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  “Yes. You are the one who asked, no?” Rio said with an amused look.

  “Umm, but, I thought you would oppose us going to the castle. It’ll be an inconvenience to you too, so... umm...”

  “That’s not true. Like I said — I’ll respect your decisions. If it’s to help the three of you return to Japan one day, then I’ll exert every effort to help. All the more so if this is an answer you considered carefully. That’s why, instead of worrying about being a nuisance or burden to me, I’d like you to push thoughts like that out of your mind,” Rio said calmly to a frowning Miharu.

  “...Okay.” When Rio had said ‘return to Japan,’ Miharu couldn’t help but feel vexed and saddened, her face distorting faintly. However, she immediately corrected it into a serious face and agreed slowly.

  Latifa seemed to sense something, watching Miharu with a frustrated look herself.

  “However, there will of course be precautions we must take in order to allow Miharu to attend the banquet, so I expect you to follow those. Is that okay?” Rio stared fixedly at Miharu, emphasizing his words.

  “Y-Yes. Thank you for your consideration.” Miharu nodded deeply and bowed her head to Rio.

  Chapter 5: Departure

  The next morning, after Rio, Latifa, Miharu’s group, and Sara’s group finished breakfast, they all paid a visit to the town hall and applied for a meeting with the head elders. Shortly after, they were led to a room inside the town hall.

  “Welcome. Please, take a seat,” Syldora said warmly.

  “Thank you very much. Miharu — you, Aki, and Masato can sit there,” Rio said, urging the three of them into the seats opposite the head elders. Latifa, Sara, Orphia, and Alma took the seats to the side.

  “Excuse me.” Miharu politely bowed before sitting down. Rio took the seat next to her and faced the head elders.

  “You reached a conclusion faster than we expected,” Ursula the werefox said.

  “Yes — The three of them discussed it. Last night, Sara and the girls joined in, and I listened too. I would like to respect the decision that they made,” Rio replied smoothly.

  Syldora looked at the three of them and nodded. “I see. Then let us hear what you have decided at once. Lord Rio, if you please.”

  Rio nodded, getting straight to the point by reporting the conclusion of their conversation. “Yes. To start, the three of them want to head to Strahl.”

  “I see.” The elders nodded solemnly. They had predicted this, but it was one of two options: remain in the village, or leave for the Strahl region. It was a matter of whether they all chose the same option or each took on a different option, but it was all within their expectations.

  “In regards to what happens after moving to Strahl, Aki and Masato will wait nearby the castle. Miharu wants to attend the banquet with me, so I plan on consulting with the noble that has invited me to see if Miharu can attend too.”

  “I understand. That sounds acceptable,” Syldora said in a stately manner.

  Suddenly, Miharu stood up with great force. “Umm, everyone in the village has been so terribly nice to us even though our circumstances were forced upon you, and now we’re leaving at our own convenience, so I’m truly sorry for everything!” Miharu must have been nervous, as her voice was high pitched as she bowed her head in deep regret.

  “There’s no need to be so anxious, Lady Miharu. You’ve finally obtained a clue towards your friend and family. There’s no need to deny your feelings of wanting to meet them.” Syldora gave a good-natured smile as he spoke to Miharu.

  Ursula agreed cheerfully. “Indeed. It’ll be a little lonely around here, but it’s your future. You need to find clues on how to return to your world. There’s no need to let it bother you.”

  Dominic raised both hands to support their decision. “Well, if you run into any danger, you can just return to the village. Like Rio, you young ones are already like our brethren too.”

  Ursula nodded with a smile. “That’s right. If you ever feel like you’re in danger, you can return to the village.”

  “T-Thank you very much!” Miharu bit her lip, moved by her emotions, and bowed her head deeply once more. Aki and Masato followed her, and with their thanks, bowed their heads too.

  “Raise your heads, the three of you,” Syldora said with a troubled look as Ursula looked at Rio.

  “By the way, Lord Rio. How do you intend on getting to Strahl?”

  “I plan on carrying them by air, of course,” he replied. While there was a teleportation crystal to the village, there wasn’t one back to the Strahl region, which meant the only two options were to walk or fly.

