(The next morning)
After waking up, I immediately packed some of the clothes I had worn during our stay here and put them into one of the boxes inside the horse-drawn carriage.
Luke asked me to check the room the two of us had been using while we were here, since he wanted to focus on checking the carriage.
Since I didn't have any particular task to do at the moment, I decided to comply with his request.
There was nothing wrong with checking the room once more, just in case there were any of our belongings that we had left behind and hadn't taken with us yet.
Meanwhile, Yuu-chan and Hime were helping Forn-san in the kitchen to prepare breakfast, and possibly make some packed meals for later in the afternoon as well.
As for Iris, I didn't know where she was right now, but I assumed she was with Loki-san, who had gone somewhere with her.
She would surely return before the four of us left. There was no way she wouldn't come to say goodbye when we were about to depart.
—
After I returned to the room, all of our belongings had already been packed and stored inside the carriage.
The room now only contained the furniture that had already been there from the beginning, even before Luke and I stayed in it.
"Yukito-san? You're still here? I thought you were outside with Luke."
I turned toward the door and saw Hime standing there, having found me inside the room.
She was only standing near the doorway and didn't step inside to greet me any closer.
"I just wanted to check this room one more time before we really leave. By the way, why are you here? If I remember correctly, you and Yuu-chan were in the kitchen, right?" I asked.
Hearing my question, Hime immediately told me why she had come to my room.
"Ah, I was going to let the two of you know that breakfast is ready, but I ended up finding you here instead," she said.
That meant Hime had accidentally noticed that my room door was open, and when she looked inside, I was there.
"I'll let Luke know first, so you can go back ahead," I replied.
Hime nodded lightly, then showed her palm toward me before leaving the doorway.
"Alright then, I'll go ahead," she said.
—
After that, I went outside and told Luke about the breakfast while he was still adjusting the carriage.
Then, as Luke and I walked back inside, Iris and Loki-san had already returned, carrying several brown paper bags in their hands.
Loki-san was only holding one bag in his right hand, but it was larger than the two bags Iris was carrying.
So they had gone shopping, huh? No wonder they went together if they had bought that many things.
Loki-san looked slightly surprised when he saw the two of us together, and he simply gave me a wink before wrapping an arm around Luke's shoulder.
I didn't know what he meant by that, but he immediately walked into the house together with Luke.
Iris stopped beside me for a moment and looked toward the two of them as they walked ahead.
"I think Father has already started to see Luke-san as a close friend. He talked about him a lot while the two of us were out earlier," Iris said, letting out a sigh afterward.
Iris even seemed to feel that her father's behavior was a little troublesome. Well, it was understandable for her to feel that way.
I looked at the bag Iris was holding against her chest to make it easier to carry.
One of the bags was filled with vegetables and fruits, so much so that some of it was even sticking out.
"Iris, give that bag to me," I said while pointing at one of the bags.
Iris looked a bit confused when I asked, but she eventually handed it to me.
"It's fine, but do you want to see what's inside?" Iris said as she passed it to me.
I immediately took the bag and held it the same way she had before, then started walking.
Seeing me walk, she reflexively followed beside me.
"A-ah, you just wanted to help carry it, right?" Iris said after realizing what I was trying to do.
"Yeah, you looked like you were having a hard time carrying it. Besides, this bag is heavier than I thought," I replied.
"There's a lot inside, so it's heavy. Thanks for helping me, but those ingredients will end up going into your lunch box later, you know~" Iris replied.
So that was it—what she planned to do with all these ingredients? No, I didn't feel troubled at all if she wanted to make packed meals for us.
In fact, it would help us a lot, before we eventually had to eat the same food to conserve our supplies.
—
"Thank you for the meal," I said after finishing the last breakfast prepared by Forn-san.
"It tastes just as good as yesterday. The four of us were really happy to enjoy such delicious food," Luke added.
"It's no problem. I'm also glad I could cook for the Yuusha. Are you planning to leave right after this?" Forn-san asked.
"Yes, that's our plan. Sorry we can't stay any longer, but we don't want to trouble you," Hime replied while continuing to eat.
"Where's Iris? Shouldn't she be eating together with us?" Loki-san asked.
That was true. Loki-san must have found it strange that Iris wasn't eating with us, and I felt the same way.
Since the moment the two of us came in, she hadn't come out of the kitchen. Wait… why hadn't I noticed that sooner?
The answer was really simple, yet sometimes I was truly bad at noticing things like this.
"Ah, she's making something in the kitchen. Don't worry, she'll be done soon," Forn-san said to answer Loki-san's curiosity.
Just as Forn-san said, Iris came out of the kitchen not long after.
She was carrying a basket which, if I was right, contained food she had prepared for us as packed meals.
"I thought you might need this, so I made quite a lot for you. Please take it," she said as she placed the basket in front of Hime.
—
"Hime, you and Yuu-chan go inside first. Luke and I want to talk with them about a few things," I said.
Hime simply nodded before getting into the carriage where Yuu-chan was already inside.
I approached Luke, who was still chatting with Forn-san and Loki-san.
"Yuusha, thank you very much for everything you've done while you were here. Especially regarding Iris and the barrier—I don't even know what to say."
"The important thing is that we don't mind you coming here at all. So please come by whenever you can. We'll welcome you anytime," Loki-san said.
"Ahaha, of course, Loki-san. We'll come back here when we have the time. And of course, we'll bring those purple ones with us~," Luke replied.
"Ahaha! That's true. I can't wait for that day to come, Yuusha," Loki-san said, laughing along with Luke.
"He really does seem happier when you all come here. I never thought he'd grow that close to you."
"By the way, Yuusha, regarding Iris… I don't know what to do with her, but I truly thank you for helping her restore the barrier," Forn-san said to me.
"Actually, Iris was the one who really played the main role. I just stayed by her side while she did it," I replied.
"Ah, sorry, I forgot I was boiling water earlier. I'll head back inside," Forn-san said as he hurried into the house.
Even at a moment like this, he still had things to do in the kitchen. Well, that was his own business.
"Yuusha," Iris said softly.
"Iris, thank you for the packed meals. And I won't forget what you did, alright? But yeah, I'm really grateful to you too," I said.
Iris shook her head before refuting my words.
"No, I'm the one who's truly grateful. I was able to share my first experience, along with some really nice memories~," she said with a soft laugh.
Suddenly, I heard someone calling out to me loudly.
"Oi, Yukito! Hurry up, we're about to leave!" Luke shouted, already seated at the front and holding the reins connected to the horse.
Ah, it was time for me to leave the land of the elves. This place truly made me even more certain that this world still had many places left for me to visit.
"Iris, see you later. Don't let the barrier break, alright? Though it probably won't," I said as I walked away from her.
I climbed onto the carriage and sat beside Luke, then grabbed the reins.
I turned around to say goodbye to the three of them. Forn-san had returned after running out in a hurry.
The three of them waved at us, and of course, we waved back.
"See you later, Yuusha," Forn-san and Loki-san said at the same time.
"We're heading out!" I said before pulling the reins and making the carriage move away from the place.
Hah… everything here was settled, and if there was another invasion in Riruyo, they would surely be able to handle it.
"Luke, you know the way to Nakuso, right?" I asked.
"M-maybe," he replied, making me feel uneasy.
I opened the window and asked Hime to hand me the map.
"Hime, where's the map with the route to get there? I think the two of us need it here," I said.
Nakuso… I hope I can obtain something I can carry with me wherever I go once we arrive there.