Interlude: I’m Going

Three days later, Riley stood by the gate of the Caera Kingdom. At the moment, he wasn’t in his ordinary clothing. This time, he was in his battle clothes. He was prepared to take on anyone who would stand in the way of his mission.

Of course, his expression certainly doesn’t make one believe as such. He simply smiled and maintained his innocent demeanor. There was no need to feel tense over the situation.

That said, he wasn’t comfortable with the situation either. He cared for the royal family quite a lot. Gregory and Elijah excluded, he saw the rest as his own family. That was precisely why he didn’t want them to stay near him.

“Hey!”

He was family to Isabelle, Rosa, and Elice. Maria was his friend. The Summons weren’t involved with him. There should be no reason they should be exposed to the dangers of traveling with him.

“Hey!!”

Even more so, Edna, who pestered and pestered over going with him, was his sister, whether she was adopted or not. There’s no way he would let her follow him. Even though she was feared as the Flame Empress, that doesn’t mean she could travel with him. He wouldn’t allow her to die.

“I said hey!!!”

Suddenly, Riley found his head to be tilted a little bit. Did something hit him? Why would he suddenly be attacked? Who was it to his right that attacked him?

“Jeez, open your ears! Answer me, Riley!”

Looking over, Riley was surprised to find Edna, yelling into his ears. As she stood in front of him frozen in place, Riley sighed heavily.

“Edna, what are you doing here? I said you’re not going.”

“I don’t wanna hear it! I’m the older one here! Me! The younger siblings should listen to their elders!”

“So you’re calling yourself old now?”

“Don’t you dare call me old!”

Edna had her hammer hanging from her back in what looked like some form of makeshift leather satchel. It hung over her shoulder. Aside from that, she was still dressed the same as she normally was. However, rather than a leather apron, she had on leather armor over her chest, just enough to cover her left side. 

It could also barely be seen from the sleeves of her shirt that she had on chain mail underneath. On her forearms were a pair of leather gauntlets, and in place of shoes, she wore black leather boots.

“Take off all that armor. You’re not coming with me.”

“Riley, shut up! I’m a big girl! I can take care of myself!”

“Look, it’s not that I don’t want you with me. But I can’t let you come. There’s a risk I just can’t take when you’re with me.”

“That’s enough of that! I might not be indestructible like you, but I’m also an adventurer, you know! Hell, people call me that pretentious Flame Empress name! I’m not weak! Plus, I’m the granddaughter of Cadmus Drake! The strongest man ever to live!”

She wasn’t wrong. Between her blood, her abilities, and a certain skill she was born with, she is an incredibly formidable opponent. She was feared by many, and her nickname was also spread out throughout the world.

The Flame Empress who was feared as the fire breathing monstrosity of the battlefield, could only be topped by other adventurers of incredible renown. Of course, however, there were also criminals and other warriors and knights who were also strong as well and could defeat Edna without issue.

The world was vast, and there were many names known throughout the land. And with those names, there were also an equal number of challengers and grudges.

Even Riley had attained enemies. However, Edna couldn’t know who they were. There were many who shouldn’t know of their existence. Some of those people… were even capable of causing harm to Riley as well.

“…”

“You can say that I will be in danger all my life! That’s how life works!”

“…”

“But if you’re afraid that someone will die because they’re associated with you, then you should know just as well that I’ll always be in danger from your enemies, just like you’ll always be in danger from my enemies. That’s just how it is. After all, when people become aware of family ties or friendships, that automatically throws them in harm’s way. Not simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but simply being known in the first place!”

“…”

“So I’m going to go with you! There will be no argument! If you’re still worried that I’m going to be in danger even with the entourage that we have, then simply work your hardest to protect me, and I’ll do the same for you!”

Riley sat in silence for a moment. Everything that Edna said was certainly a fact. Fame is a double edged sword. Once one becomes known, their contacts and family, their friends, associates, coworkers, etc. are also likely to be discovered. And depending on their line of work, they could be put in uncomfortable situations.

Of course, this was something that Riley took into consideration. However, that wasn’t his main problem. Not here.

Riley had been an adventurer for years. He’d traveled with various people in the past. However, he couldn’t bring himself to travel with anyone for too long. He feared for their safety by traveling with him. After all…

“Edna, I know you’re strong. But I can’t take you along with me. I can’t promise I can keep you safe. I can’t go through the past again. Not with you. I absolutely refuse to lose you.”

He just wasn’t getting it. That’s how Edna was seeing it. He was being unreasonable.

They were going to be in perhaps the safest convoy ever created. There were many powerful people within it, both politically and physically. It would be beyond foolish to attack such a well formed convoy. It would be the same as suicide.

“To lose me?! What are you getting rid of me for?! Didn’t I just say we could protect ourselves as well as each other?! I ain’t weak!!!”

“Edna!!! Listen to me!!! I can’t allow you to go!!! I can’t let someone I care about get killed!!! Not again!!! Not after Amy!!! I can’t let it happen!!!” Riley put his foot down, standing in Edna’s face.

His voice was filled with desperation. Hearing such an astounding emotion coming from Riley’s mouth left Edna filled with an indescribable feeling. She didn’t understand what it was that she was feeling, but it seemed to be akin to worry or sadness.

Before this last week, Edna had never seen her brother show any kind of sternness, anger, worry, sadness, desperation, or even anxiety. He always talked with a tone of innocence in his voice, or curiosity. His face never frayed away from innocence, and a smile was commonly seen bore on his face.

However, Edna was taken aback by seeing her brother show all these emotions within this last week alone.

And it wasn’t only that that surprised her. There was that name he just mentioned. “Amy…?” She had never heard that name before. In all the time that she lived with and talked to Riley, the name Amy had never once left his mouth. She had never known anyone named Amy. Who was this girl? Who was it that Riley lost?

Speechless, Edna looked Riley in the face. His expression was twisted with a hint of sadness and desperation, and behind his glasses, his eyes were stacked with anxiety and worry. 

This was an expression that she never wanted to see on her brother. It wasn’t just that it didn’t suit him, but with his curse, she never wanted to see him unhappy. 

As he spoke with all of his breath, he lightly panted, as if getting those words out exhausted him. Giving him a moment, Edna hesitated as she spoke her next words. “Listen, let me travel with you this one time, and I’ll never ask again. Is that okay?”

“…”

“I don’t know why you think I’ll end up getting killed if I go with you, but if this bothers you so badly, then when we get back, I won’t ask again.”

Edna was clearly disappointed that he didn’t want her to be with him, but more than that, she wanted to know what happened to Riley to make him show such pain.

Riley hesitated to respond to her request. He didn’t want her to come with him. He feared greatly that he wouldn’t be able to protect her from an unstoppable threat. After all, everyone he ever traveled with in the past…

However, he knew exactly how stubborn his sister was. No matter how much he said no, she just wouldn’t back down. It was always like this. Once she made a decision, she would tackle it without backing away.

“…If you go with me, then you listen to every word I say.”

Edna lightly smiled at his delayed response, but then she looked almost sad. Riley turned away, his expression having grown dark. He would stay against it, even having basically said yes.

“Okay.”