Epilogue: An Old Country Bumpkin Makes a Promise
Our encounter with walking corpses, chimeras, and Pope Morris had come to an end. While the central figures of the nation worked hectically to get things back into order, Allucia invited me to a meal.
“Welcome. For two?”
“Yes. A table, if possible.”
“Certainly.”
We were still in Sphenedyardvania’s capital of Dilmahakha. After all that chaos, Liberis’s delegation couldn’t exactly say, “Well, we took care of the pope for you, so see ya later.” With all the cleanup and inquiries taking place afterward, these past few days had honestly been very busy.
That said, we were foreigners here. It would be in poor taste for the Sphenedyardvanians to rely on us for everything. Now that we’d conveyed what information we had, we were finally allowed to take it easy.
That was when Allucia had asked me out to dinner. We now found ourselves in a somewhat fancy restaurant.
“It’s a nice place...” I muttered.
“It is,” Allucia agreed. “It seems Lazorne’s information was right.”
“Yeah...”
Neither of us was particularly familiar with Dilmahakha. I doubted there were any genuinely bad restaurants, but Gatoga’s advice would ensure that we didn’t end up anywhere mediocre.
The atmosphere inside the building was very tranquil. While different from the kind of liveliness found in cheap taverns, even nice restaurants had a tendency to be bustling with energy. However, fancy places in Dilmahakha appeared to be very quiet. I could hear some modest chatter here and there, but it looked like everyone was largely having their dinner in well-mannered silence. Not that this was necessarily representative of the entire city—my sample size wasn’t large enough to draw a proper conclusion.
It was possible Gatoga had simply chosen this restaurant to match Allucia. This kind of quiet atmosphere did seem to suit her. I had no objections—if anything, I was worried about fitting in here. I’d known it would be nice ahead of time, so I was wearing my jacket instead of my casual clothes. Still, I felt pretty out of place.
“Please have a seat here.”
“Thank you.”
The waiter guided us to a table. A simple sliding door separated the tables, so while I couldn’t expect much soundproofing, it did obstruct people from seeing us. It was about time for me to become more acquainted with my reputation in public, but that seemed unlikely to happen soon. Though I’d stopped bashing myself when it came to swordsmanship, I just couldn’t get used to being seen as a celebrity. I felt like this was more a matter of nature than something I could learn. I would’ve given up on it already.
“Now then, what to order?”
“What indeed...”
Sitting across from each other, Allucia and I perused the menu. I was actually quite hungry. Despite getting involved in all sorts of stomach-twisting matters, I hadn’t lost my appetite. The body was a swordsman’s greatest asset, so we were pretty brazen on that front. I felt like I was discovering new aspects of myself, even this far into my life.
I was aware that I was a pretty big eater for my age, but Allucia, Curuni, and the other knights were gluttons. Curuni in particular gobbled up so much food that I wondered how she could possibly contain it all inside her slender frame. She didn’t have bad manners or anything, mind you—she just seemed to be able to eat endlessly at a rapid pace. Being a healthy eater was actually rather charming in a growing girl. I was glad Mewi was starting to eat a lot too.
“Oh, this seafood platter sounds pretty good,” I commented.
“It does. Seafood isn’t very common in Baltrain either.”
Sphenedyardvania and Liberis had very similar climates, so I’d had a decent idea of what would be on the menu. However, seafood was one item that wasn’t really readily available in Baltrain, and when it was, it was expensive. Sphenedyardvania’s territory was far smaller, but it was on the coast, meaning it was easy for them to get fish.
I really wanted to enjoy something I couldn’t get in Baltrain. Ever since eating that fish with Mewi, I’d started to take an interest in the stuff. And this menu didn’t even mention fish specifically in the description of the seafood platter, so I was getting pretty excited about experiencing an entirely new flavor.
“Excuse me,” Allucia said, calling over the waiter. “We’ll have two ales and two seafood platters, as well as a cheese and sausage platter.”
“Certainly.”
She had cheekily added a cheese and sausage platter to the order. It was a staple, so I could see why.
While we waited for our food, I turned the conversation to focus on current events. “Things have finally calmed down, huh?”
