Chapter 4: New Reunions, New Meetings
Two weeks after Rio and the others left the Strahl region and arrived at the spirit folk village, they quickly set out for the Yagumo region after staying for a few days.
The group consisted of Miharu, Celia, Aishia, Latifa, Sara, Orphia, and Alma. On top of that, Gouki, Kayoko, Komomo, Sayo, Shin, and Aoi accompanied them too.
Due to the limit on how many people could be transported at once, the majority of Gouki’s subordinates had to wait in the village. Even then, it was a large group of fourteen people.
Incidentally, Orphia’s contract spirit Ariel could materialize with some control over the size of its body. At its largest size, it had a length of nearly ten meters, but that size expended more magic essence so it rarely ever took that form.
For the purpose of travel, Ariel took a decently large size that could carry seven people on its back, and the freely flying Rio, Aishia, and Orphia carried the remaining four people. There was a slight scuffle over who would carry whom, which was resolved by settling on a rotation system. The journey itself went smoothly, and they arrived in Yagumo without encountering any of the harsh weather or monsters of the Wilderness. Thus, they first headed for the village where Rio’s father Zen was born.
That said, reaching a single village amongst countless others in one go was difficult. They knew the general location, so they descended at a village in the vicinity and asked for directions to the village Yuba governed. The villagers would feel wary if so many suddenly visited at once, so Gouki and Kayoko went inside on behalf of the group.
As a result, they were fortunately able to ask the direction of Yuba’s village from the first village chief they encountered and set off towards it from the skies.
“It’s that village. There’s no mistaking it.”
Rio spotted the right village from the air and called out to the others around him.
Mom and dad’s graves are there.
He had spotted his parents’ graves on top of a hill. They appeared as nameless graves to everyone else, but Rio could identify who they belonged to.
“The villagers will be shocked if we land inside it, so let’s descend outside,” Rio said, lowering his altitude. Aishia, who was carrying Miharu, and Orphia, who was carrying Celia, followed him. One beat later, Ariel also began its descent.
“Please get down here,” Rio said to the two people he was carrying.
“Okay!”
The first to reply energetically was Komomo. After being released by Rio’s arms, she landed on the ground with a light hop.
“Before I get down, I want to recharge on Onii-chan Energy!” Latifa squeezed Rio tightly from behind before also hopping down. Indeed, Rio had been carrying Komomo and Latifa. The two were on the smaller side and wanted to talk to each other, so they asked Rio to carry them together.
“Hey now, that hurts,” Rio protested gently.
“This has been Komomo from the front and me from the back. Thanks for carrying us. Here’s a thank-you hug!”
“You’re welcome. Are you tired, Komomo?”
“Nope! Thank you for carrying me such a long way, Sir Rio.” Komomo bowed respectfully. Miharu and the others also got down and thanked the people who had carried them.
“So this village is where Rio’s father was born and raised...”
“It’s a lovely and tranquil place. The sky is clear and calming.”
Celia and Orphia approached Rio first. They were several hundred meters away from farmland, and past that, Yuba’s village could be seen. Celia was looking around at the rural landscape curiously, while Orphia was breathing in the countryside air.
“Shin, it’s our village...” Sayo hadn’t believed she would ever be able to return again. She stood next to her brother and gazed at the village blankly.
“We suffered so much leaving this place, yet we came back in an instant.”
The journey had still taken over one week, but their trip to the spirit folk village had taken many months. Shin looked at Rio’s face with a half-exasperated look of incredulity.
“Shall we get going?”
“First stop is to greet Lady Yuba. I’m sure she’ll be surprised.” Rio and Gouki led the way to the village.
“Onii-chan’s grandmother and cousin, huh... I’m getting nervous.”
“It’ll be all right. I told you before, they both said they wanted to meet you.”
Now that the moment was finally here, Latifa showed unexpected shyness, fidgeting restlessly. Rio reminded her that her fears were unfounded.
“But I can kind of understand how Latifa feels.”
“Me too.”
Celia and Miharu pressed their hands to their chests as though to calm their heartbeats. Sara, Orphia, and Alma, who had never met Yuba and Ruri, looked similarly nervous.
“There’s no need to be so stiff. They’re just a normal grandmother and cousin... You’re going to make me nervous as well,” Rio chuckled with a troubled smile.
