Lady Gladwein held me in her arms. A strong, all-enveloping sense of relief and safety hugged me close. Though different from Lady Mythlanica’s embrace, it gave me a familiar, motherly feeling. The ill-starred road of destiny along which the Hero of the Hidden Name had traveled ended here. Her gauntlet dissolved like the sands of time. At the very end, she used my voice to say:
“Farewell, Mother. Forgive your failed daughter for her shortcomings.”
“Farewell.” Lady Gladwein said but one word and, through it, had accepted her daughter wholly. Then she tousled my hair, vigorously roughing it up. I know this sounds disrespectful, but to be honest, I felt as if a huge, wild beast was trying to roughhouse with me. After a pause, she announced, “With this, I leave you. Souya, Medîm, I shall prepare a reward for your valiant efforts. Come to my residence on a later date.”
““Yes, Lady Gladwein,”” Pops and I replied in unison. The goddess left. Now we turned to the issues the currently living must bear.
“So, Pops, did you, um…?”
“Aye, we found her.” Only then did I notice the long item wrapped in cloth in Mellum’s arms, likely the staff that once belonged to his younger sister, Alma.
“We said our good-byes in private. No need to make you see that.”
“You did, then……”
The adventurer looked as if a possessive spirit had finally released its clutch on him. Though, I was the one actually possessed, you know.
“Souya, Medîm, you have my thanks as well. You brought our fallen friend’s murder to justice,” the king thanked us. “………Oy, Mellum.” He poked the elf.
“My thanks, Otherworlder,” relented the brusque man.
“No need to thank me. It’s only natural for a husband to protect his wife. Any real partner would have done it. I have done absolutely nothing to earn your gratitude,” I retorted sarcastically, the biggest smile I could muster plastered on my face.
“My thanks were for avenging my sister, not for rescuing some incompetent woman. Though, I myself would never allow my wife to put herself at such great risk in the dungeon,” he shot back just as sardonically without blinking an eye.
“Let us leave this place. No pleasant conversation can be had over a corpse.”
We all retreated from the mortuary at the king’s suggestion, leaving the Guildmaster behind to continue inspecting Rhora’s corpse. To the kitchen we headed, where several extra chairs had been added to the usual counter. King Remlia, Pops, and Mellum sat next to one another on one side; I sat on the other, facing the three.
“Lanceil, I hope you would not deny me my ale on a day like today.”
“No, Your Highness.” The doting beastmaid placed four bottles and cups on the counter. “A few side dishes to accompany your drinks,” she offered, setting plates of seasoned, thin-sliced bacon and pickled onions before each of us. They reminded me of the appetizers served at pubs in Japan.
“What might these be, Lanceil?” I asked the woman recently devoted to the study of culinary arts.
“Smoked bacon sautéed with curry powder and onion pickled in sweetened alcohol. I hear they are similar in taste to the rakkyo bulb pickles eaten in Souya’s home world. The bacon, I have chilled thoroughly so as not to overpower the alcohol. My understanding is partaking in these together does wonders for your illness, Your Highness.”
They’ve got rakkyo here? And she’s right, having it with pork improves thiamine absorption and helps digestion. They also go perfectly with fried–pork cutlet curry.
“These are all I need,” Pops mumbled, mindlessly popping the pickled onions one after another into his mouth. As I thought, he looked down, deflated—like he suddenly aged.
“Lanceil, what spell did you cast on this bacon? I sense a deep, complex flavor among the bitterness and heat. This is no commonplace spice, this ‘curry powder,’ did you call it? What, in fact, is it?” King Remlia marveled.
Oh, would curry blow up if I started selling it? Maybe I’ll get the trade group to do it for me? It’d mean another headache, though, that’s for sure.
“Éa blended the curry powder, a seasoning made with a mix of nuts, seeds, and herbs found on trees in the Remlian Meadow and the Heuress Forest, as well as medicinal shoots and a variety of other ingredients.”
“Oh-ho, Princess Éa did? I admit my surprise.”
After hearing this, Mellum took a few big bites of bacon.
“She has Souya’s regular, attentive instruction to thank for her success. I, too, owe whatever skill I possess to him, though Your Majesty would be the best judge of that.”
