4

In the end, the three of us were kept in the living room of the landlord. There were some people who wanted to arrest the three of us after making a scene, but since we were basically victims as well. Not many people agreed with that opinion. The leader of this town doesn't want to risk any conflict with other nobles. Everyone was told to keep their distance.

Maybe that's why none of the servants, guards, and residents of this house looked at us with a friendly gaze. I could feel that everyone thought that our presence was a nuisance.

"Huh. . . ."

For a veteran loner like me who was used to being ostracized at the academy. The unwelcoming aura exuded by everyone here doesn't have much effect on me. If there was something that had a great impact on my current mental state, it was the fact that. Me, Erwin, and Haruki felt like in a cold war.

From the moment we walked into this room, none of us wanted to talk. Not only that, we were reluctant to even look at each other.

Not because we were fighting of course. But because we were all thinking about what to say and what to do while regretting our stupidity throughout the day.

You might think that in a situation like this, apologizing is the right choice. But unfortunately, everyone understands that if one of us apologizes. That person will only make everyone feel guilty.

For example, if I apologized for carelessly splitting away from the two of them. Erwin would feel guilty for failing to protect me, and Haruki would also feel guilty for not being able to prevent my abduction. And the worst part about our guilt was.

Everything was valid.

I knew that I was just a weak little girl who couldn't do anything. But I foolishly separated myself from Erwin and Haruki.

Erwin, who had the duty to look after me, forgot his main job and didn't stay with me. Giving the people with bad intentions against me a chance to do whatever they want.

Then Haruki. For some reason, he didn't pay attention to his surroundings and kept himself busy.

I wish we could laugh at all the silly things we did at that time. But unfortunately, I honestly still felt scared to the point of crying. The blunders we made were too serious to laugh at. Erwin and I have the mental age of adults, and Haruki is not a fool either. But it seemed, all those things couldn't make the reality that we were all just children go away.

We are at loss.

A bit late and I would have been kidnapped.

If no one had stopped Erwin in time, he would've wound up killing someone.

And then, say the wrong thing and Haruki could be detained by the guards.

Ahhh. . . . the thought of the worst thing that might happen to us made me finally can't stand it anymore. My tears started to leak out. If they saw me crying, I am sure that I would make them feel even worse. That's why. . .

"I-I, I need to use the restroom"

I stood up, turned my face away from them, and moved towards the door before anyone could even answer.

But, before I could go far. The door of the room had already opened, and from behind it. . .

"Amelie!!!"

My mother with a worried face rushed in.

"Mama!"

Without any question, my mother instantly held me so tightly that I felt a bit hurt. But even though my body felt tight, my feelings immediately became light as soon as I was in her arms. I felt that all the problems I had were no longer important.

For a while, we stayed in that position until mother finally loosened her embrace and looked the other way.

"Erwin! Haruki!"

The focus of her gaze was Erwin and Haruki who had been looking at me and my mom. And seeing my mom's gaze, both of them immediately wore tense expressions. A reaction that forced me to inevitably check what they were looking at.

"Ma. . ma?"

No wonder they are tense. My mother, someone who was known for always putting on a cheerful face and never getting angry at anyone was staring at the two boys with a piercing glare.

". . ."

". . ."

Seemed to understand that my mother was really upset. The two of them looked at each other for a moment and then nodded before finally walking towards my mother with a face like a criminal who was ready to receive his sentence.

"Mama! Haruki and Erwin! . . . ."

"Amelie! Shut up!"

My mother did get angry with me or Erwin and Haruki sometimes. But even so, this was the first time she made such a severe face. As if using my mother's yell as a signal, Haruki and Erwin immediately looked down and said. . .

"I'm sorry that we failed to take care of Amel. . ."

"Haa... . what are you talking about?"

But, instead of anger. Erwin and Haruki's serious guilt-filled apology was instead greeted with my mother's confused voices and odd questions. Making not only me but also Erwin and Haruki put on puzzled faces. I'm pretty sure that when she called my two friends by name, her voice was full of anger.

So, if she's not angry because both of them failed to protect me. What was she angry about? Well, there is only one way to find out.

"Mama, aren't you mad at them?"

"Of course I'm mad!"

But she is angry not because these two failed to protect me. Rather, it was because even though they were clearly also victims and needed mental support as well. Erwin and Haruki stayed away from her and behaved like strangers.

That's what made my mother angry.

"Erwin! Haruki! I'm not your mother!"

But my mother already regarded them both as her children. That's why she felt obligated not only to take care of their bodies. But also their hearts.

"Come here!"

