Chapter 24

{ Their Farewells }

30th day of the 4th Month – HEC, 375
Rulid Village

"Mother, I… I don't think this is necessary…"

"What are you talking about? It's going to be an official celebration. Might as well dress for the occasion!" Harrumphed the older Zuberg, tightening the sash around her chest and making her yelp in surprise. "I know you'd complain if everyone else was dressed up but you weren't."

"I would not!"

"Uh-huh. Sure. If I was in your shoes, I would totally complain to my parents if I was left out," urgh. Of course she would. That was simply how mother was. Selka didn't know what else to expect from her. "Even Charlotte and Fanatio are dressing up. Wouldn't you want to, too?"

"I… guess I do," she sighed. "But Charlotte always has that dress of hers. Sort of looks like what we wear for celebrations, right?"

"Indeed. But I actually asked the village's tailor to take her measurements a week ago, so we've already made something new for her," she chuckled. "But she was insistent on wearing black. Guess that's just her characteristic colour, huh?"

True that. Charlotte seemed to like black, whereas Fanatio seemed to prefer purple and indigo. Selka herself didn't particularly mind what colours to wear, although she would certainly go for shades of oranges and yellows above anything else. As for Kirito and Eugeo, she knew how much they liked black and blue respectively.

Just the thought of the boys has her gulping, especially Kirito. He'd always dressed up for occasions, but this would be the first time he'd dress up really nicely—hard not to, since he and Eugeo would be the stars of tonight's celebration, being the one who cut down the Gigas Cedar.

'What would he look like?'

"You're thinking about Kirito, aren't you?"

Selka simultaneously whiplashed and screamed, snapping her head faster than an arrow. "Mom!" She cried out.

"What? It's not wrong to be curious!" She chuckled, making her whine again. "And isn't it a good thing that you're dressing up? I'm sure he'd appreciate it."

"Mooom!"

A temporary respite came in the form of knockings on the door. When it swung inwards, it was Charlotte's face that peeked in, a beautiful hairclip that had little bright red strings hanging from it securing her bangs in place.

"Ooh! That looks lovely on you, Charlotte!"

"Thank you, Sadina," she smiled back, pushing the door open. Selka was able to take in her entire being, and she had to admit, she looked good. Her black kimono had fur trimmings around the neck, with purple spiderweb patterns on it—she probably requested the design. "And you do too, Selka."

"T-Thank you," at least, with her, she wasn't going to be too much of a tease. "How about Fanatio? Is she done?"

"She is. She's waiting outside," she nodded out the window. "We've an hour before the celebration begins, but the preparations are almost complete."

Yeah, well, everyone had gotten to work really quickly. When Kirito and Eugeo got back to the village to report the completion of their calling—then again, they didn't have to. Practically everyone could have seen it from the village—the villagers were immediately working on preparations to celebrate in the evening.

The boys had, as expected, offered to help, but were waved off by the villagers on account of them being the 'stars of tonight'. So, they'd been more or less just relaxing over at the church the entire time.

She would have joined them, if it weren't for the fact that mother had asked for her help with the cooking. Even Sulinea had joined them, which made things go by faster, thanks to her being so good in the kitchen. Fanatio and Charlotte, on the other hand, helped set up some things like tents and moved instruments around before they, too, returned to get dressed up.

"Well, looks like everyone's good to go! Let's go join everyone else outside."

"Of course. Ready, Selka?"

"Ehehe. More or less, I guess."

Stepping out of the house, the first thing that caught her attention was the fact that there was so many people out in the village square. Everyone were bustling about, still moving a few more items like tables and instruments, some of which she didn't recognize. She spotted Sister Azalia to one side, keeping watch over the children as they played around, wearing their own clothes. Other people, too, flitted about in all kinds of colours. Thankfully, it wasn't too hot since it was night and it was just the spring season.

There was also a large bonfire being put together, waiting to be set alight to kick off the celebration. A wooden platform was also being set up, where musicians ran through some light practice—even more of them sat underneath a tent, chuckling and chattering. Small stalls were arranged in rows here and there, the rich scent of roasting food wafting into the air.

"Wow. We're really going all out here…"

"It's a momentous occasion, after all."

Still no sign of either Kirito and Eugeo, though. Were they still getting ready? Or maybe waiting to make some kind of entrance… Actually, no. That doesn't sound like them. They're not that fond of attention.

Well, no use worrying about it. They'll show up eventually. They couldn't possibly escape this ceremony.

