Chapter 29: Reunion and the Beginning of Memories
After finishing our short stay in the Adel Hills, we left the waystation town at the foot of the hills behind us.
For the return trip, we took a shared carriage, stayed one night at another roadside inn, and eventually made it back safely to the city of Norest.
The journey back was surprisingly peaceful.
After returning to Norest, before heading to the Golden Scales Inn, we stopped by a stationery shop.
“Here, Rowena. This one’s for you.”
Along with a new notebook for myself, I handed Rowena a small leather-bound notebook and a pen.
“From now on, you should write down your own travel records too. I’ll teach you how to write slowly.”
Rowena accepted it with a puzzled expression, but she seemed to understand the meaning soon enough.
She hugged the new notebook tightly as if it were a treasure.
When we arrived at the Golden Scales Inn, the owner greeted us warmly.
“Hey! Welcome back!”
After reserving a room for several days and before bringing our luggage upstairs, the owner shared some useful information.
“I passed your message along to the folks from ‘Black Dagger.’ They said they wanted to talk to you, so they headed over to the Adventurers’ Guild earlier. They’re probably still there, so you should drop by.”
“I see. Thank you.”
We tossed our luggage into the room and immediately headed to the Adventurers’ Guild.
As always, the guild hall was lively and full of activity.
In one corner, I spotted some familiar faces.
“Gordon!”
When I called out, Gordon—the leader of Black Dagger—turned around with his companions.
The moment he saw me and Rowena beside me, his eyes widened.
“Oh! Ed! I heard your message from the innkeeper, but I never imagined you’d show up with a kid! What happened?”
Fiona and Lyra were also staring at the two of us with surprised expressions.
Surrounded by such imposing adventurers, Rowena looked a little nervous and hid behind me.
With a wry smile, I briefly explained everything that had happened since entering Blackleaf Forest.
How I had taken Rowena in, how I had driven off the drake that was chasing her, and how I had become an adventurer so we could continue traveling together.
“So… in short, she’s technically a member of my party.”
As I said that, I showed them my golden guild plate.
“Wait a second! You’re already B rank!?”
Fiona exclaimed in disbelief.
“Do you know how many years it took us to reach that!?”
“Our group has Pip at C rank, and the rest of us just barely made B rank,”
said the large warrior Zack, showing his own guild plate with an exasperated look.
Once the conversation settled down a bit, Fiona and Lyra rushed over to Rowena, squealing, “She’s so cute!”
But perhaps Zack’s massive, muscular figure intimidated her, because Rowena refused to step out from behind me.
Seeing that, the apothecary Pip awkwardly tried to reassure her.
“I-it’s okay. Zack isn’t as scary as he looks… really.”
At Pip’s gentle voice, Rowena seemed to relax her guard just a little.
In the end, we all ended up having dinner together.
While drinking, I told them about seeing the “Canopy of Spirits” in the Adel Hills.
Rowena sat between Fiona and Lyra, drinking juice and being served food by them, completely doted on.
Eventually, the conversation shifted to the story of how I defeated the drake.
“A fatal strike against a drake… alone, huh. Even our group would struggle in a straight fight,”
Gordon muttered thoughtfully with his arms crossed.
From there, the conversation turned into a discussion about tactics—how to hunt a drake efficiently.
I also shared some advice based on my own experience, such as the pattern of its tail attacks and the surprising vulnerability inside its mouth.
The discussion continued enthusiastically, but when we noticed Rowena beginning to nod off in her seat, we decided to call it a night.
Back in our room at the inn, I laid Rowena down on the bed.
Under the light of the lamp, I took out the new notebook I had bought earlier that day.
Opening the first page, I began to write.
“—Departed from the capital. After being dismissed from my long service as a guard, I remembered my promise to the magistrate knight and set out on a carefree journey.”
“—Blackleaf Forest. Encountered a massive drake. After a desperate battle, I rescued a young girl. Unable to speak, she was given the name Rowena by me.”
At that point, I set down my pen.
(…I’ll continue the rest tomorrow.)
I walked over to Rowena’s bed and gently pulled the blanket back up where it had slipped down.
Then I softly stroked her golden hair once before climbing into my own bed.