“Lady Utsuwa! You’re safe!”
“Seth!”
As soon as the dragon had alighted in the free district’s central square, Har helped Utsuwa down onto the icy ground. The girl waited with open arms as Seth ran to her side. She wanted a hug, most likely, but instead Seth knelt before her and respectfully pressed his forehead to her hand.
“I’m so glad to see you unharmed.”
“Har Bell told Utsuwa you’re the one who asked them to come save me.”
“I am a merchant, after all.”
“What do you mean?”
“You saved my life, and in return I promised to save yours…although I did not think our accounts would be settled in such short order.”
“But how did you know? How could you tell that Utsuwa wanted saving, even though I didn’t go with you?”
“The stuffed toy I gave you when we parted had a thaumaturgical communicator inside it.”
“Huh?”
“I could hear everything you said, Lady Utsuwa: about how you didn’t want to disappear, how you desired to run away, how you wished for someone to save you.”
Utsuwa’s pale cheeks turned a bashful crimson. She tried to remember exactly what she had said to herself while she was locked up in her bedroom, but couldn’t quite recall. “Forget everything I said!” she cried, covering her face with her hands.
“We’ve really made enemies of the New World now,” sighed the Dragon Conqueror King as he dismounted from his steed. “We spirited away someone with a piece of the Exinov leader’s soul inside her. Can’t exactly complain if they attack us at this point. We’ve given them the perfect excuse.”
“Hey, you gotta bring that up now…?!”
Ghoda didn’t seem to pay Kudo’s scolding any mind. “A fact’s a fact, no matter when it’s said. This place is now a target. No one’s safe here. Come on Heath, you must be tired. Let’s get you some food and water.”
With that, Ghoda departed, leaving a disgruntled Kudo to glare at his back as he walked away. With a sigh, the beastfallen let it go and turned to Utsuwa. “Sorry ’bout him. The guy can be kinda heartless sometimes.”
“Why are you apologizing? Utsuwa thinks what he said is true. Mother will surely come and try to take Utsuwa back, so things will probably be much more dangerous for all of you now.”
“Er, well… Yeah, I guess that much is true…!”
“Utsuwa doesn’t mind him. More importantly, this city is so wonderful…!” She spun around to take it all in. “It’s wonderful, fabulous, marvelous! Just a little while ago Utsuwa was so scared and sad because Mother was going to eat me and I was going to disappear… Utsuwa can’t believe I’m in such a wonderful place now!” Her cheeks flushed, and a broad grin lit up her face. “Utsuwa is so happy to be alive!”
Then, still smiling, she burst into tears. The change was so sudden that Seth and Kudo froze up completely. Har, however, knelt at Utsuwa’s side and gently wiped away her tears. She had spent years around the tower of the Keybinder, and had known Utsuwa since the girl was small. The mission to save Utsuwa had been dangerous─Har Bell knew that better than anyone. Even so, she had been the first to volunteer, claiming it was her responsibility.
“Come with me, Lady Utsuwa. We’ll draw you a warm bath, get you some delicious treats, then find you a nice, fluffy bed.”
“What about you, Har Bell? Will you come with Utsuwa? Will you stay with Utsuwa?”
“Yes, of course. We’ll be together all day long.”
Kudo and Seth watched as Har led Utsuwa away, then exchanged glances.
“So?” Kudo asked. “How’d the negotiations go? Everythin’ settled?”
Seth nodded easily. “Yes, no sticking points to speak of. The addition of our little caravan will serve to help the free district prosper. It’s not that a prosperous town attracts merchants, you see─it’s we merchants who make a town prosperous.”
“This what you were after when you sold me that two-wheeler?”
“Of course not─though your Forbidden Land certainly piqued my interest, I must admit.”
“What, you were plannin’ on coming over?!”
“The Forbidden Land is a phantom to us, you see. A legend.”
“Ain’t many of us back home who’ve ever even heard of the New World.”
“‘The New World’─heh. No matter how many times I hear that, it still sounds strange to me.”