Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/2912051601476634937
By the time she returned to the guild,
the sky had begun to turn red.
Leona headed straight for the training grounds.
Changing clothes.
Taking a break.
All of that had to wait.
For her, swinging a sword was a daily routine.
She had never missed a single day.
Clang—.
A sharp metallic sound rang out.
Leona’s sword sliced through the air.
Movements without a single wasted motion.
A fluid, graceful sword technique.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
Tens of thousands of times she had swung that sword.
The guild members in the training ground instinctively stopped what they were doing.
“That’s beautiful…”
Someone murmured.
It was that beautiful.
It wasn’t just brute force.
Nor was it just technique.
The very years of accumulated experience were embodied in that sword.
“That’s our Guild Master for you…”
“It’s truly amazing.”
A young guild member murmured in admiration.
Just then.
“That sword…”
A new recruit tilted his head.
“Why is she using such an old sword?”
The area fell silent for a moment.
The veteran members exchanged glances.
“Ah…”
One of them gave a wry smile.
“I suppose you wouldn’t know.”
“It’s a famous story.”
“That sword is special.”
The new recruit looked puzzled.
It was certainly an old sword.
If it were Leona today,
she could own as many more expensive swords as she wanted.
And in terms of performance, there’s no comparison.
And yet.
Leona still continued to use that sword.
And.
Leona herself.
Had heard that conversation.
But.
She said nothing.
She simply swung her sword in silence.
Clang—.
The sword sliced through the air.
At that moment.
What flashed through her mind was.
a scene from the past.
[Lower your center of gravity more.]
[Don’t just swing the sword.]
[Watch your opponent.]
A familiar voice.
It was Alto.
Leona’s lips curled into a slight smile.
Every time she grips this sword.
Every time she trains.
She remembers.
Back when she was still weak.
The days when she trained with Alt almost every day.
[That’s it.]
[That was good.]
She was happy to be praised.
She was happy to be recognized.
That’s why she swung her sword with all her might.
Leona looks down at her sword.
A sword covered in scars.
It’s certainly not expensive.
But.
To Leona, it was a treasure.
Because it was the first sword Alt had ever bought for her.
“I really am an idiot.”
She murmurs softly.
To herself, who still can’t bring herself to part with this sword.
And.
To the man who made her this way.
Then, Leona’s gaze naturally drifts toward the corner of the training ground.
There, a huge map was pinned to the wall.
The Kingdom.
Neighboring nations.
Mountain ranges.
Ruins.
Dungeons.
And.
Countless red marks.
All of them.
Places where she had searched for Alt.
Today.
That man had returned.
The man she thought she’d never see again.
Leona slowly approached the map.
She traced one of the marks with her fingertip.
It had truly been a long time.
Five years.
It wasn’t a period of time short enough to be summed up in a single word.
She had searched every place Alt might have gone.
She had ventured into dangerous ruins.
She had gone to the lairs of monsters.
At times, her life was in danger.
Even so.
She couldn’t give up.
She didn’t want to give up.
The snowy mountains to the north.
There was a mark there, too.
Once upon a time.
It was a place where there had been sightings of a man who looked just like Alt.
I trekked through the blizzard for three days.
In the freezing cold.
I searched desperately.
But.
The man I found was someone else.
The port town in the west.
There’s a mark there, too.
I heard from an adventurer that they’d seen a man who looked like him.
I got my hopes up.
Maybe.
Maybe I’d finally find him.
But.
The result was the same.
The ruins in the south.
The mountain range in the east.
A village on the frontier.
The forest near the capital.
All the same.
I’d hoped.
I’d been let down.
Still, I couldn’t give up.
The red marks multiplying on the map.
They were.
Proof that Leona had been searching for Alt.
“So that’s why I couldn’t find him…”
A wry smile escaped her lips.
He had vanished from the world five years ago.
An answer like that.
There was no way she could have imagined it.
Leona looked up at the map.
For five years.
It had been her whole world.
On days when her assignments ended early,
Leona would head toward the gates of the capital time and time again.
Waiting for someone.
The old her would never have imagined it.
And yet.
Before she knew it, she was standing at the gate.
There was no way he’d come back.
She knew that in her head.
And yet.
Maybe today would be the day.
She couldn’t let go of that hope.
Some days she waited until evening.
Some days she waited until nightfall.
In the end.
Alt never showed up.
Still, come the next day,
I’d find myself heading for the gate again.
Even I think I’m an idiot.
But.
I just couldn’t stop.
Because I wanted to see him.
That’s all.
That was it.
So.
If I ever did see Alt,
the first thing I was going to do was give him a piece of my mind.
Why did you break your promise?
How long do you think I looked for you?
How long do you think I waited?
How worried do you think I was?
I was going to give him a real piece of my mind.
But.
It turned out differently.
The moment we met again.
I couldn’t stop crying.
I hadn’t meant to show him this side of me.
I hadn’t meant to cry.
I’d meant to get angry.
I’d meant to blame him.
And yet.
Before she knew it, tears were streaming down her face.
“Really…”
Leona closed her eyes.
She was happy.
Simply.
She was happy.
He was alive.
That alone was enough.
But.
Along with that joy.
A feeling also welled up deep within her heart.
She felt anxious.
Leona instinctively gripped her own shoulder tightly.
Alt is starting a guild.
He’ll go on adventures again.
He’ll head to dangerous places again.
What if…
He disappeared again?
What if…
He got injured in the middle of a quest?
What if…
He didn’t come back?
What if…
He died?
The moment she thought that far ahead,
a sensation akin to nausea welled up inside her.
It was agonizing.
I was terrified.
Even though I’d finally met him.
Even though I’d finally found him.
Even though he is finally within my reach.
Serena.
Lilia.
Mia.
Their three faces floated before my eyes.
For five years.
My companions who had been searching for Alt just as I had.
That’s why I understand how they feel.
I really do understand.
But.
Understanding something…
…and being willing to give it up were two different things.
“I don’t want to let anyone have him…”
The words slip out quietly.
Not even to Serena.
Not even to Lilia.
Not even to Mia.
A slight ache stings deep in her chest.
She’s amazed at herself.
We’ve only just been reunited.
And yet, here she is, already thinking things like this.
But.
She couldn’t stop herself.
He’s back.
Finally.
At long last.
Within my reach.
Leona gripped her sword tightly.
And then.
In the empty training ground, she murmured softly.
“Enough already…”
Her voice trembled.
“I don’t want to let him go anywhere.”
The sun had already set.
Only the quiet of the night remained in the training ground.
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