28 Sherry’s Choice

When we got back home, naturally, we received a scolding from Mother, for returning covered in blood from top to bottom. To my pleasant surprise, it wasn't as long as I expected it would be, knowing her. She scolded me more than Sherry too, which I found unfair at first, until I realized it's because she didn't want to treat Sherry even the slightest bit harshly, after what she just went through. Afterwards, she told us to go clean up immediately, which was exactly what we were already planning on doing.

However, I also noticed a sad look on her face as we left.

Mother… you're thinking what I'm thinking, aren't you?

-----

Our bathing time together went smoothly at first, with Sherry insisting that she should be the one doing all the scrubbing, still feeling guilty for smothering all that blood onto me. Of course, Sherry being Sherry, she was still too shy to scrub my front, opting to only scrub my back. Hehe, it's okay if you want to, you know~

And, as promised, she also told me I could play with her hair as much as I wanted. I only ended up just admiring how glossy and smooth it looked and felt though. Could something this lovely be turned into a weapon? I find it hard to believe.

…

Ah, what am I thinking? I'm just trying to forget the elephant in the room, aren't I?

Is Sherry going to leave?

That's one of the two questions that had occupied my mind ever since Myrilla made her offer.

The other one being, should I persuade her to stay?

Of course I wouldn't want her to go. Just like how I wished Marina could stay all year.

However, if going with Myrilla would result in a better outcome for her, then I had no right to force her to stay. Just like Marina studying magic in the academy would make her be a skillful mage once she's an adult, securing a bright future ahead of her. A high-skill mage was always in demand, and the Magocracy, and other countries for that matter, would pay her handsomely either to act as part of their military or just to foster the prosperity of their domain. After all, a high level mage could do all sorts of useful things like controlling the weather and turning a wasteland into a lush farmland. Or so Marina told me. And I had no doubt whatsoever that she would be one of said mages.

However, for Sherry, what future would she be able to earn if she went with Myrilla now? Wouldn't it be better if she waited until she was older then we three could go to the Demon Continent and to her homeland on her own, with me, Marina, and her? Does she really need to know how to manipulate her hair like the other Izurds?

Once again, I had yet to come up with a satisfactory answer. I didn't even know whether I should ask her on the matter.

Mother felt the same way. I knew just by looking at her expression then. Father probably too as well.

"Hey…" Suddenly Sherry spoke, breaking the silence. "You're thinking about me leaving, aren't you?"

Welp, she hit the jackpot right away.

I sighed and nodded.

"Do you… want me... not to go?"

This question… it's exactly what I feared. And that sad, hesitating expression on her face only made it harder for me to answer.

"...If you want to, I won't stop you."

Such was the answer that escaped my mouth.

It wasn't me telling her not to go, or how much I would miss her if she did.

It was me telling her to do as she pleased. To go if she wanted to go, or to stay if she wanted to stay.

I forced a smile and added, "I'll miss you for sure. But if you want to meet your relatives, then who am I to stop you?"

To my surprise, her reaction was not of relief, but that of sadness, before switching to anger entirely.

"Hmph, stupid Hugo!"

"H-hey Sherry, wa—"

SLAM

Before I could say anything, she already jumped out of the bath and slammed the bathroom door behind her.

--------

Sherry

At first, I didn't know why I got so angry.

Only that I was, and that I wanted to hide back in my room and cry myself to sleep.

I took my towel and wore it in a hurry, before also taking my clean clothes with me. Then, I immediately bolted there.

I didn't want Hugo to chase after me.

...No, I wanted him to chase after me. In fact, I wanted him to apologize, begging to me not to leave.

That's what made me so angry. His answer—it's like he didn't care about me leaving at all!

I knew for a fact that wasn't true however. With everything that he had done to me, and with how nice he had been to me, there was no way he wouldn't be hurt if I decided to leave.

But my heart was greedy. It wanted more. It wanted him pleading with tears for me not to leave.

If he did, I would've decided to stay to be sure. I wouldn't leave him just for some relatives I didn't know about, no matter how curious I was to meet them.

But if he acted like this… how would I know what to do?

Once back in my room, I locked the door behind me before throwing off my towel. I then looked at the mirror in my room.

So this is how a demon looks… how an Izurd looks…

My real father and mother… even if they have abandoned me, I still want to meet with them…

And I want to get stronger too… strong enough to beat Hugo, just like I used to be able to…

The gap between us… I know it's only getting bigger and bigger…

Before I know it, he would be just as strong as his big sister, whom I couldn't land a single blow on…

And then, if we really become a party of adventurers as he wants, I would just be a burden… The weak link in their party…

It would be better if I don't go with them after all…

My training with Hugo's father had plateaued. He said that I should be patient, and I would eventually become strong if I just kept up my training, but I knew if I only improved at this rate, I would only be left behind by Hugo and Marina more and more. The immense Izurdian strength I was born with, and whatever talent I might have in the sword, it's nowhere near those two's level of talent in magic. They were true geniuses, while I was just a girl who got lucky that she was actually a demon and not a normal human.

