Starting to move on

The morning sun shone through the dusty window glass. In the kitchen, the stove’s fire heated a pot, steam rising and carrying the aroma of broth and milk mixed perfectly together. Adam approached with a bowl and poured the contents into it, a chicken soup ready to be served, then placed it on the dining table.

Not long after Adam set the bowl down, the bedroom door opened. From inside, Galiene emerged with messy hair, her sword still in its scabbard held in her right hand. She walked past the dining table without sparing even a glance at what was on it.

“Where are you going?” Adam asked her.

“…Training,” Galiene replied curtly, and continued walking until she reached the entrance, leaving without another word.

“She’s still like that…”

It had been three days since the search party sent by the client found those who had survived the ambush. Though they were the ones discovered them, the search team had been cooperative and considerate of the adventurers who had accepted the request, allowing them to return to Spiritforest City sooner than expected, and the adventurers still received the payment as written in the contract.

However, since her fight with her former captain, Galiene had become a bit down. She was no longer her usual self; even her habit of heading straight to the dining table after leaving her room had stopped. Now, she only grabbed her sword and left until noon, eating only afterwards, still looking gloomy.

Adam felt uneasy seeing her like that, as though the person he knew no longer existed. Though he wanted to give her more time to be alone and resolve her inner turmoil, deep down Adam wanted to help her, but he didn’t know how.

“I can’t wait any longer…” Adam muttered, taking a spoonful of the soup he had made, swallowing it down, and heading into the bedroom.

He unzipped his camping bag and pulled out a magic scroll he had bought just in case, one that could send a written message to a chosen recipient. He spread it open and began writing his message. Minutes passed before he rolled it back up, then pressed a magic energy stone against it. Soon, the scroll glowed brightly and a ball of light burst forth, shooting quickly through the roof.

“I hope that message reach her…” Adam whispered, staring up at the ceiling.

-

By noon, the sun blazed hotly overhead. Adam paced around the living room, waiting for a reply from the one he had written to. As he walked past the door, Galiene entered from outside, wiping sweat from her face.

“Ah… Adam…” she said upon seeing him by the door.

“Galiene…”

“The chicken cream soup’s been reheated. Go ahead and eat first.”
Galiene said no more, only nodding in reply. Adam didn’t say anything either, only smiling softly.

“…I’m going out for a bit. Don’t worry, I won’t go far,” Adam said, walking toward the door.

Behind him, Galiene reached out a hand toward him, as if wanting to say something, but Adam had already left. Missing her chance, she bit her lower lip, looking guilty.

Adam followed the path until the trees blocked his way. Stopping, he gazed at the sky, hoping to see the ball of light descend to him. Five minutes passed, yet nothing appeared besides the scorching sun above. Unable to endure it further, Adam turned back toward home.

“Hah!?”

To his surprise, the orb of light he had been waiting for was right behind him. A little annoyed, he grabbed it and stepped into the forest for shade.

In the woods, Adam released the ball of light, letting it float before him.
“Open.”
With that word, the ball transformed into glowing text that hovered in the air. The message was from someone he had known long ago, one of the who had welcomed him when he first arrived in this world.

Milda Cotton.

-

Hi Adam, it’s rare for you to send me a letter.

If I’m not mistaken, the last time we met was at Osbert and Lina’s funeral, wasn’t it?

But just like before, the client shows up again through a magic letter (you).

I guess it’s just my fate to always be hounded by clients, anytime, anywhere.

Unfortunately, regarding your request, I can only read what someone has gone through if I

touch them directly.

But I can give you a little advice about your “friend.”

I think you can push her to tell you directly.

Someone with a heavy past (I assume that’s the case) will always want to be heard, as a form of release. Perhaps she even has something she’s long wanted to say but, for some reason, hasn’t. (That part, you’ll have to figure out yourself.)

Besides, from your description, isn’t she a knight from that fallen kingdom? Losing what was once your purpose of service would surely leave anyone confused once it’s gone.

As for how to make her open up to you… I honestly don’t know. I’ve never met your “friend,” so I can’t judge.

Just trust your intuition on how to handle it, but don’t overdo it. Remember, you’re dealing with a former knight of the kingdom that once had the strongest military among them all.

That’s all the advice I can give for now. I’ve got another client waiting.

Consultation fee: 25 silver coins (already discounted). Just leave your payment with the Adventurer’s Guild, and I’ll collect it later in Grassbay City.

The writing carried a cheerful, slightly mischievous, satirical tone. Adam was grateful that Milda was still the same, even though her close friends had passed away.

“Force her to open up to me?…” Adam murmured as he stared at the sky after reading her reply.

He thought about all the possible options he could take, yet doubt still gnawed at him. If he chose wrongly, Galiene might hate herself even more.

“I’ll think about it back home,” Adam decided, turning to walk back.

