IRE 54

chapter 54

Apart from his vile hobby, there was no doubt that I had received a remarkable gift, so I bowed my head and expressed my gratitude.

“Anyway, thank you.”

“It’s enough that you understand. And don’t get beaten up anywhere. From now on, you are the face of Le Rueil.”

“Haha…”

The one who had been called a heretic was now the face of Le Rueil. Half of that statement might have been a joke, but considering that half of it contained his true intentions, it wasn’t something I could laugh off completely.

In other words:

‘Sentinel Eldmir Architea of Le Rueil.’

Even though I hadn’t formally undergone the coming-of-age ceremony, I was no longer a child. I was an adult, a Sentinel, and whenever I introduced my name, my village would always come first.

Yes. I am the Sentinel of Le Rueil.

Until now, I had lived the life of a troublemaker, an outcast of the village, but I couldn’t continue that way.

What I had to do from now on was not despair—it was to move forward.

“If we go to El Rel this time, we’ll have to leave the forest for a while.”

“Eh? Leave… oh, you mean that temple the grave-dweller kid mentioned?”

“Yes.”

I nodded, and Asira hummed thoughtfully.

“I see. Then I really won’t see you for a while this time.”

It wouldn’t be a short, three-week-long unexpected absence; it could really be a long journey.

“It might be comforting to say goodbye to the villagers, but… most of them have already left on missions, so not many remain. Ahem… Atracal, that old man… I wonder if his excessive consideration is unnecessary, or if it’s just needless worry…”

He scratched his head for a moment, then suddenly lifted it as if recalling something.

“But then, if he’s going to be that considerate, why did he send your friends and Elinis away?! You should at least say goodbye to them!”

“No, no.”

I waved my hands at him, flustered by his unexpected excitement.

“This way is actually more comfortable. Sure, it’s a little sad that I can’t say goodbye… but it’s not like I won’t see them at all—they’ll return eventually.”

“You fool. Don’t you know it’s better to depart with a smile for a future reunion than to regret a temporary absence? If you want to greet a reunion with a smile, you need a farewell with a smile.”

Asira clicked his tongue, genuinely disappointed.

Seeing that expression, I suddenly remembered a story from his past. It was a story he had once told me when he still had someone precious in his life.

I see.

He knew the weight of such farewell moments.

“…Thank you for your advice. But…”

I smiled.

“Then, Asira, you can fill in for all their smiles.”

If you fill in the lacking smiles, the future reunion will be complete.

“Hahaha!”

Asira stared blankly at my smile, then began laughing loudly.

He clutched his stomach as he laughed, then, barely calming down, placed his hand on my shoulder.

Warmth radiated from his hand.

“Yes. I’ll send you off with a smile.”

He smiled brightly.

The fine wrinkles around his eyes deepened with the expression, but it was far from unsightly; it radiated a warmth that touched the hearts of those who saw it.

“May the smiles of the forest illuminate your future.”

“I give thanks that the sunlight in your smile will shine upon me as a blessing.”

He blessed my future, and I wished for his.

He smiled at me, and I smiled at him.

His smile sent me off.

With the farewell came another strange reunion.

“Don’t make that face. I feel the same way.”

Adrian said with a frown.

For reference, that wasn’t directed at me.

“Then you should speak with a cheerful face. If your expression is like that, I see no reason to adjust mine.”

Keris said sharply, turning her head.

Adrian adjusted his furrowed brow in response to her sharp tone.

With a deep sigh, he began walking ahead, speaking as he went:

“The road to El Rel isn’t far. At a leisurely pace, it’ll take ten days, and if we hurry, we can shorten it to a week.”

Whether ten days was short depended on elf standards or the continent’s— I wasn’t sure. I simply nodded.

In Chtaen, it had taken about half a month, so ten days would indeed be short.

Sometimes I longed for the comforts of modern technology: paved roads, vehicles, even the pollution—they might not suit the elves’ sensibilities, but convenience is hard to ignore.

Thus, with Keris and her sisters in tow, guided by Adrian, we began walking through the forest.

The Sentinel appointed by Atracal to guide us to El Rel was Adrian.

Edder was the same age as me but younger in terms of birthday, so he hadn’t yet had his coming-of-age ceremony. He had never been to El Rel, and other Sentinels like the teachers and Iris were away on missions.

Among the remaining elves, only Adrian was familiar—but that familiarity was not a comforting one.

Adrian and I had played together as peers in our childhood, but soon grew apart due to my twisted attitude and the heretical ideas I held.

He never understood my mindset, and I never tried to make him understand.

Neither of us made an effort, and as such, our estrangement persisted.

Though he no longer acted hostile after the alliance with the beast-kin, the past hadn’t disappeared.

