Departure
8. Departure
Thanks to Tori's help, the two graves were now buried in a mound of flowers.
Shia gazed at the graves, which looked far more lavish than usual, with a sense of satisfaction, but it seemed Tori saw things differently.
"Are you lonely about leaving after all? If you'd like, we can push things back a little longer."
Shia turned around and shook her head.
"Whether I'm here or far away, the loneliness doesn't change."
"Hee... that's quite a profound truth."
"Truth?"
"It means exactly what it sounds like."
Tori answered with a small laugh, then stepped up beside Shia and knelt before the two graves, pressing his palms together.
"Father and mother of Shia, I will be taking Shia away for a while, but I promise to return your child to you safely."
"......Is that a ritual too?"
"Hmm?"
When Shia followed suit and pressed her hands together, Tori nodded. "Ah..."
"Well, I suppose you could call it a ritual. It's more of a habit, so don't mind it. Just a report to the deceased, for lack of a better term."
"A report?"
"Well, I'm taking their precious child... Shia... away with me, so a greeting is only polite."
"Hmm?"
Tori let out a wry smile at Shia's confused nodding and stood up. As if waiting for that moment, a voice called out to them.
"Are you really leaving on the next boat, Tori-sensei?"
At the sound of that voice, Shia pulled the edge of her hood down even tighter. She was fine in front of Tori, but she still couldn't bring herself to remove her hood in front of other people.
However, this voice sounded familiar. Was it Zilba? He was the person who spoke so casually with Tori.
"Even if you say so, according to the original plan, I should have left yesterday."
"Well, true. So, in the end, you're taking the kid along, too?"
"I can't exactly leave them alone, can I? And aside from you, Zilba-san, prejudice doesn't disappear easily. That's why it's better to put some distance between us as soon as possible."
Behind Tori, Shia strained her ears to listen, despite the hood getting in the way.
"And did you get the tickets?"
"Of course. Two tickets for Radnea, here. I've already loaded the luggage."
"Thank you very much."
"Also, I'll take the chicken. And I'll keep an eye on the place periodically."
"Thank you for everything. And one more thing—"
"Hmm? There's more?"
"In about seven days, an acquaintance of mine who's a Barrier Master should be arriving. Could you please guide them to Shia's house?"
"I see. Yeah, got it."
"Next time I visit, I'll bring some liquor that you'd like, Zilba-san."
"Oh, now we're talking!"
The conversation between the two ended there, and in the ensuing silence, Shia felt a gaze fixed upon her.
It wasn't an unpleasant gaze. It was probably what people called curiosity. Besides, from the conversation, she knew this man was going to help with her house. If so, she had to be polite.
Shia stood up hesitantly and lifted her hood slightly to look up at the man.
A man with a deep tan and a generally brownish hue—younger than her father but older than Tori—looked down at Shia with a look of surprise.
Swallowing her nervousness, Shia opened her mouth.
"...U-um, about the house... thank you... v-very much..."
"—Gu... ...so cuuuute..."
Despite her best efforts to convey her gratitude, for some reason, Zilba pressed one hand to his face and the other to his chest, looking up at the heavens. Confused, Shia looked at Tori.
"...Gu?"
"Ah... Zilba-san is just overwhelmed with emotion because Shia thanked him, yeah. ...Hey, Zilba-san, you're making Shia uncomfortable."
"Huh? Ah—sorry, sorry, I got carried away for a second. Uh, so, it's Shia-chan, right?"
Zilba's gaze dropped again. Shia gave a small, startled nod, and the corners of Zilba's mouth curled up into a grin.
"Don't worry about the house. Consider it an apology for what the other guys did."
"Did...?"
"But don't think this makes us even, alright?"
"Even...?"
"...Zilba-san, unfortunately, I don't think Shia's understanding you very well."
"Whaaaat."
"Also, on a separate note, it seems that man Marnau's injuries happened because he tried to steal the light-gathering stones Shia found."
"Huh? ......Hey now, that bastard..."
Since the topic had shifted and a somewhat menacing aura began to emanate from both Tori and Zilba, Shia retreated back toward the graves. The two continued their conversation, keeping a bit of distance from Shia.
Normally, their presence would have been scary, but she knew they weren't targeting her. Besides, Shia wanted to complain to Marnau herself.
She pulled a fragment of a light-gathering stone, which she had only been able to find a few of, from her pocket.
Tori had taught her that these stones have the property of gathering light, as their name suggests, and are processed into simple things like light sources for lanterns, or used for more complex items.
What were those complex items?
According to Tori, "They're things Shia probably doesn't need." And that was the reason Marnau had wanted them.
She lined the stone up beside the flowers. She had said she would give it to Tori, but he told her it would be better to offer it at the grave along with the flowers. Surely, it wouldn't disappear this time.
Shia pressed her hands together before the graves once more, just as Tori had done.
If this was the ritual for reporting to the deceased, she would follow suit.
"Dad, Mom... Shia's going with Tori now."
