.

But Eric was wrong about one thing.

Garid also knew how to speak Arkish.

"We may not be on good terms with them now, but you never know how things might change in the future. It wouldn’t hurt to learn it. Kana, why don’t you learn it too?"

"Not really interested."

"How cold..."

I vaguely remembered that conversation.

As Eric said, it had become a trend for both commoners and nobles to learn Arkish before Grassis fell. But that was only for people who had the means. People like me, living at the very bottom, could barely learn Grannic properly, having to pick it up by ear.

Of course, after being adopted by Garid, I didn’t bother learning Arkish because it seemed like too much effort.

"...Don’t kill him, please. He’s just inflexible, but he’s a good worker."

"...What kind of person do you think I am?"

I was a little offended, but not enough to snap someone’s neck for simply doing their job. I’m not that crazy.

"Maybe if it were you, though."

"Hey, why am I being dragged into this?!"

Eric grumbled, pulling something out of his pocket—the token I had shown to Garrett earlier.

"Here, I’ll give this back to you. And I’ll give you something else for identification, so... please refrain from using that."

"I get it. You’re telling me not to take it out again."

"I’m glad you understand. By the way, where have you been all this time? There are plenty of knights who wanted to see you, but no one knew where you were."

"...They wanted to see me? Who?"

"Plenty of them. If I had to name the most eager one, it would be the vice-commander."

"Oh, the vice-commander."

Eric and I continued catching up, exchanging stories.

"So, where have you been?"

"Garid’s grave."

"...Of course. Why didn’t I think of that?"

"Even if you had, you wouldn’t have found it."

I didn’t tell anyone where Garid was buried.

Not that it was my choice—Garid had wanted it that way.

We continued with idle conversation for a while. By the time we wrapped up, the sun had fully set, and the streets were illuminated by the warm light from the inns.

Taking a sip of his now-lukewarm tea, Eric spoke.

"Still, it’s good to see you again, Commander."

"...‘Still’ bothers me a bit, but yes, me too."

"So, what are you going to do now?"

"I’m heading to the Sedes Holy Kingdom."

"Sedes? Is it because of the Apostles?"

"Partly."

I stopped there, and Eric nodded in understanding.

"How about dinner together? My treat."

"I’ve got people waiting for me. Next time."

"Ah, right, you mentioned that. Well, next time you’re in Ordo, I’ll treat you to a feast. Stay safe. Though I doubt anything could happen to you."

Hahaha!

Eric laughed heartily, and I allowed a small smile to tug at the corners of my mouth.

"Who’s worrying about whom?"

You should be worrying about yourself, not me.

   *  *  *
   

Knock knock.

"...She’s gone, right?"

"Yeah."

Garrett cautiously opened the door to the checkpoint and stepped inside. Glancing around for the girl, he sighed in relief once he confirmed she was no longer there.

But even though he was relieved, his curiosity gnawed at him. Who exactly was that girl to make his superior react the way he had? Unable to suppress his curiosity, Garrett asked Eric,

"Uh, Captain...?"

"Don’t worry about it. Forget it."

Eric immediately shut down Garrett’s question.

For a moment, Eric recalled the past—the days when Garid, the former commander, was alive, and how Kana had been back then. He also thought about how Kana had changed after Garid passed.

As these memories flowed through his mind, he compared them to the Kana he had just spoken with.

She’s definitely softened.

Her expression and voice were still as unreadable as ever. Though her face wasn’t as gentle as when he first met her, it wasn’t as hard and cold as it had been the last time he’d seen her, either.

It seems time hasn’t just changed me, Commander, Eric thought, smiling faintly as he swallowed the words he could never say aloud.

...Commander!

Quiet.

I-I can still fight! Didn’t you tell me once that you don’t need a dog that runs away in fear?!

Stop spouting nonsense. You need to rest.

Eric would never forget those piercing pink eyes looking down at him in defeat. Nor could he forget the small, bloodied back that had shielded him, standing in front of him against an overwhelming enemy.

