70 – A short memory trip
Thanks to the time capsule, the two of them got caught up in an unexpected uproar.
This time, Ariel held his hand, saying that there was a place he wanted to go with, so Edgar had to move without knowing the destination without fail.
However, even if he did not know the destination, it was possible to infer it to some extent through the destination this time.
It wasn’t a big city like Hespania, and there were quite a few places to go in a rural town like this.
In addition, the fact that the street that Ariel walked ahead of was a place of memories for the two of them also played a role.
Edgar let out a low exclamation at the sight of overgrown grass and still dense trees.
Ariel, who had been walking in front of him, also glanced back at him, then sprinted to his side with a small smile.
“It’s been a while.”
“Is not it? How old were we when you last came?”
“Eleven or twelve? I don’t remember exactly.”
Even for Edgar, vagueness meant a very old memory.
“Well, since that day, we’ve hardly been together.”
When I said that day, I added a little bit of exaggeration, and I said the day when Ariel almost lost Edgar.
Climbing high on the mountain and looking down at the panoramic view below, Edgar said, ‘This mountain is my birthday present.’ The stroke of a young day that I wanted to say.
Because of that alone, he encountered a wild boar in a mountain where it rained heavily, and ended up putting him in danger.
Ariel still had the memory of that time in her head like a trauma.
Other memories are not very clear, but I remembered vividly the back of him panting down the mountain with her cold body on his back.
When the atmosphere seemed to become heavy due to the memory of that day, Edgar smiled and spoke to me in a playful way.
“I told you not to go because you were scared.”
“Me, me!?”
“What, don’t you remember?”
Ariel’s feet, which had been touching the floor, flew up into the sky in an instant, and Edgar giggled and recalled the memory of that day.
He was careful not to tell lies even if he joked about these things.
Ariel knew this too, so she waited with her ears wide open, even while watching him with a hopeless feeling.
“And then a month later? When I asked to go to the mountain because I was fine, you almost cried and said no.”
“I cried… Say?”
“yes. ‘What if I meet a wild boar again and Ed dies?’ I cried… Eup!?”
“Ah, I understand, so stop!”
It must mean that even the immature princess had her own innocence when she was ten years old.
Of course, Ariel herself was quite ashamed of her dark history to laugh at her innocence, so she rushed to block Edgar’s mouth in amazement.
Now that Ariel’s inaction had become quite skillful, it was difficult for Edgar to escape her grip as skillfully as before.
Even so, the difference in skills was still quite large, so I had to make up my mind and run away, but what would the point be if I did it against my girlfriend?
To enjoy a prank as a joke, pretending to be victimized at this point and covering your mouth was just the right level.
“Shall we go all the way there today?”
“To get there… Where?”
“The place where I met the wild boar. Go higher if you can afford it.”
Since it was Ariel who brought him to the mountain in the first place, her outfit was just right for climbing the mountain.
Edgar also noticed this and quietly asked.
“You’re not going to meet that guy again, are you?”
“What if I meet you? Neither you nor I are at the level of being beaten by a wild boar.”
“Well, that’s it too.”
Even Edgar, who came without a sword, was able to kill a wild boar if he set his mind to it.
Ariel was naturally a wizard with excellent skills, so of course it was possible.
Rather, it would be fortunate if the wild boar was not roasted on the spot.
“Okay, then let’s go. It’s also a long time ago.”
“Tell me if you’re having a hard time. I’ll pick you up like back then.”
“Do you think I am the same as back then!?”
At Edgar’s words, who seemed to remember her as she was when she was 10 years old, Ariel spewed steam in all directions and became angry like a fire.
Although at that time, she was a weak girl who had not yet mastered martial arts and could not even develop her stamina, but now she had the confidence to go up and down this mountain as many times as she could.
In addition, both memories of being carried by him were just accidents caused by her mistakes, such as hurting her leg or spraining her ankle.
There would be no such thing today, so there would be no such thing as an unsightly carry down the mountain. Ariel assured me that.
* * * * * * *
The two of them were able to find raspberries quite easily, which were hard to find at the time, probably because the season was in full swing.
Two people holding handfuls of raspberries in each hand and chewing them up the mountain.
His demeanor was truly leisurely.
Who would consider them the only heir to the Grand Duchess and her lover?
They just look like ordinary women and young men living around here.
Except for the cosmetic part, of course.
In the midst of moving his steps back to his destination, the cave, Edgar saw something whitish in his field of vision.
When I narrowed my eyes and looked at the place again, the impression was quite different from then, but the cave at that time was unmistakable.
“Oh, Ariel. I see it over there.”
“where?”
“Here it is. Can’t you see well because it’s between the trees?”
“Oh, really. Looking at it like this, I miss something.”
Back then, it was literally a dark cave feeling, but today it was Ariel who feels a little different.
Maybe it’s because the flowers are blooming pretty brightly nearby.
While contemplating why the impression of the cave had changed, she was able to reach her destination while holding Edgar’s hand.
“I don’t see any wild boars.”
“Aren’t you dead?”
“What are you saying so harshly… Well, maybe we went out to find something to eat.”
This is also why wild boars often go down the mountain and damage the crops in the village.
Or maybe it was simply a change of residence.
Even as two people, it wasn’t a face I really wanted to meet, so I didn’t bother looking for it, but I sat down in front of the cave and took a break.
As I moved my gaze to the open foreground while messing around with the bright red raspberries, the sunset, as red as the raspberries, was gradually sinking over the towering mountain peaks.
