It’s night, and I’m facing Reina in the tent. The goal here is to correct my misunderstandings.
“Why did you think I wanted to return to the continent?”
“Well… Because it makes sense.”
I’d actually like to hear why she doesn’t want to go back.
I came to this island, and this world, because I chose to, but that’s not the case for Reina.
She was supposed to come to this island, but that was an order from the king. She didn’t choose that, and ended up here because her ship sank.
It would make sense for her to want to go back if that’s possible.
“…Well, I guess. Now that I think about it, I’ve never really talked about that.”
“What, did something bad happen before you came here?”
Her expression tells me she has mixed feelings, and looking at her face, it’s obvious that there’s a reason why she wants to stay.
I’ve never really pried into her business, but this is going nowhere if she doesn’t tell me what it is.
I don’t know a lot about the continent, or even what her roots are, so maybe there’s not much point in asking her what happened, but the words come out of my mouth before I even think about it.
“It’s not a pleasant or interesting story. Do you still want to hear it?”
“Yes. If nothing else, I have time.”
She whispers thank you, and starts talking about herself.
“I was an orphan.”
“…I see.”
She doesn’t look it.
I’m not trying to insult orphans or anything, it’s just that Reina is so beautiful that I expected her to be the daughter of a noble or something like that.
But that’s not important, so I listen without really saying anything.
“Yes, but master… The current number one seat of the seven great mages, saw my potential and took me in as a pupil, but…”
Reina then talks about her childhood, which sounds like it was pretty fierce.
Having talent meant she was left in wastelands where dangerous beasts lived, or made to use magic energy until she was half dead to study her magic.
She doesn’t have cheats like me, she’s a normal girl, so how cruel is that?
At the very least, enough that her eyes turn vacant the more she remembers her past.
And then, she came to be known throughout the continent as the prodigy mage, and was the youngest person to ever take a seat in the group of the most powerful mages in the continent, the seven great mages.
“…Ahh…”
Then she takes a break and sips some black tea. Her refined movements really aren’t those of an orphan.
“Well, that’s pretty much how I became one of the seven great mages.”
She says with some gloom on her face.
Usually that would be something someone would attain after a lot of hard work, and be proud of, but that doesn’t seem to be the case with her.
“Did something happen?”
“…Remember how I got to this island?”
“Yes, it was a royal command, right? You were picked because you’re known as a great mage in the continent, and came here searching for the elixir of eternal life.”
“Yes. But what I didn’t tell you… Was that I was set up.”
“Set up?”
That doesn’t sound good. I’m confused, and then she lowers her eyes in frustration.
“It was not long after I became one of the seven great mages. A duke told me to become a mage exclusively for him. Of course, the seven great mages are the strongest in the continent, so I couldn’t do something like come under a single noble, and said no. And then…”
Reina looks like she doesn’t want to remember this, but forces herself to speak.
“The duke said that if I wouldn’t be his mage, I should be his woman… And when I said no to that, he used his power to pester me… The kingdom even went after the orphanage where I grew up, to get to me.”
And so, Reina was put in a situation where she couldn’t refuse anymore, but accepted the royal command that had been out for a while, to look for the elixir of eternal life in Arcadia, the place the kingdom calls faraway island. That meant she could at least escape those troubles temporarily.
“I see…”
“I don’t think the kingdom will go after them if they think I’m dead, and… I’m a little tired.”
This is the first time I’ve ever heard her complain about anything.
I’m sure she’s worked many times harder than most people throughout her life.
She was trained in using magic day in and day out, earned the highest ranking as an adventurer, and joined the group of the greatest mages in the continent.
And after all that, that guy going after her as a woman had to have been painful.
“Reina, you…”
Don’t you have anyone important to you on the continent? I stop myself as I’m about to ask that.
I’m sure she would’ve mentioned the orphanage if I asked it, and that would lead her to have to talk about the kingdom again.
And so, I decide to ask something else.
“Are you sure this is all right, after you managed to become one of the seven great mages like you wanted?”
The most important title for mages in the continent. It’s not just anyone that earns that title. Only people who are really great get to call themselves that.
I’m sure she had to sacrifice a lot of her youth to earn that title, but no one here knows its value. It’s like all that hard work evaporated.
There’s no way someone’s hard work going unrewarded is a good thing. Then again, I know very well that reality isn’t always fair.
Reina responds to my question after a weak smile and a nod.
“Arata, I didn’t become a mage because that’s what I wanted or anything.”
“…”
“I would have been fine with becoming a kind person like the sisters in the orphanage. But my master said that if I became a mage, I could make life easier for people in the orphanage, so I worked hard to become one. That’s all.”
“I see…”
Having talent isn’t necessarily a good thing.
Even if you have a lot of options, the world isn’t always nice enough to let you pick them.
If you have talent, you use it. Be it magic, military abilities, beauty, etc.
That’s how it goes in this world. Reina has those three, so people from the kingdom were frantically trying to get her.
And because of that, the future that awaited her was far different than the one she saw for herself.
As this girl younger than me shows me a kind of weak side of her for once, I think I want to be of help to her in any way I can.
“So you want to stay on this island and never return to the continent?”
Reina hears me and looks like she’s thinking about it, and then raises and shakes her head.
“…Yes. Basically, I feel comfortable here. You don’t have to worry about it. Luna is adorable, and Elga and the others seem good-natured too.”
“I see. I agree, I feel really good on this island.”
I’m sure that’s because the people we’ve met here are nice. And I’m sure that’s why I’m not thinking about living here alone anymore.
“Rather than going back, I want to start a new life here.”
“I see…”
If that’s her decision, I respect it. And I want to help her when she needs it, and in return, ask for her help if I have a problem.
I want to build that sort of ideal relationship with her, and I’m sure we can do it.
“That means we’ll stay together then.”
I say as I stretch my hand towards her, and she grabs it with a smile.
“Yes. Let’s do our best together, Arata.”
“Agreed, Reina.”
This gesture doesn’t really mean anything. We’re basically just confirming that we’re friends and equals.
But still, I also think that’s pretty important.
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