Chapter 67

Around noon. After waking up, I returned to the village.

"You did it! Lord Alberto!"

The village chief welcomed me with a loud voice.

Young villagers had been sent as witnesses to the battle with the nine-headed dragon.

They must have already reported back.

The other villagers also gathered around me, cheering.

"Amazing! Just as expected of the lord's son!"

"You're the real hero!"

"Thanks to you, this village has been saved!"

Their faces were filled with joy and smiles.

Seeing their faces, I felt a sense of fulfillment. There was no longer a need for them to offer someone as a sacrifice and talk about dark matters.

At that moment, someone approached me.

"…Thank you so much…"

It was the girl I had saved from the lake. Her eyes were glistening with tears. The moment she held my hand, the tears streamed down her face.

"Thank you! Thank you for saving my life! Because you came—"

The girl bowed her head.

Tears fell from her eyes onto her hands.

"…But, is it right for only me to be saved…? I feel bad for all the sacrifices who have died…"

I shook my head.

"…You don't need to worry… If you were in their position, would you resent them?"

"…I don't think I would…"

"They would surely say, 'I'm glad you're safe.' The important thing is not to forget them, I think."

That's right.

The peace we've enjoyed until now has been maintained because of the sacrifices made by those girls. Only this village has been making these sacrifices.

We must not forget their sacrifices.

…I want to build a memorial in this village. I thought it would be a good idea to have a monument as a testament to their existence and the village's role in protecting the Luminous territory.

The girl released my hand and bowed.

"Thank you. I will never forget this kindness."

The villagers continued their conversations.

However, I was distracted by something else.

The nine-headed dragon had been defeated, and I had returned.

Everyone in the village knew this. So, the person who should have appeared immediately was nowhere to be found.

"Where is Laura?"

The villagers looked at each other, surprised.

"Huh? She's not around?"

"We haven't seen her today…"

The villagers looked around anxiously.

Why isn't she here…?

Driven by unease, I headed to the house assigned to us.

And—

It was empty.

—!

I was speechless. Why isn't Laura here? Did she run away because she was afraid of the nine-headed dragon? No, that's not like her.

I couldn't help but shout.

"Laura! Laura! Where are you!"

The villagers, who had been following me, started calling out for Laura, looking worried.

"I'll go look for Laura around here!"

Just as a helpful villager said that—

"Um, excuse me…"

A familiar voice called out.

I turned around hurriedly and saw a white-haired girl standing there.

"Could you be looking for me?"

"Laura!"

The villagers made way for Laura.

She approached me with an apologetic look.

"What happened, Laura? Where were you?"

"Um, well…"

Laura looked troubled for a moment before saying,

"I was worried about you, so I went to watch the battle. I felt relieved when I saw you win, and then I fell asleep—"

She bowed her head.

"I'm sorry for not following your instructions."

"No, it's okay… Don't worry about it."

I let out a sigh of relief.

"As long as you're safe, that's all that matters."

"…You won, didn't you? Against the nine-headed dragon?"

"Yeah."

"There, I told you. I knew you could win."

Then, Laura smiled softly.

"Good job, Alberto!"

Her words were very comforting.

Just hearing those words made all the fatigue in my body disappear.

Perhaps I had been fighting until the end just to hear those words—especially from Laura.

It felt like the entire series of events had finally come to a close.

"Thank you, Laura."

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

The next day, Laura and I were flying to the capital, Luminous, using a Magic Arrow.

It was almost dusk. Since night is not suitable for Magic Arrow flight, we needed to descend soon.

"Summer vacation is almost over, huh?"

"That's right!"

Laura replied enthusiastically.

"What kind of summer vacation was it for you, Alberto?"

"Quite eventful… It was a lot to handle."

Indeed, a lot had happened.

I reconciled with my father and became the successor to the Luminous family. I traveled to various places to learn about this territory, and finally, I ended up battling a dragon.

"It was a lively summer. But it was fun."

Probably because someone was by my side.

Probably because that someone was Laura.

"How about you, Laura?"

"It was amazing! I can't think of any other words to describe it!"

Then, Laura continued,

"But, I had a lot of fun too!"

"That's good to hear."

I was happy to hear her say that.

"—Ah!"

At that moment, Laura exclaimed.

"Alberto, look! Over there, it's beautiful!"

We had just emerged from a mountainous area, and the view suddenly opened up to a vast plain stretching as far as the eye could see.

The red sun was setting on the horizon, casting a warm glow over the grassland.

Indeed, it was beautiful.

I often see sunsets while flying on a Magic Arrow, but today's was particularly beautiful, I thought.

It must be due to the humidity and cloud cover aligning perfectly.

"Indeed, it's beautiful."

At that moment, it felt that way.

"Yes, it's very beautiful! I wanted to see such a landscape with you! It's a great memory!"

Laura laughed happily.

"I'll never forget this! This summer day! So, please remember it too, Alberto!"

"Of course. I won't forget this summer day, or you."

"Okay!"

Laura responded joyfully.

And so—

Our summer story came to an end.