epilogue
Tien opened her eyes.
What I felt at that moment was the smell of disinfectant that stung the back of my nose.
Second, it's a comforting, familiar smell.
"...sir?"
I could imagine that I was lying on a strange bed, and that it was some kind of clinic.
But why is the doctor here?
The teacher was sitting in his chair, nodding with his hands on his knees, when he looked up with a start,
"Tien, you're awake... good."
He stood up and gently placed his hand on Tien's forehead.
Her eyes seemed to be moist, but I couldn't see them very well in this darkness.
In the room, there was only a single magic lamp lit up.
There were several other beds in the room, and many people were asleep.
But the outline of the counter and the atmosphere of the room are familiar to me.
It's the mine administration office.
"...why are we here, in the mine office..."
"Yeah, yeah. Yes, yes. Under Nina-san's orders, we've become a temporary aid station."
"Nina's...?"
Tien's mind conjures up images of the little maid.
This is the maid-san who gave Tien water, cooked food that even Tien could eat, and taught me how to be "full" after a long time.
All you get for that is a tour of the mine.
I'm pretty sure she stayed here during the mining accident. ....
(I see.)
It's not just Emily and Astrid.
Nina helped me outside the mine. She fought for us.
"...you know, sir."
When she remembered those three girls, Tien's heart was filled with a warm, frustrating and helpless feeling.
So, the word came naturally.
"Chi is thinking of leaving the city. Preferably with Nina."
The teacher smiled as if to say, "I knew you would say that," and nodded slowly.
"And so, Chi wants to meet your father and mother someday. I'm scared but I want to ask them why they abandoned me."
The teacher nodded slowly again, and then,
"No matter how far away you are, I pray for your safety. Every day, every day, I pray to God-sama for the safe journey of Tien, the proud moon-wolf Tien."
Tien knows that those words are not a lie.
Because he prays every day at the monastery.
After a child graduates from the orphanage, we are especially careful.
The doctor's been praying.
I hope your children are healthy, safe, and living somewhere.
"...looks like the rain stopped."
I could tell by the smell.
The teacher opened the wooden window and wet air came in from outside.
Indeed, the rain had stopped, and the eastern sky was brightening.
Why not, Emily thought.
"Oh, Emily-san, Astrid-san, good morning."
It's about 8:00 in the morning.
The bed at the inn was hard, but Emily slept soundly.
Indeed-- indeed, I may have overslept a bit today.
I used too much magic yesterday, and I walked a lot in and out of the mine.
Even Emily, who is used to walking, has a hard time, and Astrid still walks unsteadily with her eyes closed.
But I'm sure it's the same for Nina.
According to her, she had to carry by herself with her small body what two adults had to carry to build the first aid station.
When asked why she had so much power, she replied, "It's natural for a maid.
"That's okay."
"Huh?"
"Did you sleep with Chan? You've been working later than us! Why are you already up and washing yesterday's clothes?"
"Of course, if you're a maid."
Every time you say that word, my head starts to spin.
In Emily's mind, the question, "What is a maid like? to the common sense of "maids are maids after all.
No, no, no.
Absolutely not.
"Come on. I'll take care of my clothes."
Emily crouched down next to Nina, who was scrubbing her clothes in the tub.
"And, but..."
"You're not my maid."
"It's..."
Nina is disappointed.
(Oh dear...)
Maybe we should do this (・・・・) soon, Emily thought.
(Ne, Astrid)
Throw a glance at your companion.
And Astrid..,
"...... sppi"
I was asleep standing up.
The news of the mining accident spread to the town with shock.
After a late breakfast, we went out to the town where yesterday's rain had not yet dried up, and everywhere we went, people were talking about the accident.
"--They say it'll take three months to repair."
"I heard it was six months."
"What are you talking about? If it takes six months, the town will dry up!"
"--and there will be no workers."
"--the mine manager said..."
Nina heard what was going on,
"Emily-san."
"Hmm? What?"
"Um... well, it's... well, it's nothing."
I was about to say something, but I retracted it,
"Ah, it's the market! It's busy again today."
I changed the subject.
Nina and her friends came to the market to buy food and supplies for their next trip.
We fulfilled our purpose of visiting the mine, and even helped to minimize the damage caused by the accident.
To be honest, even Emily has had enough of the mine.
If possible, I would like to go to a scenic sea town or something.
I want to drink a tropical juice while looking at the ocean.
That was the extent of Emily's image of the resort.
"---Nina"
But..,
"Do you want me to stay in this city for a little while longer?"
That's what Emily said.
It is so obvious that Nina wants to do something to help restore the mine that she doesn't even need to ask, and it is also obvious that she wants to borrow Emily's magic and Astrid's wisdom because she lacks the power to do so.
