Chapter 112 The Night Before
We were guided to a house facing the main street. It seems like we can use this house as an inn.
At the entrance, Sieg and Leon-san were waiting, like gatekeepers. We greeted them with a bow and entered the house. We were greeted by several young people. It seems like they are helping us by bringing our luggage into the living room.
"Laura-sama, I brought this in first."
"Oh, thank you."
One of them called out to me. I quickly thanked them and then looked at Diona, feeling a little confused. She smiled back at me.
"They are our supporters."
I felt relieved at those words and relaxed my shoulders.
These seemed to be our supporters, efficiently bringing in our luggage. Among them were boxes containing prototypes, and the moment I saw them, my heart skipped a beat.
――By the time all the luggage was brought in, the sun had started to set. After being shaken in the carriage for a long time, and feeling tired, I relaxed on the sofa in the living room for a while. Suddenly, Diona stood up with a serious expression. And then...
"I will guide you to the temple."
We all looked at each other at those words, and then nodded slowly.
We entrusted Elvira to Marcedes-san, who was waiting at the entrance, as well as Sieg-san and Leon-san. Lukas, Arnold, and I left the house, following behind Diona as we gradually moved away from the city center. Eventually, we could see a white and majestic building. At first glance, there was no mistaking it, that was the temple.
Following Diona's guidance, we stepped into the temple. The high ceiling and the structure of the building with no unnecessary things made the footsteps sound particularly loud, almost painfully echoing in our ears. Combined with the chilly air, it made it hard to breathe.
"We will do it here tomorrow."
"Amazing..."
A murmured voice echoed around. Perhaps due to nervousness, my throat felt dry, and I unconsciously swallowed my saliva.
――Tomorrow, here in this place, we will strip the demon king from Elvira.
Diona left our side and approached the center of the temple, running. And with a determined voice, she said,
"Elvira-sama, please stand here, and I will be here. The other people from the Rustu tribe will surround Elvira-sama. Please wait over there."
Diona changed her position a few times and explained it clearly. As she explained, I imagined the arrangement for tomorrow in my mind.
We will stand along the wall and observe the experiment. It's not too far from where Elvira is standing. If something happens, we can quickly rush over.
"We will start setting up the magic formation tonight, and tomorrow, as soon as the Knight Order arrives, we will begin."
"Thank you in advance."
I feel sorry for burdening them with the words of working tonight. And thinking about Hagen-san's words, some of the powerful people in the town have been opposing this experiment for a long time. Diona and the others must have experienced more burden and hardship than we think.
For their sake, I want to achieve some good results tomorrow, and above all, for Elvira. Tomorrow, I don't know if that prototype will be useful, but let's give it to Diona and the others in advance and have them keep it.
After Arnold asked a few questions about the flow of the day, we left the temple. The sun seemed to be setting soon, and at that moment, I saw little children running towards us.
"Hero-sama!"
Little children ran towards Lukas, the Hero. Lukas greeted them with a puzzled smile. The children smiled happily in return.
As I watched their heartwarming interaction, they also greeted us with an innocent smile and said, "Hello!" It was just that, but it somehow moved me.
Diona approached Lukas and the children and smiled gently at the Hero.
"These are the children who will carry the future of this city. If you don't mind, please listen to their stories."
Diona's words made Lukas smile calmly and nod. Then, holding hands with the children, they headed towards the plaza.
As I gazed at their backs, 2 young people appeared from a side street and followed behind Lukas and the children as if guarding them. Wondering who they were, they turned back and smiled, nodding towards us.
"They are also our supporters. Please let them accompany us as an additional escort."
Relieved by Diona's words, I watched their backs as they grew distant for a while.
Those children treated me without discrimination. Although all the people I heard were supporters were young people for now, the Rustu villagers, who were relatively older, still had many conservative individuals.
Could it be that the young people were starting to oppose them? I cannot say much as an outsider about how the Rustu villagers will change in the future or whether they will remain the same. I can only hope that Diona's gentle smile when she called the children the "future" and their lively smiles will not be clouded in the future.
――By the time we arrived at the former residence turned inn, the western sky was faintly bright, but the sun had already disappeared from sight.
"Please rest well tonight. If anything happens, inform Sieg and Leon."
As soon as we arrived at the inn, Diona left in a hurry, perhaps to prepare for tomorrow, leaving those words behind.
Arnold and I also temporarily disbanded in the living room, and I started unpacking the luggage that had been brought in for tomorrow's preparations. Above all, I took out the prototype and placed it on a stable desk to prevent any accidents. For a moment, I stared at it absentmindedly, realizing that it is not good to be too preoccupied and started working on the other belongings.
――Since unpacking the luggage didn't take much time, I headed to the living room for now. There, I encountered Marcedes-san enjoying tea alone. After greeting her, I looked around to find Arnold and the others, and Marcedes-san, noticing that, smiled and pointed towards the terrace.
"If you're looking for Rocco-nii's sibling, they're on the terrace."
I thanked Marcedes-san and slowly approached the terrace. There, I found Arnold sitting elegantly on a long chair placed on the terrace, with Elvira sleeping on his lap.
Arnold noticed me. I lightly nodded and, so as not to wake Elvira, gently spoke to him.
