I thought it would be mean to keep Milly hanging like that as she was frantically searching for us, so I sent her a guild message.
(Milly, up here. We are on the rooftop of the bar in front of you)
(Zeph!? Are you okay!?)
(Or more like, if you were searching for us, you could have just called out to us using the guild message…. right?)
(Ah, that's true...I completely forgot)
It's probably because she was in a panic.
Another thing is that Milly is probably not used to communicating with guild messages.
When I think about it, she's never initiated a guild message with me by herself.
I mean even during the time when she visited my house in search of me, if only she just used the guild messaging system, she would have been able to contact me.
「Claude! Zeph! Are you guys alright?!」
Whilst she was wondering about our wellbeing, she quickly teleported to where we were, on the rooftop of the bar.
Seeing how worn-out and tattered we were, her expression immediately changed.
「You don't have to be so worried. I'm fine, it's only to the extent that my foot is broken」
「Me too, I only have a few cuts on my arms and legs here and there」
Milly expression continues to keep changing.
She looked as if she was about to cry at any moment.
Is that so? We must look really bad right now.
She spread out her arms and quickly rushed towards us, and she wrapped unto our necks.
Her body temperature was transmitted through her arms and the side of my neck was sweating a little.
I knew that she was trembling as she firmly grasped unto our necks.
I placed my hand on Milly's head and began to brush it gently, and her body starts to tremble even more than before.
She gradually begins to cry, and as if Claude was influenced by Milly, she also begun to weep together.
Seriously, these two people…I suppose it couldn't be helped.
For a while I just silently stared at the stars in the sky.
For several days after the incident, various rumors spread about the magicians who went on a rampage, however after a while those rumors completely died down.
It was probably Kane who covered up the incident to protect his own integrity.
As for me I also delivered an accessory of mine to the bar owner so that I could avoid further problems.
With this, excluding my consignment of items to Lydia, I've become completely broke.
Even so I have managed to avoid being wanted by the Magician's Society so all in all it wasn't too bad.
Long ago, I had also used the services to request a dispatch from the Magician's Guild, and that's when I found out how terrifying they could be.
If possible this time around, I would like nothing to do with them.
...However, considering the type of personality I have, this is probably impossible.
And as expected, it is probably a good idea for the group to leave Nanami town for now.
This kind of thing is surely going to occur many times in the future, especially with my kind of character.
Mother is also here in this town, and if I continue down this path, I am afraid that I will one day cause some sort of big trouble for her.
The item I consigned to Lydia is probably going to be sold any time soon, so I think that I can live with the amount of money right now and manage to get by.
It really isn't good for a woman like Claude to live in such a worn down inn.
I think that she's become a lot stronger than when I first met her, I am sure that she will be able to earn a proper living now that she cut ties with her brother.
I also resigned from school.
School was an optional thing, and if you had the ability to adapt to the societal standards, you could take a test to judge your abilities and if you passed the special graduation examination, it was possible to stop going to school.
Although of course such an occurrence was really irregular.
Unless it someone like our group who was classified as being "useful to the society", it is unlikely for permission to be granted to leave the school.
With that purpose in mind, both me and Milly was able to pass the test without any problems.
The problem was convincing Mother.
My Mother was washing the dishes in the kitchen.
She seems to be in a really good mood, perhaps I shouldn't kill her mood by telling her about my decision to leave right now?
I think it is better if I leave it until tomorrow...
Eei, Even if I hesitate like this, what's the point! I'm going to tell her now! Let's do it!
There's no use in prolonging the inevitable anyways.
「Kaa-san(Mother), could I talk to you for a little bit?」
「What is it〜?」
When I called out towards my mother, she answers back whilst continuing her work.
Uuu.....Crap, I'm getting really nervous.
「I am thinking of leaving school and becoming and adventurer」
「...」
Mother doesn't respond to me at all.
I also have no clue about what I should say at this point in time.
However I am determined to go.
「If I continue to stay here, I am afraid I will cause a lot of trouble for Kaa-san....That's why I...….that is...」
「Zeph」
I was getting flustered and didn't know what to say, when she gently interrupted me.