The world of being all alone is still a little scary, but she felt that as long as Tori was with her, she would be okay.
"I'll bring back lots and lots of beautiful flowers, rare stones, and stories of fun and happy things."
—So, please wait for me.
A cool evening breeze gently swayed the flowers and Shia's hair, and a voice called out to the small back crouching before the graves.
"Shia, shall we go?"
The conversation must have ended; Tori was waving his hand from a short distance away.
Shia stood up, looked back at the graves one last time, and gave her final word.
"Well, I'm off!"
There was no answering voice, but the wind brushed against Shia's cheek as if saying "Have a safe trip." After nodding deeply, Shia ran toward Tori.
While waiting to board at the port, it was Zilba who let out a sigh, saying, "But still..." When she looked, her eyes met Zilba's brown ones, and Shia jerked her back, hiding behind Tori and peeking out with only half her face.
"Eh, so cuuu—"
"? Zilba-san, what is it?"
"Hmm? ...Nnn, no, look, Shia just seems a bit fragile, and I'm worried. Tori-sensei, are you actually someone who can fight?"
"Eh? Fight—ah..."
Following Zilba's gaze, Tori also stole a glance at her. When the looking-up Shia tilted her head, Tori gave a small shrug.
"Hmm, but Shia is a Beastkin, so this appearance is only temporary. Once a Beastkin reaches a certain age, the child will probably have a more impressive build than us and be much stronger—"
"That's only for the males, isn't it?"
"Eh?"
"No, don't 'eh' me... ......Wait, no way. Tori-sensei, could it be that you..."
"Thank you for waiting! Boarding is now starting!"
"Ah, Tori, looks like we can board the ship now."
"……………………"
"Tori?"
At the call to board, Shia tugged on the hem of Tori's clothes, only to be looked down upon with an expression of utter bewilderment. Shia tilted her head once again.
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The lights of the town floating on the pitch-black sea were already quite small, and that cluster of tiny lights was the entirety of the world Shia had known until now.
She watched the receding lights from the deck, holding her hood so the sea breeze wouldn't blow it away.
Naturally, there was loneliness, and anticipation. And there was a vague something tightening in the pit of her stomach.
"Shia!"
Hearing a very panicked voice, she turned around to see Tori rushing toward her. She had called out to him before leaving the room, but since Tori had been holding his head in his hands, perhaps he hadn't heard her.
"Shia, it's dangerous to wander around alone."
"But I wanted to see the town."
"Even so. If you tell me, I'll come with you."
"......"
But I did tell you?
Was it her imagination, or had Tori become a worrywart ever since they parted with Zilba?
Her silent plea didn't seem to get through; after catching his breath, Tori stood beside her and turned his gaze toward the lights of the town.
"Hmm, we've moved further than I thought. At this rate, we should arrive on schedule. Still, ship travel really is wonderful, isn't it?"
"?"
"It makes one feel somewhat sentimental."
"Sentimental?"
"Right, how should I put it? A feeling that hits the heart—like sadness, or nostalgia, or loneliness? —How about you, Shia?"
"......Shia is..."
It was a little different from that.
"Are you anxious after all?"
At those words, she looked up to see those narrowed, pale grey eyes looking down at her softly.
—Anxious.
That was probably the closest word.
Only after leaving did she realize how small that town was. One of the even smaller lights within it had been everything in Shia's world. She had felt heartbroken and lost after being cast out of it, and now, she was stepping out into an even larger world.
There was no way she wouldn't feel anxious at such a sudden change.
Moreover, Shia was different from everyone else.
She felt a light weight land on top of her hood. Looking up from her downturned face, she saw Tori smiling softly as he ruffled her hair through the fabric of the hood.
"Wah, wait... Tori?"
"Fufu, it's alright. I'll be with you until you don't feel that anxiety anymore. I promised, didn't I?"
"The pinky swear?"
"That's right. Otherwise, I'll have to swallow a thousand needles."
"B-but, you'd die from that!"
"I won't die. But I certainly wouldn't want to swallow them."
Tori laughed at Shia, who was still trembling at the horror of the pinky swear.
Her anxiety wasn't entirely gone, but the tightening in her stomach had vanished before she even noticed.
Yes, she was alone, but she wasn't solitary. Now, she had Tori.
"Now, shall we head back to the room?" Tori said, and they continued their conversation as they moved from the deck toward the cabins.
"We arrive in Radnea early in the morning, so we need to get to sleep."
"Is Radnea a big town?"
"Yes, it's considerably larger than Lete. Also, its specialty is a pie called Grizilo—sweet and salty stewed ingredients, wrapped and deep-fried. It's delicious."
"Hmm?"
"Therefore, let's have that for breakfast tomorrow."
"Wah, I can't wait!"
As she passed through the door to the cabin, she looked out at the sea one last time, but the lights were no longer visible.
As Tori's hand closed the door, the town of Lete—where she had spent her time with her father and mother—completely vanished from Shia's sight.
~ The Traveler and the Fallen ~ End
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The prologue-like section is over.
The story will continue gradually.
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