…

I want it.

I want more power.

I want more strength to protect Hugo.

And if I have to go all the way to the Demon Continent for that, then I will, without hesitation.

Then, I will return to Hugo as a proud woman, who's worthy of becoming his partner and party member.

And even…

Even his wife, if he still would have me…

-------------

Hugo

When I met Sherry again at lunch, she was back to her usual self, as if nothing had happened.

...No, there was just one difference.

Her eyes… there was fire behind them.

She had made her decision.

"Father… Mother… I have decided. I will go with Myrilla to the Demon Continent."

Those were the words that first came out of her mouth the moment she arrived and sat on.

Mother gasped, dropping the fork and spoon she had been holding with a loud clang. Father, on the other hand, looked as if he already saw this coming.

"S-Sherry, you can't seriously think of—"

"I am serious, Mother," she replied without flinching. ���I am already ten years old, remember? I am perfectly qualified to start traveling around and being an adventurer. Father, you left your home at the same age, right?"

"Yes, that's true, but—"

"Then there is no problem, is there?"

"There is a problem!" Mother suddenly slammed her hands to the table. "Do you have any idea how dangerous the Demon Continent is, young lady? Your father nearly died once there! If not for Myrilla, he'd be—"

"And that's why Mother shouldn't worry. Myrilla is going to be with me after all," Sherry quickly retorted with a sharp look.

"You would trust someone who you just met with your life?"

"That's enough, Renee. I trust Myrilla with my life, so for Sherry to do the same, there's nothing wrong in doing so."

Father finally interrupted, and judging from his expression, he most likely didn't appreciate the tone Mother had taken on mentioning his ex-partner.

"Sherry, are you serious about this? The journey there would be tough, tougher than anything you have ever encountered in your life. Even discounting the harsh environment and the strong monsters of the Demon Continent, you would be out there with only Myrilla guiding you against the rest of the world. The hardships on becoming a wandering adventurer is not just from the quests you have to do and the monsters you have to fight. You will no doubt encounter people who would try to harm you, just like Marina did back at Aarom. You would be swindled, cheated upon, and even hurt, and the worst part about it that you wouldn't always be able to fight back. You might think you're really strong but there are many stronger folks out there. And if you pick fights with every single one of them, well, you'll end up dead in a ditch sooner or later."

Father folded his hands, looking fully serious. He was eyeing Sherry, no doubt looking whether there were any doubts displayed on her expression.

"I know," she replied. "But I have to do it. Not just because I want to know who I really am and why I was abandoned, but also because I want to become stronger. You know very well how my progress in swordplay has been slowing down lately. No matter what you say, I don't have as much talent in it as Hugo and Marina do in magic. If I stay here, I'll never be able to catch up with them. I want to go there, and learn how an Izurd is supposed to fight."

Father didn't even try to rebuke her. Instead, he simply let out a deep sigh.

"It indeed might be best for you to continue your training there."

"Alan!" Mother glared.

"I remembered some tales on how the Izurd fights. They certainly aren't using the same style that I have been teaching you all this time. To them, their hair is also a weapon, and they can combine it with their actual weapon to unleash a devastating barrage of attacks against their opponents. They could even use it in a defensive way, forming makeshift shields and armors at will. So I cannot lie and say that you wouldn't get stronger if you train with them instead."

"Then—!"

"You might go. But in one condition." He leaned forward, looking at Sherry straight in the eye. "You will obey whatever Myrilla tells you to do. With no questions asked, alright?"

"Alan, you can't really be saying that she should—"

"I see no uncertainty in her eyes, Renee," he returned, looking at her. "If we forbid her, she would just run away on her own. I have no doubt about that."

And with that, Father had given his blessings.

--------

For the rest of lunch, Mother continued to tell her not to go, each time sounding more and more desperate to change her mind. Until eventually, Sherry was fed up with it and finished her lunch earlier than normal. She then left the house afterwards, most likely to train, judging by her statements before.

"Hugo, what do you think?" Father asked me once she left. "Do you think she should go? It's not like you to be all quiet back then." He gave me a small smile.

