49 – Someone’s hometown
100 Years since being imprisoned in a tower. It was a damn long time indeed.
In the meantime, human things have been weathered, chipped and broken.
Nevertheless, Rion did not give up that he was a human being and that he would return someday.
The memories of the place, which were not particularly pleasant, were beautifully packaged and kept.
Because otherwise he felt like he wouldn’t be himself.
Thanks to him he was able to tell Enlil the story of that hometown, suitably embellished.
It’s not a terrible or repulsive place, but it’s not a place that I miss to tears.
But it’s not possible to give up completely.
“….”
After hearing all of Leon’s story, Enlil’s expression became slightly strange.
He said things a little different from what he thought.
A place that is never bright or hopeful, but still clearly shows longing.
Anyway, for Leon, the hometown was a very complex shape.
“That’s why I said that I would go back someday. Not right away, but at least once if you can afford it.”
“Then you said you would go home when my duty was over.”
“Right. At that time, there is no need to rush, so it will be okay if you follow your heart that you do not know well.”
As if understanding, Enlil nodded his head.
If it’s like this, I think it’ll be hard to hold on to Leon who really wants to go home.
I’d rather not go to a place I don’t want to go back to.
If it’s such an ambiguous feeling, it’s going to come to mind until it’s clearly resolved.
Leone looked at Enlil who kept her mouth shut and clicked her tongue.
Then he lifted her hand and lightly tapped her forehead! She did and slapped.
“Evil!”
“What did I say? I said it wasn’t a pleasant story. But I’m fine, but if you become so serious, I’ll become even more strange for what I said.”
At her scolding for coming back to herself, Enlil said hehehehe, and she just laughed away.
Lyon, who had clicked her tongue at the sight, looked around her and then raised her hand.
A presence felt somewhere. It’s still blurry, so I can’t tell exactly what it is.
Beasts? Or wild animals? Was he or was she just a walker in the woods?
I wish it was the latter, but looking at the world, the former was the most likely.
“….”
Enlil also grabs the handle of her sword that was on her waist.
In any case, it seemed that she was going to jump right out and slash the monster before it even attacked.
Meanwhile, the emotions passing by her face were worry, concern.
She said she was almost at her hometown of Enlil. But there’s a witch roaming nearby?
Not good. No, it’s not going to end at a bad level.
Tension and nervousness, after such a short time passed.
At some point, as if they had made a promise, the man and woman exhaled.
“Thank God. It’s near your hometown, so I wondered what it would be like to have a witch.”
“Me too. I’m worried about the villagers, but how excited they are.”
It is not a demonic beast. Not even wild animals. The one coming in front of me, fortunately, was the latter.
Bathrock―
The person approaching from there didn’t feel the presence of this side yet.
From the looks of it, it looks like a real civilian with no special training.
Since Enlil’s hometown was the only village nearby, there was a high probability that he was from that area.
“Oh!”
Enlil, who narrowed his eyes and looked at the person, exclaimed.
Then she runs in front of her and makes a voice that is not her usual voice.
“Uncle Hans!”
“… Eh? Uh huh no way? Enlil? Are you Enlil?”
“Then who would it be!”
Enlil shouted, Udada! She does and she jumps right in front of him.
He is a more mature and serious warrior than anyone else at the academy.
When he returns to his hometown, he has gone back to the girl he used to live with.
Maybe it’s because I met someone I never imagined in an unexpected place.
A look of bewilderment was on the face of the middle-aged man called Hans.
The inside of me, whether this is a dream or real life, is fully revealed in my expression.
But that was only for a moment, and soon I welcomed Enlil, who approached me.
“Oh! Enlil is right. Our hero has arrived!”
“Whoops. It’s still only half a penny. I couldn’t even bring down the tower.”
“Guy! We all know how hard it is! Do you know how proud the townsfolk are every time they say you’re their only hope?”
Heh heh heh! He smiled and lightly patted Enlil on the back.
Then he looked at Leone standing behind him and asked, ‘Who are you?’
“Ah! The introduction is late. That one….”
“Could it be your fiancée?”
