IT’S the night of our triumphal return to the capital.
“How are they?” I ask Cia as she steps out of the king’s bedchamber. Pino, beside me, is waiting for her answer too.
“They have regained consciousness. They can’t walk yet, but I think they should be just fine with time.”
“I see. Glad to hear it!” Wholehearted relief washes over me. Though I had healed them, the king and queen were in a considerably emaciated state. I’m really glad to hear they’re pulling through.
Cia drops into a deep bow. “Big Sister…I am thankful to you beyond words.”
“I only smacked some zombies around. It’s the people who came with me who did all the heavy lifting. We were able to take out the Giganta-zombie mostly thanks to Pino’s quick thinking.”
“Is that so? I would expect no less from our master scholar, Pino.”
“D-Don’t mention it. I simply offered advice.”
“No, I cannot let your deeds go unrecognized.” Cia shakes her head and wraps both hands around Pino’s right hand. “Thank you very much. I will repay you for this favor someday.”
“Y-You do that…” Pino is stiffer than a pole. He’s so transparent.
“Um…Big Sister…” Cia steps away from Pino and looks questioningly to me.
“You don’t have to say it. You want to stay with your parents right now, I’m sure.”
“I still can’t believe they are back with me.”
“Go. Be with them. Your presence will surely be reassuring to them both.”
“Thank you!”
That’s a good smile. Cia must be over the moon about her parents’ return.
“If you will excuse me here, then,” she says in parting before returning to the king’s bedchamber.
Taking advantage of being alone with Pino now, I turn on him with a teasing grin.
“…What is that face for?”
“Hmm? Nothing!”
“I don’t know what nonsense your brain has come up with this time, but I think nothing of her.”
“Sure, let’s leave it at that.”
Pino clicks his tongue. Then he sighs and becomes serious. “Enough games. Are you sure you don’t want to tell her?”
“Hmm? Tell her what?”
“Playing dumb?”
I haven’t told Cia about Goddess Sadia pressuring me into deciding whether I want to go home now or not.
“Thanks,” I say in place of a direct answer.
“Hmph. It has nothing to do with me. Well, I may find myself a tad bored if you do go, but…it’s your life. Do with it what you will,” he spits, turning his back on me and stalking away.
I smile dryly as I watch his small back retreat. “Someone’s not honest with himself.”
✦ ✦ ✦
I’VE come to the garden located on the tower keep’s third floor. I rest my arms on the balustrade and look out over the capital city. With the essential rule of keeping the lights out still in effect, not a single flame can be seen. My eyes seem to have adapted enough to make out the faint outline of buildings.
“Is this where you have been, m’lady?” someone asks from behind me. The voice belongs to Lex; I can tell without looking. “You are going to catch a cold.”
“Let me stay here a little longer.”
“…Have you found your answer?”
To whether I’m staying or going.
“I’ve been thinking all this time about what’s happened since I arrived here.” The night breeze blows, tousling my hair. I push it up and over my ears. “I woke up to a poisonous lake and a stench worse than anything I’ve smelled before. Before I could figure out my left from right, a zombie showed up. It was nothing but horrifying surprise after horrifying surprise.”
“To this day I have not forgotten that powerful blow to my chest.”
“Wh-What other choice did I have? You came at me out of nowhere!”
At the time, he stunk so bad I could barely hold it together. I was just desperate to get him away from me.
“However, that was the occasion that let us know you have the power of purification, Lady Mizuha.”
“What happened after that was the worst of the worse.”
“Your saliva?”
“It still embarrasses me to no end. Thanks to a certain someone, people like to call me the Holy Priestess of Spit.”
“They mean it as a title of honor, not an insult, m’lady.”
“Which makes it even worse…” I groan.
Grantz Kingdom is full of folks with more than a few screws loose, but they’re all good people anyway.
“Then I met Cia and headed for the capital, but… Here’s a question for you. I believe we did something INCREDIBLY reckless and foolish next, but, in retrospect, what do you think about that bright idea of yours, Sir Lex Irvine?”
“Th-That is…something I am reflecting on for my rash miscalculation.”
“You should be. All’s well that ends well, but we could’ve very easily been overwhelmed and turned into zombies at that point.”
“…I have no excuse.”
I don’t blame him as much as my words and tone make it sound like I do. He just put me through the scare of a lifetime, so this is my way of getting back at him.
“Well, we still managed to regain the castle despite a stupid plan. It’s what happened afterward that took me by real surprise.”
“No one had any idea the zombies become extremely active at night.”
“You can say that again. I’m really lucky to have escaped to a safe place with my life.”
Memories of taking the secret passage from Cia’s bedchamber flood my mind, the most poignant memory being Lex’s broad back as he blocked the zombies from knocking down the door. And then there’s the moment I returned to her bedchamber to find him protecting the secret passage despite turning into a zombie.
“You were kind of cool then, Lex.”
“…Desperation was all I had going for me. Desperation that I had to protect you both no matter the cost.”
“Thanks.”
“No thanks necessary.”
Another case of this being the natural course of action for a knight.
“Things finally calmed down enough after that for me to purify and increase our numbers exponentially.”
“Though other problems did crop up just when we thought things were going smoothly. Such as the appearance of thieves.”
“Like Rosso? Personally, I thought being abducted by Iris had more of an impact.”
“I can never apologize enough for that one.”
“It’s all good. You rescued me in the end.”
If you had told me at the time about how well-behaved Iris would become, I wouldn’t have believed it. She occasionally—or rather, always if unwatched—goes off the deep end.
“A lot has happened over a short time.”
“…Indeed, m’lady.”
“I’ll be honest with you—lots of horrible things having to do with stenches and ever-present zombies happened, but to an equal degree— No, even more so than that, I’ve met a lot of great people.”
There’s Lex, Cia, Sir Oden, and Pino, as well as Rosso, Iris, Sir Kurt, and Sir Julian. I met even more incredible people during the handshake sessions too. My circle of friends has extended much further than I could have ever imagined back on Earth.
“It was fun. It was a ton of fun, actually. I’m glad from the bottom of my heart that I came to this world.” I look over my shoulder and convey those feelings with a smile. There’s no real reason; I just felt the desire to tell Lex to his face. “Okay, it’s time for me to sleep.”
“Very well. Good night, Lady Mizuha.” I walk past Lex, heading for the pillared corridor. “Lady Mizuha!” he abruptly yells.
I turn back to find him looking torn and flustered. I tilt my head. “Yes?”
“No…never mind.” Lex averts his eyes as he chews his bottom lip. He’s trembling. His hands are clenched into fists. What is Lex thinking right now? If I don’t have the complete wrong idea, it must be—
I take a small breath and pull my smile back up. “Can I trust my guard detail to you again tomorrow?”
“…Yes, of course you can, m’lady.”