  “By yourself, Lord Rio?” Ursula confirmed carefully.

  “...Yes,” Rio said with a little hesitation.

  “Well, it’s true that Lord Rio may be able to pull that off...” Ursula said, looking at Syldora and Dominic. Then, she turned to look at Sara, Orphia, and Alma.

  “Uh...” They looked like they wanted to say something, but when the head elders directed their attention on them they flinched. The head elders smirked, nodding at each other with smiles at their lips.

  “In that case, you should take Sara, Orphia, and Alma along,” Syldora said.

  “...Huh? No, but...” Rio gazed in wonder, but shook his head at the same time. He had the faint suspicion they would offer to help from the moment Ursula brought up his method of travel, but he hadn’t expected this.

  “It’s fine. Those three probably intended as much in the first place,” Ursula said, suddenly turning to Sara and the others.

  “Eh... ah. Umm, yes. I never imagined it’d be so easy, and suggested by the head elders themselves...” Sara flinched and said fearfully.

  “...” Rio couldn’t find the words to say, frowning apologetically.

  “That’s that. It’s decided,” Dominic summarized with a smug huff.

  “But what about the village’s laws? The residents of the village can’t wander into the outside world recklessly.” Rio tried to put a stop to things through his confusion. Because of this law, neither the spirit folk girls nor Rio himself could make the final call on accompanying him.

  “The law is to forbid anyone from leaving without the approval of the three head elders or the majority of the council. As for the approval of the three head elders, well, here you go,” Ursula said with a joyful laugh.

  “Uh...” Rio uttered, completely losing track of his thoughts.

  It was certainly something he was grateful for — however, he felt a deep sense of regret over the fact that their harsh exceptions for their law were being disregarded for him so easily.

  “Umm, it pains us to see you go through so much trouble for us, and we’re already forcing Haruto to take on so much... I don’t know...” Miharu said in a fluster. She felt bad leaving everything to Rio, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt to cause trouble for the village too. She was certainly stuck between a rock and a hard place.

  “Look, now Lady Miharu is troubled, and her firm resolution may end up wavering. It’s a bad habit of Lord Rio’s to act too considerately,” Ursula said with a grin at Miharu.

  Rio gave an awkward and strained smile before looking at the head elders and the spirit folk girls and bowing his head. “...That is most shameful of me. Then, I shall take you up on your offer. Can I ask that of you?”

  “Of course!” Sara, Orphia, and Alma agreed enthusiastically.

  “Also. For these youngsters who will one day lead the village, we normally order them to leave on a journey to the human realms to widen their views. Of course, we give them magic artifacts that change their appearance to that of a human’s.” So don’t worry about it, was what Dominic was saying.

  “While it still feels a little early for that... If Lord Rio is with them, then we don’t need to worry. That’s why it’s a two way exchange,” Ursula said, laughing.

  “The three of you should learn about the outside world while acting as escorts for Lady Miharu. It will be a good learning exp
erience,” Syldora said, looking at the girls as he spoke words of encouragement.

  “Yes sir!” They agreed enthusiastically.

  “W-Wait!” Latifa yelled. She had been watching the conversation with a dazed look until now; a sudden look of panic was on her face.

  Rio could tell what Latifa was thinking and called her name with a troubled look. “Latifa...”

  “W-What about me?” Latifa asked worriedly.

  “...Latifa, you stay back at the village,” Rio said to her in warning.

  “N-No! If Sara and the others are going, I’m going too!” Latifa objected in shock.

  “You can’t.” Rio shook his head bluntly.

  “Why not?!” Latifa questioned with tears in her eyes.

  “...You have bad memories of the Strahl region, do you not?” Rio asked with difficulty.

  “Yes, but...!” Latifa’s face contorted as she clenched her fists.

  “You’ve been waiting at the village all this time, remember? It’s not like we’re going to play,” Rio scratched his neck, trying to admonish Latifa.

  “This is different than before! Miharu’s group is going, Sara and the others are going, Aishia is waiting over there... I don’t want to be the only one left behind! Take me with you this time! Just this time!” Latifa pleaded desperately.

