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That day, I woke up with the sunrise. After a quick breakfast, I packed up the campsite.

I folded the tent and stowed the dishes and tools I had brought into my pack. I didn’t forget the Jackalope meat or the crawler thread, either. In the end, I had gathered three full spools of thread! It felt like I had squeezed out every last bit of what they had. It had been quite satisfying, really. Fufun♪

Once my things were gathered, I cleaned up the campsite. I dismantled the firepit and filled in the hole I had dug. The grass and shrubs I had cut down wouldn’t grow back in a day or two, but in less than a month, they would all turn into a thick bush again.

That was just how the Amukham Forest was. If we let our guard down, it would creep right into the human settlements… truly a forest of menace.

Erasing all traces of the campsite wasn’t about protecting nature but for the sake of those who would face the trials later. In other words, you shouldn’t rely on what those before you left behind. You had to prove your own strength! That was very much in the spirit of Amukham Village.

After finishing the cleanup, I descended the slope and headed back toward the station.

At the line of stakes, the Safe Zone where I had parted from Aria and the others on the first day, I stopped for a moment. Soon enough, Aria and the others appeared.

When Aria spotted me, she threw me a bold, confident smile. I returned it with a smile of my own, and then Katy raised her arm and launched a spell. The magic shot into the sky, bursting in a series of light pops, like tiny firecrackers. The sound reminded me of a school sports festival.

This, apparently, was the signal flare announcing the end of the trial. After glancing up at the fireworks-like signal, I resumed walking toward the station. Aria and the others followed behind me.

When we reached the northern square of the station, Alphonse was waiting with several of the guards, just as he had when he saw us off at the start.

“Welcome back, Miss Susie.”
“Susie Cloud, reporting back safely!”

When I answered his greeting, Alphonse nodded with a warm smile. He led me back inside the outpost, to the same small chamber marked with the temple’s crest where I had stood before setting out a week ago.

Just as before, Alphonse stood before the temple’s emblem, and I faced him.

He stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and met my gaze.

“Miss Susie, would you please take out your tag and show it to me?”

I drew the tag from my chest as instructed and held it out before him. Alphonse took it gently, checked it, then rose to his feet and raised his voice in a solemn chant.

“This child has fulfilled her vow and safely returned to us! O Yerna! Bestow your radiant blessing upon this new companion!”

As his chant ended, the temple crest glowed softly. At the same moment, I was wrapped in a pillar of light. Like pale falling snow, it rained down tenderly upon me before slowly fading away.

“With this, the Trial of Adulthood is complete. Congratulations, Miss Susie.”

With kind eyes, Alphonse offered his blessing.

◆◆◆◆◆

“Welcome home, Susie.”
“Welcome back… Susie.”

In front of the station, Papa Howard and Mama Sonia were waiting together!

“Papa Howard! Mama Sonia!!”

I dropped my pack and leapt into their arms.

“Are you all right, Susie? Aren’t you tired?”

As I clung to her, Mama Sonia stroked my head gently and asked.

With my face buried in her, I inhaled deeply. The familiar scent of Mama Sonia filled my chest. Wrapped in her fragrance, I was overwhelmed with the calming sense of truly being home. I wanted to bury myself deeper, and my arms tightened around her without thinking.

“Susie… you didn’t feel lonely, did you? Did you eat properly?”

Papa Howard spoke with gentle concern, resting his hand on my shoulder and drawing me close. I reached out to him, too, clutching tightly.

I knew he must be remembering when we first met in the forest. How worried he’d been for me. Now I finally understood… To his eyes back then, I must have seemed like a wandering child, unable even to feed myself, with no idea where to go. But it was all right now, Papa Howard. I was no longer the girl I was then! I could hunt and cook on my own, and I knew I had a place to return to!

His broad hand gave me the same calm reassurance as the scent of Darjeeling tea. It told me again that this was a place where I was welcome to come home.

“Yes! I’m fine, not tired at all! I ate properly! And I even brought souvenirs!”

Still clinging to both of them, I lifted my face and answered their questions brightly.

Looking up at them while holding onto both at once, my face naturally softened into a smile. Seeing that, both of them narrowed their eyes fondly and smiled warmly back. That made me happier still, and I clung to them even more tightly.

I was so wrapped up in that warm moment with the two of them that I only belatedly noticed. Mia, Bibi, and the others had also come to meet me. Irvine and Lombard, who were the same age as me but had already completed the trial, were there too. And also Willie and Corin, both a year older and at the ninth rank… Even Dana, whom Corin had teased for sleeping through the send-off. Apparently, she hadn’t overslept today. Everyone gave me their congratulations in turn.

“When Bibi finishes her trial two months from now, we’ll all be members of the Village Guard!”

Irvine said it happily, his eyes shining.