Episode 1-b: Those Who Follow the Trace of Fate
Connections are.
Perhaps they are the thin lines created by overlapping coincidences.
Receiving support from those filled with affection, embarking on a journey to find a loved one.
Driving a rattling carriage and engaging in conversation with a shabby adventurer encountered by chance.
It is the process of two people, who seem never to intertwine, finding a connection.
Humans are social creatures that cannot live alone.
No matter how much one wishes to be alone, someone will inevitably come close.
And.
Perhaps, connections can also lead to inevitability.
What once seemed like mere coincidences can culminate in undeniable results.
Having been filled with affection, possessing feelings for a loved one.
One may come to feel that being alone is lonely, slightly sensing kinship in the shabby and pitiful figure.
One might unintentionally grow attached while helping here and there, finding oneself smiling.
Despite claiming not to rely on people, one ends up harboring hopes of dependence.
Connections and inevitabilities.
Perhaps they are essentially the same word.
To put it simply.
After much deliberation, to save from danger, to finally allow a conversation by offering a ride in the carriage, my decision.
The heart of a woman who felt fear and fled, only to apologize upon encountering me again.
That was a gentle resonance that could only be expressed with the two words, connection or inevitability.
The carriage, which had been running through the forest for a long time, now slowly approaches the destination that is beginning to appear.
Bubbling with energy even while packed in the carriage, Eileen spoke to me with even more excitement as she began to see the scenery.
“Wow~ It’s finally the duchy! Asha, Asha! What will you do first when we get to the duchy?”
“Well, I suppose I should first create a suitable identity by registering as an adventurer.”
That was under the assumption that we could safely enter the duchy, but I was thinking of stopping by the adventurer’s guild first to register as an adventurer.
I could not wander around anxiously without being able to present an identification card.
However, what returned to me was quite a foolish response.
“Huh? Asha, you don’t have an identification…? Why not?”
“…”
“It’s possible to not have an identification?”
This simpleton who seems utterly clueless, why is she embarking on such a reckless journey?
Could the drunken old man on the imperial market streets, mumbling about an empty head, have been referring to people like her?
I pondered while keeping my mouth shut and then spoke again to her.
“Yes, I am gray and must run away if encountered.”
“Oh.”
Of course.
To correct the habit of speaking thoughtlessly, it is appropriate to stir up the mind by digging into the past.
“With no usefulness, no strength, and no ability, and a person who speaks thoughtlessly has an identity, but I am gray.”
“Oh.”
While urging the horses on with the reins, my mouth must move sharply to utter calm yet rough words.
“A runaway who wets themselves has an identity, but regrettably, I am gray and have none of that.”
“Oh.”
I must select words that tighten her guilt and maximize her shame.
“A shabby traveler who can charm a man with a small chest has an identity, but as for me, with a bigger chest, unfortunately, I am gray and have none.”
“Oh.”
As I continue to prick Eileen, who was clinging close to the driver’s seat and chatting away.
“Did that answer your question?”
“Oh.”
“If you got your answer, please keep your mouth shut until we reach the duchy. It’s distracting.”
“Oh.”
She eventually breaks down.
Clutching her tattered chest, a chest that should not have been so tattered, she collapses among the luggage, closing her eyes.
Not bad at all.
Quite satisfying.
I finally understood Uncle Rendo’s hearty laughter when he remarked that Ain was just the right type to tease.
Eileen is entertaining to torment.
She was the kind of person who could recover in about an hour and bounce back to chat again, which was even better.
So.
Until we part ways in the duchy, I can use her as an emotional garbage can every hour.
After several more hours of travel, we finally reached the walls of the duchy.
However, many others, like us, were lined up to enter the duchy.
“Asha, at this rate, we won’t be able to get in until nightfall…”
By the time our turn approaches, it looked like the sun would set and night would arrive.
“Considering we have been traveling through the forest for several days, this is still acceptable.”
“Oh, that’s true.”
“And there’s no danger here, so you can safely sleep.”
So I loosened the reins and began reading the book that Ildrin had given me.
“Hm, I feel like I have slept enough while traveling!”
“Then take out the workout equipment stored in the carriage and do some exercise. If you’re going to be useful at all, you should put in the effort during your free time.”
“…, But I suddenly feel a bit sleepy…”
To Eileen, who kept mumbling, I gestured toward the exercise equipment, signaling her to be quiet.