“That they have. I can’t really rejoice, though. Prince Glenn and Princess Salacia must have many worries about the future...”
“You have a point there.”
We’d been released from work, but the prince and princess, the current king, and all of the leaders of the Church of Sphene were still neck-deep in it. They had to get their domestic affairs in order, of course, but they also needed to provide some kind of explanation to Liberis. I was sure finding the right point of compromise was a huge headache for them. Well, Liberis had to have known about Sphenedyardvania’s fishy internal affairs ahead of time. They’d sent Princess Salacia here despite knowing that, so I wanted to believe they would be somewhat accommodating.
“Thank you for waiting.”
While I pondered such things, our ale arrived. I’d had a few drinks since arriving in Dilmahakha but hadn’t gotten many opportunities to sit down and relax in a private setting like this. Though I’d been given my own private rooms all throughout the trip, big group dinners had been unavoidable. It had been quite a while since I’d been able to have an ale with someone I felt at ease around.
“A toast...seems like it might be inappropriate,” I said. “Any ideas?”
“Let’s see... Then how about a toast to getting out unharmed?”
“Sounds good. Cheers.”
The royals’ marriage was a happy occasion, but the events surrounding it weren’t. Still, now that we had drinks at the table, we had to toast something. Celebrating our safety seemed like a good compromise. The delegation from Liberis and the Liberion Order had suffered no losses, and nobody had gotten seriously injured. Had there been casualties, diplomatic relations could’ve been soured.
“Mm, that’s good,” I said, taking a gulp of ale and putting such thoughts to rest for now.
“It is.”
It was great how you could never go wrong with ale—it was delicious no matter where you ordered it. This was partially because of my fondness for alcohol, but still, ale was a terrific drink.
“Haaah...”
“Same as always, huh?”
Around the time I had my second gulp, Allucia’s glass was already empty. She really is a heavy drinker. That was far faster than should be humanly possible.
“Forgive me,” she said. “It’s been a while since I’ve had a drink...”
“There’s no need to apologize. Relishing good food and drink is a form of happiness that everyone is entitled to.”
She was somewhat shy about her drinking habits. I didn’t think it was a problem as long as she minded her surroundings. She had to be careful about her public image as the knight commander, but I was the only one here right now. It was fine for her to cut loose a little.
“I find myself restless with nothing at my waist,” Allucia added, smiling impishly. “Perhaps that’s affecting me too.”
“Erk... Well, I understand how you feel.”
I seriously had nothing to say to that. She wasn’t carrying a sword right now. Part of her unease probably stemmed from her being in civilian clothing, but not having her favorite weapon at her hip made it even harder for her to retain her composure. Swordsmen truly were tiresome creatures. That simple absence was all it took to make us restless.
“Excuse me. Another ale,” Allucia said to the waiter before turning to me once more. “Master, I’m looking forward to my new sword.”
“Please do. I’m gonna put everything I have into it.”
A sword worthy of the Liberion Order’s knight commander was a tall order, but meeting such requirements was an instructor’s job. It had really lit a fire under me. I’d been the one to push her to wield her sword in a way that would ruin it—I had to take responsibility for that.
Balder should be the smith. The question was what materials to use. Balder was sure to make a magnificent blade if I asked him to, but it was hard to say whether that would be sufficient to match the skill of Allucia Citrus. I planned to take my time to think about it once I was back in Baltrain, though I couldn’t leave her unarmed for too long.
“What’ll you do with your old sword?” I asked.
“I’ll have it repaired as best I can and decorate my house with it,” she answered. “It’s a keepsake, after all.”
“Right...”
I was honestly happy she adored the longsword I’d given her ten years ago. From what I’d heard, she hadn’t even replaced the hilt or handguard. All this time, she’d been using the exact weapon I’d given her. While it was impressive that she’d been able to make it last that long, her emotional attachment had my happiness peaking and turning into embarrassment.
As I shivered at the thought, our food arrived.
“Thank you for waiting. Two seafood platters and a cheese and sausage platter.”
“Ooh, looks good.”
Cheese and sausage were common features in the taverns of Baltrain, but the seafood platter was a new sight for me. It featured plenty of items I’d never seen before—some looked only questionably edible, and I would’ve second-guessed eating this dish had we not explicitly ordered it. That was simply how different this food was from what I normally had.
