Chapter 103 Childhood Friend And Junior
That day, the protagonist and heroine of this world finally met ―― but, including Diona, the people of Rustu were busy with preparations, so they barely exchanged greetings before disbanding.
The moment Lukas and Diona met, it was as if the long-awaited moment had finally arrived, and it felt somewhat emotional. Lukas probably realized that the girl he met today was the same one who appeared in his dreams.
However, there was something that caught his attention during this encounter. Lukas felt something when he met Diona, but on the other hand, Diona, the heroine, looked unwell. She seemed tired or nervous. The image of her pale face before leaving stuck in my mind.
"――Laura?"
I was lost in thought when Lukas suddenly peeked at my face. Our eyes met, and I returned to reality, remembering that I was guiding my childhood friend around the castle.
I had planned to let my tired childhood friend rest in the room I prepared, but Lukas insisted on being guided around the castle instead.
"Sorry, I was spacing out. Ah, yes... this is the synthesis room."
As we walked down the long corridor with sunlight streaming in, I found the door to the synthesis room assigned to me and turned to Lukas. He looked at me with sparkling eyes and asked, "Can I come in?"
I nodded, and Lukas entered the synthesis room with enthusiasm. He looked around, exclaiming, "Wow!"
"This is Laura's workplace... it's amazing!"
He observed the synthesis table, peeked into the cabinet, and scanned the bookshelves. I smiled as I watched him――and suddenly remembered something I had to tell him.
"Oh, right. If you need anything or are missing something, let me know. I'll gather everything I can."
"Yeah, thanks. ...When you say it like that, it feels like I've become someone important."
Ahaha, Lukas laughed, but somehow looked lonely.
He quickly closed the distance between us, which had grown apart while I was looking around. Then, he whispered to me in a soft voice.
"Hey, Laura. I'm not doubting what you say, but... do you really think the demon king exists? Honestly, I just can't feel it. My power is definitely effective against monsters, but the idea that I can defeat the demon king... it's just hard to believe."
I was taken aback by his words, filled with hesitation, and didn't know how to respond.
It's only natural for my childhood friend to have doubts. After all, he was suddenly told about the demon king's existence and that his power is effective against it... it's weird if he didn't have doubts.
Should I tell Lukas about the information I have about the demon king? I hesitated, but then closed my mouth just as I was about to open it. The demon king I know is the one from "Last Brave", not the one from this world. In a world that's so different from "Last Brave", it's not strange if the demon king is also different.
Giving him wrong or excessive information could cause unnecessary confusion.
I took a deep breath and decided to only convey my true feelings, "I want to save Elvira."
"I'm also honest, I don't really know what's going on... but"
"Do you want to save Elvira-chan?"
The words I was about to say were spoken by Lukas without a single mistake, and I let out a surprised "Huh?".
The childhood friend I looked up to had a very kind expression on his face.
"Is that correct?"
"Uh, yeah. That's correct."
When I nodded, Lukas narrowed his eyes even further.
With the same expression, he spoke in a gentle voice.
"I think Laura would say something like that. I feel the same way, even though I don't really understand what it means to be a demon king or anything. But I'll help out as much as I can."
Lukas gazed at his right hand, still smiling.
"And if, by some chance, my power can save people... I want to do it."
His words were filled with determination, like a true "Hero". I couldn't help but be impressed.
Lukas may have the special power of a Hero that no one else has, but he's still just a 15-year-old boy. Yet, he's determined to take on the Hero's mission.
"That's amazing, Lukas. I don't think I could do that."
When I expressed my genuine feelings, Lukas looked at me with a surprised expression, and his smile turned into a wry one.
"What are you talking about? I started thinking like this after seeing you, Laura."
"Huh?"
"Laura has saved many lives with healing potions, right? I respect Laura for choosing a profession that helps people. ...I want to be like Laura, that's what I think."
I was caught off guard by his unexpected words and couldn't react right away.
Lukas had always called me his "proud childhood friend", and he had seen me as a respected alchemist. But this was the first time he had told me that I had influenced him.
"That... is an honor. Thank you."
It took me a while to come up with a response, but that's all I could say.
Now, I'm an alchemist because I want to save Elvira, a patient with the Self-destruction disease. But initially, I started doing this job to get away from Hero-sama (Lukas). Given that's how I started, it's embarrassing to have Lukas praise me as an alchemist.
――The conversation had reached a lull, and Lukas began to observe his surroundings once again when there was a knock on the synthesis room door. "Come in," I replied, and the door swung open with force.
"――Ah, you're here! Laura―!"
It was Iris who had opened the door, with Basilio-san behind her.
"What brings you 2 here, Iris and Basilio-san?"
When I called out to them, Iris responded with a bright, cheerful smile, while Basilio-san looked a bit nervous, his shoulders slumped as he entered the room. They stood beside me, and Iris, still smiling, turned to face Lukas.
Lukas's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden visitors. Ah, yes, I had promised to introduce them to Lukas, and I remembered that I needed to break the awkward atmosphere.
"Ah, let me introduce you. My juniors, Iris and Basilio-san."
At the word "juniors," Lukas's eyes grew even wider――and after a few seconds, he relaxed and smiled. I could tell that Basilio-san, standing beside him, let out a sigh of relief.
From Basilio-san's reaction, I guessed that Iris had suddenly dragged him into this, and that Iris had probably invited Basilio-san to come and greet Lukas after hearing from Reinhardt-san that Lukas was coming.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Iris!"
"I'm Basilio. Nice to meet you too."
Iris was as innocent and cheerful as ever, while Basilio-san was as gentle as always. Lukas, too, introduced himself with a smile, seemingly won over by the pair.
"Hey, you're Laura's childhood friend, right? Where do you live?"
"I live in Emme Village, a small village surrounded by nature――"
As I watched the 3 of them chatting warmly from a distance, I noticed a cloth bag carelessly placed in the corner of the room. I didn't remember putting it there, and I wondered what was inside. When I opened it, I found several broken containers.
(Ugh... I must have forgotten to throw those away later.)
I thought to myself, "If I leave them like this, I might forget again," and glanced at the 3 of them. They were still chatting amicably, without any signs of running out of topics. In fact, not just Iris, but Lukas and Basilio-san were also laughing out loud, looking like they were having a great time.
If they're like this, it should be fine to leave them alone for a bit, I thought, and
"Sorry, I'll go throw away the trash."
I said, leaving the synthesis room.
I walked quickly down the corridor, and as I was about to turn a corner――I almost collided with a person who suddenly appeared.
"Whoa!
I stopped just in time and took a few steps back. Without recognizing the person I almost collided with, I hastily apologized, "Sorry!"――
"Ah, Diona-san?"
I finally realized that the person was Diona. I stared at her, worried that she might be injured somewhere――and noticed her terrible complexion.
"Diona-san, you don't look well――"
"Diona, where are you!?"
A man's voice called out to her, interrupting my words. In an instant, Diona's eyes flickered, and she grabbed my wrist and started running.
I was dragged along, running behind her. I thought about calling out her name in confusion, but it was clear she was running away from someone――and I didn't want to alert that person with my voice, so I had no choice but to follow her silently.
Her fingers, which grasped my wrist, were as cold as ice.
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