Leaving Shirone

"You've secured my freedom? What do you mean?"

"Even if you return to the Royal Palace, the king has promised that who you marry will be your own decision."

"Truly? How did you manage to convince him of that!?"

"It's a long story, but more or less we became friends."

"Amazing...", Aurora trailed off as she just stared at me with stars in her eyes.

"I take it that things went well at the castle?", Paul asked.

"Yes Indeed. How about yourself? Was there any trouble in rescuing all the captive hostages?"

"Hmmf!", Paul smirked. "Of course not. The mediocre guards they hire in the slave market are no match for an S-ranked adventurer like me! Not to mention, after I tracked down where the families were being held, several of the town's soldiers were eager to help me. Where's Laws, by the way?"

"He's still back at the Royal Palace. When I found him, he had been badly beaten and was severely malnourished. I healed his injuries, but they are keeping him at the Royal Palace for now to nurse him back to health."

"Damn!", Paul grimaced. "Damn that Pax. How am I going to explain to Hope why her husband is as thin as a skeleton when we get him back to Sharia?"

"We may as just have Laws tell her the truth. The foolish seventh Prince heard of his relation to Roxy and captured him to lure her back for nefarious reasons. Thankfully, we exposed his crimes to the good and just King Shirone, and everything turned out alright."

"Hope's going to be furious that he had to go through all that..."

"She'll just be happy to have him safe at home."

"I suppose you're right", Paul nodded.

The next day, I brought Princess Aurora back to the Royal Palace and she had a tearful reunion with her father and siblings (other than Pax). We spent three days as guests at the castle. During our time there, Zanoba was constantly pestering me about dolls and figurines. I made a new figurine in the image of his father, King Shirone, while Zanoba watched in awe.

"I beg of you, master. Please teach me how to make these myself! I will devote every ounce of my being to your teachings!"

"I'm sorry, Zanoba, but you are not ready yet."

Zanoba's face went pale with shock. His face recoiled into a horrific terror. It looked as though he had just heard the worst news imaginable.

"I'm heading back to Sharia where my family lives. The Ranoa Magic University is in that city. You will at least need to master basic earth magic in order to be ready for my teachings. Would you like to come with me to Sharia and enroll at the university?"

Immediately, Zanoba's face changed from a look of pure horror to one of unparalleled glee.

"Master! Of course! I will study harder than anyone else at the university! I swear it on my honor of third prince!"

Zanoba ran in for a hug, which I deftly dodged. Thankfully he was rather slow.

"Calm down, Zanoba! Are you trying to crush me to death?"

"AAAAAHH!", Zanoba exclaimed in shock. "I'm so sorry master! What a fool I've been!" Zanoba prostrated himself on the ground in front of me, begging for forgiveness.

"You need to calm down, Zanoba. You're always taking things to such extremes! Figurine making is a delicate process. A true master needs to take control of his emotions! Also, get off the ground. You don't need to act like that in front of me. We're friends, remember?"

"F-friends...?"

Zanoba had tears welling up in his eyes and looked like he was about to wail out again, but instead he clenched his fist with determination.

"I understand, Master! Never again will I lose control like that!"

'Yeah... I totally believe that'

After three days had passed, Laws seemed to have regained most of his energy. He still looked a bit thin, but was otherwise healthy and energetic. Laws, Paul, Zanoba, Ginger and I all made our farewells and made our way to the edge of the city.

Just as we were approaching the south gate to leave the city, Princess Aurora came running from behind us, calling out for us to wait.

"Rudy! My beloved! Wait for me!!"

She had an escort tagging along behind her, panting as he carried a hugely oversized bag of luggage.

"W-what are you doing here Aurora!? I thought you were going to stay at the castle now that I secured your freedom?"

"Now that I have my freedom, how could I ever leave my beloved behind? I'm coming with you!"

"What about your father? You're going to leave all your family behind?"

"Zanoba is coming too, is he not? Not to mention, that once we marry, you shall be my family as well!"

"Aurora... didn't I tell you I already love Sylphiette?"

"Hmmf! That's why I need to come along. I will show you that the one you truly love is me!"

"Ugh...", I began rubbing my temples, feeling another headache coming on. "Fine, but you're not staying at our home. You'll need to find your own place to stay."

"Like most other students, I will be staying at the university dorms."

"Wait a moment... Are you planning to enroll at the university as well?"

"Naturally. Someone needs to watch over my brother and make sure he behaves!"

"That's why the king ordered me to come with as well", Ginger responded proudly.

"Hey! I'm not a child!", Zanoba squawked back in defiance. "Besides, I would never do anything to embarrass my master."

"Regardless, I plan to enroll. I heard that Rudy and Sylphy will both be there, after all."

'Yep, I definitely feel another headache coming my way.'

Aurora and her escort, who later introduced himself as Aaron, officially joined our party. We followed the main road outside the city for about two hours, before I guided everyone off the path once we reached a small forest. When I was sure we were alone and out of sight, I made an announcement.

"Zanoba, Laws, Aurora, and Ginger... I know I can trust the four of you implicitly. I need all of you to promise me that you will keep what I am about to show you a secret."

Everyone agreed without a problem.

"Aaron... I kind of just met you, so I hope you don't take offense that I ask you to wear these", I handed him a blindfold and some earplugs that I had fashioned. He reluctantly agreed and put them on. Ginger was secretly wondering what she did in such a short time to earn my trust.

"Now this magic I am about to use is considered taboo. It would likely cause me quite a hassle if it became public knowledge that I was using it. Do you all promise to keep everything you are about to see a secret?"

Once again, everyone agreed, and so I took out a large scroll from my carrying case. I had prepared this as our return scroll in advance, before we even left Sharia in the first place. I unfurled the scroll flat onto the ground in a small clearing inside the forest.

"This is a teleportation scroll that I have written out. It will take us back to my home in Sharia. Everyone, please step onto its center and make sure you are holding someone else's hand.

I needed one hand free to activate the scroll, and naturally Zanoba and Aurora fought over who got to hold my other hand. Zanoba ended up winning out in the end, while Aurora pouted and then grabbed Paul's hand instead.

I poured some mana into the magic circle on the scroll to activate it. The next thing any of us knew, we were in the basement of my house in Sharia.

"Amazing!", Zanoba yelled out.

"I can't believe that actually worked...", Ginger added.

"Of course it worked! It's Rudy's magic after all!", Aurora took offense at Ginger's surprise.

"Everyone, please follow me."

I guided them all back upstairs and outside my house. From there, Paul and Laws left to head back to their house where Zenith and everyone else was living while I gave Zanoba, Ginger, and Aurora a quick tour of the city, ending with the Ranoa Magic University.

"Unfortunately, they are in the middle of a school year, so I don't think you can enroll for this year. Perhaps they will still let you rent a room at the dorms though?"

Thankfully, that did seem to be the case. Zanoba and Aurora each got separate rooms while Ginger followed Zanoba to his room to work as his personal guard / maid. I walked Aurora towards the girls' dorms, but told her she'd be on her own from there as I was not allowed to enter.

However, it was just when we were about to part ways that we both came upon a terrible realization.

"Where's Aaron!? Did nobody guide him onto the scroll or hold his hand?"

"He was carrying all my belongings!"

Yeah. We left him behind.