The most effective first aid for stopping bleeding is pressure, though I believe this principle can also be applied to the wounds of the heart.
How precious it is to have someone who’ll hold you during sad times. In my past life, my parents and older sister were there for me in my childhood, and in this life, my parents have always held me gently when I needed comfort. And Eliza, she stops crying whenever I embrace her, so it must be that body heat works better than anything else to staunch the bleeding of the soul.
“Erich…?”
I hold Mika, my dear friend, tightly and speak my mind. This warmth between us, I feel, will never change.
“Mika, who are you?”
“Eh…?”
“Who are you, Mika? A non-degree student of the Magic Academy? A genderless immigrant?”
It’s all the same. If our species were different, would that really mean our friendship would change if I thought of you as a boy?
I don’t think so. It’s certainly significant—just as when puberty hit me—but the same must be happening to him now. Likely, when he becomes male, he’ll embody masculine traits, and when female, adopt feminine ones.
Regardless, Mika will always be Mika. The essence won’t change, nor will the connection we’ve shared as friends and the unique excitement of our youthful days which we’ve experienced together.
“It’s not that, is it, Mika? You’re my friend, aren’t you?”
The nature of the relationship may evolve, but the core will never change. I became friends with Mika because I wanted to, because I thought we could enjoy each other’s company.
I pull back slightly to meet his eyes. His expression is unreadable, a mix of surprise and bewilderment, as though he doesn’t know how to process his emotions.
“I became your friend because you’re a good person. I invited you along because it’s fun to be with you. If I had wanted a superficial, meaningless relationship, I would have come here alone.”
It’s true that solo traveling can be inconvenient, but I’m not the type to tag along with someone I neither like nor have a reason to trust. I wouldn’t share a bedroll with just anyone, and I wouldn’t camp in the wilderness with someone I didn’t feel sure about.
I took you along because I trusted you, thought our journey together would surely be “fun.”
“What? Is this feeling one-sided? Why did you come along and help me fight? Am I merely your companion to alleviate loneliness, someone who serves as a friend only in name?”
I grasp his shoulders and lean my nose close, almost brushing eyelashes when either of us blinks. His teary eyes blink back at mine. A shaky reply escapes his lips.
“No, Erich, it’s not like that.”
Wiping away his tears with a blink, Mika meets my gaze firmly. Swallowing his sobs, he forces out his words with conviction.
“I think of you as a friend too. Initially, it was because I thought I could fool you, as you didn’t know me well. But that’s changed now. It wasn’t out of fear of losing a friend that I was worried—I was scared of losing you, Erich.”
His body tenses in my arms, his hands gripping my shoulders with strength, as if affirming the truth behind his words.
“That’s right, Mika. What am I to you?”
“…A friend, Erich. You’re my friend.”
“Yes, Mika, that’s all that matters, isn’t it?”
We respect each other’s statuses, but I’ve never treated him first and foremost as a promising listener at the Magic Academy, nor has he ever seen me as some well-connected apprentice researcher or professor.
“We’re friends.”
“Ah…Erich, thank you, thank you so much…”
“Being a friend is not something worthy of gratitude, my friend.”
“Still…I…thank you, nonetheless.”
I clutch my sobbing friend once more, patting his back gently, like how one would comfort a sister to help her calm down.
Ignoring the pain in my body from his tight embrace, I didn’t stop patting until he fell asleep from exhaustion…
Our overly sentimental exchange the previous night led to an awkwardly embarrassing morning.
Ah, I remember similar moments from my TRPG days: sometimes the rolls would get out of control during recording sessions for playbacks. Later hearing those recordings—whether it was from the heated action sequences or pure emotion—it would leave me buried face-first into my pillow, utterly mortified.
“Good morning, my friend.”
Especially so when the partner is the one with whom I’ve shared a night…
“Ahh, good morning. Uh, Mika, about last night…”
It’s extremely embarrassing now. Nights are really not the best for such talks; strange moods often take over. Most scenarios written late at night or during overtime invariably seem cringeworthy come daylight. And yet, there was no falsity in either my words or emotions—was there really more I could have done?!