She snickered at the idea. Kirito would most definitely try to run away. He was a self-admitted naughty kid, so the thought of him climbing up a tower even in his traditional clothes was just—

"Argh… I seriously thought I was going to stop breathing back there…"

"Stop being so silly. You were obviously going to be fine."

"Come ooon, brother, Kirito! You two are moving so slow!"

Selka promptly turned her gaze towards the voices, which was in the direction of Eugeo's house. The boy himself was right there, wearing a gentle blue kimono with a pattern of cascading waves. The additional dark blue haori over it was a nice touch. His brothers, on the other hand, didn't have the haori, though their fluffy white scarves made them look great. And lagging slightly behind them was…

Oh. Oh wow.

There was nothing extravagant about his appearance. As expected, the colour of his outfit was mostly a midnight black, with small touches of white on his sleeves that make them look like snowflakes, and his haori transitioned into grey near the end of his sleeves.

But there was a strange regal air about him that makes his presence stand out just a little more. Or perhaps it was because of how serene he looked with that smile on his face that made it hard for her to look away.

And those jet-black eyes of his were now focused on her.

"Selka?"

"E-Eh?"

For some reason, the first thing he thought when he saw Selka was how Sulinea once said that women could look incredibly different depending on their clothes. He would have laughed it off were it not for the fact that the person standing before him was fulfilling that saying.

While he always knew Selka looked great in a cute kind of way, the Selka before him now was almost graceful. At least, he wanted to give her that, except she was looking particularly flustered.

Her dress was gorgeous, though. He'd never been too good at fashion, but her choice of a bright green kimono with flower patterns really looked pretty. Her mom must have added that light touch of makeup on her face in the form of faint blush and cherry lip colouring.

…Goddesses, women really have that advantage of being able to look great with little to no effort. Not like Selka hadn't done nothing, though. Or, well, not like her mom hadn't done nothing for her.

"K-Kirito!" She cried out. "And Eugeo! Where were you two?"

"I was with the kids back in the church earlier. Then Sulinea called me over for a light snack. And then I just changed there," he tugged on his collar, wincing. "Goddesses, I thought we would have gotten stuck in there for hours. I'm glad we're out. The fresh air is making up for all those hours."

"It was only half an hour," Eugeo corrected. "But still pretty exhausting."

"Yep… And how 'bout you, Selka?"

"O-Oh. I was just helping mother with some cooking," she replied, tugging a strand of hair behind her ear. "It wasn't so bad… If anything, it was pretty relaxing."

"And I bet Aunty Sadina put you through the same thing Sulinea did us?"

"Yep."

The three of them shared a round of snickering. Well, that's just how it is with older woman figures in their life. Selka, her mom; them and Eugeo, Eugeo's sister. In that sense, the three of them had something in common.

"Now that I think about it, where's Fanatio and Charlotte?"

"Dunno'. They went off to do their own thing," she sighed. "I was hoping Charlotte could stick around, but I'm guessing she's off to help with the workload."

"Would that we could, too," Kirito grumbled. "But Uncle Gasupht had told us off from doing even the slightest. Says it's best for us to just relax. Like, really?"

"It's the chief's word. Can't do nothin' about it."

"I get that, Eugeo, but come on."

When someone almost bumped into them, the three decided to move away from the centre. They stuck close to a building, which he recognized to be Ivenda's pharmacy, which thankfully no one else were walking by all that much. That gave them the opportunity to simply sit back and watch everyone at work.

That didn't make them completely invisible from the crowd, though. Anyone who walked past them would shout out a greeting, which he didn't mind in the slightest, but that he found a little embarrassing when they were done with so much energy and appreciation.

"Man… Not gonna' lie, I'll never get used to this. Having all the attention on us, I mean."

"I'm in full agreement on that one," sighed Eugeo, rubbing the back of his neck. "But hopefully, it'll be a little easier to deal with than anything before. The last incident was a really scary one, but this is more or less mild in comparison."

"Funny. When you think about it, felling the Gigas Cedar is a big deal. But comparing it to two years past? Yeah, I see where you're coming from," the ravenette hummed back. "Hopefully, everyone will be able to put it behind them for good."

"I doubt that'll happen at all. You know how a village takes pride in its people's accomplishments. They're not bound to forget you two's deeds for a very long time."

He genuinely moaned in despair at that. Being normal had never sounded more tantalizing than before, but he supposed that was never going to happen. Then again…

This 'popularity' of theirs was only ever limited to Rulid. And once they leave this place to go to Centoria, what would it be like then? They'd likely be normal people again. News of them may have gone to all kingdoms, but he doubted emphasis would be put on the involvement of two children in the battle; if anything, Fanatio would likely get all the attention. So once they leave Rulid, no one would know them. And in Centoria, a massive city filled with nothing but the noblemen and the like, two country bumpkins would mean nothing.