“Aye, wonderfully delicious meals. My health as of late has seen remarkable improvement. And yet, I fear there is still something lacking in your cooking compared with Souya’s. You would do well to continue your diligent studies.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. My sincerest appreciation for your kind words of encouragement.” Lanceil bowed her head.
I bet that missing bit’s called MSG. Éa will probably figure out a way to make it sooner or later.
While chomping on an onion bulb, Mellum inquired, “Remlia, what relation does Lanceil have with this Otherworlder?”
You really gonna ask that now, asshole? Oh, this bacon’s gooood. And the rakkyo pairing tones down the greasiness perfectly.
“Souya, have you……? What have you done with Lanceil?” C’mon, Mr. King. Don’t ask those delicate questions about your daughter’s private affairs.
“What a difficult question to answer, don’t you agree, my lord?”
“Definitely.” Lanceil and I locked eyes, and I felt even more awkward. I didn’t know about her, but this was an unbelievably weird position to be in.
Wait, hang on. Right now, I’m sitting at the same table with the fathers to both my (fake) wife and my consort (in waiting), aren’t I? What the hell with this setup?
“Speaking of, I hear you haven’t done the deed with Tutu yet,” Pops muttered, stealing the king’s rakkyo. “That’s her livelihood, you know? Hurry up and give it to her if you don’t want unpleasant rumors flying around.”
“Hey!” There couldn’t be a worse time to ask that, you know?!
“Tutu, is it? I’ll remember that.” Lanceil, your smile is freaking me out.
Strangely perceptive, Mellum wondered, “Tutu……? Ahhh, Totomelange’s daughter. I remember Baafre always carrying her on his shoulders. So she’s already of working age?”
Pops absentmindedly countered, “‘Already’? At least twenty years have since passed. Just look at us.”
“Yes, you’ve aged.”
“You, on the other hand, have clearly not matured in appearance nor as a person.”
“Naturally. We elves are the epitome of perfection, not doomed to grow old and perish like you. That goes for our nature, as well.”
“That wasn’t a compliment, you know.”
“What?”
Ah, yeah. Now I could picture their younger selves bickering.
“Will you desist? Today of all days is not the time.” The king cut their argument short. I bet that’s what it was like back when they were a party, too. “Now, Medîm, you’re quite sure you wish no part in the bequeathal of retrieved legacies?”
“Aye.”
“I know not the total, but it will come to no mere sum.”
The bequeathal of retrieved legacies was the right given to those who discovered items left behind by perished adventurers. If any members of the deceased’s party survived, the items would automatically be returned to them. In this case, however, considerable time had passed for some of Rhora’s victims, and very few of their companions remained to reclaim those legacies. Many of the heirlooms had undoubtedly degraded over the years, though they’d still be in better condition than similar keepsakes discovered in monsters’ bowels. Plus, they were rare artifacts found on the notorious Deranged Stratum. The final total would by no means be modest. Why wouldn’t Pops want to keep any of that?
“Souya, I owe you an apology,” the man in question confessed.
“Huh? An apology?” He’d caught me off guard, but I had a hunch I knew what he meant.
“In truth, we could have made it through the nineteenth floor in much less time, but I used you and your party as bait. I cannot accept the legacies. Soon, I’ll compensate for deceiving you.”
That explained why we had taken the long way around. If you had asked if I was pissed off, I’d have to say yes. But considering what we’d accomplished dampened my anger. We’d saved Lana and avenged Lümidia. And after all that, I would also get the information I’d sought. All in all, I guess we were even.
“Honestly, I don’t give a damn,” I told him. “Forgive me, Your Majesty, but I’d like to ask about that incident we discussed.”
Pops looked saddened, but I ignored him, turning my attention to the main reason I’d come. I knew it was dangerous, that I might rope Lana into another mess, but I’d finally get the answers I’d been after.
“Very well, Souya, the time has come to keep my word,” the king of the adventurers agreed. “………Mellum, King of Elves. I have your permission?”
“For what?”
He addressed the elf with added respect. “To divulge the measures we took to this man, Souya the Otherworlder.”
“Can you take responsibility for that, King Remlia?” Mellum responded, equally as polite.
“I stake my life on it.”
“Oh? Quite the wager.” Talk about going all in. Had Lana been carrying that heavy of a burden all this time?
“Your Highness, allow me to excuse myself,” Lanceil offered, then made to leave.