Epilogue

Epilogue

 

“ACHOO!” I let out a loud sneeze on the roadside. “Oh no. Did I catch a cold…?”

Exercising while half-dressed after a bath at night might have been the cause. I had just been trying to be health-conscious, but it looked like I’d done the opposite.

As I sniffled and glanced sideways, Gol shook her body in concern. My reckless idea to do radio exercises dressed that way had worried my partner.

Ah, I’m really sorry. I’ll make sure to properly wear clothes next time so I don’t worry Gol. I resolutely swore this upon my heart.

After Gol and I had left everyone, we walked along the street for some time until we passed through the west gate and finally exited the town. Because I stopped when I sneezed, I casually turned around. Behind me was a simple, peaceful town composed of rows of wooden buildings and surrounded by brown, earthen walls. This was the town of Tibar. I had only thought of this place as a quick rest stop to replenish my supplies, but I had unexpectedly ended up overstaying.

By the gate stood an old gatekeeper with a long spear. Because I had stopped and looked back, he raised his spear and bowed.

The posture and angle of this world’s bow was slightly different from my original world’s. I politely returned his bow in this world’s fashion. It seemed that within this half month, I’d become a familiar face.

Say, Mr. Gatekeeper, I’m most grateful for that courteous bow of yours, but could you please stop ogling Gol’s butt? My partner’s getting riled up.

Well, he wasn’t the only culprit. Everyone stared at Gol’s body too much. I was onto them! And Gol was increasingly irritated. If only they’d think of the trouble they caused me every time I had to take Gol’s hand to suppress her anger and prevent some kind of retaliation.

Well, I had no choice. I had to leave swiftly before Gol could bite him. If she made a scene here, our departure would be postponed yet again.

“Come on, Gol. We’re going.” I called out to my partner, who was beginning to stare with faintly murderous intent at the gatekeeper, and began to walk ahead.

She slightly lifted her ears in response to my call and swiftly caught up to me.

As we continued down the road, we soon reached the crossroads. I still remembered turning right and heading north on that wagon. Today, we wouldn’t turn, and would continue straight west until we reached the center of the country.

I slowed my pace at this intersection and leisurely enjoyed the scenery to my left, gazing at the straight road that continued south and the idyllic, rolling green land.

At that moment, the sound of the wind suddenly disappeared.

“Hm?” I stopped, frowning, and soon realized the reason. Ah, I see. The wind just calmed. The wind always blew from the west before, but I guess there are times when it dies down.

Someone called out to me then, their voice weaving through the gaps in the wind. “Young man, are you leaving already?”

When I faced the direction of the voice, I saw a short, hooded person holding a short cane standing next to me.

“Huh? You’re that…”

It was the grandma who had given me a piece of candy when I first arrived in Tibar. The same grandma had given me candy multiple other times. Frankly, she was the only woman in Tibar I had succeeded in seducing.

Huh. This grandma was actually the first person who’d spoken to me in Tibar, and if it weren’t for her informing me of the existence of the mana tool shop, I wouldn’t have even encountered the Chotos family. She was also the one who had informed me of the horrible debt Mr. Chotos bore, and the heartbreaking reasons for it. I don’t think I would’ve gotten involved with the man if I hadn’t learned of his circumstances.

Thinking about it that way, could I call this a twist of fate or something? As people sometimes say, everything just fell into place.

“Thank you for your help before,” I said, conveying my appreciation and farewell. “Yes, I’m planning to leave. Although it’s regrettable, I can’t stay. I have some important business to attend to.”

I was a man who understood that one must be polite and respectful towards one’s elders. (Mr. Chotos was an exception.)

As I addressed her, the grandma stared at my face. Honestly, this woman’s appearances were always quite sudden. Every time I noticed her, she was already standing right next to me. I suppose to the overprotective Gol, such an elderly lady was safe and didn’t need to show her papers to approach me. At that thought, I casually glanced toward my partner.

Suddenly, the grandma threw off her hood and grabbed both my shoulders with her thin hands.

“Eh?” I startled.

