◈ 413. [Side Story] Return (3)
Upper Branch of Wintersilver. Upper caution room.
Serenade was asleep.
Lying face down on a sunny desk, buried in a mountain of paperwork being processed.
I used to be skinny, but then I lost more weight. The disheveled aqua-colored hair had grown a little more in half a year and had become quite long.
Standing next to her who fell asleep with her thin arm cut, I was speechless.
A scar was visible on her white forearm. It was a wound from the battle with the goblin army.
“… .”
A lot has changed in half a year.
The scars she suffered because of me were still clear.
I silently took off my coat and placed it on Serenade’s shoulder. It’s early fall, so even if it’s still hot, you might catch a cold if you sleep like this.
‘Should I say hello next time?’
How tired were you to fall asleep like this? What’s wrong with waking up
It was time to look at her sleeping face one last time and leave.
“Um… .”
Serenade’s long eyelashes twitched, and silver eyes slowly opened.
Our eyes met.
“… .”
“… .”
Serenade blinked blankly and slowly raised her upper body from the desk. After rubbing my eyes with my hands a few times, I muttered incredulously.
“Is this a dream?”
I smiled.
“Would you like it to be a dream?”
“… Even a dream is fine.”
Serenade took my hand and put it on her cheek, feeling the touch.
“It’s been a long time since I haven’t seen Your Highness, even in my dreams.”
“… .”
“He who is unkind… I’ve been waiting for you all my life, but at least you have to let me know if you’re alive… … .”
I looked at her muttering in a sleepy voice with pity, then asked insinuatingly.
“What would you most like to do if you met me in real life?”
“… .”
“Since this is a dream, I will let you do what you most wanted to do.”
Serenade looked up at me blankly and replied shyly.
“I want to kiss Your Highness on the forehead. Just like I did to Your Highness when I was very young.”
I sat on one knee in front of her silently.
As if unwrapping a ribbon from a birthday present, Serenade cautiously moved my bangs and placed the tip of her tall nose on my exposed forehead.
“Do you remember? When we were very young, when we were playing and sleeping together, I kissed you goodnight on the forehead like this.”
“… .”
“Sometimes I grew up little by little and became shy, so I couldn’t kiss goodnight anymore… I was always sorry.”
Then her cool, soft lips touched my forehead and slowly fell.
Took.
Then she pressed her forehead against mine. With her eyes closed, Serenade muttered in a faint voice.
“I miss you, the beautiful days.”
“… .”
“You were beautiful… .”
… It really seems like you’re still dreaming.
So, should I be a little more courageous?
I slowly lifted my forehead and smiled at her as she sat in the chair.
“serenade. Have you ever kissed me goodnight?”
Then Serenade’s silver eyes widened.
“… no. But I was your sister. I always kissed Her Highness on the forehead and covered her with a blanket.”
“You always gave it to me.”
I carefully brushed Serenade’s bangs to the side.
“From now on, I will pay back little by little as much as you gave me.”
Then I slowly leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.
Serenade quietly closed her eyes and kissed my forehead. A mischievous smile crept across her lips.
“I haven’t had such a happy dream in a long time. Since His Highness disappeared, my heart always hurts and I feel uncomfortable… … I couldn’t sleep well at night and my dreams were nightmares.”
“… .”
“Since I had such a happy dream, maybe when I wake up… Your Highness may be back soon.”
The smile of the serenade who slowly opened her eyes changed to a little sad.
“Thank you, Your Highness. Even in my dreams, I was happy. But now I have to wake up. A dream so sweet… … It hurts when you wake up.”
I chuckled.
I guess it’s time to wake up soon.
“It is not a dream.”
“yes?”
“It is not a dream. This is reality.”
“Haha what are you talking about? Look, it doesn’t hurt even if I pinch my cheek like this… … .”
Serenade lightly pinched my cheek and blinked quietly.
“what? it hurts… … ?”
