Chapter 24: She Took My Hand
“Ichiro, I received word from Chancellor Madison. I want to express my gratitude once again for everything you’ve done.”
I lightly washed my hands and faced Puffy.
“Lift your head. I promised Puffy that I would lend my strength that day. Though, to be honest, all I can do is literally ‘lend my strength.'”
Puffy shook her head.
“It’s all thanks to you. Because you took action, I… somehow—”
She raised her right arm, revealing the bracelet I had given her. It seemed to faintly glow at her chest… a warm light.
“I can always feel your heart… though that might be a bit too forward, don’t you think?”
Puffy smiled shyly, reminiscent of the girl I had seen during my time in the Royal Castle.
“It’s not too forward, but…”
I found myself flustered by her smile and words, mumbling awkwardly. As we exchanged such banter, she began to share her recent experiences.
Since Ryuguin had been captured, there had been persistent suggestions to sell Puffy off to some noble in a neighboring country, as her value had plummeted. However, not long ago, news spread through noble society that her mysterious Seeker had single-handedly wiped out a band of thieves from four Dark Guilds in just one night. Thanks to that, her reputation had significantly recovered.
There were various speculations about how she had come to know such a Seeker, how she had managed to tame him, and whether he was truly a Seeker or perhaps a Magic Golem in disguise. Some even wondered if there was a special relationship between the Seeker and the princess. Nevertheless, the overall sentiment was positive, and considering the Seeker’s abilities, it seemed unlikely that anyone would propose selling Puffy anytime soon.
As I sighed in relief upon hearing this, I sensed five presences approaching.
“I’m back!”
It was Sena, along with two swordsmen whom she had by the scruff of their necks.
“Master, we failed again…”
Eris muttered, half in tears.
“We were resting when thirty Exia Wolves came rushing at us… I really thought we were going to die this time.”
Orphe chuckled as he explained. “Ahaha,” he laughed, but it was no laughing matter! They looked completely battered!
“This is going to take a while longer,” Sena said, crossing her arms, looking as if to say, ‘These girls are quite troublesome.’
The remaining two presences were—
“Everyone, it’s been a while!”
“Ichiro-kun, how have you been?”
Following Ange’s voice, I heard Pul-san’s.
“Ange! Pul-san! I’ve been waiting for you!”
“Ichiro, I’m sorry. Things have been a bit hectic…”
“Don’t worry about it. I just finished preparing everything.”
“I’ll help, Ichiro-kun!”
Though I had seen each of them occasionally, it was the first time this group had gathered together. The cabin was getting a bit cramped. I thought about how we would need to expand the cabin using Sensei’s mysterious materials before she returned from her travels.
I encouraged everyone to take their seats, and Pul-san and I quickly arranged everyone’s plates.
We had a pizza topped generously with mozzarella cheese, which even Sena had approved of, fluffy bread bought from the town, my favorite pepperoncino loaded with bacon, a thick-cut steak with marbled monster meat, a pot-au-feu made from its bones and plenty of vegetables, and a variety of side dishes to accompany the main course.
“Ichiro, how’s this?”
Sensei asked me. I nodded solemnly in response. She then enthusiastically slammed a bottle of alcohol onto the table.
“Let’s drink!!”
With Sensei’s call, cheers erupted from some of the group. Adults sometimes need to drink, after all. To celebrate our hard work, I poured some sake into Sensei’s cup.
In turn, everyone poured drinks for each other, and at the right moment, Sensei raised her cup.
“We’ve all really worked hard!! So today, let’s eat a lot, drink a lot, and let loose a lot!!”
As expected of Sensei, the representative of cool but irresponsible adults.
“Alright then!”
Everyone raised their glasses in unison.
“Cheers!!”
We shouted joyfully. I love you, Sensei!
While Sensei, Pul-san, and Orphe drank at quite a pace, we sipped our drinks slowly, discussing our meals and sharing more casual updates, mixed with some grumbling.
Pul-san was supposed to resign as the Guild Master of the Green Eyes, but things didn’t go as planned. Just before her resignation, the higher-ups from the Seeker Association and Chancellor Madison intervened, insisting that they couldn’t leave a mediocre person in charge of the Guild so close to the Royal Capital.
“When I expressed that I felt something was off with my memory, they looked at me like I was crazy! That old man! I will never forget that! And I’m just so tired of it!”
The dignified Pulmy was nowhere to be seen here. Instead, the tipsy Pulmy was throwing a tantrum. In the end, they couldn’t reach a compromise, and she reluctantly took on the role of an advisor, which was essentially the same as before.
“What’s an advisor?! I’m still doing a significant portion of the Guild Master’s work! Nothing has changed!!”
Pulmy raised her voice in frustration.
“That sounds tough… If there’s anything I can help with, just let me know.”
“Ichiro-kun, you’re really a good guy. Just having this gathering means so much to me, but I… I wanted to go back to the village!! Waaaah!!”
Pul-san, who I thought was doing fine, was actually not fine at all, drowning in her sorrows.
“Ichiro, thank you.”
A familiar, soothing voice came from beside me. It was Ange, who had sat down next to me.
“I was really looking forward to seeing you, Ichiro… I’m so glad. Oh, of course, I was also really looking forward to seeing you.”
Ange laughed heartily.
“I was looking forward to seeing you too.”
I said in return, and Ange reacted differently than I expected.
“───”
With a speechless expression, her face turned bright red as she grabbed my arm and shook it back and forth repeatedly. With time, perhaps we would return to a more comfortable relationship like we once had.
I was certain that there would be more to come after that───
“Joking aside, how’s school?”
At my question, Ange’s expression turned slightly sulky.
“It’s quite challenging. But it’s rewarding.”
True to her title as Sage, she possessed abundant knowledge and superior ideas, making her a sought-after instructor. It seemed that some students even skipped their own classes to attend hers, leading to problems that were far from ordinary. Because she never looked down on others and valued her students’ perspectives, it was no wonder she was so beloved.
However, her stories weren’t all positive.
“No matter how many times I refuse, they keep suggesting arranged marriages.”
“How annoying!” Ange complained.
“They think I became an instructor through connections…? I’ll kill that old man and those brats!”
She was far from just complaining.
“Um, Ange-san…? Please calm down… calm down…”
“What’s that…? I’m perfectly calm!”
It seemed her words were slurring. After finishing her drink, Ange declared, “I’m feeling sleepy,” and unceremoniously laid down with a blanket.
Ange, you’re too strong!
Looking around, I saw Pul-san hugging a bottle while sleeping, and Mika had turned red, likely from being forced to drink, and was also asleep. Eris and Orphe were engaged in an arm-wrestling match, while Sensei was serving as the referee, chuckling to herself before glancing over and grinning.
As for Sena───
“Ichiro, let’s go outside.”
Sena appeared out of nowhere and took my hand.
“And to the grassland where we watched the stars together───”
“Let’s go.”
I stood up, pulled along by Sena, and we dashed out of the cabin together.