CH 125

Chapter 125

When Peaceful Times Cease To Exist : After The Storm, Part 1 — Is Love To Be Reckoned With?

Translated by KaiesV

Edited by KaiesV

The shaky consciousness is pulled back from the darkness and Alfiris slowly awakens. She thought she had a very unpleasant dream, but she can’t remember. She never told anyone, but there were few dreamy nights for Alfiris since she had awakened to her talent for magic. When she gathered her stunned awareness and gaze, she saw Aerial’s worried face in front of her.

「Nhn… what’s wrong, Aery?」

「No, because you seemed to be having nightmares, Alfie.」

「Did I say something out loud?」

「No, nothing of sort.」

「I see, then it’s good.」

Alfiris slowly raises herself up with a sigh. Actually, she was talking in her sleep, but Aerial didn’t hear her very well, nor did she understand what it meant. Aerial, being careful in her own way, decided not to touch it until Alfiris spoke on her own and decided to keep it to herself.

「Uwah, severe night sweats」

「Me too. It’s not very well-ventilated here, and it’s summer now. The prairie is so cool it’s easy to forget.」

「I’m going to go change.」

「I will do the same.」

The two took a change of clothes out of their luggage and began to undress, but Alfiris was taken aback by the sight of Aerial’s body. Her body was horribly scarred and looked like a brave warrior who had spent 50 years on the battlefield.

「Aery, that wound…」

「Oh, these came on me when I challenged Father Phalanx to a fight back in the day. Many of them came from training and other battles.」

「It’s a girl’s body, but…」

「Does it matter if I was a woman or not?」

Aerial looks at Alfiris, who looks at Aerial’s body painfully, and Aerial looks at her strangely. To the warrior Aerial, a wound was a medal, but it had no other meaning.

「Yes, it’s generally relevant. A girl’s body shouldn’t have any scars on it before she gets married.」

「Is that so? But I am a warrior. Every day was a battle, and I couldn’t afford to worry about such things. Besides…」

「Besides?」

「Now this scar is the only reminder I have of Father.」

Aerial stirred and hugged her body with a tearful expression. Seeing this, Alfiris unintentionally pulled Aerial from behind and hugged her.

「Don’t say such sad things.」

「But it’s true. From now on I must protect this prairie alone. Alfie and others are leaving, aren’t you?」

「Yeah, after I drop Fenna off, I have someplace to go.」

「Is that so…」

Aerial then fell silent, and Alfiris was also at a loss for words. But Alfiris slowly whispered to Aerial.

「That scar isn’t the only thing Phalanx left behind.」

「Eh…?」

Aerial, perhaps finding the words too surprising, spun around and looked back in Alfiris’ arms.

「Father did… What did he leave me?」

「He kept us alive, as did Aery herself. He taught us many things… I think the prairie itself is his legacy.」

「The whole prairie is a memento of Father…」

「And maybe it’s a bit of a moonshot, but memories never die. Even if it doesn’t remain as a thing, there will always be something left behind by Phalanx in our hearts. Is it wrong?」

「That’s…」

Aerial recalled from her encounter with Phalanx. Indeed, all these years are full of memories of Phalanx. All of those things were left by Phalanx. Although not easily convinced, Aerial felt a little soothed.

「That’s true… perhaps you’re right.」

「Right? So cheer up.」

「Hmm… Alfie is kind of like my sister.」

「Then you can call me『Onee-sama,』you know?」

「Fufufu.」

Aerial couldn’t help but laugh as Alfiris said it in a mischievous way. They let go of their bodies and finished dressing, but Aerial asked Alfiris a question that had been bothering her.

「By the way, Alfie.」

「What is it?」

「Can a pre-married woman marry if she has scars on her body?」

「I don’t think so, but some people might care. I don’t know much about it myself. It’s just a common belief.」

「Is that so… that’s troubling.」

「Why?」

「No, I am an adult by the standards of the outside world…my mother said she married at 17 and had me at 19. So I decided it was the time for me to find a man to be my husband.」

「Eh?」

Alfiris looks on curiously at Aerial, who is more seriously worried than she thought she would be.