A long line extending to the gate of the duchy.
I could hear the murmurs of people waiting to enter but continued reading my book without worrying.
The line gradually thinned.
Carriages were passing through the inspection one by one, and as the sun continued to set in the west, our turn approached.
I immersed myself in thought while reading.
How many traces of Ain remain in the duchy?
Are the traces left by Ain over the past three years not deeply imprinted here and there?
Perhaps the adventurer’s guild, where he first stopped, the blacksmith where he would have gone to get new equipment and repairs.
Or the souvenir shop where he bought my gift and the lodging where he stayed, leaving his scent behind.
I look forward to such things.
I wish to retrace the remaining traces and step into the paths he took afterward.
I want to gaze at the sunset sky along with him once more.
“Ain.”
I miss you.
“Ain.”
I want to look you in the eyes and personally call your name.
“Ain.”
I wish you would call my name.
So.
“Ain.”
In other words, I became so engrossed in thoughts of Ain that I momentarily forgot that there was a person behind the carriage.
“Wow~”
“…”
My face turned red.
“Asha, you looked so pretty just now! Your face was flushed and your lips were curling up. Usually, you are expressionless, but you looked just like a girl in love!”
“…”
Shame rushed from the tips of my fingers and toes, painfully prickling my body with every single word she uttered.
“I! I’ll help you! There’s a way for Eileen, the love expert, to make Asha’s love come true! First, I…!”
“Eileen.”
Thus, I had to interrupt her with a firm voice to hide my flustered feelings.
“Yeah?”
“I understand, so please close your mouth and also block your ears and nose so you can hold your breath.”
I had to push away the shabby figure waving her hand toward the driver’s seat.
“Uh, um… but really, there’s a way to help… but isn’t that a death sentence?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“B-but I really have a way to help, so just let me say it once… Ugh! Mmph!”
I interrupted the words she was desperately trying to utter, conjuring mana to tightly seal her mouth.
How embarrassing.
I feel so embarrassed I could die.
So I.
Focused on my book to calm my flushed face until our turn arrived.
Behind me, Eileen kept making muffled noises, but I tried to hide my reddened ears by draping my robe over myself and continued reading.
Anyway.
At last, our carriage reached the front of the gate, and the moment to be inspected was at hand.
The sky had darkened.
Flickering torches.
The scene set against armored guards holding spears to block our way.
And then.
“Please present your identification.”
“Oh.”
What they were demanding was a thing I did not possess.
“Please present your identification.”
“Well… I came to register as an adventurer because I don’t have an identification.”
Seeing the guards glance at each other in disbelief as they proceeded to shake their heads at me.
“Um, sorry, but the inspection process has been tightened since several months ago, and it is orders from above to not allow entry to those without identification.”
“Ah… is there no way? I’ve been driving the carriage for almost half a month.”
“… I’m sorry, but without identification, you cannot enter. Or do you perhaps have a noble’s guarantee? That too is acceptable.”
My plan to enter the duchy and register as an adventurer began to unravel right from the start.
A noble’s guarantee was a method both Yansen and Ildrin would shake their heads at.
Perhaps it would have been better to finish the registration in the empire, even if it was a more complicated and time-consuming process.
It was a mistake to come here, thinking I would be safe in a country with a free atmosphere.
“…”
“Sorry, but please turn the carriage around.”
“… Yes.”
So, I nodded bitterly and intended to turn the carriage around.
I thought it might be best to drop Eileen off at the duchy and go elsewhere.
I released my tightly-held mouth and gestured for her to get off.
“Ugh… Phew…! Hah… I almost died…”
“Eileen, it seems I won’t be able to enter, so please go in alone.”
Unfortunately, it’s a somewhat swift farewell.
I lifted my lips slightly and waved my hand at her.
And then.
“I! I have an identification! Since I’m your companion, it’s okay, right? I, I will guarantee you!”
Eileen stuttered out those words unexpectedly.
Even though just before, the guard had clearly explained that it needed to be a noble’s guarantee, she blurted that out.
“Sorry, but without a noble’s guarantee, it’s impossible…”
“I, I’m a noble!”
“Yes?”
“YES?”
Wait a moment. What on earth is she saying now?
“I, Eileen Prijia Delphinium, the eldest daughter of Count Delphinium of the Haven Kingdom! It should be valid as a guarantee for nobles from other kingdoms too!”