My mother spread her arms and invited Erwin and Haruki to share her embrace with me. And as you might have guessed, neither of them complied right away.

My mother may indeed be a "mother". But she gave birth to me when she was only sixteen or seventeen. So, her age was even more appropriate for her to be Erwin and Haruki's older sister.

Besides, the fact that she still looked like a young girl didn't help either. I can imagine that Haruki and Erwin had a hard time imagining that my mum was the mother of their close friend.

"I said come here!"

And just look, her pouty face is still just as cute as a teenager's. If my father were living with us, I guarantee that he wouldn't be able to stand it and immediately take her to the room and made a younger sibling for me.

". . . ."

". . . ."

I could feel Haruki and Erwin looking at me and asking for help. But I didn't care and decided to hug my mother's body tighter.

"Good boys!. . ."

Understanding that I had absolutely no intention of helping them. Both of them finally gave in to my mother's demands. First, Erwin hugged my mother nervously. After that, Haruki followed with a hug that felt even more awkward. And since I was between all of them, they also ended up hugging me at the same time.

"Thank you, Erwin! Haruki."

Our position couldn't be called comfortable in any way. But even though we physically felt hot, cramped, and uncomfortable. Somehow I felt completely at ease being in the middle of all these people who loved me.

And I wasn't the only one who felt that way. When I looked at Erwin and Haruki, I found that both boys eyes were wide open. I'm no psychologist, but even without any special education, I knew that my mother's sense of gratitude easily permeated their hearts.

It melted away the guilt, regret, anger, and fear that they were carrying and trying to hold in. And once those emotions are completely washed away, everything else starts to melt away too.

"Aaaaa. . . ."

The first one to have his dam burst was Haruki. He tightened his embrace on both of us and then started to cry. The boy no longer cared about his image and buried his face on my mom's upper chest right above my head then started crying his eyes out.

". . . ."

After that, Erwin followed. He seemed to want to say so many things but didn't know what to say. He could only sob before burying his face near my mom's shoulder. It's just that, unlike Haruki, he was still able to refrain from making loud noise. Even so, the amount of tears Erwin spilled out was no less than Haruki's.

And me?

"Mamaaaa"

I don't know why but seeing the two of them crying made me also end up bawling on my mom's belly.

The day ended with the three of us crying together in my mother's arms.

The day ended with everyone realizing that we were just kids.

I might be smarter than mother, Haruki might have far more knowledge than mother, and Erwin might be peerless. But our intelligence, knowledge, strength, and even our past experiences didn't make us into adults.

Right now we are all just weak children who need a mother's love.

5

My birthday finally arrived. And of course. Just like the previous years. There was no big party to mark the occasion. And considering what just happened this month. I was already quite happy that everyone could still be with me.

After spending the morning doing my daily activities while occasionally receiving congratulations from the people around me. In the afternoon, Mom and Haruki, Erwin, and I gathered in the dining room.

"This is a gift from me"

First, Erwin brought a large cake that he had prepared during the day. Since he didn't feel the need to keep his gift a secret, I could prepare myself by eating only a little for lunch. Leaving plenty of room in my small tummy.

The cake he made was also not just a cake, but a real birthday cake. Of course, he couldn't bake a birthday cake like the ones in our old life. But the cake already had the most important thing for a birthday cake.

Candles.

Because in this country there was no tradition of blowing out candles or singing happy birthday. Mom and Haruki were confused by what we were doing. But both of them decided not to ask much, probably thinking that what we were doing was normal in the Capital.

"Thank you, Erwin."

Erwin smiled and said. . .

"You're welcome, now make a wish and blast the candles."

Once again, my mother and Haruki made confused faces. I followed Erwin's instructions and put my hands together and closed my eyes and finally blew out the candles.

In my heart, I made a wish.

I wish we could all stay together.

To whoever brought me into this world and gave me a second chance.

"Fuuuuu. . ."

Before finally blowing out the candles in front of me.

Erwin then cut my birthday cake and shared it with all the attendees of our little party. The cake itself was simple in appearance because the baker didn't have the proper ingredients or tools. But in terms of flavor. . . .

"Ahh. . . Erwin just beat me as a mother."

"I don't have a sweet tooth, but this. . . really good!"

As you've heard for yourself. It tasted so good that my mother felt defeated as a mother, and Haruki who doesn't like sweets can savor it. My mouth, which has often been stuffed with cakes in the city, could feel that the taste of Erwin's creation was not inferior to the hard work of the chef in the capital.

Once again, I was reminded that Erwin was the definition of the main character in an isekai light novel.