That thought was a little relieving—and exciting. Not having to deal with attention from anyone, both good and bad, would always be nice. It just meant that they would get to focus on their task without any other hassle.

A massive gout of flame broke into the air, drawing everyone's attention to the bonfire. Great reds and oranges towered over the village, casting ember gradients over the brick-built homes and leaving even longer shadows to bleed into the darker alleys.

And then, the music began. Simple country music composed of guitars, fiddles, harmonicas and accordions was starting to play, helping to set the mood. Some of the villagers, who were previously hanging around with nothing to do, were slowly being drawn by the music, beginning to dance a little. It was honestly cute to see.

"We're not being called out first?"

"Probably not. Father wanted everyone to enjoy themselves first, so we'll be having… more or less, an hour and a half, maybe? Just to chill about and eat and stuff."

"Huh. That's cool. I'm down for us chilling first," he crossed his arms. "So, anything you guys wanna' do?"

"We wanna' try out the miniature tree-cutting competition!"

"Wait, what?"

"It's true!" Euden nodded excitedly. "Someone's bringing over an apple tree and turning it into a competition of who can cut it down! It's for the kids!"

"Probably inspired by you guys cutting down the Gigas Cedar. It's gonna' be awesome!"

For a moment, he and Eugeo shared deadpanning looks. Awesome, huh? Regular tree-cutting was probably boring, and their job had been absolutely brain-death-inducing. Making that into a fun activity for a children was the dumbest idea he'd ever heard, but hey? Props to the guy if it works.

"Well," he decided to say. "You two have fun with that, I guess."

"But be careful handling an axe, okay? No swinging it carelessly and accidentally hurting yourself or a friend. And if the tree does topple, I want you to get away before it lands on you."

The twins let out a collective 'Yes, Eugeo'. Leave it to him to play the role of the elder sibling when Sulinea isn't around.

They left soon after, while the three of them opted to get some food in their bellies. There was plenty to go around, after all, and it would be a waste not to sample everything on display.

Grabbing a plate, he went around the stalls and decided to take a little bit of everything. Not too much rice or bread, but more of everything else; meat, fruits, sweets. He was going to take more but decided against it eventually, knowing that he could just return to the stalls to take more food at a later time. No point in taking too much and risk wasting it.

'A very good practice. Wasting food, in my opinion, is one of the worst things one can do.'

'Yeah. I mean, who knows if there's someone out there is starving? Maybe not, but it would be a pretty terrible thing to waste food when they don't even get to have any.'

'Indeed, I—ooh! Get that cake! It looks splendid! Is that chocolate, I see? '

'Chocolate? Oh, good eye.'

Grabbing everything he needed for now (and a glass of berry juice, thankfully without any alcohol in it), he reunited with his childhood friends at a table situated near to the musicians. It was thankfully not so loud that he'd have to worry about popping an eardrum, so they were able to get themselves seated comfortably with what looked to be seats carved out of logs.

The moment he put his food down, his eyes honed in on his friends' plates; he immediately spotted a colourful tart on Eugeo's plate, along with a particularly juicy cut of beef with gravy sitting on Selka's.

Their eyes met. No hesitation was found.

"Trade you my drumstick for that tart."

"I'll take it if Selka gives me her strawberries."

"Only if you give me the corn, then we'll talk."

And just like that, food was swapped between the three as they tasted just about everything that they'd manage to get their hands on. He faintly heard Selena giggling in the back of his mind, likening them to children, but he didn't even bother with a response beyond simply moaning in delight.

"This tastes amazing…" He said after chewing down a smoked sausage. The other two made sounds of agreement. "Man. It's always been delicious before, but why does tonight feel a little more so?"

"No idea, and I'm not gonna' question it."

"Good idea. Better to just enjoy it."

'Well, it seems like the three of you are already doing just that. And you could try the other things if you still have room. In fact, I thought I saw cheesecake being distributed near the church—'

"Cheesecake?!" Selka cried out, suddenly alert. "We need to try some!"

Kirito nodded sharply. "Definitely. But let's focus on finishing what we do have before we go for seconds. On that note," he leaned his head over to get a better look. "You want that?"

"This sugar cookie? Of course I want it. But I'll give it to you in exchange for that jelly."

"Deal," they traded sweets, and he was especially shocked by how good the cookie was; not too brittle, and surprisingly not too sweet. There was even the faintest taste of cinnamon on there, giving it a nice blend of flavours. "Mm… I could get used to this."

