CH 187

Chapter 187

When Peaceful Times Cease To Exist : Each Choice, Part 9 — Way To Go

Translated by KaiesV

Edited by KaiesV

「I will try to build a force against him. I don’t know what form that will take, but I am sure I can’t do it alone. It could happen that I myself would be dragged down by the Curse Mark, as it did this time, and I am ashamed to say that I was so afraid of Aurangzebul that I would’ve had a hard time standing if Miranda hadn’t held my hand just now. I know for sure, I can’t beat him. I don’t know why I can’t win, but that’s what my instinct tells me.

So I need to gather a lot of allies who can compete with them. Before they aren’t clearly against us. I think we, are only of the few who are at least aware of their danger now. I don’t want to have regrets if we don’t do something about it. That’s what I think.

…That’s why, I think my path from here on out will be very tough. That is why I cannot guarantee your lives or safety. So I don’t mind if you don’t want to be a part of this conversation. If you want to get out, I’ll let each of you make your own decision, and I won’t blame you.」

「So what exactly are you going to do?」

Miranda asks Alfiris. Alfiris closes her eyes and then slowly opens them, along with her mouth.

「I’m going to create a group of mercenaries. I will look for people to fight with me. At first I briefly considered serving a country, but that would mean I wouldn’t be free at the critical moment, and above all, I would be stuck in a small world.」

「I see. I’ll give you my opinion then.」

Immediately, Miranda opens her mouth.

「I can’t join your mercenary group.」

「I see…」

Alfiris was visibly depressed. She kept her cool on the surface, but it was obvious to all that she was discouraged. While everyone thought it would be tough for Miranda to participate due to her position, they did not expect her to refuse so emphatically. Nia and Lisa almost leaned forward.

「What are you looking so sad about, Alfie? Let’s hear her out.」

「Eh?」

「I can’t join, but I will try to persuade our Master Bishop. So I’m going to set up a department in the Church Of Arnelia dedicated to helping your mercenary army. I’m sure the Master Bishop would be on board with such a plan. In any case, we can already see movement in the Church in this case. Besides, the Church Of Arnelia provides assistance to countries in defeating demons. It wouldn’t be surprising if the target was a group of mercenaries.」

「Then, Miranda…」

「I will work on getting you appointed as the head there. I’ll be by your side, Alfie. You’re my best friend, right?」

Alfiris cried at those words. It might have been the first time Alfiris showed tears in public. Except, of course, for the tears she show in her sleep when she was swooning.

「Miranda… I…」

「You don’t have to say anything. It’s the path I chose.」

「Okay… okay… thank you, Miranda.」

「Alfie, I feel the same way.」

Furthermore, Aerial followed as Alfiris makes no attempt to hide her tears.

「My life is yours to do with as you please, Alfie. I hear there are knights in the outside world. I want to be Alfie’s family and knight. If you would be so kind, would you accept me?」

「That, Aery… you’re welcome here, of course.」

「Lisa feels the same, by the way.」

Lisa quickly followed suit with Aerial.

「If you leave Lisa alone, I will be the target of that perverted boy. Then it’s up to you to go out there and take him down. If you think Lisa is just a quiet beautiful girl, you are mistaken!」

「Lisa-dono. I would like to say a few words on the matter.」

Surprisingly, Kaede spoke to Lisa on her own.

「I wondered if I should say this… I was wondering if Lisa-dono was irrelevant without it.」

「What do you mean, Kaede?」

「As a matter of fact, the children in Lisa-dono’s care were attacked by that boy.」

Lisa stood up in her place this time. Her face was pale and her lips were quivering.

「What… did you say!?」

「But don’t worry. No one has been injured. Rather, he wounded that boy. A boy named Jake, I believe.」

「Jake did?」

This time Lisa rolled her eyes. And then a complicated look on her face. She was both happy that Jake was growing up and worried that he was getting reckless. Perhaps that was more like a mother’s state of mind than a lover’s.

「The boy Jake did a great job of helping him get rid of him, and as a result, he also earned that boy’s enmity. So…」

「No, Kaede. That’s already enough. If it’s all Jake’s choice, Lisa will respect it. He is a boy, too. I don’t want to make him a man who can’t take responsibility for his actions. I rather appreciate you telling me.」

「Yes.」

Kaede then fell silent. Lisa also closed her eyes and looked down as if she was deeply moved. Then Nia spoke up.

「I have a decision to make. Alfie, will you listen to me?」

「Okay?」

「I’m leaving Gruzald.」

The statement again surprised everyone. Nia stopped Alfiris, who was about to say something, with her hand.

「This is something I’ve been thinking about all the time I’ve been in bed with my arm down. I have told Alfie a bit that I am not sure about being a soldier. I can’t go into battle with such doubts in my mind. Besides, I know that once I know about them, I can’t be out there fighting for my country. Well, I have no idea how much I can do. Plus, now I have Kazas to deal with. He even offered to give up his current position for me, but I think it would work out better if I stay with Kazas.」

「Are you sure, Nia?」

「I’m sure, I’ve already made my decision. Like Aerial, it was time for me to make a decision. Besides, I also consider Alfie a good friend. If it’s the same fight, I’m of the disposition to fight to protect those I can see. I finally figured that out.

