Chapter 43:

Chapter 43

A Game Of Magical Chairs


“Phew, that was fun.” Ellie let out a laugh. They were far from town. No one could hear them.

“Fun?”

“Yeah, fun. I haven't moved like that in ages.”

She must have been a kind of adventurer in the past. Still, her strength was impressive. John could imagine her as the strongest adventurer in a guild.

After they traveled far enough, Ellie brought the carriage to a stop. John could see the town’s lights behind them. It looked tiny. Ellie got off and tied the horses to a tree. The place they stopped in was quite open. While it meant they couldn't hide, their enemies couldn't hide, either. If someone came chasing, they could speed off immediately.

Ellie came to the rear of the carriage and removed her helmet, revealing her short orange hair and dark yellow eyes.

“It really is you…”

“Is my whoam… action that impressive?”

Her yawn ruined whatever impression of a knight in shining armor she had.

“You… I guess I just didn't expect you to hide such power.”

“You think I'm just a receptionist?” Ellie reached for Leyla’s cuffs. One by one, she ripped them apart, freeing Leyla.

“You're strong.”

“Honestly, I expected to have lost my strength. Turns out not.”

John was impressed with her bravery. Without knowing whether or not she had her skills, she went into enemy territory and fought off a whole lot of guards.

“What will happen now?” Leyla asked. She had just been whisked away from a noble, and from her point of view, they were in deep trouble. John thought about jokingly making things up, but then realized that she may not be concerned about herself. She would be leaving, after all.

“Oh, Isak got us a hideout.”

Ellie and Isak had arranged some things after John went back to the room. The capital was far from the count's jurisdiction, and while the count was powerful, he wasn't powerful enough to rival the king himself. They would be safe in the capital.

“Are you alright? Did they hurt you?” John asked.

Leyla smiled proudly. “They can't hurt me. You should have seen their expressions when they realized that.”

“You really are no normal person,” Ellie murmured. “Isak already said that, but I don't fully believe him.”

“Yeah… It's complicated.”

Leyla seemed happy with Ellie’s words, though. She assumed it was a compliment.

“Here, eat this and drink.” Ellie opened one of the boxes and handed some bread and a sack of water over.

“Thank you.”

Since Leyla wasn't a human, she could go without food and drink for much longer. She still accepted it, though.

“We'll continue moving.” Ellie hopped off the rear of the carriage.

“Will you be alright?” John asked.

“I whoam… am slightly tired, but I'll be fine.”

Ellie didn’t look like she was just slightly tired, but none of them could ride horses. They wanted to get as far from Tettorokata as possible. She went to untie the horses, and the carriage continued on its course. John watched as Leyla ate the bread.

“... Why? You want some?”

“No, I'm just relieved that you're alright.”

“I told you I'll be fine, didn't I?”

“Yes, yes, you did.”

“You look as if we've been separated for a long time.” Leyla chuckled. “So, how about the chair?”

“I've returned it.”

“I see… which chair did you pick?”

With his eyes, John pointed toward the wooden chair. Leyla's eyes widened. She ate all the bread, drank the water, and then pulled the chair over.

“Isn't this?”

“Yes, that's your- I mean your sister's chair.”

“Wait… why? This is a regular chair. Why would you take it?”

“I took it for you.”

Leyla looked at him, speechless.

“... But… I'm going to get the chair anyway?”

“Yeah, but Kei said that if I take this chair, you'll be allowed to stay here. Or come back… whichever you want.”

“And the benefit for you?”

John shrugged. When he picked that chair, he knew he wouldn't get anything. He knew his new life would be as tough as his old one. He knew he would need to struggle, starting everything from scratch. Adventuring was impossible at this stage.

He didn't have any other skills he could use. His journey in this world would be a tough one.

With that in mind, he just couldn't choose any chair other than that chair.

“I… I don't know. You looked like you're having fun, especially toward the end… So I thought you might want to stay here for a bit longer.”

“Are you sure that's not your wish?”

John let out a faint laugh and admitted, “Maybe that's mine.”

Maybe he really did want to stay with his ally a bit longer. Maybe he wanted to see her having more fun. He wasn’t sure himself.

“John…”

“Leyla. Umm… I’m… I’m…”

Leyla waited patiently for his words. John took a deep breath.

“I’m really sorry for breaking your chair.”

Leyla let out a gasp. Her expression then softened to a smile. She reached out and hugged him.

“You’re forgiven.”

“Leyla…”

John held her tight. At some point, she had turned from just his ally to his partner.

“Guess I don’t have an option, do I?”

“Huh?”

Leyla pulled herself away. She pointed at herself with her thumb. “You won’t be able to survive in this world without me. So, until you do, I guess I have no other option but to help you out.”

Hearing her declaration, John smiled. “I hope you’ll teach me a lot of things, partner.”

“I’m not your partner!”

John laughed, his voice floating up into the night sky.

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