(Arc 14 Epilogue 1) Emi Rune

Lairine's mansion on Sealed Island Vera Kenu had a basement.

It was a room protected by sturdy white stone.

Though it was called a basement, there was nothing gloomy about it at all.

That was because it was kept thoroughly clean, and because the room itself was bright.

Why was it bright?

Because, naturally, magic lamps were set in the ceiling, and above all, a teleportation magic circle that gave off a constant purple light was drawn in the center of the room.

Before that glowing teleportation magic circle stood Emi and Lairine.

“I've...... sniff...... already given you permission to use it, you knooow”

Sniffling, with a look of reluctance, Lairine began to explain.

The area around her eyes was slightly red and swollen.

It seemed she had been crying quite a bit until just a moment ago.

“If you step onto this magic circle, first you'll be able to jump to Aave Island...... it's the island where the Adventurers' Guild Headquarters is, you seee...... to the Transfer Chamber there...... There, um, sniff...... I've got a Special Affairs Officer called Taiche-chan waiting, you knooow...... Have her take you to Naganahate, where you were before, okaaay...... There's another teleportation magic circle there, you seee...... Ah, but before that, Taiche-chan seems to have some business with you, so it'll be after that's done, thouuugh......”

Lairine talked slowly, drawling even more than usual, sniveling as she went.

Seeing her fidgeting and rubbing her fingers together in front of her chest, who could possibly tell that this woman was the world's strongest adventurer?

In short, she was dripping with reluctance to let go.

“Understood.”

Emi, on the other hand, was matter-of-fact.

As always, she wore an expressionless face that betrayed no emotion.

She had wrapped her body in the murky black, stiff cloth she had made with her own special ability.

Though it looked shabby and eerie, its defensive performance was higher than that of most metal armor.

“Heyyy, Emi-chan...... you're really, truly leaving alreadyyy......?”

Lairine asked Emi, her eyes welling up once more.

“Still, you knooow, why not set off 1 week from now or sooo?”

“No.”

“Then, you knooow, how about the day after tomorrooow?”

“No.”

“Ah, I'd be fine with tomorrow too, thouuugh?”

“No.”

......Lairine swayed back and forth, trying somehow to postpone the parting, but Emi never once nodded.

Her white skin dyed by the purple light, Emi let out an exasperated sigh.

“......We promised, didn't we. I, beat you. So, I get to leave. A promise, you made yourself.”

“That's right...... that's riiight...... a promise...... it was a promise, wasn't iiit......”

Faced with Emi's unyielding attitude, Lairine finally gave up her clinging attempts to persuade her, slumped her shoulders, and let out a sigh of her own.

Then...... pan, she slapped her own cheek and shook her head vigorously.

Forcing herself to change her mood, she put on her usual beaming smile.

“‘Let cute kids go on a journey’...... that's how it goes, right, Emi-chan?”

“Right.”

“Then as a mother, I shall see you off. As you set out on your new path!”

“That's fine.”

Here, Emi turned and faced Lairine.

Lairine stared intently into Emi's black eyes, and then......

“......N, nooo! I really don't want thiiis!! Emi-chan, DON'T LEAAAAVE!!!”

Wailing and sobbing, she threw her arms around Emi!

“......Enough.”

Though she said so in exasperation, Emi did not try to shake off the embrace.

She sighed and simply let it happen.

Emi's bones didn't break anymore.

Emi had become strong.

And Lairine had learned, a little, to be considerate of Emi.

◇ ◇ ◇

“U, uuu...... sniff, well then, I hate to go, thouuugh...... it's about time we said goodbyeee......”

In the end, Lairine kept clinging to Emi for about 1 hour after that, and having somehow come to terms with her feelings, she said this, sniffling and wiping her tears.

“Yeah. Bye.”

“Hey, wait!!”

The moment she was released, Emi tried to step onto the magic circle, but she was stopped by Lairine grabbing her by the collar.

“......Is there something else?”

“There iiis! There's something I have to tell you, before you set out on your journey!”

“............”

Watching Lairine expressionlessly as she straightened up and said that, Emi seemed to decide to hear her out for now.

Despite living at her own pace, Emi was a girl who possessed a certain degree of dutifulness.

“First, number one! This is less a mother's advice than advice from your predecessor, but......”

Clearing her throat with a kohon, Lairine.

“Emi-chan, you must never, ever become an adventurer.”

Said that, which made no sense at all.

“......Huh? What are you talking about?”

At this statement, even Emi tilted her head.

The woman in front of her was none other than the mighty Supreme Commander of the Adventurers' Guild.

Boss of all adventurers or not, what was she thinking, telling Emi not to become one?

“An adventurer, once you become one, is in the end nothing but a piece, no matter how far you go.”

“............”

“Pieces cannot defy the will of the Players. Not even I can. In truth, that is how it is set up.”

“............What are ‘Players’?”

“............”

Lairine smiled brightly and did not answer Emi's question.

Because she was not allowed to.

““............””

A brief silence fell between the two.

【Intimidation】, given off by Lairine as if to brook no argument.

“......Understood.”

After thinking for a moment, Emi nodded.

It wasn't that she had succumbed to Lairine's 【Intimidation】.

It was because she had somehow sensed the troublesome circumstances lying behind the system of “adventurers.”

Emi had Omake-sama.

So she had a keener nose than most for that kind of thing.

Omake-sama hadn't noticed anything about this matter in the first place, but it was best to keep as far away as possible from circumstances like that...... ones that seemed to involve the gods.

In hindsight, it might have been for the best that Emi was refused adventurer registration in the town of Yoshanka.

“Thank you.”

Lairine breathed out in relief at how meekly Emi had nodded.

“And then, um...... Emi-chan, make sure you eat properly, okay?”

“Yes.”

“Not just meat, make sure you eat your vegetables too, okay?”

“Yes.”

“Make sure you brush your teeth, okay?”

“Yes.”

“Make sure you get enough sleep, okay?”

“Yes.”

“If you get lonely, you can come back whenever you want, okay?”

“......I'm leaving now, you know?”

“Wait! Wait, wait! The next one's the last! It really is the laaast!!”

Emi, gradually tiring of the farewell scene dragging on and on, started toward the magic circle, but once again Lairine grabbed her by the collar and stopped her.

Emi and Lairine faced each other once more.

Lairine took a deep breath in, and out.

In a voice with just a little fear in it, she asked Emi.

“The next time we meet...... will you tell me the stories of your journey?”

Emi stared intently at Lairine's face, at her smile and her anxiously lowered brows......

Then she quietly looked away, and said.

“......I guess that's fine.”

“I'll be...... looking forward to it!”

Tears spilled from Lairine's eyes.

Plop, plop, plop.

Several round stains formed on the floor.

But Lairine kept smiling.

Still wearing a happy smile.

She spoke her truly final words of farewell.

“May your journey be blessed with much happiness. My most beloved, ‘Emi Rune.’ Take care...... and have a good trip.”

“Emi Rune.”

Being called that, Emi looked blankly stunned for a moment before finally recognizing that it was her current name.

And then.

“I'm off...... ‘Mom’.”

Turning her back to Lairine as she said that brief farewell.

And at last, with a pyon, she hopped onto the magic circle.

In that instant, the teleportation magic circle, which had been emitting a faint light, shone exceptionally brightly, dyeing the room entirely in purple.

When the light subsided a few seconds later, the only one standing in this basement was Lairine Rune.

The daughter who had once gone unloved was seen off by the mother who had once been unable to love.

On this day, once again, she set out on a journey.

Lairine and Emi.

I think they were able to move slightly closer to each other in the end.

In their own way.