From the guild leader's room, when I returned upstairs, it was already dark outside.

　From the position of the Red Moon, it was probably around 7pm?
　I calculated that I had been talking to Mr. Mumpa for nearly an hour.

'I'm running late,'
Yes.

　Illtimina-san, I'm sorry for making you wait a bit.
　With an apologetic feeling, I walk into the restaurant before Kirto-san.

(Are we still on the terrace?)

　He opened the glass door and stepped out onto the terrace.

　And there they were.
　Those beautiful sisters were sitting in the same seat I was sitting in when I disappeared.

　But in the seat I was sitting in, a man I didn't know was sitting there.

(....................... Who?)

　I stopped dead in my tracks.

　He was still young, about fifteen or sixteen years old.
　He has blue hair, brown eyes, and a well-defined face.
　He's tall for his age.

　He wears metal armor that seems to be easy to move around in and is equipped with a long sword on his back, so I think he's an adventurer.

　.........Do you know the two of them?

　The boy was talking to the girls in a friendly manner.

''Irna-san came back today, didn't she? We also arrived at the royal capital just now.
That's a coincidence, Asbell.
What were they asking for, Asbell and the others?
'We're exploring the Gazan ruins.' --but there were so many gargoyles this time, it was hard. I broke 30 of them, you know?
Is that much?
Wow, that's tough.

　...it's kind of a nice conversation.

(What do I do?)

　It's a little hard to talk to him.

What's up, Merle?　Quickly.
Wha?

　I stopped in the doorway of the terrace, and Quilt pushed me on my back.
　The three of them noticed me on the ground.

'Merle!'

　Ms. Illtimina's face lit up like a puff of flowers and she got up from her chair.
　Ms. Asbell says, "What? I look at her in surprise as she starts to run.

　Solstice smiles at us with her cheekbones.

'You're late. 'Welcome back, Kilt, Marle.'
"Mm.
I'm home.

　Before I can answer, Illtimina kneels down and touches my cheek with her beautiful white hand.　

'Welcome back, Marle.'
Yes, I am. I'm home, Miss Illtimina.

　The warmth of her hands loosens my strong heart.

(Illtimina-san's hands are so warm...)

　I feel somewhat relieved.
　I closed my eyes and let out a deep breath.

　But when Illtimina-san saw that, she seemed to have misunderstood a bit.

'What's wrong, Marle?　Have you, by any chance, been told something by Master Mumpa?
Oh, no,

　I shook my head in a panic.

'It's okay. We just talked for a minute. She was very sweet.
Okay.

　Illtimina-san nodded reassuringly.
　Then she gently stroked my hair as if she were laboring.

　Ehehe, it feels a bit nice.

　Kirt-san and Solstice are smiling at us like that.
　And then, Asbel-san asked me a question as if she was a little flustered.

''I, Irna-san?　What is the child?
Merle.
"...Merle?

　He looks at me suspiciously.
　I look at him, too.

　Our eyes meet.

(......)

　Behind each other's eyes, they found a common emotion.

　-- Oh, he also likes Illtimina-san, doesn't he?

　I knew it.
　I'm sure he noticed my emotions, too.

　Since it was too much of an explanation, Kirt-san adds with a wry smile.

''This Marle is a benefactor who saved Irna's life in this quest.
...Irna's life?
Yes. But I brought him here because he's poorly supported.
Oh, I see.

　He nodded.

'Then I'll contact an orphanage I know. I'm sure they'll take them in soon.
No, thanks.

　Iltimina-san, while hugging me, I refused as fast as I could.

(Gue.........)

　Nah, it's a bit painful.
　Asbell-san has a surprised look on her face.

　At the sight of her sister, her sister Solstice cowered her shoulders.

It's a good idea. I'm sure Irna's sister is very fond of this merle.
My favorite...

　He muttered and slumped.
　Then he looked up and his eyes, looking at me, were lit with a strong light of hostility.

''--But this guy is a 'bloodless person', right?

　The air was freezing.

(...bloodless?)

　Could it be that it's not the 'Demon Blood People'.......?
　There is a stinging disgust in his voice.

　Mr. Illtimina, holding me protectively, opened his mouth with a quiet fury.

