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“That was awesome, Miss Seletina! I can’t believe such a beautiful girl is a knight! Ya’re amazing!”

The forest at night, which had been so terrifying that it could sow fear into anyone’s heart, now held no fear whatsoever. Rather, it even made one feel calm.

Wisteria, feeling the weight of Rowdon on her back, turned to look at Seletina, who was walking next to her. The more she looked at her, the more beautiful Seletina seemed, and the more they talked, the more Wisteria saw her nobility.

To Wisteria, Seletina seemed like the perfect woman. So much so, that Wisteria even felt embarrassed being next to her.

Seletina smiled a little apologetically.

“I’m not actually a knight.”
“What? Really?!”
“I’m just someone who wants to become a knight in the future. I’m just like you, Wis.”
“Just like me… No, no, ya shouldn’t say ya’re the same as me, Miss Seletina.”

Seletina smiled softly at the reserved Wisteria.

“You have displayed more courage than any knight could. Whether you’re a knight or not, it’s no easy feat. You should be proud of yourself. It was your courage that defeated the Demon Lord.”
“D-Dat’s… Hehe. Oh yea! What happened to big bro Orthus? And where did ya come from, Miss Seletina?”
“I have no idea. I don’t know where he went or why I’m here. When I came to, I was there, and Orthus was nowhere to be found. Maybe I was led here to meet you.”

This line would’ve come out feeling unnatural if it had been Orthus who’d said it, but since it was Seletina, it was fine. After all, it also expressed Seletina’s true feelings.

Seletina didn’t know why she was led here, nor how she’d regained her former body, and then turned back into Seletina. Nonetheless, such things were trivial considering it had all worked out in the end.

“Miss Seletina, take this.” Wisteria placed a small piece of wood in Seletina’s hand. The small wooden piece had something that looked like a female body carved into it.

“What’s this?”
“This is an amulet made in Hadaha Village. I can only repay you with something like this for now, but I will surely repay this favor in the future.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”

Seletina said, and both girls chuckled. It was a girlish scene, quite unlike that of girls who aspired to be knights in the future.

“Huh? It’s raining.”

As they spoke, a few raindrops bounced off the girls’ noses. It smelled like dusty rain, a scent that Seletina wasn’t quite fond of.

“It seems like a downpour is coming,” Seletina said.
“Miss Seletina, let’s hurry back to the village! It’s not safe to be out in the forest at night with such rain!”
“You’re right. Let’s hurry.”

The girls nodded to each other and ran off. Even as they spoke, the rainfall was getting heavier and heavier.

Seletina somehow recognized the situation, and alarm bells rang in her head.

(I should watch my step.)

Just as she was sharply focused on the warning, she suddenly exclaimed, “Whoa!”

Her feet were caught in the muck. Her shoes slid on the mud, and Seletina’s body started to feel as if it were floating. It was an all-too-familiar sensation.

(You can’t be serious…)

What awaited Seletina as she tumbled down the cliff was an overflowing, muddy river.

(This can’t be happening again!)

Seletina’s body was easily swallowed by the river.

“Miss Seletina? Seletinaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!” Wisteria’s cries were heard in the distance by Seletina, who was being buffeted by the waves.

◇◇◇

“aaaa…. Tinaaaaaa!!!… Sele…na…..! Seletina!!!”

The call woke Seletina up. In front of her was her mother’s face with bright red eyes, and behind her was a cloudless sky.

A gentle stream flowed beside her, and the rustling of the trees reminded her that she was in the middle of a canyon, on a riverbank.

“Mother?”

Melia held Seletina’s body tightly as she spoke.

“Good grief! You foolish girl! I really can’t anymore…! I’m so glad you’re safe…!”
“Huh? Where am I?”

Looking around, Seletina saw everyone wailing—Yennis, Balged, and even Elita.

Seletina did not remember much after that. Perhaps because her body was exhausted, she lost consciousness again and spent the next week floating between life and death with a high fever.

This was an expected outcome. Seletina was, after all, visibly sickly and weak, there was no way she would be safe after being swept down the river like that. The only thing she remembered was the feeling of warmth from her family, which allowed her to sleep soundly while she was unconscious.

◇◇◇

A week had passed.

Seletina was still in her bed. Elita took care of her with an unmatched dedication and was more overprotective than ever. This overprotectiveness was a bit depressing for Seletina, but she still endearingly thought of Elita.

“Elita, may I ask you something?”
“Of course, Lady Seletina.”
“Have you heard any news about Hadaha Village?”

To Seletina’s question, Elita shook her head apologetically.

“Nothing, my lady. We are currently investigating, but we still can’t find any such village in the Aldelight territory or in the Kingdom.”
“I see…”

Elita poured tea into the cup as she spoke, the steam soon rising buoyantly from the cups. “I’m sure it was all just a dream, Lady Seletina. A dream of a courageous girl who too wishes to be a knight. That, or you were spirited away.”

“Spirited away?” Seletina repeated the unfamiliar word.

“That’s right. It’s said that god hides children in another world. This phenomenon has been spoken of in the East since ancient times, and perhaps you too were spirited away, Lady Seletina.”

Since falling, it seemed that Seletina had been missing for two days.

The entire Aldelight family had used everything they could to search but could not find her. Seletina was then found two days later in quite an easy-to-spot area.

Seletina had asked everyone around her about Hadaha Village, but everyone told her that no such village existed. But whether it was true or false, it didn’t matter either way to Seletina.

In her mind, Wisteria was indeed alive and aspiring to be a knight like herself in a place called Hadaha Village. Even if it was a different world, even if she existed only in dreams, Wis certainly continued to live on in Seletina and Orthus.

“Now then, Lady Seletina. I’ve prepared some tea. Please enjoy it while it’s still warm.”
“Thank you.”

Seletina said, accepting the teacup.

On the side table, next to the saucer of the cup, a carved wooden amulet was propped up. Seletina smiled as she slowly brought the cup to her mouth.

(If we pursue the same path of knighthood, our destinies will cross again somewhere, even if it is just a summer illusion.)