「Well, I heard that aristocrats and such have such customs, but… isn’t it too early for you, Aery?」

「Really? My family has to have a child when a woman comes of age. She will be taken in by some of the strongest warriors of that age.」

「And?」

「Well, the strongest warriors are brought together in order… and most of the time, they’re embraced right there.」

「Buh!!」

Alfiris couldn’t help but burst out. The content of what Aerial said so matter-of-factly exceeded Alfiris’ expectations by far. It was very stimulating for Alfiris, who is planning to start dating after a proper confession and holding hands.

「Ermm…」

「What’s so strange? In a tribe, everyone wants the seed of a strong person. If you don’t have strong offspring, your tribe will die. So a strong warrior could have all the women in the tribe for himself if he wanted to. However, if he went that far, he would be resented by other men, and because of his own physical strength, he would actually have at most five women in his circle. My real father was an unusual man, and he only kept my mother by his side. They had been on speaking terms with each other since before I came of age.」

「I–I see…」

Alfiris doesn’t know how to respond to Aerial’s unexpected words.

「Well, such cases are rare, so usually a woman goes around to several men when she comes of age. If the man likes her, she is usually placed with him.」

「Isn’t that ignoring the girl’s feelings too much?」

「Not really. If a woman is strong in her tribe, she can refuse the advances of a man weaker than her. That’s why my mother said she trained. The strongest man in the tribe at the time was a terrible, terrible man, or something like that. The father was so desperate to protect the mother that he became stronger. Well, that’s an easy-to-understand code.」

「Hmmm…」

It was hard to agree, because it was a world that Alfiris had never thought about. Suppose she was a woman of the tribe and a man with a face like Danda’s was the strongest, she wondered what she would do. The thought of losing there made Alfiris cringe. It would have been disrespectful to Danda, however.

＊＊＊

「And so, Kazas. Are you not willing to embrace me?」

「Buhuu!」

Everyone present erupted. We were all having a quick breakfast, and suddenly Aerial cut to Kazas asking him to hold her.

This was indeed a stimulating experience for Euthy and Miranda, both of whom choked on the dried meat in their throats and beat their chests.

Even Lisa blew water out of her mouth. Let’s not speak of what Kazas did. Nia even flipped over backwards.

Aerial was the only one who remained calm.

「What’s wrong? Am I not good enough for you?」

「No, that’s not the point.」

「Then what’s the problem?」

「E–Ergh, I’m the kind of guy who is often ridiculed by women for having a small man, you know? Aren’t you more dissatisfied with me, Aerial-san?」

「No problem at all. In fact, I am probably blind to it. Yes, as far as physical strength is concerned, there is nothing to see in Kazas.」

「Haah…」

The prairie-bred Aerial knows nothing about embellishing her words. Even Kazas was pushed aside by the momentum of the event.

「For your part, Kazas is smart. And you’re hardworking and eager to learn. I will compensate for my physical strength, but from now on, being strong alone is not enough to survive. I also need to be smart.」

「Haah… Well, I understood why. But still, you don’t have to say it here.」

It may be a very rare sight, such as Kazas panicking. Beside him, no one could see that Nia was turning more and more blue.

「I don’t care about being seen. If you want, I can be held right here, right now.」

「I do care about it!」

「Really? City people are a pain in the ass… there’s nowhere to hide in the meadow, so we all start right there when the mood strikes.」

「W–Wha…」

Aerial tilts her head as if to say, “What’s so strange?” Kazas even turns red in the face. Nia turns even bluer. The other members of the group weren’t able to keep up with the development at all. Slowly, Aerial stands up, approaches Kazas, and steps close to him.

「No need for more words… for now, I’ll hear your complaints later.」

「E–Eh, eh, eh… ehhh!?!」

「I’m sorry, but I can’t allow any objections. In the prairie, it’s all about power… If you really don’t like it, you can try to force me out of the way.」

Before Kazas could argue how he could force Aerial to move out of the way of the Gigantosaurus, Aerial tried to push him down in front of everyone, breathing sweetly on Kazas. There’s no way that they could do it here. Kazas seemed to have stopped thinking altogether, his soul was out of his mouth. But then suddenly there was a scream.