Author: Suisei
Translator: Rinkage

Character page: Here

---

Chapter 205 – I tried to help the guardian deity and the girl

“Well then, I’m heading home…”  [Youki]

There wasn’t much left to do. Tiel-chan had already completed her registration, so it was too late to turn back now. As for me? I just wanted to finish moving, finally. I’d been dragging it out long enough.

I quietly made my way towards the guild’s exit, trying not to attract any attention, only to feel a strong hand clamp down on my shoulder.

“Wait.”  [Gai]

“Come on. There’s nothing that we can do now.”  [Youki]

“Guardian Deity-sama, I won’t be changing my mind.”  [Tiel]

See? Even Tiel-chan said so. They could sort it out themselves. I just wanted to go home and finally unpack.

“Nggghh… I still can’t accept this. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Being an adventurer is dangerous. Just think about how Tiel’s grandmother would feel if she saw her like this, registered as an adventurer. She’d be worried sick.”  [Gai]

“Grandma…”  [Tiel]

It seemed Gai knew exactly how to pull out all the stops. I had to hand it to him. Bringing up Tiel-chan’s late grandmother to sway her emotions was some serious emotional manoeuvring.

And the bright side was, it looked like it was working. Tiel-chan actually paused, her expression turning thoughtful. Maybe Gai’s words had struck a chord. Was she finally reconsidering?

“…I understand.”  [Tiel]

“Good. Then you’ll reconsider– ” [Gai]

“I’ll go back to the village and let Grandma know.”  [Tiel]

“…Huh?”  [Gai]

“I’ll tell her that I’m doing my best, living my life together with Guardian Deity-sama. I haven’t gone back since then anyway.”  [Tiel]

“W-Wait, Tiel-!” [Gai]

“You’ll come with me too, won’t you, Guardian Deity-sama?”  [Tiel]

“…”

Please don’t look at me like that right now. It’s not like I even have a choice anymore. That option doesn’t exist. Just look at Tiel-chan. Those sparkling eyes of hers were locked onto Gai with unwavering admiration. How could anyone say no to that?

“Guardian Deity-sama?”  [Tiel]

And then came the finishing blow. Tiel-chan tilted her head in that adorably innocent way, leaving Gai with no way out. With a slow, resigned nod, he gave in. He never stood a chance.

“Well then, let’s be on our way. I actually took this time off so I could go on a quest with Guardian Deity-sama… but a trip back home sounds nice, too.”  [Tiel]

I could understand Gai going with her… but why did they grab my arm as well? With each of them holding onto me from either side, escape was completely impossible.

“Tiel-chan… am I coming too?”  [Youki]

“…If it’s just the two of us, I’m sure the villagers will start talking. I was hoping you could help explain things for Guardian Deity-sama, Youki-san.”  [Tiel]

It made sense. If a masked man, covered from head to toe in a coat, suddenly showed up in a peaceful village, the residents would definitely be on edge. If I could help smooth things over, maybe, just maybe, it would ease their suspicions. 

“Alright. I’ll tell the villagers that Gai is an acquaintance of mine.”  [Youki]

“Thank you so much! I’m so glad. Guardian Deity-sama, now we can walk through the village without people giving us weird looks!”  [Tiel]

“Y-Yes… that’s right. I’ll leave the explanation to you, kiddo…”  [Gai]

Gai’s voice lacked its usual energy. It sounded as if he had given up. From now on, I hope these two will talk things through together before making any big decisions. As for explaining things to the villagers, I’d play it by ear.

♦♦♦

“…Another delay, huh.”  [Youki]

At this rate, when am I finally going to finish this move?

As the carriage swayed gently along the road, I stared out at the passing scenery, lost in thought.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been back home.”  [Tiel]

Thankfully, the journey went smoothly, with no demon attacks, and we arrived safely at Dagaz Village. It really had been a while… though this wasn’t exactly the time to be getting sentimental.

“It’s already dark out. Let’s take it easy tonight and visit Tiel-chan’s grandmother tomorrow. You both must be tired from the bumpy ride.”  [Youki]

“Yeah, I agree. The shaking was worse than expected… couldn’t sleep a wink. I just want to rest now.”  [Gai]

Since Gai agreed to call it a night, I figured Tiel-chan would, too…

“You’re right. I’m a little worn out too. Guess I’m just like Guardian Deity-sama. Come on, let’s head to my house and get some rest right away!”  [Tiel]

…Or, more accurately, she jumped onto the idea with full force.

And just like that, Tiel-chan cheerfully dragged Gai off by the arm.

“Alright, time to find an inn.”  [Youki]

I had already anticipated being left behind, so I rented a room at an inn and spent the night there.

♦♦♦

The next day, I met up with Gai and Tiel-chan… in the afternoon.

“You’re late.”  [Gai]

“I wouldn’t have minded if you were even later.”  [Tiel]

Tiel-chan, weren’t you the one who brought me here to explain things to the villagers? At this rate, you two won’t be able to walk around the village together. Although she probably just wanted more time alone with Gai.

“I actually have a good reason for being late.”  [Youki]

Since the two of them were being selfish, I decided to explain what had happened on my way to Tiel-chan’s house.

…

I woke up at my usual time, so it wasn’t like I had overslept. I got ready quickly, too. The problem started once I left the inn.

Apparently, a lot of the villagers still remembered me, and they kept stopping me to chat. Most of it was just them thanking me again for the time I helped deal with those bandits.

