Chapter 36

Shouji realized, belatedly, just how large the room was.

Sitting on one side of the hearth with Yukishiro, he felt a void on the opposite side.

Akari, who couldn’t bear to let Ophia camp outside while she stayed in the cave, was camping outside.

Maxim, accompanied by Allie and a few others, had gone down the mountain to head for the village.

Maxim, who had been tasked with carrying the giant thorned spider that the "Moon Goddess's Attendants" had slain, had to pass through the territory of the slain spider, which was said to leave a person in a blank state for a day and a night.

He lamented that he didn’t even have time to smoke a pipe, but Shouji thought it was best if he was overworked.

Leaning against Yukishiro, Shouji suddenly realized he felt lonely.

He was lonely because he didn’t like to be in a group.

This loneliness was proof of his freedom.

If so, he would choose freedom.

If only he could say that, but there was also a part of him that longed for company.

He couldn’t let go of that either.

He couldn’t say that he didn’t enjoy the time he spent with Akari, Irida, and especially Yukishiro.

Yukishiro’s tail gently brushed against Shouji’s cheek.

Shouji’s expression softened, and he silently reached out to scratch Yukishiro’s throat.

“Shouji-san, are you awake?”

At Akari’s voice, Shouji slowly opened his eyes.

He had only been closing his eyes while leaning against Yukishiro.

Confirming that Shouji was awake, Akari sat across from him in a formal position.

The twilight was shining on Akari’s face.

“Is something wrong?”

“... I’m sorry for everything.”

Akari bowed deeply.

Shouji noticed that Akari looked unusually small when she bowed.

She was originally petite, but she looked very frail.

She was only seventeen, about ten years younger than Shouji. When she was sent away, she was probably fifteen or sixteen.

She was still a child, and that impression was strongly left on him.

“What for?”

Akari raised her head.

“For running to you. For the unfair treatment I received in the village. For Maxim breaking his promise for me. For disrupting your and Yukishiro’s life, and many other things...”

She looked like she was about to cry but was holding back, determined not to cry.

“That’s inevitable, isn’t it? To Maxim, I’m just a mysterious man who appeared out of nowhere. If he had to choose between me and Akari, he would choose Akari.”

Shouji might have realized something about Akari’s background from their relationship, but he didn’t think Maxim suspected he was a hero who had lost his power.

By the way, how much did Maxim tell Ophia? If he only said that he was a child who was abandoned in the mountains and lived with Ilneek, it wouldn’t be a problem.

“Such a thing...”

“It’s fine. If he hadn’t, you might have lost Akari. Well, it’s a bother for me, but it’s not like there’s no way out. Did you tell Maxim that I’m a summoner?”

“I haven’t, it’s a promise. Maxim seems to have some idea, but he hasn’t told Ophia either.”

Shouji breathed a sigh of relief inside.

It was crucial that he not be revealed as a summoner.

If it were known that he was a summoner who had lost his power, it could cause a major upheaval involving the state.

Not because they would desire his power, but to use him to belittle Hayato and the other heroes.

And what a summoner who learned of Shouji’s survival would do.

Either way, it was beyond Shouji’s control.

Akari was looking at Shouji, seemingly apologetic.

Shouji said to her,

“Then, I won’t say not to worry. Keep worrying and keep the promise. Even if you die, keep it.”

He wouldn’t say it was fine if it involved life and death, and he couldn’t say it.

And Akari wouldn’t want him to say it either.

Akari always looked at Shouji with a sense of guilt, probably because she had a strong sense of responsibility.

“Other than that, live as you please. I do the same.”

Akari wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes and turned to him with a determined face.

“Yes! No matter what, I will keep the promise.”

The girl made a decision and walked straight ahead.

Shouji found it incredibly dazzling.

“... In this atmosphere, could everyone lend me the bath?”

“...”

“And about dinner, it seems everyone is eating portable food. I think Maxim will bring food tomorrow, but everyone seems to be tired from a long, urgent journey, so I’d like to offer them a warm meal...”

“...”

The sun had set completely, and outside the cave, a yellow moon, similar to the moon on Earth, was quietly shining.

The mountain, which had been noisy with the comings and goings of dinner and the bath, was now quiet.

Shouji, looking at the moon, was drawing a picture at the edge of a cliff behind the cave.

Yukishiro was lying down next to him.

Yukishiro’s ears twitched.

“May I have a moment?”

Behind Shouji, Ophia, dressed in a deep green robe, was standing.

Shouji nodded slightly and continued to move his fingers.

“Is that... the Moon Goddess?”

Seeing the yellow moon, which resembled the moon in Japan, a sense of nostalgia had moved Shouji’s fingers.

Using a small brush and ink, he was drawing the moon and a woman beside it on the pages of a notebook.

The woman was looking at something far away, and the moon seemed ethereal.

The picture was intricate yet abstract.

“A black and white image that’s so... mysterious.”

It was not something that deserved praise, a picture with unclear intent.

Ophia bowed beside him.

“I know I’m an uninvited guest. I’m grateful that you accepted me despite that.”

It wouldn’t change anything, but if she said that, he couldn’t get angry.