"Well, don't. This is the last time we'll get to taste such things like this for a long time. Best savour it."

'But also don't go overboard. We don't need any of you throwing up because you got sick from eating too much.'

"We won't," choired the three.

"But now that you brought it up, I guess we won't be eating this luxuriously, huh? I bet on our travels to Centoria, we'll have to start cooking our food out in the open. Almost like a camping trip."

"But can we even hunt wild animals? Isn't that forbidden for us?"

"That might include fishing too, if you think about the nuances behind it."

Urgh. Talk about a bummer. He wasn't too picky of an eater, but he'd certainly appreciate having a lot more diversity going into him than simply greens. Try as he might, he was not going to be very happy if all he had to eat was wild grass and vegetables lying around on the ground.

"Maybe we could scrounge up some eggs from nests?" He more or less said that in a questioning tone, shrugging. The others gave thoughtful looks in response.

"That… could be possible, yeah. And maybe carcasses..?" The three considered the thought before shaking their heads. "Never mind. That sounds too gross. And probably dangerous, too."

"Yeah. It'd probably be too rotten to consume by then."

"Then again, why don't you consider the different ways you can prepare your food?" Selka suggested. "I mean, in the most extreme example that you can only have vegetables as a viable option, you'd still be able to prepare them in all kinds of ways. Stuff like stews, roasted, buttered…"

"…Huh. That is a good idea," and then, he bodily wilted. "Until you consider the fact that neither of us know how to cook."

Selka's lips thinned as well. "And I don't think Charlotte knows how to cook too…"

Eugeo, meeting both his and Selka's gaze, lowered his head. "So all three of us don't know how to cook. We'll be totally doomed, won't we?"

The three sighed over their culinary issues. Oh well, that would be for the future them to solve. For the time being, they had all this delicious food that everyone had worked on. No way in hell were they going to let any of them go to waste…

After having filled their stomachs with all kinds of dishes and treats, to the point where even Kirito said he couldn't put any more in his stomach (which was surprising in itself, since he'd become a relatively big eater after they'd begun their training three years ago), the three of them just rested for a bit as they talked about a slew of topics; mostly Selka asking them what they were gonna' do on their way to Centoria, which even he was just excited by.

At some point, the three of them decided to explore the village a little, experiencing all the little things they'd organized. They'd really gone all-out with this one, treating today like some kind of festival—they had game stalls, food stalls, musicians pumping out music of all kinds, and even a fortune teller. Ivenda even had a booth prepared to treat someone in case they injured themselves.

"What do we try first?"

"Everything, really. But let's, uh, put the food on the backburner for now. I'm kind of full…"

"That goes for all three of us. Then let's try the games."

Plenty of the stalls set up were mostly for the kids, but that didn't stop them from partaking in the activities regardless. The people manning them were all too happy to welcome them over to their stalls, not at all abashed about yelling stuff like 'You saved our village! The least we could do is let you have fun!'. He lost count of how many times people had said that, and how embarrassed he was through it all.

Still, the games more than made up for the attention. There were the typical village games like milk bottle tosses and ring tosses, though Eugeo personally found the fish-netting game enjoyable. Watching Kirito flunk that all three times was just hilarious.

Oh, and there was the miniature tree-cutting competition, which was apparently being held in an open area close the church. He just about almost lost it when he saw Euden successfully fell his tree—thankfully, he backed away just in time, so there was no issues of him or anyone else getting injured under the fall. Seriously, whose idea was it to make that game?

There were other things that they did, too. He took part in a ball-in-the-cup game, losing out to Kirito on a point of three-to-two. Even a memorization game of sketched cards and folding origami, of which Selka had easily won in. And there was even a reaction speed game which involved splashing the other person with a cup of water. Much to his frustration and expectation, Kirito won every single time in that one.

It must have been around that time when Charlotte joined them, with Selena notifying them in their minds of her incoming presence. They turned their heads her way, the boys surprised by her lovely appearance while Selka beamed at her friend.

"Boys," she greeted with a little wave.

"Charlotte, hey! We thought you were going to be held up forever helping out with stuff."

"Chief Gasupht ordered me to lay off of work for a bit and join you three," she said in response, making the three of them sweat-drop. So she was planning to be held up with work. "So, what were the three of you doing?"

"Just enjoying the games," Eugeo answered her. They'd pretty much tried out everything there was to offer, and they'd been relatively enjoyable. He kind of wanted to go back to the fish-netting game, though… and maybe the splashing one just to beat Kirito. "How about you? Have you tried them?"

