Chapter 45

After being attacked by a monster and giving the adults a thorough explanation of the situation, I brought Radmila back to my house. I did this because there was some leftover healing potion that I had made for Lukas the other day, and I wanted to ease her worry over my injuries. I thought that if I showed her the wounds closing up right before her eyes after drinking the potion, it might help heal the emotional pain she felt for getting hurt while protecting me.

Still, as I held the container, I thought to myself that this was the first time I had ever taken a healing potion. I stared at the clear liquid and then drank it all at once. Suddenly, I felt blood rushing to the wound—strangely, this sensation was familiar. Then it hit me; it was a bit like the feeling I had when I drank one of the failed potions I had experimented with for Elvira the other day.

It didn’t hurt as much as I thought it would, like my veins were being burned. However, the feeling of heat spreading through my body was very similar.

(Maybe that wasn’t a failure after all…?)

It was still too early to make a judgment, but perhaps it was premature to call the previous one a failure. When I thought about trying it again once I got home, I felt the heat in the wound start to subside. When I looked, the marks left by the monster’s claws were completely sealed.

I held out my right arm to Radmila, who still had tears in her eyes, and showed it to her forcefully.

"See, it’s healed."

"…Really?"

"Really. See for yourself?"

"Raura, I’m so sorry."

She hugged my right arm tightly and cried again. The wound was completely gone, and there was no trace of where I had been hurt. Still, seeing Radmila apologize and cry was endearing.

"Don’t worry so much, Radmila. You can’t even see the scar…"

"But…"

"More importantly, did the liquid I threw hit you? Are you okay?"

As Radmila continued to plead, I changed the subject. She looked at me with wide eyes, tilting her head, seemingly not understanding my question. I focused on the dress she was wearing and continued.

"It’s a bit of a poison, so if it got on your clothes, you should throw them away."

The potion was so toxic that it could dissolve a monster’s skin. Just thinking about what would happen if it got on human skin made me shudder. If it had hit Radmila, she would have screamed immediately. I didn’t think it had, but it was possible that it might have gotten on the hem of her dress. However, Radmila didn’t respond. She just looked at me with wide eyes. Wondering what was wrong, I finally squatted down to check the hem of her dress.

"…Did you make that, Raura?"

"I had my master help me, but yeah."

"Wow!"

Radmila’s dark expression suddenly changed, and she squatted down to look at my face with the same enthusiasm. Her quick change in mood surprised me, but I found her honest expression endearing. After a quick look, I didn’t see any signs of the poison on her dress. I stood up, and Radmila followed.

"Hey, hey, tell me more! How did you make it?"

Her eyes sparkled as she leaned in close, looking like a younger sister. I prefaced that it wasn’t that interesting and then answered her questions one by one.

***

While answering Radmila’s barrage of questions, my mother called out, "We have a guest." I saw this as a chance to escape from Radmila’s questions and stood up, heading to the front door without checking who it was.

When I got there, I saw Yuria standing at the door.

"Raura, I’m sorry for the sudden visit."

Surprised by the unexpected guest, I tilted my head slightly.

"Are you okay? Is your injury alright?"

"Y-Yeah, sorry for worrying you."

"Hey, Yuria, what’s up?"

"Oh, Radmila. You’re at Raura’s house. …Can I talk to you for a moment?"

It seemed that Radmila, who had followed me, and Yuria exchanged a few words in a low voice. I couldn’t hear what they were saying from where I was. Radmila nodded a few times and then said, "I’ll be going now. Sorry for the intrusion." Before I could react to the sudden announcement, she quickly ran off. Despite her laid-back demeanor, she could be surprisingly quick.

Left alone, Yuria and I made eye contact. She smiled faintly, and I returned it, not quite understanding the situation. I subtly invited her to come inside, but she just shook her head. Before I could ask what she needed, Yuria spoke.

"I’m getting married."

—Her sudden announcement left me frozen for several seconds. Yuria, getting married?

My brain had shut down, but I managed to squeeze out a clumsy congratulations.

"…Congratulations!"

"You look surprised."

"Hehe, you’re right."

Yuria laughed. Her smile was calm and mature. Considering she was two years older than me, it might be considered the right age for marriage in a small village. However, none of the other teenagers in the village had gotten married at the start of the story. Although I couldn’t be entirely sure about the NPCs who only appeared in the early stages.

I see, getting married. I widened my eyes as the reality slowly sank in.

"Of course, I’m surprised. We’ve never even talked about it before."

"Never talked about it, that’s true."

She said it so casually that I couldn’t help but laugh. I had no memory of her ever mentioning it, but her straightforwardness was amusing. I wondered if Petra, Radmila, and Lukas knew about it. In a small village with no major news, wedding gossip would spread quickly—

Then it hit me. Who was she marrying? From what I understood, Yuria wasn’t working away from the village like Petra. So, who?

