Chapter 574:
The Bear Goes to Talk at Seleiyu’s Manor
AS I CARRIED MY SULKING bear around, I gently stroked them. Kumakyu hugged me back, begging for more attention.
“Kumakyu, did you know that Yuna left you behind and went somewhere? They were so sad in the morning when I woke up that I thought I had done something wrong.” Noa patted Kumakyu’s head. “Yuna, you can’t leave Kumakyu behind and go off alone anymore,” she scolded me.
I was just so tired yesterday that the hot spring won out. But I vowed never again to leave my bears behind without saying anything.
After that, Noa said she wanted to see Shia and the other students from the capital off.
Noa had gotten to be good friends with the other students in the last few days. Yesterday, when I was out of commission on the lake, she played with them all day. I had a nice time with my teammates from the game I’d been part of, so I wanted to say my goodbyes to them too, at the very least. I recalled Kumakyu for the time being, but I’d bring them out in the evening for a bath and to sleep together, as promised.
The Yufarian students were here to see the students off too, so everybody was talking about next year. Seleiyu was there too. She was smiling, but I could tell she was still exhausted. Everything had only happened yesterday. It wasn’t surprising that she hadn’t recovered yet. She came over to me.
“You’re here too, Yuna?”
“Are you okay, Seleiyu? You could have rested instead. They’re just heading out.”
“Father said the same. But I did get some rest, so I’m fine. I would have thought you would be more tired than me, Yuna.”
“I took a bath and had some great sleep, so I’m fine.”
I thought that she could rest today at least, but she still had her position as a noble and the daughter of the feudal lord to think about, along with a lot of other things.
“Yuna, I’ll see you later.”
Apparently, she still needed to say her goodbyes.
Seleiyu left and mingled with the teachers and students from the capital. She had her position to think about, but I thought she also felt a sense of duty to the town. That was why all the students loved her, no matter what class year they were. People were always around Seleiyu.
I headed over to Noa.
“Okay, Noa, I’m going to the capital now. Make sure you listen to everything Yuna tells you.”
“I will. Please get home safely, Shia.”
“Yuna, please take care of Noa.”
“I’ll make sure she gets home safe.”
“Youna, Noir, you’re not coming to the capital with us?”
One of the capital students talked to us too.
“Noa and I are going to stay in town a little longer.”
“Oh, I see. I was hoping we could chat. That’s too bad.”
The students all got on their carriages and headed off for the capital. Noa waved as they left.
“Shia’s gone.”
“You’ll see her once we get to the capital.”
“Yes, of course.”
The Yufarian students had class, so they headed back to their classrooms. As students, it was their job to study, so that was that. But Seleiyu stayed behind and came up to me.
“I’m sorry for the wait, Yuna. Shall we go to my house?”
“What about the academy?”
“I requested a day off for family matters.”
Well, I’d say a kidnapping was a pretty good reason to play hooky.
We rode to Seleiyu’s manor in a carriage she had prepared. Seleiyu told me that her dad made sure she took one for her own health.
“Why did you need to go to Lady Seleiyu’s house, Yuna?” Noa asked, not knowing what had happened yesterday.
“So you haven’t told her.”
“Well, it’s not exactly something that should be spread around.”
“Thank you.”
“Did something happen?” Noa asked, sensing something amiss.
“I can’t disclose specifics, but Yuna saved my life yesterday. I called her to my home to thank her.”
“Your life...” Noa’s voice grew small, sensing the gravity of the situation.
“Had Yuna not been there, I would have surely perished. Even if I had survived, I would not be here now. I cannot even begin to thank Yuna.”
If I hadn’t bulldozed my way over, Seleiyu probably would have offered herself up for her brother’s and the town’s sake. I’d saved her only by chance. If I had been late to act, I never would have seen Seleiyu. If I hadn’t been curious about the object the man had thrown in the lake or picked up the mana gem, then I wouldn’t have tried to talk to her.
This all happened because Noa wanted to hang out with Shia until late. Thanks to that, I had found the mana gem.
“I see. So that’s what happened yesterday.”