“Then, shall we begin?” Allucia asked.
“Yeah, let’s dig in.”
I cleansed my palate with a gulp of ale, then reached for the platter. I started with an unidentifiable white, squishy offering.
“Mm... That’s got some chew to it,” I said. “The flavor is nice and mild too. I like it.”
“Is this squid? I’ve had it a handful of times before... This one really is good.” Following my example, Allucia went for the same food. I felt like she didn’t have to go that far to match me, but it was nice to hear an explanation of what I was eating.
This was apparently squid. The more I bit into it, the more flavor oozed out. In contrast to its pallid appearance, it was densely packed with umami. It felt like I could chew on it forever without it running out of taste. I’d had dried squid before, but this was totally different. Food really is best when fresh.
“And this...is shellfish?” I asked, picking up a solid shell.
“Yes. And an awfully large one, at that...”
The flesh inside matched the shell’s size. I used my fork and knife to pluck it out, and it jiggled as I put it in my mouth.
This taste was less pronounced than the squid, though neither was as bursting with intensity as meat. Instead, flavor oozed out of each bite gradually—nice and gentle on this old man’s stomach. This kind of subtle flavor paired really well with ale. It was wonderful to be able to stuff my face with reasonably priced foods I couldn’t really get in Baltrain.
“And for an accent to the meal... Yeah, this works best.” I reached for the cheese and sausage platter to add a bit of punch.
“No doubt about it.”
Sausage was a fantastic food—one that was good pretty much no matter where you ordered it. I could see why it was a standard menu item in all kinds of restaurants.
“Whew... Ah, excuse me,” I said, calling the waiter. “Another ale.”
“One for me too, please,” Allucia added.
“Certainly.”
After nibbling on some of the cheese and sausage, I emptied my first glass of ale. Allucia was already on her third. I doubted I could replicate such a feat even if I were twenty years younger.
Some time later, after tasting a bit of everything and settling down somewhat, Allucia straightened herself up.
“Master.”
“Hm? What is it?”
“Thank you very much for accompanying us on this expedition. If not for you, the worst could have come to pass.”
“There’s nothing to thank me for. If my sword is needed, I’ll wield it... I was simply putting those words into action.” Such were my honest feelings on the matter, though I understood that I had been ordered to come along.
In hindsight, my sword had helped move things in a slightly better direction, and I wanted to believe I’d fulfilled my role. The resolution of the matter had left a bad taste in my mouth, but we couldn’t have done anything to avoid that. The royals had gotten away unscathed. To me, that was good enough.
“Nonetheless...” Allucia said. “I am honored to have been able to fight by your side.”
“Is that so...? Thanks? Ha ha, that’s kinda embarrassing.”
Thinking back on it, there were unexpectedly few occasions where Allucia and I had worked together to achieve anything. Even during the royal assassination attempt in Baltrain, I’d faced off against Rose pretty much on my own. The only occasion before this had been the attack by the Verdapis Mercenary Company. But did that really even count?
“So...” she continued.
“Hm?”
“So that I can continue fighting by your side... Please, Master! Please let me come with you when you pick out my new sword!”
“Mm... Yeah. Let’s decide on what will work best for you—together.”
“Thank you very much.”
Picking out a sword together—as a swordsman, there was no greater honor. Receiving praise from the king had made me happy, but that kind of stuff went against my nature. Supporting the growth of my precious former pupils like this made me far, far happier.
That said, the task of finding her a sword was still going to be a major challenge. Would we find one? Or have one made? Regardless, it had to be a blade worthy of Godspeed Allucia Citrus. I hoped we could find the best possible sword for her, and I prayed that her life as a swordswoman would shine even brighter from this point onward.
“Hee hee... Picking out a sword with Master Beryl... That’s unmistakably a da—”
“Hm?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
“R-Right.”
The way Allucia’s expression changed so much made her look both dignified and endearing—and also adorable. It seemed that, even among my precious pupils, maybe she was a little special.
Gazing at her charming figure from up close, I prayed to myself that this new year would be just as hectic and fulfilling as the last.
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