Chapter Four: Home and farewell

With only one blanket between us, I quickly gave it to Hope and moved ten meters away from the cart.
I was still in my school uniform, but it was better than thin clothes. The only problem was that I was about to spend the whole night lying on grass.
Thinking I’d better get it over with, I lay down uncomfortably. But then Hope came closer and covered me with the blanket.
“What are you doing? You need it more than I do…” Even though it was dark, I could see her smile.
“Don’t worry about me. My magic keeps me warm. Here, hold my hand—you’ll see.”
Magic… a lot had happened, but I hadn’t had the time to process it. I was really in a magical world.
As she said, when I took her hand, warmth spread through me instantly. The spell was supposed to keep her warm, yet even I could feel it just by touching her.
Since she didn’t need the blanket, I wrapped it around myself and tried to fall asleep.
The night was quiet. Zar and his family had already gone to bed, but I lay wide awake.
“Can’t sleep?” Hope whispered. She was lying only a meter away.
“Yeah… maybe because I still don’t understand what’s going on.”
“I’m sorry I brought you here. But this is something only you can do.”
Come to think of it, she still hadn’t told me why she brought me. If I wasn’t going to sleep anyway, I might as well talk.
Facing the other way, I asked her questions, trying to know her better—but as I suspected, she didn’t remember anything.
“It sure is peaceful out here,” I said, changing the subject.
“No… it won’t be peaceful. In a week, things will get dangerous.” Her tone grew heavy, and sadness filled her voice.
Why is it that when she’s sad, I feel sad too?
“The Demon Queen… I can’t help but feel sorry for her. Fighting constantly just to regain her humanity. Maybe it’s stupid of me, but I think… what if this week she becomes human because it’s what she truly wants? Maybe there’s more to her story than we know.”
“….” Hope was quiet. I stayed quiet too, until I felt her move closer.
“The world has suffered too much at her hands. People aren’t ready to think like that yet. But just as I thought—you really are a good person.”
With her body close to mine, her warmth surrounded me. Before I knew it, I had drifted into sleep.

---
I woke to the bright sun. Zar and his family had already prepared breakfast.
“Morning! I wanted to wake you, but you looked so peaceful I left you be,” Zar said cheerfully, waving from outside the cart.
I just sat there, staring at the plains. Hope hadn’t told me where we were going—or even if she knew herself. We didn’t have food or supplies, just the clothes on our backs.
As if on cue, my stomach growled. Embarrassed, I tried to hide it. Zar called out:“What are you doing? Hurry up or we’ll finish without you!”
“Acckk! That’s no way to invite a guest to breakfast!” I muttered—but in truth, we were freeloaders. I should be grateful they were so kind.
I washed up at a ceramic bucket, then joined them.
“Please don’t be shy,” Zar’s wife greeted me warmly, seated on a mat in her gray dress. She was young, yet her gray hair and attire gave her the air of a painting.
Her children peeked shyly from behind her. I sat beside Hope, who smiled gently at me.
Breakfast was bread and a thick herbal soup. Though simple, it was strangely appetizing.
At first glance, the soup looked plain, almost suspicious. But after one sip, energy coursed through me.
“They’re magical herbs from our farm,” the wife explained, amused at my reaction. “Hard to grow, but they sell well at market.”
I slurped it all down, leaving the bread untouched. “It’s delicious!”
She smiled and offered me another serving, while Zar tried to cuddle her playfully. Embarrassed, I looked away—only to see Hope staring at them intently. I quickly turned her head aside.
After breakfast, the children played with a cabbage, while I sat nearby, still an outsider. Eventually, Hope came over, her long hair swaying in the breeze.
If this were a movie, she would be the heroine.
“I’m sorry I’ve kept you in the dark,” she said softly. “But it’s better this way.”
Her voice carried pain, so instead of questioning her, I comforted her. Still, one question burned in me.
“Say… will I be able to use magic?”
“...Magic…” she began, but before she could answer, Zar called out:
“Hey, we’re leaving! Hurry up!”
Hope quickly stood, waved to him, and pulled me up by both arms, dragging me along as she hopped like a country girl.
Her reaction left me wondering—did she even know the answer?

---
We traveled again. Zar kept chatting, the children dozed, and Hope spoke with his wife.
Eventually, farmland appeared, and soon we passed a farmer by the roadside. She was harvesting large vegetables, but what caught my eye was her appearance.
She wasn’t human.
She had brown hair, cat ears, and a long tail. Dressed in medieval clothes, she worked diligently. My jaw dropped—I couldn’t stop staring.
“You look like you’ve never seen a demi-human before,” Zar chuckled. “You really don’t know anything about this world. It’s almost as if you were born today.”
Even as we passed, I craned my neck to look back. Embarrassed, the woman waved shyly.
A cat person. I actually met a cat person!
Soon, we reached a town filled with demi-humans. My excitement grew as I saw all kinds of them.
Then I noticed two figures—different from the rest. Their long ears marked them unmistakably as elves.They were stunningly beautiful, especially the golden-haired woman, who looked like she belonged on a stage. But after those two, I saw no more.
When I asked Zar, he explained: “There are many elves in the capital, but few here. They’re prideful, and only a handful left their kingdom when this country was founded.”
Apparently, this country was the largest in the world in both power and population.

---
Not long after leaving the first town, we reached another—larger and livelier. Demi-humans mingled freely, and I even spotted elves carrying bows.
But soon after, Hope reminded Zar of our destination.
“Wait… the town we just passed was Gagi—the place we were supposed to go?” Zar said jokingly as he stopped the cart.
“Huh!? Why didn’t you say anything earlier!?” I yelled.
“Don’t worry. That’s where we’re heading.” Hope pointed to a lone house with a barn nearby.
She hopped off the cart, already having said her goodbyes to Zar’s wife. She bowed deeply to Zar.
“It’s been wonderful traveling with your family. I don’t know how to repay your kindness.”
The wife came over to hold Hope’s hands. They exchanged a heartfelt farewell.
Flustered, I jumped down too, thanking them clumsily.
“Want us to escort you?” Zar teased.
“No, we’ll be fine… I think. Maybe we’ll meet again in the capital.” The words slipped from me before I could think.
“Haha! Maybe we will. See you!”
We waved as they departed, until they disappeared into the distance.
Then Hope took my hand.
“Now let’s go to that house!” she said cheerfully, hopping toward it.