Currently, I'm sitting on the sofa in my living room.
The one sitting in front of me is Ruijerd.
Sylphy is putting Aisha and Norn in the bath.
Sylphy and I have already come down from our intoxication.
I'm sure our breath still smells a bit of alcohol, but Detoxification magic has the power to sober one up from intoxication.
"..."
Looking at Ruijerd's face as the fireplace illuminated it, I remember back to the time we first met.
Not only that, but the time when the three of us traveled together including Eris, vividly.
"It's been quite a while hasn't it, really."
"Yeah."
Ruijerd narrowed his eyes as well, and the corners of his mouth rose in a small smile.
How nostalgic.
"For starters, I'll say thank you very much for escorting my little sisters."
"Thanks are unnecessary. It's only obvious to protect children."
That's right. Ruijerd was this sort of person.
In the middle of the journey, I made jokes about his love for children and made him out to be a lolicon didn't I.
The escort written about in the letter from Paul ended up being Ruijerd after all.
I thought there was the possibility of it being Ghyslaine as well, but speaking of an escort for children, it has to be Ruijerd.
There's no other man as reliable as him.
Almost to the point that I want him to protect my little sisters forever.
However, it's really been a long time since I last talked to Ruijerd.
Last time, what kind of things did we talk about?
Since Ruijerd is pretty silent, we never really talked about the world at large.
"By the way Rudeus, what happened to Eris?"
Ruijerd unreservedly came out asking about the topic I was hesitating over.
It's something I don't want to be asked about very much.
However, in regards to Ruijerd, I'm sure it's something he wants to know.
"...A variety of things happened. If I talk about them in order then..."
I told Ruijerd about the things in the Refugee Camp after we separated.
That I did it with Eris.
After that, she disappeared, and as a result, I fell into the depths of despair.
The fact that I couldn't get it up.
I spent two years as an Adventurer looking for my mother.
I met with Elinalise and heard about the situation.
Following the Hitogami's advice, I decided to attend the Magic University.
There, I met with Sylphy, and she cured me.
And then, we ended up getting married.
"I see..."
Ruijerd listened quietly without giving any signs.
And then, in the end, he just said one thing.
"It is something that happens often."
"Is it something that happens often?"
When I ask it in reverse, Ruijerd nods.
"Most likely, it's an illness warriors catch. I'm sure that Eris by no means hated you." [1]
"But... she said that we didn't match up and..."
"I don't know what Eris's real intention was. It might have been a meaning just as the words said, or else, you might have just misunderstood something."
"A misunderstanding?"
"Yeah, Eris was by no means someone who was good with words after all."
Ruijerd as well is by no means someone who can be considered good with words.
Since it's him saying it like this, then, it could be that Eris's words might have had some other different kind of meaning packed into them.
"However, at the very least, during the journey, she liked you. If a time comes when you meet her once again, you should try to calm down and talk to her."
It could have just been that I simply misunderstood.
The fact that we don't match together, in reverse, could have meant that [Eris can't reach where I am.]
She might have gone off to train in order to even things out before returning.
Therefore, wait for me, is the sort of meaning it might have had.
"..."
...Even though I say that, even if I hear that sort of thing at this point...
Putting aside what kind of meaning it had, I suffered for three years.
There was no letter from Eris for three years.
The one who saved me wasn't Eris, it was Sylphy.
Since it's a misunderstanding, throw away Sylphy and start over again with Eris like that.
There's no way I could do that.
It's already at this point.
Besides, honestly, I'm a little afraid to meet Eris.
It's not as if I don't believe in Ruijerd's words, but it's a real possibility that she was tired of me.
If I approach her with the intention of reconciliation, and she starts beating me up without looking at me...
I would, as I thought, feel hurt.
...Already, I want to stop thinking about it.
Regardless of what the truth is, reality is in the present.
It can't be helped even if I idly think about it here.
"Ruijerd-san, what have you been doing?"
"...Ah."
I changed the topic.
I wanted to listen to Ruijerd's story.
He made a face like he still wanted to say something, but he deeply nodded.
"For the past two years, I was in the dense forested area of the south."
