Nozomu quickly wiped his tears before Takanari noticed and kissed her forehead. With a last smile, he went to the columns where Koyaga and the Unicorns were. As they waved to the happy Dog-kind family, the old Mage activated the rotating disks and Nozomu watched in amazement as the Magical Dome appeared on the Circle, right in front of him. When the extremity of the Dome touched the Circle on the other section of the Magical Circle, the portion in front of Nozomu retreated, and the Magical Circle was now empty.
Nozomu thanked the old Mage for the help, and went to the middle of the Circle, with two frowning Unicorns at his side.
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Koyaga stood next to him and asked, “You were crying when they were leaving, weren’t you? Takanari really got a place in your heart. You will make an amazing parent one day, Nozomu.”
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As the Magical Dome appeared, Nozomu waved at the old Mage, and when the Dome disappeared, they were in the City of Kolga-Jaani, facing a similar building.
As they walked along the street with the Unicorns following them and gathering all the attention from the citizens and City Guards, Nozomu spoke, “Takanari is an amazing kid. Any other little girl would be in shock after what she went through because of those Goblins, but every time I talked with her, it was like nothing had happened.”
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“Things are hard around here, you know? Kids learn from a very young age that Monsters are dangerous and being alive today doesn’t mean they will be alive tomorrow. That’s why most people live the moment, because one never knows how much time he has to live.”
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Nozomu slowly nodded. “I think I understand, but that’s kind of sad. At least this is a peaceful country and there are no wars to worry about.”
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“Yes, because the last war was terrible. So many people died, you have no idea. I was young during the war, and Seta was just a kid, no older than Takanari, I think. We lived near the border with the Empire. My father was an Adventurer and was out on a Quest. The Empire soldiers invaded, and we barely had time to pack our stuff. We were supposed to leave in the morning, the three of us, and meet my father in Ourelona. They came in the middle of the night. My mother died, fighting the soldiers that broke into our house to gain time for me to save my brother. I wanted to help her, but she shouted at me! My mother never shouted! She told me I needed to save Seta, so I left her behind.”
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“I… I am so sorry, Koyaga, I did not know.”
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“Few people know this story. The Guild Master and my brother know, and now you. At that time, if I was stronger and older, I would be able to save my mother as well. It was while I was riding my horse to Ourelona with Seta sleeping in my lap that I decided I would be the strongest Adventurer that ever lived. We slept in the stable that evening, and in the morning I went to the Guild of Adventurers to get some news about my father. I was told he died while protecting a caravan of Merchants that was attacked by a flock of Harpies. I got the compensation money from my father’s death, and I even got a job as a waiter for me and a Cook’s helper for my little brother.”
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Nozomu tilted his head a bit. “You mean, you have been working at the Guild for all these years?”
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“Yes, but it took me two years to save money to apply for the Academy of Adventurers. At that time, Seta was already learning with the Cook that we had, and he was becoming rather good. He didn’t like the idea of me becoming an Adventurer like our father, because I could die during a Quest and leave him alone. I promised I would never die during a Quest or a fight, and he let me apply to the Academy. I graduated with the highest grades in the last one hundred years and I went into Quests one after the other to earn money for myself and my brother. During one of those Quests, half my Party died, and that was also when I was so badly injured that I lost the ability to get pregnant. Even with all the pain and my belly open, I killed all the remaining Orcs that were attacking us, and I dragged my companions out of that mess.”
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“What happened to them? I mean, to the ones that survived?”
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Koyaga made a pained face. “After that disaster, we disbanded. We all had a lot of things we wanted to forget, mostly the fact that the ones that didn’t make it were eaten by wild animals or Monsters while we were dragging our beaten bodies to safety. I joined other Parties for two years until Udo Eskola begged me to stay in the Guild as a Receptionist because the Adventurers were a lot calmer when I was around. By that time, I had saved enough money for my retirement, and Seta also had a nice amount. I was also known as the strongest Adventurer in activity, and with all my goals achieved, I accepted Udo’s offer. I am still too young to retire, so I am working at the Guild, and once in a while, I join a Party if they need an extra fighter. My little brother is not little anymore, so if I die during a Quest, he will be sad, but he won’t need me around to help him.”
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“Why join a Party then, since you don’t need the money?”
