Chapter 250: Qualification Part 9

“The part where I said ‘we can’t go on like this’….I meant our relationship.”

“Ah.”

Yuna’s season N version of the “we can’t go on like this” speech.

Honestly, I don’t even expect anything anymore. She’s said it so many times before and tried different things, and nothing ever changed.

“So, what are you going to do about it this time?”

“From now on, we’re going on a date.”

“Doesn’t sound all that different from usual… No, I’m sure there’s some meaning behind it. Alright, let’s go.”

“Mhm!”

Even though I was exhausted, I got dragged out of the Cradle by Yuna, who had latched onto my arm.

Just a year ago, I thought the Cradle was the pit of hell. But lately, my thoughts have changed a little.

It really was a cradle, just like the name suggested.

At the very least, it was safer than the outside world.

***

Dragged out with expectations for Yuna’s ambitious plan,

I was soon met with the sight of her failure.

“Well, yeah. Don’t worry about it, Yuna. Days like this happen.”

The go-to date spot, the movie theater, was closed. To be exact, it had gone out of business, unable to recover from the aftermath of the recent war.

The cozy restaurants had turned to ruins, and all the scenic tourist spots had been destroyed one by one.

Wow, I knew it was bad, but those bastards from Spearpoint of Myth really went all out, didn’t they?

Even though reconstruction was underway, priority must’ve gone to more essential places. So places like these got pushed down the list.

“Should we just head back and rest for today?”

“No?”

“Okay… so where do you want to go?”

Half-giving up, I obediently responded to whatever Yuna said.

Surely there had to be at least one decent spot left. Though at this point, it felt more like I was a war correspondent than on a date…

Well, if it ends well, it’s all good.

Hoping her plan would somehow turn out okay, I followed behind her.

***

Unfortunately, nothing went right.

Every place Yuna tried to take us to had already met a tragic end.

She had the enthusiasm, but she hadn’t done any research beforehand. It was a spur-of-the-moment plan, after all, so it couldn’t be helped.

“Hey, Yuna?”

I glanced over, checking her mood.

She must be pretty flustered.

“Johan.”

“Uh, mhmm.”

But contrary to my worries, Yuna’s voice was calm. Almost unnervingly so.

Honestly, I had no idea how she could remain that calm. We’d just spent three hours walking through nothing but ruins.

“Johan, how much time are you willing to spend on me?”

What the…? That’s a high-difficulty question…

Trying to lighten the mood, I tossed out a line that was admittedly a bit cringey.

“If it’s for you, I wouldn’t mind devoting half my life.”

“Wow, then I guess the other half is reserved for Princess Ariel, huh?”

“That’s not what I meant…”

What was meant as a joke came back with a response sharp enough to knock the air out of me.

Why did it feel like I was being interrogated? Yuna was the one whose plan had fallen apart. Why did I feel like the guilty party here?

“Then… could you spend the next week with me?”

“……”

A sudden request for a week.

And with everything going on right now, that was no small ask.

“As much time as you want.”

Screw it.

I’m going to prioritize my own happiness for once.

Still, what in the world was Yuna planning to do with a whole week?

***

The place Yuna led me to was one I was already familiar with.

“Hmm.”

The Magic Tower.

I’d seen it a few times from the outside, but this was my first time going in.

More precisely, I wasn’t just in the publicly accessible first floor but also the upper floors, reserved only for official mages affiliated with the Tower.

Given Yuna’s status as the Magic Tower Master’s official heir, I could definitely feel the stares as we passed by.

Yuna really was a celebrity now…

Pulled along by her hand, we finally reached the very top floor of the Tower.

Bam!

Without so much as a knock, Yuna threw open the door to the Tower Master’s office.

“Judging by the rude behavior, I take it my daughter has returned.”

Olga Hermod, the Magic Tower Master, didn’t even spare us a glance as she worked through a mountain of paperwork.

“Mom!”

“I can hear you.”

“I’m going to marry this man.”

“……?”

Only then did Olga Hermod finally lift her head at Yuna’s explosive declaration.

Her eyes seemed to say, “And what exactly am I supposed to do with that information?”

A long silence followed, and then Olga let out a sigh and spoke.

“I know. Of course you are. After all that fuss about getting engaged, it’s old news. Why are you suddenly bringing it up again?”

“This is the first time I’m introducing him properly.”

“Hmm.”

It was only at that point that I realized what Yuna had been trying to do.

Just like she’d said—

She wanted to formalize things. Make our relationship official.