It seems Ruijerd decided that the place where the Supard race may be hiding on the Central Continent would be in a forest area.
For starters, he decided to move around the dense forest area that spreads out on the southern side of the Dragon King Mountain Range. There, he spent two years searching around scouring the area.
He wasn't able to find any of the Supard race.
However, it seems he discovered articles of the deceased of several individuals believed to have died from the teleport incident.
Afterwards, he would bring those to the nearby town and collect information there.
In the end, the two years he spent searching in the dense forest area ended with no results.
Ruijerd started following the coast going south and moved until he made it to East Port.
His plan was to collect information from the direction of Milis, and after he finished that, he intended to go north and search the strife zone.
However, he luckily encountered Paul and the others there.
After that, it is just as what was written in Paul's letter.
For Paul who was hesitant to let two children go on a journey, it seems Ruijerd offered to be an escort for the two.
"Come to think of it, I met your Shisho as well."
"You met Roxy-sensei?"
"Yeah..."
Ruijerd made a bitter smile.
"The impression I got from her was a bit different from what I heard from you."
"Is that so, in what way?"
"After telling her my race name and showing her the eye on my forehead, she was openly afraid."
"Ah."
Thinking back to it, the one that taught me that the Supard race was a dreadful race was Roxy wasn't it.
Even though Roxy said all of that, she's still of the Magic Race. The ones most afraid of the Supard Race are the Magic Race after all.
It can't really be helped.
Roxy was timid and frightened after seeing Ruijerd...
I also wanted to see that...
"And then, you came along together with Ginger-san until here."
"Yeah, we arrived in the evening and we went to the Magic University, but we were unable to find you."
The four of them thought I was living in the dorm and would be at the Magic University.
However, by that time, we had already moved to the bar.
It seems many of the guys they asked didn't know where I went, so it seems they asked for my address.
In order to not pass by each other, they separated with Ginger there, and it seems the three of them went looking for my house.
But, along the way, Aisha or Norn made a mistake with the road, or in the first place, maybe the person who explained it to them was mistaken, but they ended up getting lost.
Around the time they were aimlessly wandering in a strange place, Ruijerd searched for my presence, and it seems they managed to arrive at my house.
"I see... in any case, once again let me say my thanks. Thank you very much."
"Thanks are unnecessary. You and I are close."
Ruijerd who said that grinned.
The fact that I'm recognized by this man is one of the things I'm proud of in my regard.
"In any case, you were considerably fast weren't you."
The letter only just arrived last month.
Even at fastest, I thought they would arrive after another two or three months.
"Your little sister was enthusiastic."
"Which one?"
"Aisha. Thanks to that child, we were able to move very efficiently."
According to the story, following Aisha's suggestion, it seems they made use of a caravan of merchants to move around at night as well.
Just, such caravans of merchants fundamentally don't accept outsiders.
It seems in exchange for allowing Aisha to ride along, they offered Ruijerd to be used as an escort.
With Ruijerd and Ginger acting as escorts.
The pay for that was allowing the load of the two young girls.
It was a good purchase, is what it means.
Although, it seems those negotiations weren't all that simple.
In any case, they would move, and then when the merchant caravan came to a stop, they would find another merchant caravan to travel to the next location.
By getting on one merchant caravan to the next, they were able to move very efficiently.
Each place's merchant caravan schedule was placed at the top of the list for information collecting. Occasionally, they would go back a portion of the way to a previous town and then move to the place where a different merchant caravan was it seems.
After the other three asked why they should return, it seems Aisha responded like this.
"It's because this way is faster."
I see now, a genius.
That sure is amazing.
"But, if that's the case Ruijerd-san, wasn't it difficult? During the night you had to guard the merchant caravan, and in the day, you had to get up in order to move as well."
"No problem. In the past, I would frequently continue on without resting for several days at a time while moving.. but.."
"But?"
"For the first time in a while, I felt like I was being worked pretty hard."
After saying that, Ruijerd let out a weak laugh.
I wonder if he's remembering the Human-Demon war period.
Nevertheless, that Aisha...
To think she would work Ruijerd hard so conveniently.
Who does she think she is?
"That is, how do I put it, my little sister has greatly troubled you.