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“Adventurers are a strange breed, you know? Once you get the bug of adventure, it’s hard to live without it. And to many Adventurers, it’s a calling, like being a Priest, or a Teacher. We all think that despite the danger, our job is needed so that others who can’t fight or use Magic like us can have a peaceful life. Adventurers know they can die during a Quest, but we consider it a great honour to die to save others.”
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Nozomu made a slight smile. “I think I understand why becoming an Adventurer sounds so attractive to Taisetsuna. Not only for the adventure, but mostly for helping people. During our conversations, I got to know her a little better. She seems to think that becoming an Adventurer is our duty because a gentle Priest saved us. We could have died in those baskets near the river if an animal or a Monster found us, but because we didn’t, she wants to save as many people as she can.”
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“And you, Nozomu, what do you want?”
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“I am just grateful for being alive. I would rather work at the Guild and not rush into danger, but I can’t leave Taisetsuna alone. If she died during a Quest, I would never forgive myself. Despite not liking the idea of going on Quests, I see her as my family, and we don’t leave family behind, do we?”
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Koyaga disguised a smile and said, “She is not blood-related to you, remember? What if one day, she starts to like you? What would you do? Or you liking her? That could also happen.”
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“That won’t ever happen. I have eyes, you know? I can look in a mirror and see that I am not that good looking, I have a plain face, my eyes don’t have a pretty colour and my hair is like so many people around, that it seems we all have the same mother. Taisetsuna, on the other hand, is gorgeous. Her eyes and hair colour are amazing. I could stare into her eyes for an entire day and not get bored. She is also funny and kind, a truly gentle soul, despite her craziness sometimes. Most of those crazies are because of me, I know. I think she won’t have any trouble finding a boyfriend or two in the Academy. I saw a bunch of guys checking her out at the Guild when people came to buy pizzas or have lunch. She probably didn’t notice because she is always working, but I bet some of them already tried to flirt with her.”
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“Yeah, some did, but she shoved them off. I saw some pretty guys trying to talk with her, but she didn’t even let them finish. She is a wild one, that’s for sure. You may need to have a talk with her and tell her to calm down, or she will never find a boyfriend.”
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Nozomu shrugged. “It’s her life, you know. If she wants a boyfriend, she will easily get one. If she wants a girlfriend, it will also be easy for her. And if she wants to remain single, that’s also fine by me. As long as she is happy, I am happy.”
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“You really care for her, don’t you? Have you ever thought about having a shot with her? Not even once?”
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“I thought about that the first time I opened my eyes after hitting the rock that caused my memory loss. I thought I was seeing the most beautiful girl in the world. Then I realized she saw me as her brother, so I forgot about that. With time, I came to know her better. Sometimes she is like an unpredictable wild animal, and other times she is the most gentle creature I have ever met. I like to see her smile and happy, so if she wants to be an Adventurer, I will make sure to help her achieve that. I will also try not to die in the process because I like to be alive.”
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Koyaga bit her lower lip, thinking about the way he saw Taisetsuna. She disguised her worries by asking, “Do you remember how fast you followed her to that cave? Did you ever think you could die in there?”
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“I thought I was going to die when I saw the gigantic cave where all those Goblins were eating the horse alive, Asadate was being sliced, and Takanari was curled on the floor, crying and screaming in panic. But you know, when I saw the determination in Taisetsuna’s eyes, I didn’t worry. I knew instantly that even if I died, she would still manage to save the girls. We almost died in there, if it wasn’t for my strange explosive cloud and Taisetsuna’s last Wind Slash, but we saved the girls. And we got out in one piece. Taisetsuna almost died, and I still blame myself for not being as strong as she is. If I was, she wouldn’t have gotten hurt so much.”
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“Don’t blame yourself for that, Nozomu. I used to know a lot of Adventurers that never came out of a cave filled with Goblins. The fact that you two got in, saved the girls and got out, is an achievement worthy of going into the History books.”
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“That much, huh? I thought a big Party of experienced Adventurers could fight all those Goblins without half the trouble we had.”
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“No Party of Adventurers goes into a cave full of Goblins. Well, now with the ‘Free Quest’ we might start to see two or three Parties doing that, working together. That was a good idea, actually. Oh, look, the Guild is right there!”
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From their left, someone shouted:
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“By God Raluth’s boots, how the heck did you manage to get two Unicorns?”
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