“Lady Yuba and Lady Ruri are both kind people, so there’s no need to worry. They’ll treat Latifa and everyone else like family,” Komomo boasted. She had previously visited Rio’s place and stayed together with Yuba and Ruri for a while, so she knew them well. She showed no sign of nervousness, looking more excited to see them again.
“Let’s go already.” Aishia urged the group to hurry—a rare sight coming from her. She didn’t appear nervous, but she may have hurried the group along out of eagerness to meet Yuba and Ruri. In that sense, she was acting differently. She appeared to be in a brighter mood than usual.
At any rate, the party moved down the road, eventually stepping onto the farmlands of the village. The time was still midday, and the weather was clear. They must have arrived during lunch break, as there were tools left along the side of the road. There would probably be a gathering of people eating farther down the road—that’s how things had worked back when Rio was here.
It sure brings back memories.
Rio felt slightly homesick as he looked around the fields happily. At the same time, the girls watching him caught a glimpse of his excitement at returning to this village. Because of that, they showed consideration and refrained from talking to him, letting him enjoy the scenery quietly.
Less than a minute later, Rio and the others arrived at the village square. As Rio expected, the villagers were gathered there eating lunch. Ruri could be seen among them, chatting with the others cheerfully. The villagers all got along with each other well.
The villagers were engrossed in their conversation, but even they would notice a group as large as Rio’s party approach. They first looked up in surprise, wondering who it was, but when they spotted the familiar faces of Rio, Shin, Sayo, Komomo, and Gouki, their surprise increased even more.
“...Rio?! Shin and Sayo! Komomo and Sir Gouki too?!” Ruri stood up and ran over to them first.
“Hey.” Rio seemed to feel shy at his reunion with his cousin, grinning like a normal boy of his age.
“H-Hey... Wait, what?! What, why?!” Ruri was taken aback by the unexpected reunion and looked between Rio’s and Sayo’s faces multiple times. But after a while...
“I see... You met up with Rio. Good, good.” A load seemed to have lifted off Ruri’s chest, her eyes watering in relief.
“Safely too,” Rio nodded with a shrug.
“Woooo!” The villagers in the square all cheered.
“Long time no see, you guys!”
“Welcome back!”
“Give us some warning, yeah?!”
“Wow, it’s Sir Rio! It’s been a while!”
“Shin! Sayo!”
The villagers ran over to Rio, Sayo, and Shin. They then all piled on top of them to celebrate their return. A few steps behind them, Miharu and the others were left wide-eyed by the enthusiasm of the villagers.
“Bwa ha ha! Sir Rio sure is beloved by the villagers.” Gouki laughed heartily at the welcome Rio received.
“W-Wait a minute, everyone! I know you’re all excited, but this is too much! Back away, back away! We can’t hear anything like this!” Ruri controlled the villagers with practiced ease. Satisfied by the amount of skinship accomplished, the villagers backed away obediently.
“Goodness... Are you okay, Sayo? Rio?” Ruri sighed tiredly, worried for Rio and Sayo.
“Hey, I was crushed as well,” Shin protested for himself.
“You look fine to me. You’re a boy anyway.”
“The same goes for Rio, yes? And he’s way stronger than me!” Shin objected, pointing at Rio. The familiar sight of their bickering had the villagers laughing heartily.
“Good. You both seem fine.”
Ruri ignored Shin and helped fix Rio’s and Sayo’s clothes. “Then, once again. Welcome home, Rio, Sayo, and Shin as well,” she said, welcoming their return.
“Yup, I’m home.”
“We’re home, Ruri.”
“...Yeah.”
The three of them spoke their replies somewhat shyly. The villagers around them also yelled their greetings, welcoming their return.
“Komomo and Sir Gouki, Lady Kayoko. Long time no see as well. Aoi too. It’s good to see you’re all in good health.”
“Indeed. The same goes for you, Lady Ruri. Is Lady Yuba well?”
“Yes, as always. Oh, and Sir Hayate was here a short while ago, but he’s good as well. I’m sure he’d be delighted to hear you’ve returned.”
“Ho ho, that’s good to hear.” Gouki smiled broadly at the news of his son.
“Then, if I may change the topic... Who are these people?” Ruri cut off the conversation and looked over at Rio’s companions Miharu, Celia, Aishia, Latifa, Sara, Orphia, and Alma. The villagers were similarly curious and their gazes all gathered on them as well.
“...”
