Journey's End/A New Reason to Start

"Although I do not have any qualms about letting you stay here for a long time, seeing that you are starting to feel a sense of longing for the outside world means that now is the time for you to leave, is it not?" Erlai asked as she stood in front of us by the entrance of the grand library.

It's been about two days since we entered her place, and even though at the beginning there were only challenges waiting for us, once all of that's been surpassed it felt like the rest became just like taking a day off in a resort. Sadly, like all things in this world, everything must end.

"If you put it that way, then yeah. As much as we want to stay here a little longer, this lady here has her duties as a princess piling up the more she's away. We can't just let her drown in paperwork, no?"

"Ren? Even though what you said was true, saying that in front of Miss Erlai is..."

With the three of us carrying almost nothing when we got here save for Lerish, it didn't take long for us to prepare for our departure. Still, it doesn't mean that we're leaving this place empty-handed, as we will bring two new Arcanas with us to the outside world, along with a (technically) alive goddess currently residing in my mind.

"Hm, that will be not good if that were to happen," Erlai nodded in agreement.

"...I hate books and places that are full of books. I want to leave this place as soon as possible," Aoi also voiced her sentiment.

"Aoi, watch your mouth will you—"

"It is fine, Ren Mortel," Erlai stopped me. "In the first place, it is a common fact among the old deities that the Death Goddess is at the bottom end of the spectrum when it comes to intelligence, so her dislike of books is but a natural thing."

"...A-Are you saying that I'm stupid?! This woman...I'll end you right here and now—"

"Oi! Calm down, Aoi!" I immediately grabbed her from the back. "You too, Erlai. I'd appreciate it if you stop provoking my sister."

"My apologies Ren Mortel, and you too, Death Goddess. It seems that my bad side has leaked again," Erlai slightly bowed her head.

"...Hmph."

When the tensions between the two had finally simmered down, Erlai slowly raised her eyelids that were closed all this time, revealing once more her two empty eye sockets that made her already strange appearance even scarier.

"Your Highness, I hope that with the help of the [Tower], you will be able to do more things for the betterment not only of your nation but the entire world."

Placing her hand on her chest, Lerish solemnly answered, "Yes. I swear by my name as the princess of Narashel that I will use the Arcana you have bestowed upon me to help those who are in need."

"Now, for Ren Mortel: I do not want to hear reports of you using my master's Arcana for nefarious things. I may not have the power to see the future just like my master, but I can feel in you the tendency to do just that."

"O-Of course I wouldn't!" I quickly refuted her words. "Even if I want to, there's someone who will try to stop me from doing it!"

Isn't it unfair that I'm the only person who received a warning from her? I mean, I understand that I'm not as righteous as Lerish, but treating me as if I'm a perverted scum is just...

{Don't worry, my child! He's in my full control! I'll do everything to make sure this young man can't use my Arcana to look up indecent stuff!} Tessa raised her thumb in agreement, though it is only I who can see it.

Et Tu, Tessa? Also, since when did I agree that you'll take control of me, huh?!

"Hmm. That is good to hear," Erlai spoke with a satisfied look on her face, as she closed her 'eyes' again.

After saying our goodbyes to Erlai, the three of us then started heading towards the giant spiral staircase of the tower, but—

"Actually, there is no need for you to go down there," Erlai told us.

"...Eh? But how are we going to leave if we don't use these steps?" Aoi asked.

With a straight face, Erlai replied:

"You do not need to, because I can do this."

With a snap of her finger, everything around us...suddenly changed.

"VEGETABLES! VEGETABLES! BUY OUR VEGETABLES FOR THE LOWEST PRICE..."

"WE HAVE THE BEST QUALITY MEAT HERE IN OUR SHOP! COME TAKE A LOOK AND SEE FOR YOURSELF HOW EXCELLENT OUR FRESHLY-BUTCHERED MEATS ARE..."

"BREAD! BREAD! BREEEAAAAADDDD!!! WE HAVE THE CHEAPEST, FINEST BREAD IN ALL OF NARASHEL!..."