"I will. I'll be taking part in the rope war game that they have in a couple of minutes."

That had Kirito beside him perking up. "Rope war, you say?"

"Indeed. Teams of eight will be forming, although I intend to try out a one-against-eight match," exasperation bled into her expression as she sighed. "Apparently, everyone knows of my irregular strength, and are all too excited to see it at play. As such, I will be going solo."

"That so, eh? Then I'm so going to go up against you!" Snickered Kirito. Eugeo and Selka stared at him, surprised. "It'll be interesting to play rope war to test someone's strength. And I bet with a handicap like that, there's no way we'll lose!"

"Kirito…" He sighed. "Do you really expect to get riled up by such silly—"

"While I admit it is a little mortifying to have my strength be public knowledge, I also enjoy holding the title of being the strongest in the village," she stepped forwards, almost bodily pushing Kirito back. He didn't budge in the slightest, both of them staring at each other. Eugeo and Selka gawked. "I have pride, just as you do. And I will not allow myself to lose in any way."

"Oh yeah?" His expression took on a dangerous edge, and Eugeo almost thought he was going to do something reckless. "I heard Auntie Sadina's making pumpkin pie soon. One of the best things you'll ever taste tonight. You down?"

"Gladly."

The two shook hands on that. Eugeo facepalmed, surprised that Charlotte allowed herself to be pulled into his nonsense. Then again, probably the festive mood getting to her.

Half an hour into the celebrations, and witnessing eight people being easily pulled over to the ground by a single woman, who then had the single most smug look on her face, was just impressive.

Then came the dances. The musicians really got to work there, playing some happy tunes that got everyone to their feet and dancing with one another. His brothers absolutely refused to take part, but Sulinea's word was law, and eventually they were forced into a dance with her. He just laughed at the sight of their dismayed expressions.

"You gonna' join in, too?"

"Not really. I'm not good at dancing."

"Surprise, surprise! Neither am I," he snorted at Kirito's response. "Well, I kind of don't want to, either. I dunno'. Not really my thing."

"How about you go with Selka, then?"

"Selka?"

Eugeo nodded to where the girl was. She and a couple of her friends were close to the bonfire, giggling away as the three of them danced in a circle. Charlotte had been pulled into joining them by another girls. A couple others were slowly beginning to join them, increasing the size and generally having a good time.

Kirito stood beside him, watching them alongside him. He was quiet. When he looked over, he looked… relieved. And he understood why.

The boy recalled being so terrified when he first witnessed the Million-Eyed's surfacing. How such a massive beast that hid from the world had finally revealed itself, with the moments after being some of the most harrowing hours of his life.

Going into its belly to fight legions of wolf-like spawns had been just as terrifying, and he wasn't sure just how both him and Kirito had managed to survive the onslaught. There should have simply been no way for them to overcome such odds.

And they did. And this moment here was a reminder of why they'd gone into the belly of the beast (figuratively and absolutely literally) to fight what shouldn't have been their fight; to protect the people they cared about.

Why he was suddenly thinking all of this made no sense to him, but seeing the joy on everyone's faces tonight was doing all sorts of things to him. He almost felt like crying.

…Almost.

'Oh, come now. No one would blame you for getting a little emotional.'

'You're right about that, but in no way am I gonna' give Kirito ammunition to tease me over.'

Then again, with the look on his face, he knew Kirito was feeling the same way. He just—

"Fine, I'll go."

"…I'm sorry, what?"

Without saying anything, he walked forwards, all as Eugeo stared at his back with open surprise. He'd more or less been joking, but he didn't think he'd actually go for it!

When he reached them, the girls stopped dancing. There was something being said. Afterwards, all of their faces lit up, and a lot of them shouting to have a dance with his best friend, only to then push Selka right at him. Poor girl was burning bright in the face, and Charlotte must have said something embarrassing to her because he could hear her cry out her name, but she took his hand regardless.

'Aww… Aren't they cute together? '

'You got that right.'

He grabbed a drink and sipped from it as he watched his best friend dance with the younger girl. Clearly, neither knew what to do, but it was the thought that counted—and he could clearly tell that Selka, despite all her embarrassment at the situation, was beaming with joy.

Haaah. It would sure be nice if Kirito decided to just get together with Selka. They'd make for a really good couple. He knew just how much Auntie Sadina and Uncle Gasupht like him.

Still, he knew just how guilt-ridden his best friend was. And he wasn't going to let himself find love anytime soon. The thought made him grow sombre, and he downed his sadness with a large gulp of juice.