“A lowly commoner in the Crimson Flame Knights? The honor of the order has fallen to the ground.”

“...What?”

“Oh dear, did you hear that? My apologies, I meant to say that to my fellow knights.”

“You son of a—”

“You there. What are you doing?”

“...Sir?”

“C-Commander!”

“You seem idle. Spar with me.”

“N-no, I... uh...”

“Refusal is not an option.”

And Eric would never forget the day when that arrogant knight, who had sneered at him, was beaten to a pulp by Kana.

Of course, that incident had a lot to do with the commander’s personal vendetta, but still...

For that reason, Eric could never truly hate Kana.

"If what happened today leaks out... then..."

Gulp.

Garrett swallowed nervously.

"I-I’ll make sure to keep my mouth shut!"

"Good, good. It’s late, so head home now."

"Yes, sir! Loyalty to you!"

Garrett hurriedly dashed out of the checkpoint.

Being the overly diligent person he was, Eric figured he didn’t need to worry about any secrets leaking out.

Watching Garrett’s retreating figure, Eric let out a long sigh.

"You’ve really changed a lot, little commander."

Seeing that girl, once lost after losing her pillar of support, now stepping out into the world of her own accord... Eric mumbled to himself that living a long life really did let you see everything.

"Though, I must say, your height hasn’t changed."

Finally saying something he hadn’t dared say to her face, Eric chuckled to himself.

Creaaaak.

Gasp!

"...!"

The sudden noise startled Eric, and he quickly scanned his surroundings.

Not satisfied, he even opened the door and checked outside, just as Garrett had earlier, before finally letting out a breath of relief.

"Ah, damn wind."

He chuckled awkwardly to himself, realizing he’d scared himself for nothing.

   *  *  *
   

Facing the past used to feel like a deeply unpleasant task, but I suppose that’s not always the case.

My heavy mood had lightened.

In fact, I felt even better than before.

"This can’t be how it always goes."

I didn’t want to get involved in some childish factional dispute, but if I had to say, Eric would be considered part of my faction. If I’d encountered someone from a different group today, things might not have ended so amicably.

I might have even ended up witnessing a bloody mess.

In that sense, running into Eric today was lucky.

Now then... where has Journey wandered off to?

I was certain she’d made it into Ordo, but we hadn’t set any meeting point, so I had no idea where she could be. Somehow, I had the feeling that she’d find me quickly no matter where I went, but I still found myself wandering the streets, searching for her.

Despite the late hour, the streets of Ordo were brightly lit.

"Welcome! Staying the night?"

"We’ve just got some excellent meat in! Care to try some?"

"Hey, you two! Come have a meal! We’ve got good drinks too!"

I couldn’t understand what was being said, but the enthusiasm in their voices was unmistakable.

Wandering through Ordo’s lively atmosphere with my hood pulled low, I eventually found the person I was looking for.

Journey stood in front of an inn, holding a sign written in Arkish.

"Your voice can change this rotten city. Please lend your strength."

Some people just walked past, while others stopped and asked her about the sign.

"What’s going on?"

"There’s someone I care about like a little sibling, and they were wrongly accused and arrested by the city guards while entering Ordo with me. They’re such a good... person..."

"Oh dear..."

The people listening to her wore sympathetic expressions.

Why do I have a bad feeling about this...?

This was the kind of situation where getting involved would probably cause more trouble.

And my instincts were usually right about things like this.

Just as I tried to slip away unnoticed, Journey’s head shot up.

"What? Did you just say that’s Kana? Where?!"

I clearly heard my name.

I quickly turned my back, but Journey had already spotted me. She tossed aside her sign and came running.

"Kana... I mean, my little sibling!"

"Who’s your sibling...?"

Instead of calling my name, she ran up and hugged me tightly.

The people around us, seeing this scene, looked at us with touched expressions.

Some, with particularly sensitive hearts, even wiped away tears from the corners of their eyes.

Meanwhile, still trapped in her embrace, I let out a quiet sigh.

What a mess.

Truly.