After getting stuck in the middle of the Grand Oceanic Crossing—a place where there was only a single straight bridge stretching sixty-two kilometers—Rynelle couldn't bring herself to speak to Irene after making her cry.
She spent the entire day thinking about how to fix things, weighed down by guilt, until night fell.
'At least my mind will be occupied for a few minutes,' Rynelle thought.
She climbed down from the wagon and looked for the tents, spotting Irene in the distance, hugging her legs. She wanted to talk to her right then and there, but decided to wait.
Hanami climbed into the wagon, crouched down in front of Irene, and gently stroked both of her fluffy ears at the same time.
"What would you like for dinner today, sweetheart?"
Irene's ears twitched reflexively, though she didn't stop her from touching them. She hugged her knees tighter and replied:
"Meat…"
"Meat it is. Once dinner's ready, I'll bring it to you here, okay?"
Irene shook her head and looked outside.
"No. I'll go help with the camp."
Right after that, she stood up and stepped down from the wagon. In the end, each of them set up their own tent, with Rynelle finishing first. Afterward, she prepared their campfire.
Normally, they turned meal preparation into a time to deepen their friendship, but now only the sound of the wind and the ocean waves could be heard, filling the air with an uncomfortable silence.
Hanami sat down on a log, hunched her back, and rested her elbows on her knees. She was bored.
'I want to talk to Irene… I want to laugh with her and make her smile like always; but doing that would be like dismissing and minimizing Rynelle's anger. I'd be making her feel bad indirectly, and I care about both of them. Should I step in as a mediator?'
Her crimson eyes timidly shifted between Rynelle and Irene. Both remained silent, sitting on opposite sides of the campfire as if it were an invisible border.
'Maybe it really is my responsibility as the oldest.'
Hanami exhaled calmly and made up her mind, but just as she was about to speak, Irene interrupted her:
"Rynelle, can we take a short walk? I want to talk to you."
The elf was resting her chin on her hand, her elbow propped on her knee. She was looking away from her friends, but when she heard Irene's voice, she glanced at her with a slightly furrowed expression and a faint blush.
◇◆◇
Their footsteps echoed dully against the concrete; they had moved about twenty meters away from the wagon. Irene approached the edge of the bridge and gazed at the nighttime ocean. Rynelle stopped beside her without saying a word.
The sound of the sea wrapped around them.
After a while, Irene spoke:
"I want to start by saying that I acknowledge this was my fault. We ended up here because of me."
Rynelle glanced at her from the corner of her eye, maintaining her calm, silent expression. Irene continued:
"I know how strict you are when it comes to keeping things organized, and I also know it bothers you when things happen that weren't on your list. So… I'll be more careful when it comes to reading the map."
She looked away from Rynelle and, clasping her hands beneath her white tunic, gathered the courage to meet her gaze with a determined expression and say:
"Rynelle, I accept the blame for this, and I apologize for not being attentive. I'll do my best not to cause any more trouble for our team."
With that said, she faced Rynelle's sharp, attentive stare. She was a charming elf in Irene's eyes, but when she was upset, for some reason, she was terrifying. Not out of fear—Irene knew Rynelle would never hurt her physically.
'I don't know if I'm doing the right thing,' Irene thought. 'I still have doubts about whether this is how an adult should behave; but I know I have many regrets from my past life. People I lost because of pride, and problems that could've been solved if only… I had been willing to listen to the other person. I don't want to lose Rynelle; that much is clear.'
"Ryne, I don't want to lose you. You're too important to me, and I'll apologize to you as many times as it takes."
Rynelle raised her eyebrows. Irene noticed how her pale skin made her blush stand out easily.
After a brief silence, with the wind gently swaying their hoods, Rynelle grabbed her own elbow and looked away as she said:
"Y-you're not going to lose me, dummy. Remember, I swore I'd protect you for my whole life." She closed her eyes. "I just needed some space."
After taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, she looked at Irene with a guilty expression and said:
"I'm also sorry for making you cry. Hanami's right when she says I get impulsive when I'm angry… And of course I don't think you're useless…"
Irene laughed awkwardly and replied:
"I wouldn't blame you if you did; you've said it yourself—I'm a spoiled princess."
"I only say that as a joke, dummy."
She stepped closer to Irene, grabbed her head with both hands, and roughly patted her, making Irene lower her head. Rynelle smiled and said:
"You'll always be my favorite spoiled little fox."
Irene wagged her tail rapidly.
When Rynelle let go of her, she stepped slightly ahead, extended her hand, and said:
"Let's go have dinner, my eternal protégée."
