CH ss - 14

[Alfine : New Departure]

※Alfine’s POV

While being impatient, I passed through the opened door of the Adventurer’s Guild.

Adventurer’s Guild of Youg Hannotes, a frontier city in the southern part of the Kingdom of Hartford… This is the place where the last trace of Finn, his badge, was left, huh.

Although it would be nice if Finn was still here…but, that’s too convenient, right?

As soon as I entered the Adventurer’s Guild, I turned my eyes to the waiting room where there were many adventurers eating light meals.

Although it was a frontier area, there sure are many adventurers in the morning… Ah! That black hair…that physique too…is similar!

When I saw the back of a young-looking adventurer with black hair, which is rare in this country, in the back of the waiting room, my heart suddenly started beating faster.

“Fi――”

“Alright, stop~. Al, I’ve already said that you shouldn’t make a ruckus even if it is your first time in the Adventurer’s Guild.”

Meila’s hand blocked my mouth when I tried to call his name.

Then, she whispers in my ear.

‘Al, you can’t call his name here, there may be Gile’s subordinate here. This is your only destination after escaping from the Royal Capital, after all.’

Come to think of it, on the way to Youg Hannotes, a knight of the Royal Guard Knight Order was hanging out with some adventurers.

I forgot that I disguised because of that.

‘Sorry, I forgot. But can I at least check his face?’

‘Only a glance, okay? Even if he’s truly Finn-kun, you must not call him suddenly, you know.’

I silently nodded and took a seat with her where I could see the face of the young black-haired adventurer.

Then, I check his face with a glance.

I-it was a completely different! Even if he had changed his hairstyle, but his scary face doesn’t resemble Finn’s gentle face that I was familiar with.

“How is it? Is it similar?”

I shook my head to Meila’s question.

The beating of my throbbing chest slowed, and I felt dizzy because I was released from tension.

It is a different person…I thought I wouldn’t find him so easily, but…perhaps, he’s not in this city anymore…

I can’t even call his name…I wonder if Finn wouldn’t even realize that it was me in my appearance now…

Because I got excited on my own and then got my expectations betrayed, I felt depressed immediately.

Meila gently patted my head.

“Well, it’s not so easy to find someone who you’re looking for, you know. Searching for someone is similar to investigating ancient ruins, so leave it to Onee-chan. First of all is collecting information. In any case, we’re staying in this Youg Hannotes for a while, so there is no loss for Al to register as an adventurer here. Surprisingly, if you get along well with a receptionist, she would be more willing to talk to you.”

“Ah, I-(atashi)…no, should I(boku) register? No, isn’t that troublesome…?”

I, someone who had piled up many monster subjugation achievements, climbed to the platinum-rank, hunted the demonic dragon and became a Sword Master in the Royal Capital, had to become a rookie adventurer…

For a moment, the unpleasant memory of when I just became an adventurer, in which I couldn’t stay at the inn with the small amount of income I earned and have to camped outside with empty stomach together with Finn, passed through my mind.

Wait, no, no. That’s not it.

To learn from what happened with Finn, I should abandon this kind of arrogance and my name.

To truly start from zero, I have to throw away my noble status, the title of Sword Master, name, everything, and then let’s register as a rookie adventurer Al.

So that I can become someone who can honestly apologize to him when we meet again.

I noticed that Meila was looking at my face with glittering eyes.

“Haaaaaaa, Al-chan, cuuute. Love youuu.”

“’Meila nee-san’, we are in public, so restrain yourself.”

I remembered that I, who had changed my appearance and became the girlish boy Al, was disguising as Meila’s half-brother, and warned her who was showing impropriate behavior.

“Eh? Then, if it wasn’t in public――”

The hand that was patting my head moved with lightning fast speed, and before I knew it, Meila was clasping my hand tightly.

“No!”

With my free hand, I lightly hit the forehead of Meila who was closing in her face with a knife-hand.

“Au! But Al said that we are in public, so I have to restrain myself…”

“Sorry, I didn’t say it clearly. Please restrain yourself ‘even’ in public, okay? Meila Nee-san.”

“Eh~, Al, you stingy~. Ahh, my too lovely brother doesn’t understand the feeling of his beloved sister… Since that’s the case, Onee-chan’s motivation became zero today.”

While holding her forehead with her hand, Meila slumped on the table and became sulky.

It would be a little troublesome if she gets sulky here, so I decided to present the best reward that I, who have nothing, could give.

“Meila Nee-san, cheer up. That’s right, after I finish my adventurer registration, let’s eat together here.”

Meila’s head suddenly quickly rose up at my suggestion.

Her reaction is fast! Wasn’t she sulking?

“Will you feed me?”

“Eh?”

“I want to be fed.”

Meila’s expression seems to say, ‘If you don’t feed me, I won’t cheer up’

Are you a child!?

Bothersome…no, I must have been a bother like this to Finn.

Really, when I was with Meila, I felt that I could really realize how terrible was my behavior to Finn.

I also have to be more mature, right?

I replied to Meila’s selfish request after swallowing back what I wanted to say.

“I’ll respectfully accept Meila Nee-san’s request.”

That one sentence made Meila’s face broke into a smile.

“Yeah~, now you’re talking~. I wonder if it is the privilege as an older sister~”

There are various things I want to say, but thanks to having her beside me during this journey so far, mysteriously, I didn’t have the urge to bite my nail even when I felt stressed.

“Huh, I can’t win against Meila Nee-san…”

“Then, I want to be fed quickly, so go register yourself.”

“U-un. Then, I’m going.”

I sighed again at Meila who was waving her hand with a grinning face, and decided to go to the adventurer registration counter.