Miharu and the others had uncomfortable expressions and held their breath. They seemed nervous under the attention.
“They don’t seem like Gouki’s or Sayo’s acquaintances... Which means they’re Rio’s?” By the process of elimination, Ruri made a guess and looked at Rio for confirmation.
“Well, yeah.” Rio nodded shyly.
“Hmm...” Ruri stared closely at Miharu and the girls.
“Hey, Rio. One moment. Over here.”
She pulled him by the arm and turned him away from the others so they couldn’t hear. She then wrapped an arm around him and hunched over to whisper.
“What?”
“Don’t ‘what’ me. Well?”
“Uhm... I just said they’re my acquaintances?” Rio was confused by the sudden whispered talking.
“That’s not it, ugh! I’m asking which one’s your girlfriend!” Ruri raised her voice in impatience.
“G-Girlfriend?! N-No... Uh, how should I put this...” Rio struggled for words. He was having a hard time figuring out how to explain his relationship to everyone. They weren’t lovers, but calling them friends sounded a little too shallow. Especially since it was Ruri he was talking to—he wanted to introduce them properly.
Calling them “companions” sounded like a good fit, but there was another term that he wanted to use.
“Family...is the closest word I can use, I think.” Rio turned back to everyone watching him and Ruri as he uttered those words nervously.
“Y-You’re in a relationship with all of them?!” Ruri let out a dumbfounded noise in shock. The meaning behind a relationship was only known to those involved, but that seemed to have caused an unfortunate misunderstanding here.
“Huh? Yeah.” Rio nodded curiously.
“Y-Yeah...?” Ruri was speechless for a moment, before she lost her composure rather spectacularly. “Argh! Enough! Enough is enough! H-Hey, Rio. I don’t think that’s very appropriate of you. As your older cousin, I can’t say I approve.”
“U-Uh, I think you’ve got the completely wrong idea here,” Rio finally realized.
“What’s with all of them being so cute, anyway? Rio, were you always such a sucker for pretty faces? And is Sayo okay with this?!” Ruri seemed to have been quite shocked by this news, as she continued on down the road of her misunderstood thinking.
“W-Wait, Ruri! You’ve definitely misunderstood something! I’ll introduce them properly, so calm down.”
“M-Misunderstood? What have I misunderstood here?”
Rio had grabbed Ruri by the shoulders in a fluster, attempting to correct her mistake. Meanwhile, the other girls saw his speech take on a more natural tone than usual.
“Onii-chan seems really close to Ruri,” Latifa commented, as though she were seeing something rare.
“Yes. He’s talking to her like he does with you and Aishia, on very familiar terms. He looks like he’s enjoying himself.”
Celia spoke with a pleasant smile, but she seemed somewhat saddened and envious at the same time. On one hand, she was glad she could see a side of Rio she didn’t know, but on the other, she felt conflicted that it wasn’t directed towards her. She yearned to be the one who could bring out such rare expressions on his face.
The same seemed to apply to the others too; everyone had a similar look on their faces. Meanwhile, the villagers watching the girls were able to guess at their relationship to Rio by those expressions.
The boys grit their teeth while looking at Rio, then glanced at Shin to question him. Shin nodded in confirmation.
“Oh, now I remember. Back when this guy was in the village...”
The young men recalled the hardships from when all the young girls were in love with Rio. They glared at him as if to curse him with their gazes.
“I’ve told you about how I have an adopted little sister, right? And my teacher whom I owe a lot to as well. The others started living with me due to various circumstances, so I came back to the village to introduce them all to everyone...” Rio explained, looking over at Celia and Latifa to beckon them closer. But when he realized the village boys were glaring at him, he closed his mouth in hesitation to call them over.
“H-Huh, really?” Ruri looked at Latifa and Celia happily. However...
“Hey, Rio!”
“Are you seriously living with all these cute girls?!”
“You’ve gotta be kidding me!”
“Why is it always you?!”
“That’s right, it’s unfair! Introduce them to us already!”
The boys closed in on Rio with their protests.
“I’ll introduce them to everyone, so just wait. Hold on a moment!” Rio tried to stop them with his hands, but it was a futile attempt.
“Good, go get him.” Shin cheered his friends on while Sayo scolded him in a fluster.
“Don’t spur them on, Shin!”