-

Night fell, yet neither Adam nor Galiene showed any signs of going to bed. They had just finished their respective dinners. Galiene carried her own plate to the kitchen to wash it, while Adam remained seated, picking up a piece of bread from the basket on the table.
While the dishwater ran, no words passed between them, only the sound of water flowing from the faucet filled the silence of their home. Once Galiene finished washing, silence returned. Every one of her footsteps sounded clearly as she walked back toward her room without saying a word. Adam, lacking any good excuse to speak, also stayed quiet and went to the kitchen to wash his own plate.

“The atmosphere in this house is so heavy…” Adam whispered, sighing afterward.

A minute later, realizing the door was still unlocked, Adam decided to step outside. He opened it carefully, closing it gently behind him so as not to draw Galiene’s attention. Alone, he wandered around the yard, the cool night wind his only companion.

“What should I do…” Adam still couldn’t stop thinking about how to get Galiene to open up to him, without making her sink further into gloom. A sudden gust of wind forced his eyes shut for a moment. When he opened them again—

“…What?”

A glowing white silhouette appeared in the woods behind the house. Instinctively, Adam instinctively reached for the scabbard strapped to his leg, but remembered his gear was still inside, and he wasn’t wearing his coat either.

He fixed his eyes on the figure, trying to be sure it wasn’t his imagination. The glowing form lingered, then moved deeper into the forest. Though usually cautious, Adam followed without hesitation, because, the figure resembled someone he knew.

The closer he got, the more convinced he became.

“Osbert…”

The white figure, resembling Osbert, gave him a mischievous smile before vanishing. Adam looked around, but this time the figure was nowhere to be found.
“Are you truly watching over me from up there, together with Lina?” Adam gazed at the starlit sky, a sad smile on his face. Tears welled in his right eye, but he quickly wiped them away, exhaling to calm himself.

When he looked around again, he realized he stood in a clearing within the forest. It wasn’t large, but it was unmistakably open ground. Examining the area, he found slender footprints on the bare earth, along with drag marks and trees scarred with sword strikes. Adam concluded this was where Galiene had been training with her sword recently.

“Why would Osbert lead me here?” Adam wondered. Confused, he studied the surroundings, searching for a reason.

“Wait…”

The sword marks on the trees caught his eye, sparking an idea.

“But… is this really the right thing to do in this situation?” He hesitated, knowing that if his plan failed, it could widen the rift between him and Galiene, breeding distrust.

“No. A plan carried out is better than a perfect plan left undone.”

Steeling himself, Adam exhaled, banishing his doubt. He sprinted back the way he had come, toward the house.

“Thank you, Osbert, Lina!!!” he shouted gratefully as he ran, thanking the ones who had already left him behind.

-

Morning sunlight broke over the land, signaling the arrival of a new day. As always, Adam rose earlier than Galiene, who still slept with her back toward him. Quietly, he slipped out of the room and began preparing water for the morning tea.

“I hope everything goes well…” he murmured as he poured water into the kettle.

Ten minutes later, Galiene emerged from the bedroom, her hair tousled from sleep and a towel in her hand. She saw Adam at the stove, dropping peeled potatoes into a large pot of boiling water. Adam didn’t turn, fully focused on the kitchen work. Galiene assumed he was simply avoiding disturbing her sulking, but a pang of guilt stirred within her. Because of her selfishness, she had altered the usual routine of the house. Still, what was done was done. She continued into the bathroom.

Once the bathroom door shut, Adam glanced at it with a worried face.

“She’s still the same… I really have to do this today,” he muttered, returning to his cooking.

Minutes later, Galiene came out, drying her hair with the towel. She glanced at the dining table: Adam sat there eating mashed potatoes and grilled salmon, a newspaper in his left hand. Yet the spot where her plate normally sat was empty.

This time, guilt truly weighed on her. Not because there was no food waiting at her place, but because she had turned Adam’s usually lively home into something awkwardly tense. She wanted badly to apologize right here, right now, but something inside her held her back. Turning her face away, she headed straight for her bedroom, hiding her worried expression. Once inside, she hung the towel and grabbed her sword before heading out quickly, straight to the front door. And this time, Adam didn’t ask where she was going.

-

“Hah! Hup! Hya!”

Galiene swung her sword down again and again as a warm-up before starting her real training. The morning breeze brushed against her as her blade rose and fell. Sometimes she closed her eyes, picturing a straw dummy as her target. Yet in her mind, she saw instead her captain’s face from days ago.

“Hah!”

The swift slash of her captain’s sword.

“Huh!”

The crushing force that had rattled her own magic blade.

“HAH!”

The contempt in his eyes when he cast her down with his bare hand.
And the words he had said to her:

Or have you truly accepted that you are nothing but a disgraceful knight?

“HAAAAAH!” Magic flared around her weapon, extending the blade with shimmering energy.

Burn everything here!

What… are you doing, Captain…?

Please, don’t let me die now…

You’ll understand… why I acted this way…

The memories of her kingdom’s fall, her captain’s actions, the last moments of her comrades, all of it filled her head, pressing her harder and harder.

