CH 30

“Here, I got this.”

“T-thanks.”

The towering walls of Edessa were built with many ivory-colored bricks, just like the ones in Parthenios.

Climbing to the top, I saw the blue sky stretching out before me and the endless desert. A strong, dry wind was blowing.

Mika brought me a glass bottle of water, and when I reached for it, I saw that there were slices of lemon inside.

As Mika sipped the same drink, he said, “I heard it has honey and salt in it too.” Salt too? I thought, and brought my mouth to it. Sure enough, it doesn’t only taste sweet.

Mika turned to face me, leaning against the uneven, narrow wall that came just up to my chest.

Mika’s auburn hair swept in the wind, in the middle of sky and sand colors, and it looked just like a painting. His strong-willed jade-green eyes sparkled, but when they met mine, they softly and gently softened.

It felt as if my heart was being squeezed.

I felt like I was about to think about something that I shouldn’t think about, so I opened my mouth, thinking that I should talk about something.

“This is amazing. It’s all desert from here on.”

“I heard that it takes two weeks by camel to get to Hadrianople, the imperial capital of Rubrum. It takes five days by dragon carriage.”

“Dragon carriage?”

“Yeah. I heard there’s a type of earth drake that’s very strong in the desert.”

Mika said this while holding his fluttering red hair.

I honestly thought that it was amazing that some creatures could cross this vast desert. Taluha and the beastmen I had talked to earlier had also said that they had reached here by riding camels. It seems that they made their way to Edessa while running away, bypassing the regular route used by the merchants, so it must have taken them longer than Mika had said.

Hadrianople… What kind of place it is, I wonder. Since there is a peace agreement in place, I wonder if I could visit there, for example. Would there be anything I could learn or do if I actually set foot there?

What kind of person is this emperor who only has good rumors about him?

It was clear to me now that there was still an enemy that I couldn’t compete with.

The other party was the emperor of the country that was trying to subvert and gain possession of Pluvia. I didn’t think I could stand up to an opponent that even His Majesty and Brother Seth were having a hard time dealing with.

Rashed Wastiters Rubrum, a young emperor who is said to have recently ascended to the throne.

I heard that he is a beautiful emperor in his twenties, who has the power to twist his opponents and the brains to persuade them.

Even in my first life, I noticed that there were enemies everywhere in Pluvia. To my horror, the vast majority of those enemies were Pluvian. Rashed had to have been working on his scheme much, much earlier than Brother Seth and I realized.

(The emperor… is like a scorpion, with his venomous stinger at your throat without you realizing.)

But something could still be done now, before that poisonous needle reached my throat.

One thing at a time. Yes, that was all I could do.

But I also have a knight who can be relied upon. With that thought in mind, I turned my gaze to Mika. Mika’s eyes blinked. I was a little embarrassed because of what happened yesterday, but I still wanted to tell him what I couldn’t say in my first life.

“Thanks, Mika.”

“For what?”

“Well, after all… I’m somewhat unreliable. I feel relieved that you’re by my side.”

I thought so earlier, and I thought so at dinner last night. I also thought so at Tillois’ place and in the magical botany class. Just having Mika next to me made me feel much different. Truthfully— I felt grateful.

But I got embarrassed after I said it, and I gulped the drink that was handed to me.

Mika tilted his head and looked confused. But I’m relieved to hear him say, “You’re welcome.”

Mika stared intently at me, with his elbows on the top of the uneven city wall.

I was a little uncomfortable with the way he was looking at me, with a puzzling stare, as if he was trying to be compassionate and yet holding back something. I asked, “What?” and Mika narrowed his eyes. Then he said,

“I think it’s beautiful.”

“Huh?”

“The scenery is awesome, and Nagi is right in the middle of it. It looks somewhat like a painting.”

I remember that I had thought the same earlier, too, and my body temperature rises in embarrassment. As I swore at him that made no sense, “What the heck is that?” Mika’s other hand reached out and scooped up my hair, with his hand still on his cheekbones. It was the kind of thing you would do to a girl you like, and my eyebrows furrowed.

“……Do you tell that kind of thing to anyone?”

“Of course not. Only when I think so.”

Then I wouldn’t know if he’s talking that way to everyone or not, I thought. But in that case, even Mika, who is in front of the same amount of spectacular scenery… He also looks cooler than usual.

He narrowed his eyes at me and my heart squeezed.

We’ve only been spending a little time together, but this redhead is not giving my heart a time to rest. Even yesterday, he… I almost remembered, and in a hurry, I changed my mind.

“W-where’s Machina?”

“I heard that someone he knows runs an orphanage here in town, so he went to say hello.”

“Hmm. Isn’t it dangerous to have an orphanage in Edessa?”

“Maybe the orphanage also looks after the Rubrum kids? In other cities, they might still be looked at with curiosity, after all.”

I see…

Generally, the Kingdom of Pluvia is inhabited by Pluvians. Even though they are neighbors, the Rubrum people probably stand out because of their different appearances, perhaps because of the climate. On the other hand, it is strange that the Malacia people do not seem to be that different from us.

“Hey, about the thing from earlier. I’m happy that you picked me as your knight, and we can go to many places together, Nagi. Thanks.”

“…Eh, ah, yeah.”

Mika also felt embarrassed after saying it, and while looking toward the desert, he said, “We should get going.”

I felt Mika’s words spreading gradually in my chest, but at the same time, I was aware that I was also feeling uneasy. I had also thought of this before.

(Thanks, Mika. But…)

If I were to start doing something wrong, something devilish, would you still say that?

Would you still say that if you knew how dirty I was in my first life?

And then, if… if you knew the wretched feelings that sometimes show up within me, would you still say that? I ended up thinking about things like that.

Many feelings swirled around inside me.

I hope you’ll forgive me for not telling you yet, Mika.

I left the city walls, thinking that it would be nice if those feelings could have flown away with the sand.

Descending the steps of the city walls, I saw Machina in the distance and a man with long, flowing, light blue hair standing next to him. It was rude to say, but the man, who looked like a beautiful woman, might be the one who runs the orphanage that Mika had mentioned earlier.

He stood next to Machina, who had a big smile on his face while waving his hand cheerfully to us. But for some reason, I feel as if the man was glaring at me for a moment, and I feel frightened. But Mika, who was standing beside me, didn’t seem to notice. While thinking that it might be just my imagination, I went and approached them.

The man also greeted me with a kind smile, and I think I probably had imagined it, after all.

And so, from here on, in the suburbs of Edessa, my struggle for magical plants with Taluha and the beastmen began.