Chapter 80

Chapter 80. The Old Woman in the Tower (5)

“Preparations?”

Rene pointed at the two large backpacks placed on the table.

The bags looked slightly different in size, and I thought the larger one was probably mine.

I turned my head and looked at Luna this time.

She was wearing travel trousers and a shirt Rene had picked out for her, with a small leather bag that looked as though it had been found in the storage room slung over her shoulder.

She stared at me quietly, then suddenly raised her hand.

“I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“Where are we going right now?”

At her words, I looked at Rene.

Then Rene took a map out of the backpack and tapped Sonata’s Valley in the north.

“We are going here.”

“Why?”

Luna’s question was simple. So Rene answered simply as well.

“For world peace.”

At her words, Luna gave an indifferent reaction.

Then she soon gave a small laugh, lifted her shoulders slightly, and nodded.

“Well, fine. I will contribute a little to that world peace too.”

Listening to their joke, I smiled gently, then turned and walked outside as I opened my mouth.

“I will saddle the horses and bring them over.”

“Oh, right! Bring a whetstone when you come in.”

I stopped in place and turned my head.

“Why a whetstone?”

At that, Rene picked up the two longswords she had leaned against the chair and drew them.

SHIIING—

A beautiful gleam of steel filled the hall.

Rene set down the sheaths, lifted the swords, checked the edges for a moment, and opened her mouth.

“The blades are rough. I should sharpen them a little. The whetstone I used before must have been old, because it broke.”

I nodded at her words, then began walking again and went outside.

Those two swords of hers were ones she had carried since before she met me.

One had been personally made for Rene by her father (my father-in-law) when she received her coming-of-age ceremony, and the other had belonged to her late mother.

They were antiques that were well over a hundred years old, but like most elves, her swordsmanship was clean and she maintained them well, so the blades had not been strained and their lifespan was long. (Perhaps she might even use those swords for the rest of her life.)

I came outside.

The fresh morning air cooled my lungs.

Haa!

After looking up at the high sky for a moment, I lowered my head.

Then, as always, I gave a bright smile to the rosebushes bearing red blossoms and moved my feet toward the stable.

Inside the stable, a sharp-eyed horse with brown fur greeted me first. His name was Race.

Beside him, the gentle-eyed black horse who nodded at me was named Reymo by Rene.

When I entered, the two of them snorted and shook their heads.

I smiled and stroked their heads.

“Now, boys. I need your help this time, so will you help me?”

PFRRR! NEIGH—!!

Race snorted a little, then nodded his head up and down, and I smiled warmly at the sight of them.

When I opened the stable door wide, Race immediately snorted and rushed out at great speed. Behind him, Reymo was walking at a leisurely pace.

No matter when I saw him, that one seemed to understand dignity.

Reymo walked out of the stable while swaying his black tail from side to side, then a moment later, he poked his head back through the doorway and quietly stared at me.

I smiled gently at his behavior and waved my hand.

“I will be there soon, so go on ahead.”

Perhaps he understood me, because he nodded his head a couple of times and walked away with a clip-clop sound.

I looked out through the doorway where they had disappeared for a moment, then turned my head toward the old goat lying alone inside the stable, still fast asleep.

Perhaps sensing my gaze, he narrowed his eyes and looked at me. I waved a hand at him and opened my mouth.

“The house will be empty for about a week. I will be counting on you while we are gone.”

Meeeeh—

The goat answered as if annoyed, then lowered his head again and went back to sleep.

With a small laugh, I brought over one of the sacks piled in the empty stall on the other side and tore the end open slightly. Then I brought over a large pile of hay and stacked it beside him.

He was a clever fellow, so even if I left it like that, he would ration it and eat appropriately. As for water, the water container was connected to a water pipe and a small device, so it would fill back up as much as he drank. He would manage on his own.

After taking care of his food and dusting off my hands, I went outside, where Race was making a scene.

He was running around here and there, occasionally lifting both forelegs and his upper body completely into the air as a trick. Perhaps being trapped in the stable for a while had made him quite restless.

I watched him for a moment, then shifted my head slightly and saw Reymo standing leisurely in one corner of the yard, chewing on something.

What a contrasting reaction.

I decided to let them do as they pleased for a little while, then turned and entered the armory this time.

The saddles and such were all kept inside the armory.

I picked up the saddles neatly(?) stacked in one corner and carried them outside, then grabbed several knives.

I also put in a whetstone as Rene had asked, and took two ropes, which I slung over my shoulder.

It was then.

-Are you going to that old hag?

I turned my head and looked at the armor standing in the corner with its head bowed.

