Walking through tight alleyways and crumbled stairs, I arrived at the bar. They really should do something with these pathways. It was getting harder and harder to get here day by day.
The bar seemed a bit noisy today.
"Hey, Cain! Come over here."
Drakon called out to me.
"You are here much earlier than usual. What's the matter?"
"It's just problem after problem, man. Disputes with that... Red something gang are getting intense. Those motherfuckers..."
I noticed the bandages he got on his left shoulder.
"They did that to you?"
"Those bastards are crazy. I mean it. They went around wrecking stuff for no reason... babbling something about 'impurities.'"
"Shouldn't you guys already kick them out?"
"We did! Now they are holed up near the Red Zone, and just assault anyone on sight."
Drakon pointed at his wound.
"Caught me off guard while I was clearing demonbeasts. Bastards got this in before I put them down."
"I see... I'll be more careful."
"You better be. Those bastards are even more stubborn than demonbeasts..."
The Red Zone...
That's where Eirlys and I were heading tonight anyway.
If we got close enough, I could take a look.
***
-GRAA—
I cut down the demonbeast in a swift motion. Its headless carcass fell easily.
At some point, it became dull. They were predictable and barely posed a threat anymore. It really was just like pest control.
"..."
"Fed up with this, are you, Cain?"
"Isn't it the same for you?"
Eirlys leisurely approached me from behind.
"Of course, you took this more seriously than I expected."
"I was weak before, so I have to be."
"You still are, though."
"..."
"But yes, these aren't enough for you anymore."
That was true. I could now remain in the Red Zone far longer than Eirlys ever could. These days, she barely had to lift a finger.
Eirlys glanced around apathetically.
"Are you done yet? We can head back sooner."
"...Not yet, I think I'll look around a bit more."
"Ah, you are looking for that rival gang?"
"You know?"
"Why wouldn't I?"
At times like these, she seemed almost unsettlingly perceptive.
"Northeast. You'll find them soon enough."
"Thanks."
Eirlys turned and walked away just like that. I suppose I'll go investigate them now.
"Ah."
She looked back as if she had just forgotten something.
"I'm leaving tomorrow, so don't look for me."
"Sure—Wait, what?"
She stopped.
"I'll leave this city the next morning. That's all."
"Why so sudden..?"
Without waiting for me, Eirlys left me behind. For a moment, I struggled to make a move.
"Damn it..."
I rushed to catch up with her.
***
Running through the familiar streets, then slipping through the maze of the backstreets, I arrived at a secluded open lot. Now, there were wooden carts filled with books and papers.
The stairs loudly clanked and rattled with every step. So loud it might wake up someone in the middle of the night.
I stood in front of the door, unsure of what to say next.
"..."
I opened the door anyway.
A faint scent of aged paper drifted out. Just like always.
"Eirlys?"
The room was dimly lit. Even then, I could see that the shelves were now empty. Stacks of paper and notes that once occupied every table and corner were now gone without a trace. Even the one desk Eirlys seemed to never leave was also gone.
But where is she?
"Eir—"
"Stop calling. What is it?"
Appearing right behind him suddenly, Eirlys grimaced.
"...You're really leaving?"
"Of course. I'm still a student, after all. What's so surprising about that?"
"I just didn't think it was going to be this soon..."
I should have expected it. Months had already passed, and this place had never looked livable. No furniture. No kitchen. No bed.
But, somehow, with just the two of us here, the desolate room felt warmer.
Eirlys moved and sat down on the sole armchair. Within this empty room, that was the only thing that remained.
She looked at me, waiting.
For my questions.
For my goodbye.
For something.
For the first time since we'd met...
I had no questions.
"..."
"..."
Normally, I'd be the one to ask questions, and she'd answer. It had always been like that. And then, it hit me.
I knew nothing about Eirlys.
"...Why do you care so much about them?"
"Huh?"
"The Black Wolf gang, and people here. It's not your problem anyway, why bother?"
"Well, it's only the right thing to do, right? I mean, I have friends there. If it's something I could do, I should do it."
Eirlys rolled her eyes and rested her head against her arm.
I thought for a few more moments and voiced my true thoughts.
"It's because I have nothing better to do."
"Then why don't you just do nothing?"
"Because someone once told me doing something is better than doing nothing."
Eirlys sighed, and with a snap of her fingers, a chair appeared right beside me.
"Sit down, Cain."
"Sure."
It almost felt like we were back at the beginning.
The awkward silence lingered until Eirlys abruptly stood up and began pacing, voicing her thoughts as she went.
This was my last chance to know her.
"First off, do you want some coffee?"
"Sure? I didn't know you were into coffee..."