'Maybe in time…'

Now that he thought about it, when would he decide to look for someone? Romance was a very foreign concept to him. There were never any girls here that caught his eye, and with training and their mission being the only thing on his mind these past three years, he'd really never batted an eye towards another female.

Ah well. Some things could be taken slowly. And he was sure as hell that he was going to take all the time in the world to decide for himself just when would be the best time to find someone to love for himself.

Kirito promptly getting a face-full of pie flying from goddesses-know-where and Selka crying out in shock has him spewing all his juice into the air, followed shortly by hearty laughing from both him and everybody else in the crowd.

Looks like it was time.

People must have realized it because, all of a sudden, the music was slowly dying down. All attention shifted to the boys, who were going up the platform with the chieftain, who was dressed a little simpler than the other two.

Someone bumped into her side. "Sorry..!" Selka whispered loudly.

"Don't worry about it. You're just in time for the ceremony," she nodded to the platform.

"Oh, good thing… I was in the bathroom, so I thought I'd missed it…"

She hummed back, but the urge to ask the following question got to her. "So, how was the dance?"

"Charlooootte..!"

The woman chuckled, accepting the hands that drummed against her. She simply continued watching the two boys, who were doing their best to try and look calm—keyword was 'try'. Kirito was scratching the back of his head while Eugeo smiled nervously at the crowd.

"Everyone! Could I have your attention?" His voice carried through in the village square, all eyes naturally drawn to him. Gasupht stared over every head, nodding when he had everyone's full attention. "Three hundred years. That is how long it had been since Rulid Village had been founded in these northern lands. And for seven generations, we have dutifully carried out the responsibilities passed down to us by our village's founders—"

"—But no longer! Today, the demon tree, the Gigas Cedar, has been felled!"

Raucous cheering broke out amongst the crowd, with even Selka letting out some whoops of her own. Charlotte opted for simply clapping, but even she knew just how much smiling.

"A feat achieved by our two young heroes; Kirito, and Eugeo, son of Orick!"

The cheering got louder. The boys just waved back, smiling. Even for how much that they hate the attention, she could tell that they were beaming from all the cheering. It must feel good to have finally accomplished something that they'd sought to do so since the beginning.

"And, per tradition, having completed their task, both Kirito and Eugeo are given the right to choose their next «Calling»!" His gaze shifted to them. "So tell us. What shall be the paths that you two intend to walk?"

The choosing of one's «Calling» was a massive thing, she knew that. For humans who would go on to work on just this one thing for the rest of their life, having the ability of choice in pursuing that was incredible.

But these two knew what they wanted to be from the very beginning. Their conviction was clear from their gaze.

"The both of us…"

"Choose to become swordsmen!"

Somehow, no one looked surprised. If anything, the confirmation of such had all of them smiling.

"As the chieftain of Rulid Village, I hereby approve Kirito's and Eugeo's new «Callings» as swordsmen!" He roared back, sweeping one arm out. "May their journey from henceforth be one that shall carry them to a future worthy of the heroes of Underworld!"

The night was then filled with raucous cheering once more.

The night continued on for a little longer, but now, the mood was generally a little more sedated. The game stalls were still being kept up, though it was easy to tell that everyone just wanted to walk around and enjoy the night air for themselves. Food was still being cooked, though now, those who had worked to set up things had the opportunity to relax as well.

She grabbed a couple of juice glasses and headed to a table close to Ivenda's pharmacy, where the two boys were sat at. Selka and Fanatio were there too, snacking on some tiny cakes.

"… so wait. You won't be able to come with us?"

"Unfortunately, no," Fanatio said, shaking her head. Goodness, she was incredibly beautiful. A good thing that she was no longer trying to hiding all of that under a helmet all day. "Her Eminence requested I return to the cathedral immediately after your «Calling» is over. As such, only the three of you will be going to Centoria."

"Aw. That's a shame…" Sighed Kirito. "It would be fun to have you with us."

"Hah. I'm not exactly a living definition of 'fun', but I appreciate the thought."

"I mean, you've been a part of us for three years. Not having you by our side would be strange," Eugeo said, getting everyone to nod. "You're practically a person of Rulid at this point."

His genuine proclamation had the knightess unusually abashed, her hand reaching up to her neck while her eyes looked away. "T-That's, well… Thank you. I've loved it here as well, so the thought of leaving it is just…"

Charlotte hummed, putting down the glasses on the table. "And it'll be difficult for you to return here once you go back to your duties, since you might be assigned to other empires for work."

