Setting Out and Looking Back

A month slipped quietly by amid the peaceful daily life at the Grendel estate and the occasional commission to hunt monsters.

On the morning of their departure, the mist had yet to fully clear, and crystal drops of dew clung to the damp blades of grass. Their luggage was packed and ready before the estate gates. A subtle silence hung in the air, heavier than usual.

Lady Margaret held Ruby's hand tightly, straightening her already perfectly neat collar again and again. Her eyes were red, and her voice caught almost imperceptibly as she spoke. "Be careful on the road. Eat your meals on time, and don't push yourself if you're in danger... Remember to write home..."

Ruby kept her head down, her toe unconsciously grinding a small pebble into the ground. "I know, Mother... I'm not a child anymore," she mumbled.

Duke Grendel stood a little farther away, straight as a pine, his hands clasped behind his back. No emotion showed on his imposing face, though it was tenser than usual. His gaze rested on Ruby, as sharp as ever, yet seemingly mixed with something else, something too deep to be easily dispelled. From beginning to end, he did not say a word.

Himmel, Heiter, and Eisen were packed and ready to go. Without needing to discuss it, they kept their distance, giving the family room to say goodbye. For once, Heiter wasn't laughing or joking; he quietly adjusted the straps of his pack. Eisen scanned their surroundings, making sure nothing was amiss. Himmel gazed toward the end of the distant road, his eyes gentle and resolute.

Frieren and Lowell stood at the back of the group. Frieren was looking down at the gem set into the top of her staff, as though its patterns were more worthy of study than the farewell before her. Lowell was as calm as ever, his gaze passing briefly over Duke Grendel's tightly pressed lips and Lady Margaret's trembling fingers.

At last, Lady Margaret seemed to make up her mind. She shot her husband a quick glance, then, quick as lightning, stuffed a heavy, bulging, delicately embroidered purse into Ruby's small bag. At the same time, she spoke rapidly in a very low voice:

"Take it... Your father secretly prepared it for you... Life out there will be hard, so don't deny yourself when you need to spend money. Come... home soon."

By the end, her voice was almost inaudible, thick with tears.

Ruby stiffened. She parted her lips, seemingly wanting to say something, and her gaze flickered over her father's still-stern face. In the end, though, she made no sound, only lowering her head further.

"Let's go," Himmel said at just the right moment, breaking the oppressive silence. His voice was bright, like a breeze scattering the morning mist.

Ruby jerked her head up as though roused from a daze. She pulled her hand forcefully from her mother's grasp, turned, and all but ran to the front of the group, her steps so quick that she nearly stumbled.

The group walked in silence for a while. The estate's white walls gradually disappeared behind the trees until they could no longer be seen. A cool morning breeze swept across the fields, carrying the scent of earth and grass.

Suddenly, Ruby stopped in her tracks.

She took a deep breath and, as if summoning all her strength, spun around. Facing the estate, which had long since vanished from sight, she cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted:

"Hey—stinking old man! Just you wait!"

Her voice echoed across the open fields, bright and clear in a way particular to young girls, with an almost imperceptible tremor.

"When Lady Ruby becomes famous across the continent! I'll... I'll bring the Grendel family name along for the ride! Hmph!"

As soon as she finished shouting, she turned back around like a startled rabbit, her cheeks burning red. She muttered rapidly under her breath, as though explaining herself to the air:

"Hmph... Just along for the ride..."

Yet the moment she turned around, one of her small, slightly cool hands found Frieren's hand beside her and gripped it.

Frieren had been looking at a stalk of foxtail grass by the roadside, its head wet with morning dew. The unexpected touch made her pause. A flicker of surprise crossed her green eyes, and she looked down at their joined hands. Ruby's palm was a little cold and even trembling faintly and uncontrollably, but her grip was tight, her knuckles slightly white, as though she were clutching a piece of driftwood.

Frieren blinked. She neither pulled away nor spoke, simply letting Ruby hold her hand. Her other hand still carried her staff, and her gaze returned to the foxtail grass, as though it were nothing more than a leaf that had happened to drift down against her hand. She was unbelievably calm.

Lowell took in the whole scene. A knowing smile curved his lips, but he said nothing.

Heiter broke the subtle silence with a hearty laugh. "Hahaha! Well said! Our Lady Ruby will surely become a great mage renowned across the continent! We'll all get to bask in your glory then!" As he spoke, he made an exaggerated, awkward attempt at a bow.

Eisen silently shouldered his pack. His gaze lingered for a moment on Ruby's hand gripping Frieren's, then shifted to the two figures watching them leave from the estate gates. He gave an almost imperceptible nod.

Himmel walked to Ruby's other side, a gentle smile on his face. His voice was soft, as though he were soothing a frightened little animal. "We should get going, Ruby. We have a long way to travel today."

"Mm," Ruby answered, taking the opportunity he offered her to recover. She tried to straighten her small back, but she did not let go of Frieren's hand. And so, in a somewhat unusual formation, the group set off down the road away from the estate.

Only after they had traveled a long way—so far that the estate gates and her parents' figures had become blurry specks at the edge of her vision, almost swallowed by the morning mist—did Ruby slowly release Frieren's hand, as though she had finally laid down some burden.

She quietly rubbed her aching fingers with her other hand and stole a glance at Frieren. Frieren's expression was still unchanged. She merely flexed the fingers that had grown a little stiff in Ruby's grip, then continued walking as if nothing had happened.

Ruby breathed a quiet sigh of relief, and in some corner of her heart, she felt strangely reassured. She ran a few steps to catch up with Himmel, becoming once more the energetic, chattering little red mage as she began planning their lunch on the road and the adventures ahead.

Only when she occasionally looked back in the direction of the estate, which was no longer visible, did a complex emotion beyond her years briefly flicker through her eyes. But it was soon washed away by the road ahead and her companions' laughter and conversation.

Lowell walked at the back, watching the group ahead grow "noisy" again, especially the small figure trying to hide the sorrow of parting beneath her liveliness. He shook his head gently.

"Growing up..." he murmured to himself, a hint of wistfulness in his voice.

Frieren seemed to hear his whisper. She turned her head and glanced at him, the rising sun reflected in her green eyes. They were crystal clear, without a trace of gloom.

The sunlight gradually dispelled the morning mist, illuminating the road. The group continued along the highway, leaving the peaceful estate and that deep, inexpressive family affection behind for the time being.