"I-I don't know…" I answered honestly, sighing in the process. "I certainly don't want her to go, but on the other hand, if she's already that determined…"

"You know you would be able to convince her to stay, right? She likes you after all. Just give her some earnest tears and beg her to stay. That would surely convince her," he answered with a light smirk. "Women like it when their men show off a little weakness once in a while. It triggers their motherhood instincts, making them want to comfort and even coddle them. If you read those female romance novels, you'd see it over and over."

"...Wait, you read those kinds of novels, Father?"

"N-no! I-I just want to see what your mother's into, that's all!" He quickly denied with a little blush on his face.

Heh, even someone like him could get flustered by just a simple thing like that.

My thoughts quickly returned to Sherry however, wiping the little smirk I had.

Father then sighed, ruffling my hair with a smile.

"You're too mature for your own good sometimes. If you're like any other eight year old boy, you probably would have run to her and beg her not to go. But you're thinking of the bigger picture. You don't want to become Sherry's impediment. So you keep your feelings in check, hiding it behind a smile."

I paused, looking at Father with a shocked expression.

He was right. He was absolutely right.

"Ha! Of course I was right! I'm your father after all! What kind of a father who can't tell what their son is thinking?"

Our conversation unfortunately was interrupted by Mother who slammed our desert on the table. She was clearly exasperated by Sherry running off like that.

I spent the rest of the lunch in silence, deep in my own thoughts.

----

Afterwards, I immediately went out to look for Sherry.

I had something really important that I wanted to say to her.

…

I found her a ways away from our house, on the grassy hills. And just as I expected, she was busy swinging her sword around. It seemed she was training her precision, as she was cutting the small leaves on the tree above her one by one into two, without cutting a branch or another leaf in the process.

Amazing…

Would Father even be able to do something like this? He doesn't look like the precise type in the slightest.

When she sensed my presence however, her movement became sloppy, ending it her cutting a whole branch off and then it landing right on top of her head.

"Oww!" She said as she rubbed her head.

I couldn't help but chuckle at the comical scene.

"Oh, it's you, Hugo." She looked at me. "What do you want?" It seemed she wasn't pleased that I had interrupted her practice.

At first, my thought was to apologize to her, to tell her that I was sorry for becoming too strong too quickly to the point that she couldn't catch up.

But I knew that if I said that, it would only wound her pride. She wouldn't be happy hearing me saying that. She would feel insulted. Gravely, I might add.

I would feel the same. I saw how my siblings all grew to become successful people, with only me being the failure. If they started apologizing for their accomplishments, I would end up disliking them even more. Kindness could become condescension to an insecure person after all.

So there was only one thing that he could say to her.

"Do you want to win over me and Marina that badly?"

She returned an annoyed look, as if I had just asked something stupid.

"Of course I am. Like I said, I don't want to be left behind by you two."

"Then, how would you know when you're good enough? You can no longer compare your strength with mine or Marina's if you go there after all."

She paused, averting her gaze away. She probably hadn't even thought of that.

"...I'll return when I feel I'm strong enough."

"That's no good! What if you always feel you're not strong enough? Or what if you train too much and you end up being the one to leave me and Marina behind? You would make us feel bad then," I said with a smile.

She smiled as well. She knew I was trying to humor her.

"Don't worry. I won't be there for long. Just until I could learn how to control my hair. I'm an Izurd after all. I have to learn that stuff, you know."

Judging by her happy, almost proud face, I knew that she already accepted the fact that she wasn't human. And I felt relieved for that.

You will never devolve into that kind of self-hate again, would you, Sherry?

"How about this? You come back when Marina finishes attending the academy. Perfect time for us three to start adventuring, no?"

"Eh? You're not going to go there as well?"

"Hmm, I dunno. I think I'm already good enough just having Big Sis as my teacher," I replied with a small smirk.

I really couldn't imagine myself wasting six years of my youth just being a student in a boarding school like that. I would be bored out of my mind quickly, after the pleasure I got from being the best student there disappeared. After all, Marina always said that I was already better than a lot of the students her age. And I would only get even better. When I was old enough to enter, I would be far and beyond my peers. Or so my cocky self believed.

I just want to become an adventurer. And that's that.

Sherry went silent for a few moments, looking away as she thought of my request.

"Alright!" she replied with a confident grin. "Since you want it so badly, I promise I'll be back by then!"

She offered her hand. I readily shook it without a second thought, smiling back at her.

"Now, why don't you train your sword skill with me for a change, Hugo? See if you can cut those leaves like I just did."

"Eeh, I can't even do the ranged cutting thing you're doing!"

"Oh, don't complain already! You just have to swing your sword fast enough!"

And so for the rest of the week, I obliged her, playing and training with her as much as I could. I didn't get much out of it, but Sherry was easily the happiest that I had ever seen, so I was happy as well.

And then, came the day of her departure.