The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet

Chapter 322 Goodbye?

(TL:By Rafael,valhallatls.blogspot.com)

After receiving a warm welcome from the people of Krios, we headed to the lord's mansion.

There, we reported the details to Lord Kais, informing him that the incident had been resolved.

"Thank you, Rain. Thanks to you all, this town has been saved. You are heroes of this town."

"Uh, no, well..."

Lord Kais bowed deeply after hearing our report.

Sure, we defeated Weiss, who caused the stampede, but we're just ordinary adventurers. Lord Kais, on the other hand, is the lord of this town, a man with authority. It’s not common for someone of his standing to bow like that.

When I pointed this out, he replied:

"What are you saying? Without you, this town would've been destroyed. Even if we were lucky and avoided that fate, we would've suffered tremendous damage."

"Well, I suppose..."

Agreeing with the idea that the town could've been destroyed seemed a bit extreme, but denying it also felt dishonest, so I just nodded vaguely.

"But that was avoided, thanks to you. Showing gratitude is only natural, don't you think? We'll prepare a separate reward for you, but before that, I just wanted to thank you—as the lord of this town and as a person living here. So please, let me do this much."

"Rain, Rain."

Kanade whispered softly into my ear.

"I know you're humble, but in times like this, you should accept the thanks properly. It’s about respecting the other person’s feelings, but also, you should always accept someone's goodwill."

"You're right."

It felt a bit awkward, but sometimes, it's necessary to be honest with yourself. Kanade was right.

"Um, you're welcome."

"Thank you."

I exchanged a smile with Lord Kais and shook his hand. The people watching us burst into cheers.

"Hey, Kais, can I ask you something?" A voice came from Tina, who was sitting on Nina's head in her doll form.

"Yes, what is it?" 

"Rain looks pretty tired. Can he head back to the inn first? We’ll handle the details."

"Tina? I'm not that tired..."

"Shh."

If I said I wasn't tired, it would be a lie. But it's not like I couldn't continue discussing things. I was about to protest when Tina shushed me. She gave me a look as if to say, "Can you go along with this?"

Tina can be a bit too energetic at times, but she's usually very perceptive. She probably had a reason for this.

"Rain, could you check on Rifa?" she whispered.

Rifa wasn't with us. She’d left earlier, saying she had something to do. She was probably with Rezona.

"Rifa has a lot going on. I think she needs someone to be with her," Tina added.

"Got it. I'll check on her," I replied.

Tina really understands what's going on. After hearing about her brother, Rifa probably has a lot on her mind and a lot to talk about with Rezona. Tina must’ve sensed that and was worried.

"Alright, I'll leave the rest to you," I said.

"Don’t worry, we got this," Tina replied confidently.

Leaving things in Tina's capable hands, I exited the lord's mansion.

――――――――――

I wandered through various parts of Krios, looking for Rifa.

Along the way, many people stopped me to express their thanks and, sometimes, to shake hands. It seemed that our deeds had spread throughout the town.

Was this what Rifa meant by "lively atmosphere"? I chuckled softly to myself as I continued my search for her.

Eventually, I found Rifa and Rezona at a cemetery on the outskirts of town. They stood side by side, hands clasped in prayer, eyes closed, and solemn expressions on their faces. Who were they praying for? It was obvious.

I didn't want to disturb them, but I was curious about how Rifa was holding up. So, I stood at a distance and offered my own prayers for her brother's peace.

"Rain, is that you?" Rifa called.

"Hey, it's the bro!" Rezona added.

They approached me in a relaxed manner, as if they'd never been deep in prayer moments ago. Perhaps they'd come to terms with Rifa's brother's fate.

"Sorry if I interrupted," I said.

"Nah, it's all good," Rezona replied. "Actually, we're glad you're here."

"Why's that?" I asked, puzzled.

"We got to take down that rotten demon. Rifa got to put Calus to rest with her own hands. It was all thanks to you."

"I didn't do much. It was my companions and, most importantly, Rifa herself," I said.

"It doesn't matter what you think," Rezona insisted. "What matters is that I'm grateful to you. Just take it, bro." 

Such a forceful person. It made me wonder if she was really Rifa's mother. Their personalities seemed so different... or maybe it was because of this difference that Rifa had grown up with such a laid-back attitude.

"What did you want?" Rezona asked.

"I just wanted to talk to Rifa," I replied.

"Got it. I have some things to do, so I'll head out. Catch you later," Rezona said, waving as she left the cemetery. She was quite carefree—maybe Rifa took after her in that way.

"Rain, did you want something?" Rifa asked.

"Not really. I just came to check on you," I said.

"Check on me?" Rifa echoed.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay," I said.

Rifa seemed to understand what I meant and nodded slightly before bowing her head. "Thanks for worrying about me. But I'm fine," she said.

"Are you sure you're not overdoing it?" I asked.

"No, I'm really okay. If I keep crying, my brother will worry. So, I'm just going to keep moving forward."

"You're strong, Rifa," I replied.

"Oh," she said, noticing my hand on her head. I had absentmindedly started to pat her head, as I often did with Kanade and the others.

"Ahh, this is so calming. Your hands have a healing effect," she said with a blissful expression.

"Is that a compliment?" I asked.

"The highest," she replied.

Rifa was truly a unique girl.

"Thanks, Rain," she said suddenly.

"For what?" I asked.

"Thanks for saving this town," she replied.

"You're welcome," I said.

Though there were still many things on my mind, I decided to set them aside and simply accept Rifa's gratitude.

"I want to thank you," she said.

"No need," I replied.

"No, it's important. Let me thank you," she insisted.

I didn't expect anything in return for my actions, but it might be hard for her to leave it at that.

"Well, can you show me around Krios?" I asked.

"Show you around?"

"I'm planning to stay in Krios for a while, so I want to explore the town. But I don't know my way around. Could you be my guide?"

"Okay, leave it to me," she said.

"Thanks," I replied. The deal was sealed.

"Anywhere specific you'd like to go?" she asked.

"Hmm, there's a lot to see, but I can't miss the souvenir shops. I want to buy some gifts before heading back to Horizon."

"Heading back?" Rifa tilted her head in confusion. "You're going back to Horizon?"

"Yeah, that's where I usually stay," I replied.

"Does that mean... we're going to be apart?" she asked, her voice almost a whisper.

"It might," I said, trying to soften the blow.

Rifa's expression turned gloomy, and she looked like she might cry at any moment.

TL Note- Poor Rifa.......

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