Chapter 116 Report
――After our future plans were decided, we hurried back to the royal capital, and then Lukas continued on to Emme Village by horse-drawn carriage.
Honestly, I wanted to go back to Emme Village with him, but since my physical condition wasn't perfect, and considering the possibility of a sudden change in my health, I decided to stay in the royal capital.
'Luka, take care of everyone for me'
'Yeah. You too, Laura, take care of your health'
I entrusted Lukas with a letter to my anxious parents, who must have been worried about the dark clouds that suddenly appeared in the western sky, and saw him off. His back looked very strong as he departed.
――The first thing I did after staying behind in the royal capital was to report to and apologize to Kasper-san. Even though it was unavoidable, I had skipped work without permission.
I nervously visited Kasper-san's synthesis room, and he welcomed me with a smile.
"Laura-chan, I heard about it from Arnold. I'm just glad you're safe."
I let out a sigh of relief at Kasper-san's smile, and then bowed my head deeply, saying "I'm really sorry for the trouble I caused." With his warm words "It's okay, don't worry about it," I slowly raised my head, and――Kasper-san had a complex expression on his face.
His mouth was curved upwards, and he was smiling. However, his eyebrows were slightly lowered, and there were wrinkles between them. It was as if he was trying to smile but failed.
"Self-destruction disease, it's really great that it was cured. Really..."
――With a tone that seemed to be biting back his words, and a lower voice than usual, I somehow understood the meaning behind his expression. Kasper-san must have been thinking of Annette-san――our mentor's granddaughter, who lost her life to the Self-destruction disease.
He was showing an unpleasant attitude towards the people of Rustu. It seemed like he didn't approve of the people of Rustu intentionally hiding information. That feeling is easy to understand――but it's not something I can say, since I didn't witness Annette-san's death.
As for Annette-san, I only heard fragmented information about her symptoms, and I don't know how Marcedes-san and Kasper-san felt when they faced the Self-destruction disease. However, losing a precious person to an incurable disease, feeling sorrow, tears, and hatred――it's not something I can relate to. It's not like I can say "you sacrificed yourself for the world" and expect them to accept it.
No matter how much I think about it, I can't empathize with their feelings since I didn't experience that pain. But I mustn't forget that many sacrifices were made to get to this point.
"But, a new problem has arisen. That dark cloud... I think Laura-chan already knows about it, don't you?"
Kasper-san forced a failed smile and changed the subject with a serious expression.
"Strong monsters have been appearing frequently in various locations. Thanks to Vake-san, who reinforced the village barriers a little while ago, we've managed to avoid any damage..."
I let out a sigh of relief at the reported fact. The monsters have indeed become stronger, but there's been no damage. That's a relief.
At the same time, I thought about what would have happened if Vake and Flor hadn't reinforced the barrier in Emme Village――and it sent shivers down my spine. The village might have been destroyed by monsters by now.
"Many alchemists from the royal capital have been sent to branch offices, and we're short-handed. On top of that, Arnold is likely to join the demon king subjugation journey... Honestly, we're in a tight spot."
Kasper-san clasped his head, looking quite troubled.
To deliver healing potions to the front lines as quickly as possible, we're sending alchemists to various locations. That's a predictable move. Yes, it's a predictable move, but ―― it seems we're simply lacking in manpower.
Arnold, an excellent alchemist, is going on a journey. In reality, Arnold is an indispensable talent for the Hero's party, and when weighing synthesis work against demon king subjugation, he'll inevitably lean towards the latter.
Kasper-san understands this, so he only conveys the facts without complaining to his subordinates. After all, in any era, in any world, it's the middle management that gets headaches.
"I'd like to request that you synthesize healing potions in the royal capital for a while... Maybe we can even send Laura-chan to a branch office somewhere."
There, Kasper-san cuts off the conversation and bows his head.
"I'm sorry for coming back so soon."