"I know the town is going to be deserted because of the accident, and there are things I can do, but 'Hi, good-bye' doesn't feel good."
"Emily-san..."
"Fortunately? Me and Astrid can use our powers in situations like this."
"Emily!"
"Whoa!"
She was hugged tightly, and Emily blinked, not expecting to be treated like this.
"What's going on, Nina?"
"Emily-san, you're too good..."
"Hey, hey, help me, Astrid!"
"It's also rare to see Emily-kun with a red face, so as for me, I'd like to watch her like this for a while."
"Don't be silly!"
"That's good. -kun, since it's Nina-kun, it's hard for her to say, and now that she's said it, she'll feel responsible for it, so I have to say it to her... like, she said it to me last night."
"Hey! Don't take this away from me!"
"Emily!"
"GIVE! Nina, I'm giving up! You're so powerful!"
Emily was happy, even though she was pushing him away.
It was not only because Nina thanked me.
(This girl... she showed me that she's not a maid...)
For better or worse, being a "maid" is ingrained in Nina.
She showed me her emotions.
It made her happy.
"That's enough, Nina. Emily and I will go back to the inn and get our gear. We have to make arrangements for the next night."
"Oh, I could do that..."
"Nina, I have a favor to ask you. I want you to go see what happened to Tien."
"!"
The doctor had said there was nothing life-threatening and the monastery doctor was there, so Tien had been left at the mine administration office.
Nina was wondering the same thing.
"I'll meet you at the mine later."
"Yes, yes!"
Nina left them and headed for the mine management office.
"So, Emily. You're really going to do this, aren't you?"
"Yes. I think now would be a good time. Did you see Nina's face back there? She's probably worried about the miners as well as us. She said, "If we help with the recovery, we might take their jobs."
"I suppose so. When you go that far, it feels more like a curse of caring than kindness."
"Also I think that Tien is..."
"Yeah . I'm sure Tien-kun will say he wants to follow Nina-kun."
The two men looked at each other and smiled at each other.
"That girl at all... how many more friends will she have?"
"As for me, I'd like to see how much more I can take."
"Seriously?"
"A joke."
"Right."
Emily let out a small sigh,
"Let's go then. --to the Adventurer's Guild (・・・・・・)."
We're walking out.
Tien opened her eyes.
What I felt at that moment was the smell of disinfectant that stung the back of my nose.
Second, it's a comforting, familiar smell.
"...sir?"
I could imagine that I was lying on a strange bed, and that it was some kind of clinic.
But why is the doctor here?
The teacher was sitting in his chair, nodding with his hands on his knees, when he looked up with a start,
"Tien, you're awake... good."
He stood up and gently placed his hand on Tien's forehead.
Her eyes seemed to be moist, but I couldn't see them very well in this darkness.
In the room, there was only a single magic lamp lit up.
There were several other beds in the room, and many people were asleep.
But the outline of the counter and the atmosphere of the room are familiar to me.
It's the mine administration office.
"...why are we here, in the mine office..."
"Yeah, yeah. Yes, yes. Under Nina-san's orders, we've become a temporary aid station."
"Nina's...?"
Tien's mind conjures up images of the little maid.
This is the maid-san who gave Tien water, cooked food that even Tien could eat, and taught me how to be "full" after a long time.
All you get for that is a tour of the mine.
I'm pretty sure she stayed here during the mining accident. ....
(I see.)
It's not just Emily and Astrid.
Nina helped me outside the mine. She fought for us.
"...you know, sir."
When she remembered those three girls, Tien's heart was filled with a warm, frustrating and helpless feeling.
So, the word came naturally.
"Chi is thinking of leaving the city. Preferably with Nina."
The teacher smiled as if to say, "I knew you would say that," and nodded slowly.
"And so, Chi wants to meet your father and mother someday. I'm scared but I want to ask them why they abandoned me."
The teacher nodded slowly again, and then,
"No matter how far away you are, I pray for your safety. Every day, every day, I pray to God-sama for the safe journey of Tien, the proud moon-wolf Tien."
Tien knows that those words are not a lie.
Because he prays every day at the monastery.
After a child graduates from the orphanage, we are especially careful.
The doctor's been praying.
I hope your children are healthy, safe, and living somewhere.
"...looks like the rain stopped."
I could tell by the smell.
The teacher opened the wooden window and wet air came in from outside.
Indeed, the rain had stopped, and the eastern sky was brightening.
Why not, Emily thought.
"Oh, Emily-san, Astrid-san, good morning."
It's about 8:00 in the morning.
The bed at the inn was hard, but Emily slept soundly.