Rows and rows of stalls selling various products—

—A seemingly endless sea of people navigating along the narrow maze of stores, busily buying their needed items...

—The combined noise of peddlers, stray animals, and chattering of people...

—and lastly, the indescribable mixture of odors: from cooked food to the smell of raw meat.

There is no doubt. Before we realized it, we were already in the middle of a marketplace.

"...B-Big brother, can you pinch me? I think I must be dreaming or something..."

"No need, Aoi. I'm also seeing the same thing with my eyes..."

"This place...could it be that we are in...Yaref?!"

""EEEEEHHHH?! YAREF?!!""

Shoot, Aoi and I unintentionally raised our voices, and we got the attention of everyone nearby. Fortunately, we didn't cause much commotion, and they all returned to their usual activities shortly afterward.

"That is right. My master had given me the ability to go to the outside world at any time. However, I can only go to places where one could project a vertical line between the library's entrance, and the outside world. It just so happened that the projected line from the facility leads down to this marketplace, that is why I was able to stock up on ingredients while you were staying there," Erlai explained.

'So it's like a magic elevator, huh...' I thought to myself.

After hearing her explanation, I can't help but feel thankful that the tower and the library are located here in Yaref. I can't imagine if Erlai instantly transports us to the middle of the ocean. I still don't know yet if the girls can swim without assistance.

"For sparing us the trouble of taking a tedious way down the tower...how can we repay you, Miss Erlai?" Lerish asked.

Erlai shook her head. "There is no need. I am merely following orders, after all."

Saying that she placed her hand on her chest and bowed her head at us. Shortly after that, however—

"Please take care of her from now on, alright~"

"...Eh?"

"M-Miss Erlai—"

"O-Oi, you—"

Then, she completely disappeared almost instantly after she snapped her finger for the second time, going back to the library. The three of us, with our faces expressing our utter shock, still couldn't believe that Erlai sneakily pulled off a complete Moe gap right before us as she posed and spoke in a very girly manner, a far cry from her usual robotic, stiff behavior. We couldn't even say our goodbyes at that point.

"E-Even with my new Arcana, I wasn't able to prepare myself to see her bless us with that kind of farewell. She absolutely got us there, don't you agree?"

"Nn. Miss Erlai is an enigmatic person, indeed."

"...Never mind about that, big brother. She said something about taking care of 'her'. Do you have any idea who is the lady she is referring to?"

When Aoi asked that, Lerish made an inquisitive stare at me.

"By any chance, is there something you want to disclose to us, Ren?"

"H-Huh? What are you saying?!" I hurriedly looked away from them. "Maybe she's talking about Aoi? You know, both Erlai and Aoi are acquainted with some degree, and they only saw each other again after a very long time. It might not be obvious, but even a person like her cares about Aoi too."

Ugh...while I'm trying hard to dodge my way out of this sticky situation, Tessa, on the other hand, couldn't stop laughing as she rolled around the virtual room she made inside my mind.

Hmm...how about we send this deadbeat goddess to the afterlife for real? We just met, and she's already pissing me off.

Aoi, completely believing my made-up reason, stopped probing me further as she said, "...I-If she is concerned about me, then she should've treated me better back over there..."

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure she'll warm up to you in no time."

"Excuse me, but is there someone in your party that's named Ren?" a young woman in her 30s approached us all of a sudden.

"W-Weh?! A-Ah, yes, I am called Ren. Is there anything you need from me, miss?"

"Oh, I found you at last!" the lady clapped her hands together. "Actually, my family owns a business that takes care of other people's horses and carriages while they're away. Two days ago, someone brought a carriage to us and gave me a note telling me that the carriage was rented by someone named Ren who currently lives in Plate Town. The note also said that this Ren person will pick up the carriage in about two days..."

Hm? Someone found the carriage we were using, and he knows my name? But who could that be...