"I'm not into coffee."
"??"
Suddenly, a small cup of coffee floated towards me. I took a cautious sip.
"It's instant coffee..."
"What did you expect?"
It was unlike any instant coffee I've had. It tasted less like coffee than vaguely coffee-flavoured hot water. Any coffee enthusiast would feel insulted.
And yet, Eirlys seemed to perfectly enjoy it. I really could not understand her.
"Well... Alright, then..."
I glanced at the box. One was still left unopened and alone on the shelves.
"What is that?"
"That box? You're curious about that?"
"Uh, yeah..."
It was the one thing that made me meet her in the first place, and I had always wondered what was inside. It must have been something important, right?
"...You'll be disappointed."
Eirlys stopped mid-step. The box flew off the shelves and landed in her arms. And, with an audible Click, the box opened.
And inside was...
...some papers?
I picked one of them up to read. To be exact, they were papers on the characteristics of demonbeast and related stuff, written by experienced hunters. Why would she need these?
I looked at Eirlys, confused.
"Those are the reasons I'm here in the first place. I need them to write my thesis, which got me the excuse to go here."
"So then..."
The box had never been opened before.
"...Why didn't you finish it?"
"I don't want to."
"Why?"
"...Because I don't want to go back early."
It was such a childish reason that it took me a moment to understand.
Eirlys?
Delaying her thesis just because she didn't want to leave?
She had always struck me as the type who would prioritize logic over everything else.
What surprised me more was that she wanted to stay here longer.
"I thought you didn't like it here?"
"I do. But I hate the Academy more."
"...Wow."
I totally didn't expect that.
Her steps quickened.
"Is it that bad?'
"...Yes, I'm surrounded by narrow-minded fools who dictate my life with numbers. I have no freedom."
"..."
"My successes are their successes too, but my failures are mine to hold alone. My mentor will be such a fool about it, too."
"You can just leave—"
"Where to? I have nowhere else to go."
"Anywhere! You can work for the Pathfinder Guild and make a living there. With your power, you could definitely..."
"And then die when I meet anything stronger than these measly demonbeast? Please, I'm not a battlemage. I have no interest in rolling around like a dog to get by every day."
"Then is it better to stay in the Academy..?"
"My prospects are quite good, actually. With my grades and achievements, I could land a decent job in the capital after graduation. But honestly,..."
Eirlys suddenly halted.
She lowered her head.
"...I don't know, Cain. I really have no idea what I want to do."
"Well..."
I chuckled awkwardly.
"At least... you're still moving, right?"
"Right..."
Eirlys stared at me.
"The first law states that an object at rest will remain so unless acted upon by an external force."
She paused.
"That said..."
Eirlys came closer. Her gaze pierced through me.
"...I do not recall saying these words to you. Did you really come up with this on your own?"
"...Well, someone else told me that."
"Hm... really curious as to who that is..."
Eirlys, as always, noticed far more than I expected.
"But if I were to add something..."
Eirlys paced around me, slower, deep in thought.
"Perhaps, without an observer, an object does not need to know whether it is moving or remaining still."
Forward and backward are only meaningful from the observer's perspective.
***
It had been a long time since I visited the city gate.
"Thank you so much for taking Nina with you, Eirlys! I was worried about how I could get her to the Academy... But with someone capable like you, there is nothing to worry about!"
"It's nothing."
Evan bowed his head repeatedly in gratitude. After being told repeatedly that it was enough, he finally left with Lila to bid farewell to Nina.
Leaving me alone with Eirlys here.
"So, uh,..."
Eirlys sighed.
"Don't worry about my thesis. I'll scribble something down before I get there."
"Will it be fine?"
"...Probably. I did learn more than I thought watching you hunt demonbeast, so..."
"?"
"Thanks..."
That completely caught me off guard. Never in my life did I think I'd hear those words from her, of all people.
"Take this."
"What is this vial?"
"A stamina potion. Made by me. It would be hundreds of times better than those cheap ones out there. Use it wisely."
"Oh, um, thank you a lot..."
While I fumbled with the gift, Eirlys turned back and began walking away.
"...Wait!"
I shouted to her.
She looked back.
"Will we meet again?"
I blurted out something before I could stop myself.
"Realistically, no."
I think I frowned a bit hearing that.
She looked amused.
"But who knows? Maybe we will. Fate is fickle, after all."
"!"
She went into the carriage with Nina. As I watched, they moved further and further, disappearing in the thick morning fog.
"..."
Truthfully, I had always looked up to her. Despite having no real destination in mind, she kept going, never standing still. And here I remained...
But definitely, someday for sure...
"...Was the morning fog always this thick?"