Chapter 33: A comrade who regrets not being there, A comrade who is grateful for not being there.

“It’s our last night together… How about we all sleep together?! What do you think?”

Emilia, grinning brightly as she made the suggestion during dinner, was met with lukewarm reactions.

“Hmm… Sleeping together would be uncomfortable.”

“Same here.”

“Mixed sleeping arrangements are only for married couples.”

These were the respective responses of Vielle, Daltan, and Gleon.

Emilia pouted at Gleon’s old-fashioned refusal, as if she found it ridiculous.

“Geez. No sense of romance. How about you, Raphelon?”

“Umm…”

Caught off guard by the sudden question directed at him, Raphelon, who was in the middle of eating his soup, froze.

He was nothing more than a lowly commoner. Emilia, on the other hand, was destined to be granted the title of “Grand Duke” upon her return.

There was no way he could agree to such a suggestion.

Even though they had grown close and comfortable with each other over the course of their year-long journey, there were still lines he couldn’t cross.

“…Umm, I think I’ll have to agree with Sir Gleon.”

“What?! Ugh, you’re such a bore too, Raphelon.”

“It’s not that…”

“Forget it. I’ll just hug my pillow and sleep alone tonight.”

With that, their final dinner together came to an end.

Excited about the grand homecoming ceremony they would receive the next day, Emilia went to her room to sleep.

Probably.

That night, the only person who likely got any sleep was Emilia.

The next morning came, and Emilia, who woke up first, went to knock on the door next to hers.

Normally, Raphelon would be the one to wake her up like a caretaker, but today, strangely, he was nowhere to be seen.

“Raphelon?”

She called his name, but there was no response from inside the room.

Cautiously, she opened the door to find that there was no trace of Raphelon anywhere.

“Where did he go?”

Did something urgent come up this morning?

As more of her companions emerged from their rooms, Emilia decided to have breakfast while waiting for him.

“Seriously, where did he go? Did anyone see him?”

Emilia asked her companions after the sun had risen high into the sky, but they all shook their heads.

Having already spent over an hour searching the village, Daltan responded with a hint of irritation.

“Ugh, where the hell did that guy go without saying a word? What’s a porter doing abandoning our luggage like this?”

Gleon glanced at the sun and then at the party’s shadows, using them to estimate the time.

“Hmm… We really should be leaving now.”

They had already sent word that they would arrive around 3 p.m. yesterday evening.

A grand return ceremony was being prepared, and even King Bricaldo would be waiting for them.

There was no time to delay.

“Ugh, let’s just leave. Damn it, now we’re stuck carrying the luggage ourselves.”

Ultimately, it was Daltan who suggested — no, essentially ordered — their departure.

He had been acting like the party leader ever since the return journey began, so it was only natural.

But Emilia wasn’t having it.

“W-Wait! Let’s search a little longer. He might be collapsed somewhere!”

“Ugh, and if we’re late, will you take responsibility for that?”

“W-What do you mean by ‘responsibility’?! We’ve been through a year together as comrades, so finding him should be our first priority!”

“Are you kidding me? It’s just one lowly porter gone missing. He probably ran off somewhere.”

Daltan’s sharp remark made Emilia frown.

“Run away? Why would Raphelon run away?”

At the time, Emilia didn’t understand why the word “run away” even came up, but Vielle and Gleon exchanged knowing glances at Daltan.

Daltan cleared his throat awkwardly.

“W-Well, I’m just saying. The guy never cared about wealth or glory, right?”

“…I agree. He probably thought there was no point wasting time on a grand return ceremony and decided to go his own way. As a porter, he must have felt he’d fulfilled his duty.”

Vielle remained silent, but Gleon supported Daltan’s logic, and soon, the majority opinion shifted in favor of leaving.

“B-But…! There’s no way he’d just leave without a word…!”

Emilia tried to defend Raphelon, but with three of them united on leaving, she was powerless to stop them.

“Come on, let’s go.”

“B-But…!”

