Chapter 162 – Holiday (1/2)
The apparent excitement of Origa, who directly heard about her and Hifumi departing for the capital from him, made her to some extent unapproachable for those who knew and those who didn’t know about the circumstances.
Origa spent the few days until the departure going full throttle with her troublesome character, feeling several times more jealous than a normal woman and having a desire to monopolize him at the level of a normal woman. Even while preparing the luggage, she did so with a rough nasal breathing as if completely threatening her surroundings or saying that she doesn’t want anyone to attend to her.
Going by Hifumi’s character, Origa knew that if she told him “I want to go together with you”, he would give her permission to do as she likes as long as there are no special circumstances. She also understood how to act so that his decision didn’t change.
The person concerned, Hifumi, spent his time until the day of the travel by going to buy food and suitable magic tools in Fokalore and tossing them into his darkness storage, developing new weapons with Pruflas and training with Caim and the other soldiers.
Snuggling up to his side, Origa accompanied him on his shopping in the city, participated in the training and made sure to not separate from Hifumi as much as possible.
“Lord and his wife have a really nice relationship.”
“Isn’t that a good thing? It seems like some uproar is once again happening in Vichy, but thanks to Lord, there’s not the slightest danger to our side.”
And so on. Hifumi, who eats in the same restaurant as the commoners and wanders aimlessly around the town without any guards although he’s an appointed noble, and Origa, who can be seen to gently nestle close to him, were warmly watched by the people of the city of Fokalore.
However, the people, who know Origa well since they are serving in the feudal lord’s mansion, cannot take such carefree attitude.
That’s because Origa is fixedly staring at them from close-by while they are talking with Hifumi. Although nothing happens as long as they don’t talk about the trip or the capital, they are immediately glared at and pressured with blood thirst as soon as the topic of going to the capital comes up.
“In the end, for a number of reasosn, they haven’t done many things befitting newly-weds, have they?” (Alyssa)
“Haa… newly-weds, is it?” (Viine)
Inside the study room, Alyssa started to talk to Viine, who’s studying opposite of her, while waving her quill pen around, once Caim stepped outside for work.
With that subject being brought up without prior warning, Viine lifts her eyes from the textbook and gives a half-hearted reply.
“In the beginning, you know, Origa-san, who was a slave at that time, and another person accompanied Hifumi-san. Even when I joined them, we were just four people.” (Alyssa)
Looking up at the ceiling, Alyssa seemed as if she was watching a distant place. Viine didn’t know who the other person she talked about was. However, her deliberately not mentioning the name has probably some kind of reason, she thought.
“That means master had a lover and wife who was a slave?” (Viine)
Since Viine heard about Origa originally being a slave, she wasn’t surprised about that, but she can’t imagine Hifumi and Origa acting like lovers.
“Lover… yea… Achoo!” (Alyssa)
The tip of the quill pen, she swung with her fingers, tickled Alyssa’s nose causing her to sneeze.
“Uuh… rather than lover, it resembled more the relation of a pupil or a retainer. As a matter of fact, her way of fighting was mostly fixed and trained by Hifumi. It looks like she ended up changing her weapon back then, too. I guess it was around that time when she stopped using a wand?” (Alyssa)
“At the time when I met them I didn’t have much leeway either”, Alyssa laughs.
And, she was at least able to change it into a funny story. As soon as she thought of what happened in the past, she felt slightly lonely.
“If you consider it like that, various people got in contact with Hifumi and became his friends or enemies, but the one who thought first of getting close to him was Origa, right? There are many people who serve him like Caim and the others, but the one who is planning to do the same things he does while standing shoulder-to-shoulder with him is only Origa, isn’t she?”
People like Kasha and Pajou who died after becoming hostile to him, people like Sabnak who hasn’t become his comrade but still cooperates with him and people like Imeraria who get manipulated; the faces of all the people Alyssa knows float in her mind.
“Are you different, Alyssa-sama?” (Viine)
“Yeah?” (Alyssa)
Alyssa couldn’t understand Viine’s question well.
“Umm, in other words, didn’t you consider wanting to become just like his wife?” (Viine)
“Ah~, I see…” (Alyssa)
The former Vichy territory, Arosel, that has now become a part of Tohno Earldom. Alyssa clearly remembers the events at the time when she was rescued by Hifumi from the violence she suffered there. The memories of the pain have faded, but the fear, that made her want to die due to the helplessness she intensely felt at that time, was deeply carved into Alyssa without having vanished yet.
If it’s now, she knows that her emotions at that time were yearning and the awakening of a love she wasn’t aware of herself.
“… It’s different, I think. I like Hifumi-san, but that’s respect towards a strong person. Therefore… therefore I will become Hifumi’s adopted child, the responsibility is heavy, but I’m happy, is what I believe…” (Alyssa)
The tears that overflow gradually, spill down along her cheeks finally.
“Geeze, how embarrassing… I wonder why…” (Alyssa)
Viine quietly approached Alyssa, who had laid her face on the desk with her shoulders trembling, and gently stroke her back.
“I know. I’m not able to do the same things as Origa-san… that’s why…” (Alyssa)
Viine continued to stroke Alyssa who at last burst into tears after raising her voice.
☺☻☺
The day before the departure to the capital.
Early morning. Origa participated in the training carried out by Hifumi.
Inside the forest slightly off the highway once one leaves the city of Fokalore. Though monsters appear here often as well, it doesn’t matter to Hifumi at all.
This place that lacked the hustle and bustle of people and had the aroma of trees and greenery was the favourite place of Hifumi.
Origa and him sit in seiza next to each other on the grass with closed eyes.
Besides the presence of Origa who’s next to him, he can feel weak monsters discovering the presence of people and running away.
While calming down his mind with the scent of nature hitting his nostrils, he digs up the memories of his battles in Horant and Vichy. He reproduces the fighting inside his head. Although he has a feeling of satisfaction towards all his moves, there’s also introspection.
Couldn’t I have killed them faster? Wasn’t it possible to take their lives in a more efficient way?
And, in order to make use of that in the coming battles, he closely inspects his movements. All of it is for the sake of realizing the perfect slaughtering. Even now his desire to murder is gushing out like an endless spring. For the sake of letting it out at any time.
A tree towers in front of Hifumi who quietly opened his eyes.
The trunk that has a thickness of several arms, grows directly into the sky and the lush leaves expand towards the sun.
One blow of drawing the katana and attacking in the same stroke, the katana’s point is turned towards the trunk and stops. Leaving less than a millimeter distance, it barely doesn’t scratch the rind. It’s an act he occasionally does for the sake of confirming his own sensation and the length of his own weapon.
He knows the length of his own katana better than anyone else, but just because of that it doesn’t necessarily mean that the length of his own arms won’t change at all. There’s also the possibility that the state of the rivet on the sword hilt slightly shifts. This was also a ritual to check that.
“Well then, let’s begin?” (Hifumi)
“Yes. Please treat me well.” (Origa)
Standing up in concord with Hifumi, Origa held the iron-ribbed fan in her left hand and bowed.
Opposite of her, Hifumi places both hands at the base of his legs and naturally bows in a smooth manner.
Lifting their faces at the same time, they readied their weapons.
The iron-ribbed fan, grasped by Origa in her left hand is still closed.