Then she pulled me toward herself. Our faces were awfully close. This was bad. At this distance, our lips will touch, ma’am. We’ve only just met, so don’t you think this is going a bit too fast?

While I was perplexed, the strange smell of medicinal herbs wafted from the woman’s hair, which was now exposed. It wasn’t an unpleasant odor, but rather a soothing, even welcoming aroma.

Nevertheless, now that I was looking closely at this lady, she had quite well-defined features. I was sure she had tempted the hearts of many a gentleman in her youth.

This candy of a grandma fixed her eyes on me. Her golden eyes held a far stronger light than I could have imagined. This warm and powerful gaze was fixed on me, yet it seemed that at the same time, she was also looking somewhere far off into the distance.

And, for some reason, she seemed terribly and unbearably sad.

“Young man. I feel you’ll encounter great difficulty in the future… Understand? You absolutely cannot give up on your journey.”

Hmm, is this one of those life lessons elders give the young? This youngster will keep your words in mind, grandma.

I was optimistic at first, but the next words out of the woman’s mouth were an utter mystery.

“You truly are the kindest king… How could the gentle one die the earliest? You mustn’t allow it. Remember, there’s no such thing as a fate determined from the beginning.”

Wh-what is this? All of a sudden we’re getting philosophical? Please wait, my senior in life experience. I was never a very good student when it came to philosophy.

The grandma didn’t seem concerned by my confusion. After she lightly patted my head, she left as if nothing had happened. On her departure, she gave me a bag full of candy. How kind.

 

***

 

The west wind began to blow past my ears once more. I stood still as I held the bag of candy.

“What just happened…?”

I felt like I had been daydreaming. I had already lost sight of the candy grandma. I had been so sure she was there just a moment ago.

Really though, what was up with that? In the end, the only hearts I managed to capture in the town of Tibar were that grandma and Teru. Ah, well, I might have been one step short of making Old Dancy from the bookstore fall for me.

B-but, that’s…just a little, um, like…

Just once, I wouldn’t mind getting somewhere with a totally average woman around my age. What exactly would I need to do to have that wonderful encounter and begin my love story? I was deprived of romance. I just kept running into little girls and grandmas. Was there possibly something getting between me and available women?

As I thought through this deep philosophical quandary, I took a piece of candy from the bag I had just received. I carelessly let it slip from my hand, and it tumbled toward the ground.

It never landed. A beautiful white palm extended out from beside me and caught the candy with ease. The owner of this white, nigh transparent hand quietly, softly, and gently pushed the candy against my lips with her fingers.

“Thanks, Gol.”

As Gol pushed the candy into my mouth, her fingers brushed my lips as if tracing their shape. Since I’d thanked her and smiled, her long ears fluttered with delight.

Hey, partner. What do you think? Do you think I’ve been accidentally snapping my own romance flags with women my age…?

While I posed this question in my heart, Gol continued tracing my lips. She had been playing around with my face for some time now, but I guess she didn’t get bored.

As I studied her satisfied face and long ears, I suddenly remembered. “That reminds me. When it’s just the two of us, the angle of your ears lowers.”

Whenever we were alone, Gol’s lovely elven ears very faintly lowered, as if she were relaxed. Though, saying that, it was really only a few millimeters’ difference, so I didn’t think anyone but me would even notice.

As I pointed this out, Gol lowered her face as if bashful. Her gleaming crimson irises reflected the morning sun and gave off a pale shine. I was sure her reaction meant I was right.

I had appeared in this other world in my lame pajamas before I knew what was happening… But it didn’t seem like a chance encounter and love story with a wonderful woman would begin anytime soon. On the other hand, the strength of the mutual understanding between my silent partner and myself was steadily progressing each day.

“Shall we go?” I asked.

Together with my partner, I resumed my journey down the road to the west as I lightly rolled the candy around my mouth with my tongue.

The distant sky was a refreshingly clear blue while the wind waved the green fields extending before me. A strange, gentle sweetness spread through my mouth, tasting faintly of a nostalgic fruit.