“Ugh, are you stupid or just naive? Get over it, Emilia.”

Finally, Daltan snapped at the hesitant Emilia, his tone harsh and impatient.

His crimson eyes, now sharp with irritation, showed no trace of the respect or camaraderie one might expect from a fellow warrior.

His nerves were on edge because of the bloodbath that was about to come.

“…D-Daltan.”

“Sorry. But let’s just go already. If Raphelon left us on his own, then searching for him would only be a nuisance. Got it?”

“Haa…”

“Y-Yeah, I think that’s right, Emilia. Let’s go. We’re really going to be late. What are you going to do if His Majesty gets angry?”

In the end, even Vielle agreed, leaving Emilia no choice but to decide that she would search for Raphelon after the homecoming ceremony was over.

They had to head toward the capital city.

“…Alright.”

Of course…

After that day, she would never be able to find Raphelon again.

“Did you see it, Milla?”

Left alone in her room, Esil sat on a chair bathed in moonlight and spoke to Milla, who was inside a birdcage.

Chirp chirp. Milla chirped as if to say she had seen it.

The calm that filled the room felt like the stillness within the eye of a storm.

Outside, the storm of Daltan, Gleon, Brical, and Yuria continued to rage, but at least here, there was peace.

Had she grown used to it — to a life of servitude?

Esil rested her arms on the table, propped her chin on her wrist, and gazed at Milla.

It was hard to believe this was the same girl who had been trembling with fear just moments earlier.

Her wounds were healing, and she no longer felt the lingering trauma from the betrayal.

Maybe it was because it was Vielle.

She didn’t know what would happen if she came face-to-face with Daltan or Gleon, but for now, she felt okay.

— Knock knock knock.

Just then, a knock came at the door.

A smile naturally spread across Esil’s face.

By now, she had become able to sense who it was just by their presence.

When she opened the door with a bright smile, there he was, just as she expected — her master, wearing a content smile as he entered.

“Master…!”

Like a lover reuniting after years of separation, Esil threw herself into Rosel’s arms.

She nuzzled her cheek against his chest, savoring the scent of her master as much as she could.

Just catching the scent of her master now was enough to make her feel at peace.

That was how much comfort and solace Esil found in Rosel’s very existence.

“…I… I did it on my own. I spoke to Vielle. I told her I wouldn’t forgive her.”

Like a child seeking praise, Esil chattered away from within his embrace.

Rosel gently stroked her head with warmth.

Her once lifeless, brittle golden hair now shone with a healthy luster.

“I heard. You did well.”

“Huh? Y-You knew?”

“Of course. Didn’t I promise I would always be by your side?”

“Ah, I knew it… I knew it, Master…!”

Esil gazed up at Rosel with a face full of awe, then burrowed her way back into his chest.

“You did well. Thank you for fighting so bravely.”

“No, it’s nothing… For you, Master, I won’t collapse ever again.”

Her brave words brought a rare moment of emotion to Rosel’s face.

“…Yes, let’s fight together from now on.”

Rosel felt a knot in his heart slowly begin to loosen.

It was like a small part of an iceberg, frozen by guilt, had started to thaw.

All of the actions he had taken for Esil’s sake, and seeing her slowly heal because of them, provided Rosel with a deep sense of solace and healing as well.

After releasing their embrace, Rosel, as he always did, gently stroked Esil’s slender forearm as he gazed at her.

“It seems you’ve grown new flesh.”

He wasn’t just referring to the scabs covering her healing wounds.

When she first arrived here, she had been so frail and emaciated that “skin and bones” would have been an apt description.

But look at her now.

The once hollowed-out cheeks and the sunken areas beneath her eyes, which had been emptied by fear and despair, were now filling back in, regaining their original shape.

“It’s all… thanks to you, Master. I’m so grateful. As long as I’m with you… I feel like I can dream again.”

“What kind of dream?”

“…Hope.”

Knowing exactly what kind of hope she had abandoned, Rosel could only offer a bittersweet smile.

