Log Horizon - Volume 8 - Chapter 5.7

7 
Rundelhaus and the others left town the day after the battle. 
They’d talked it over and decided not to journey farther. All sorts of things had happened, and they’d agreed that they needed to report them to their guilds. In addition, since they’d defeated wyverns, they’d gotten the materials for their Magic Bags and fulfilled their original objective. 
The journey could probably be considered a success in that respect. 
However, several bitter points remained. 
The northern side of Saphir had become a battlefield, and including the collapse of the ruined building and the bridge, the damage to the town had been great. There had been several dozen casualties among the People of the Earth. 
To Rundelhaus, this was tragic, but not unusual. The world of Theldesia was a harsh one to begin with, and the lives of People of the Earth had always been a series of trials. Even his own birthplace lay buried under ash. 
The People of the Earth made no particular attempt to hide the damage that had been done to them, but they didn’t make a fuss about it, either. This had been what had worried Rundelhaus: He’d been afraid that Touya and Minori, with their strong sense of responsibility, innocent Serara, and kind Isuzu would blame themselves after coming into contact with the deaths of People of the Earth. 
However, strangely, the atmosphere in the town hadn’t grown gloomy. 
The People of the Earth were used to supporting one another, and there was still a lot of hope in the town. Its heart remained unscathed, and the town’s key industries—fishing and highway commerce—hadn’t been damaged. Saphir had taken a heavy blow, but the townspeople told them in no uncertain terms that they would be able to rise again. 
The morning after the battle, Roe2 and Dariella said their good-byes to the group and departed. 
It had been sudden, but after all, monsters had appeared: Naturally they needed to hurry to their destinations rather than postpone the decision, and so Rundelhaus’s group saw the two of them off in the morning mist. Roe2 had really become part of their group, to the point where Serara clung to her with tears in her eyes. 
She was a mysterious woman. 
Rundelhaus hadn’t seen many of the summoning spells she used. For a Person of the Earth, he was an outstanding magician, and he’d accumulated knowledge and combat abilities that made him the equal of a court magician or great mage. For an Adventurer, however, he was still barely average, and although he lived in Akiba, he couldn’t claim to have complete knowledge of all magic. 
That said, the necromancer magic Roe2 used was unusual, and it had left a vivid impression on him. There were necromancer magic users in Akiba as well, but he’d never encountered one of her caliber before. Her vast magical power and discernment, her excellent combat sense… The Sword Princess she’d summoned had been as elegant as a death-dealing princess, rather than a sword spirit. 
Roe2 had given Minori a letter and made some sort of request. 
At that point, Rundelhaus readily gave up thinking. From what he knew, Minori was very nearly the finest commander there was, and she was the twin sister of his good friend Touya. If Minori decided it was necessary, Rundelhaus would probably be asked to help, and if they timed things wrong and ended up in a dangerous situation, he’d simply have to go save them. More than anything, from what he’d seen in Minori’s expression, it had been a startling piece of information, but certainly not bad news. 
The last thing she’d said to them had been “Later.” While brief, it was a promise that they’d meet again. 
Rundelhaus and the others had also promised: “Absolutely.” 
If he’d had to say, it was the other traveler that had concerned him, for a certain reason. Dariella, the People of the Earth writer. A beautiful, delicate lady like that going to Ikoma. No matter how accustomed to travel she was, he’d worried that it might be a difficult journey for a lone woman, but apparently, once she reached Sanaru, she knew where she could find a guard. 
Unlike Roe2, the woman hadn’t blended with their group to the point where they could call her a companion, but when they left, while Serara, Minori, and Isuzu surrounded Roe2, Dariella had watched them, smiling quietly. Rundelhaus had been born into a lower noble house, and the smile was very familiar to him. It was a wary smile, meant to feign goodwill and affection—in other words, an aristocrat’s smile. Rundelhaus didn’t have it in him to take it negatively. But while he was accustomed to it, now that he’d been dyed in Akiba’s colors, it struck him as slightly remote. 
In any case, the two women said their good-byes and departed. They went west, and Rundelhaus’s group headed east, toward Akiba. 
Dariella had told them, “I do hope we meet again somewhere,” and offered that same gentle smile. Rundelhaus and the girls had replied in turn, but Touya had looked as if he was hurting somehow. 
After seeing the two of them off, as they walked slowly toward the center of the town, which was hurrying to rebuild, Rundelhaus approached Touya. 
“Are you sure it was all right to let her go like that?” 
“Her who?” 
“Mademoiselle Dariella.” 
“Oh.” 
Touya looked up at the sky. Feeling compelled to do the same, Rundelhaus raised his own head. 
Even though it was the day after a battle like that one, the sky was a cloudless, transparent blue. 
As they walked along silently in the March sea breeze, their ears caught the idle conversation of the three girls up ahead of them. They were familiar voices, the voices of their companions. In this moment, walking beside his good friend Touya, listening to their comrades, Rundelhaus felt that this was where he belonged. He had a duty to protect his young friends. 
“It’s fine.” 
“I see.” 
His friend’s voice was subdued. 
You liked her, didn’t you? 
But Rundelhaus didn’t ask. He didn’t understand what had begun and what had ended. Either way, his friend had already waved and seen her off, so it would probably be rude to quiz him about the details. 
Romantic matters weren’t Rundelhaus’s strong suit. 
He had been born into the aristocracy, which meant that love had been a distant issue for him. He’d had the vague idea that “establishing family ties” probably wasn’t the same thing as “love.” 

