Author: Suisei
Translator: Rinkage

Character page: Here

A new arc. Somehow reading this arc makes me think that our protagonist and the hero could be a pretty good BL couple.

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Chapter 111 – I relied on the legend

I’ve finally gotten used to living alone recently. One day, I was talking with a gentle guy who had been dumped by his girlfriend.

“I’m thinking it’s about time I graduate from being single.”

“Oh, really? And?”  [Youki]

I wasn’t really interested in what he said, so I was only half-listening. Since he approached me while I was in the guild, I felt obliged to keep him company.

…It’s not like I’m feeling lonely or anything, okay?

“Rumour has it that near a town called Breitling, there’s an old castle. Apparently, the cupid of love resides there.”

“What kind of girlish rumour is that?”  [Youki]

I couldn’t help but react. I had no idea that this world had such romantic urban legends. Well, it is another world, so I guess anything goes.

“Interesting, right? Supposedly, if you get love advice from that cupid, things will go well with the person you love.” 

“Seriously? From just getting love advice? Doesn’t that cupid sound suspicious?”  [Youki]

“You’d think so, right? But when I looked into it, it turns out that the story about this cupid isn’t recent. It’s a rumour that’s been around in that area for two hundred years.”

“Two hundred years? Are you for real?”  [Youki]

Could this be a genuine urban legend?

“I don’t know if there’s really a cupid of love, but don’t you think it’s worth checking out?”

“Well, if it’s just for fun.”  [Youki]

Even if it isn’t real, I can think of it as a sightseeing trip.

“I thought you’d say that. I have some errands to run, so I can’t go. But if the cupid does exist… I’ll be waiting for the good news.”

“What!? Hey…”  [Youki]

Ignoring my attempt to stop him, the guy walked away. He probably just wanted me to test it out first.

Now I’m alone.

“Cupid, huh?”  [Youki]

With my hands on my chin, I reflected on the recent events.

Gai has been taking on jobs and earning money steadily. Tiel-chan has also been visiting the inn where Gai is staying and they are being affectionate as usual. Raven has been going on jobs with Happiness and others, and it seems that a lot has happened. I haven’t seen Raven since then, but you could say that he’s making progress. As for me… I’ve just been hanging out and chatting with Cecilia as usual. It’s no doubt that I have been trying to bring about a change in our relationship using different means by now, but…

“Was I hesitant to take a step further in the relationship?”  [Youki]

It felt like I had been keeping a certain distance, making excuses for myself. My switch was often flipped whenever I became nervous.

I like Cecilia. It’s not something I need to confirm at this point.

“Should I believe in the cupid of love?”  [Youki]

It doesn’t matter if it’s really an urban legend or a false rumour. It might give me the push I need to make up my mind.

I made my decision to put my trust in this cupid of love while ruminating alone in the room.

♦♦♦

The next day, I was swaying in the shared carriage by myself. I usually had someone with me on these long trips, but I didn’t this time. As I looked around, I noticed an elderly couple and adventurers seated. It seemed I was the only one traveling alone. Based on what I heard from the guy, the town of Breitling was quite far, about a four-day trip by carriage.

Enjoying a solo trip might not be so bad.

“Young man, are you by yourself?” 

“Well, yeah.”  [Youki]

“Hoho, you look like an adventurer. Are you on a guild mission alone?” 

“No, just thought of going on a solo trip.”  [Youki]

While I was admiring the scenery, the elderly couple started talking to me. This kind of interaction was one of the perks of getting a shared carriage. Besides, I was also bored.

“We’re heading back to our hometown for the first time in a long while.”

“Oh, really?”  [Youki]

“Yes. It’s the place where we were born and raised, and where we nurtured our love.” 

“Oh, you…”

The elderly couple began to flirt a bit.

So, a couple can still be as affectionate when they get older?

 “Hohoho. And where are you headed, young man?” 

“I’m going to a town called Breitling… for sightseeing.”  [Youki]

I decided against mentioning that I was headed there because of some cupid from the legend. I couldn’t bring myself to admit that I was traveling so far just to rely on an unconfirmed legend to improve my romance.

“Oh my. Breitling is our hometown.”

“Hohoho. It seems that we’ll be traveling together until this carriage journey ends.”

The elderly couple laughed kindly.

You never know what coincidences may bring. For us to be heading to the same place when we were just chatting randomly. This is one of the charms of traveling in a shared carriage.

“Could it be that you’re interested in the love-fulfilment legend of Breitling?”

