LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 72: Sierra's homecoming
When I came back both Toa and Sierra were mad. Of course I was gone for half a day without saying anything to them.
“What is the meaning of this!?”
“Why is there a girl here!?”
“Wait, I can explain.”
The two of them were equally surprised at the fact that the girl next to me was the princess of Artemias, Sufilia.
“Isnt she the princess!?”
“You’re being really loud.”
I came to the cafeteria to eat dinner but I wasn’t able to eat in peace.
“I’ll explain so calm down.”
Sufilia suddenly stood up.
“I will be accompanying every one on your adventure. Please call me Sufilia.”
Both of their expressions hardened, although next to me Nem was shoveling food into her face as though her life depended on it.
By the way I’m not sure what brought it on but apparently the spirit queen began training Patrick.
“The princess is going to join Nem’s party?”
“Yes.”
“Oh I see, I hope we get along.”
Nem instantly accepted her and shook hands.
“Well that’s that, a lot of things happened today but, Sufilia will be our companion from now on.”
“Thats what I’m asking about! Why is she our companion.”
“Well, a lot of stuff happened and, Artemias sort of fell.”
“Huh?”
“What?”
Sierra and Toas expressions hardened again.
“Well I can’t go into details but it had to do with Dragon’s heart. Long story short, she was supposed to die, she didn’t, so since I stopped it I have to keep an eye on her. So, I brought her here.”
It took a while to convince them.
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Right. Did the others agree to you kidnapping the princess?”
Rude, I didn’t kidnap her.
“You can think of it as kidnapping if you want but, if I didn’t, then Sufilia would have been killed.”
“Lord Nito saved my life.”
“Uhm, about this ‘lord Nito’ business, you don’t have to add lord Sufilia.”
Those who led a sheltered life really are different.
“I just noticed but, isn’t this party mostly women?”
“More importantly…. I want to talk about the dungeon.”
“Dungeon?”
“Dungeon?”
Sierra and Toa didn’t look happy.
“Lord Nito is there really a dungeon?”
“It seems like a dungeon has actually appeared, so I’m thinking I might go check it out soon.”
“I see…..a dungeon….”
Sufilia made a face that looked as though she had just said something like ‘my condolences’.
“Nem said she’s going, what are you going to do Sufilia? Wait here?”
“No, I will go where ever lord Nito goes.”
“Well Sufilias going, what about you two? Are you really going to wait here?”
“People don’t normally go into dungeons you know.”
“Thats right princess, I think it’s best if think it over one more time.”
“Its fine, my life belongs to Nito.”
Everything Sufilia says something like that Toa’s nose twitches.
“Well I’ll be leaving in a week so, everyone think about it carefully.”
Suddenly I saw two familiar faces, the reporter and the photographer.
“So this is where you were.”
Here eyes widened when she saw Sufilia.
“Actually I suddenly have to leave for Razhousen today.”
“That must be tough.”
“Yeah, I was wondering if I could ask you a few quick questions? ”
“Sure, but no pictures. ”
The cameraman stopped and lowered the camera.
“I know, I just want to ask you a simple question. ”
“By the way, what’s going on in Razhousen? ”
“Oh sorry, it seems like the empire has appeared again.”
“The Empire? ”
“Yes, it seems like another knight died in the line of duty. The name was Hilda Ecarlat. It seems the Ecarlat family own a vineyard in….Nito?”
That was too sudden, Sierra stares down at the table, her face pale.
“That can’t be true.”
Toa was at a lost for words, Nem too was depressed and even I had trouble coming to terms with what was just said.
*
Hilda’s funeral was held at the Ecarlat estate, Maria collapsed on the grass unable to stand the sight of her daughter being buried. However Sierra didn’t shed a single tear. None of this felt real to her.
In the days that followed she didn’t leave her room, only going out to the balcony now and then. She only came down when Reinhardt arrived. He’d come to tell her how Hilda died and Sierra listened to him quietly.
“Their aim this time was to take prisoners, if I had noticed earlier, Hild wouldn’t have died. I’m sorry.”
He waited a moment for her to say something but she just looked down at the table.
“Sierra, if this comes to war, what would you do?”
“………”
“Would you fight?”
“I don’t know.”
*
An countless amount of horses plodded along over the gravel. The empire.
“Gazel, thanks so much for your help, you saved me.”
The lion beast man Gazel Crown had managed to take back Gido, although he was even less sympathetic than before towards emaciated Gido.
“There is no need for gratitude, you understand right?”
“Of course, I will accept my punishment, even with all that preparation I was unable to do anything after all. I won’t make excuses but…”
“……what.”
“Theres still that unknown person.”
“I’ve heard talk, you’re referring to the S rank Adventurer Nito? The entire world knows the name, but there’s not information about him.”
“I don’t know, he’s merely an adventurer.”
“But you don’t think so?”
” No, I think he’s a monster. He killed all of my pets and even killed Fran.”
“I see.”
“He’s the first person I’ve seen to deal with advanced magic using his bare hands.”
“Bare hands!?”
“Yes, he caught Fran’s magic barehanded and threw it back.”
“Either way, you failed. This is how that person with think.”
“I know already. By the way, did Artemias help with my rescue? Did they give you Trifar?”
“No, the fell.”
“Who did it?”
“You probably guessed, it was Dragon’s Heart.”
“Those guys huh? They don’t seem to play nice with others.”
On the way to the empire Gazel’s expression remained clouded, his mind filled with five strange children he’d met. He was still at a loss on how to explain them.
Gido smiled fearlessly, there was likely to be a large scale conflict in the future. The world could see the sign in the headlines of the magical communication newspaper, the Empire’s attack.
“This isn’t over yet.”
*
I took out the map telling the coachman our destination. Toa climbed into the carriage first looking depressed.
“Master, what is Sierra going to do?”
Nem leg go of the hem of my pants and climbed into the carriage. She’s saying we should wait for Sierra to come home, I know that much.
But the dungeon won’t be here forever, it could disappear at any moment. Its been a week since I saw Sierra off but she hasn’t returned. She told me that if I didn’t know to just go on without her, but I think she knew she wouldn’t be coming back for the dungeon.
“Masamune, is this really ok?”
“We’re adventurers, we prioritize the dungeon. Besides, we knew Sierra wasn’t coming, that’s why she told us to go. ”
“I know but.”
“Yeah I understand.”
“Lord Nito, the carriage is departing.”
I finally boarded at Sufilia’s words.
As well went through the gates a felt as though we were leaving Sierra behind. But we have to continue moving forward, Sierra probably felt that way as well.
“Lets go to Beyoment.”
Beyoment was the town closest to where the dungeon had appeared.