"Although he paid the full amount including extras, I still can't shake off the fear that I had upon seeing that person. You know, for some reason he's wearing a mask..."

At that moment, I...

"I see. No worries, though; I can assure you that person's not a bad guy."

"Ah, thank goodness. I thought our family began dealing with some suspicious people lately...we're already planning to report it to the authorities, you know?" the woman sighed deeply.

We were able to retrieve the carriage, not long thereafter. The lady's place isn't that far from the marketplace, and it also has a good view of the mountains.

"Now then, let's go back home!" I said to the girls.

""Ooooohhh!!!""

Before we head our way back to Harlin, though, we paid the lady a generous sum of money, because the contents of the carriage were fully intact upon inspection, and the horses are well-fed. A five-star service, indeed.

I think, if there comes a time for us to go back here, we will definitely use their services again.

----

When we finally arrived at Lerish's villa a few days later, we were expecting to be welcomed by the servants in a very professional manner, but—

"Milady, you're finally back! Come quick, this is an urgent matter!"

"F-Filia??!"

Filia, Lerish's friend as well as this villa's head maid, quickly sprang out of the door upon learning that her master have returned and immediately grabbed her arm as Lerish's just about to get off the carriage.

"E-Eh? I understand that it is urgent, but should you not let us rest first? We have just arrived after a few days of travel, after all."

"You can do that later, Milady! That's why, please, come with me to the library!"

"F-Filia, wait—"

Watching the bizarre scene unfold before our very eyes, Aoi and I...

"...Well...that was something."

"Yeah. It's not conclusive yet, but I think I'm seeing a pattern here..."

Say, is it actually the common practice for servants to act more master-like than their actual masters? If more people are like Erlai and Filia here n this world, then I'd rather not want to find a servant and do things on my own instead.

While Aoi and I are unloading our things from the carriage, we heard footsteps coming our way. Looking in the direction where they came from, we saw a uniformed man standing right in front of us.

"I never thought I will see you again, Ren Mortel."

"Oh, it's you," I replied disinterestedly. "Can you lend us a hand? There are still a bunch of boxes that need to be unloaded from the back of the carriage..."

"..."

Although I only asked him to help us as a joke, he immediately picked up the huge box Aoi was struggling to carry and placed it on the ground. He did the same for the rest of the cargo, and we were done unloading less than a minute later.

"Gee, thanks a lot. Even after what happened last time, you still didn't hesitate to help us."

This man, whose name is Granz, is the leader of the knights that are protecting this city as well as Lerish's bodyguard. He is also Filia's brother, proven by the fact that they have blonde hair and blue eyes, and they both have the same cold atmosphere surrounding them.

"I have learned the full story from His Majesty himself, of all people. He said that you were able to save Her Highness from that man while I'm knocked out, and I'm grateful for that. Clearly, you're not a bad person as I had once thought."

"I-I'm glad that you're not thinking of me like a—"

"However," he interrupted, "I still don't approve of your friendship with Her Highness."

"H...Huh?"

"...Big brother, let me—mmph!"

Covering Aoi's mouth I replied, "Sorry. Please, continue."

"Ahem. Ever since she met you, a lot of her has changed. For example, she finally expressed her openness to use more of her powers as the next ruler of this nation—something that she's reluctant to do before. She has also built an archery range for herself and shocked everyone with her marksmanship, even putting some of our best archers' skills to shame..."

"But isn't that great? There are so many good qualities of her that are yet to be revealed to the world. I'm sure even the king would be supportive of—"

"That's the point, Ren Mortel. You gave her the courage to express herself more freely, that's why many of our nobles are starting to turn against her."

The nobles are starting to dislike her...because of me?

"You see, with the current king producing no male successors for the throne, this will be the first time since the country's foundation that a female will be the next ruler of Narashel. The nobility, although almost all of them are allied with the ruling family, expect that the future queen will remain soft-hearted and timid so that they could marry off one of their males and slowly steer control away from the royal family and into the respective family of the person she'll marry. If she were to use more of her powers, it will endanger the nobles' interests. Thus the king, not wanting to offend the nobles and put his daughter's life to harm, decided that at a very young age the princess will be trained to become the 'ideal' woman—which is actually not that different from a damsel in distress."