Indeed-- indeed, I may have overslept a bit today.
I used too much magic yesterday, and I walked a lot in and out of the mine.
Even Emily, who is used to walking, has a hard time, and Astrid still walks unsteadily with her eyes closed.
But I'm sure it's the same for Nina.
According to her, she had to carry by herself with her small body what two adults had to carry to build the first aid station.
When asked why she had so much power, she replied, "It's natural for a maid.
"That's okay."
"Huh?"
"Did you sleep with Chan? You've been working later than us! Why are you already up and washing yesterday's clothes?"
"Of course, if you're a maid."
Every time you say that word, my head starts to spin.
In Emily's mind, the question, "What is a maid like? to the common sense of "maids are maids after all.
No, no, no.
Absolutely not.
"Come on. I'll take care of my clothes."
Emily crouched down next to Nina, who was scrubbing her clothes in the tub.
"And, but..."
"You're not my maid."
"It's..."
Nina is disappointed.
(Oh dear...)
Maybe we should do this (・・・・) soon, Emily thought.
(Ne, Astrid)
Throw a glance at your companion.
And Astrid..,
"...... sppi"
I was asleep standing up.
The news of the mining accident spread to the town with shock.
After a late breakfast, we went out to the town where yesterday's rain had not yet dried up, and everywhere we went, people were talking about the accident.
"--They say it'll take three months to repair."
"I heard it was six months."
"What are you talking about? If it takes six months, the town will dry up!"
"--and there will be no workers."
"--the mine manager said..."
Nina heard what was going on,
"Emily-san."
"Hmm? What?"
"Um... well, it's... well, it's nothing."
I was about to say something, but I retracted it,
"Ah, it's the market! It's busy again today."
I changed the subject.
Nina and her friends came to the market to buy food and supplies for their next trip.
We fulfilled our purpose of visiting the mine, and even helped to minimize the damage caused by the accident.
To be honest, even Emily has had enough of the mine.
If possible, I would like to go to a scenic sea town or something.
I want to drink a tropical juice while looking at the ocean.
That was the extent of Emily's image of the resort.
"---Nina"
But..,
"Do you want me to stay in this city for a little while longer?"
That's what Emily said.
It is so obvious that Nina wants to do something to help restore the mine that she doesn't even need to ask, and it is also obvious that she wants to borrow Emily's magic and Astrid's wisdom because she lacks the power to do so.
"I know the town is going to be deserted because of the accident, and there are things I can do, but 'Hi, good-bye' doesn't feel good."
"Emily-san..."
"Fortunately? Me and Astrid can use our powers in situations like this."
"Emily!"
"Whoa!"
She was hugged tightly, and Emily blinked, not expecting to be treated like this.
"What's going on, Nina?"
"Emily-san, you're too good..."
"Hey, hey, help me, Astrid!"
"It's also rare to see Emily-kun with a red face, so as for me, I'd like to watch her like this for a while."
"Don't be silly!"
"That's good. -kun, since it's Nina-kun, it's hard for her to say, and now that she's said it, she'll feel responsible for it, so I have to say it to her... like, she said it to me last night."
"Hey! Don't take this away from me!"
"Emily!"
"GIVE! Nina, I'm giving up! You're so powerful!"
Emily was happy, even though she was pushing him away.
It was not only because Nina thanked me.
(This girl... she showed me that she's not a maid...)
For better or worse, being a "maid" is ingrained in Nina.
She showed me her emotions.
It made her happy.
"That's enough, Nina. Emily and I will go back to the inn and get our gear. We have to make arrangements for the next night."
"Oh, I could do that..."
"Nina, I have a favor to ask you. I want you to go see what happened to Tien."
"!"
The doctor had said there was nothing life-threatening and the monastery doctor was there, so Tien had been left at the mine administration office.
Nina was wondering the same thing.
"I'll meet you at the mine later."
"Yes, yes!"
Nina left them and headed for the mine management office.
"So, Emily. You're really going to do this, aren't you?"
"Yes. I think now would be a good time. Did you see Nina's face back there? She's probably worried about the miners as well as us. She said, "If we help with the recovery, we might take their jobs."
"I suppose so. When you go that far, it feels more like a curse of caring than kindness."
"Also I think that Tien is..."
"Yeah . I'm sure Tien-kun will say he wants to follow Nina-kun."
The two men looked at each other and smiled at each other.
"That girl at all... how many more friends will she have?"
"As for me, I'd like to see how much more I can take."
"Seriously?"
"A joke."
"Right."
Emily let out a small sigh,
"Let's go then. --to the Adventurer's Guild (・・・・・・)."
We're walking out.