Ignacia’s eyes widened in shock, then narrowed into a glower. “Dammit all, why do I have to—”
“Appoint Guardian.” I made sure to interrupt Ignacia with the activation of my Skill. A shower of light came down upon him, making this look more like a blessing than a punishment. Ignacia apparently thought the same because his hatred had given way to bewilderment. “Will that be all, Your Majesty?” I asked.
“Y-Yes. I apologize for everything my son has done.”
“A king should never apologize, Your Majesty.” Flashing him a smile, I left with my entourage.
✦ ✦ ✦
“It never even crossed my mind when I appointed him, but now Ignacia’s name appears on my stat screen. I keep seeing his name in the corner of my eye every time I check one of my stats. Blech.”
“That is horrible...” Leroy agreed.
“Yes. It really is.” So much so that I planned to dismiss Ignacia from the role as soon as the dust settled, with my father’s and the king’s permission. That would restore his stats, but he’d be back to a level 1 Novice who wouldn’t pose a threat to anyone.
“It was admirable,” Leroy said while I sat sulking. “If anyone else had been in your place, their desire for vengeance might have gotten in the way of making the right decision. I admire you for it.”
“It feels...strange when you compliment me.”
“Sharon...”
“I’m kidding. Thank you for saying that.” I finished my cup of tea and stretched my arms up high.
“That is not very ladylike,” Leroy pointed out.
Is this what Tithia has to hear from him all the time? Poor Ti. “Unladylike is fine. I’m an adventurer.”
“You won’t be moving back to this house, then?”
“My adventures are far from over. I think Laureldite is next on the list of all the places I want to visit. There are so many towns and dungeons left that I’m worried I won’t have enough time to see them all.”
Leroy laughed. “As long as you are having fun.”
“Now that I have some closure with Ignacia, I feel more free than ever before.”
“I can understand that,” Leroy affirmed, and I couldn’t help but respond with a big nod.
✦ ✦ ✦
A few more days later, Tarte, L’lyeh, Kent, Cocoa, and I left Blume and began our crossing into Laureldite Republic. First we’d head to Tulia, the City of Flowers, where we’d decide if we should go through Ryuren, the City of Water, or Flower Market.
“Sharon, wait! I’m going to hop on a Dragon and go get snacks! I’ll be right back!” L’lyeh pleaded.
“Should we stretch our paws a moment?” Tarte suggested.
“I thought you’d get hungry, Lulu,” Kent said. “So I packed a bunch of snacks.”
“I actually waited three hours to get those cookies,” Cocoa chimed in.
This was the kind of party we were—the kind that could get excited about sharing all the snacks we’d brought.
“I asked my head chef to pack us some snacks too! I even have some full-course meals!” I announced, and L’lyeh’s eyes blazed with hunger. Apparently, this Goddess of Darkness still favored the Cocoriara chef’s cooking.
“Wait— Monster!” Kent announced.
“Smiting Light! Food will have to wait!”
Just as soon as I said that, though, Kent took out the monster right away, drawing a laugh from the whole party. It was going to be another fun day of adventuring with my friends.