“My friend, you don’t need to finish. I already understand. Though hearing it again wouldn’t be unpleasant, it’s not something one repeats endlessly, is it?”
Ah, it seems there’s been some sort of misunderstanding. Is he getting theatrical? His thought patterns are bordering on the dramatic. Normally, if he were just playing at something, it might be fine, but continuing with such an intense manner in daily life is impossible. He seems destined to grow into an irresistible charmer who uses grandiose theater to seduce everyone around him…
“Let’s have breakfast, shall we?”
Taking my hand, my confused friend pulls me out of the bed we shared…
Walking closer together than ever before, we head to the same dining area as yesterday. It’s surprisingly quiet—many triple-empire citizens indeed prefer to have a light breakfast only, some consuming merely tea and a bit of cheese, so it’s no surprise we were slightly tardy.
As usual, the cheerful freckled server brings us a five-ast affordable breakfast set: a slice of black bread, a white sausage, a dab of cheese, and one dried apricot. For the price, the selection’s not bad.
Paying two more asts, we get a pot of roasted dandelion tea instead of chicory, and enjoy our meal leisurely. We slept in, and by this time, most busy merchants must’ve already finished eating and left.
“Ah, that’s right, Mika, I have a proposition.”
“Hmm? What is it, my friend? Whatever you propose, even an invitation to the baths, I will gladly accept.”
Then next time we’ll do exactly that… No, that’s not what I meant. Suppressing my joyfully beaming friend, who seems so eager I’d hang his smiling face as a decorative piece, I broach the subject of an adventure.
“Hmm, a hermit’s hut in the forest, you say…”
He takes a bite of the sausage, seemingly mulling over my proposal.
It’s originally a job that pays one drachma just to reach the destination, but whether or not to take on the additional task is up to him. Bringing up the matter so cheerfully, though, seems a bit underhanded. Because…
“Sounds good, it’s interesting. Then I’ll join you!”
The man who’d probably agree if you asked him to strip down once again last night would surely not refuse such an invitation—especially since, when warned about bears, he responded with a confident grin, saying he would not let a friend venture alone. How long will it take for his high spirits to settle down? In the meantime, invitations and requests must be carefully worded so as not to risk creating a potentially disastrous black history for him…
Of course, it would be his black history, not mine.
Swallowing a faint sense of unease along with breakfast, we prepared for the adventure. Given that a day’s walk through the forest could be a couple of hours on horseback, and we had already camped out, all we had to do was buy extra food and water.
“Hmm, quite expensive, isn’t it?”
“It’s the season, after all.”
Walking together towards the market street next to the dining area, the air is bustling with the autumn ambiance. Alas, demand dictates prices and they have risen.
During this time, trading caravans are frequent and their accompanying guards and adventurers create a high demand for preserved foods. Since not all merchants can afford the services of a competent magic user for preserving fresh produce, the prices on staples have generally risen—anywhere from one to two ast higher than usual—everywhere.
“How much coin do we have left?”
“If we consider the lodging we still need, and the taxes of the market, we should reserve…”
“Then, about how much do we have left for food?”
Counting the copper coins in our shared wallet—our silver coins, meant for emergencies, are cleverly hidden in the soles of our boots—we roughly calculated the costs.
The rodent-goblin shopkeeper of the preserved foods stall sighed loudly.
“Can’t help it. Kids these days don’t have much, so I’ll give you a little discount.”
With a strongly accented Northern dialect, the shopkeeper rattled on, clattering his large front teeth. His Northern accent differs vastly in intonation from the Southern or Court language we’re accustomed to, but it’s clear he felt pity for our thin purses.
“Huh!?”
But then, what surprised me further was how naturally Mika responded in the Northern dialect.
“Quickly, quickly. If it’s genuine, it can’t be helped, right?”
“Very good!”
“Not necessary at all!”