Noa had a dark look on her face.
“That must have been why you were so tired when you returned to the lake. But I forced you to play...”
Noa looked sad, remembering yesterday.
No, that was just because I wasn’t wearing my bear gear. I just normally didn’t have much stamina. It wasn’t because I fought monsters.
“Don’t you worry about it, Noa. I had fun hanging out with you too.”
“Yuna...”
I gently patted Noa’s head.
“Are you sure I should come too if you’re talking about something so important? I can wait at the inn.”
Noa was trying to be polite.
“No, there is no issue if you tag along. But the details are confidential, so we may need you to go to another room.”
I had no idea what she was going to talk with me about, but if it was about what happened yesterday, then I didn’t want Noa knowing. If we talked about Keith’s kidnapping, it could trigger memories of Misa’s. She would probably be sad to hear about why Seleiyu’s mother had passed away too.
Noa didn’t have anything to do with those things, so I didn’t want to hurt her unnecessarily.
“I’m a daughter of the nobility too, so I believe I understand. I’ll pretend that I didn’t hear anything about your life being saved. I know you only told me about that in order to be polite, Lady Seleiyu. Please, don’t be concerned.”
Noa acted the part of a young aristocrat. I knew she was probably desperate to know all the details, but she knew better than to ask deeper questions. I thought that was really mature of her.
Normally she was so childish, but in times like this, she really did act like a true noble.
“Thank you, Noa.”
The carriage arrived at Seleiyu’s manor and we headed inside, then stopped in front of a doorway.
“Please wait in this room, Noa. I’ll have some amazing sweets brought out for you.”
“Thank you for your hospitality.”
We watched Noa disappear into the room, then Seleiyu and I headed to another one. We walked until we came to a door, which Seleiyu knocked on before opening.
“Father, I’m back.”
Seleiyu’s father was there. He told us to take a seat, so I plopped down across from him and Seleiyu sat next to him.
“Thank you for coming.”
Seleiyu’s father bowed his head slightly.
First, I asked something that I couldn’t in front of Noa.
“Was your little brother fine? Did he wake up?”
He might have been magically put under an eternal slumber. That would have been a huge deal.
“He woke yesterday evening.”
The worst-case scenario hadn’t happened, then. I felt relieved to hear that.
“He was surprised to find it was so late when he awoke. It seems he doesn’t remember anything about being kidnapped.”
Seleiyu’s dad looked relieved.
“You were hugging him so much. He didn’t understand at all, Father.”
“I’m sure you did the same.”
“Well, a sister always has her brother in her thoughts.”
“And a father always treasures his children, of course.”
They had both been worried sick.
The family was just too dazzling for me. Maybe if I had a family like this, I never would have ended up in this other world? At the same time, I had done a lot of important things since coming here. I was glad I’d come.
Seleiyu’s dad seemed a little embarrassed, so he changed the topic.
“First, please take this. It’s the money for the monster slayings.”
He offered a bag full of money to me.
“That looks like too much.”
“I’ve included a bit extra to thank you for saving my daughter and son. Please take it.”
“Like I told Seleiyu, I just was helping a friend in need. I don’t need any thanks.”
“This is me showing my gratitude as their father. Even though you are my daughter’s friend, that’s no reason to hold back my gratitude.”
I couldn’t say no now that he had said that, so I just took the sack. After that, they told me they were still looking into the man. Well, only one day had passed. A full investigation would take a while, especially since they were also going to report this back to the king.
“I do not think he will believe it, however.”
Seleiyu’s dad seemed unsure.
“No, he will.”
Since the king knew about the monsters that had been gathered in the capital before, it wouldn’t be hard for him to believe what had happened here.
“If he doesn’t believe it, then you can just tell him my name.”
“Your name, Yuna?”
“If you do, I think he’ll believe it all.”
It’d be such a pain if he didn’t believe all this.
“Just who are you, Yuna?”
“I happen to be an acquaintance of His Majesty.”
The skeptical looks on their faces told me that neither of them believed me. I mean, I was more convincing now than when I was in the bear suit, right?