Had it had too much energy lately?

“Ahh! But is it all right for you to speak directly to someone like that?”

-The full moon will rise again tonight. This much luxury is permissible.

I nodded at his words.

Certainly, the moon would rise again tonight.

“As you know, we will be away from home for about a week. Please look after the house.”

-Understood.

With those words as his last, he closed his mouth. I silently stared at the helmet part of the armor for a moment, then simply turned away.

When I closed the armory door and went outside, Race was still roaming here and there just as he had before.

I looked at them and whistled.

“Whee~ wheek!”

Race, who had been moving in a way that was nearly a rampage, stopped in place while panting, turned his head toward me, and pricked up his ears.

Reymo, who had stuck his head into the nearby rosebush, also stopped what he was doing, raised his head, and looked at me.

Seeing their gazes turn toward me, I raised a hand and waved it widely from side to side.

At that, the horses snorted and plodded toward me.

NEEEIGH!

Did that sound like, Why did you call me when I was having so much fun?

Race came close to my face like that and shouted(?) loudly, and I stroked the back of his neck with a somewhat bitter smile as I opened my mouth.

“Sorry. I would like to let you play a little longer, but we have to leave before morning passes.”

PFRRRR—

Perhaps Race was feeling sulky, because he flipped his lips and sprayed spit at me. I tilted my head slightly to the side and dodged his attack.

“Whoa there! Now, now, that is enough playing around. I am going to saddle you, so stay still.”

At that, he looked at me for a moment with sharp eyes, then turned his body slightly sideways, making it easier to place the saddle on him.

With his cooperation(?), I was able to put on the saddle very easily, tighten the girth strap, and put the bit in his mouth.

What a cute fellow.

I patted him on the rump.

As if by agreement, he moved his feet and began walking toward the front door.

After watching his back for a moment, I lifted the remaining saddle in my hand and turned my head with a smile.

“Now, next is Reymo.”

But when I saw his face, I quickly erased my smile and hurriedly looked around.

The reason was that Reymo had a rose in his mouth and was crunching on it.

So that was why he had his head in the rosebush earlier.

Rene would not let this go if she saw him.

Fortunately, she still seemed to be inside the house.

So I let out a small sigh, patted his cheek with my palm, and said,

“You rascal. How many times do I have to tell you not to eat that?”

At my words, Reymo, who was holding a rose in his mouth and staring at me with gentle eyes, shook his head from side to side.

I gave a bitter smile and lifted the saddle.

“Fine, I understand. But please do not show that in front of Rene. If she finds out, we will be in trouble. Got it?”

At my words, he strangely nodded.

I chuckled and placed the saddle I was holding in one hand onto his back.

Then I secured the saddle in the same way as before, waited for him to finish eating the rose he had in his mouth (the thorns must not have been easy to deal with, but he was crunching through it), and then put the bit in his mouth.

After that, I left the ropes, bag, and reins I had set down on the ground roughly placed on the saddle, slipped my hands into my pockets, and leisurely walked toward the house.

Beside me, the large black horse walked along at an easy pace.

His legs matched his large frame and had a long stride, so even when he walked slowly, he moved ahead of me.

So although we were walking together, before I knew it, I was lined up with his hindquarters.

Ahem.

When I turned my head forward, I saw Race loitering in front of the entrance, then slyly pushing his head inside the door.

That fellow was unusually curious, so whenever he saw something interesting, he would approach and tap at it. He was someone I had to watch carefully. (I had once taken him to the market and gone through quite a bit of trouble.)

At that moment, Race, who had stuck his head inside the door, began slowly backing away. When I got closer, I saw Rene inside the house, with her hand placed on his forehead as she slowly pushed him backward. (In reality, she was merely resting her palm on his forehead.)

“Race? No matter how bored you are, you must not just barge into the house like that. We will be leaving soon, so could you wait a little?”

PFRRRR—!

Pushed by Rene, Race descended into the yard, looked up at her, and shook his head.

At that, Rene smiled brightly and lifted the carrot she was holding in her other hand.

When Race saw the carrot, his ears pricked up, and he quickly stretched his neck, took it in his mouth, and stepped back.

Seeing that from beside me, Reymo trotted over a little faster and began acting cute(?) in front of Rene.

Rene smiled at the sight of him and put the one remaining carrot in his mouth.

At that, Reymo shoved it into his mouth in one bite, then slowly stepped back and began wandering around the yard while chewing broadly.

I looked at the two fellows, who had negotiated with her for a single carrot, with a smile.

Then I approached Rene, who was giving the horses a faint smile.