“YES?”
“YES?”
Is this useless, powerless, magicless, incapable, clueless, and shameless shabby traveler finally losing her mind?
“No, why are you all looking at me like that…? I’m really a noble!”
“Well, uh, um… No, let’s just… Uh, could you please present your identification, m’lady…?”
“Yes, yes! Here it is. My identification!”
She must have gone mad.
She is now acting recklessly in front of the guards with their spears, looking like she wants to be arrested and sent to jail.
Otherwise, how could Eileen possibly be a noble?
“Yes, confirmation complete. Eileen Prijia Delphinium from the Count Delphinium of Haven Kingdom.”
“YES?”
“Um, excuse me, m’lady… Why do you keep repeating my words…?”
Of course.
“Then if you would sign here, m’lady…?”
“Why are you looking at me like that, guard…?”
It must be because both the guard and I share the same thought but cannot voice it out loud, given that she is indeed a noble.
“Ah, uh… I’m sorry, m’lady. I apologize for my rudeness. Guarantee confirmed.”
“…”
Thus, the guard hurriedly turned his words, glancing around nervously.
“Then, please proceed inside the duchy. Welcome to the Sarabati Duchy!”
He wanted to wrap this situation up, avoiding eye contact while he slammed the spear against the ground and called out loudly.
So, I drove the carriage into the duchy, glancing back at her.
“What?”
“Anyone who sees that won’t think you’re a noble, Eileen Prijia Delphinium.”
I’d inadvertently learned her real name.
Had she been a typical noble of another kingdom, I probably wouldn’t have been able to even think to strike up a conversation.
“No, it’s not that serious! And just call me Eileen!”
“No one is at that level. Even a beggar on the street wouldn’t look like that, Eileen Prijia Delphinium.”
Still, I said the same words without any distance.
“That’s so mean! And my name!”
Though I figured her identity out, her gaze remained unchanged, and her simple expression and tone were exactly the same.
I wanted to continue conversing without making Eileen uncomfortable, just like before.
In that moment, the scenery inside the duchy began to welcome us.
Brilliant lights that illuminated the dark streets and a massive statue known as a symbol of freedom.
The vibrant night market bustling with people and the mouthwatering aroma of various foods wafting through the air.
It was quite beautiful.
It began to fill my surroundings with a different kind of beautiful scenery from the empire, and I felt a surge of emotions swell up inside me.
And.
Amidst all that, there was a finger poking at my back.
“Asha.”
“…, Yes.”
“Even so, I really helped this time, right?”
Turning around, I saw Eileen, looking straight at me with a beaming smile despite her shabby appearance.
“Yes… you helped. Thank you, Eileen.”
“See, I told you earlier! I have ways to help!”
There stood that useless burden, puffing out her small chest proudly.
“Indeed. The world often turns up surprises.”
“So.”
“…”
With her ever-present smile and consistent pride.
She reached out, clutching my robe tightly.
“Don’t hate me…”
She spoke with those sorrowful eyes.
Eileen.
Eileen Prijia Delphinium.
A pure noble lady.
So.
“I don’t hate you.”
I gently smiled at her.
Was it said that a smile with lifted lips is beautiful?
Truthfully.
Well.
Amidst the shabby, her figure was indeed somewhat beautiful.
Yes, perhaps as she mentioned, she might be able to charm a few men.
Though her chest was smaller than my fist.
Life is a series of choices.
People choose every time.
To move forward or to stand still.
To help or to ignore and pass by.
In the diverse crossroads of choices, one experiences conflict.
And it was no different for the gray woman.
She surely experienced conflict.
To save the shabby adventurer.
Or to not save them.
Should she help a shabby adventurer who fled in fear of women from danger?
Or should she just pass by, relieved that she’d denied others the opportunity to disclose her identity?
However.
That conflict doesn’t last long.
She is on the path following the trace left by her loved one.
A beautiful woman who rises again, having received love without a price.
The choice she always makes will be kind.
Thus, new connections blossom.
That is.
Asha.
A bond obtained solely by her own strength, a clear inevitability.
Perhaps had it not been for her help, a wretched death awaited, a pure noble girl untainted.
A clear ally to help her.
So.
Asha.
Walk forth with what you have created with your choices.
Embarking on a journey for the one you love, write your own story.
Clearly.
So the world cannot erase you.
May you leave your own distinct mark upon this world.
