Chapter 42
A garden full of various blooming flowers.
A man with a grim face opened the fence and stepped into the garden.
Despite his intimidating appearance, Garid’s heart swelled as he looked around with a satisfied gaze.
Suddenly, a thunderous shout erupted from his mouth.
“Hey! Canaria!”
A passerby nearby jumped in surprise at Garid’s sudden outburst.
Garid scratched his head, lowering his gaze at the piercing stare of the passerby.
His shout attracted the attention of those around, but the person he wanted to see was nowhere in sight.
As Garid debated whether to shout again or just go inside through the door, it squeaked open.
“…What is it?”
A cute girl with pink hair and pink eyes peeked her head out, still looking sleepy as if she had just woken up.
“What? The sun is high in the sky, and you’re still sleeping? It’s important to sleep well, but you need to wake up early and move to grow taller!”
“If moving would make me taller, I would have grown already… Don’t annoy me when you know it’s pointless.”
Canaria, who usually showed a nonchalant reaction to whatever was said, always bristled at the mention of height.
Garid knew this fact well.
Still, he brought up Canaria’s height purely for fun.
‘Was that why he was teasing her?’
As mentioned earlier, Canaria was often unresponsive, making her reactions when provoked stand out dramatically.
“So, what is it this time?”
Canaria shook her head to shake off her sleepiness and asked with a clearer voice than before.
“What do you mean, what is it? Anyone would think I do this every day!”
“…”
Canaria said nothing.
Reading between the lines of her silence, Garid put on a disappointed expression.
He quickly returned to his original demeanor, knowing that his earlier attempt had fallen flat.
Garid then extended his hand, which he had hidden behind him, towards Canaria.
“Here, what do you think?”
“…A flower? You made such a fuss just to show me this?”
“No, no! This isn’t just a flower. Come on, take a closer look.”
Saying this, he brought his hand closer to her.
In the pot he was holding, there was a flower with impressive pink petals.
Canaria, looking down at the flowers, glanced at Garid with eyes that seemed to ask, “So?”
“How about it? Doesn’t it resemble you?”
“Not really.”
“It looks exactly like you. Small and just like you… Just kidding, just kidding. Would I joke around if I was scared? Ugh, why did I even teach this kid how to use a sword…”
He had already anticipated the lack of a response, but he still felt a bit disappointed.
Why don’t children understand their parents’ feelings?
With a sigh, Garid set the flower pot down and spoke.
“Canaria.”
“?”
“I wish you were like this flower.”
“…What do you mean?”
“Look.”
Garid, holding a small trowel, dug into the soil and transplanted the flower from the pot.
It took quite a while, but Canaria silently watched him work.
When the task was completed, the flower, which had been blooming alone in the pot, was now smiling shyly among other flowers.
“How is it? It was pretty before, but doesn’t it look much prettier like this?”
“….”
“You, too, like this flower, will be much prettier when you blend with others. Make friends, meet trustworthy comrades… And, oh? Maybe even get married to a guy you like, huh?”
“Stop meddling.”
Canaria, who had been listening quietly, snorted and turned to enter the house, as if she no longer needed to hear any more.
As Canaria’s figure disappeared into the house, Garid clicked his tongue, left alone.
“If she would just tone down her temper a bit, guys would be lining up to be with her.”
Garid suddenly imagined the scene of Canaria being pursued by suitors.
A young man presenting a bouquet, and Canaria, shyly smiling as she accepted it.
The distance between the two, gazing affectionately at each other, gradually closes…
He hoped that one day Canaria would meet a good man and build a happy family, but as he imagined such a scene, his face contorted in disgust.
If Canaria were to bring home some stranger, claiming he was someone she liked…
“…I’d have to check if he’s a good man.”
And whether he had the ability to protect Canaria.
Garid muttered ominously, resembling the bumbling, foolish friends he despised and avoided so much.
***
***
‘…That was something that happened.’
Although it had already been a few years, the memory was as clear as if it had happened just yesterday.
I never imagined I would hear such embarrassing words again.
“How about this? Doesn’t it look like you?”
“This flower, doesn’t it resemble Canaria?”
Different yet the same words.
Reminded of the past, I simply stared blankly at Joanie and hastily left the spot.
There was no real reason for me to leave, so why did I run away like that?
“…”
Perhaps it was because I was enchanted by the sight of the flower that was exactly like the one Garid had brought.
‘Did you come here before?’
Of course, the nameless pink flower Garid brought might not only bloom here.
But I couldn’t shake the thought that he had visited this village in the past.
