Chapter 22: The Elf’s Homecoming

The two of us discussed things and decided on our next course of action.

What became clear after yesterday’s dungeon expedition was that, frustrating as it is, Dominic was right—we’re nowhere near strong enough to face not just the Demon King, but even the demon generals or any S-Rank enemies.

So the top priority now is strengthening Kazuya.

He should be moving up to A-Rank soon, but more than the rank, he needs real strength. To achieve that, we decided that he would train in the royal capital’s dungeon for a while.

The next step is mastering that golden aura of his. That thing is incredible. It seems to take a serious toll, but it’s a skill that boosts his power several times over. He’ll definitely need it for the tough battles ahead.

“It’s kind of a mouthful calling it ‘golden aura’ all the time. Let’s give it a cool name. Like Super Mode, Super Form, Awakening Mode, or maybe write ‘Awakening’ in kanji and pronounce it ‘Awakening!’ How about that?”

Kazuya’s naming sense, honestly... Well, whatever, I guess the name doesn’t matter.

“Is that really cool? Well, call it whatever you like. That said, Dominic had a white aura too, right? Maybe it already has a name. Why not ask the Guildmaster?”

What we call it isn’t important—Kazuya can name it whatever he likes.

The important thing is learning to control it freely and minimizing the energy drain. I’ve never heard of magic that causes that kind of phenomenon before. It’s probably some kind of skill unique to Heroes.

If that’s the case, then it’s all up to Kazuya.

---

Now, about me.

Going forward, my current makeshift equipment isn’t going to cut it. I need to bring back proper gear from the Elven village. Which means—

“I’m going back to my village for a bit. I don’t feel safe with my current equipment, and I’d like to bring some magical tools too.”

Kazuya leaned forward in surprise.

“Huh!? Why!?”

“Why? I just told you, didn’t I? I want to upgrade my gear and bring back some magical tools.”

“Aww, I thought you were gonna stay with me! You liar~!”

He clung to my arm as he said that, so I peeled him off and responded.

“Let go. I can’t help it. Only those from the village can enter. I have to go alone.”

“Then I’ll come with you, at least part of the way!”

“What are you, a kid? I said no. Besides, what about your training? It won’t take more than a week, so just wait.”

“Huh? I thought it’d take, like, over a month… That’s faster than I expected. Where is the Elf village, anyway?”

Can’t blame him for thinking that. The Elf village is rumored to be deep within an isolated forest, way beyond human reach, so most people assume it’s nearly impossible to get there.

But in reality, that’s not quite true. It is far, but—

“That’s a secret. Even if I told you, you wouldn’t understand.”

“Tch~… Well, I guess it can’t be helped. I’ll be all lonely dungeon diving by myself.”

“Just don’t do anything reckless.”

“I’ll be careful. Oh! Maybe I’ll add new party members while you’re gone~!”

“I don’t mind.”

“Wait, you’re not gonna say ‘You’re adding new members while I’m gone?’ or something?”

“Why would I? You’re the one who didn’t want to add anyone in the first place. I’ve got no reason to oppose it.”

“Geez~… I was hoping you’d say something like ‘Why are you adding people when you already have me?’”

“I’m not that kind of character.”

“I mean, yeah, true… But still, just a little—well, I’m joking. It’s just… a little lonely.”

“You’re wrong. I trust you, Kazuya. That’s all there is to it.”

“Seriously? Trust, huh… Hearing that kinda makes me happy.”

“Right? I believe in you. Go give it your all, Kazuya.”

“Yeah! Leave it to me!”

What a simple guy. That’s part of what makes him kind of cute, though.

Honestly, if he actually adds a girl to the party while I’m gone, I will be a little shocked. But I won’t tell him that. No reason to let it go to his head.

And so, we agreed to meet again at the inn five days later and went our separate ways.

I do feel a little lonely myself, but this is something that needs to be done.

---

I left the capital and entered a forest about half a day’s journey away.

I located a specific, marked great tree. After making sure no one was around, I also used mana detection to check for any presence.

All clear. Good.

I chanted an ancient incantation in front of the tree and charged straight into it.

But instead of hitting the bark, I passed right through it, as if the tree absorbed me.

This great tree’s trunk is actually a teleportation gate, used to travel to and from the Elf village.

The Elf village exists in a pocket dimension created by ancient magic. The gates to and from it are hidden within specific large trees scattered throughout forests all over the world.

These doors can only be revealed by using ancient spells known only to elves from the village.

That’s why, back in the day, I’d just pick a gate I liked and pop into the nearby town whenever I wanted.

Incidentally, the town where Kazuya lived is also fairly close to a gate—about a half-day’s distance—just like the capital.

For someone like me, traveling from Kazuya’s town to the capital via the teleportation gates only takes about a day.

People say elves live in forests, but this is what that really means. That said, since the scenery in the pocket dimension resembles a forest, it’s not entirely inaccurate.

Now then, my village is about 1 kilometer in diameter, housing around 200 people—plenty of space for all of us.

“I’m home~!”

I greeted my mother as I returned to our house.

She looked surprised and said, “Back already? You’re earlier than usual.”

“I’m heading out again soon. Planning not to return for the next fifty years or so.”

When I told her that, she said, “You’re staying for a little while though, right? Take it easy.”