“HAAAAAAAAHHH!!!”

She swung horizontally, slicing through trees within her sword can reach, felling them. Snapping out of her frenzy, Galiene dropped her sword, staring up at the blue sky as cold sweat trickled down her face.

“I didn’t expect to see you doing that in your training session.”

Adam’s voice came from the trees on her right. He carried a box in his hands, filled with the breakfast he had cooked.

“Adam!?” Galiene gasped, stunned to see him there—especially since she had never told him her training spot.

“How did you know I was here?” she asked, sweat soaking her body.

“I—well, let’s just say the universe itself guided me here.”

Galiene was left speechless, never expecting such words from Adam.

He stepped closer and handed her the box. Without a word, Galiene opened it. Inside was mashed potato with grilled salmon, the same breakfast Adam had eaten earlier. Right then, her stomach growled loudly.

“………” Galiene averted her flushed face, unable to respond.

“Just as I thought. What kind of knight skips the most important part of training?” Adam teased lightly.

She couldn’t deny it. Lately, she really had been neglecting breakfast. Resigned, Galiene sat down on the grass and began eating.

“It’s warm…”

“Yes, I kept your portion in the kitchen to reheat, instead of leaving it on the table like before.”

“…Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Minutes passed. Galiene focused on her food, while Adam watched her like someone feeding a beloved pet. He thought the mood was right to begin his plan. At last, Galiene finished eating.

“Galiene… can we talk now?”

“Of course…” she replied, setting the box aside.

“I know you’ve been trying to recover from what happened a few days ago, but… can you tell me what you’re really feeling right now?”

“Eh?”

“I want to help you. Seriously. But I don’t know what’s troubling you.”

Galiene stayed silent, even when Adam offered his support. After a moment, she stood and reached for her sword again.

“No… I’m fine, Adam. You don’t need to worry.”

“Not worry? You’re acting as if nothing’s changed, when clearly it has.”

“I just need time to sort things out myself.”

“For how long? A week? A month?”

“What’s wrong with you, Adam? You’re not acting like yourself.”

“Not like myself? You’re the one forcing me to act this way!” Adam snapped, standing up to meet her eyes.

“Everyone has their own secrets. Let me keep mine,” Galiene shot back, trying to push him away from her past.

“Sure, I don’t mind that and I agree with that. But when that secret changes my friend so drastically, I have to intervene.”

“This has nothing to do with you! Please, let me handle it alone.”

“…So everything I’ve done until now means nothing to you?” Asked Adam with his face that shows disappointment.

“No! Of course not! I value what you’ve done, but—”

“Then let me help you!” Adam’s voice rose.

“Don’t you see what you’ve become? Always staring off into the distance, unsettled, distracted. Where’s the you who always seemed so at ease, who said she would go with the flow of life? What I see now is nothing like that!”

“…Because…..” Galiene clenched her teeth, bracing herself.

“Because I don’t want to drag you into my past! You’ve already seen fragments of it even fought it!, and you know how dangerous it is! I can’t let you get pulled into my mess! This isn’t the flow of life I want to follow!” she cried, her voice breaking as tears of frustration spilled from her eyes.

Adam finally saw her softer side, the Galiene who didn’t want someone important to her caught in danger, the Galiene who had borne her past alone with no one to share the burden. Relieved that she trusted him enough to reveal it, Adam stepped forward.

He gently held her right hand in both of his, smiling warmly.

“Whatever you tell me, I’ll keep it safe with me, as your friend, your comrade, as long as we fight side by side—”

Adam tightened his hold on Galiene Hand.

“Let me get into your past… so we can face it together.”

Galiene’s tense body slowly eased. The weight she had carried for so long seemed to lift at his words. Her breath hitched, fists loosening until they fell slack. Her clenched jaw relaxed, lips parting slightly as fresh tears streamed freely down her face.

“…Even if my past is filled only with failure?” she whispered, brows furrowed, head bowed.

“Yes.”

“…And you truly want to help me face this nightmare?”

“With everything I’ve got…” Adam said, softening his grip on her hand.

“…You’re really strange, you know that?” Even with tears still flowing, Galiene began to smile.

“I learned from the best…” Adam grinned back.

“…So…if…..it..ego…”

“Sorry, Galiene, I didn’t catch that—”

Unable to contain herself anymore, Galiene threw herself against Adam, pressing her head and hands into his chest. Shocked beyond belief, Adam froze, this was the last thing he ever expected from her.

“Galiene!?”

“UWAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!”

Galiene cried her heart out, finally releasing the burden she had carried for so long. She sobbed as loudly as she wished, caring nothing for her surroundings, or even Adam himself. She just wanted to pour it all out before him, no matter what he thought.

Adam lifted his arms, meaning to embrace her. But just as he was about to, he stopped himself, letting them fall to his sides. His brows furrowed inward, as if regretting something deeply.