And except for archery, which she has mastered in secret, Lerish has grown up to be a very fine lady indeed. However, it doesn't sit right with me, that she had to restrain herself, even up to now...

"But, that's not it. Outside of Narashel, there are also hundreds of foreign nobles wanting to marry the princess, with those from neighboring countries wanting to absorb Narashel into their own. While Her Highness has no intention to be married into a foreign country and rejected all of their offers, those days of her will soon lead to an end."

When he said that, I—

"And this urgent matter Filia has talked about..."

Granz nodded and replied:

"Yes. It's all about..."

-----

By evening the entire Harlin has turned into a festive wonderland, with each nook and cranny covered with dazzling buntings and colorful banners, and the main road lined with numerous stalls offering food and amusements for all ages and social standing. At the city's plaza, there's also a cultural performance going on, as dancers move their painted bodies to the beat of the drums while circling a huge bonfire.

"It's unfortunate that Saku and Saki aren't here, but I'm very glad that you kids were able to come here!" Pops spoke happily, as he has just finished a huge order of skewered meat inside his stall near the plaza.

"We're also glad to see you again, Pops."

"...Big brother, two more orders of grilled—wait, why am I the one who's taking orders here?!" Aoi complained. She wore a dark blue bandanna on her head, much like that of Pops.

"Because I can't let you wander on your own unattended while I'm helping Pops on his stall. You don't want to just sit back and do nothing either, so that is the best option I have for you," I replied while placing the marinated meat on the grill.

"...Uuuuuu. As if I can enjoy the festivities on my own..."

"Oh, we're running out of wooden skewers!" Pops yelled.

"Let me buy it for you instead!" I volunteered.

"You will? Thanks, but do you know where to buy it?"

"No, but I'm sure it won't be hard to find one."

"Very well. Here's the money, and buy whatever you want with the change."

"Thanks, Pops," I said as I took the money and placed it in my pocket.

-----

"To think that the place where I bought clay before also sells skewers among other things...really reminds me of convenience stores back in our world."

Holding a box of wooden skewers in my hand, I walked my way back to the stall. As for the change, I decided to buy a rectangular rug, because not only it is cheap for its size, but its design also resembles that of ones made in the Middle East—a magic carpet, if you will.

"Now that I think about it, this place...is where it all started."

Unlike the busy majority of the city, this alley is desolate, with an abandoned building on its end. That building is where divine intervention happened and I was able to catch Lerish, who jumped from the top.

Though it happened not a long time ago, I felt a strong sense of nostalgia just by looking at it.

"It's unfortunate that everything must end this way, but it's for her sake that I'm doing this."

'A prince from a foreign country has personally asked the king for his daughter's hand in marriage...'

According to Granz, that young man has excellent qualities that complement well with that of Lerish, and both the prince and the princess have maintained a healthy relationship ever since they were children. Unlike that bastard from before, it is said that this one has an almost certain chance of marrying her as there was an agreement already between the two countries even before Argus Plume entered the equation.

Almost certain, he said...

Then, because he believed that their marriage would ultimately benefit Lerish in the end, I was asked by Granz to remove myself from her life and go back to Plate Town ASAP.

The way he 'requested' something like that to me was very rude, but...

"What he said...makes sense. At the end of the day, she's a princess, and I'm an outsider. If ever I find my way back to our world, I'm sure I'll be able to forget about her in no time."

I stood in front of the abandoned building and looked up to the top. Aside from the rusting grain containers above, there's nothing else on top of the building, or rather, no one. Nonetheless, I took a few seconds of my time staring up, because this might be the last time I'll be here.

"Haah. Silly me...as if she'll be up there, just like what happened on that day..."

"My apologies for ruining your expectations, but I am up here."