「You know, I realized it recently? Zeph is very.....grown up, I've even thought that perhaps you've actually become even more of an adult than me. And, even still, I think that Zeph hasn't changed one bit」
Mother stops washing the dishes, and she stands behind me whilst talking affectionately.
「Milly-chan and Claude-kun are also coming with you right?...…I hope you get along with them」
I was sitting in the chair when she suddenly embraced me firmly, that warmth suddenly rushed through me and my eyes were becoming hot.
Shit, Hold it in!
I'm being so pathetic!
「Nevertheless I have two things I want to say to you. Kaa-san has never thought for even a second that you were a burden to me. You can always depend on Kaa-san no matter what, kay? 」
The tears which were collected in the corner of my eyes began to spill along my cheeks.
She's always like this.
Mother always understood everything about me, even so she would whole heartedly accept all my flaws and permit them.
「And one more thing」
This isn't good, if she keeps this up I can't guarantee that I won't break apart.
I will end up crying miserably.
Shit, Please stop you stupid tears!
「...…..Make sure to call me when you get married to Milly-chan! 」
...…..Ha?
When I turned around to face my mother, she had a face full of smiles.
I had completely no idea what she was saying.
「...…Kaa-san, Milly and I aren't in that kind of relationship….you know? 」
「Eh? You aren't? Don't tell me you already laid your hands on another girl as well? 」
「Of course not!!」
Oh god.....Just when I thought that she understood everything about me, it feels like she knows nothing about me at the same time.
The tears that was rolling down my face a minute ago was completely dried up.
To begin with, what was she trying to tell a 10 year old brat like me?…..
That night, I wasn't allowed to return to my room and my Mother began to ask me all kinds of questions about the girls really persistently, but I managed to answer them all appropriately.
The preparation several days before the departure was a seriously troublesome thing.
Truly.
——–And during the morning of the departure.
「Alright, well Aunty, we are heading off!」
I finished all the preparations for the departure, and Milly comes to my house to pick me up.
Both Milly and I barely carried any luggage.
For the time being we wanted to head towards the City of Beruta, and after securing a place to live, we would go back and grab the bigger luggage.
「Milly-chan, come here for a second」
「Yes?」
Mother calls for Milly, and whispers something in her ears.
I bet she was whispering some silly thing as per usual.
Good grief, what a meddlesome parent she is.
I let out a sigh, as I waited for Milly to run towards me.
「Sorry for the wait」
「What did she say to you?」
「She didn't want Zeph to hear, and besides she told me to keep it a secret〜」
Milly let out a giggle.
Goodness me, what a troublesome parent.
We started walking on the footpath towards the town exit.
Will this be the end?
Even Milly who was usually overly talkative to the point of being annoying, was really quiet today, as if she was thinking about something.
For some reason, I kind of feel uncomfortable.
「Which reminds me, is Claude waiting for us at the gate?」
「Yeah, she told me that it would be closer for her」
We started to walk in silence again.
We pass the shopping district and head out of the park, we were about to reach the outside of town.
As Milly approached the outside of town, she was becoming more restless.
.....What did Mother say to her? Seriously.
When we walk past this road and go across the bend, Claude would be waiting for us at the gates, suddenly Milly halts her movements.
「Ahhhhhhh!! I've forgotten something! 」
「Ahh is that so? In that case I will go wait over there with Claude, Milly should go get…..」
Just when I was about to finish my sentence, Milly suddenly grabs my hand and started to run.
「Mi....Milly? 」
「It's something really heavy! Zeph should come and help me out」
In that case, wouldn't it of been better if we had Claude come help as well?.....Just as I was about to say such things, she pulled herself in and embraced my arms, her body was firmly pressed against me.
I could feel two small bulges pressing against my arm and my slender hands fit quite nicely in the small crevice of her growing bosom.
She must have realized what she was doing, Milly's face was flushing up a little.
Is this what Mother whispered in her ears?
「.....I understand. Look, we should quickly get the item, otherwise we will make Claude wait for too long, alright? 」
「Th…..That's right! Let's go quickly! 」
Saying such things, Milly stuck her body to my hands even more strongly and began to walk slowly.
It ended up taking twice as much time as it would have, and by the time we arrived at the gates, Claude who was waiting for us ended up dozing off to sleep.
I'm sorry Claude.