✦ ✦ ✦
“So it was just an accident...”
“It sure was, wasn’t it?”
“Well, such things do happen, I suppose.”
“I hope whoever was inside lives a long life after this! Though I didn’t see it, so I have no idea!”
“How absurd... Er, ahem!”
Awkward comments came from all assembled.
“Well, I’m happy that all the Zanaffars were destroyed and the person with knowledge from the manuscript is dead. And you must be happy that you purged the threat to the city. It’s win-win, wouldn’t you agree?” Xellos said casually.
“Is it possible...” I began to ask as the thought dawned on me. “Xellos, were you also responsible for Gourry’s final sword throw hitting Spider dead-on? To dispose of Lukoria, the only elf with the knowledge from the Claire Bible...”
At this, Xellos simply wagged his finger at me. “That’s... a secret.”
Ahh. Figured he’d say that. I couldn’t help but feel a little manipulated, of course.
He gave one last look over our group and said, “As I have no business with the remaining elves, I’ll leave them to you. But now that I’ve paid my respects, I really must be going.”
And with that, he vanished.
The wind blew, dispersing the last of the mist and smoke lingering on the battlefield. The green leaves of the forest trees rustled in the breeze.
And so, peace returned to Atessa... Or did it? As long as the city of blacksmiths remained, there would be elves who objected to its presence. Still, it was clear the Forest Hounds had abandoned their cause for now, as evidenced by the way they abandoned their Zanaffars.
We returned to the places where Centaur and Heavy Armor had been defeated and found the shells of their armor, but no bodies. I didn’t know exactly what had happened to their wearers. Plus, Xellos had said “all the Zanaffars” were destroyed, so I doubted there were any more lying in wait for us.
The threat, for now, had passed.
Amelia and her envoy departed Atessa two days after our final fight with the Forest Hounds. The reason for the delay was to prove to the mayor and her bodyguards that she was still hale and hearty.
Currently, there was quite a crowd at the gate just outside of town formed to watch the departure of the Saillune retinue. There were a few local security guys, the town bigwigs, and us, not to mention regularly stationed soldiers of Zephilia and your standard gaggle of lookie-loos. Alaina alone was absent, as she’d skipped town the day before. She’d told MacLyle (and none of the rest of us) that she’d form a party with her comrades and return with the conspirators in hand, then left.
I can’t deny that sneaking out because she couldn’t handle a proper sendoff did seem like a very Alaina thing to do, but Amelia was quite disappointed. She’d wanted to talk to the elf—apparently to learn how to use whips to travel quickly up to high places, so this was probably for the best.
Amelia stepped down from her carriage to speak to a few of the people in the crowd. She offered a handful of parting remarks to the mayor out of courtesy, and then she turned to me. “Are you sure you guys won’t come with us?” she asked.
It was true we were going to the same place, but... I shrugged. “Better not. You’ll probably be dealing with a lot of important people where you’re going, and your bodyguards will have to worry about us if we tag along. I’d rather take it easy, leave the door open for detours when I feel like it.”
“I understand. And you, Master Zelgadis?”
“I’m going to remain here a bit longer,” Zel replied. “Even if I did have my reasons, I was initially conspiring with the Hounds to damage the city. I think I need to make amends.”
The scars from the attack were still visible on Atessa, so I was sure the help would be appreciated. I’d heard from the mayor that soldiers were already on the way by the time they contacted the capital of Zephilia to let them know things had been resolved, so they’d be reassigned to help with rebuilding and repairs. Maybe it wouldn’t take too long after all.
“Very well. I hope we’ll meet again somewhere, someday,” said Amelia.
“Same here,” I replied.
“See you then,” Gourry offered.
“Hopefully under less onerous circumstances,” Zel chimed in.
“Now then, thank you for all your help. Farewell, everyone.” Amelia curtsied to us, then boarded her carriage.
The soldiers of Saillune straightened up and the carriage began to move again.
“See you!”
“Don’t justice too hard now, you hear?”
“And be mindful of heights!”
As we saw her off with various goodbyes, her procession made its way down the road. Once it disappeared beyond the trees, the gathered bigwigs, soldiers, and sightseers began streaming back to the city.
“Welp...” I looked to Zel, MacLyle, and Randa in turn. “I guess we’d better be going too.”
Gourry and I had already made preparations to depart as well. MacLyle had even paid us our service fee with a sweet bonus on top.
“You were such a help. Thank you for everything,” he said.
From beside MacLyle, Randa said, “’Preciate all the help. You told me to make up for my failures by acting... but I didn’t get to do anything in the end.” There was a tone of self-recrimination in his voice.
I responded with a grin. “Oh, come on. I never said it had to be in the fight with the Forest Hounds, did I? Just make up for it with little actions for the city from now on.”
“That’s right. Don’t overstep your bounds, and just do what you can, bit by bit,” MacLyle added with a smile. “Like forgoing rest and working only for a single loaf of stale bread or something.”
“Spare him that. Please,” I was forced to say. MacLyle’s words had a ring of truth beyond the obvious joke.
“Well, take care, Zel.”
“Yeah. You guys too. And Gourry, please don’t forget my name.”
“You got it! I’ll at least remember it for a month or so!”
With that, Gourry and I set off and left the city of Atessa behind.