“It’s fine. This is the last step of acceptance towards Rio,” Shin said knowingly. In reality, the boys had teasing smiles on their faces, so it was clear they were just messing around. Like Shin said, this was their way of welcoming Rio back to the village.
“R-Ruri, save me...” Rio said, seeking some kind of safety net.
“You know I can’t stop them once they get like this. Sorry! I’ll show everyone the way to Gran’s place, so catch up to us once you’re free, Rio!”
Ruri seemed to be enjoying the situation, as she spoke with a cheery voice. She clapped her hands together and bowed her head at Rio. Then, she approached Miharu and the others and called out to them in a friendly manner.
“Hi, everyone. I’ll show you the way to my place, so follow me. Come on!”
“Umm... But...”
Miharu and the girls looked at Rio hesitantly, wondering if it was all right to leave him behind. Rio was sandwiched between the boys of the village and was being shaken violently for answers to their questions.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. It happened frequently back when he was in the village. And keep up, Sayo.” Stifling a giggle, Ruri encouraged the girls to get moving.
“Hmph. We’re going as well, Sayo.” Shin huffed triumphantly and pushed Sayo along.
“Hmm... It’d be tactless to stop the villagers from conducting their welcome. It’s not like anyone’s getting hurt either. Let us go as well.”
It would be easy for Rio to slip out of that circle if he wanted to. The fact he didn’t meant he wasn’t as unhappy about it as one would think. With that thought, Gouki, Kayoko, and their servant Aoi followed after Ruri as well.
By the time Rio was finally freed, the others were completely out of sight.
◇ ◇ ◇
After that, Miharu and the others were shown to the village chief Yuba’s home by Ruri. They had just arrived at the house when Rio caught up to them and they entered the house together.
Yuba was just as surprised as the other villagers by the unexpected guests, but when she spotted Rio and Gouki among them, she was even more surprised. But she soon regained her composure and exchanged reunion greetings with Rio and Gouki, then listened to a summary of what had happened since they arrived in the village.
“Ah ha ha, that was unfortunate.”
Yuba cackled when she heard Rio had been crushed by the village boys.
“Wow, Granny’s in a good mood,” Ruri mumbled, guessing it was because Rio had returned.
“That aside... You’ve brought a rather large group with you.” Yuba looked around at the faces of the girls Rio had brought, humming in wonder. The girls all seemed to be nervous, as they were kneeling on the floor stiffly.
“And they’re all beauties to boot. No wonder the younger villagers were making a fuss.”
“Right? I was surprised too.” Ruri nodded her agreement to Yuba’s stifled laughter.
“Well? Hurry and introduce them,” Yuba pressed.
“Well, starting with the two I mentioned while I was staying here... This is my former teacher Celia and adopted little sister Latifa,” Rio said while gesturing with his hands.
“Oho.”
“Next to Latifa, starting from the right are Sara, Orphia, and Alma. The three are from the same village, and they always give me a helping hand on a daily basis,” he then said, introducing the three from the spirit folk village.
“Then there’s Miharu and Aishia, who started living together with me after various circumstances. The seven of them are as important as family to me,” he said, scratching at his cheek shyly while explaining their relationship to him.
“In other words...they’re people you’re dating with the intention of marriage?”
“N-No, that’s not what I meant...” Rio ducked his head in embarrassment.
“Hee hee, I’m just joking. It seems like you were able to meet some good girls. You have a much better expression on your face... It reminds me of Zen when he snuck Lady Ayame out to visit the village,” Yuba said, teasing Rio with a gentle look in her eyes and a smile.
“Ha ha ha, it was quite the ordeal back then.”
Gouki and Kayoko also smiled at their fond memories of those times, their emotions showing keenly on their faces.
“Everyone. I’ve never been able to do anything grandmother-like for Rio, but thank you for treating him well.”
There was no sign of Yuba’s usual to-the-point way of speaking as she bowed her head at the girls courteously.
“N-No, we should be saying that!” Miharu, Celia, and Sara lowered their heads in a fluster.
“Rio’s the one always taking care of us.”
Orphia and Alma returned the bow. Aishia imitated the others; the usually taciturn girl had a gentle smile on her face.
Meanwhile, Latifa was still being shy in front of someone she didn’t know, bowing meekly along with everyone in silence.
“Hey, I’m really curious about each and every one of you, but...if Latifa is Rio’s adopted sister, then that makes you my cousin as well, right?” Ruri asked.
