By Zephyria The bed wasn’t exactly small, but it was snug for Hugh and me to lie side-by-side.
I rested my head on Hugh’s arm. More than wanting to hold him, I wanted to be held. Each time I nuzzled against his prominent collarbone or pressed my nose against his lean upper chest and rubbed, Hugh would momentarily stop breathing. His heart pounded loudly.
As we lay there embracing, Hugh would push my shoulder away about once every ten minutes. “Let’s sleep.” Even with those words, I stubbornly held on and didn’t let myself be pushed away. Then, Hugh would relent, his arm loosening its grip.
Hugh whispered, like a sigh.
“…Tell me honestly. What is that flower? How did something like that come out of your head?”
The Emperor was truly clever. How could he have known Hugh would ask this exact question?
“That’s right. I asked.”
“…Rubel?”
“Yeah. I asked him what to do to keep the person you like, and he told me.”
“….”
“Do you like flowers?”
Just as the Emperor had said, I answered his question with another question.
Hugh didn’t reply for a long time. During that time, I was satisfied because I wasn’t scolded for resting my cheek on his chest or for occasionally rubbing it.
After a long, very long while, Hugh finally exhaled with a sound like a boiling kettle, “Hooook, Hooou,” before he managed to answer.
“…I think… it’s nice.”
“Then I’ll give you more.”
“…Okay.”
Hugh’s hand gently stroked my shoulder. Then he pulled my head into his embrace, resting his chin and cheek on my crown, holding his breath.
It felt like he was crying a little, but I clung to him, not wanting to let go because being held felt so good. I can now distinguish tears that no longer need comfort.
I was so happy that I couldn’t fall asleep. I stayed awake all night with my eyes wide open.
A few days later.
Hugh and I would accompany the Emperor and Empress on the final leg of their honeymoon trip, or rather, on their grand endeavor to install portals. Only two places remained where portals had not yet been installed: the Widdrow Duchy and the Duke Ernhardt’s Territory.
The Widdrow Duchy was a place that had helped me and Hugh grow for a considerable time when we were mere junior knights. Michael said, “You mentioned you didn’t get to see the Duke when you visited Owen last time, right? Let’s go pay our respects after such a long time,” and Hugh nodded, so I followed.
Once the portals were connected, it would be easier to transport materials or for workers to commute, so the news that construction in Ernhardt’s territory would begin with portal installation was welcome.
Thanks to this, I saw familiar faces all at once.
“Waaaah! I was really surprised, Elwin Seonbae! They said you were badly injured. How does it feel to be a new hero?”
“Hero?”
“Yes! While it might not be to the extent of someone who gets a musical or sweeps theaters, you know. The rumors are all over. Our Sir Elvin Brooks, sacrificing his own body, endured the desperate attack that was the last strike before the remnants of evil were annihilated…!”
“Hmm.”
“…Wow. Hearing this after a long time feels different. For a while, I only saw Michael making those ‘hmm’ sounds.”
“…Huh?”
“No, it’s not. I mean I’m glad to see you.”
Even after a long time, Marianne was still Marianne. She flapped her hands excitedly and extended them in greeting, so I readily shook her hand. Benjamin, standing beside her, clasped my hand once, and Mage Boulder, standing next to him, also squeezed my hand firmly before letting go.
Then Spiritus pressed his finger firmly against my forehead and scanned me, or rather, my insides. His usually ordinary pupils split vertically, but since he was a god, I wasn’t particularly surprised.
“You can move now. You’re still a Sword Master, you held up well. I sometimes wonder if your nervous system is broken. How can you run around so well after wrecking your body like that.”
“It’s thanks to you, Spiritus-nim. Thank you.”
“I wasn’t complimenting you, but, well… I did heal you… However… Never mind. Anyway, we’re all here, right? Shall I open the portal?”
“Yes. Please.”
Space tore open, and golden sparks flew out. Unlike the first time, Spiritus seemed quite accustomed to opening portals for people. I glanced at him, then at the other side of the portal.
A high castle wall of a very familiar shape. The southern gate of Widdrow was just ahead. As a living being, I was born and raised in the desert, but as a human, I was born and raised in Widdrow.
Shattered sunlight slid down the straight castle walls and sparkled. Knights clad in fur, standing guard before the narrow entrance, snapped to attention, their boot heels clacking.
“It is an honor to meet you, Your Majesty!”
How much had they practiced? Four or five knights, as if of one body, loudly welcomed the Emperor and Empress. Regardless, I briefly watched the portal close behind me. Spiritus mouthed at me, What are you looking at?* I obediently turned my gaze forward.
Two guard knights led the way, followed by the Emperor and Empress, then Spiritus and Mage Boulder, and behind them, other portal installation personnel… Hugh and I followed at the very end of the procession.
Widdrow’s walls are not single. There was a wall within a wall, and another wall within that. We walked along winding paths designed to repel approaching enemies. With every step, memories of when I was newly knighted and wandered these paths bloomed like buds in the sun.
Was Hugh thinking the same thing?
Shopkeepers, who had been informed of the Emperor and Empress’s visit in advance, did not chatter about their wares as usual. Instead, they clapped loudly and whistled every time the procession passed. It was their way of welcoming. Many familiar faces were among them.
Hugh, who had been scanning his surroundings with a calm gaze, chuckled.
“This place really hasn’t changed.”