'So what?'
Oh.

　Mr. Asbell huffed.
　Mr. Kilt chuckled and looked at him with understanding eyes.

'Marle is Marle. Nothing more, nothing less. A 'demon blood people' who have been discriminated against in the same way would understand you as well, wouldn't you, Asbel?
..........

　He bit his lip in frustration.
　Eventually, he exhaled heavily.

'Excuse me I'm going to go and cool off a bit.'

　Then he turns to leave.
　As I walk by, he looks at me.

'I'm sorry,'
''................. No.

　Then he walked out of the terrace.

(...he's not a bad guy, is he?)　

　I thought so.
　Ms. Illtimina apologized apologetically.

'I'm sorry, I'm sorry I made you feel bad.
No, I'm fine.

　I shake my head.

'Was it Miss Asbell?　I'd like to talk to you sometime, me.

　I say honestly, as I look at his disappearance.
　The three of us looked surprised.

'Marle is awesome,'
Good-natured.
Hmm. You're much stronger than the warriors thought, aren't you?

　Then all three of them smiled happily.


　◇ ◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇


　And so the four of us, once again, sit back in our chairs on the terrace.

(Hmm ... nice breeze.)

　The breeze that comes across the lake at night is cool and pleasant.

　As if invited by it, I lifted my gaze.

　The night view of the royal capital, Mulia, that I could see from the terrace was very beautiful. The lights of the houses spread out endlessly and the stars in the night sky were hazy.
　Especially the Holy Shumuria Royal Castle was lit up and was a huge castle of light.　

(It's another world.......here.)

　It was a bit emotional.

　Quilt, who was the only one not eating, ordered from the waiter and then looked at us.

Well, thank you for your hard work, everyone. The report is done. You've done a good job, and this quest has come to an end.
Yes, sir.
Yeah.

　I see.
　The defeat of the Red Fanglong Gad is now truly over.

　Kirto will give them something that looks like a red card.
　What is it?
　Noticing me peeking in, Illtimina-san smiles gently and tells me.

"This is a voucher for a reward. If you give it to the counter, you can get a registered Lido coin.
"Huh?

　This is what quest rewards are like.

　Mr. Kilt laughed, pointing to the purple-haired girl next to him.

Last time he lost his ticket. It wasn't so easy to get rid of it.
'Duh!　That was a long time ago!

　Solstice, bright red.
　The two older men are laughing happily.

(Haha ... it's a small card. I knew you could lose it?)

　I can't help but laugh, and Solstice glares at me.
　Oops.

　I panicked and retracted my laughter.
　Then I ask something that's been bothering me.

"So, what are you guys going to do after this?
Hmm. Well, I guess this party is over for now.
Dismissed?

　Kilt nodded, "Mm.

'This quest took longer than we expected. We'll each have about seven days off and meet at the guild on the eighth day.
"Hmm.
Is that what you want?
Yes, sir. No problem.
Okay.

　The sisters nodded to their party leader.　

(Eight days later...)

　In the meantime, what am I going to do?
　There are a few things I want to do........

　Mr. Kilt looks at me.

'Well, now that we've got that out of the way, Marle, what about you?
Hmm?
So you have arrived at your preferred destination. What do you plan to do now?

　I thought for a moment and replied.

'In the meantime, I guess I'm just waiting for Mumpa to tell me what I asked him to do.
"Hmm?
I have a few other things on my mind. I'll try to do that first while I wait for the report.
Okay.

　Mr. Kilt nodded broadly.

'Then I'll ask Mumpa to let me stay at the guild's inn for a while.
Really?

　That's helpful.
　Actually, I was thinking about the first leaf comforter I've had in a while.

　But Illtimina shook her head.

'No, there's no need for that.
What?
'Merle, I promised, didn't I?　That you would never be alone.

　It was a heated stare.
　Me and Kilt-san were surprised, and Solstice paled after a few seconds of pause.

''Wait ... sister Irna, are you kidding me?

　Ignoring my sister, Illtimina's white hands hold my hands tightly as she wraps them around mine.
　Bringing her beauty close to me.

From now on, Merle will live with me, in my home.

　I said once and for all.