He couldn’t feel purely happy.

Not until the entire iceberg of guilt melted and sank below the surface.

Perhaps it would never melt in his lifetime.

That’s why he had to hide it.

The meaning behind that bittersweet smile.

“I have a gift for you.”

“Huh? A gift?”

“Don’t be too surprised. Just for today, I felt it was something you needed to see, so I’m showing it to you.”

The reunion between Raphelon and Esil might end up being a poison for Rosel.

If she were to learn about everything that had happened before she descended, it would no doubt throw her into turmoil.

Of course, he had already coordinated with Raphelon, but telling a lie for her sake required immense determination and a difficult decision from Rosel as well.

Esil was a hero who had fallen because of a comrade’s lie.

So, even if it was for a good cause, telling a lie to someone like her was not an easy thing for Rosel either.

But he had no choice.

No matter how many pigments you mix, you can never create pure white. The more you mix into white, the murkier it becomes.

Even so, Rosel wanted to create happiness for Esil, even if it meant doing this.

Of course, he didn’t plan to maintain the lie forever. When the time came, he intended to tell her everything.

That’s why he stepped aside, and soon Esil came face to face with Raphelon.

Raphelon raised his hand with a warm smile.

“It’s been a while, Emilia.”

“…Ra-Raphelon?!”

The one she had wanted to find so desperately.

The one she had been unable to find for so long.

The one she had believed she would never find.

So, seeing Raphelon — the very person who had remained a weight of guilt on her heart — Esil’s face lit up with a beaming smile.

It was the first “beaming smile” she had shown since her fall into betrayal.

It was the kind of radiant smile she had worn countless times during their grand adventures — a smile she had thought she would have to bury forever in those memories.

Seeing that smile, Rosel felt his heart tighten.

Yes, it had been a difficult decision, but he knew now that it wasn’t the wrong one.

“Raphelon…!”

Her emerald-green pupils shimmered with tears, and in the next moment, Esil ran forward and threw herself into Raphelon’s arms.

“You left…! Where did you go?! Do you have any idea how long I searched for you…?”

“…I couldn’t help it. I’m sorry I couldn’t fight alongside you, Emilia.”

Instead of answering her question about where he had been, the words he had been holding back for so long spilled out first.

When he heard the news that she had been imprisoned as a traitor on the day of their return, he had been overcome with guilt.

So he apologized.

For not being able to fight for her, even though she had always considered him a comrade.

Even if he had no choice, it didn’t change the fact that he had failed her.

Esil pulled away from the hug and, at last, burst into tears.

For a whole year, she had lived with the uncertainty of whether her comrade was dead or alive.

The weight of that fear and worry was now finally lifting from her heart.

Just as Rosel had hoped.

“Sniff… No… I’m so glad… I’m so glad you weren’t there that day.”

“…E-Emilia…”

Raphelon’s eyes widened in surprise at her unexpected words.

A comrade who regretted not being there to fight with her.

And a comrade who was relieved that he wasn’t there to fight alongside her.

Her words, saying it was a relief that she had been able to shoulder all the pain and terror alone, hit Raphelon like a sudden wave of emotion.

Her compassion — so deep it was beyond comprehension — felt as if he had just encountered a goddess in human form.

His heart swelled with emotion.

“E-Emilia…”

“Sniff… You’re alive…”

“Emil… Ah…”

“I’m so glad… I’m so, so glad you weren’t there that day… So don’t apologize…”

It seemed the “gift” had been a success.

As he watched the heartwarming reunion of old comrades, Rosel smiled with satisfaction and stepped away to give them space.

“You probably have a lot to talk about, so take your time and talk freely.”

But just as he was about to leave, Esil called out to him.

“Ma-Master…!”

“What is it?”

“Thank you… Thank you so much…”

Her tearful words of gratitude made Rosel smile warmly. He gently closed the door behind him.

And so, the night of their heartfelt reunion grew deeper and deeper.