“Look at that.”
It was the very restaurant that Blue Star had treated us to with a large sum of money once. The place Hugh and I used to visit every payday. I had loved the beads of sweat that used to form on Hugh’s nose when he gulped down the rich, hot broth.
Around that time, Marianne, holding Benjamin’s hand, lagged a step behind and caught up to us.
“What are you two talking about so interestingly?”
“Oh, what could it be? Just old stories.”
“Wow, I remember the first time I saw you seniors. Back then, I really thought, ‘What kind of people are these!'”
“You think I didn’t? You’re funny.”
Hugh’s gaze fixed on Marianne and Benjamin’s clasped hands. Why was he looking like that? Should I hold Hugh’s hand too? While I was contemplating this, Hugh suddenly laughed, “Pffft.”
“Hey… Damn it, our squad is ruined.”
“What? Why all of a sudden?”
“Out of six squad members, there are three couples. What is this?”
“Huh?”
Benjamin, who had been walking ahead, turned back in surprise. Hugh took my hand. Ah. We’re holding hands. Hugh’s ear tips turned a bright red as he glanced at my face. Then, pretending nothing was amiss, he interlaced his fingers with mine. The inside of Hugh’s palm was damp.
“What, you. What. You guys are dating, so you thought we weren’t?”
“No, wow. Whoa. Wait, since when? You never showed any signs!”
“What?”
“Noooo. Of course, there were times I suspected. Like, remember when we were choosing artifacts? Hugh Seonbae put a ring on Elwin Seonbae’s finger, and when we had a day off, you two would disappear, only to return the next day looking exhausted…”
“…What are you thinking? Back then, I was finding Mana Caves and doing reconnaissance patrols to raise you hatchlings.”
“Yes. I thought that might be it, so later I decided it wasn’t! But now?”
Hugh’s grip loosened. So this time, I squeezed his hand tightly.
Hugh walked a half-step ahead of me, his neck stiff, looking straight ahead. Since I couldn’t see his expression, my gaze kept being drawn to the tips of his red ears.
“Yeah. Now.”
“I thought Elwin Seonbae would be the first to brag if you two started dating… It’s really unexpected.”
“What, what is it?”
“No… What is this? Is this romance? Is this an old man’s love?”
“What do you mean, old man? What rank are you? You keep treating me like an old geezer since last time. How much older can you be than me?”
“We’re nine years apart. When you were beating up all the kids at the orphanage, I was drinking from a bottle, ‘Eung-ae.'”
“….”
“When you entered the Academy, I was six. When you and Professor Roberts were practicing darts, I was learning addition and subtraction, folding and unfolding my fingers.”
“….”
“When you climbed the Yuil Mountains, I was nine. Hello, I was a cute little kid learning how to do things well.”
“Hey, Benjamin! Aren’t you taking your girlfriend?”
Seeing Benjamin start to laugh at the mention of his girlfriend, Hugh ran a hand through his hair in annoyance. Marianne, who had been teasingly looking back, grinned at me, baring her teeth.
One by one, people ahead of us stopped walking.
Duke Widdrow was the same as ever. His upright posture, his imposing presence, and the reddish scar across his left eye were all unchanged. The length of his hair was the same as when I last saw him.
Looking at her, who seemed to have stepped out of the past, I was filled with a strange emotion. Among the knights and several administrators lined up beside her, I recognized a few faces.
It was so hard for me to memorize faces, yet why did everyone here feel so familiar?
While everyone held their breath, Duke Widdrow stepped forward with a crisp, precise sound, offering a knight’s salute. It was a demeanor I had never seen in the usually jovial and boisterous Duke, yet it suited him like a well-tailored suit.
“Thank you for gracing us with your precious presence from so far away, Your Majesty. We humbly accept your great grace, knowing it to be the will of the Goddess, and will gladly follow.”
“I know your efforts better than anyone. Lift your head and greet the new path that will open. It will not take long.”
“Yes. I shall step aside for a moment. May it be accomplished comfortably as Your Majesty intends.”
Marianne, who had been standing in front of us, gave a bright nod and ran forward. Benjamin, after hesitating for a moment, followed her. As the mages who had greeted everyone in turn took their positions and prepared to draw the Magic Circle, Blue Star, with its usual demeanor, surveyed the spot to plant its seed.
Hugh Benson’s gaze drifted with a rather fond look towards the direction Duke Widdrow had retreated.
“…Let’s go say hello later.”
“Okay. …Do you still need a dad?”
“Huh?”
“Or is the Duke… instead of your mom…?”
“…What crazy talk is that. Really, you… I just want to say hello, thank you. It’s something you naturally do as a human, you know.”
“Understood.”
“…And, I don’t need a dad anymore. I have you.”
“…! Am I your dad?”
“You crazy bastard, you’ve really lost it…”
Hugh punched my left chest with his fist. For a moment, I thought it was an aura-infused punch and tensed up, but then I heard him complain for a long time about how his fist hurt, if I was rebelling against him, if his words of liking me were a lie, how could I hurt him.
After that, I let him hit me without resisting. He kept hitting me, saying it was unpleasantly soft. I couldn’t tell if he was hitting me or touching me. I was very flustered, but since Hugh seemed to be in a good mood, I just let him be.
While I was distracted by our playful scuffle, the Sacred Tree began to grow rapidly in front of us.