“right?”
“But if this is real, how could Her Highness be in front of a girl… .”
“Because he’s back.”
Tears gradually filled Serenade’s silver eyes as she looked up at me in disbelief.
I laughed awkwardly and spread my arms out to the left and right.
“I’ve been serenade.”
“… .”
“I’m sorry for worrying you all this time. Now, since I’ve rotted my insides, you can hit it with all your might… … .”
Serenade didn’t hit me.
Instead, he knocked over the chair and stood up as if he was about to jump out of his seat, and rushed into my arms and hugged me tightly.
“It’s not a dream, it’s not a dream, it’s not a dream… … .”
Holding me, she cried.
“I thought I’d never see you again… … You don’t know how scared I was… … .”
I looked down at her tiny shoulders sobbing in my arms, then I awkwardly lowered my arms and grabbed her shoulders.
“I make you cry a lot.”
I whispered as I gently patted her on the back as if to soothe a baby, who was sobbing and unable to breathe.
“thank you. serenade. Thanks to the advice you gave me then, I was able to find myself.”
Your words that you can live in pieces if you are in pieces.
Thanks to those words, I was able to find myself and come back here.
always… Truly, all the time I am receiving from this woman.
So let’s say it one more time.
“From now on, I will pay back little by little as much as you gave me.”
I gently stroked her back until the serenade calmed down.
Hopefully I can make this woman cry a little less in the future.
I hope I can make you smile more often than you cry.
begging so
***
Serenade didn’t want to get away from me, but I managed to persuade her away. It’s a situation where I have to go say hello to other people as well.
Serenade seemed very concerned that I might disappear again. He assured me several times that he was not really going anywhere.
“Really? really? Won’t you disappear without a word now?”
“Well then. Shall we promise to cross our fingers?”
A serenade with a nod of the head and a promise were made with a little finger.
Finally, he wiped her tear-soaked cheeks with a handkerchief. I cried so much that my pretty face was messed up.
“Finally runny nose!”
“joy… .”
Serenade calmly blew her nose as I ordered. After crying so much, this lady seems to have regressed a bit… … What’s cute, let’s leave it alone… … .
Serenade was because I was exhausted from crying, maybe it was because I was relieved after I came back, or it was because I couldn’t sleep properly. Anyway, as soon as I put it on the bed in the room, I fell asleep.
After taking one last look at her sleeping face, I went outside. We have to return our greetings to the rest of the people.
Flash!
I took the teleport gate and came to the base camp of the Lake Kingdom dungeon.
He said that the Holy Grail Exploration Team was staying here, and it was to meet Kelly Bey or Nameless.
‘It’s working fine.’
I was worried that the gate would send me into the spirit world again like before, but fortunately it worked fine.
Well, after all that hard work, the system was fixed, but if it breaks down again, the director is a real director.
“oh! You are back, the lost lamb!”
Upon entering the base camp, Kelly Bay welcomed me.
Seeing the bald dwarf with a warm impression that he hadn’t seen in a long time made his heart feel at ease. I laughed out loud.
“Other people cried and cried when I came back, but why is your father-in-law so cool?”
“I know how to contemplate, but you are not contemplative to die in a guest house.”
“Then how do you contemplate dying?”
“Don’t you know when you look in the mirror, you thin? It’s the contemplation of a woman who is going to die from being stabbed with a knife.”
Kelly Bay chuckled.
“Just kidding, there was an incident where two Nightmare Corps commanders fell at the same time in the depths of the dungeon a while ago. I noticed right away. The missing you must be involved.”
“You look really great… .”
When I honestly admired it, Kelly Bay shrugged.
“At least since I came here, no human has defeated the Nightmare Corps Commander. But you killed four of them in one year.”
“… .”
“If two more suddenly collapsed, wouldn’t it be reasonable to assume that you are related?”
Hearing that, it seems very reasonable… … ?
