Chapter 159 Reunion And First Encounter
Luckily, we didn't get attacked by monsters and safely arrived at the royal capital, where we were greeted by 3 men with amber-colored eyes.
"Laura-sensei!"
"Reinhardt-san!"
Reinhardt-san, the red-haired man who escorted me down from the carriage, greeted me with a casual smile. His gaze was still sharp, but the atmosphere around him seemed to have softened, or maybe that was just my imagination.
"Long time no see."
As I said that and lightly bowed, Reinhardt-san, Sieg-san, and Leon-san, who were standing on either side of him, returned the bow.
It seemed that there were other people from Rustu waiting for us in the royal capital, and Sieg-san and the others quickly moved Arnold's body to another carriage. After making sure of that, I looked around.
Maybe, I thought, but as expected, I spotted a shaggy-haired figure a little way off.
"Kasper-san!"
I had thought that Kasper-san might also come to greet us, since Diona had already talked to him.
And indeed, my boss officer had come, just as I had expected. I was happy to see him and rushed over to talk to him. He smiled and raised his right hand.
"I'm glad you're safe!"
"I'm sorry, it's just that... one thing after another..."
I tried to bow deeply, but Kasper-san grasped my shoulder and stopped me. He pushed my upper body back with his palm and forced me to look up.
"No need to apologize. Many alchemists are currently living in evacuation shelters and can't perform their usual duties, so don't worry about it."
He said that with a gentle smile, and then added,
"When everything is over, that's when things will get really busy. So for now, just take a good rest."
And with that, he concluded the conversation.
I've troubled him so many times, and yet he forgave me with that smile. I'll never be able to look him in the eye again for the rest of my life.
I swallowed the "sorry" that was on the tip of my tongue and replied with "thank you." Then, he narrowed his eyes behind his glasses and nodded.
It seemed like he was going to say that this conversation was over, but Kasper-san busily looked around us. Then, his gaze wandered here and there, and he asked.
"Arnold is..."
"He's sleeping in that carriage over there."
I turned around and pointed to the carriage where Arnold had been carried by the Rustu people earlier. Then, Kasper-san quickly approached the carriage and peeked inside.
Inside the carriage, a small bed had been somehow fitted in, especially for this occasion. Arnold was lying on it.
Kasper-san leaned in, gazing at his subordinate's sleeping face.
"I've never seen Arnold's sleeping face before. He's really reckless, isn't he?"
Kasper-san shrugged, saying "oh well" in a tone that was almost amazed, but his mouth wasn't smiling, and his gaze was fixed on Arnold.
I could tell that he was genuinely worried from the bottom of his heart, just by looking at his profile.
"Laura-chan, you can't become a senior like this. If you're going to do a good job, you need to take breaks at the right time!"
Kasper-san turned back to me, looking completely normal again. He was kind, with a hint of carelessness, and seemed like a pleasant superior.
"I'll give him a punch when he wake up and get moving next time!"
He got punched by Lukas, and then Kasper-san yelled at him really loudly. After all that, I, Arnold, had a ton of things to do and was really busy!
Thinking that, I naturally smiled. Seeing that, Kasper-san seemed to let out a sigh of relief.
――Suddenly, Kasper-san, who had been gazing at me, looked up and glanced behind me. I turned around reflexively. There, Reinhardt-san was standing, watching us from outside.
For an instant, I held my breath. I had heard that Kasper-san and Reinhardt-san knew each other, but I knew that Kasper-san had complex feelings towards the people of Rustu.
There was a silence of a few seconds. Behind me, I sensed Kasper-san's laughter, "fu."
"My alchemists, please take care of them, Reinhardt-san."
"Yes."
Kasper-san's voice was harder than usual. However, I couldn't sense any hostility or dislike.
Kasper-san got off the carriage, bowed his head to Reinhardt-san once more, and waved at me. Then, he probably went back to work, hurrying away.
In the midst of the chaos, he took the time to come and greet me. I shouldn't get too comfortable with his kindness, so I'll look for what I can do in the city where we're taking refuge.
"The monsters are getting active, so let's hurry up and head out."
Reinhardt-san called out to me, and I snapped back to reality.
As advised, I got on a different carriage. I wanted to say goodbye to Chelsea and Lina-senpai, but they might be evacuating as well. Either way, the people of Rustu seemed to want to leave the royal capital.
The door of the carriage I got on closed, and a man's hand grasped the door that was about to shut. I was startled and stood up, and through the gap in the door, a familiar smiling face peeked out.
"Be careful, Laura-chan."
It was Julius.
I unconsciously approached the door. Then, a voice came from behind Julius.
"Leave Lukas to me, young lady."
It was Vake. His strong words made me nod greatly.
Next, Julius was pushed aside, and Marta appeared.
"Tell me about the city of Rustu's people when you get back~."
Come to think of it, she didn't know about the city of Rustu's people. I'll make sure to observe the city carefully so I can tell her about it as a souvenir story later.