Knowing this, he remained awkward around me, and I, aware of his feelings, didn’t speak to him freely.

However, Keris seemed displeased by this and never hid her discomfort during the journey.

“Ah~ going with someone who treated noble sacrifices, done for the forest’s sake, as mere runaway acts—how displeasing. Right, Ersi?”

“…Sister, did you eat something wrong?”

How to describe her expression?

Her lips pouted in display of annoyance.

Her every muttered word struck Adrian like a dagger, yet he said nothing and simply walked ahead silently.

Keris’s eyes only grew more sulky.

“Clearly, Mr. Whoever has no sense to admit his faults. Fine. It bothers me greatly to travel with such a person, but as the king of the beast-kin, I suppose I must…”

“Keris.”

I cleared my throat and interrupted her.

“Enough.”

I had said it before—we weren’t blaming Adrian.

The root cause of our disputes rested with me.

I had given enough explanation and, after a single attempt, had given up trying to convince him further.

I had long given up and despaired over the unrealistic nature of my own ideology.

‘I was in puberty back then. My mental age may not have matched, but mental growth tends to follow the body, I suppose.’

I tried to cover my messy past with a pitiful excuse.

“I told you before. He did nothing wrong.”

“…Sorry, El. I overstepped.”

Keris, understanding my feelings, apologized and led her sisters to give us space.

It was less a display of displeasure at Adrian than a thoughtful act for both of us.

‘Such a young one, thinking so deeply.’

Keris had always been deeply thoughtful, perhaps more so than her status as a king and hero rebuilding her ruined homeland would suggest.

“…Adrian.”

Feeling awkward ignoring their consideration, I called out his name.

He trembled slightly at my voice, tried to turn, then stopped and looked forward.

I called again.

“Adrian?”

“…What?”

He responded quietly, still looking ahead.

“What are you embarrassed about?”

“Embarrassed…! Hah…”

He sighed, finally calming. I approached him, unwilling to walk behind silently.

“…I…”

Walking beside him, he spoke in a calm voice:

“I didn’t understand you. I didn’t try to, nor did I try to accept you. You seemed like a troublemaker, a nuisance to the village. I don’t think it was because I was immature or unkind.”

“I have nothing to say about that. I don’t blame you.”

“…In that regard, you’re better than me.”

He let out a short laugh.

“Do you remember, Eldmir? About ten years ago, you suddenly spoke about the greatest virtue a Sentinel must have to protect the forest.”

A Sentinel’s virtue?

Ah, yes. I remember.

At that time, I had been deeply attached to the forest and concerned about the impending extinction of the elves. I wanted to warn others, but couldn’t say it outright, so I used the Sentinel’s duty as an excuse to instill awareness.

“You said what we do isn’t guarding, but isolation. Protecting the forest isn’t separating it from the continent, nor blocking other species’ paths, but interacting and coexisting with them.”

“…Did I use such complicated words back then?”

“You always did. Even as a child, you used unfamiliar or odd words you’d heard somewhere. Including human vulgarities.”

Again, I was in puberty. Physical age and thinking followed the body.

“…Now that I think about it, you haven’t used vulgarities recently. Was that part of your personality?”

I laughed lightly.

“Yeah… I’ve stopped somewhat.”

Not because I deliberately chose to, but circumstances rarely called for it.

Then Keris appeared, and after parting from Estain’s group, I began restraining myself, conscious of the children around.

“Hmm… so it happened due to various circumstances.”

“Yes.”

It wasn’t simply a change in personality. Even now, I could curse if I wished. But my habits, like myself, had changed.

“You were always unique. Not strange, but special. That’s why you seemed unusual.”

“So you discriminated against me?”

“Ha, I wasn’t mature enough to recognize your uniqueness back then.”

He let out an ambiguous sound, half-laugh, half-throat clearing.

I faintly smiled, awkwardly.

“Think about it. You used words and ideas unheard of by other adults. Would you look ordinary? No. You seemed strange because I couldn’t understand you. That’s why I began to reject you… and perhaps, as you said, discriminate.”

“…That sounds odd. Was I really discriminated against? We were distant, but not that extreme.”

“Relax, it was a joke.”

I calmed his fast words.

He continued, scratching his cheek awkwardly:

“Now I know that was wrong… but it doesn’t change the fact that I wronged you in the past.”

He stopped and looked at me directly.

“Past… it’s laughable. That was just yesterday. I still haven’t been ready to accept my shame.”

Until now, he avoided my gaze, but now he looked at me clearly.

“I’m sorry, Eldmir. I committed an unpardonable rudeness against you.”

He bowed deeply.

“I don’t expect you to forgive all those years with a single apology. I won’t defend our past. We wronged you, and you have every right to demand recompense.”