The three children visibly deflated at that. Goodness, it's so obvious that the three of them like Fanatio. Years of living together was always going to build two people's relationships, and the fact that they trained and went on picnicking sessions together was always going to make them close.

Fanatio, for as much as she doesn't say it out loud, felt the exact same way towards them too. Charlotte could understand; she was the exact same way. Emotions just really isn't something that she's typically open about all that much.

"B-But…" She quirked a smile, watching how the children perked up at the knight's words. Fanatio coughed into her fist, averting her gaze from them. "I could at least try and convince the pontifex to assign me only to Norlangarth. That would mean I'd get to visit more often."

"Ah! Really?!"

"I-I could try, Selka! There's no guarantee that I would—"

"Oh, Fanatio, that would be so good!" The girl jumped to her feet and threw herself at the knight, catching her off-guard with a hug. "You're always welcome here! I'd love if you could visit all the time!"

"A-Ah… Mmhm…"

She had to hide her chuckles behind her hand as she watched the woman struggle in responding to the younger girl's affections. It spoke volumes that a young girl was somehow close friends with two adult women, but she supposed there could be stranger.

"I-In any case, the four of us should leave tomorrow morning. I'll take Lyra with me and we'll soar ahead. As for you three, you'll have to go on foot."

"Drat. Lyra would be so helpful to start fires—I'm kidding!" Kirito hastily cried out when she glared at him. "It was a joke, Fanatio! A joke! You know I wouldn't ask Lyra for something as dumb as that! We have «Sacred Arts»!"

"Hmm… Well, I'd hope so," she sighed. "Eugeo and Charlotte, I sincerely hope you two can take good care of him on your journey."

"We'll be fine."

"Oi, you're not supposed to agree with her so readily."

"Everything will be fine, Fanatio," Charlotte said. Perhaps they noticed it but weren't calling it out; that Fanatio, despite her seemingly blasé tone, seemed really nervous for them. It was sweet of her. "The two of them are more than ready. Eugeo studied treatment methods, and Kirito is stronger than either of us will give credit. Between the three of us, our journey will be mostly fine."

"I'd hope so. I would truly be pleased if we could welcome you to Centoria."

"Then you'd better be prepared to accept our arrival by then. Until then, just chill out and do your own thing."

"Pfft. A job of an Integrity Knight isn't 'chilling out', you know."

"Considering your services, pretty sure you deserve a break."

"These two years were my break!"

"Dealing with me, Fanatio? I do not believe you."

The two descended into a trade-off of banter, with Eugeo trying to mediate between the two and Selka making some remark about Kirito being responsible (when the time is right). Charlotte watched this moment with a smile on her lips, resting her chin on her fingers.

They've truly come a long way. She remembered just how much Kirito had loathed Fanatio, yet for them to have gotten this close… It filled her heart with hope that, perhaps someday, a future where everyone could coexist together could truly come.

Thinking of Lady Cardinal's mission, however, made her feel a little sombre. She was at odds with the pontifex, who controlled Underworld from the shadows. Going up against her meant crossing with her Integrity Knights, and that would mean there would come a time when Fanatio would become their enemy.

Even so… She wanted to believe. Believe in the humanity in her heart, and the possibility that, just maybe, they didn't have to be enemies to begin with. That they could actually work together.

Charlotte jolted in place, realizing a moment later that someone was now hugging her. A glance down told her it was Selka, who had her face in her dress. "Selka?" She called. "Is something the matter?"

"Sorry… It's only now dawning on me that all four of you are going to be leaving Rulid tomorrow…" She muttered. The other three were still chatting with one another, not noticing this little exchange. "I'm going to miss you so much, Charlotte…"

"...I will miss you too, Selka."

And it felt so strange that say out loud. Hundreds of years since most of her kind had been hunted down by the pontifex, she'd mostly been on her own, with Lady Cardinal being the first person in a very long time that she'd formed a bond with.

Selka had been a complete random stroke of events, but thinking back on these three years… she was the best thing in her life.

Unlike with Lady Cardinal, with whom she'd always kept up a professional relationship with, Selka was simply a friend. A simple girl who'd been both wary and respectful of her at first, but eventually warmed up to her. And Charlotte felt the same way, learning about all the little things; how she liked to knit, how she liked spending time with her parents, how seeing other people happy made her happy.

When had they truly become friends? She couldn't even remember anymore. It felt like they'd known each other their whole lives. It was crazy how that was.

"I… know not when we'll ever meet, Selka. But I promise you this; just as Fanatio promises to visit your village, so too will I return someday to see you again," and somehow, she felt a little flustered as well, which was all too rare for her. Still, she pushed on, not willing to let go of this momentum. "You… are such a wonderful friend, Selka. Thank you. For everything."