Next, it was Diona who peeked into the carriage, leaning her body against Marta.
"Laura, if you're in trouble, tell Reinhardt and the others. Be careful."
"Thank you."
Diona said with a hint of anxiety, furrowing her brow. It's a beautiful city, there's no reason to think there's any trouble... but even if there was, she wouldn't say it, considering they're being protected. That consideration warms her heart more than anything.
Elvira appeared, cutting between Marta and Diona.
"Laura! Take care of my brother!"
"Okay."
I deeply nodded in response, and Elvira smiled, looking relieved.
――Suddenly, the 3 women turned around, looking back. And then, they slowly retreated from the scene.
As the view opened up, my childhood friend slowly approached from afar, with the holy sword saved from the demon king's grasp on his back.
This time, Lukas is really going on his final journey to defeat the demon king.
"Be careful, Laura."
I nodded. And I also called out to him.
"Good luck, Lukas."
The smile of my childhood friend, who replied "I'll be back," seemed somehow youthful... and I remembered the days we spent together in Emme Village.
Before I knew it, we were together. We spent a long time together. When we were kids, he was called a coward by the boys in the same village, but he was a kind and strong boy.
The voices calling out to bid farewell sounded. I smiled at Lukas one more time before closing the carriage door.
(They'll be fine. I'll do what I can for Arnold, entrusted to me by Elvira.)
The carriage started moving. From the small window attached to the door, I gazed at Lukas and the others. They kept waving their hands at me. Forever and ever.
* * *
As the carriage swayed, I must have dozed off at some point. The sound of the door opening with a "click" woke me up.
With Sieg-san's help, I got off the carriage and found myself in a somewhat nostalgic scenery. A beautiful cityscape with a white base, reminiscent of the city of Rustu's people, where Elvira conducted her experiment.
When I first visited, I looked around the city in the same way――
"Laura-chan!"
I saw 3 people walking towards me, waving their hands.
One of them called out my name, so I immediately knew who it was. The woman with long hair, Marcedes-san, and the small woman in a robe standing next to her ―― it was unbelievable.
"Marcedes-san and... Mentor?"
I let out a surprised cry. Then, the woman in the robe ―― my Mentor ―― smiled mischievously like a child who had pulled off a prank, and nodded.
My Mentor was supposed to still have a room at the inn in the royal capital. I hadn't seen her when I visited Emme Village a few days ago, so I thought she was still in the royal capital, but it seemed she had come to this city.
"I came to the village a few days before the monster attack."
"Why did you?"
"I came to visit my former disciple's grave."
"Your former disciple?"
"Marcedes' father."
He was one of my Mentor's 4 disciples in my lifetime. There was me, Kasper-san, Marcedes-san, and Marcedes-san's father.
It made sense that Marcedes-san's father's grave was in the Elf village, but it was still amazing timing that she visited the village, and I was grateful that the people of Rustu had protected us.
"Ah... so that's what happened... I'm glad you're safe."
"That's my line!"
My Mentor rarely raised her voice. Of course, I hadn't reported my movements ―― including my journey with the Hero ―― to her at all, so it was no wonder she was worried when she found out later.
As I apologized to my Mentor with my head hung low,
"You're Laura Ampère, aren't you?"
"Huh?"
A sudden unfamiliar voice shook my eardrums.
I looked up, and the last of the 3 people who had been walking towards me was staring down at me.
She was a tall, stylish woman. Her deep green eyes, which seemed to be gazing at something far away, were captivating. Her short, wine-red hair, which was rare for a woman, added to her charm. Each of her features was perfect, and her dignified demeanor made even someone of the same sex like me blush ―― she was overflowing with charisma.
As I was staring at her, the woman relaxed her gaze and smiled faintly. In that instant, her expression was etched in my mind.
"I'm Ingrid, Arnold and Elvira's mother. You've taken care of my foolish children. Thank you from the bottom of my heart."
My brain, which was still reeling from her rapid-fire words, couldn't keep up.
Seeing me unable to respond, the woman furrowed her brow and bowed her head.
"I should have greeted you sooner. I apologize for the delay."
As the woman bowed her head, I gazed at her beautiful hair in a daze ―― and finally understood the situation.
The person standing before me was Arnold's mother!
I panicked and waved my head and hands to the side, trying to speak.
"I, I'm Laura Ampère I'm the one who's been taken care of by Arnold-san and Elvira-chan..."
As I stumbled over my words, the woman ―― Ingrid-san ―― lifted her head. And with her green eyes fixed intently on me, I almost looked away, but managed to endure it.
Upon re-examining her appearance, I was struck by how she was like an adult version of Elvira. Her tone and demeanor were also reminiscent of Arnold's, but softer.
Before I knew it, I was staring at her again, and Ingrid-san extended her right hand.
"Let's get along from now on. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask, and I'll help."
We shook hands. Her warm right hand felt comforting.
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