It didn't take long for Haru to get a room for them since he remembered this place and knew what he was looking for. But after walking up the old stairs that still creek with each step you take until they reached the room at the top of the steps on the left side.
"Here we are. Time to get some rest before heading back out for the kingdom." Haru says while opening the door.
Inside the room was two beds, a dresser, a balcony that led outside, and of course some paintings of the heroes.
I wish I could be mad about this right now but I'm honestly feeling kind of refreshed. Being here like this is nice yet I can't help but think about how this is probably the last place I went with Aliza.
Why did I just leave her behind? No I said I'd come back to her after everything was done didn't I? Yeah I wouldn't just up and leave everything behind with no possibility of coming back.
"This room is pretty nice. Definitely beats laying on the ground." Mai speaks up while taking a seat on one of the beds.
"Yeah." Haru responds while walking over to the balcony door.
As Haru goes out onto the balcony a flash of white can be seen as the surroundings seem to age out of nowhere.
"Can't believe you'd want to stay out here with me." A familiar voice says.
Haru turns to the side to see Aliza standing in front of him as shes leaning on the balcony railing.
These are the memories I thought I forgot all about after all the years that went by but I guess they aren't all gone after all.
"Any place with you is worth being at." Haru says with a bit of happiness in his voice.
Haru and Aliza stayed on the balcony for awhile as the sky began to glow before small explosions went off.
"The new way to celebrate festivals is pretty neat isn't it. Fireworks they call them." Aliza mentions while in awe.
Someone like her being an assassin is not something you'd expect huh? She's just like any other girl out there and yet no one would know.
Taking her with me would've been a lot smarter to do but I didn't want to put her in any danger.
Going to this festival was the final thing that the two of them did before Haru left for his journey to find the left hand.
"It's pretty, just like you." Haru says with a smile on his face.
Her face began to turn bright red as she quickly turned away. "Thank you stupid. We should probably get some sleep though." Aliza suggests while hiding her face.
"I agree." Haru says as he opens the door for her.
The moment I had laid down in my bed she had joined me instantly, not like it wasn't normal for us. A lovely night to remember her by before going away.
"Don't get yourself killed out there." Aliza says with a bit of worry in her voice.
Her head was on Haru's chest as he laid there thinking about it all.
"I'd never get killed by some demons. I got this." Haru responds confidently.
I remember falling asleep with her laying on me like usual but it was time for me to leave the following morning.
The sun shines into the room, lighting everything up as Haru slowly gets up without waking Aliza. He gives her a kiss on the head before grabbing his stuff.
I'll be back before she knows it, at least that's what I could hope for.
Everything begins to fade away as the present time begins to come back to Haru, crowds of people below talking and having a good time.
Finding her after this is all over wouldn't be so bad would it?
"You seem to be a lot more quiet than usual." Mai says with a bit of a curious expression on her face.
"We're basically at war with the demons once again but yet everyone here is happy." Haru mentions while observing everything.
Fighting a war against demons is a lot of stress on everyone but yet all I see is smiling faces and people having a good time. Has word of the war even spread or maybe I'm just overthinking it all.
"If you live life worrying about what will or what won't happen then you'll never live a good life." Mai says while leaning on the balcony.
The two watched the joyful crowds for a bit before heading in for the night. Haru didn't sleep much since he couldn't stop thinking about what happened with Aliza.
(The next day, back on the road traveling once again.)
I never get sick of the scenery around here since it's always such a beautiful area to travel through. Setting quite the picture for the Rose Kingdom, though I don't know how much has changed since I've last gone there.
Things do change over the years but maybe I'm wrong and nothing has changed at all after all this time.
"Where do you think Sorakami went?" Mai asks with a curious tone in her voice.
"Probably off to fight demons somewhere, or maybe he's scouting for generals already." Haru responds while putting his arms behind his head.
I guess he hasn't changed all that much after all these years either, yet I do remember him being less talkative than he is now. Even training back then was pretty quiet with him.
(Three days of traveling go by and the rose kingdom is finally in sight.)
But as the kingdom came into view, someone else was standing before Haru and Mai.
A man that was wearing demon knight armor with all different engravings etched into them stood before then, each a different meaning in the underworld.
His dark red eyes stared down Haru as he stood there watching them walk towards him. A helmet covered everything but his eyes.
"There's no possible way you're here." Haru says with anger in his voice.