“Oh, so the Holy Mother didn’t come today? I really wanted to see her…”

“The Holy Mother isn’t here, huh? That’s too bad.”

“Oh my, the Holy Mother isn’t with you? What a shame. I promised to prepare a lovely wine for her the next time she visited.”

Way too many people were asking about Cecilia, and it was seriously ticking me off. Especially those who claimed they had “made a promise” to her. I was this close to lying in wait and ambushing them on their way home.

And it wasn’t just people asking about Cecilia.

“Oh, Sheik-kun isn’t here?”

“That cute boy didn’t come today?”

“Ehh, Sheik-kun’s not here?!”

Even the village ladies, not just the young girls, had taken a liking to Sheik.

Why the heck did I have to bow my head and apologize, saying “Sorry, he’s not here today”? I mean, I worked really hard during the bandit subjugation, too, you know. I even helped out with healing! Well… there were people who remembered me properly and genuinely thanked me.

“Yo, Youki-kun! Been a while, huh?”

“Hey! You’re that big brother who helped us back then!”

“Thanks to you, my grandfather’s still healthy. I’ve never forgotten my gratitude.”

In the end, I got surrounded by the village elders, understandably so, since I was the one who had treated most of them back then. I couldn’t exactly break free from the circle, and eventually they said, “Stay and have lunch with us,” so I gladly accepted.

…..

“…And that’s why it ended up being past noon.”  [Youki]

“Then it can’t be helped.” [Gai]

“I agree with Guardian Deity-sama. If you had come by ignoring everyone’s gratitude, I think I would have been really disappointed in you, Youki-san.” [Tiel]

“Hey, hey, I’d never do that! Actually, they even gave me some souvenirs, so I’m the one who should be thanking them.”  [Youki]

They insisted I take some dried meat and vegetables, so I accepted. When I mentioned I’d share some with Cecilia and Sheik too, they smiled warmly and saw me off. That memory was still fresh in my mind.

It really put me in a good mood. I’m glad I came back here.

I must’ve looked a little too happy, though, because Tiel-chan gave me a bit of a weird look. Still, putting that aside, the three of us went around the village to introduce Gai.

At first, many people were wary of Gai, but that gradually began to change. After all, when they saw how Tiel-chan looked at him with such deep affection…

“Please don’t speak ill of Guardi… Gai-san. He’s the one who saved my life. He’s someone incredibly important to me. Honestly, I don’t ever want to be apart from him, not even for a moment. Spending time with Gai-san makes every day so bright and full of joy. That’s how much he means to me. So if anyone tries to doubt him… I won’t forgive them. Because Gai-san is…”  [Tiel]

“That’s enough. Stop, Tiel. You don’t need to say any more.”  [Gai]

“But why, Guard— I mean, Gai-san? If we don’t make the villagers understand, it’ll cause trouble later, right? So I have to keep talking about my love for you, Gai-san, until everyone truly understands it… until they understand it completely!”  [Tiel]

“No, there’s no need to go that far. From here, kiddo and I will take care of the rest. You should walk around your hometown for a bit. Enjoy it on your own after so long…”  [Gai]

“Definitely not. What if something happens to you, Gai-san? Can you say with absolute certainty that the villagers won’t do anything to you? You can’t, right? …Of course, I trust you. But still, I don’t want to leave your side. It’s my first time back home in a while… and I want to walk through the village together with you.”  [Tiel]

“Nngh… nghhh…”  [Gai]

“Uh… right. Well, if it’s just about explaining things, I’ll handle it. Not that there’s really anyone left who still has doubts after seeing all this.”  [Youki]

Yeah, there wasn’t. Everyone was giving them those classic “Wishing you a lifetime of happiness” smiles. I was used to seeing this sort of scene by now, so it didn’t even faze me.

Afterwards, a few people asked questions about Gai’s origins, but when I fed them the same story I had prepared, they accepted it without issue. Some even started tearing up, saying things like, “You’ve been through so much,” which left Gai completely flustered. Honestly, I felt kinda guilty about it all.

Once it seemed like we’d finally gotten the villagers’ approval, I suggested that we visit Tiel-chan’s grandmother to pay our respect — but…

“We already went there. Since you were late, Youki-san… we went early this morning, just the two of us.”  [Tiel]

“Early this morning? You have zero intention to wait for me, huh?”  [Youki]

“My apologies, kiddo.”  [Gai]

“Nah, it’s not really something you need to apologize for. It’s fine, I guess. What should we do now… Oh, right. How about we visit Gai’s shrine?”  [Youki]

“That’s a wonderful idea. That place holds a lot of meaning for me. It’s where I first met the Guardian Deity-sama. Guardian Deity-sama, let’s go.”  [Tiel]

Tiel-chan grabbed Gai’s arm and started dragging him along with surprising strength. It was a scene that made me pause and think.

Are they… lovers?

Honestly, though, it just looked like a father being pulled around by his overly energetic daughter on his day off. Of course, if I actually said that out loud, I was sure it’d cause some serious trouble, so I wisely kept it to myself. All I had to do was follow along at my own pace. This time, I could just take it easy.

…Or so I thought.

That peaceful illusion didn’t last long. When we arrived at Gai’s shrine… the sad truth was that it had been destroyed, not just the statue I made, but the entire shrine itself.

The moment we took in the scene, Tiel-chan gave off an aura that practically screamed, “You shouldn’t be seeing this.”

Yeah… this wasn’t going to end peacefully.

---

Previous Chapter  | Main Page | Next Chapter