But I’m going to have to wait a little while before I join. I have to go to Gruzald once and go through the formal discharge process. Only then will I be able to join. Is that okay with you?」

「Of course. Nia is always welcome.」

Alfiris flashed a smile to Nia. At that moment, Euthy suddenly shouts.

「If I say I won’t go with you on this, I’m totally the bad guy, aren’t I! Fine, I’ll go with you, and you should be grateful!」

「Euthy, you don’t have to do this. We don’t need such an artificial tsundere fairy!」

「Generally speaking,『tsundere』is your exclusive domain!」

「Shut up! I have my own circumstances! Alfie, I’m going with you even if you don’t want me to!」

Euthy pointed toward Alfiris and declared. Seeing this, Alfiris nodded with a wry smile.

「Yes, Euthy. You’re welcome.」

「Now, the question is Kaede and Lanna.」

Miranda looks at them. But the two respond quickly.

「I am a servant of the Church of Arnelia. And by extension, to Miranda-sama. If Miranda-sama is willing to lend her help, I am also willing to cooperate.」

「Me too. I have not yet been in your company for a day, but I will do my best for you, Alfiris-san.」

It was surprising to Alfiris that Lanna, aside from Kaede, immediately responded to her words.

「Thanks, but why is that Lanna?」

「I don’t have a great sense of justice. However, I have been taught by Fairtuse-sama that we are to help those in need. Besides, when I was nursing Alfiris-san, you were having nightmares so much that, although I was sorry, I used a little Succubus magic to let me look into your dreams.」

Lanna tells her apologetically. Alfiris, of course, has no recollection of this.

「Eh, that means…」

「Yes, a little, but I thought it would be a peek into Alfiris-san’s past. A dream is a dream, however. I don’t know how much of it is true, but it was like a dream that kept repeating itself. You had a strong memory of the scene that you didn’t like, so you have probably been having the same dream since you were a child all your life. Isn’t it wrong?」

「That’s… right. It’s one thing to wake up and remember, but it’s another.」

Alfiris turned and looked at Lanna with serious eyes. Lanna looked at Alfiris with sad eyes.

「That must have been very painful for you. At that time, I had to apply seduction magic on the instructions of Fairtuse-sama, and also, since I am not allowed to manipulate other people’s dreams without their permission, I didn’t do anything at all, but from now on, if you request, I can improve your dreaming. Let me know if you need it.」

「I’m glad to hear that, but what does that have to do with you helping me?」

「I’m somewhat familiar with dreams because I have the blood of a succubus, but there’s something unnatural about that dream. That is one thing that really bothers me. Also, as I mentioned earlier, one thing is that I’m new to the outside world and have nowhere to go. One thing that Fairtuse-sama told me to do. And one more thing…」

「And one more thing… Alfiris-san is my ideal person.」

「…………Huh?」

Alfiris froze with Ilmatar in her arms. And it’s the same for all of them. Lanna, on the other hand, blushed and covered her face with her hands, trying not to. It’s a gesture as if she had just said something serious.

Euthy and Lisa, barely keeping their cool, are talking coyly.

「（Hey, hey, is that what Lanna is?）」

「（She doesn’t strike as someone who makes jokes.）」

「（I see. I heard that a succubus can be either a man or a woman, but I never thought so. Well, Alfie looks so dignified at first glance, doesn’t she?）」

「（Certainly that’s something Lisa would approve of. And on the inside, she is that lunkhead. Lanna saw that she was even weaker, so she must’ve been blindsided by the difference. Alfie has a lot of work ahead of her.）」

Even Lisa, who was in no mood to take pity on Alfiris and tease her after this event in addition to the Ilmatar incident.

And Lanna has been embarrassed the whole time.

「Alfiris-san, I don’t mind if you have children. Let’s raise Ilmatar together.」

「Eh.. okay… I, I’ll do my best…（Master, the sane world is getting farther and farther away from me.）」

Alfiris completely lost her mind. It took a while for her to come to her senses.

＊＊＊

And that was after Alfiris managed to regain the ability to think. Everyone was already preparing to leave. Alfiris leaves everyone for a bit and consults with Gwendolf.

「Gwen, can we keep Ilmatar as she is?」

「Yes, it would be better to do so. Even though she was just born and doesn’t have much power, she is also a member of the True Dragon Clan. To mess with this child would mean making an enemy of all the True Dragons. Such recklessness would be a good deterrent, since they won’t be so reckless.」

「No, I mean I can’t bear to involve such a young child in our fight.」

Alfiris strokes Ilmatar’s head and looks up at Gwendolf. Gwendolf smiles as he looks into Alfiris’ eyes, who is truly concerned for Ilmatar.

