Chapter 19 – It Hasn’t Even Been a Month Yet –

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Two days later.

I decided to go check on the transfer by myself.

I hadn’t brought Ati along because I thought she could use a break for once.

Ideally, I’d give her some money and let her have a little free time.

But that wasn’t going to be possible while I was on the Northeastern Continent.

There was the worry that if it were discovered I was a Dark Elf…

Since I’ll be leaving this continent soon, maybe I don’t need to worry too much.

But then again, there’s that saying, “Don’t leave a mess behind.”

I resolved to nip any possibility in the bud.

Before noon, I arrived at the Labor Bank.

When I checked the balance, it had increased from 0 to 13,000,000 rob—just as I’d been told.

Even though it was an amount I still found hard to believe, it was an undeniable reality.

I couldn’t remain astonished forever.

(…Well, anyway. With this, I can leave the continent.)

I decided to withdraw the entire balance and close the account.

I had no intention of coming back to this place.

So, there was no need to keep either the deposit or the account.

When I stuffed the withdrawn money into my bag, it bulged.

Since I had the chance, I might as well buy a souvenir for Ati.

And while I was at it, I’d also get myself a new spear.

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When it came to spears, I ended up buying another inexpensive one.

I could have splurged on one that cost a bit more, but I just couldn’t find a spear with performance that appealing.

If I used my ultimate move, it would just melt and break anyway.

Unless it was durable enough to withstand that technique at the very least, it wasn’t even worth considering.

So, a cheap one would suffice for now.

As for a souvenir for Ati, I decided to buy some sweets.

I had considered cosmetics too, but knowing that everyone has their own tastes, I passed on them this time.

At least with food—even if it wasn’t exactly her cup of tea—I could always eat it myself.

But as for cosmetics, there’s no way I could use them.

Unless I did proper research first, they were just too risky.

They’d only add to my baggage.

By the way, I had also considered gifting some jewelry, but… I decided I’d make that myself someday.

I’m quite handy with silverwork.

Once I know Ati’s taste, I can craft something when I have the time.

(…Until I leave this continent, I’ll be causing quite a bit of inconvenience for Ati.)

That’s why I wanted to give her something to take her mind off things.

Maybe it was just me imposing my feelings on her.

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“Is it really okay…?”

At the sight of the offered sweets, Ati blinked rapidly.

I nodded.

“Yeah, it’s fine.”

What I’d bought was a peach dessert tart.

The clerk had said it was a trendy, mild flavor that was easy to eat, but…

“Ah, thank you. Then, I’ll dig in…”

Ati, though a bit hesitant, took a big bite.

Then she murmured, “Delicious.”

Good.

It wasn’t that I hadn’t believed the clerk’s words—

After all, everyone has their own tastes.

“You can eat all of it.”

“R-really, is that okay…?”

I’d bought the sweets for Ati to enjoy, so of course it was fine.

“Yeah.”

“…W-well then, the rest as well.”

Ati began eating the remainder of the tart bit by bit.

She looked delighted.

Seeing that made me happy too.

Well, now that she’s pleased, let’s talk about the plans ahead.

“Listen while you eat, okay?”

“Fine.”

“—Now that I’ve got the money, I plan to set off for the port town by tomorrow.”

I then outlined our upcoming plans, bit by bit.

――There’s a regular stagecoach to the port town running almost every day, so we’ll take that.
――There’s also a ship that goes directly to the Southern Continent—and I have enough money for it—but since safety comes first, we’ll head there via the Western Continent.

And so on.

I nodded, and Ati said, “Understood.”

The next day.

After we finished our travel preparations, we immediately headed to the stagecoach stop.

I left the tools I had stored in the hut as they were, hoping someone would put them to use.

On the way to town, we made a brief detour.
We stopped at the spot where my burned-down house once stood.
The scorched ground was still visible, reminding me that not much time had passed since then.

My house burned to the ground.
Of course, it was a deeply depressing event.
But strangely, I don’t feel that way anymore.

“……Here is—”

Ati muttered softly.
I had already explained the circumstances, so she knew that my newly built house had once stood here.

Ati wore an indescribable expression.
It was as if she was at a loss for words.
I decided to speak first.

“My house burned down, and at first I was really depressed, but… not anymore.”
“……Eh?”
“When I think about it, because of this, I met you, Ati. Now I can see it wasn’t such a bad thing after all.”

That was my honest truth.
If my house hadn’t burned down, I would have gone to work as usual that day and never even glanced at a slave auction.
I would have never met you, Ati.

“……”

After hearing my words, Ati suddenly fell silent.
Then she quickly turned her face to the side.
I didn’t really understand why, but I found that action quite cute.

Well, there’s plenty of time ahead.
There will be countless chances for me to have her trust me with both her heart and body.
I won’t let any of those slip away.

Then, just as the sun rose directly overhead, we arrived at the stagecoach gathering spot.