Born into an upper-class family, possessing special powers, and a wealth of talents and useful knowledge from his past. I can even see that he'll have a harem in the future.

Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

"I'm glad you like it."

Erwin returned to his seat and ate his cake along with us. He had a satisfied look on his face. But sometimes I wonder, would it be better if he wasn't here?

Erwin can do anything if he chooses. He could be successful in whatever field he pursues. But because of me, he has to be stuck here and waste all his talents.

"Amelie, Erwin is here because he wanted to."

"Haruki?... ."

"If you want him to be happy, just be grateful that he's here."

It seems that even though I've gotten older, my face is still just as easy for someone to read.

"Amelie, you don't want me around?"

Erwin asked with an exasperated face.

"Of course not!"

"Then don't think anything weird!"

I nodded.

As Haruki said, Erwin is here because he wanted to. He likes being here, and he's happy to be here. I had no right to separate him from his happiness.

"Now it's Mama's turn."

Once we finished digging into Erwin's cake. It was my mom's turn to bring something out. But it wasn't like Erwin who brought a gift on a big tray. What my mom brought looked like a pile of papers.

Wait. . It was piles of paper.

"I managed to pull a fast one. . .ahem! to persuade Rodik to cooperate with us!!.. Amelie. . . why are you looking at Mama with that look. . .?"

"What kind of look? I don't understaaaand. . ."

"You sure like to act like a small child when you're angry, huh. . ."

Instead of pushing her away. My actions caused my mother to get up from her chair and hug me tightly.

"You were almost kidnapped on his soil, and you were treated like a problem! After doing all that of course I couldn't stay silent!"

Normally my mother is not an aggressive type of person. But this time, she didn't hesitate to use her position to squeeze compensation for what had happened to us.

I'm sure it must not have been easy to change her ways in front of someone who had no problem belittling her. But for the sake of her child. For my sake, my mother gathered all her courage and negotiated with Rodik herself. The Lord of Punto to gave me what I wanted.

"Mama, thank you"

What my mother gave me was an official agreement with Rodik as compensation. He would give us a piece of land for us to use freely without any taxes. He also would also free people from my territory from trade and entrance tax. In other words, If we do business there. We can have all the profit for ourselves.

Not to mention he also lent us some of his soldiers for free.

Well, at least for 5 years that is.

For us who want to do business, my mom's gift is truly priceless. And for us who need security, that deal is a godsend.

"You're welcome. . "

My mother hugged me again before returning to her seat.

Erwin was done, my mom was done, and now only Haruki was left.

"Haruki, where's my present?"

Excitedly, I look at Haruki while extending both my hands.

I get it, I get it. You don't need to tell me that my act of asking Haruki for a present is not only shameless. But also embarrassing. It's just that I did it because I wanted to help the boy.

"I... . . ."

Before being dragged away by the kidnappers. I'm sure that Haruki had bought something for me as a gift. Maybe it sounds too narcissistic, but I can't imagine he had any other reason to buy something at an accessories store.

Haruki didn't have any sisters, he never mentioned having any close female friends, or if he wanted to buy something for his mother. In that shop, there were absolutely no items suitable for adult women.

After doing the process of elimination and looking at the timing, there was only one possibility left. He bought something for my birthday.

Then what does that have to do with me demanding a gift from him?

The link is that I do not want Haruki to feel too embarrassed when he gives me his present. I absolutely did not want his money and effort to go to waste because he felt too shy or afraid.

Even if it's just mentally. I'm the older one here. So I should be more considerate.

"Huh. . . ."

Haruki took a deep breath and then took out something from his shirt pocket.

"Don't expect too much, I can only give you cheap stuff"

Haruki pulled out a red ribbon from his pocket. Yes, a plain red ribbon without any wrapping, decoration, or pattern on it. When he said that his gift was a cheap item he was not joking at all.

But just because Haruki says it's cheap, doesn't mean that what he's giving me is really cheap. This world still hasn't gone through the industrial revolution. So, even a simple item like a ribbon still has to be manually crafted by one person for a lengthy period of time.

Making the price simply cannot be cheap.

Haruki said so probably because of the gift. One, it was the same as the ribbon I was wearing now. Two, although all ribbons are expensive but red is indeed the cheapest color because the process of making the color is the easiest. Then third, maybe Haruki also felt that the gift wasn't special.

Because, unlike my mother's gift which was obtained by hard-fought negotiations, and Erwin's gift which was created by his knowledge and hard work during the day. Haruki's gifts were just things that could be easily bought with money.

"Brother Haruki. . ."