「Well… she was such a sweet girl. But don’t worry. She is happiest with you. Even if she doesn’t know what’s going on, it’s still not a good idea to separate a mother from her child.」

「But at such a young age! She could die.」

「Death is not always unhappy. The deprivation of something precious can be more painful than death. If you don’t like that, then you don’t die until she is older and able to make normal decisions. Isn’t that important?」

「That’s true, but…」

Alfiris still seems to be on the fence. By no means does he think that Ilmatar is a hindrance or anything like that. Alfiris felt a sense of guilt for involving a genuinely young child in the fight. Gwendolf also understood this, which is why he loved Alfiris so much.

「I will accompany you at least as far as Arnelia. I will also keep an eye on you after we get to Arnelia. I know what’s going on with Aurangzebul’s contract, and if they break it, I’ll be there immediately to protect you and your friends from them.」

「Is it true?」

「I’m telling the truth.」

Hearing those words, Alfiris seemed somewhat relieved. She regained her composure and tried to go to everyone. At that moment, Gwendolf suddenly called out to Alfiris from behind.

「I’m sorry, Alfiris.」

「What is?」

「I know almost everything, but I can’t tell you anything.」

「It can’t be helped. Gwen must be in pain, too. I know a little bit about your personality.」

Alfiris winked at Gwendolf. Seeing this, Gwendolf said what he had tried not to say.

「…Thank you, you’ve saved my life.」

「Well, if that’s the case, we’re both in it.」

「Now, I have a few more points to make to you. This is my personal advice.」

Alfiris stops and turns to Gwendolf.

「Aldreus had this situation in mind. I will be the one to protect you, this situation. That is why he brought me to you and also worked my scales into his small hands. Those small hands are Aldreus’ own work.」

「!」

「I honestly do not know what he knew, what he thought, or what he wanted to do. But I was told by him that if anything happens to Alfiris, there could be a lot of unhappy people. Not wanting to make him any more unhappy than he already was, he asked me to watch you carefully, knowing it was an impossible request. Well, as it turns out, that’s exactly what happened…」

But then Gwendolf thought of a possibility. Could it have been Aldreus? Knowing that he would soon be unable to protect Alfiris due to his own life span, he may have arranged it so that he, the True Dragon, would be forced to protect Alfiris instead, even if he didn’t want to. Above all, it was too convenient, if he think about it, for Alfiris to sneak in and warm the eggs while he was away, before Alfiris could give him a clear explanation. Perhaps Aldreus isn’t so sure about that, he may have been trying to arrange for such a development.

「（As far as I knew, Aldreus was not an innocent man. At first glance, it may not seem so, but I could somehow see his true nature. That said, he and I continued to maintain a magical exchange, which allowed us to nurture Alfiris. Well, if I’m not a bad way to get involved, I guess I’m not cut out to be the head of the True Dragons after all.）」

Gwendolf inwardly scoffed at himself, but he didn’t want Alfiris to realize it. Alfiris has full faith in Aldreus. Gwendolf had no desire to undermine the Aldreus in her now.

Regaining his composure, Gwendolf continued his words.

「…Aldreus told you to visit Begrad in the east, right?」

「Yes, that’s correct.」

「If Hausen was not there, you may visit a man named Truphon. He should be imitating a teacher or a doctor. If only things were the same as he used to be.」

「? Okay. I’ll do it.」

Alfiris looked doubtful for a moment, but seemed to have swallowed the question. She guessed she thought it would be obvious if she asked, so she decided not to ask Gwen about something that would be useless.

「There are others. Aurangzebul isn’t a mage, he is a wizard.」

Wizard. A title given to those whose magic has a permanent impact on the world, or who are able to exercise magic. As a practical matter, it often means the latter, but it’s a title given to some at the very top of the mages’ ranks. Even with Alfiris abilities, she wouldn’t reach the level of a wizard.

「…That’s a big deal. But I suppose that’s to be expected from the one who gave magic to the elves.」

「Yes, especially astrology, which he studied. I can only tell you so much about him.」

「Okay, I understand. Let me know when you can say something more. Until then, I’ll explore this independently.」

「Umu. And this is the last one. That woman among the enemy… that little girl in black, right?」

「She’s the girl who brought home the last big guy. What about her?」

「When you encounter her, discard the option of fighting. Take the surefire way out. There is no creature on earth that can defeat her alone.」

Gwen’s expression was serious. That is why Alfiris recognizes the graveness of the situation. That girl is the one who made a True Dragon say that much.

「Or maybe it could be, depending on the conditions, but at least not for humans. I can give you some advice about her, and I can think of a few others, but to say more at this stage would be to go beyond the personal and take my side as a True Dragon.」

「I understand. You gave me the maximum concessions, right? I appreciate it. Are there any more?」

「Yeah, I couldn’t be more wrong right now.」

「Then let’s go, Gwen. There’s plenty to do. First, let’s head to the Holy City of Arnelia.」

「Umu, yes.」

Then Alfiris, still holding Ilmatar in her arms, walks off to join her friends. Gwendolf watches her anxiously, but somewhat reassuringly.