"…Mmm…"

The rest of the night was spent with her friends, and she knew she would be remembering this night for years to come.

1st day of the 5th Month – HEC, 375
Rulid Village, at the Gates

"So, looks like you're well on your way to go, huh?"

"Guess so."

The fated day of departure. It was a moment in one's life that would forever be ingrained in the person's mind as they take that first step into the real world, ready to take it all by the reins and learn and grow.

Usually, stories tend to dramatize the moment by having said person leave their hometown at the crack of dawn, usually on their lonesome to make the moment seem lonely. That was both to exemplify a thematic shift from loneliness to having allies along the way, and because, you know. Early morning, so everyone would usually be asleep.

But what happened for him instead was Eriana jumping on his bed to wake him up. He had his morning bath, took breakfast with all the church kids and Sister Azalia, and joined Eugeo outside of the church. Even his family were up, his brothers excitedly demanding him to 'be awesome at kicking butt', something he just laughed off.

"Someone's looking fresh," Sulinea said with a grin. "Good! You should always start the day off with a smile on your face. Nothing less!"

"Yeah, well, all my brothers and sisters wouldn't have let me sleep the day away," the urge to yawn came, but he was able to will it down. "Good thing that they came to wake me up, too. How late did we sleep last night?"

"No worries. It was just midnight."

"Ahh. Okay, that's fine."

Some other people showed up. Uncle Gasupht and Auntie Sadina approached them, with Fanatio, Charlotte and Selka in tow. Right behind them was Lyra, who lagged behind them and let out a gentle coo upon seeing them.

"Kirito, Eugeo," the brown-haired man nodded. "Have you made done everything you needed to do before you leave?"

"We sure have," he nodded, patting his backpack. "And I got the Gigas Cedar branch, too. I don't know how good of a sword that it'll make, but it's really poetic. Eugeo had a good idea there."

"Considering that it's coming from the demon tree, I'm sure it'll make a good sword," nodded the man. "Well then… It's high time that the four of you get moving now."

Most departures were lonely—but theirs had the presence of their loves ones and families to see them off. Just their presence made this so much better, and Kirito felt all the love in the world at being able to see all of them one last time.

His eyes looked ahead and beyond Rulid's walls, down to the road that stretched far southwards. Beyond there would be Zakkaria. And even further beyond, Centoria awaited them.

He took in a deep breath, then released it. "Yosh!" He yelled out loud. "You ready to get moving, everyone?"

Eugeo, his brother in all but blood, stood beside him with a smile. The Blue Rose Sword sheathed to his hip glimmered from the sunlight, and his eyes danced with calm readiness. "Yeah. With you by my side, I sure am."

"The same as well," nodded Charlotte, who had spent these three years being their confidant and mentor. Her hand, earlier grasping Selka's, let go as she shared one last smile with the girl before joining him. "Best to get a move on now."

"Then I will be taking off first," Fanatio climbed onto her dragon and nodded their way, smiling beautifully. "I hope you don't take too long to get there! Otherwise, I might just come over and drag you to Centoria myself!"

"Naw naw naw, just be patient! We'll be there eventually."

"Good… Well, off I go. Farewell, everyone! May we meet again!"

With a snap of the reins, Lyra let out a shrill cry before she flapped her wings, blowing everyone in the process. Eventually, when she reached an appropriate altitude, she flew off towards Centoria, becoming a silhouette in the sky.

"Guess it's our turn. See y'all someday!"

"Bye, Kirito! Visit us again someday!"

"Take good care of our big brother, Kirito!"

"And brother, make sure you do your best!"

"Take good care of yourselves, boys! Don't get up to any reckless shenanigans without us here to watch you!"

"Know that Rulid's doors will be open to you anytime. Be well, Kirito, Eugeo, Charlotte."

"A-Ahh… They grow up so fast..! T-Take good care, everyone!"

And, as one, the group of three left Rulid, with the cheers of their family trailing after them as they moved far away. Kirito never looked back, heart beating in his chest and his smile bigger than anything else. The whole world was waiting for them.

Author's Notes:

And so, the journey to Centoria begins.

First off, in the first season of the anime, episode four, everyone simply dressed in their normal villager garb. Regardless, I think having traditional clothes like kimono's and yukata's shouldn't be too odd in this kind of setting; medieval as it may be, it is partially Japanese-inspired, so it should be fine.

Secondly, yes, I will include Zakkaria in this story. And hey, who knows? You might be seeing some curious faces along the way…