“What’s with the delayed reply? You should be congratulating me sincerely.”
“I was just a little taken aback.”
“What for? Is it that strange for me to be married?”
“That’s not it. I’m really happy for you.”
“Good. To tell you the truth, no one’s more taken aback by all this than me.” Riece gazed at her ring with a distant look. “When I returned here, I lived with my parents at first. I’d left home in a hurry saying I wanted to become an adventurer, so I knew they worried for me. I guess I wanted to be a good daughter finally.”
“I see.”
“Since I was still a bachelorette, my parents abruptly decided to introduce me to someone. He was a neighbor that I knew but had never talked to before, so I wasn’t enthusiastic about it. But my parents were persistent, so I agreed to meet him once...” Riece grinned shyly. “And when I did, I started considering it more and more. Before long, we’d grown close, and then we were married before I knew it.”
“Married before you knew it, huh? Isn’t matrimony supposed to be more momentous than that?”
“I don’t know how else to describe it. Nevertheless, I’m happy now. When I was young, I thought life would be boring if I quit adventuring. I thought it was better to live hard and fast than to be killed by a long, dull life. But after living the boring life, I’ve realized it’s not so bad. I’m rather fond of this dullness now.” After saying all that, Riece looked back at me. “But you didn’t come here just to hear that, did you? Why are you actually in town?”
Riece must have realized it—that I wasn’t really here to catch up or reminisce. If someone from your adventuring days walks back into your life, it’s never for a good reason.
“Actually...” Despite my hesitation, I recounted the incident with the mysterious assailants who’d kidnapped Neme. “That’s the story.”
When I was done, she replied, “Sounds rough.”
“Yeah. That’s why I wanted to ask for your help—”
“Unfortunately, I don’t have anything to offer you. I don’t know much about Aifan myself, and most importantly, I have something else to protect right now.” She placed a hand on her stomach. “I’m living for two now, and it would upset my husband. He isn’t particularly handsome or gallant, but he’s extremely gentle. He even tells me he was lucky to marry such a beautiful lady! Me, of all people! Isn’t that hilarious?” Riece laughed bashfully, fanning herself with her right hand. “So I can’t go with you. Sorry. My adorable student is in need and I can’t help.”
“It’s fine. I’m the one asking unreasonable favors,” I replied with a forced smile.
I should’ve been happy for Riece, yet for some reason I was filled with a sense of loneliness. It had to be because our paths had diverged in life. I was still chasing my dream, but she’d decided to let go of that and grasp happiness instead. There was nothing wrong with that—in fact, it was the right thing to do. Yet knowing that the woman who’d trained me was no longer with me on this long road inspired a special sorrow.
“Thanks for making time for me even when I dropped by out of the blue.”
After Jin died, I fled to the capital. If I had really quit adventuring then, would I be smiling like Riece was right now? I didn’t know. Perhaps I would have married Roslia and led a happy life with her. I had a feeling that wouldn’t be the case, though. Back then, I’d felt like my ordinary life was missing something. I’d never been able to fully give up on my ambitions. I was different from Riece, who’d walked away from them completely. Maybe it was because of my personality. Maybe it was because I was still immature. Maybe one day I’d grow up for real and give up on clearing the dungeon. But not now. I had to get Neme back so we could keep chasing our dreams.
I stood up to leave, but Riece called after me. “I know I said I can’t help, but I might have a bit of advice for you.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Going to a local thief for information before marching into an unknown territory is a smart idea. Intel is the key to everything. Thieves aren’t the most versatile battle style in the dungeon, but they excel at reconnaissance and fighting human opponents.”
“I see...”
“And there’s an especially famous thief in Aifan.” Riece lifted a finger and said, “Suiz Myran, one of the top five thieves in the whole world.”
“So I should seek him out, huh?”
“Getting your precious teammate back should be a piece of cake then.”
“There’s someone like that in Aifan?” I gulped at this new lead. I found it a little difficult to swallow that I wasn’t aware of such a renowned thief after years of being one myself.
“I’ve only heard rumors, so I don’t know what he’s really like, but maybe he can help you out. Although I suspect the Girl Snatcher could solve this all by himself.”
“No. I know I can’t do this alone. Thanks for the tip.”
Her former student had shown up out of nowhere to ask the impossible, yet she’d still been kind enough to point me in the right direction. Riece really was a thoughtful person. Even after quitting adventuring, she was still my teacher. We may have taken different paths in life, but that would never change.
“I’m glad I got to see you again, Master.”
“I don’t think I was that helpful.”
“That’s not what I mean. I’m glad to see you’re happy.” This time, I was able to tell her from the bottom of my heart. “Allow me to say it properly. Congratulations on getting married. I hope you have wonderful days ahead of you, Master.”
“You don’t need to hope. I’m already living a wonderful happily married life.” With a beaming smile, Riece clenched her right hand into a fist. “Go and get your priestess back, Girl Snatcher. Then go and conquer the dungeon for me. Make me proud as your former teacher.”
“Don’t worry. That’s exactly what I plan to do. Except you’re not my former teacher—you’ll always be Master to me.”
“Gosh, you’re such a charmer now!”
That was my brief but warm reunion with Riece.