Mika’s fluent exchange, during which he got his usual price without haggling. Typically, he only speaks perfect Court language, but upon reflection, it makes sense that he would know the Northern dialect if he is originally from the North. Lord Faige, too, could switch naturally between dialects like a switch being flipped, and even in my previous life, colleagues from Kansai had noticeably different speech depending on whether it was professional or casual settings.
Mika, smiling contentedly as he took the bag full of dried meat, suddenly reddened with realization, then buried his face into the bag to escape my gaze.
“Well, um, since I used to speak the dialect before learning Court language… Is it really that strange?”
I couldn’t help but find it… well, adorable.
How mercenary of me, thinking so upon realizing he’s not entirely the same gender. And yet, I’ve entertained dangerous thoughts before knowing this fact, so it seems there are certain considerations to make.
“Ah, it’s strange to hear someone so naturally use a dialect I’m less familiar with.”
“Strange? Is it?”
“Absolutely. It almost sounds like a foreign language to me.”
Modern Imperial language is known to be easily learnable once you grasp the grammar, due to its somewhat straightforward pronunciation. The same could be said for other languages; the basic part of Empire language skills, particularly the court language, is relatively cheap to acquire.
However, regional dialects are far pricier to learn. This is because the Triple Empire was formed through the unification of smaller states and the inclusion of various species, which has left a rich tapestry of regional dialects and ancient words embedded within its language.
Therefore, without specific word knowledge, it sounds like a foreign language.
I’ve encountered similar issues with Japanese—dialects like natural Tohoku or Kyushu versions were entirely incomprehensible to my standard-speaking ears. Trying to learn them later would probably treat them as near-equivalent to foreign languages.
“Indeed, Northern dialects incorporate plenty of ancient words… I can understand Northern ancient language and the dialects of the island circles at least partially, but sometimes they use the same words. Spellings may differ slightly, or the accent placement might change, but generally the language is mutually intelligible. It’s all quite fascinating, isn’t it?”
“That’s true, very interesting. If you were by my side, traveling North would definitely be easier!”
With a linguistically adept friend, a stroll through the frontier towns while daydreaming farther north sounds enticing.
The truth is, I’m quite lacking in knowledge about territories outside the Triple Empire. This stems largely from the fact that most of what I know comes from books in the Manor and tales passed down by adults and the bards’ stories.
Manor books are biased, focusing heavily on Triple Empire-centric historical accounts, with rare and often slanted perspectives on other nations. Although surely the Magic Academy’s archive is packed with foreign histories, my time is consumed by practicing magic.
There’s perhaps some solace in that. Exploring lands unknown even through books, places I’ve neither heard of nor visited, has always been exciting. Setting foot unprepared into new territories without any prior information is certainly a thrilling, albeit risky, adventure.
Undoubtedly, this is the true excitement of adventure.
“Sometime, let’s go together. There are many beautiful places. You can walk across the Northern Ice Sea in winter, and the skies ornamented with auroras take your breath away. Even if a bit distant from my hometown, the Great Icefall is breathtaking—a sight I think everyone should see at least once.”
Mika talks enthusiastically about Northern sites. Despite the stereotype that locals often overlook hometown attractions, he genuinely appears well-versed in them, likely having visited most of them.
“Sounds wonderful. I’d love to. Every location sounds stunning.”
Even through his apparent pain yesterday, it’s clear he still loves his homeland. If one merely sought personal prestige, one could easily bring the clan to the Imperial Capital for a show of success.
“Then, someday… I’ll take you, Erich. To my homeland. Just ice, snow, and possibly sheep or reindeer, but still worth it.”
“Aye, I look forward to it.”
Thus, we made a small promise. To one day explore the Northern provinces, and see the home he aims to honor with his accomplishments.
Now, it’s time to tackle the small adventure that will set the stage…
Our friendship has reached new levels, and now it’s time for the adventure part, eh? I initially intended to move things smoothly along to younger years, but somehow this turned into a rambling over-explanation of everything I wanted to say.
As for me, I also enjoy traveling without prior information. Entering the cursed land with only the ominous warning “It’s dangerous!”—how many adventurers never returned…
The next entry is planned for Friday, March 29, 2019, at around 7:00 PM.
