We had just finished tying Krul to the cart and were about to leave. Marius and Julie walked over to see us off.
“Heya. Leaving already?” Marius asked.
“Yep,” I replied. “We’ll be taking our leave. If we head out now, I think we can make it home a little after sunset.”
“You don’t have any work piling up, do you?” Marius asked.
“Nope. No rush jobs, at least.”
“Then you don’t have to be in a hurry to leave. Why don’t you take it easy here for another day or so?”
As Marius and I spoke, the ladies were struggling to say their goodbyes—I could tell they would have rather stayed.
I grinned. “Got my reasons. I can’t stay out of the forest for too long.”
We hadn’t been gone a whole week, so my daughters weren’t struggling due to a lack of magical energy. However, if the fairies got sick, I needed to treat them as soon as I could. Lluisa could probably track us down anywhere in the Black Forest, but even a dryad like her, a part of the Dragon of the Land, couldn’t possibly hunt us down all the way out in the capital. Considering this, I thought it would be best if we left as soon as possible. If I can find a way to make a magical jewelstone with a stable shelf life, I can just give that to Gizelle, but...
Marius’s eyebrows drooped, visibly disappointed. “Well, all right...” he said glumly. “If I hear anything, I’ll be sure to tell Camilo about it.”
“Great,” I replied. “I’m counting on you!”
We exchanged a handshake. I hoped that my next visit would be more casual—perhaps even a cheery celebration. The ladies finished their goodbyes too.
This wasn’t farewell forever. There were ways to contact the city from the forest. Maybe I should schedule some trips for fun...though I’d have to return within the day.
We climbed aboard the cart. Rike tugged on the reins—Krul gave a small cry as she pulled us forward. In a flash, the employees of House Eimoor all lined up to wave us goodbye. We all waved back until they were out of sight. The cart rolled through the streets of the capital, which weren’t very crowded, but plenty of curious gazes landed on us.
“Wait just a wee bit more—just until we leave the capital,” I muttered under my breath. I felt a small tug on my sleeve, but I couldn’t see the hand that had done it.
I wasn’t speaking to Anne—who was hiding her face to prevent anyone from recognizing her—but to Maribel. If the fire spirit had carelessly appeared in front of people, it would’ve caused confusion. So, I’d told her to conceal herself, and she responded to my words with tugs: One tug meant yes, and two meant no. She could still talk, even while invisible, but if distracted, she could lose control of the illusion and reveal herself. Right now, Maribel stayed silent as she focused on keeping herself hidden.
Krul pulled the cart out of the capital’s center and into the outer parts of the city. When we were stopped at the inner-city gates, we showed our pass to the guard—the overpowered pass stamped with two important crests. The guard’s eyes widened with shock for just a moment, and we were immediately waved through. I feel like the guard just straightened their posture, but I must be imagining things... I hope.
The outer areas of the city were filled with crowds—the clamor and energy of the place were overwhelming. I wanted to show Maribel these awesome sights too. I should think of a way to let her take a peek. More piercing gazes fell upon the cart, due in no small part to the sheer number of people bustling on the streets. I’ve got faith that they find the drake-drawn cart unusual—it’s not because a geezer’s escorting a group of ladies.
“We can’t stop by Pops’s place, can we?” I asked.
“There isn’t really an area to park our cart,” Rike replied.
I wanted to visit the Gold-Tusked Boar, where Sandro and his friends were working, but luck wasn’t on my side today. I’ll think of something next time. Maybe I can leave the cart at the Eimoor residence or something. Our cart parted the sea of people like a ship slicing through the sea, and then we finally rolled onto the main road that would take us home.
Much like the gates of the city (though the capital’s were far grander), the capital had an outer gate to check all those entering and exiting. Needless to say, inspections at the capital gates were stricter than those at the city gates. Also, people leaving the capital were scrutinized less than those entering. I still showed them our pass, and when the guards saw it, they stood up straight and let us through immediately—they didn’t even give us a second glance.
“Wow, this really is powerful...” I murmured, impressed.
“Of course it is.” Diana sighed. “Top figures from our nation and the neighboring empire have given you their seal of approval.”
“I know...”
I took the pass out of my pocket once more; the seals of the royal family and the emperor glimmered under the sun.
“I probably shouldn’t take this out in the city, huh?” I asked.
“You shouldn’t,” Diana replied with a firm shake of her head. “The guards there are already familiar with our faces. Using that pass would only make them needlessly worry, which wouldn’t be good for them.”
“Right. Yeah, I’ll keep this hidden.”
Reminds me of an inro back in Japan, which could both hide small objects and act as an identifying seal. But even if I go, “Silence! Bow your head! Who do you think you’re in the presence of?” I’m just a regular blacksmith...and a geezer at that. No important post there.
As we continued down the road, we spoke of the food we’d enjoyed at Marius’s manor. Finally, the entrance to the capital vanished from sight, and there were fewer people on the road.
“I think the coast’s clear, you two,” I said.
Anne removed her hood, and Maribel appeared before my eyes. It was a good call to have her stay hidden from view. When we’d been so close to the city, I’d feared that someone might see us. But on the road, we just needed to be wary of any approaching people or carriages.
“Whew!” Maribel groaned, stretching herself out.
I didn’t think she felt suffocated by hiding herself, but I could see why she’d felt restrained while everyone else had been free to do as they pleased. She had to remain hidden, though.
“I know it’s tiring,” I said to her. “Sorry that it took a bit longer than planned.”
“Nah, don’t sweat it!” Maribel replied with a hearty laugh. “I got to see a whole bunch of stuff!”
“How’s your magical energy level?” Lidy asked worriedly. “I know I asked you to tell me if things were looking rough.”
“Yeah, I’m just fine! That was no big deal!” Maribel replied.
“I see. Glad to hear it.”
Lidy patted Maribel’s head, and the fire spirit smiled happily.
And so, our ride back continued on, with Maribel occasionally ducking to hide and Lucy greeting every carriage that went past. Krul pulled us steadily forward. The sun above us gradually dipped, dyeing the sky a brilliant orange, and just as it was about to fade completely from sight, we reached the entrance to the Black Forest. To be precise, this place wasn’t really a proper entrance at all—it was just a clearing by the road that allowed a carriage through. But for us, this was the path home.
“I should prepare a torch,” I said.
It’d take just a bit longer until we reached our destination. We were quite familiar with the Black Forest, but we couldn’t reach our cabin before the sun completely set, and it was difficult to proceed through the darkness without a light source. Everyone nodded as Samya and Helen rummaged through our belongings and took out a few torches. We didn’t light them just yet, though my past self might have done so. Lighting anything in the dark when we couldn’t see what we were doing was a tough task, but when I reached for my flint, Maribel said that she could use her flames to light our torches. This allowed us to save the torchlight for when it got completely dark.
“You sure?” I asked Maribel. “You don’t have to push yourself if you’re tired.”
Maribel gave a big smile. “It’s no biggie. I can handle it.”
Is she worried that she wasn’t able to do much of anything during our trip? If that’s the case, I’ll let her do as she pleases and give her the chance to lend us a helping hand.
“Then, thanks,” I said. “That’ll be a big help.”
“Aye aye!” Maribel replied energetically.
She was so adorable that our laughs rang out through the trees. One could hardly believe that we were in a place that instilled terror in the rest of society.