The Abandoned White Magician’s Tea Life - Chapter 24 : Dragon Mountain Picnic (1)

Translator: Sunnyshies

Editor: Ryuubii

Chapter 24 : Dragon Mountain Picnic (1)

Leonardo said that every year around this time, he would take some time off from his guild work to climb the Dragon Mountain. This year, he was reunited with Amalia and decided to stay here in Polk until the end of the holiday he applied for while deepening his friendship with everyone.

Today, Amalia and the others decided to climb Dragon Mountain. They put some cooled tea in a canteen and wrapped some snacks in their backpacks in case they got hungry. Leonardo kindly took them with him, so that Amalia and Yugo were able to take on the challenge of climbing in a light dress.

For Amalia, it was the first mountain she had climbed in almost two months, but for Leonardo, it would be his first visit in a year.

Leonardo looked at the mountainside, where a few trees and grasses were growing, and groaned a little.

“There’s a lot more greenery here than when I came last year.”

“…by the way, ten years ago, it was sweltering hot here, probably because Yugo was taking a nap, and there was not a single plant or tree growing.”

Amalia also stopped and looked down from the mountainside at the base of the mountain.

When she followed Alphonse and his friends, who had received a request to kill the golden dragon, she had a hard time climbing up the mountain. Although Amalia was not that physically strong, the group also had Esmeralda with them.

Those who were good at wind and ice magic were diligently blowing cold air at Esmeralda to prevent her jade skin from being damaged. Naturally, Amalia was left alone, stumbling around as she followed her friends.

After Yugo, the golden dragon, woke up and left the world for the Demon World with Amalia, the heat in this area subsided while plants and trees began to grow. According to Leonardo, the temperature is even lower than it was four years ago, when he first started visiting here, and the number of plants has also increased.

Leonardo would walk slowly to match Amalia’s walking speed, but the energetic Yugo, with Amalia’s permission, quickly went up by himself and could be seen running around happily.

There were no other people besides the three of them, and if any demons appeared, they would be burned to ashes by Yugo’s “Ei!”, so they were not worried at all.

Amalia looked at Yugo from a distance, who seemed to be playing with a large stone that seemed to weigh up to a hundred pounds, and turned around.

“…Leonardo would climb up here every year.”

“Yes. Four years ago, I wanted a chance to do something, no matter how small, as long as it would lead me to you. I believed that you were still alive, but then I thought that maybe, so I dug around in the ground to see if I could find any relics.”

Leonardo seemed reluctant to say it, but she knew exactly what he was thinking.

Even if he believed that Amalia was alive, her chance of survival was hopeless. If she was dead, he would want to find a trace of her, even if it was just a relic― it would not be foolish to think so, and Amalia was grateful to him for doing so.

“After that, I came to this region every year as autumn approaches, taking a break from the work I had been doing. Naturally, the more time passes, the fainter the leads become… I also wondered if there was really any point in continuing to do this.”

“…but it’s good that I managed to meet you again.”

“Yes.”

Their gazes collided.

For some reason, looking into those gray eyes made her feel very safe.

The two of them started walking again. The grass and trees were still easy to walk on, but when they reached the place where they had met the golden dragon – near the top of the mountain – the ground under their feet became crunchy black sand, and the land turned into a desolate place filled with an indescribable loneliness.

“…I was left here by Alphonse and the others, I guess.”

Amalia muttered, staring at Yugo as he played in the sand with his blackened hands.

―It may have been ten years ago for Leonardo and the others, but for Amalia, it was just like the other day. That’s why she can clearly remember the scene and her emotions of that moment.

Leonardo looked sideways at Amalia and drooped his eyebrows sadly.

“…it must have been painful.”

“…well, yeah. When I realized that I had been abandoned and used as bait, it was painful, and when I saw the golden dragon, Yugo, I was indeed prepared to die.”

“That would be true… it makes me angry to think that the people who abandoned you are still living a wealthy life.”

It was unusual for the well-mannered Leonardo to curse Alphonse and the others with a slight click of his tongue.

Amalia chuckled and gently tapped Leonardo on the shoulder.

“Just having someone to say that to is enough for me… besides, you know. In fact, the hardest thing for me was not being able to keep my promise to Leonardo.”

“…mine, huh?”

When asked, Amalia nodded and pulled a white flower amulet from her breast pocket.

She showed it to him on the hill when they reunited, but when Leonardo saw the amulet, he blushed and covered his face with his hands.

“Well, I’m very glad you kept it… I’m sorry, I’m ashamed of my childishness.”

“Really? This amulet is the only thing that kept me going on my journey.”

“…”

“Besides, I was able to fulfill my promise in this manner… I still can’t forgive Alphonse and the others for what they did. But I was foolish enough to leave Leonardo and the others behind and follow them, even though they were only after the reward money from the guild.”

“…don’t you want to take revenge on them?”

A quiet voice asked her. She was startled at the moment by how low the tone of his voice was.

Leonardo’s eyes were cold and piercing as he stared off into the sky― towards the Kingdom of Kyros.

‘…revenge, is it?’

It was only after Leonardo told her about it that she learned that such a method was possible. Alphonse and the others are pretending that they have defeated the golden dragon and wove Amalia’s disappearance into such a beautiful story.

‘What would happen if I showed up before them like this?’

He is now living a comfortable life as a dragon-slaying hero and the husband of a princess, but he lied about slaying the dragon, and it would be very amusing to expose the fact that those guys had abandoned Amalia. Even if they don’t believe her, she is certain that she can stir up the situation.

‘…but.’

“…I’m not going to actively seek revenge on my end.”

“Is that alright with you?”

“Of course, I would like to repay the pain they caused me. I hope that the happiness they created from that deception will fall apart. I hope the people who mocked me, kicked me down the road, and abandoned me will be unhappy. I do think so, but the moment I do act on those thoughts, I feel like I will be no different from Alphonse and the others.”

Amalia has lived a modest life in a monastery, but she is neither pious nor pure.

She hated people who didn’t like her, and there had been many times when she had thought. “I wish this guy would just disappear.” She was jealous, she felt resentful, and she had done many things that would make the director scold her.

“So… you can leave them alone now, it’s okay. I don’t want to get involved anymore. Fortunately, this village is far away from the city and Kyros, so there is not much information about them here. I think this might be a good thing.”

“…I understand. Forgive me, I was tactless enough to ask such a thing when that is how Amalia-san felt.”

“Do you want me to take revenge? Don’t worry about it. I don’t mind you making that suggestion, because it made me reflect on my past.”

As a chilly breeze brushed her cheeks, Amalia narrowed her eyes and looked up at the sky.

Perhaps it was because the mountain was once home to a dragon and demons, but only around the summit did the sky look cloudy. At the foot of the mountain, they could see a few birds, but there was no sign of any animals around here.

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