"E-Ehh?!"

Just as when I'm about to leave, I heard a woman's voice on top of the building. I looked back, and I saw Lerish, wearing the same clothes she wore during our first encounter. Then, by the time our eyes met, she—without any hesitation—jumped off the building.

"W-What in the world is she—"

Using both my leg power and the wind, I sprang up high and caught her in my arms.

"Are you an idiot?! What do you think will happen to you if I'm not here?!" I scolded her once we landed on top of the abandoned building.

With a chuckle, she replied, "But you came, Ren. It was a gamble on my part, and I am glad you did."

So you still intend on jumping even if I'm not around, huh. I wonder where all of your daredevil behavior came from all of a sudden.

"By the way Lerish, why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be engaged off to some fine prince?"

"My, are you jealous, perchance?"

"Huh? Of course not!"

"Fufu. Well, about that...it seems that the reason for him coming here was to ask Father that our engagement be canceled. It saved me the trouble of rejecting him, you know?"

"WHAT?!!" My eyes opened wide in shock. "So that means, this celebration everyone's having..."

"It is not related in any way to my engagement, Ren."

"Guh—"

Feeling tired, I sat on the concrete floor, hugging my knees together. Lerish also sat beside me, staring intently into my eyes.

"Say, if the marriage negotiations ended successfully, and I were to marry someone, what would you feel?"

"What kind of a question was that? Of course, it depends on who you're going to marry. If it's someone like Argus, I'll feel very bad; if he's Prince Charming, however, then I'll give both of you my congratulations."

When she heard my answer her bright smile instantly vanished, as she cast her gaze downward.

"I-I see..."

"Though, I'd be lying if I say to you that I'll be happy to see you end up with someone else."

"R-Ren?! Mmmhhh—"

BANG! BANG! BAAAAANNGGGGG!!! BAAAAAAAAANNNNNGGGGGGG!!!!!

Just in time for the fireworks, I—for the first time in my life—did something that I'll probably regret later on in my life: I, an honest-to-goodness young lad that hasn't experienced having a girlfriend for the last 16 years, kissed Lerish, right on her lips.

With no one watching us (well, aside from Tessa), my mind just decided that now's the perfect time to break the cycle and make the first move for once.

Blushing red as a tomato, Lerish looked at me and asked: "Ren...that, just now...you..."

"Nn. No matter how much I deny it, it seems that this foolish me doesn't want to let go of you. It takes a lot of my resolve to confess to a girl for the first time, you know?! I need you, Lerish, I want you...but I'll understand if you don't feel the same way as—"

BAAAAAAAAANNNNNGGGGGGG!!! BAAAAAAAAANNNNNGGGGGGG!!!!!

When the second wave of fireworks start popping in the air, Lerish also went for a sneaky counterattack. We kissed until the end of the third wave, and when it ended a string of saliva was hanging between us.

"L-Lerish...aren't you a bit..."

"Hmm? I am merely returning the favor, Ren," she replied, licking her lips as if she just enjoyed a high-class meal. "It is unfair, you know, having my first kiss be stolen like that..."

"S-Sorry."

Resting her head on my shoulders, she snuggled even closer to me as we watched the festivities from this secluded spot in the city.

"Now that you have done it, I expect that you will take responsibility for your actions, alright~?"

"K-Kuh...—"

Damn it! She's so cute...!!!

Seeing a drastic change in her behavior towards me, I can't help but scratch my cheek.

"Yes, yes. As you wish, Your Highness."

Ah, I've really done it. This...is the most challenging thing I've faced yet in my life—even more than the challenges inside that tower, and all the opponents we've encountered.

It's a shame that it took me this long to confirm the feelings that I have for Lerish, but I still did it nonetheless! Now that everything's turned out like this, all I have to do is to continue moving forward...and pray not to be choke slammed by the nobles.

"Fufufu. Thank you very much, Ren!" she said lovingly, her emerald green eyes glimmering beautifully underneath the stars.