“It’s already sunset?”
“Yeah, it must have been a lot of time.”
“Don’t even do that. How much time did you spend reading the letter earlier?”
“I-I told you not to talk about that!?”
Edgar said, ‘Why, he’s cute.’ He defended her, but for Ariel, it was just a shameful act.
At least it would have been better if only he had been caught.
Because even Shuri, who was next to her, stole the letter, Ariel was already worried that she would be upset about it when she returned to Hespania later.
Of course, she’s not soft like Edgar, so if Shuri climbs even a little bit, she’ll be able to dismiss it right away.
It just meant that the situation itself felt different.
“It’s sunset… It’s somehow like that time.”
“When you came down after picking raspberries?”
“Yeah, the sunset was like this at that time too.”
Ariel expressed her affirmation with a slightly surprised face because she did not know that he would guess at once.
Meanwhile, Edgar, who had been staring at her from the side, jumped up from his seat with an expression of having made up his mind on something and stretched out his hand to her.
“Why? Are you going already?”
“Since it’s such a long time ago, I thought we should go on a memory trip.”
“Memories travel… … ?”
When Ariel tilted her head at the vague words, Edgar, who smiled, urged her to hold her hand first.
Ariel carefully held his hand, wondering if he was going to do anything bad.
Then, with all his strength, Edgar pulled her slender body and carried her on his back like a sack.
Surprised by the sudden action, Ariel struggled on her legs in defiance.
“Why, why! What kind of patient am I!?”
I promised myself that I would never be carried down as unsightly as I was back then.
Why does this stupid man not even know his own heart and try to make him break his resolution so easily?
“What about the patient? It is possible to carry it between lovers.”
“Yeah, but… … .”
“I’ll quit if you don’t like it. There is something I want to do.”
“Chi, you’re serious only at times like this.”
If he had said it in a playful way, he would have asked for it to come down, but unlike usual, Ariel had no choice but to raise the white flag at the friendly tone.
It was also a behavior only Edgar could do, knowing very well that she couldn’t refuse when she came out like this.
that buck that buck
As they walked back down the path they had come up, stepping on the leaves piled high on the floor, the pleasant sound of footsteps tickled their ears.
Ariel, who was sitting on his back, asked what he wanted to do, but Edgar just moved on with a smile and silence.
“Was it there?”
“what?”
Ariel questioned Edgar’s subconscious self-talk.
This time, without any answer, he headed for a place similar to the one he had stored in his memory and stopped with both legs.
And when I turned around, the lush trees were nowhere to be found, and the sunset I had seen a while ago spread out in front of me this time, beyond the stretched field of view.
“ah… … .”
Ariel let out a low exclamation when she finally realized what kind of place this place was.
“You remember? here.”
“Yes. I remember.”
Immediately answering Edgar’s question, she blankly watched the sunset disappearing over the mountain peaks.
how can i forget
It was the place where she first became conscious of a boy named Edgar as a member of the opposite sex.
That day, my heart was pounding and I didn’t listen.
There is no way to know the reason even if you look back now, but one thing is for sure, since then, I have been watching his actions carefully.
“That’s where you taught me what it means to be an adult.”
“Did I tell you that you lose something precious in exchange for something precious?”
“right. Maybe I remember that word sounding a little scary at the time.”
Ariel at that time was only a ten-year-old girl.
An ordinary, ordinary girl who is still afraid to imagine losing something precious.
Edgar kindly said, ‘It’s just that a precious existence is changing.’ I added an explanation, saying, but for her, the fact that I was changing into a me I didn’t know was quite scary.
But looking back now, it was really stupid.
Because I realized that changing precious things is rather a blessing in life.
Even her favorite toys, books, and jewelry.
Even though each of them still contains memories, if you ask if the existence is as precious as before, it wasn’t.
Do you feel like you’ve lost something?
It wasn’t even that.
“How are you now? Have your precious things changed a lot?”
“Yeah, so much has changed. Of course, some things haven’t changed.”
“yes? I am surprised.”
Ariel laughed at his behavior when he casually asked what hadn’t changed.
Why can’t I notice it when it’s a subject that I’m so quick to notice in normal times.
But at the same time, I also thought that this was the answer.
Despite being so close, ‘You are precious.’ If you don’t tell me, you will never recognize it.
Besides, I also thought about this.
Doesn’t that mean that everything changes as time goes by, but this man remains the same?
A foolish man who looked elsewhere without even recognizing the innocent kindness of a 10-year-old girl.
I was happy to say that the Edgar Billhark of those days was still the same.
Even if everything changes, the man she loved doesn’t change.
side.
Overjoyed by that fact, Ariel inadvertently reached out and gave him a lovely kiss on the right cheek.
Normally, he would have jokingly asked if it would be darker, but today he asked in a relaxed tone, wearing only a light smile.
“Is there anything that makes you feel good?”
“Thank you. Thanks for reminding me of the long-awaited memories.”
“yes? I’m glad you seem to like it.”
‘Should I come next time?’ Ariel nodded quietly.
Next year, the year after that, and ten years from now.
It was a place I wanted to be with forever.
The place that made me realize that I love you.
Where else could there be a place with such precious and affectionate memories?
Even if that sunset sets, the memories don’t disappear together.
You can climb this mountain anytime and watch the sunset together and recall the memories of that time.
That would surely be a happiness that is second to none in the world. Ariel was so sure.