Chapter 42

The next early morning, while the sun had yet to show its face and the eastern sky had just begun to brighten slightly.

We had finished all our preparations and left Lulusha's tent.

"Be careful. Well, I'm sure you're fully aware of that, but..."

"Lulusha, you too. It's going to be busy for you from now on..."

"Yes. But that's what I wish for."

I shook hands with Lulusha, who smiled gently. That smile—though it was nothing like his, it reminded me of Old Man Hinga, and I couldn't help but widen my eyes.

—This body exists to receive punishment. I have committed a sin that cannot be atoned for by death. Yet, I have been blessed with the fortune of basking in the sunlight at the end. O omnipotent God who governs heaven and earth, I pray that you bestow your blessing upon this cursed child...

I remember perfectly the last words Old Man Hinga spoke. "A sin that cannot be atoned for by death"... I still don't know what that means.

"You were guided by your grandfather to come to this Reif Magic Empire. You became my savior, and not only that, the savior of this country. Ideally, the entire nation should celebrate your and your companions' glory..."

"No, no, that's not necessary. The imperial soldiers worked hard to achieve this result too."

"You are truly humble. I wish the bigwigs here would learn from you."

Then, Aba said,

"Exactly... All the credit for the subordinates' achievements goes to the superiors, and all the superiors' failures are blamed on the subordinates. This is why officials stop doing their jobs."

"Still, you've climbed to the position of deputy director, which is quite an achievement. Hurry up and become the director and start reforming the Foreign Affairs Bureau."

"...That's my intention. I know exactly what I'll do first when I become the director..."

"Really? I'm looking forward to it."

"Yes... I hope you are."

Aba, holding his long pipe, said something as if he were thinking. Ah, I see, it's that. He's going to propose when he becomes the director. Not just me, but everyone else (except Lulusha herself) seems to have noticed and is grinning.

Aba, noticing our expressions, panicked,

"R-right, I have work to do. Well, 'Silver Scales,' see you again."

And he left—though with all the work piled up, no one would be working this early in the morning, right?

"...Ugh, everyone, thank you for everything."

Another person who had come to see us off, Muge, shook hands with each of us in turn, tears in his eyes.

"I really wanted to go with you... but Cat-chan's expansion isn't finished yet."

Muge was modifying Cat-chan to carry a large amount of materials for reconstruction so he could resume his peddling. Incidentally, Muge, starting with the research on "Heroic Armament" and now the modification of Cat-chan, might be the most overworked person, cutting his sleep every day to keep working.

"Muge, please don't collapse before Cat-chan does?"

"I'll be careful, Dantes. This time, I'm thinking of hiring a driver so I can sleep."

"......"

To rest during the journey and work without sleeping the rest of the time. Dantes' expression turned serious. His thinking doesn't seem to go beyond overwork. The word "overwork death," which I've never heard of in this world, flashed through my mind, but if he can sleep during the journey, it might be okay...

"Alright, let's go."

We said our goodbyes to Lulusha and Muge and started to leave the tent.

Even though it was just before sunrise, many people were already up and preparing breakfast, and here and there, smoke from cooking fires could be seen rising.

When would these tents in the square disappear? Or would they remain, even after reconstruction, for the sake of visitors to the empire?

"How far can we go today?"

"It's hard to say how fast that carriage will be."

"Regardless of the ride, it'll be tough for a long time if it's too cramped."

"As long as I can sleep, it's all good~"

Dantes, Mimin, Non, and Zelly walked ahead of me, chatting.

At that moment, the first light of dawn shone, illuminating the trampled and rough plain.

I suddenly turned around and saw "Moonlight Beauty" in the distance.

On the deck of the Moonlight Beauty, illuminated by the sun on one side, I saw a single figure.

If it wasn't a mistake—no, it couldn't be a mistake.

I couldn't possibly mistake Miss Eva.

Miss Eva, with her hair fluttering in the gentle breeze, was looking at me.

She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted something.

Although it was impossible to hear from this distance, I could perfectly understand what Miss Eva was saying.

—Come back soon. We have a promise.

I turned around, knelt on one knee, placed my right hand over my heart, and bowed my head.

That should be enough—sufficient as a response from a bodyguard to their employer.

Well, Miss Eva only accepts "Yes," "Yes, sir," or "As you wish."

I stood up and caught up with Dantes and the others a little later.

"Huh? Young master, were you doing something?"

Zelly asked,

"Yes. I was just saying goodbye..."

I didn't want to explain in detail, so I fudged it.

"—Well, let's hurry. And catch up quickly, and do something quickly."

For my sister, Lark.