“I asked you before if there was anything you wanted. Although a bunch of stuff happened and I didn’t get to hear your answer.”
Lacey thought back. That had been around the time when Noi charged into the open fire. He’d definitely asked her, and she’d asked why he wanted to know. She had a feeling that he hadn’t told her, though.
The accessory in her palm had small, lovely gems that looked like they’d been carved out of a chip of night sky. It was cute, and she liked it a lot. But she had no clue why he was giving it to her, so she wasn’t sure how to react.
“It’s a bit late, but it’s a birthday present.”
That was why it took her a while to understand what Wayne was saying.
A breeze swelled and shook the leaves of the trees as it passed through. It blew from the top of the slope down to the outskirts of the village, carrying with it the smell of winter.
Lacey had been born in autumn. She didn’t know when exactly, since she was an orphan, so she would make a rough estimate and add a year onto her age whenever it felt right. She distinctly remembered telling Wayne about this during their quest.
Now that Wayne brought it up, she softly folded her fingers over the accessory. But still, she wasn’t sure. It wasn’t really sinking in.
“You’re sixteen now, right? Congrats, Lacey.”
A whole year had passed by before she knew it. When she’d first arrived in Plume Village, Lacey had only been fifteen. She hadn’t known what she was capable of and was just walking down a path she couldn’t see, one step at a time. Chilly winter had come around, it had warmed back up, and the seasons had completed another cycle.
“It’s a wonderful present, but when my hat’s on, it won’t be visible...”
“You won’t get self-conscious about it that way, right?”
“B-But it’s so cute, that would be a waste!”
“Then maybe it’s time for you to graduate from wearing the hat?”
She’d gained one year of age. That was all, and yet it gave her an inexorable feeling.
She hadn’t been conscious of it at all before, but now that she’d realized, it was overwhelming. Something filled her chest and lodged in her throat, and an emotion that she was terrible at interpreting slowly came after.
“Wayne, thank you.”
She was really, really happy.
The backs of her ears were burning up. The accessory—which she was carefully holding so as to not crush it—was cool to the touch, but her heart felt warm.
“Th-Thank you!”
She’d already said this, but she wanted to convey it better, so she spoke up and said it clearly.
“Sure thing,” Wayne answered, sounding very unlike a highborn noble. He was feeling bashful.
“I-I want to celebrate your birthday too! Please!”
“Sorry, but it already happened way back.”
“Huh?”
“So you can do it next year, all right?”
“Okay. I will!” she asserted, sitting bolt upright. Then Wayne and Lacey’s eyes met. They were already both blushing and simultaneously averted their gazes, so neither of them noticed the other.
It occurred to Lacey that the year felt like it had passed by in a flash, and at the same time, it felt like it had lasted forever. She rewound her memories and recalled how she used to be. The Demon King had been defeated, their quest was over, and her companions had each gone their separate ways. While she hadn’t said it out loud, she’d felt like everything was over for her.
That was why she’d asked Wayne to burn her trusty staff.
She would become the unloved wife of a noble and the mage Lacey would be no more. Her fiancé had called her staff filthy, but since she could change its size, she could have easily smuggled it into her new home. But she had made the request of Wayne so she would be able to say goodbye to it as Lacey.
However, Wayne had refused. He’d eventually given in to her persistence and agreed. But as it turned out, he understood what Lacey valued most even better than she herself did.
“For the longest time, I had thought everything would be over once we defeated the Demon King.”
“Hm?”
Because that was the only reason Lacey was allowed to live. She had thought that once her focus in life was gone, the world would just be dull and gray forever. That wasn’t what reality had shown her, though.
“But it just doesn’t end.”
She breathed in the sharp smell of winter. She could picture that around now in her diverse garden, Tee was probably wearing a suit of leaves and riding around on Noi.
She could overlook the entire village from the slope. People no bigger than specks were laughing and moving around, and red camellia flowers were blooming all around as if guarding the village. It was just blissful daily life.
“Of course it doesn’t.” Wayne, whose nose was a little red from the cold air, rubbed the tip of it and spoke. “Life goes on until you die.”
Something swelled up.
The world rapidly changed color from where Lacey was standing. Tiny buds raised their heads and burst open. Hundreds of vivid flowers blossomed, spreading out forever and ever and blanketing everything. It was a field of flowers as far as the eye could see.
Lacey was about to let out a cry of surprise and wonder. But then she blinked, and the landscape was completely ordinary, the same as ever. Of course it was. It had just been an unusual figment of her imagination. The world hadn’t changed at all.
And yet, something about it felt different.
“Wayne, can you clip this accessory on for me again?”
“Okay, but you’re sure it won’t get in the way?”
“I’m sure.”
Wayne slid it in so that it fastened her braided bangs. The accessory with blue gems matched Lacey’s black hair well.
“How’s it look?”
“Needless to say, cute.”
This hero was smooth with the ladies. Lacey involuntarily gave an embarrassed smile.
Meanwhile, Wayne had just said what was on his mind. She usually reacted nonchalantly to him telling her that she was cute. That’s weird, he thought to himself, turning the other way. It was like his heart had just been squeezed tight.
“Is something wrong, Wayne?”
“No, well, kinda, I dunno...”