Irene's eyes lit up. Her heart fluttered, and a tender smile formed on her face. Accepting her invitation, she walked beside her back to the camp.
◇◆◇
Dinner ended in a natural, best-friends atmosphere, with conversations flowing back and forth, laughter, and playful teasing. When they finished, Irene went to feed the horses, her tail swaying from side to side.
Hanami and Rynelle were washing the dishes by the edge of the bridge. The elf took advantage of the moment to speak to her, saying:
"Sorry for taking it out on you."
"I didn't take it personally. Besides, unlike that cute little fox, I can smell the blood flowing through you all day long."
"W-What!?" She looked at her, blushing in embarrassment. "D-don't notice that!"
Hanami smiled with her usual playful tone and added:
"And what do you expect me to do? It's my nature."
Rynelle looked back down at the plate in front of her, her expression tense, though the blush remained. Hanami chuckled softly at the sight, let a few seconds of silence pass, and then spoke:
"But I still say that being on your period isn't an excuse to be impulsive and take it out on others. You need to learn to control your anger."
Rynelle exhaled, staring at the wooden plate in her hands.
"I know…"
Once everything was clean, Rynelle let herself fall onto her canvas tent, letting out a long sigh.
"I'm exhausted… I'm dying for a long bath."
Hanami, who was sitting on a wooden log, glanced at her wrist disinterestedly and commented:
"Our sweat smell is already becoming pretty noticeable. Though if we used seawater, our skin would dry out badly—especially since we might not find a place to bathe for two days. Honestly, I'm a very delicate lady who prefers smelling like sweat."
"That's not very ladylike," Rynelle replied.
"Well, I trust you two enough not to worry about whether I smell or not."
"Hm. What if we boil seawater to bathe?"
"It wouldn't remove the salt," Irene replied, lowering the newspaper she was reading. "We'd have to distill it; that would take hours and wouldn't be efficient for bathing as a group. We'd end up with very little water."
Rynelle hugged her knees and looked up at the stars.
"When we reach Arcania, I'll make sure to buy everything we need to maintain our hygiene in situations like this."
"By the way, Hanami."
"Hmm?"
"Can't you use purified water magic?"
"It doesn't work like that, little fox. Our magic is elemental; it comes from nature, not from mortal hands. The water I can summon is always salty. Some even believe it isn't created, but taken from somewhere else—but there's no proof to support that theory."
"I read that there are also created forms of magic. Couldn't you use one that uses purified water?"
"If it exists, I could. But first I'd have to find someone who sells it or teaches it."
"Since it's essential for any mortal, it's probably very common," Rynelle commented.
"Well, we'll find out as we travel, sweetheart; but rest assured, I'll learn it as soon as I find it."
Irene returned her gaze to the newspaper in her hands and continued reading. Rynelle picked up the map inside her canvas tent and commented:
"Today I charted a route toward a river right after we leave the Grand Oceanic Crossing. Honestly, the first thing I want to do is bathe. If we leave before sunrise, we'll probably arrive by tomorrow evening."
Hanami sighed and lowered her head.
"It'll still be a long while before we see nothing but water in every direction… I'm dying of boredom here."
"If we keep our current pace and don't run into trouble, we should reach Arcania in three weeks. Looking at the map, there's not much to stop us—aside from a few monsters or towns where we might stop to eat or buy supplies."
"Girls, listen to this," Irene interrupted, catching her friends' attention. "Heroine Inaxariel has just arrived in the Kingdom of Luminavia after defeating Emperor Amadeos, and it's believed she'll live there for several years to rest. The people of Terdamitus celebrate their freedom after thirty-three years under the dictatorship of the now former Emperor Amadeos. The Kingdom of Terdamitus declares the seventh day of the fifth month a Celebration of Freedom. A full week of festivities and rest has been proclaimed across the land."
Hanami looked up at the sky calmly and commented:
"Hmm~ So Amadeos finally died."
"Who is he?" Rynelle asked.
"Everyone describes him much like the article does. I'm probably not the only one who chose to stay away from Terdamitus because of him. Though… his story is peculiar, since he was the chosen one meant to wield a legendary sword for his nation. Everyone believed he was a savior. I don't know at what point everything went wrong."
Rynelle listened with melancholy. Irene, meanwhile, focused on the word printed in bold black capital letters: HEROINE.
Below it was a black-and-white image of Inaxariel. She stared firmly toward the horizon; the photo had been taken from a low angle.
'A heroine… So heroes exist here too.'