Rene lightly pressed my chest with her finger and said,

“How is it? Are you feeling all right?”

“Yes. But was this something that had to be changed once a day?”

“Yes. With my ability, that is the limit. Magic that applies to the body should be considered impossible unless one is a skilled mage. I experimented again and again for your sake too, but it was utterly impossible. I am sorry, dear.”

I tried to understand her words, then gave up and wrapped my arm around her shoulders as I moved inside.

“Do not look so sad. It is all right. And thank you. Thanks to you, it does not hurt now.”

At my words, Rene raised her head and looked at me.

Looking at her face, I gave her a warm smile with my eyes.

At that, Rene seemed to smile faintly and let her face ease a little.

I should not worry her any more than this….

When we entered the house, the savory smell of baking cookies drifted toward us.

These seemed to be cookies baked to call Exel, did they not?

When I entered the kitchen with Rene, Luna was sitting there in a chair she had brought in front of the oven, arms crossed, staring at it.

When we entered, she spoke without even turning her head.

“I am curious.”

“About what?”

Luna turned her head slightly and opened her mouth.

“You say we are going on a trip, so why are you baking cookies? Are we going to eat them on the way?”

“No, it is to call someone.”

“Who?”

“Me. Though I apologize for interrupting your conversation. You are leaving on a journey?”

At the voice from the hall, Luna’s eyes widened slightly.

There stood Exel with a large sack slung over one shoulder.

Seeing him, Luna smiled as if amused and said,

“Wait. If you bake cookies, Exel comes here? To this place?”

At her words, I smiled and nodded.

At that, Luna glanced at Exel standing outside and nodded as if she understood something.

I turned and went out to greet Exel.

“Welcome. But what is that?”

I opened my mouth while pointing at the large leather sack.

At that, Exel glanced down at it and said,

“It is food to eat through the winter. I can do something about meat, but berries and fruits like these have to be picked and stored in advance. I cannot live on meat alone.”

At that moment, Luna’s voice came from the kitchen.

“As far as I know, wolves are carnivores. Ones that eat raw meat dripping with blood.”

“Sorry, but would you like to try chewing frozen raw meat? I do not like cooked meat either, but there is no helping it in winter.”

At Exel’s words, Rene nodded with an Ah~ expression and said,

“So that is why you go around picking fruit. You cannot take in nutrients evenly with cooked meat alone.”

“Yes, that is exactly it. By the way, I heard you are leaving on a journey?”

I answered his question.

“That is how it turned out. We probably will not be able to come home for about a week. So I have one favor to ask….”

“House-sitting? Or babysitting? Or both?”

Rene and I smiled faintly at Exel’s words and shook our heads.

Then Luna’s dry voice came from the kitchen.

“There is no child here.”

At her words, Exel bared his teeth and laughed, then lowered his head to us.

“It seems it is neither. Then what is it?”

After hearing what Rene and I had to say, Exel looked at the Dragon Heart fragment in his hand and opened his mouth.

“Very well. I happened to have business in the capital anyway, so this works out. I will stockpile food first, then leave for the capital. Then will we all return together when I come back?”

“Yes. That is how it will be.”

Rene nodded as she said that.

At that, Exel stuffed the Dragon Heart into his pants pocket and rose from his seat.

He took some fruit out of the sack he had set on the floor. There were quite a few I had never seen before.

He placed them on the table, then looked at Luna, who was sitting on a chair, and opened his mouth.

“Try some. They will help you grow taller.”

Luna, who had been frowning, jerked her head away from him.

Exel bared his teeth and laughed, then slung the sack over his shoulder and walked out the door.

“Then I will be going now. Let us meet again in the capital.”

“See you in three days.”

As always, he left without looking back.

After seeing him off at the front door, I returned to the hall and looked at Rene, who was wrapping the fruit in cloth and putting it into the bag.

“Is everything sorted?”

“Yes. The fire in the brazier is completely out, and the oven will cool down soon, so it will be fine to leave it as it is. Of course, the kitchen is all cleaned up too. So we can leave now.”

“Sorry. Since I woke up late this morning, I left everything to you.”

At that, Rene raised a finger and wagged it left and right.

“Ahh~ That was beyond your control. You are extremely tired right now, so leave most things to me. You should only think about making a full recovery and making me happy. All right?”

At her words, I could only smile.

At that moment, Luna, who had come out of the kitchen carrying a heap of cookies wrapped in paper, passed beside us and walked toward the backpack as she spoke.

“Why not just leave after eating lunch?”

At her words, we gave bitter smiles, hurriedly called the horses over, loaded the luggage, and set off at once.