Episode 2-b. For Freedom and Adventure.
To put it simply.
After exiting the Adventurer’s Guild, Eileen and I wandered the streets blankly.
I had to do so to calm the turmoil of emotions within me, and Eileen, sensing my mood, could only walk alongside me in silence.
I kept worrying about what to do if I got found out, but in truth, I must not reveal my identity.
The purpose of my journey is to help Ain, not to be discovered and hinder his path and goals.
Having felt a sense of crisis so intense that it almost choked my heart from the start, my somewhat complacent mind began to work again.
There’s nothing good about staying comfortably in the duchy for too long.
Originally, I had two purposes for coming here.
First, to get registered as an adventurer to authenticate my identity to some extent, and second, to trace Ain’s whereabouts and decide on the destination for my next journey.
So, if I had somehow achieved the first goal, it is right to execute the next one without delay.
Ain’s traces.
I know of one place where they are most likely to remain clear and vivid.
“…, the souvenir shop.”
“Wha, what…? Excuse me? Asha, what did you just say?”
“Let’s go to the souvenir shop.”
“Out of nowhere…?”
The many souvenirs that filled my room over the past three years must have strong traces of him from the shop where they were bought.
I thought this as I aimlessly strolled the streets.
“Wait a moment…! Come with me, Asha!”
With renewed energy, I hurried toward one of the souvenir shops scattered throughout the city.
Thus, I moved around the city, visiting several souvenir shops and inquiring about Ain.
I needed a shop he might have frequented, so I searched with a somewhat impatient pace to find his traces.
After going around a few places, I entered a shop.
There, I sensed the musty smell typically found in antiques.
And that musty scent was faintly reminiscent of the souvenirs sent to me, so I stepped inside with a bit of confidence.
I asked the owner if she knew a person named Ain, and she tilted her head slightly before speaking.
However.
“Ain? Oh, are you talking about that guy who’s incompetent…?”
“What do you mean by incompetent….”
That was not the thrilling story I wanted to hear.
“It’s the label he got for only being an intermediate adventurer after three years of effort. It’s not wrong since he really was without ability in the first place.”
“…, is that so.”
It was never a heroic tale about the capable man who always stood in front of me.
“Yes, honestly, I felt a bit sorry for him. There were some malicious adventurers who would subtly bully and provoke him. Ain would just act as if he didn’t care and walk past it, but how can a person truly not care about such things?”
“….”
There were no brilliantly shining adventure stories about Ain as I had hoped.
It was merely.
A story of a man who, while suffering alone away from me, continued on, enduring wounds all over his body and heart.
“I didn’t understand why he was so determined to be an adventurer. I remember when he stopped by my shop with a blank expression; I asked him why he continued to endure such disregard.”
It was a story of a man who kept getting back up even after falling multiple times and kneeling, moving on to do whatever small work he could.
And.
“He mentioned that there was something he absolutely had to accomplish? He grinned and went on about how he would change the world, saying something crazy, so I just thought…. He’s quite a remarkable guy. I never thought there would be someone who could say that with the label of incompetence attached to him.”
“…, oh.”
That story surely contained the gentle smile he had shown me.
Even amidst the rising sadness from the stark differences from what I had anticipated, Ain’s traces still made my lips curve upwards.
Once the things that had covered them were whisked away, the footprints became even clearer.
So.
The shop owner finished her account of Ain and then asked me.
“But for what reason are you looking for him? He’s always busy running around, so I don’t know where he might be.”
She looked at me with a slightly suspicious expression, tilting her head, so I smiled gently and replied.
“I have a reason to meet him. We’ve known each other for over ten years.”
“Oh, a childhood friend… um, then are you perhaps the owner of the souvenirs Ain has bought here?”
“Probably, yes.”
The various memorabilia piled up in the small room of the grocery store testifies to that fact.
Upon hearing my words, the owner sighed as if feeling sympathy.
“Oh, then that’s a bit unfortunate…. If it’s been quite a while since he was last seen, he’s probably gone elsewhere.”
“It’s alright. How often did Ain come to this shop?”
“Well, he came often over the past three years. It’s unusual for an adventurer to visit a souvenir shop regularly, but he did come occasionally.”
Then that’s really fine.
That’s enough.
With just that, I can read his traces perfectly.
I thought this and cautiously sought permission from the owner.
“Is it alright if I use magic here?”
“Um, yes. As long as nothing happens to my shop…”
“Thank you.”
I nodded my head to her, who readily allowed it, and scattered blue mana around me.
“Wow….”
“Oh….?”
The small gasps of admiration from the owner and Eileen reached my ears as I chanted in the midst of them.
“Footprints.”
“Traces.”
“That is the story created by one person.”
The ashes do not spread.
The azure mana, which did not feel like mine, swayed and spread around, soon engulfing the small interior of the shop.
“Is this… alright…?”
“A, Asha…?”
“It’s fine.”
What I conjured with mana was an illusionary space.
I gently reshaped his remaining breath and touch, meticulously pressing down on the layers of his affection and memories that accumulated all over the shop.
It was merely a dreamlike illusion I created to follow in his footsteps, gathering the footprints engraved while he trudged on.
It was magic I created solely for the purpose of chasing after one person.
It was magic made thinking only of him.
Of course, there was no need for it to be this grand, and I could’ve made it so only I could see it.
Well, yes.
I also had a desire to express those aspects a bit more extravagantly.
And then it came to me.
– Hello, I just came to buy some souvenirs.
Indeed.
His voice echoed vividly after a long time.
– Umm, let’s see… what would a girl like?
A slightly more mature face than my memories appeared.
His hair looked somewhat disheveled, and there were small scars remaining on his face.
– Ah, would she like this?
The long scar etched on his forearm runs quite deep.
His clothes have become much tattered compared to when he left, bearing testimony to his hardships.
The scabbard hanging at his waist looked quite worn from how much it had been used.
– Looking at this, it should at least lift her spirits a bit, right?
And.
He looked really handsome.
After picking out an item, the way he smiled was incredibly charming.
“He’s handsome….”
“He looks okay. Despite being a bit shabby from the hardships, he’s still good-looking.”
The two people passing by, who were also observing the scenery, nodded and commented on that.
I hadn’t asked for an evaluation, but they were mumbling among themselves as they looked at Ain’s profile.
So I quietly spoke.
“Please don’t covet him. He’s mine.”
Even if I didn’t particularly need anything else.
“I, I don’t particularly want to die…”
“I’m already a lady with three kids…”
Ain belongs to me.
I will never pass him on to anyone else.
I thought this as I gazed at the continuing scenery of the illusion for a long time.
Before I knew it, my face had turned red, and my lips were curling into a shy smile.
My heart pounded violently, and all kinds of ticklish emotions bubbled up, making my hands and feet squirm.
Traces.
Traces remain more vividly than one would think.
Covered and covered again by other traces, new footprints, and the countless stories of adventurers, they gradually fade away.
But the story he left over nearly three years will never vanish; it remains faint yet distinct.
