Volume 3 Chapter 45 Interlude： Sartzstadt Without Ryuuji
*This is in third-person perspective.
<hr>
Some time had passed since Ryuuji and the others got the 'Heimun Grass'. In Sartzstadt, a quiet ceremony was being held to mourn the dead.
Even though the defensive side, Sartzstadt, had very few dead, it wasn't 0. There were sailors killed by soldiers on the first fake ship, and the attacking side, Goldmont, had many victims near the harbor.
To the people of the town, they were all victims of the war.
"........."
"........."
During the ceremony, the sisters Minori and Suzu sat at the edge of the pier, silently looking out at the horizon.
The sun, high in the sky, cast shadows on their faces, telling a story of their complete lack of energy.
"...Big Bro Ryuuji and Lene, they haven't come back either."
"Mm."
Suzu responded in a faint voice to Minori's murmur.
Their older brother and his wife had disappeared, and it had already been a month and a half.
They could tell from the situation that it wasn't safe, but they couldn't accept it.
"Belle and Ai were saved, but who could the criminal be? Who would do such a thing──"
"........."
With a grind of her teeth, Minori's words slipped out, and Suzu just listened quietly.
Talking about it here wouldn't solve anything, and they had no clues.
The pier where the two were sitting started to creak and shake.
After shaking for a few seconds, a middle-aged man accompanied by soldiers appeared behind the sisters.
"You were here?"
Gottfried von Hoffman, who is the Knight Captain and also the captain of the Sartzstadt defense force in this war, was looking at the sisters, who looked really worn out, and his face got cloudy.
"...Your Excellency Duke Hoffman?"
"Do you need something?"
"Saying 'do you need something' is how you greet me, huh?"
Gottfried gave a wry smile at their rotten attitudes.
It's a bit of a problem as an attitude towards a Duke, but he didn't really see it as a problem, and he figured it couldn't be helped with the sisters as they are now.
"Both of you, there's a letter."
"A letter...?"
Minori, who received the unopened letter that was handed to her, looked at Suzu.
They couldn't understand why Gottfried, who is a Knight Captain and a Duke, was playing postman.
Gottfried left with his soldiers, and the two of them reluctantly opened the letter and unfolded it.
"...Eh?"
They both spoke at the same time.
There was──
Minori, Suzu, sorry for the late contact.
Me and Lene are okay.
But, I can't tell you where we are right now.
I'm planning to return to Sartzstadt soon.
I want you to tell Belle and Ai too.
I'm counting on you.
Ryuuji
"...He's alive."
Minori was reading the letter, and she was crying without realizing it.
This time, it's because of the situation, she thought he wasn't okay.
"Yeah, he's alive."
Suzu, who doesn't show much emotion, nodded while her voice was trembling.
She has a tough personality, but losing her brother was something she couldn't bear more than anything else.
"...Hey, Sis Minori. There's a second letter."
"Huh? Oh, you're right."
Suzu pointed out that there was another small piece of paper inside the envelope, and Minori quickly took it out.
The two of them wondered if there was more content, and they looked at the next paper, but gradually, their expressions became more serious.
"...This is..."
As Minori started to nervously fidget, the pier began to shake again, and the two of them looked over there in surprise.
"Ah, I knew it! Minori, and Suzu!"
"'Teacher'?"
The elf standing in front of them was undoubtedly the person who had taught them how to survive for 7 years, and the sisters were both stunned.
Minori glanced at the letter for a moment, then pushed it towards Suzu before standing up and running towards 'Teacher'.
"'Teacher', long time no see!"
"Whoa!? Wait, stop!"
Minori made a wide smile and hugged their teacher. 'Teacher' stumbled back slightly, puffed out her cheeks, and raised her voice in protest.
"'Teacher', long time no see"
"Suzu too, you've grown so much... When we parted ways, you were so small."
"Not that much. You were a little bigger."
While Minori and Suzu were arguing, 'Teacher' reached out and touched Suzu's lower back, but the younger sister shook her head in disagreement.
"By the way, do you know Ryuuji? We met the other day, but he promised to show me his wife, didn't he?"
Sighing softly, 'Teacher' looked disappointed, and Minori showed a surprised expression.
"'Teacher', Big Bro Ryuuji is fine. He's out on a trip right now, but he'll be back soon!"
"He'll be back soon."
Watching the sisters, who were showing how happy they were to meet their teacher again after so long, Emerada lowered her voice and muttered so the two couldn't hear.
"I see, that sounds fun."
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