Ophia hadn’t done anything to Shouji yet.

“It’s just that I was swept up in the situation. The rest is just that Maxim betrayed me.”

“It’s my responsibility.”

“The facts can’t be changed.”

Shouji’s tone became harsh. There might have been anger.

“... Facts and truth are different.”

“Maybe so. But if something irreversible happens because of those facts, who will take responsibility? Will the so-called truth undo the damage caused by those facts?”

“Certainly, that child can be rough, but she’s not thoughtless. She regretted that you were living in obscurity in these mountains. That feeling—”

“—Would you still feel the same if I were killed?”

Ophia was visibly shaken for the first time.

Shouji, still holding the brush, sensed her reaction.

It was probably for Akari, but Maxim didn’t do this out of malice. He didn’t seem like that kind of person.

It was probably Maxim’s well-intentioned act, not knowing the relationship between the hero and Shouji.

But that well-intentioned act was not what Shouji wanted.

He’s not a wanted criminal, Shouji said, moving his fingers.

Ophia looked at Shouji’s profile, thinking.

Despite being abandoned in the mountains, he had a refined way of speaking and the ability to draw. He could be a royal or noble offspring who would cause a stir if known, or a high-ranking slave who had escaped.

In the major countries of Elips, the slave system had been abolished, but it still existed in poor, small countries.

But even as she thought this, Ophia felt it didn’t quite fit.

“If that’s the case, do you intend to renounce the world and stay here forever?”

Shouji raised his face for the first time and stroked the purring Yukishiro.

“It could be.”

If he was with Yukishiro, he could only stay in these mountains.

Ophia knew this, and that was why she had come.

Shouji, as if remembering, looked at Ophia.

“Ah, right. Well, it’s just a verbal promise, but promise me that you won’t tell anyone about me or that I’m here with Yukishiro. If your life is in danger, you can break it. I made the same promise with Maxim... that bastard.”

Shouji, calling Maxim a bastard, realized his true feelings of always asking for promises.

A promise that, if broken, would cause him trouble.

If he broke that promise and became an enemy, he could treat him as a clear enemy from the bottom of his heart.

That’s how he thought.

It was one of the ways to kill his emotions.

Maxim had broken the promise, but he hadn’t become an enemy. Therefore, he couldn’t treat him as a clear enemy in his heart.

“... Yes, I will make the promise. In the name of the blue forest clan, Ophia Or Verde Va Kuufornia Elyoval, I swear to the Moon Goddess that I will keep this promise for life.”

Ophia closed her eyes and continued to speak.

≪DDetta liv är Tsukiyo oavsett vad, att de inte bryter eden. Vem hans oavsett hur fiende dock är denna kropp huggen, även kommer att bli smutsig, min orubbliga löfte.≫

It was an unbreakable oath by the elves.

“Is this acceptable?”

Shouji didn’t know. He didn’t know, but the words were something that shouldn’t be violated.

And Ophia’s expression was the same as Akari’s, dyed by the twilight.

“I don’t understand, but if you’ll keep it, that’s fine.”

“I never thought I would use these words in my life.”

Ophia smiled mischievously.

“This phrase is used at weddings. Hehehe.”

Shouji looked surprised.

“Well, you look quite young when you make that face. You shouldn’t frown so much. And this is an apology. Maxim asked me to do this. But this is my apology, please accept it.”

Ophia pressed a ring-shaped object, the same color as her robe, into Shouji’s hand.

Shouji rolled it in his hand, uninterested.

“This is a proof of identity for the ‘Moon Goddess’s Attendants.’ For you and Yukishiro.”

Shouji almost dropped the deep green ring.

“Hehe, with this, you can walk around with Yukishiro without any problems. Even if you can’t enter the city because large magical beasts aren’t allowed, you won’t be restrained without reason. If that happens, you’ll be making enemies of the ‘Moon Goddess’s Attendants’ and the Hunter’s Guild, hehehe.”

Ophia smiled with the strict face of a lady-in-waiting.

“However, you should avoid standing out in the Dorgan region, where Ilneek is famous. If you’re still concerned, I can teach you the autonomous magic of illusion. This is not a trade, but an apology.”

“... Why go this far?”

Shouji finally spoke. Why did she care so much about him, who had continued to doubt and be wary of her?

That’s right, Ophia said and began to speak.

“Like the moon, we travel.

We hunt as companions to the goddess’s hunt.

Leading women with wounded hearts.

It’s not always welcome, but there are women who seek salvation.

Diantia is still discriminated against because of her monster-like appearance, and in some places, she is treated as a collection.

Allie was subjected to severe violence by her husband in a country where divorce is not allowed.

But, as I continue such days, I think.

Men are also wounded.

Discriminated against, used as slaves, driven to war, and forced to kill each other.

You, too, are wounded, aren’t you, though in a different way?

That’s why you’re here.”

Her words were like a chant, a whisper.

“I’ll take my leave now.”

Ophia said and left.

In his hand were the deep green ring and the picture he had drawn.

Shouji questioned himself.

What did he want to do?

It seemed he could survive.

What came after that?

The deep green ring was emitting a presence in Shouji’s hand.