“Ke Hoop! Keck! Cough, Cough!—”
I heard how surprised Enlil was about to say something.
Leon, who was about to introduce himself, also stood in a daze at the blinkless rush.
Fiance? First of all, what does that mean? Why are you saying that there?
Hans scratches his head, probably feeling something strange thanks to this.
“Ah, did you disrespect me? Sorry. In our village, wasn’t it always like that when a wife or a woman brought a man with her?”
“No. Ahahahaha… He, but still a fiancée.”
Lion stepped forward with the feeling that it would be better to step forward before there were more strange noises.
Then she held out her hand to a man named Hans and introduced herself.
“My name is Leone. I am an instructor at the Hero Academy, albeit insufficiently.”
“Oops. You were an instructor. Sorry. You made a strange noise.”
Hans shook hands with his outstretched hand.
After greeting Lion, he looked at Enlil again and said.
“I’m sorry. He looked so good with you, so I thought he was going to be my fiancé.”
It didn’t matter anymore whether he meant it or just said it.
The only thing that mattered to Enlil now was the evaluation of an acquaintance who said, “It suits you well.”
Even more so because he heard it from someone who looked after him since he was young and was like his family!
“Rather than that, what are you doing here? Because you only sent letters every time, everyone in the village thought Enlil that you would see it only after you had finished your work.”
“I tried to do that too. I was afraid that I would bother the villagers by coming and going.”
“This guy. Thinking like that is annoying.”
It’s not like this here, let’s go to the village. How long has it been since you came?
Hans took the lead and led the two men with a bright smile.
*
“Ah….”
“How is it? Have you changed a lot?”
“Yes, yes. It wasn’t this big when I left….”
Not too bad for a remote village.
You can feel the feeling of living as a person. Above all, it is a place where you can feel the will to live.
“After you became a warrior, a huge amount of donations suddenly came in. Thanks to you, Enlil, the village that had been run down has become a place where people can live. Ha ha ha!”
Of course, Hans hastily added that you can never live on that money alone.
It is said that they did not use it other than repairing houses right away, hiring wooden fences, and beast hunters.
There is a way of living from the beginning, and it seems that I did not like that other things were introduced into it.
“Everyone! Enlil is back! Our Enlil is back!!”
“Oh, mister?!”
What are you doing embarrassingly, Enlil hastily tried to restrain him.
But it was much faster for the villagers to hear the sound and flock to it.
“Enlil? That squishy thing is back?”
“Oh my God. Oh my god! Are you all grown up?! That little girl has become a grown up virgin!”
“You really came here as a hero! Oh my, our little one is great!”
To others, Enlil may have been a warrior who would save the world, or a warrior resurrected from the Tower.
To the villagers here, she was just a girl who lived in the village, a small kid, and a child who left for the academy, saying that she would return as a real warrior someday.
“Ahahahaha… He, have you been healthy?”
“Yes, yes! I hear so much news about you, so don’t be healthy!”
“Are you okay with your injuries? He said he got hurt every time he returned from the tower.”
“Would you like to pack something for me while I’m back home? He can take it with him when he goes back!”
Every time Enlil said a word, they spoke a few words without ceasing.
But neither she, nor Leone standing behind her, didn’t feel bad about it at all.
Shall we say that they are similar to the people who caught them before leaving the academy, but different?
“Ah! Everyone! This person’s introduction is late! Instructor Leon….”
“What is it? Could it be that Enlil is our marriage partner?”
“Ehh?! Oh no! Something like that!”
“Looking at your face blushing, that’s right!”
“hahahahaha, now that I have become a grown-up virgin, the time has come. Cancer, nothing like that.”
Enlil who makes a tearful face when he says no, and people who joke around saying that he is right unconditionally.
It was a really noisy place. Although it is in a remote place, people are not very wealthy.
A place full of warm people who will welcome those who have left far away.
That is my hometown. In the end, there is no choice but to go back once, the place where someone’s beginning began.
“….”
As Leon watched the scene, he suddenly had this thought.
When I finally finished everything here and went back.
In the world I consider my hometown, can I really receive such a welcome?
No, no. I wonder if there are still people who will welcome you.