But her idea of “a little while” means about a dozen years.

I explained that I’d be leaving soon, and she replied, “You could stay just a bit longer…” But if I really took it easy, Kazuya would be an old man by the time I got back.

Even so, I stayed for about three days.

I prepared my equipment, stuffed magical tools into a magic bag, exchanged greetings with the villagers, and enjoyed my return home—just a little—by human standards.

Before leaving, I told my parents I was heading out and stepped through the teleportation gate once again.

---

It had been about five days, maybe, and by the time we returned to the royal capital, the sun had completely set and night had fallen.

When I got back to the inn, Kazuya was right in the middle of dinner and called out to me.

"Hey, Miki! Over here, over here!"

As I got closer, Kazuya stood up and hugged me.

Well, yeah, I get how he feels.

Even I had been feeling lonely without Kazuya around.

Come to think of it, since we reunited, I don’t think we’ve ever spent more than a day apart.

Even when the mood was tense between us, we were basically always together.

So I understand feeling happy to see each other again after a while. I really do. But... this is the dining hall.

There are a lot of people around. I’m pretty sure we’re drawing attention, and it’s starting to get a little embarrassing.

"Hey, come on, that’s enough already. There are too many people around..."

"Ah, right, sorry. Okay, I’ll save it for later then."

Kazuya let go and gave me a wink.

No, it’s not like doing it later makes it okay either... But whatever.

I sat down at the same table and ordered dinner to match his. And finally—

"I'm home."

"Welcome back. Is that your new gear? Kinda looks like light armor."

"Yeah, it uses magic to constantly provide resistance to various things, including physical damage. It also adjusts to a comfortable temperature, so you don’t need to layer up in cold places. It’s really light and super convenient."

"Wow, sounds great, magic gear. I need to get something like that for myself."

"Hehehe, I figured you’d say that—so I brought some magic tools just for you! Give me your left hand."

Saying that, I rummaged through my magic pouch, pulled it out, took Kazuya’s hand, turned it palm-down, and slipped a ring onto his index finger.

"...If this were an engagement ring, it’d go on the ring finger, you know?"

"Idiot, this is a ring that grants shock absorption and a magic resistance barrier to any armor worn on the arm. It’s perfect for your buckler, right?"

As I slipped the ring on him, Kazuya looked at it closely and said,

"I don’t know... I’m just really happy. Getting a ring from you, having you put it on me—I think that makes me happier than the effects themselves."

Are you some kind of maiden!? Don’t say stuff like that, I still have more to go and now it’s awkward!

"Spare me the commentary. Next—give me your right hand."

Kazuya, looking all pleased, held out his right hand, back facing up.

Just like before, I slipped a ring onto his right index finger. And again, he stared intently at the ring.

"This one nullifies a single large-scale damage hit. After that, it loses its effect for 24 hours. Both of these rings are super rare, so take good care of them, okay?"

Kazuya brought both rings up and kissed them.

"Yeah. Thanks. I’ll treasure them, I promise."

He smiled as he said that, looking way happier than usual.

Yeah, I’m glad he liked them. That makes me happy too.

...But this kind of thing—normally the roles are reversed, right? ...No, no, they’re just pieces of equipment. Nothing more than that.

---

"So, how’s everything on your end? Going well?"

Now that I was done with my business, I decided to catch up with Kazuya over dinner.

"Yeah. First off, about the dungeon—right after you left the capital, they announced the dungeon had been cleared."

"…Which means, Dominic beat the dungeon boss?"

"Exactly. And it turns out the dungeon boss was actually one of the Demon King's top lieutenants—a demon noble. He was called the King of the Depths, Underlish."

"The King of the Depths, huh… Then that Earth Dragon must’ve been one of the monsters Underlish brought along."

"That’s right. Still, to think he managed to take down one of the Demon King’s lieutenants... That guy’s seriously something else."

No doubt about it. A lieutenant of the Demon King would definitely be S-rank. And to command a beast like that Earth Dragon—yeah, I can see why people say Kazuya’s still too weak.

Dominic really is the real deal. But Kazuya’s got to surpass him.

"Anyway, now regular adventurers can go as far as the fifth floor of the dungeon. The lower levels are still restricted to Heroes only, though."

"So, how far did you make it?"

When I asked that, Kazuya grinned and started talking happily.

"On my own, I made it to the ninth floor. I even managed to start using Golden Awakening, so I’ve gotten a decent power boost, I think."

Golden Awakening... that’s that golden aura thing, right?

"Is that the name the Guildmaster gave it?"

"Yeah. He said not many Heroes can use it. Each Hero’s aura changes color depending on the type of magic they specialize in, apparently. The ‘golden’ part—everyone just adds that on their own. Right now, including me, only three Heroes can use an Awakening."

There are five Heroes, right? So two of them still can’t use it yet.

"And here’s the real kicker—remember they said another Hero would be joining the dungeon late? I met them."

"Oh? Judging by the way you’re talking, they weren’t a pain to deal with?"

"Not at all. They were a great person, and their party was solid too."

"Really? What were they like?"

"Okay, listen up! This was during my time on the ninth floor—"

Kazuya launched into the story with a lively smile.

It’s nice. It’s only been five days, but it feels like it’s been forever. Like he’s really back home.

If only these peaceful moments could last forever.