“It would also make her my granddaughter,” Yuba added.
“Huh? Ah, yes... I’d be delighted if you thought of me that way.” Latifa nodded shyly, keeping her eyes downcast.
“Aww, how adorable. I’ve always wanted a little sister. It’s nice to meet you, Latifa... Can I just call you by your name like that? I mean, I’m already calling you that, but...”
“Of course. Can I just call you ‘Ruri’ as well? And...Granny Yuba...”
“Definitely! Please do!”
“Indeed.”
Ruri and Yuba agreed happily.
“Eh heh heh, thank you very much.”
“Aww! You’re so cute! Let’s talk a lot, okay?” Overcome with emotions at Latifa’s shyness, Ruri hugged her happily. She then turned to address the others. “And everyone else too!”
“So, how long will you be in the village, Rio? We’ll hold a welcome feast for you all tonight, but it looks like these girls could talk forever at this rate,” said Yuba.
“I’m thinking of heading to the capital in the near future with Gouki’s family, but could Latifa and the others stay in the village during that time? I’m afraid there are too many people to take on an unannounced visit...”
“Naturally.” Yuba nodded warmly.
“Thank you very much. I believe I’ll be back after a two-week stay there, so please look after them for that time.”
“This is your home as well. There’s no need to be so reserved.”
“Right...” Rio’s face crinkled in a shy smile.
“Then it’s decided. Shin, Sayo. While you two go and greet the other villagers, can you inform them there’s a feast tonight?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Right away.”
At Yuba’s request, the siblings stood up.
“In that case, I’ll help with the cooking. I’ve brought plenty of ingredients and alcohol too,” Rio offered, causing Miharu and Orphia to promptly offer their assistance as well.
“Yay! We get to eat your cooking again,” Ruri cheered happily.
Thus, just like when they visited the spirit folk village, another welcome banquet was to be held.
◇ ◇ ◇
That evening...
It was still a little early to begin the feast, but eager villagers were already starting to gather at the central square.
Rio had finished cooking with everyone and was visiting the hill outside the village. His purpose was, of course, to pay his respects at his parents’ graves.
Surrounding Rio were the people he had arrived at the village with. Earlier, when he informed Gouki and Kayoko he was going to visit their graves, the others had expressed their wish to come too. Moving in such a large group attracted attention, but Ruri went with them and told the villagers they passed that she was giving them a quick tour before the feast. Thus, they arrived at the hill without anyone’s notice.
Rio was the first to slowly walk up to the stone monument. The others maintained a distance out of consideration for him. When Rio noticed their discretion, his mouth turned up in a faint smile as he proceeded forward.
This place hasn’t changed at all...
He looked around at the scenery from the hill. When he looked at the almost setting sun over the village, it felt like no time had passed since the last time he was here.
However, the boy from back then was different compared to who he was now. Something within his heart had definitely changed... Rio himself could feel that keenly.
Mom. Dad. I achieved my goal. I killed Lucius...
Would the two of them rejoice at knowing that? Perhaps they’d be saddened by it. The dead couldn’t talk, so there was no way for him to know the answer.
But that was fine. He hadn’t decided to pursue vengeance for someone else’s approval. He hadn’t achieved vengeance for someone else.
Two years ago, Rio had sworn vengeance on this hill for none other than himself.
That’s why if something had changed within Rio, it would be that the frozen clock within him had started moving once again. Perhaps not moving at the right speed, but it was slowly and certainly beginning to tick. However...
I probably wouldn’t be like this just by getting my revenge, though, Rio thought to himself. And the reason was because he himself hadn’t accepted it—the fact he had gotten his revenge, that is. He understood that revenge was an evil deed, and did it anyway... Rio would have continued hating himself like that.
However, he didn’t detest himself that much anymore. There were people who claimed they wanted to stay beside someone like him, so he was able to like himself a little. Though he still didn’t have much confidence...
I don’t want to lose the things important to me. That’s why I tried to let go of them. After I tried to do something so selfish, everyone extended their hands to me. That’s why it’s my turn to repay them.
On the hill he once swore vengeance at, Rio made a new decision in his heart. He pressed his hands together before the nameless graves of his parents as though to make a vow.
This secret grave was built in memory of the two people who would never return to the Karasuki Kingdom again by the few who were aware of the circumstances. As such, there were no corpses resting here. Not even Rio knew where their bodies were, but he nevertheless still treated this place as their graves, placing his hands together to mourn them.