  Latifa... Miharu watched Latifa in frustration.

  Yesterday, after talking to Latifa alone, Miharu had found out just how much Latifa loved Rio. She understood why Latifa was so desperate more than anyone else present. She didn’t want to be left behind by Haruto — Miharu decided to attend the banquet and hold her own future in her hands because of that, so she could relate.

  “Umm, I know I’m not in the position to ask for anything, but can’t Latifa come along too?” Miharu could no longer sit still and pleaded Rio and the head elders.

  “Not you too, Miharu...” Rio was completely at a loss.

  “Hmm, I don’t think we should reject her accompanying you without listening to her first,” Ursula, who was also Latifa’s guardian, suddenly said.

  “...May I ask why?” Rio asked Ursula with a small sigh.

  “Three years ago, when you told Latifa you were leaving for the Yagumo region, Latifa did not ask to go along with you, though she did ask you not to go. Is that right?” Ursula confirmed with Rio.

  “Yes.” Rio nodded uncomfortably.

  “Back then, she was still unconsciously afraid of going outside. That’s probably why Latifa herself didn’t think of leaving the village. But this time, she’s requesting to go outside of her own volition. If so, this could be a good opportunity for her to grow in order to erase her past scars.” Ursula looked back on the past emotionally as she spoke of the benefits of Latifa heading to the Strahl region.

  “...” Rio didn’t want to dismiss Latifa’s feelings and ignore an opportunity for her to grow either. However, he was still worried as her older brother, fearing her trauma would resurface.

  “I want to go with Onii-chan. I want to stay by your side.” Latifa slowly stood up, approaching Rio and fearfully grabbing his sleeve.

  As everyone in the room focused their attention on them, Rio hesitated for a long moment before speaking up. “...I have conditions.”

  “W-What?!” Latifa’s face brightened immediately.

  “...Even if we go there, you won’t be able to stay with me constantly. Miharu and I have to attend the banquet, so you absolutely have to listen to the words of Aishia, or Sara, or Professor Celia, who will be with us there.”

  “Okay!”

  “You can’t whine at them and cause trouble. You must refrain from acting selfishly. If you want to go anywhere, you cannot go alone — you get absorbed in things too quickly. Also...”

  “Fu...” A giggle could be heard in the room.

  “...Is something the matter?” Rio looked around at the people in the room curiously. The head elders, spirit folk girls, and humans were all smiling in amusement.

  “Nothing, we were just thinking that you’re rather overprotective,” Ursula said.

  “...I still have another condition. Unless you get proper permission from Elder Syldora and Dominic too, you can’t come along. It’s the village’s law.” Rio sighed tiredly.

  “I don’t mind,” said Dominic.

  “Me neither,” Syldora answered immediately.

  “...I would have appreciated a little more than just that,” Rio said, candidly expressing his bewilderment.

  “The reason is as Ursula said. What more do you want us to say? You’ve covered all the warnings yourself. That’s why I choose not to say anything. That’s all.” Dominic smiled faintly and shrugged his shoulders.

  “If I had to say, then Latifa’s development has been a bit of a special case. We’ve considered those circumstances too. In regards to the concerns, my judgment is that it is not a problem if Lord Rio is there,” Syldora said.

  “...Yeah, if I could add one thing. If you need a new lodging to stay in while on the move, I can prepare an extra stone house. After we made the previous one for you, we found it so fun that we made a couple more. This would be one of those. They’re extra anyway, so take it with you,” Dominic offered generously.

  “Oh? In that case, you can depart immediately. When will you go?” Ursula was completely in favor of that and pushed the conversation forward.

  “...There’s still time before the banquet, but I wouldn’t want to be late because of issues while moving. I think the earlier the better,” Rio replied, giving up.

  “At the latest, a few days, and at the earliest, the day after tomorrow? Which means...”

  Ursula placed a hand against her mouth and hummed in thought.

  “We need to throw a party for everyone’s departure!” Dryas manifested in a corner of the room. The sudden appearance of the high rank spirit left everyone wide eyed in shock.

