Chapter 12: Girl, Goes on a Date
NICHIKA and Oswald left Sylmia’s house and didn’t make it more than a couple of feet without one villager or another speaking to them.
“Oh, aren’t you this year’s winner? Are you well enough to be walking around?”
“You’ve got some mad flying skills. This old man hasn’t seen anyone spin through the skies like that since I was a wee lad.”
“The clock tower’s mostly repaired! Don’t ya worry. We’ll have it up and runnin’ in no time!”
“Here, lassie, take this with you! Don’t be shy. Business is booming with the birth of the new Wind Spirit Successor.”
“It’s a little worrying the successor is our Master Lam though.”
“You can say that again! Gahaha!”
Arms full of apples, candy, and cookies, Nichika whispered to Oswald walking in step with her. “So Lord Sylmia decided to keep Lam being the culprit a secret?”
“The villagers only know that you and Lambert worked together to destroy a trap someone set to ruin the race. There’s no need to specify who it was.”
“That’s true.”
The culprit had put his life on the line to reduce casualties. No point in digging up the past and making the people miserable when he already paid the price with his life.
As a refreshing breeze blew by, Nichika glanced to her side. Oswald wasn’t wearing his usual black coat today, but instead he dressed casually like the townspeople. He wasn’t sporting any accessories, not even his glasses, but the simple attire only enhanced his natural good looks. Nichika strolled beside him in a cashmere dress and cardigan unsuitable for travel.
In this moment of peace, she realized that they always walked at a brisk pace to get from place to place, never letting down their guard for even a second in case a monster attacked. This may have been the first time they had ever gone on a leisure walk, with their stroll being the purpose, not a means of going somewhere.
It’s like we’re on a date. The moment she thought it, she couldn’t stop thinking about it that way, and her face flushed.
Oswald noticed her swinging her arms like a robot and showed concern which was extremely rare for him. “What’s wrong?” he asked softly.
“N-Nothing! A-Anyways, look over there! We can see the clock tow—”
She pointed to the city symbol visible around the corner, trying to change the topic…and locked up. The reason? A huge bronze statue was being built on top of the tower that had been half-destroyed by the blast.
“……”
“……”
Her finger went limp and weakly fell to her side. Both she and Oswald felt like they were looking at the most draining thing yet. Why? Because of the bronze statue’s model.
“Hi there! I’m glad to see you’re too moved for words!” Sylmia sauntered toward them from across the street. Nichika lunged at him and grabbed the front of his shirt.
“What in the world is that monstrosity?! What are you trying to pull here?!”
“Ha! Ha! Ha! Rebuilding a normal clock tower is too plain and boring for my village. Isn’t it an absolutely beautiful work of art?”
The identity of the bronze statue’s model? Jutting out of the destroyed portion of the tower was a humongous statue of Sylmia. If that was all there was too it, it wouldn’t have been so bad—well, it was still in bad taste—but the real issue was the addition of two smaller statues. Namely, Nichika and Lambert clinging adoringly to his arms. Worst of all, Sylmia mistook her rage for uncontrollable joy.
“What happened that day was a huge incident that will go down in Windy Village’s history!” he proudly trumpeted. “And now no one will ever forget it!”
“STOOOOOOOOP IT! It’s super embarrassing!”
“They made the statue look prettier than the person,” Oswald unhelpfully put out there, tossing oil on the fire.
“Shut up! Why don’t you put up a petacolon statue instead?!” Nichika roared, face hot from embarrassment.
Just as she was contemplating casting a spell to blow the statue up, the other victim strode over to them.
“I told ’im not to do it, too,” he commented, gazing up at the statue modeled after him.
“Lam, save me from this humiliation! I won’t ever visit this village again!” she pleaded, teary-eyed.
“Ah, well, I’ll tell the sculptor to obscure your facial features,” he placated. “Oh, and I figured out where lil’ wolf is.”
Nichika immediately quieted down to hear what he had to say. Turns out their cheerful wolf friend had gone missing ever since they parted ways in front of the village. He hadn’t responded to any of his master’s calls, and Oswald’s forced summonings were being blocked. Oswald had asked Lambert to look into it while Nichika was resting.
“A merchant who left the village happened to pass by lil’ wolf,” he continued reporting with unusual seriousness. “Sounds like he was dognapped.”
“D-Dognapped?!” That unsettling word drained the color from her face. Nichika held her hands to her cheeks and began freaking out. “Oh no! What can we do?! That boy is overly friendly with strangers and has such a cute face. Some evil person fell in love with him and took him away!”
“I don’t think he’s that cute.”
“He’s cute to me!”
She glared at her master for making an unnecessary comment. Tears misted her eyes. Worry that she may never see him again flooded her thoughts. But Lambert’s investigative skills were better than she could have hoped.
“So ’bout the dognappers, it turns out it was a girl with vibrant red hair and a morose young man with a plain face. Seems like they were headed north of here to Brownie Village.”
“Let’s hunt them down, Oswald!” Nichika proposed on the spur of the moment.
Oswald sighed. “What kinda trouble did he get himself into this time?”
✦ ✦ ✦
NICHIKA and Oswald, back in their travel clothes and ready to go, were at the village exit opposite the gate they had entered. Villagers came to see them off and gave them lots of farewell gifts, but Nichika politely rejected the ones she couldn’t carry. Among those that she handed back with a twitching smile was a small replica of the clock tower’s new statue.
“Guess this is goodbye for now,” Lambert said with a grin, jumping right to the farewells.
It hadn’t been long since he’d become a spirit, making him too unstable to travel with them. Sylmia shared in private that although Lambert didn’t show it, he was struggling with the parts of himself that were no longer human.
He properly faced Nichika and said his goodbyes with a sad smile. “Stay safe, Nichika. You’ll probably be okay with my pal on your side, but still.”
“I will. Good luck with your training—wah!”
He brushed up her bangs and pressed his lips against her forehead. Heart thudding in her ears, she opened her eyes and found kindness reflecting back in his intense green eyes.
“Will I see you again?” his lonely voice rang close to her ears.
“O-Of course!”
“See you later, then.”
Lambert patted her on the shoulder on his way to see Oswald. Pressing her hands against her forehead, Nichika turned her back to the others. Otherwise they might see how red her face was.
I just can’t seem to build up a tolerance. No, it’s not my fault. It’s the fault of this world being full of good-looking people galore. Brooding, she stared at the road ahead.
The straight path was drawn into the mountain range opposite of Fog Valley. The sky was blue, and wind mana pranced through the meadows laughing. When she held up the magic orb, red and green lights swirled alternately, creating a fascinating color.
I’m halfway there now. Only halfway? Already halfway?
Dangers like she experienced in this village may be lurking down the road ahead. She had to keep moving regardless of what waited.
It will be okay, Nichika. You will definitely be okay.
Forcing her lips into an optimistic smile, the girl harbored both vague apprehension and hope for the future.
✦ ✦ ✦
KEEPING his gaze trained on her back, Lambert made his intentions clear with Oswald. “I’m coming after you guys once things are settled here.”
Though he spoke with his typical playfulness, there was an awfully sincere undertone. Oswald folded his arms and answered him with the exasperation he felt.
“You don’t have to feel that responsible for what happened, you know? She was never angry at—”
“It’s what I want,” Lambert said over him.
“……”
Oswald sucked in a breath when he sensed the hostile glint in those green eyes. “You…”
“I’ve come to seriously want her. She’s the first person to ever face me head-on. So…” Grinning, Lambert smacked the man in black on the back and declared war. “Please be sure to thoroughly protect my precious woman.”