After a moment, Rio lowered his hands and lifted his face, turning around to head back to the others.
“Thank you very much, everyone.” He beamed dazzlingly while facing the sunset, calling out to everyone with a soft voice.
After that, Gouki and Kayoko, Miharu and Celia, then Latifa and the others all took turns paying their respects to Rio’s parents. Then, they headed to the feast, where they received an enthusiastically warm welcome from the villagers and partied late into the night.
◇ ◇ ◇
Two days after arriving at the Karasuki Kingdom village, Rio was to head for the Karasuki capital with Gouki, Kayoko, Komomo, and Aoi. With Orphia’s assistance, that morning, they transported them all to the capital. They landed on a hill by the roadside at the outskirts of the city.
“We’ll meet back here in three days at noon.”
They made a promise to meet up and bid farewell to Orphia, who returned to the village.
Afterwards, the five of them entered the capital and headed for Gouki’s residence first. Part of the reason they didn’t go straight to the castle was so that Gouki and the others could visit their home again, but also because Gouki was currently retired and considered missing.
In order to secretly chase after Rio, he and his family had run off without notice. If they suddenly showed up at the castle now, they’d create a fuss and inevitably need to go through a number of formalities; it was a far better plan to catch up with Hayate and have him arrange a meeting with King Homura and Queen Shizuku in secret instead.
Hayate was shocked by the sudden return of his family, but as soon as he understood the circumstances, he set off into action. He returned before noon with an appointment arranged for the next afternoon.
Thus, Hayate brought them to the royal castle as quietly as possible. Rio was shown to the room where he had met the king and queen once before.
“Thank you for making time for me on the day of my sudden arrival, King Homura, Queen Shizuku.” Rio sat down on the seat opposite to his grandparents and bowed his head.
“You returned to us—of course I’d adjust our plans to prioritize this. Not to mention you were accompanied by Gouki and Kayoko, who went after you. I couldn’t have more important guests than this.” Homura looked truly happy to be seeing the memory of his daughter Ayame once again.
“Don’t you mean ‘we,’ not ‘I,’ dear?” Homura’s wife, Shizuku, puffed up her cheeks in a pout. Rio’s grandmother was nearly forty years apart in age from him, but her sulking face was awfully cute.
“Ha ha ha. Forgive me.” Homura laughed and apologized sincerely.
“I’m so glad we’re able to see you again, Rio. You did well returning alive. It’s so reassuring seeing you healthy.” Shizuku sighed in relief, a soft look in her eyes. Her expression was exactly the same as Ayame’s face in Rio’s memories.
“Many things have happened since I left Yagumo, but it was all thanks to other people.” Rio had a somewhat distant look in his eyes as he nodded with a gentle smile.
“Hayate has informed us of the general situation, but will you tell us the details yourself?” Homura asked.
“Yes. That’s what I came to do. I’ll start with what happened first.”
Rio summarized the events that happened from the moment he departed from Karasuki for revenge until his return to the castle now. He narrowed down the matters to only the minimum facts, completing his report in a matter of minutes. Finally, he ended with conveying his intent to travel together with Gouki’s family from now on.
“It seems you’ve been blessed with all kinds of meetings. Perhaps that’s why I thought you had a rather positive expression on your face when I first entered the room.” Homura stared at Rio’s face and smiled, pleased.
“Oh my, you too? I thought the same,” Shizuku agreed happily with her husband.
“Heh heh heh. Everyone who meets Sir Rio says the same thing. I actually thought the same myself,” Gouki said proudly.
“Is it that clearly written on my face?” Rio touched his cheeks with his hand, cocking his head curiously.
“Hmm... It’s not entirely gone, but it’s like the shadow over you has faded a lot. Perhaps it was the manifestation of your strong will...” Homura described the difference in Rio’s expression with tact—he wasn’t the ruler of a kingdom for nothing.
“Maybe it’s because my revenge is done?” Rio wondered shyly.
“Ha ha ha. Indeed, there are those who make bright faces after achieving their revenge. However, such people also tend to have hints of aggression in their expressions, as though putting their legitimacy on display. They don’t have hints of guilt in their expressions like you.”
Because they believed they were in the right, they had bright faces with no sign of guilt. That was Homura’s instant rebuttal—the accurate analysis of a king who had looked at many people before.
