Chapter 86 The Fate Of A Lone Boy
"Ah, Adel-sama"
In an empty lot on the outskirts of the slums.
We had arranged to meet in advance, and I, Maia, and Teti gathered there.
"Sorry for making you wait. How did it go on your end... seems like it went well."
"Yes! Thanks to Teti-chan, everything went perfectly!"
"Oh come on. If anything, it's thanks to you, Maia."
"I see. We managed to suppress the Avengio's thieves on our end. We should report to Cress later and ask for some soldiers to be sent over."
Seeing the two of them with bright expressions, I could tell things had gone smoothly.
I had no doubt when I sent them off, but seeing them safe and sound still brought me an unexpected sense of relief.
"Hey, Adel? Where's Sicily?"
Teti looked around, her animal ears twitching, but only I had arrived. Sicily was nowhere to be seen.
Sicily asked to be informed if there's any news about Varias, and then left my side saying she wanted to be alone.
"I'll talk about Sicily later. Right now, we should focus on something else..."
"...Yes, let's go to Rick-kun's mom's place."
Maia seemed to sense something from my expression but didn't ask.
* * *
"Mom! Stay strong, mom!"
Arriving at Rick's house, we could hear such voices coming from outside. It seemed like the situation was urgent.
Maia, Teti, and I nodded to each other and entered Rick's house.
"We're coming in."
"W-What are you... Oh, you're the one from that time..."
When Rick, who was sitting by his mother's bed, turned around, he was at a loss for words.
It seems he recognized the people he encountered in the town under Rune Gaia yesterday.
Rick's mother lying in bed was breathing heavily, her face pale and cold.
"What are you here for? Did you come to catch me because you think I was stealing!?"
"I know your circumstances. You were deceived by Avengio because you wanted to save your mother."
"W-what..."
"I'll explain later. Right now, the priority is to help your mother. --Maia"
"Yes, Adel-sama"
When I glanced over, Maia unwrapped the shredded pieces of Astrapias wrapped in hay.
If Sicily is right, this should be able to lift the curse on Rick's mother.
Maia knelt down and placed a piece of Astrapias in Rick's mother's mouth. At first, the mother seemed barely conscious and struggled to chew, but gradually, the effects became apparent.
"Ugh..."
Rick's mother opened her eyes.
Color returned to her face, and most importantly, the snake mark on her arm had disappeared.
"Mom?"
Rick ran to his mother's side.
Maia's eyes, who had given up her spot, were filled with tears.
And then--
"Mom...!"
Rick buried his face in his mother's chest, openly crying without any concern for others around.
* * *
"Thank you so much. It's all thanks to you guys."
"That's great, Rick-kun. Your mom is safe now."
By feeding Astrapias, Rick's mother's condition quickly showed signs of improvement.
Her breathing had calmed down, and it seemed like everything would be fine now.
Rick was surprised after hearing the explanation, but he was now happy that his mother was safe.
"Rick, there's something I want to give you."
I met Rick at eye level and took out a large sack from my black cloak.
The sack made a jingling sound as I handed it to Rick.
"This is the loot we recovered from the hideout of the thief group, Avengio."
"Huh...?"
"Should you use that money for yourselves, or should you return it to the people you've stolen from all this time? It's up to you."
"Ah..."
"If you're serious about it, you should come to a place called the Silver Apple Inn. There's a skilled informant there. You might be able to track down the people you've stolen from."
"..."
Rick lowered his eyes as if checking the weight of the sack.
"Haha... You guys are too kind. Going this far for a stranger like me..."
Rick wiped his eyes, raised his head, and declared firmly.
"Thank you. I will apologize to the people I stole from properly. That's something I want to do myself."
I nodded at his words and turned on my heel.
And so, with Maia and Teti, we began our journey back to the Silver Apple Inn.
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