I could tell that the money he received was also the result of his own efforts. That he could be proud of it. But I'm sure that Haruki already knows that too. That's why, I will tell him something much more important.

"Thank you, brother Haruki, I will treasure it"

The fact that I had gotten a gift from him already made me happy. That was the most important thing. Even just thinking about it made me not only reflexively smile.

"A-Amelie. . ."

But also want to hug him.

"Your Majesty . . . . do you have any grave diggers acquaintances? I think Haruki will be done soon."

And so, I hugged him.

"Nahh. . .Erwin, if his face can be that red! then he's perfectly healthy."

Ha?

"Are you alright brother Haru. ."

Hearing Erwin and my mother's conversation, I was a bit worried that Haruki would suddenly feel ill or something like that. But when I tried to look at his face, Haruki immediately used his hand to push my head down onto his chest.

"I'm fine!.... you have nothing to worry about."

Then, as if trying to make sure that I wouldn't try to look up again. Haruki started returning my hug tightly. We remained in that position for a while until my mom called me over to help me put on my new ribbon.

"How about this Amelie?"

Since my hair was short, the hairstyles my mother could make were quite limited. In the end, my mother just tied my hair in two.

"Now show it to Haruki"

"Mmmm. . ."

Are you serious mum? You put on such a childish hairstyle and want me to show it to my friend? Do you want me to be laughed at?

"Ahahahah . . . . I'm sorry Amelie, you are just so cute"

Fine, If you want people to laugh, I'll just go along with it.

Following my mom's advice, I approached Haruki again and turned my body in front of him to show how his gift looks in my hair. After that I smiled widely and stared at him with a look that didn't even need to be translated, it was clear what it meant.

"You're really beautiful, Amelie."

As expected, Haruki immediately understood that I wanted to ask for his comment. I'm trying to joke around and expecting the same joke compliment. But I didn't expect him to just honestly praise me instead.

"A. . .mmm. . . ."

Haruki's honest compliment left me not knowing what to say. Not only that, but I could feel that his praise was really sincere. It also managed to make me feel very embarrassed. Moreover, I could also feel that his praise this time was different.

He didn't use the words cute or sweet to praise me. The words that my mother, Erwin, and everyone including myself used to praise my looks.

Right now, I felt that Haruki no longer consider me as just a cute little child that he wants to spoil.

"Tt-thank you. . ."

His recognition made me feel very happy. So happy that my heart felt like it wanted to leap out of my chest. So happy that I wanted to. . .

"Amelie? . ."

Cry again.

"You really are a crybaby. . ."

"I'm sorry. . ."

Haruki reached his hand to my head and began to caress it gently while wearing a face full of smiles. It caused me to smile too even though I was still crying. Unfortunately, it wasn't long before his smile disappeared and was replaced by a regretful face.

And after a few moments of seemingly deep thought, Haruki finally opened his lips.

"If anyone should apologize, it's me"

"Eh? Why?"

"Actually. . . ."

When Jonas arrived, he also brought a letter from Haruki's father for him. But since their situation was bad, he decided not to talk about it until everything was over. And since today all the problems were over, Haruki decided that it was the right time to...

"Apologize for what? brother Haruki?"

I asked.

"For this."

Haruki held out the letter from his father for everyone to see.

It said that his father's assignment in Amteric was over and they must return to Yamato as soon as possible. The letter itself was written roughly a month ago. But once you add in the length of the trip and the commotion about bandits in this place, the time Haruki had left here would end up being just a week.

". . . . ."

I knew that Haruki coming home was just a matter of when. He only came to Amteric following his father, and he was just here to fulfill his duty as my personal tutor. Moreover, the conflict between Amteric and the surrounding countries was starting to reach its peak. His safety is also no longer guaranteed.

If he didn't come back soon both Haruki and his father would be in danger.

I know all of that but still. . .

"I'm sorry Amelie"

"No!"

He may feel guilty for making me sad. But the source of my sadness was my own unrealistic expectations. The expectation was that things wouldn't change and that we could stay together. Instead of being sad that we were apart, I should be grateful that I had the chance to meet him.

"Brother Haruki!"

"Yes!"

The wishes I made for my birthday were shattered that very night. But even so, I don't want to feel sad. I wanted to send him home with a smile. I would use the remaining time to play and have fun with everyone until we are sick of it.

6

Before we realized it, a week had flown by. And during that week, we decided to do all the things we wanted to do. Helping Erwin make new things, applying our research on things, walking all over the villages and town around our territory, and buying random things. Then playing whatever we wanted.