“If that’s how my face looks to King Homura right now, then it’s exactly as you say. I believe I was blessed with good meetings,” Rio agreed.
Shizuku looked as happy as if it had happened to her. “You must have wonderful people around you...”
“Yes... Those people stayed close to me, saying they wanted to be with me despite my decision to live for revenge. That’s what made me realize I had gained as many precious things as I had lost.” Rio smiled softly as he expressed the change in his heart.
“The truth is...when you first mentioned pursuing vengeance, I was worried you’d return an empty shell if you succeeded. However, I couldn’t advise you against doing it... But at any rate, it seemed to be a groundless fear.” Homura had a pained expression thinking of that past Rio but relaxed his tensed body at the end.
“I know this may just sound convenient, but now that I’ve accomplished what I set out to do, I want to live without losing what’s important to me.”
For the sake of myself, and most importantly, for the sake of everyone else... Rio’s expression tightened with his resolution.
“I understand. So that’s why you agreed to accept Gouki’s family.”
“Yes...”
“But what do you plan on doing now? Will you remain in Karasuki?”
Homura looked slightly nervous for some reason, watching Rio’s expression for any changes.
If... If he chooses to remain in the Karasuki Kingdom...
Perhaps they would be able to provide a quiet life for him, Homura thought, but...
“I’m thinking of returning to the Strahl region again,” Rio answered without hesitation.
“I see... Things will get lonely again, then.” Homura frowned in disappointment.
“I have to return to Strahl for the sake of those important to me. I’m sorry.”
There were Miharu’s, Satsuki’s, Aki’s, and Masato’s futures to consider... And there was Celia as well. In which case, he figured he had no choice but to settle in the Strahl region.
“It’s nothing to apologize for.”
“Thank you... However, while I will spend more time in Strahl, I’d like to increase the frequency of my visits here as well. If it isn’t a problem for you, will you allow me to visit you like this again?”
Rio was able to make the trip from Strahl to Yagumo and back in a month. Unless there was some emergency requiring his presence, he could arrange to visit periodically.
“Of course.”
“We’d never turn you away.”
Homura’s and Shizuku’s voices overlapped.
“Thank you very much...” Rio relaxed.
“We would’ve liked to meet the people who changed you and thank them ourselves...” Shizuku sighed in disappointment, being curious about them.
“I’m afraid I can’t bring them all to this castle. Their numbers would attract attention.”
It would be a little too suspicious if a crowd of strangers showed up at the castle to visit the king and queen. While the black-haired Miharu could pass for a Yagumo resident, Celia, Aishia, Latifa, Sara, Orphia, and Alma all had different facial features to those of the locals. Although the spirit folk girls currently had their racial traits concealed via artifacts and could similarly change their hair color if they wished, they’d still be suspected of being foreign.
“It’ll be difficult meeting them within the castle, but if it were outside of the castle...” Homura pondered with a hum. He then turned to Rio to ask, “Incidentally, how long do you intend on staying at Lady Yuba’s village for?”
“Around two weeks, I’d say...” Rio’s eyes widened at the implied possibility of meeting outside the castle. There were strict restrictions for when the king and queen could go out, but...
“If it’s for a very brief period of time, then it’s not impossible. We may need to ask Lady Orphia for her help, though...” Gouki grinned and looked at Rio.
“Is that the truth?” Homura asked.
“Tell us more, Gouki,” Shizuku added.
“It’s possible to conceal your whereabouts for a few hours, right? You just need to finish your rendezvous within that time. Isn’t that right, Sir Rio?” Gouki said with a wicked grin. With his knowledge of Ariel, that was enough for Rio to understand Gouki’s idea.
“I’m willing to give it a try, but is it okay for Your Majesties to sneak out of the castle?” Rio asked, considering the risks.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. If it’s a matter of a few hours, I can make up a lie. If something does happen, I’ll take responsibility as the king. So, how do we slip out of the castle?”
Homura declared his resolve, eyes sparkling with regained youth. He must have really wanted to meet the people precious to Rio, as he was brimming with eagerness.
“Oh my, it reminds me of when Ayame used to sneak out of the castle to visit Zen’s village. I never thought I’d be able to do the same.” Shizuku was on board as well.
Thus, the operation for the secret visit pressed ahead under the leadership of the king and queen themselves. They arrived at the village three days later with Orphia’s help, surprising Yuba and everyone else.
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