“So, since we defeated two nightmare corps commanders… You must have also obtained the magic core, right?”
Kelly Bay raised her wide eyes and held out her hand to me.
“I’ll make you a damn Nightmare Slayer. Come on, take it out!”
“… no. I couldn’t retrieve the magic core.”
“What?! No, why are you spilling that precious thing!”
I shyly scratched the back of my head. It was said that it was in a situation where it was not able to finish it in the first place and immediately bounced back to the spirit world, so it was not in a situation to retrieve the magic core or anything.
The last images of Raven and Salome flashed through my mind.
My heart felt a bit heavy.
“Then, what about the magical power core of the Goblin God King? Give me that too! I’ll make you hot! hurry!”
“… Why are you so obsessed with making the Nightmare Slayer? It is a dangerous piece of equipment.”
“Don’t you know how much fun it is to make equipment with that kind of material? Also, you don’t know how bored I was to make equipment with mediocre materials for half a year without you after only working with such top-notch materials.”
Kelly Bay raised the hammer above her head and swung it around.
“Remember! You will have to entrust me with crafting difficult equipment and rare equipment from now on! In the future, you can’t go missing for such a long time! Understand?”
“Okay, okay… .”
Sooner or later, I decided to do all the delayed equipment requests at once.
“Ah, Your Highness the Prince! You are back!”
Just then, Kelly Bay’s assistant, Hannibal, came out of the forge.
This boy, who still covered his eyes with his messy hair, also grew up in half a year. Kids grow really fast… … .
Hannibal, who enchanted equipment with spirits, was now openly carrying several spirits behind his back.
During the half year I was gone, Kelly Bay produced weapons and armor at random, and Hannibal also enchanted random spirits and supplied them to the Crossroads.
Thanks to this powerful elemental equipment, it seems that the defense line of the Crossroads was able to hold out at least. not even thank you
After congratulating the two and talking about this and that.
I looked around the base camp. I saw several NPC adventurers, but Coco Granny and Nameless were nowhere to be seen.
“They said they had something to take care of in the deep part of the dungeon and went in… What’s always the case When I return, I will tell you your story.”
“yes. Please.”
As we were finishing our conversation like that, we saw five elves running in a hurry from the other side of the base camp.
It was the Holy Grail Exploration Team. Belldandy, who was in the lead, looked at me and screamed as he tore his hair.
“Quaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! It’s Ashney!”
This is the first time I’m the type to scream when we meet again. I waved my hand warmly.
After a while, I was surrounded by five elves and talked about my current situation.
It seemed that these five had been conducting dungeon exploration on their own while I was gone, while also helping to defend the crossroads.
“In the meantime, I’ve cleared the way to the ‘Magic Tower’ in Area 8. Now that Ash-sama is here, we can leave anytime to attack!”
There is a Holy Grail in the 8th District Dungeon ‘Magic Tower’.
They were finally able to leave to fulfill their long-cherished wish.
Belldandy, who had been smiling brightly with his characteristic tear-stained eyes, hardened his expression right after.
“Oh sure… The Mage Tower dungeon itself is also a powerful place, and since the next defense is in a few days, I’ll have to think about it after finishing it… … .”
“don’t worry. We’re going to safely fight the defensive battle, attack the Magic Tower, and find the Holy Grail.”
“You don’t know how much I missed this confident voice of Mr. Kheup Ash… .”
Belldandi pretended to steal tears for no reason. I smiled and looked around.
“But what about burnout and body bags? I thought you’d be together.”
The shadow army has been disintegrated.
The only survivors are Burnout and Body Bag.
I wondered if Belldandi, an elf like her heart, would take care of them, but she wasn’t here.
When I brought up the story of the two of them, Belldandi’s face hardened slightly.
“They are… I went to Lily-sama for a while.”
“To Lily? Why?”
“That’s true… … .”
Belldandi made a bitter expression.
“… Something big happened to Lily.”