“Please entrust your daughter to me, Mother.”

So, I played along.

To be fair, our relationship had always been a bit vague.

Sure, we were dating, but whether we were really acting like engaged partners was… questionable.

On paper, we were technically engaged. But there had been no real interaction between our families.

That might’ve been what was making her uneasy.

After all, with Ariel, we’d already gone as far as an unofficial family introduction.

“Hmm.”

Olga Hermod stared at us for a while before finally nodding.

“I see. Johan Damus, son of the Damus family. And what do your parents do?”

“Uh, well…”

Even Olga Hermod decided to play along with this little charade.

“…They govern a small rural territory.”

“A small territory, huh…”

Right from the start, I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

Even if we were both from count families, comparing mine to the Magic Tower was… a bit much.

***

Olga Hermod gave some serious thought to Yuna’s future.

In other words, she grilled the hell out of me.

Honestly, even if it had been a round of personal insults, I think I’d have come out less mentally drained.

“Puhihihi, my mom’s more intense than you expected, huh?”

“……”

By the time we finally left the Tower, I was completely wiped out, while Yuna was grinning like she was having the time of her life.

At some point, we’d naturally ended up holding hands as we walked down the street.

“So, where to next?”

“You catch on quick, Johan.”

“I mean… it’s kind of obvious, given the flow of things.”

At first, Yuna asked if she could have about a week.

Then, she formally introduced me to her mother, Olga Hermod.

What came next was obvious.

“Let’s go to the Andvaranaut Merchant Guild.”

“Figures.”

If we were going far, we’d need a carriage.

We headed toward the Andvaranaut Merchant Guild, which had, at some point, become our go-to mode of transportation.

***

“Johan Damus, are you out of your mind?”

“I’m just asking to borrow a carriage.”

“You’ve completely lost it. How could you do this to me? You were supposed to bring Immun! I already finalized the business plan…!”

“Immun isn’t some commodity. He’ll come back when he’s ready.”

“You lunatic… you crazy bastard!”

Man, she sure talks a lot.

I said, just lend me a carriage.

“You…! Ha, whatever. Talking to you is pointless. Take whatever you want.”

“Thank you.”

“If only you knew how to keep your mouth shut…”

Cattleya really had mellowed out a lot.

She used to negotiate with a smile even if it meant losing a fingernail, but now she got worked up over nothing.

“Just hurry up and get lost. And don’t let Emily catch sight of you.”

“What about the coachman? The one from last time did a great job.”

“He’s not back yet. They all work about the same, so I’ll just assign someone. Quiet guy okay?”

“That’d be perfect.”

Honestly, having a third person tagging along on a trip with just Yuna and me would be a bit awkward. Someone strictly there in a professional capacity was ideal.

“Johan Damus.”

“Yes?”

“…Well, safe travels. I hope it’s a good trip.”

“Thank you.”

Seems like her instincts weren’t completely dead. She must’ve realized what this trip meant for Yuna and me.

I gave a slight nod and climbed into the carriage.

***

Our next destination was the Salos Territory.

Well, it wasn’t called Salos anymore. After Charybdis Salos died and a new lord was appointed, the name was changed to the Kosong Territory.

The current ruler was also Count Kosong.

He didn’t have any real connection to the past, so it probably wasn’t him we were here to see.

“Johan, it’s going to take a while to get there. Want to rest a bit if you’re tired?”

“Mm, maybe in a little while.”

It didn’t feel right to sleep when Yuna was still awake.

So we sat together in the carriage, chatting quietly.

Since we already spent a lot of time together, there weren’t that many new topics to bring up.

Most of our experiences were shared, so what was left to say at this point?

…Or so I thought, but once we started talking, there was actually a lot.

We had been through the same situations, but we couldn’t have known what the other had been feeling at the time.

And so, we were able to open up to each other.

***

Two days into our journey together.

We arrived at the Salos Territory.

“This place has changed a lot.”

“Looks like a decent place to live now.”

“Wasn’t like this in my day.”

“……”

Was that a slip of the tongue?

I probably should’ve thought before saying that…

When Charybdis Salos was the lord, the territory likely wasn’t all that pleasant to live in.

Wasn’t that when she was harming those around her due to her PTSD?

“Over here! This way, Johan.”

“Alright.”

I started walking, following Yuna as she climbed the hill behind the town.

We had arrived in the Salos Territory, but that wasn’t our true destination.

