SONGBIRDS chirped a soothing melody.
Warm morning light shined down on Aki’s closed eyelids, rousing her from sleep. Images of Elias suffering in the cage of light flashed through her tired mind, shocking her out of bed.
“…Elias!” she cried his name and darted her eyes around, ready for a fight, only to be greeted by a laughably peaceful morning that was the exact opposite of the life-threatening situation she last remembered.
A gentle breeze blew in through the cracked open window, swaying the cotton curtains. Sunlight filled the room, people could be heard greeting each other in the streets below, and waves crashed against the nearby shoreline.
Isn’t this the inn we were staying at in Port City?
Aki was sitting on a simple twin bed with a log frame inside a cozy room with wood paneling. There was no mistaking it: this was the same room she had caught up on things with Nako and where she’d relaxed around the table with Elias and the Hero Party. Those peaceful moments together seemed like they had happened ages ago.
I made it back? How?
Aki held her hand to her head and scoured her memories. The last thing she remembered was diving into the light cage and embracing Elias as if their lives depended on it.
My forehead started to burn after that and I had to close my eyes against the blinding light. Then what happened?
Try as she might, there weren’t any memories left for her to dredge up. She had no idea how she made it back to the inn.
…Was everything just a dream? Aki wondered, then immediately shook her head. No, it definitely happened.
When she tried to stand, she was made painfully aware of the extreme fatigue making her limbs feel like lead and the dizziness slowing her thoughts—likely side effects of using ancient magic with Johann inside the Ancient Ruins. She eased back down on the side of the bed and took deep breaths.
Then she dropped her gaze to her attire to find she had been changed out of her usual beige skirt suit into a comfortable red dress with a pretty floral pattern. Gold thread embroidered the hem and elbow-length sleeves with roses. It looked like the kind of casual dresses she had seen this world’s city girls wearing.
The leather corset had been tied loosely, which could only mean someone had helped her change out of her suit while she was unconscious. Her skirt suit had definitely seen better days than when she got soaked, muddied, and bloodied during her hike and fight inside the cave.
“…I should let the others know I’m awake…”
Aki bent over to put on the shoes conveniently left on the floor beside the bed. She looked up just as the door opened a crack and Mina peeked in.
“Aki?”
“Mina!” Aki’s face lit up.
Mina threw what she was carrying onto the other bed and ran over so fast she nearly tripped. “Aki! Thank the Goddess! You woke up!” She pulled Aki’s head to her chest and squeezed her so hard it hurt to breathe.
The warmth of her embrace let it sink in that Aki really had come back from the cavern in one piece, and relief filled her all at once.
Aki wrapped her arms around Mina’s back and returned the hug.
“I’m glad you’re safe too, Mina! We made it back. We really did…” Just putting it into words warmed her heart.
Mina stepped back and nodded repeatedly, tears glistening in her hazel eyes.
“Yes, yes, we did! We all made it back safe and sound. Elias, Leo, Johann, Louis, and Sutcliff are alive and well too…!” Mina smiled and patted Aki on the head like an older sister. “We’re safe thanks to you. Thank you for saving us.”
Tears filled Aki’s eyes and spilled onto her décolleté. “W-Was I finally useful to everyone? Did I succeed in protecting Elias…?”
Since the day she arrived, Aki was distressed by her powerlessness. But now she had finally tapped into the Goddess’s power and assisted her party as the Hero’s Right-hand.
Mina reached out and hugged her again, then reassuringly rubbed the back of her head.
“Of course, silly. And it’s not like that was the first time. You’ve saved us in so many ways. People need to be saved from more than just monsters. You have supported me, Elias, Leo, and the others mentally as well.” Mina faced Aki and winked. “We love you so much, Aki! We couldn’t have made it this far without you!”
“Mina…”
Aki buried her face in Mina’s shoulder. Mina had given her the words she needed to hear most after the ordeal she had been through.