When Touya addressed older members of the opposite sex, he tended to call them “big sis.” If they were male, it was “big bro.” He’d even called the Odysseia Knights Adventurer who’d taken him to task “brother” with no hesitation. 
…But he hadn’t called Dariella “big sis” once. For that reason, Rundelhaus thought it was probably that sort of thing. He wasn’t yet familiar with that particular heartache, but Touya’s profile looked far more grown-up than it had when they’d left on this journey. 
As Rundelhaus watched his friend, he felt there was something just a little dazzling about him. 
“Listen. About Dariella…” Looking up at the sky, Touya spoke as if he were talking to himself. “Her nails were all raggedy. Like she bit them because something hurt her too much.” 
Rundelhaus hadn’t noticed. 
It was likely that Isuzu, Minori, and Serara hadn’t, either. 
But Touya had noticed those wounds. Rundelhaus imagined what his friend must have felt at that time. Then he imagined the feelings of the lady who’d done it. There was a pain there that Rundelhaus wasn’t familiar with, and he thought Touya must have encountered it. 
He considered giving him some sort of advice, but thought better of it. 
He wasn’t enough of a sage to wade into the matter, and he was even less confident about his knowledge of the subtleties between men and women. Besides, his friend Touya was a warrior. If Touya had decided something was all right, it probably was. 
“Hm-hm. Touya. If anything’s troubling you, you may discuss it with me.” 
“Nah, I’d never go to you for advice, big bro Rudy.” 
“What?!” 
Apparently Touya had come to terms with the matter all on his own. He was wearing his regular genuine smile, so Rundelhaus was able to respond in his usual cheerful way as well. 
By the time they finished preparing for their journey and left the inn, it was already afternoon. 
It had been Rundelhaus’s idea to hurry their departure, because—although he hadn’t told his companions—there was no guarantee that the People of the Earth wouldn’t make them the targets of their irritation and slander them. 
Their five-person group had fought desperately, but it was a fact that the Odysseia Knights had used the town as a shield. 
Currently, Rundelhaus was both a Person of the Earth and an Adventurer. For that reason, he understood the feelings on both sides. The Odysseia Knights were under no obligation to protect the People of the Earth. It wasn’t part of their code, and it hadn’t been their mission. They were free to do as they pleased, and they hadn’t personally harmed the People of the Earth. There were probably a great many People of the Earth who’d been saved because the Odysseia Knights had been there. At the very least, in the early stages of the battle, they’d prevented almost all damage to the town. 
However, Rundelhaus knew that, deep down, people weren’t convinced by that sort of thing. When you met with an unjust disaster and someone with the power to help was on the scene, it was only natural to get your hopes up. All those Adventurers were right there, so why didn’t they save my family? Rundelhaus knew that grief all too well. There were bound to be People of the Earth who were so heartbroken that they screamed their grievances. 
If those people lashed out at Touya and Minori, they’d probably feel awful, and Serara and Isuzu would be hurt as well. In the end, even the People of the Earth who said those things would be hurt. Nobody was to blame, but Rundelhaus knew there were wounds that only time could heal. There were moments when people just couldn’t be kind; it wasn’t anyone’s fault. 
That meant it was best to get away from the town now. 
It would mean leaving the cart behind, but at this point they’d be able to get home just fine on foot. Their entire group was confident about that. 
One practical problem was that the town would have to be rebuilt. They probably didn’t have the spare energy to bother with Rundelhaus’s group, and the inn said they’d be receiving aid from the West, so when Rundelhaus told his group that it would be better to free up their rooms, they let him persuade them without protest. 
“It’s over already, huh…” 
“Things were pretty awful at the end. I wonder if the town will be all right…” 
“There’s nothing to fear. This is an important stop on the red clay highway. They’ll have it rebuilt in no time.” 
“But we—” 
Rundelhaus put a hand on Isuzu’s shoulder. 
Her expression was clouded. She was probably thinking of the victims. He knew how she felt, but when this hazelnut-haired singer was depressed, it made Rundelhaus very uneasy. It wasn’t fair, but he felt responsible for her smile. 
In part, this was probably due to that violent declaration at the temple. Although it had been half-compulsory, Rundelhaus had apparently placed himself under her protection. He wasn’t entirely okay with that, but even so, a promise was a promise. It was his duty to stay by her side and protect that smile. 
…And so Rundelhaus tried to say something to her. 
However, at the sound of a whispery voice on the wind, he stopped. He strained his ears, listening. 
Far in the distance, he heard a song. 
Isuzu had sharp ears, so of course she’d caught it, and her eyes went round. 
It was that song, the one Isuzu had sung in battle, the song that was hers alone. 
A griffin swept down from the sky, and Serara broke into a run. A moment later, Minori and Touya did the same. Their bright, glad cries washed away their companions’ dark moods. 
However, Isuzu and Rundelhaus kept listening to the young, childlike voice that drifted to them from the town. This had been the last stop on their tour. Rundelhaus and the others were powerless, and their limits had made themselves felt at the end of their journey. 
Even so, that song would probably make its way farther west. Isuzu’s song wasn’t powerless or meaningless. He began to tell her so, but Isuzu’s eyes were so full of tears that they were beginning to overflow. His partner always cried easily. Rundelhaus offered her a handkerchief. 
On that day, a modest birthday song for Isuzu and the world echoed through the streets of Saphir. 
<Log Horizon, Volume 8: The Larks Take Flight—The End>