It was a bit off the beaten path—

A secluded place.

“Mom, Dad. I’m here.”

Where Yuna’s biological parents rested.

It would’ve been hard to say it was well-maintained, even to be polite.

But that was to be expected. It was a grave made when she was just a child.

“To be honest.”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t have that many memories.”

“……”

She had been so young back then.

She probably hadn’t had much time to build memories, and most of them must have faded by now.

Maybe even their faces were starting to grow faint in her mind.

“Still, I remember being happy.”

“They must’ve been good parents.”

“Mhmm!”

Just like we had in front of Olga Hermod, we shared many stories together.

Then we tidied up around the graves and set off once again.

“It’s cold.”

Yuna’s nose had turned red.

The air was still chilly. It made sense. The semester hadn’t even started yet.

Technically, it was spring, but the weather still felt closer to winter.

But I wasn’t cold.

More than that, Yuna shouldn’t be this sensitive to the cold, either.

“Yeah, it’s really cold.”

I quietly reached over and gently patted her shoulder.

This was the best I could do right now.

***

Our next destination was somewhere unknown.

No…more accurately, we knew where we were going, but not the exact destination.

There was only one thing we could guess:

Whoooshhhh────

The sound of waves crashing.

A place by the sea.

The hometown that Charybdis Salos had longed for his entire life.

And so, we arrived at the coast.

“Johan.”

“Yeah?”

“Want to come see my house?”

“You had a house?”

“…What’s that supposed to mean?”

I’d assumed, given her status as Safe Clown, that she didn’t have a fixed place of residence. But it seemed she did have a home after all.

It made me realize just how little I really knew about Yuna.

“Let’s go rest for a bit. After all that traveling, my body’s feeling stiff.”

“Well, you must be tired too.”

“Then we’ll take a short break, and after that…”

And so, in the hometown of Charybdis Salos—

“Want to stop by the beach ahead?”

“Of course.”

—we were ready to face the next wave that would soon come crashing in.

***

Around the same time.

In the Ether Duchy, Lobelia and Ariel were sipping tea.

“They say he left the capital.”

“……”

“Ariel, are you sure it’s okay to leave the two of them alone like that?”

“Well, it’s not like we can meddle in everything.”

Ariel responded to Lobelia’s question with a deliberately relaxed tone.

“But still…”

“Pfft, why do you sound more anxious than I am? I’m really fine.”

Seeing Lobelia so restless made Ariel laugh.

It warmed her heart to know someone cared about her, even in a situation like this.

“……”

But Lobelia couldn’t laugh at Ariel’s joke.

It was just a joke, nothing more. But it felt like being pricked with a needle.

I sound more anxious than she does?

I only said it because I was worried about Ariel, that’s all.

Lobelia muttered as if to make an excuse and quietly leaned back in her chair.

“And stepping onto a stage where your opponent is confident, that’s just foolish.”

Ariel knew where Yuna had taken Johan.

Yuna was a mage of the sea. Her destination was obvious: a coastal village that was the heartland of Charybdis Salos and Yuna’s second home.

In a place like that, Johan was bound to pay more attention to Yuna. Forcing herself in would only be foolish.

And besides…

“It’s the seaside, right? I’m not about to underestimate her strengths.”

“Is that so? I still think you have a graceful charm that’s quite appealing.”

“But regardless of the atmosphere, what’s visible to the eye tells a different story.”

Ariel spoke in a subdued voice. If it came to swimsuits, she knew she could never beat Yuna.

She’d accepted that much. She had her own charms, her own strengths.

Which was exactly why she had no intention of competing in an area where her opponent held the advantage.

Ariel’s composure came from that level-headedness.

“Hmm…”

Lobelia nodded as she watched Ariel, then glanced down at herself for a moment.

I mean, I’m still…

She may not have Ariel’s graceful, porcelain-white skin…

She might not have the kind of charm that immediately draws all eyes like Yuna.

But Lobelia was confident in herself. Her well-balanced and solidly trained body left nothing to be criticized.

And the moment she caught herself thinking that—

Crack!

Lobelia was so shocked that she shattered the teacup in her hand.

“Your Highness? Are you alright?”

“…I just misjudged my strength. Don’t worry.”

“Seems like being without your abilities is more inconvenient than expected.”

“……”

Lobelia had always believed—

She might not be a perfect sage, but at least she wasn’t cruel or petty like the other imperial members.

And yet, at this very moment, she couldn’t help but feel like she was being cowardly.