And so, the day came for us to leave the Elven Nation of Alfheim.
We returned to the same North Barrel port where we had first arrived. The sky was clear, the breeze warm—a perfect day for flying. Hajime-san, Emishi-san, and the Ejetia twins had come to see us off.
「Thank you for coming all this way to see us off.」
There wasn’t another soul in sight. Emishi-san had taken the initiative to close off the port for us.
Additionally,
「Are you sure about this? Not meeting with progenitor-sama?」
At that moment, “Progenitor-sama’s Triumphant Return”—a parade to announce Alice-san’s survival and homecoming—was taking place. All the citizens’ attention was focused on that spectacle.
「We’re fine. It’s not like we’ll never see her again. Besides, being surrounded by that many people would be way too embarrassing…」
Truth be told, we’d also been invited to join the parade. They wanted us—the ones who rescued the progenitor and helped defeat the Demon King—to march alongside her. As the 『Heavenly Bell Witch』 and her son, as well as 『Calm Spring Witch』, the orphan of Quioy, they asked if we’d be willing to be introduced as heroes who saved the nation.
We turned them down in an instant.
I mean, come on.
「More than that, I just want to go home and see my family. Right, Chocola?」
「Bark!」
I adjusted the strap of the backpack slung over my shoulders as I patted my tail-wagging dog. The bag was stuffed full with souvenirs.
「I see… Take care on your journey home.」
「You all take care too. Give my regards to Yuzuriha.」
Mother lightly tapped Emishi-san’s chest with her fist. Meanwhile, Karen exchanged a farewell hug with Hajime-san.
「Hajime, stay well. If you feel like it, come visit Sidera sometime.」
「I will. I’ve realized that if I’m to succeed my father, I need to see more of the world. When the time comes, I’d love to. …Ejetia’s twins, you’re planning to visit Sidera too, right?」
「Yeah. Once things settle down here, we’ll get back to adventuring. Hopefully before summer rolls around. Sui-san, tell Berde-san and the others we said hi.」
「Of course. Next time, come visit our house directly.」
「You’re asking for a lot… But I suppose we’ll have to grow that strong. After all, it’s our generation that will have to shoulder the nation’s challenges from here on out.」
I shook hands in turn with Rick-san, Noemi-san, and Hajime-san.
—And then.
A dark shadow appeared in the distant sky, gradually growing larger as it approached. A dragon with majestic wings had come to pick us up.
「We’ll come visit again. Next time, without any trouble—just a peaceful, relaxing trip.」
「Sui-kun—no, Sui Hatano-dono. This country will never forget its debt to you. We will strive to make this a place where you can visit freely, without hesitation.」
That formal farewell was so typically Emishi-san.
I chuckled softly and waved as I climbed onto Ji Liz’s back.
「Thank you for everything. See you again!」
※※※
「Le-et’s go ho-ome! Tomorrow will bri-ing—」
「Kyurururu! Kyu!」
「Bark! Bark bark!」
「You’re really leaving already? You could’ve stayed a bit longer.」
「It’s been a whole month away, after all. I’ll visit again when I can.」
Mint stretched her legs out on the tarp of the wagon, singing happily.
Pochi, excited to be harnessed again after so long, was brimming with energy.
Chocola joyfully ran circles around Pochi.
And there we were, loading up our belongings as Berde-san and the others watched us with amused smiles.
When we returned to Sidera, Mother and Karen were immediately tackled by Mint, who squealed with joy as they hugged her tightly. Pochi growled excitedly and received a kiss in return. Grandma Seralinde patted Mother on her head, and though she looked embarrassed, Mother didn’t resist. We decided to head straight home from there.
「Did you forget anything?」
「Nope. Grandma, I’ll count on you for that thing we talked about earlier.」
「Of course. I’ll contact you as soon as I secure a property.」
I had asked Grandma for a favor.
Just a small house would do—it was something we’d need for the future. With Cliche-san’s connections, it would likely be found in no time.
Everyone came to see us off.
From Grandma to Berde-san, Schnei-san, Cliche-san, Lila-san, and Tomoe-san, along with the Novium couple, Noah, Parker-san, and Dolce-san.
Berde-san stood in front of me as their representative.
「Rick and Noemi sent us a message, so we’ve got a rough idea of what you all accomplished in the skies. But an ancient Demon King? That’s just beyond anything we can imagine. Honestly, with not just Ane-san and Karen, but your name too, it might echo across the continent from now on.」
「Yeah, about that. Honestly, that kind of attention is a bit much for me.」
「Figures.」
But Berde-san, noticing my confusion, grinned broadly.
And his next words were exactly what I needed most.
「Still, there’s one thing I can say, Sui. I’m just glad you made it back safely. That’s all that matters. That’s enough.」
「…Yes!」
The lizard carriage began to move.
「Make sure to contact us when you get home, alright?」
Grandma smiled, waving gently as she saw us off.
「See you.」
「You’ve done well, with everything.」
Schnei-san raised one of his folded arms in a slight gesture, while Cliche-san added his thanks with an uplifted hand.
「I’ll take care of the negotiations with the kingdom! You can count on me!」
「Thanks for the curry recipe! I’m making it tonight!」
Noah and Parker-san called out in booming voices.
「Safe travels!」
Next to Spurudia-san, who shouted after us, Novium-san silently nodded with a warm smile.
「Mint-chan, please come back again.」
「Yeah, let’s play lots next time!」
Tomoe-san and Lila-san waved at Mint, their expressions tinged with a hint of sadness.
And then—
Amid the clatter of carriage wheels on the cobblestones, I couldn’t quite make out the words.
But Dolce-san said something to us before bowing deeply.
We had already sent her the message.
The awakened Progenitor was one of Dolce-san’s direct ancestors.
And she had expressed a strong desire to meet her.
「It’s been a while since we’ve ridden a carriage. Pochi, we’re counting on you.」
「Kyurururu!」
「Hey, Mint, what happened in Sidera while we were away?」
「Mufu~! You know, play with everyone! Oh, but… Tomoe’s new invention, secret!」
「Wait, what? That’s not fair!」
「Oh, right—‘Skylark Pavilion’ gave us some milk, Chocola. We’ll have it at tonight’s camp.」
「Bark!? Bark bark bark!」
Together with my reunited family, we continued through the forest.
Feeling the early spring breeze on my face, I couldn’t resist leaning out of the carriage.
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