Ch.172
“What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”
“No, I’m not crying.”
Asil quickly wiped away her tears.
But Edenber did not let it slide.
“You’ve been crying for a while now.”
“……Why are you here, Edenber?”
“I came to see you. I saw that the entire Erzébet family was listed as deceased, so I wondered what happened. But then……”
Edenber looked around the mansion, which had grown cold and devoid of warmth.
Asil opened her mouth to speak.
“I…… have to go back to the forest.”
Saying those words brought the tears out again.
In a trembling voice, Asil explained to Edenber why they had no choice but to settle everything and leave.
“I only just realized that I like you, Edenber, so I don’t want to go like this. But if I stay, a war might break out, so I have to go. Heuaaaaang……”
“Don’t cry.”
Edenber pulled out a handkerchief and wiped her tears.
“We will definitely meet again.”
“How?”
“Once the Empire and the Forest of Beastmen begin to exchange, free travel between us will be possible. If that doesn’t work, I will go to see you. No matter what it takes.”
Using whatever means necessary—what did that even mean?
However, her heart felt much lighter, and Asil nodded vigorously.
Wiping her eyes, Asil said,
“Edenber, you are very mature.”
While she was crying her eyes out at the thought of parting, he was judging the situation rationally and calmly comforting her.
But he shook his head slightly.
“No. I…… cried, too.”
“You did, Edenber?”
Really?
Surprised, she stared at him with wide eyes.
Just then, the moonlight filtering through the clouds clearly revealed his eyes, which were redder than usual.
With eyes wide like saucers, Asil asked,
“Why did you cry?”
“……Because I was sad that you were going back.”
“You knew I was leaving?!”
“I guessed it after seeing the list. That day, in front of so many people, the Count…… no, Father, showed his true form.”
Oh my goodness, he called my dad “Father”!
Asil was startled and slapped her hands over her mouth.
Edenber lowered his gaze.
“I’m not as mature as you think. Even now, I don’t want to let you go, so I’m trying to figure out how I can keep you from leaving. But since I shouldn’t do that……”
Having said this much, Edenber bit his lip hard. It was to suppress his surging emotions.
Soon, returning to his usual self, he spoke casually.
“Thanks to you, I was able to find my family. Thank you. Just as you told me before, I think a ‘mother’ is a precious existence that cannot be replaced by anything.”
“I’m glad.”
“And to me, Asil, you are also that kind of existence.”
Asil’s mouth hung open at the sudden confession.
Todori and Bembemi, who were watching silently, were also dazed and covered each other’s mouths.
Edenber smiled with tears still hanging from his eyes.
“When we meet again…… will you get engaged to me?”
Because the atmosphere was never right or interrupters kept appearing, he was finally able to deliver the words properly.
Asil also answered with tears welling up.
“Yes! Get engaged to me! I will definitely make you my first husband, Edenber!”
“Haha, what is that?”
Edenber, who smiled brightly, pulled Asil into a tight hug. Asil also hugged Edenber back firmly.
“Kyu……”
“Kkuk……”
Feeling inexplicably choked up, Todori and Bembemi sniveled and wiped their tears.
Meanwhile, besides the two animals, there were more eyes watching Asil and Edenber.
“Chirp chirp.”
“Gooreureureuk.”
It was the Crow Tit and the Lizard.
The two, who had come all the way here looking for the runaway Asil, were blocking the Leopard with their whole bodies as he tried to rush out with a fierce gaze.
‘Kwaaaaaang!’
The Leopard, whose mouth was blocked, let out a silent roar.
The Crow Tit and the Lizard, with displeased expressions, whispered to soothe the Leopard.
‘Mom and Dad don’t like that guy either, but we’re letting it slide just this once.’
In that way, the night passed.
* * *
A short while later, Asil’s family arrived at the harbor, avoiding people’s eyes.
It was to board a ship heading to the region near the Forest of Beastmen.
They had clearly departed in secret, but many people had somehow found out and came to see them off.
There were Edenber, Rune, Lilibet, Briden, Aether, Selena, and Eokaste.
Fear and Sol also wanted to come, but they couldn’t because of the opinion that it would look suspicious if the Divine Beasts gathered in one place in a crowd.
“Kyang.” (Return safely. Thank you.)
Rune, who was disguised as a small fox with a cloth wrapped around him to hide his identity, gave Asil a tight hug.
“Kya-ang.” (Grow up wonderfully and let’s see each other again later.)
“Do you know how shocked I was when I heard you were dead, Asil?!”
As soon as Rune stepped back, Lilibet rushed in.
She, too, had a hood pulled down low to hide her status, and she pulled on one of Asil’s cheeks.
“If there was a situation like that, you should have told me in advance!”
“I’m thorry.”
But I only found out later, too.
When Asil made a sad face, Lilibet sighed and let go of her cheek.
“Whew, seriously…… But are you really a beastman?”
Asil nodded.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“You look exactly like us. It’s not like there’s a tail hidden if I lift your skirt, right?”
Lilibet playfully gestured as if to lift her skirt.
Asil quickly grabbed her dress tightly.
“It’s not hidden!”
“Right, right. So the Asil who was the lizard Divine Beast of the Duke of Monlepe was also you, right?”
“I’m not a lizard, I’m a dragon!”
“Sure thing.”
Recalling what she saw from a distance in the past, the size was something she could never think of as a dragon, but Lilibet nodded because she thought Asil would pout if she denied it.
“Now, quickly say goodbye to my brother, too.”
Lilibet quickly pulled Briden, who was standing nearby.
Then, stepping back slightly, she spoke to Snowa, who was standing there blankly.
“Young Lord Erzébet!”
“……?”
Snowa looked at her with a gaze that asked, ‘Why is she calling me so familiarly?’
Lilibet continued without being deterred.
“Can I write to you?”
Snowa furrowed his brows.
She was a human who kept acting friendly and approaching him whenever he followed Asil, but they weren’t close enough to exchange letters.
Moreover, there was no such thing as a mailman who traveled between the Empire and the Forest of Beastmen.
As he was about to ignore her and turn his head, Lilibet approached and whispered in his ear.
“You know, Aether is……”
Whisper, whisper, whisper.
Soon, the indifferent Snowa’s eyes widened.
“What? Is that true?”
“Yes, yes. So, I can write to you, right? I’ll encrypt it so Asil or the Duke of Monlepe won’t know.”
After thinking seriously, Snowa nodded his head.
Alright! Lilibet, who still hadn’t given up on setting up Asil and Briden, clenched her fists.
Meanwhile, while they were doing that, Asil was sharing her farewells with Briden.
“If it weren’t for you, we would still be swayed by the hands of the former Duke Skya. Or we might have been brutally killed.”
Briden, speaking plainly, offered a handshake.
“Thank you for helping me and Lilibet. If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to call. I’ll come running, even if it’s the Forest of Beastmen.”
“Right now, humans can’t enter the Forest of Beastmen.”
Asil giggled and shook Briden’s hand firmly.
“Instead, I’ll definitely invite you when you’re allowed to enter later!”
“I understand.”
Briden, smiling faintly, stepped back.
The next in line was Aether in human form.
“Do you remember back then? When I said I would repay the favor.”
He was referring to seven years ago when she saved Lilibet from the lake.
Aether held out a palm-sized velvet box.
“I should have paid you back sooner, but I’m late. Please take it.”
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