The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet
“Huff… huff…”
They walked along a gentle slope.
Even though it wasn’t a particularly long walk, his breathing was slightly unsteady.
“Rain, are you okay?”
“Yeah… I’m fine.”
Yuki, walking beside him, looked over with concern.
Rain returned a smile.
“I guess my body’s gotten a bit sluggish after sleeping for three days. It’s good exercise.”
“If anything happens, I’ll help you, so tell me anytime.”
“Thanks. I’ll be careful so it doesn’t come to that.”
I might need a bit of rehabilitation.
Thinking that, they continued down the path.
And after about thirty minutes of walking, they arrived at their destination.
A beautiful, green spot atop a hill.
From here, the royal capital could be seen at a glance, and the view was magnificent.
Surely, the dead who rested in a place like this would be able to pass their time in peace.
Yes…
This place was a cemetery.
“This is it.”
Guided by Yuki, they stopped in front of a certain grave.
Carved into the stone was the name “Gray Saga.”
There were many things he wanted to ask, but those could wait.
“…”
“…”
They clasped their hands and closed their eyes.
Together with Yuki, Rain prayed for Gray’s peaceful rest.
“Can I hear the details of what happened after that? Mainly… about Gray.”
“Yeah.”
He had heard the general outline already…
But he didn’t know the finer details.
“While you were sleeping, we crossed over to the Western Continent again.”
“Is that so?”
“We had to save Gray… and even if we couldn’t, we wanted to bring his body back.”
“…Yeah.”
“With the help of your companions, Rain… the girls, we managed to accomplish our goal fairly easily.”
At Gray’s grave, his sword had been offered.
The massive greatsword was broken halfway through, but…
Even so, it still felt powerful.
If Gray were here,
“A broken sword? Then I’ll just use it like a club and bash them.”
He’d probably say something like that.
As if imagining the same scene, Yuki let out a small laugh as well.
“We couldn’t find Gray’s body. Only the sword was left behind like this.”
“Then…”
“I don’t think it’s possible. There was a huge amount of blood left behind.”
“…”
“Half of the ruins had collapsed too… yeah, I think that’s what it means.”
“…I see.”
For a while, silence settled between them.
There were no words to say.
Nothing he could think of.
“…Gray…”
The time they spent together was short.
Even so, he had taught him so much.
He had learned so many things from him.
And…
He was his lifesaver.
“We couldn’t bring Gray’s body back, but… I think he’s resting here now.”
“Yeah…”
“If Gray hadn’t been there, we would have died. We wouldn’t have been able to save the kidnapped people either. He was the true hero.”
“This grave…”
“I thought it’d be rough if he didn’t have a place to rest. So I had it made right away. I asked the craftsmen to really put in the effort—do you think he’ll like it?”
“Who knows. I feel like he’d complain that it’s too luxurious and makes him uncomfortable.”
“Ahaha, that does sound like him.”
After that, they spent some time reminiscing.
And well, the memories just kept coming.
So many recollections surfaced, and smiles gradually overflowed.
Even though the time they spent together was short, there were this many memories.
If they’d been together longer, there would have been even more.
That thought felt frustrating—and lonely.
“…Sorry…”
The words slipped out naturally.
I…
“…Don’t say stupid things. Pull yourself together.”
For a moment, it felt like he heard Gray’s voice.
Don’t hesitate.
Be yourself.
You decided that, didn’t you?
Then push forward.
No matter how far—resist, no matter what.
It felt like he’d been told something like that.
“Yuki.”
“Rain.”
When he looked over, Yuki had a similarly surprised expression.
I see.
That voice just now—Yuki heard it too…
“…”
“…”
A brief silence followed.
Neither Yuki nor Rain wore sorrowful expressions anymore.
Instead, their faces were filled with firm resolve—to keep moving forward.
“We’ve got to keep doing our best from here on out.”
“Yeah. You’re right.”
As if making a promise to Gray…
They murmured those words before his grave.
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