I woke up.
Sylphy was looking down at my face with concern.
I realize that I'm sleeping on top of the bed.
"Ah, Rudi, are you alright? You were having a nightmare."
"Yeah..."
What happened after I received that letter, what was it again.
I don't remember well.
I remember going into a dumbfounded state of stupefaction.
Probably because things here have been proceeding so well recently.
The shock was big.
The letter from Gisu.
The words requesting assistance.
Something must have happened.
However, there are the words from the Hitogami as well.
Even if I start traveling now, there's the possibility that it's a misunderstanding.
It might be too optimistic, but that letter might just be something Gisu sent out in a panic.
That's right, the sender wasn't Paul. It was Gisu.
It was newbie, that monkey bastard.
I wonder why that guy would send this sort of letter to me.
It's because he said he was going to search for Zenith.
At least, there was never the name Gisu in Paul's letter.
It might be that Gisu is searching for Zenith alone and he found her.
The time the letter was sent was half a year ago as well.
It could be that, the time when he sent the letter was before he met up with Paul and the others.
That time he might have thought there was nothing he could do, so he sent the letter.
It could be that he sent a similar letter to Paul as well.
However, soon after that, he met up with Paul and it ended just like that... that might be the case.
All of them are "might be possible".
I wonder what the actual case is, for I'm in a distant land, I can't even make a guess about it entirely.
There's also the matter of Sylphy and our child.
In order to get to the Begaritto Continent, no matter how fast we go, it'll take a year.
It's a road I've once taken down to the port city of East Port.
Therefore, it might be possible for me to shorten the time more.
But, even if for example, I were to say it will take half a year one way, a round trip would still be a year.
After all it's impossible.
There's no way I can leave behind my pregnant wife and depart.
"As I thought, it's about that letter right."
"..."
I couldn't reply.
There was my promise with Sylphy as well.
That I wouldn't suddenly disappear.
I certainly promised that.
Saying that I'm leaving a notice of it behind before-hand, so it's not sudden, is just sophistry.
Even if we discuss it well.
Or if I leave behind a letter hoping for her to understand as well.
The side left behind will still find it painful.
"Hey, Rudi, if it's about me... it's fine if you don't let it bother you too much? Now Aisha-chan is here as well, right."
Sylphy said that with a somewhat painful looking face.
There's no way she couldn't be uneasy about it.
Naturally as it is, she doesn't have any experience with pregnancy.
A stomach which gets bigger everyday.
Days where even climbing the stairs gets harder.
It might be possible that I could die at the destination.
I might never come back.
She has no choice other than to fight against such worries.
"...I won't go. I'll stay with Sylphy."
After saying that, Sylphy made a troubled face.
The Hitogami's words were resonating in my head.
In the end, regardless of which one I pick, there will be regrets remaining.
Those words.