“Bwuh?!”  [Youki]

I was so surprised by what she said that I nearly spat out my drink.

Well, it’s only natural that the locals would be well-informed of the legend. But I just didn’t expect to hear about it from this lady.

“At your age, it’s not unusual to have one or two women you fancy. I was the same, you know.”

“Oh my, so I wasn’t the only one you love? That makes me a little sad.” 

“What are you saying? I’ve been devoted to you Orie, both now and in the past.”

“Oh, is that so? That makes me genuinely happy, Gram.”

They were so affectionate that it was overwhelming. Could this also be the result of Breitling’s legend?

“Did you two go through the love-fulfilment legend of Breitling?”  [Youki]

“Hohoho. Are you saying that we owe our relationship to the legend?”

“No, that’s not what I meant… I’m sorry if I offended you.”  [Youki]

“It’s all right. Don’t worry about it. It’s not exactly because of the legend, but… it did play a role in bringing us together. Didn’t it, Gram?”

“That’s right. Back then, I didn’t dare to confess my feelings to Orie at all.”

“Oh, that’s a sad way to put it.”

“I couldn’t help it. I was born the third son of a farming family, while Orie was the only daughter of a prominent merchant family, one of the top five in Breitling. It was clear we weren’t a match.”

“I didn’t dislike the way Gram would come by the shop every day to check on me when I was minding the store.”

The elderly couple started recounting the grand story of how they came together. They had completely veered off-topic.

Well, given how eagerly I bit at the mention of the love-fulfillment legend, the conversation would have probably turned into a question about whether I had someone I liked anyway. It wouldn’t be so bad to listen to their story.

“Since this is a long journey, if you don’t mind, could you share your memories with me?”  [Youki]

“Is that so? Well then, shall we talk about our bittersweet youth?”

“Let’s start with the story of how Orie and I got together. But the stories of us old folks tend to be long, so feel free to get off the ride if you need to.”

“Heh, don’t worry. I’m used to talking with people, and I don’t mind love stories. Besides, it would be uncool to back out of something I brought up myself!”  [Youki]

I struck my usual pose in front of the elderly couple. They looked bewildered as if the young man from earlier had transformed into an entirely different person.

Damn, I let my chuuni habit slip out. This is definitely one of those situations where they’re going to be put off. So, what should I do now?

“You’re quite amusing. Is that what’s popular with young people these days?”

“They didn’t have anything like that when I was young. I can really feel the generation gap.”

It seemed they had misunderstood in a rather strange way. But it was better than being thought of as a weirdo, so I decided to let them be. Thanks to the elderly couple, the long journey ended without me getting bored.

♦♦♦

“Goodbye, Youki-kun. It was a fun journey.”

“I had a great time as well. Thank you for sharing all those memories.”  [Youki]

Listening to the elderly couple’s stories, I learned that love isn’t always sweet.

Love is truly profound. Their problems ranged from persuading their parents, unrequited love from childhood friends, social status disparity, plots by rivals trying to tear them apart – and among many things. Even if I do start dating Cecilia, I have to be prepared for all kinds of challenges that might come our way.

“It would make us happy if you could drop by and see us during your stay.”

“I understand. I’ll visit once I finish my business here. Take care on your way home.”  [Youki]

After bidding farewell to the elderly couple, I began exploring Breitling. The market was lively, and the people passing by had cheerful expressions. Many shops were selling fresh vegetables, suggesting that agriculture was thriving. It didn’t seem like there would be any shortage of good food in this area.

“Now that I think about it, Gram-san did say he was born into a farming family.”  [Youki]

After a bit of sightseeing, I decided to go meet the so-called cupid of love.

“If I recall correctly, based on Gram-san and Orie-san’s story, this cupid lives in an abandoned castle on the outskirts of town.”  [Youki]

I had expected the cupid of love to reside in a more fairy-tale-like location. When I mentioned that it wasn’t like what I had imagined, they responded, “It’s definitely an abandoned castle,” which surprised me.

It is unexpected that they’d call a supposedly fated place ‘an abandoned castle’ plainly. You’d think their memories would be a bit more romanticized since it is a place that brought them together. Well, where the cupid resides doesn’t actually matter.

“Okay, let’s get going.”  [Youki]

“Yo, what a coincidence!” 

“Yeah, that’s right… Wait, who’s that?” [Youki]

I ended up replying without knowing who it was, so I turned around.

“Youki-kun, are you here for a guild mission?” 

There stood Yuuga, the hero, with a refreshing smile on his face.

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