I have no reason to apologize to him. I hurry to shake my head.
"No, no It's me who should apologize for taking an unauthorized break."
Taking an unauthorized break during a critical time is a huge inconvenience. Kasper-san apologizes again, and I respond with another apology, whereupon he lifts his head and shakes it.
"It's fine, so don't worry about it... How were the people of Rustu?"
The word "people of Rustu" that comes out of Kasper-san's mouth makes me flinch.
He probably doesn't have good feelings towards the people of Rustu. However, I don't change my answer because of that, and I respond honestly, slowly, with the impression I've formed.
"There were people who looked down on us, but... there were also people who tried to lend us a hand. I think the people of Rustu are changing."
At my answer, Kasper-san's expression momentarily disappears from his face. However, he soon floats a bitter smile ―― it looks like he's about to cry.
"If only they had tried to lend us a hand a little sooner... It's not something to say now, though."
"Uh, Kasper-san――"
"It's not anyone's fault, Annette-neesan was just born in a bad era. That's all there is to it."
It was as if he was trying to convince himself.
In reality, Kasper-san's words weren't wrong. The fact that we were able to save Elvira this time was largely due to Hero Lukas being born and growing up to the point where he could use his powers. And it wasn't just that ―― we were also able to find The Drinking Water of the Spirits, and there were young people like Reinhardt-san who had new ideas. But if a Hero had been born in Annette-san's era, maybe we could have saved her too.
It's not anyone's fault, Annette-san was just born in a bad era. Those words weren't wrong. But it's not that simple, and we can't just leave it at that.
"That's all there is to it... it's just extra painful."
His voice trembled. Because he was looking down, his bangs covered his face, and I couldn't see Kasper-san's expression clearly.
I couldn't say anything. I didn't know what to say to comfort him.
"Ah, sorry. Please take care of Elvira-chan."
Kasper-san said, still not looking up.
＊＊＊
"Laura!"
――I was walking down a deserted corridor after leaving Kasper-san's synthesis room when I was called out from behind. I turned around to see
"Chelsea! Lina-senpai!"
It was my dear friend Chelsea and respected Lina-senpai. It felt like it had been ages since we last met.
I rushed over to them, and Chelsea tightly hugged me.
"Ah, I'm so glad."
Chelsea's tearful voice made me realize how much I had worried her. I didn't know how much they knew about what had happened, but I couldn't just pretend nothing had happened after skipping work without permission.
We chatted and shared some recent updates while we were there, but during that time, no one walked down the hallway. Kasper-san had mentioned that he was sending many alchemists to the branch, but I never thought it would be this bad.
"It's really... gotten quiet, hasn't it?"
"Yeah, a lot of our seniors have already gone to the branch, so it's gotten lonely."
Lina-senpai said that while gazing at the western sky. The ominous dark clouds were still lingering there.
Sigh... Chelsea let out a deep sigh.
"What's going to happen from now on...?"
As Chelsea was working as an alchemist here, her hometown was probably safe. But her anxiety wouldn't go away.
It was Lina-senpai's strong words that broke the heavy silence that had fallen between us.
"We can't just imagine the worst and get anxious. We need to focus on our work and deliver the healing potions we've made."
What Lina-senpai said was right. We couldn't just get depressed and give up without knowing anything. We had to make healing potions here to save as many lives as possible.
We nodded in agreement, looking at each other's faces, and were encouraged by Lina-senpai's words. Our anxiety didn't go away, but we decided to work hard together with our reliable seniors, colleagues, and juniors.
――So, from now on, we can only believe in the Heroes and leave it to them. I'll just do what I can do.
"Still, that cloud looks really bad..."
Chelsea muttered. As if drawn by her words, we looked at the western sky again, and the dark clouds seemed to be writhing like living creatures.
――It was a few days later that we received a report from the people of Rustu that they had discovered the black mist, which we had seen at the temple, near the dark clouds.
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