I know it’s not a logical assumption, just a simple wish.
But…
‘I just want to feel Garid’s presence, even if it’s just for a moment.’
If I could feel like we were together, that would be enough.
However, it was time to wake up from this sweet dream.
“There’s an ogre corpse here!”
“Did you really take it down?!”
“…Huff! A dimensional creature…!”
I thought they would have fled, but the upper guild members and villagers rushed over, staring in awe at the ogre and dimensional creature.
The people who hesitated to approach could only draw closer when they realized the creatures were lifeless corpses.
“One of them isn’t dead yet.”
Dimensional creatures disappear, leaving only a core behind when their life completely ends.
So the fact that there’s a form left means that there’s still a breath of life within them.
Having lost three pairs of legs and their sharp teeth, they are practically corpses, merely waiting for their end.
Pssssss—
“Huff!”
Just as I thought that, the corpse of the dimensional creature turned to dust and scattered.
Seeing the panic as they fled, only to return, was rather amusing.
As I cautiously surveyed the surroundings, my eyes met those of the villagers.
“Isn’t that the child who disappeared earlier? Could it really be that she took down the ogre and the dimensional creature…?”
“She looks younger than our daughter, so it can’t be her. It must have been the Apostles who did it.”
“Apostles? They don’t look that strong…?”
“Oh dear, that’s a dangerous thing to say…!”
Some of the people who had been chatting among themselves approached me.
“Ahem… Hey, did you see what happened here?”
“…”
“Hey, hey?”
“Is your face so intimidating that you scared her?”
“If that’s the case, then it’s not me, but your face that scared her. Have you already forgotten how the butcher’s son cried when he saw you? He was the same kid who smiled brightly even when looking at a pig carcass.”
Um… what are they talking about?
“Ah, wait a minute!”
At that moment, the translation device I had abandoned… no, it was Joanie who rushed over.
“My sister doesn’t know Arkish. If you have any questions, please ask me instead.”
“Ah… I thought it was strange that she wasn’t saying anything. Your sister is quite cute.”
“Right?”
“By the way, did the Apostles take care of those ogres and that dimensional creature earlier?”
“Um…”
Joanie hesitated, seeming troubled, then turned her head towards me.
“…Kana? Why are you avoiding eye contact?”
“…Nothing.”
I don’t know why, but it feels awkward to meet her gaze.
I said, without looking at Joanie, “What’s the matter?”
“Oh, right. They’re asking if we were the ones who killed the ogres and the dimensional creature?”
“…So?”
“I thought it might be troublesome for Kana if I told them the truth…”
Ah, I see. That’s when I realized Joanie’s concern.
She must think I want to hide my identity because I wrap myself tightly in a cape.
In reality, that’s partly true.
“…”
“Yeah, what should I do?
Honestly, it wouldn’t matter much if it became known now.
Many people, including the snakes from the Empire and the Apostles, already know about me.
Since I’m going to wear a cape anyway, it won’t make much of a difference if I become a bit more well-known.
However, it was clear that it would definitely be a bit more bothersome than before.
“It’s okay to speak the truth.”
After a long hesitation, I made my decision.
This wasn’t the best answer after considering everything.
To be honest… no, it wasn’t worth considering at all.
This was just a whim.
It was like the whims of a child, where today was one way, but tomorrow could be entirely different.
“Are you sure?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
I just felt burdened by the consideration that Joanie had shown me.
If she wanted the credit, she could just say she did it; if she felt uneasy about that, she could just say I did it.
Yet, she didn’t do that and insisted on asking for my opinion.
Such a trivial consideration that anyone could make.
The reason I was being fickle was because of that trivial consideration.
“Instead, there’s a condition.”
“…It’s not something difficult, right? Like making me fight monsters or something…”
I shook my head.
Of course not.
Those things weren’t hard at all, and I was going to ask her to do them without needing to attach any conditions.
Brr—
“Why do I feel a chill for some reason…?”
Joanie trembled slightly.
Even though it was night, it shouldn’t be that cold.
Seeing Joanie shivering, I tilted my head but decided to let it slide.
She might just be the type to get cold easily.
I said to Joanie, “To me—”
Joanie’s eyes widened like lanterns at my words.
Then suddenly, she raised her hand to pinch her cheeks and slapped her face in an odd manner.
Finally, after a few rounds of her inexplicable antics, Joanie grabbed my hand tightly.
“If that’s the case, I’ll gladly do it!”
When you think about it, it meant more work for her, so I didn’t understand why she looked so happy.
A bright smile bloomed on Joanie’s face.
—
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