For a week, we were really just kids busy doing what kids do. Playing.

And that of course included stupid things like Erwin trying to run on water using his powers, Haruki taking Erwin on a rematch of their old duel, and everyone trying to do all the things that came to their mind to awaken my own special powers.

After giving Haruki a hug, my mother gave the boy a bag of money even though on the previous day, he already gave him his salary as my teacher. And because Haruki knew that trying to refuse was a pointless endeavor. He just said thank you and obediently took the present.

"Do you want a hug?"

From my mother, Haruki moved to Erwin.

"Thanks, but no thanks!."

"Thank goodness, I didn't know what to do if you actually agreed."

After that, both of them laughed. And watching that, I became a bit jealous. Unlike with me, which is more like Haruki taking care of me. The interaction between Erwin and Haruki is more like a relationship between two brothers in arms. If this was an action story, I could even imagine them going back to back while fighting against numerous enemies.

We may have only known each other for around a year, but if you look at how these two act in public. You'd think that they've been together since birth. It seems like boys being able to trust each other so easily isn't just a meme.

"This is from me"

"Hmm? What is this?"

"Pocket knife, just in case."

During the past week, I often saw that Erwin was in the workshop until midnight. So that's the reason huh.

"Just in case of what?"

"Well, if you get lost on the road, you can use this knife to skin your prey."

Suppose Haruki encounters a strong adversary, it can also serve as a ballistic knife. In addition, if Haruki failed to escape and was captured, it also contained tools for picking locks, removing fish scales, prying things, hooking things, measuring things, spoons, forks, and lastly matches.

"Erwin, I want to go home! Not go on an adventure!"

"Well, just in case. . "

"Don't jinx it! Thank you!"

The two smiled again, after which they exchanged a fist bump before Haruki finally walked towards me.

"Amelie, I'm going home."

"Mm. . . ."

I said nothing, gave nothing, nor did anything. Not because I didn't want to, but because if I didn't focus, the tears I was holding back would just burst. I didn't want to send him off crying.

"Ahaha. . what is that face . ."

"Wahah fahe. . ."

"This face. . . ."

Haruki took out a handkerchief from his bag and wiped my tears as well...

"Blow your nose."

"I can.... do it myhef "

I took my own handkerchief and blew my nose, getting rid of all the snot that came out because I kept holding back tears. The same reason that made me make a funny face.

"I'm used to seeing you cry, so don't bother holding it in"

"No way!"

Facing me, who was acting stubborn, Haruki took a deep breath and then looked directly into my eyes.

"Amelie, I promise we'll meet again"

I nodded, understanding that this was not a final goodbye. As long as we lived, we would be able to meet again in the future. But what he said made me realize even more that meeting him was extremely hard.

He lives far away. Going to his place requires traveling by road for more than half a month and sailing for another half month. And that assumes everything is smooth. Not to mention, the unfavorable conditions on this continent also made traveling not only difficult but also dangerous. Meeting him was easier said than done.

"Haruki . . ."

Unable to hold back my emotions any longer. Not knowing what else to say. I decided to express my feelings with my actions. I jumped onto Haruki's chair then pulled his body towards me then . . .

". . . . Amelie."

Kissed his cheek.

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"I'll miss you"

At first, Haruki made a confused face, then embarrassed, but once he saw my face that was soaked with tears and snot. His tears eventually fell too.

"Me too. . ."

With that, Hariki went home. Leaving me who couldn't stop crying for almost half an hour.

7

While everyone was busy comforting Amelie, in another place. Dozens of people were scouring a river. They had been doing this for almost a week. They had traveled tens of kilometers along the river in front of them, but they hadn't managed to locate the object they were looking for.

Just when everyone was starting to lose faith and thought about giving up. Suddenly, one of them shouted.

"Captain! I found it."

The captain immediately rushed over to his men. After that, he received the object that his men had found and began to inspect it.

It was dirty and full of mud, other than that probably from hitting the rocks many times. There were a lot of punctured, bent, and broken spots. He was sure that some of the components must have been washed away in the river. In short, it was no longer of any use.

But he didn't need it to work, because he was not looking to use it but to research and recreate it.

"Good, everyone! It's time to go home! Get ready for your bonus!"

The captain's promise was immediately welcomed by all his men. They had been exhausted from days of expeditions that they felt were pointless. So as soon as they were told to go home and even promised a bonus, everyone immediately felt delighted.

But, of them all. The captain was the happiest.

Why?

"With this! Amteric can turn the situation around."

In his hand was Erwin's rifle that Haruki had thrown away a week ago.