Someone must have had a question for him. Haruto walked over to the Hunter who’d called his name. Haruto had always had a bright and cheerful personality, so he must have blended into Hydrangea’s guild in no time at all. How strange, since he was still essentially the same person who’d been treated like a problem child back in Rosa.
“He’s the same as us,” Allen murmured. “Back when he first became a Hunter, he was too focused on himself to think about anything else. Now that he’s confident he can get by, he can think about other people. That’s probably what’s going on, right?”
Sara herself would have thought this request was a bother and wouldn’t have wanted to get involved two years ago...no, even one year ago. But things were different now. She wanted to help if she could. Just like Allen had for her back when she was twelve, or like the Hunter’s Guild in Rosa had.
“Honestly, though, does Ann even need help? She seemed pretty strong to me,” asked Allen.
Sara thought this was a bit harsh. “That’s why we’re just going as friendly faces,” she said.
“Yeah, I think that’s probably good. I’m not going ’cause you or Ann roped me into it, I’m going ’cause I want to do some hunting in the capital.”
They might not be going until they heard back from Gardenia, but they’d all already decided they were going to the capital. It was just a matter of whether they’d go straight there or stop in Gardenia first. In the meantime, Sara felt like they were all packing in as much as they could before they left.
When they finally got a reply, it came about as soon as it possibly could have. They were sad that Nelly had declined, but heartily welcomed Elm serving as Ann’s guardian, with Sara coming along as a friendly face, and the group coming to Gardenia to pick her up.
“I mean yeah. When you think about it, each and every thing we suggested is ridiculously convenient for them.”
Sara had been waiting like she was getting test results back, but when Haruto said that, she finally relaxed.
“Elm’s a talented Hunter and the second son of a count. A guy of his status is going all the way to the capital to look after her. He’s even providing a place for her to live and someone for her to talk to. And he’s escorting her there personally. With two other Invited.”
“Seriously. It’s way different from how things were for Sara at twelve,” Allen said with some irony, but Sara wasn’t bothered by that at all.
“It’s good if she doesn’t have to suffer any trouble like that. Plus, this is a good opportunity for me to do some stuff as an apothecary in the capital that I’ve been wanting to do. I’m not just going for Ann.”
This conversation took place during evening tea on the night they received the reply from Gardenia.
Someone unexpected spoke up next.
“Ann will probably be more comfortable, if that’s the case. I have a feeling my sister organized all this and Ann would prefer not to bother people if possible.”
“Nelly...”
Sara had been together with Nelly all this time, but they would be spending some time apart soon. Yet Sara had been so busy she hadn’t been able to sit down for a real chat with her about the situation.
“Okay, I’m gonna go back to my place.”
“I’m gonna head to bed too.”
Allen and Haruto were gone in no time. They must have been being considerate. It was just Sara and Nelly now.
“Will you sit next to me, Sara?”
“Okay.”
They moved their tea and snacks to the couch by the window.
“It’s just like you not to forget the snacks, Sara.”
“I know you’re gonna eat them too, Nelly.”
“Of course. I shouldn’t say this too loud, but it’d be even better if it was stuff you made.”
The snacks the chefs of the mansion made were delicious, but Sara understood wanting the simpler treats she made herself every so often.
Sara snuck some sweets out of her pouch. It was cake with a lot of dried fruits in it.
“This takes me back,” said Nelly.
“Yeah. I used to make it all the time back on the Dark Mountain with the dried fruits you bought for me.”
“It was hard to find the fruits you wanted at the store, but dried fruits were easy, since Hunters like to snack on them.”
“You never mentioned that before.”
She thought Nelly was just buying food that didn’t spoil easily since she lived up on the mountain, but then she remembered that you could put fresh food in storage bags, so it hadn’t been because of that at all.
“In Hydrangea, I can just go into any store and ask them for some fruits you would like, and they’ll figure it out for me. It was hard even going into stores at all in Rosa.”
“If you’re alone for long enough, you forget how to even talk to people.”
She knew that, yet she still had to grin wryly at just how odd Nelly had been when she’d first met her.
“Besides, I know Rosa isn’t a great place everywhere. I’m sure there were places that would have helped you find what you were looking for, but there were a bunch of places that wouldn’t too, right?”
“Now that you mention it, that’s true. I figured out that you don’t really want to go back to a place, when they treat you coldly the first time there.”
Sara felt a little like crying when she thought about back when Nelly had been on her own.
“You might think it’s weird for me to say this since I’m part of the Apothecary’s Guild now, but it wasn’t just Ted that disappointed me in Rosa.”
“Really?”
They were sitting next to each other on the couch, so Nelly’s voice came from right beside her. It made Sara happy to hear it like that.
“None of the other apothecaries did anything even though they knew that Ted was being nasty to us. I bet Chris wouldn’t have even noticed that I existed if I wasn’t your friend too.”
“The worst part is I can’t even say you’re wrong about that...”
Chris was a good person, but Nelly was well aware that he didn’t have the best personality.
“No matter where I go, there are good people and bad. Even apothecaries aren’t all nice. You just have to do your best to get by one way or another.”
“You really have gotten strong, Sara.”
Nelly reached behind Sara’s back and pulled her close.
“Nelly, I might not be back for a while.”
“I know. I’m prepared for you to stay away for years, or even never come back.”
Sara looked up at Nelly in surprise.
“When you’re finished with what you want to do in the capital, the next thing you want to do won’t necessarily be in Hydrangea, right?”
“Well, maybe...” Sara hedged. Not even she was thinking that far into the future.
“Who knows how long I’ll stay in Hydrangea either. I might find something I want to do or feel like I should be doing. And the same could be true for Chris.”
“For Chris...”
“He’s with me for now, but he’s a talented apothecary. Plenty of places could use his help.”
Sara clung tighter to Nelly.
“If that happened, would you go with him?”
“I would. By that time, Hydrangea will probably have brought up the next generation.”
The Hunters that had come to guard the apothecaries were veterans, but they’d all laughed, saying they still had things to learn when they were imitating Kuntz’s shield. Hydrangea was already changing.
“It’s the same for you, Sara. You’ve been the one getting caught up in things up until now, but it might be Allen next time. He’s grown into a capable Hunter, after all.”
The way she was so proud of everyone reminded Sara of Haruto.
“If Allen was invited somewhere, what would you do?” Nelly asked.
“Go with him.” Sara was surprised at how fast she could answer that question. “Only if I didn’t have any work I was abandoning, of course. And wherever I went with him, I’d work as an apothecary there too.”
“See?”
Nelly and Sara said the same thing, and Chris and Allen would as well.
“I’ve been so happy spending the last few years with you, Chris, and my family.”
“Yeah.”
It had been fun everywhere they’d been, but it was in Hydrangea, with the support of the Wolveriés, that Sara learned how rewarding being an apothecary was.