“Why didn’t you invite me to the party?” Nanly complains.
“Yeah, I thought we were friends. Apparently, I was the only one who thought that. I can’t believe you didn’t tell us you were back.” Lully complains as well.
The two of them have been pressuring me for the last few minutes. All I’ve heard are complaints and more complaints about why they weren’t invited to the celebration and farewell party. I look at Mirtha, hoping to find some kind of lifeline. She noticed my gaze, but she hasn’t even bothered to look back at me.
Is she really planning to leave this entire mess to me? Nobody else seems willing to offer me any kind of help in this situation. I stare into Nanly’s hazel eyes and Lully’s blue ones. I can see small hints that neither of them is truly angry. They seem much more interested in teasing me.
“I’m sorry, it was something spontaneous... I didn’t think the celebration would last until so late.” I scratch the back of my head awkwardly as I answer.
The conversation with Mirtha had flowed naturally. There were no awkward pauses or long silences. Mirtha is an excellent communicator, and I’m fairly good at following conversations and listening attentively.
I didn’t realize how many hours had passed until the first rays of sunlight appeared through the window. At that moment neither of us cared, and we simply kept talking. Everything became complicated when Lully came by in the morning to greet her mother... then Nanly appeared.
“Are you sure?” Lully asks. “You’re not just saying that to make us feel better?” Both of them step closer and continue pressuring me.
“I swear.” I raise my hands in surrender once again. They stare directly into my eyes and study my face for several seconds, searching for any sign that I’m lying. Eventually, they back away slightly when they find nothing.
“Hmmm.” Nanly snorts. “We’ll let it slide this time. Next time, you have to tell us no matter what time it is.” She offers her pinky finger. Lully does the same, and I touch my own pinky to theirs to make the promise.
Their version of a pinky promise is a little different. In some places, they don’t hook fingers together to seal it. Instead, they simply touch the tips of their fingers and rotate them slightly.
“Will you visit us again soon? I’d like to train with you when you have time. I gained some insight into my techniques yesterday, and I want to practice with someone strong.” Kensein, who had been sitting nearby with his eyes closed, finally opens them now that everything has calmed down.
“That’s a very tempting offer. I might come back sooner than expected just to get some proper training.” I’d be lying to myself if I said I didn’t want to train with the bald man. He’s incredibly strong.
“Huh? When Mr. Kensein asks you to train, you immediately make room in your schedule, but when we ask, you just say you’ll come back someday.” Nanly starts complaining again.
This time I ignore her. I do the same with Lully, who has started complaining from the other side. These women remind me of Sol, Arisa, Marga, and Brendu. I already want to see them again.
“When you come back, I expect you to bring some good wine. You drank several bottles from my collection yesterday. I need compensation.” Mirtha walks over and hugs her daughter.
I don’t understand why Lully and Nanly are both staring at me. Mirtha is equally guilty of not inviting them. In fact, she probably had far more authority and power to do so. I was just a guest in her office.
“I promise. When I come back, I’ll bring the best wines I can find.” I smile back at the woman who doesn’t look a day older than twenty-five.
“If you don’t come back soon, I’ll go find you myself. My mother and father already gave me permission to take a break if I want one.” My eyes widen when I hear Lully speak, and my gaze immediately moves between her and her mother. “There are several conditions, but they’re all easy to fulfill.” She smiles from ear to ear.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
I’m slightly unsettled. If Lully shows up in my territory looking for me, that’s going to be a problem. I can already imagine my grandmother’s expression. She’ll look at me as though I’m some strange creature. She genuinely believes that every place I visit is just another excuse to find a girlfriend.
I don’t even want to imagine how the girls will react to that news. I’ll have to explain as soon as I get back that she’s only a friend. They probably know her from some social event or fashion show, or at least they’ve heard her name before. I doubt they’ll take the news well without some warning.
Lully’s siblings haven’t said much throughout the farewell. They’ve been unusually quiet. Their eyes contain some kind of emotion I can’t quite understand. I haven’t sensed any resentment or hatred, just something complicated.