  “...Lady Dryas, were you listening?” Ursula asked, sighing in exasperation.

  “Yes, but just the end. It didn’t seem like the right mood to interrupt, so I was being considerate,” Dryas replied in a pleasant mood. She truly was whimsical and elusive.

  “No wonder Ariel stirred within me for a moment.”

  “Hel too...”

  “Ifritah as well.”

  Sara and Alma had also sensed the change in their contract spirits. Spirits could sense other spirits’ presences, so they had probably noticed Dryas approaching in her spirit form.

  “Heh, I was hiding my aura pretty seriously too... You kids have grown as well,” Dryas praised, impressed by the contract spirits residing within the spirit folk girls. “By the way, is Aishia not here this time? She hasn’t suddenly learned how to completely hide her aura... right?” she asked, looking around the room.

  “Yes, this time she’s waiting back at the Strahl region,” Rio answered with a smile.

  “I see. Well, I’ve heard the general gist of things and we can discuss the details later, but for now, it’s time to celebrate everyone’s departure with a party! Let’s get ready!” Dryas suggested triumphantly.

  “Understood. How about tomorrow night? We can use the food hall in the town hall where we held the party when they first arrived too. If villagers are going to the outside world, various people need to be informed too.” Ursula seemed to have intended on doing that to begin with, as she wrapped up the talk immediately.

  “Sara, Orphia, Alma,” Syldora called out.

  “Yes,” the spirit folk girls replied, bracing themselves.

  “Go back to your parents’ homes tonight. Other than your own will and our permission, you need the agreement from your blood relatives too. Inform your families with your own words — that you have been handed a duty.”

  “Yes!” At Syldora’s order, the three of them agreed enthusiastically. Thus, it was decided that the party to celebrate their departure would be held tomorrow night.

  ◇　◇　◇

  The next night, everyone gathered in the dining room at the l
owest floor of the town hall. All the upper echelons of the village and their families were gathered and chatting pleasantly. The tables around the room were crammed with food and drinks prepared to celebrate their departure.

  “Miharu! I wanted to learn more recipes from you, and talk to you about so much more! It’s going to be lonely. I’m so sad,” the werecat Anya lamented as she clung to Miharu.

  At present, Miharu was surrounded by Anya and the young women of the village who were sadly saying their farewells. They were all students of the cooking classroom that Miharu held.

  “I wanted to talk to you guys more too,” Miharu replied with a sad smile.

  “Hmph, okay! We can have a long talk just between us girls! Nothing gloomy allowed! We’ll have lots of fun with girl talk!” Anya said with enthusiasm, squeezing Miharu tightly. The girls around them were all on board too, making an excited fuss.

  Meanwhile, elsewhere in the room, Vera was also grieving over saying farewell to Latifa and Aki. “Ugh, sudden farewells are so sad! I can’t believe Latifa is going too!” Her eyes were filled with tears as she hugged the two of them.

  “Ahaha, that hurts, Vera.” Despite saying that, Latifa didn’t actually resist, just standing there being hugged with a quiet expression.

  “...Sorry. It was decided suddenly,” Aki said apologetically.

  “Aww... you leave tomorrow, right? When will we meet again?” Vera asked, clinging to Aki and Latifa.

  “...I don’t know. But I want to see Vera again. If I can come back, then I want to. You’re my precious friend, after all,” Aki explained, expressing thoughts that were separate from her feelings of wanting to see her brother and Satsuki and return home.

  “It’s a promise! If you don’t come, I’ll cry!” Vera said, sniffling as she hugged the two of them even tighter.

  “Yup...” Aki and Latifa nodded solemnly.

  “Geez, you’re all exaggerating so much,” Arslan said tiredly. He and Masato had been watching the exchange silently beside them the entire time.

  “Haha, right,” Masato agreed with a strained smile.

  “You say that, but aren’t the two of you going to say goodbye?! Latifa aside, we don’t know if Aki and Masato will be able to come back.” Vera puffed her cheeks up indignantly, glaring at them with a reproachful look.