"Quiet, isn't it? Very peaceful."
"Yeah. The wind feels nice."
I closed my eyes at Arnold's words and felt the wind. The gentle wind tickling my cheeks and the sound of the trees swaying by the wind were indeed pleasant.
After enjoying the wind, I opened my eyes. Then, the beautiful cityscape spread out before me, and I couldn't help but be captivated. It's truly a beautiful city.
"...It's a beautiful place, isn't it?"
"It's more exclusive than I thought. You can see the struggles of Reinhardt-dono and the others."
"Haha..."
Come to think of it, Arnold hadn't said a word since coming to the city. Judging from his sympathetic tone towards Reinhardt-san and his general personality, Arnold probably isn't fond of the conservative Rustu people.
Arnold gestured towards a nearby round chair and said, "Why don't you sit?" I obediently sat on the round chair as told. Then, with the sound of the wind and Elvira's soft breathing in the background, although I couldn't see it anymore, I gazed intently in the direction of the sun, which was still faintly illuminating the western sky.
By this time tomorrow, everything would be over, and the results would be out, I thought ―― realizing that my fingertips were trembling.
I didn't want to think about the worst-case scenario. But we have to act assuming the worst-case scenario. Because in the worst-case scenario, it would involve the whole world.
I glanced at Arnold. He was gazing at his sister's sleeping face with a calm expression.
"...Um, tomorrow, that――"
"I won't regret it. No matter what. I believe in you, believe in them, and ultimately decide for myself. That's why I'm here now. If something happens, it's my responsibility."
His tone was resolute. Arnold had already made up his mind.
That's a reliable answer. But his resolve is that if anything happens, he will shoulder it all by himself. In fact, it was Arnold who made the final decision, but that would be too much of a burden on him.
I was the one who gave him advice when he was wavering. Arnold believed my words, and that's why he's here now.
I'm not being conceited and saying that I decided everything. It's not conceited ―― I just hope that I can shoulder at least a little of what Arnold is trying to shoulder.
"Don't try to shoulder everything by yourself. I, and I'm sure Lukas, will shoulder what we can together."
Arnold opened his eyes wide at my words for a moment, then looked down at the ground as if he was thinking about something for a few seconds. ――And then, at that moment.
"You're trying to look cool, Arnold-san."
A familiar voice shook my eardrums, so I hurriedly looked in the direction of the voice.
Standing at the entrance to the terrace was my childhood friend with a somewhat exasperated look on his face.
"Lukas! Are you back?"
"Yes."
After nodding with a smile, Lukas opened his mouth, looking down at Arnold, who was sitting in a chair. Arnold looked up at Lukas with a slightly surprised look on his face.
"We're only 2 years apart. It seems like Arnold-san thinks himself as "older brothers," but that's not true."
"Two years is a big difference."
"I can catch up to that in no time."
It was refreshing to hear Lukas say "Hmph," more confidently than usual. And it was also refreshing to see Arnold, who looked somewhat stunned and wide-eyed, build a relationship that was different from others.
It was different from a casual relationship. It was neither friends nor senior-junior, but it felt like Lukas and Arnold had built a relationship that was definitely different from others. That day ―― the day Arnold drank the prototype ―― what did they say and what did they feel while I was sleeping?
"...After all, the 2 of them have become good friends."
"This brat just isn't holding back anymore."
Arnold denies it with his words, but his expression is not so grim. Whatever the case may be, I'm glad that the relationship between the senior and his childhood friend is not bad.
Hehehe, it happened when I let out a laugh. I could see Elvira flinch slightly.
"Mmm..."
"Elvira-chan, sorry for waking you up."
"No... The wind feels nice..."
After saying just that, Elvira buries her face in Arnold's chest and falls back asleep. Maybe she's happy to sleep in her beloved brother's arms, as her sleeping face looks peacefully smiling.
"She fell asleep..."
"She loves taking naps, especially lately."
Arnold says that and gently strokes her head, causing Elvira to smile even more. Maybe she's having a good dream or she's aware that her brother is petting her in her half-asleep state.
"She's so cute."
"Yeah."
Lukas nods at his words.
The 3 of us gaze at Elvira's sleeping face in silence. Even without saying a word, our thoughts were aligned.
To save Elvira. To defeat the demon king. For the peace of this world. We will do everything we can. That's all.
"For Elvira-chan, we'll do our best too. Let's do our best together."
Emphasizing "together," Arnold says to Lukas. And after a few seconds of silence, he laughs.
It's like he's saying "can't be helped" but also seems somewhat happy.
"Ah, I'm counting on you."
The 3 of us look at each other and laugh. We never thought we would have a day where the 3 of us would laugh like this.
The beginning feels so distant now――almost about to reflect on the days leading up to this, but it's still too early. My thoughts put a stop to it.
We don't know what will happen. By this time tomorrow, it may be difficult to even smile like this. However, I thought that I would never forget this peaceful moment right now.
* * *
――And finally, the day has come.
A high ceiling. Silence that hurts the ears. A large magic circle spreads at their feet. In their right hand and bag, there are prototypes.
"Let's begin."
Diona's words make me grip my fists tightly.
――A brief moment of silence. Then, the magic circle at Elvira's feet lit up.
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