I say goodbye to all of them. Each person gives me a strong hug and wishes me success. They all continue insisting that I’m welcome to return whenever I want.
I’m seriously considering coming back here on vacation with the girls before I leave to visit Eisty. Once I make that trip, I doubt I’ll have the opportunity to see them again for a very long time.
“Don’t die or get yourself into trouble again.” Nanly smacks me on the back.
“That’s impossible. Disasters always attract more disasters.” Lully chuckles and gives me another hit on the other side of my back.
“I promise I’ll come back in one piece again and avoid most of the trouble I can. We’ll see each other again soon. That’s a promise.” The moment I finish speaking, I feel spatial mana take over everything around me. That always happens right before teleportation.
They wouldn’t let me cover the cost of the cores needed for the return trip. It was an additional gift on top of the reward. I still have to think about what reward I want to claim. Nothing comes to mind at the moment. Fortunately, Mirtha gave me more time to decide, and I can claim it whenever I want. That’s another reason to come back.
When I open my eyes again after spending several seconds within the spatial fabric, I find myself somewhere I haven’t seen in a long time. I’m standing inside the teleportation hall of Marril City.
The guards are somewhat surprised to see me arrive alone. Normally, this route is used by large groups because of the high cost of the cores, but for a noble family like the Lepaks, it isn’t much.
I greet everyone and show them my academy identification. Their jaws nearly hit the floor when they see my name. One of them asks if I want him to inform Viscount Solar of my arrival. I politely refuse, saying I’ll deliver the news myself when the time is right.
Viscount?
That word remains in my mind during the journey. Has my uncle already been promoted? That’s wonderful news. It’s a shame I missed the celebration because I was trapped inside the labyrinth.
Once I leave the city, I rise into the air. I look down at the countless flower fields and plants surrounding me. It’s a beautiful sight, something characteristic of this place. Every time I see it, I’m amazed. It feels like a warm embrace for the soul.
I fly slowly at first just to enjoy the scenery. There’s nothing wrong with delaying my arrival by a few hours. Along the way, I help a group of people who were having trouble with several grade 3 monsters. It’s an easy task.
They all thank me sincerely and even offer to take me toward my territory once they learn we’re heading in the same direction. I decline because traveling with them would slow me down.
When I get closer, I hesitate over which town I should visit first. Talar is the main town, but my family usually spends more time in Mancor. After thinking about it for a while, I decide on Talar. I’m certain I can find some of my relatives there.
I enter the town on foot, and every guard is shocked to see me arrive. It seems like a reasonable reaction when the prodigal son of the territory returns after being missing for more than a month.
I have to calm them down and tell them not to say anything. I realize entering on foot might not have been my best idea, but I didn’t want to alert my territory’s military forces by arriving through the air. They might have mistaken me for an enemy.
I avoid the busiest streets and move as discreetly as possible through the town until I reach the vast grounds occupied by my family’s residence. I have to stop one of the household workers with gravity mana before he runs off to tell everyone I’ve arrived.
“I want to surprise them.” I place a finger over my lips, asking him to stay quiet.
“But Young Master Maki, your family has been looking for you for a long time. Everyone has been extremely worried about you.” He protests.
I insist that everything is fine and that I’ll handle the rest myself. Eventually, he understands and calms down.
I walk across the lawn without entering the residence. I’ve already sensed two people within my Personal World. Their Imra signatures aren’t concealed, and I know exactly who they are. They only notice my presence when I’m less than forty meters away. Both of them turn around with wide eyes, and one of them vanishes from his position before appearing directly in front of me an instant later thanks to a movement ability.
He pulls me into a crushing hug that could break my bones if I were only an emerald rank.
“Where the hell have you been? Do you know how worried we’ve been? Why do you always like disappearing?” He scolds me.
“I’m sorry. I promise I’ll tell everyone everything once we’re all together. It’s good to see you again, Sers and Ivad. I’m back.” I greet my brother and his girlfriend, whose stomach has grown considerably because of her pregnancy.