"Can I ask who you’re marrying?"

"Sergio."

I was momentarily speechless at the name. I repeated it a few times in my head, trying to picture the person. After a few seconds, a face came to mind. Dark, curly hair and freckles. Right, Sergio was a boy from Eme’s village.

However, I had no memory of Yuria and Sergio being close. It was possible they had become closer after I started going to the capital, but—

"…Were you two close?"

"Somewhat. You probably didn’t know because you don’t talk to boys much besides Lukas, right?"

Ouch. She hit a sore spot. A few years ago, I had struggled to break free from the role of the hero’s childhood friend and tried to deepen my relationships with Yuria and the others. However, I had hardly interacted with the village boys.

Why? I didn’t have a specific reason. They rarely talked to me, and I had always planned to leave the village. I didn’t feel the need to—was that a bit harsh?

Still, Yuria was a smart and beautiful woman. Sergio, who used to tease Lukas as a kid, had grown into a strong young man by the start of the game. I didn’t want to meddle in other people’s love lives, but I genuinely wished them a happy home.

"Anyway, congratulations. If you had told me earlier, I would have brought a gift."

"I wanted to tell you myself."

Yuria blushed, looking younger and more like a teenage girl.

It was touching to see her in love.

"Y-Yeah, Raura."

"Ah… Congratulations, Sergio."

Sergio, who had probably been waiting by the door, peeked out. His cheeks were even redder than Yuria’s. We had exchanged casual conversations before and recognized each other, but since I spent most of my time at home or at my master’s, there was a bit of a gap. He was more of a stranger to me than someone I knew well.

"Um… What kind of gift would you like?"

"Send some sweets from the capital. Yuria loves sweet things."

He laughed. I still saw him as the kid who used to tease Lukas, so his cheerful smile was a bit surprising. He had matured, but his eyes still held a strong light, looking forward to his future with his partner.

I had already made peace with Lukas a few years ago. I didn’t want to meddle in their relationship, even if I couldn’t completely forgive Sergio for teasing Lukas as a kid.

The conversation didn’t flow, and an awkward silence fell. Sergio, scratching his red cheeks, said, "I didn’t expect to be getting married before you two."

"…Us two?"

"Raura and Lukas."

—Despite my efforts, it seemed that Lukas and I were still seen as a couple. However, thinking about it, Lukas was my closest male friend, and vice versa. I didn’t want to ruin our relationship, so I expected to be seen that way.

—It was within the realm of expectation, but the villagers’ tendency to assume romantic relationships between close friends made me chuckle. In a small village where many people marry within the community, it was a natural assumption.

"Ahaha… Lukas is a dear childhood friend, but we won’t end up like you and Sergio."

"Really?"

Really. I nodded, and Sergio looked genuinely surprised. Yuria did too. Perhaps in Eme’s village, it was a given that Lukas and I would get married. This explained Petra’s hesitant behavior. It must have taken courage for her to step in between us.

"I won’t marry just because we’re childhood friends. …Both of you, invite me to your wedding, okay?"

Denying it outright might cause misunderstandings, so I added this in a light tone. Yuria and Sergio still looked unconvinced, but they smiled and nodded at my request to invite me to their wedding.

—Should I tell Petra that I have no such intentions? However, even without me, she would likely face heartbreak in a few years. Perhaps the best course of action was to observe and let things take their natural course. I still hadn’t decided.

"Of course, we’ll invite you. We haven’t set a date yet, though."

Yuria’s smile was beautiful. I was confident that her marriage to Sergio was something she truly desired.

I opened my mouth to send them my best wishes, but then—

"Hey, Raura. Can you teach our child alchemy?"

I was taken aback by the unexpected request. "Our child," she said. No way.

I glanced at Yuria’s stomach, but it didn’t look swollen. Yuria laughed at my obvious reaction and added, "It’s a future plan."

"We don’t have any plans yet."

"Right, sorry… But eventually, I guess. Eme’s village… well, it’s small, and we need more workers. I think it’s part of our job to increase the population."

—In my previous life, such a statement would have been considered outdated. However, in this world and time, it was a common belief. In a closed-off village, a young woman’s role was to have children. The men protected the women and children, and the village continued to survive.

This reality hit me. The villagers’ persistent pressure on Raura and Lukas to marry was likely because they wanted new life. I didn’t want to criticize it. It was very different from my perspective, but it was the norm for the villagers.

I sighed deeply. Yuria had found her place in the village and was determined to fulfill it. The villagers probably expected the same from me, Petra, and Radmila.

Petra might be aware of this, which is why she confessed to Lukas. Radmila, being the youngest and most innocent among us, didn’t seem to realize it yet, but she would one day.

Yuria, standing tall and determined, looked incredibly beautiful and mature.