SWNOVELXO Chapter 26
Chapter 26.
Two years have passed, and I have turned fourteen.
The daily life that changed at twelve remained unchanged, allowing us to smoothly pass the two years.
If I had to describe it, there was a boy who had grown a bit more and gained muscle, to the point where he could hardly be called a fourteen-year-old at first glance.
Similarly, there was a woman who had matured and become more feminine compared to two years ago.
And there was the uncle, who had simply grown a slightly bushier beard.
Still, we worked together at the grocery store.
However, now it was a beautiful woman, not me, who welcomed the customers as the store’s signboard.
“Welcome. Thank you for visiting the Ileina grocery store.”
A neat dress.
Brown shoes.
A white hairband.
Long, flowing black hair.
A fair face with distinct features.
Standing in front of the counter and greeting the entering customers, her demeanor was elegant and gentle, making it hard to imagine her previous self.
“That’ll be 840 Dera.”
Her tone was still dry and indifferent, but the awkward formalities from before were nowhere to be found.
“Yes, thank you. Please visit us again at Ileina grocery store.”
She would bow her head slightly to a male customer whose face had turned red, welcoming the next customer.
And while this was partly due to the fact that I had taught her diligently, it was also her frantic efforts.
I had repeatedly said that this world is peaceful and people are kind.
I often mentioned that this world was set up that way, but such stories do not flow in just one direction.
Even in the unchanging grocery store, there were times when the gears twist and shift, interrupting the flow of daily life.
In simple terms, this refers to what are called difficult customers.
Not every customer would overlook a mistake simply because of her appearance.
And not every customer would just glance over, pay, blush, and leave quietly.
One mistake from her could lead to relentless complaints.
There were bitter memories of those past days when customers shouted in the store, tried to touch her hand, or made remarks that bordered on harassment, ruining the atmosphere.
So honestly, I worried that during such incidents, she might lose her temper and do something rash.
Ironically, rather than worrying about her, I feared that someone might get hurt by her gray mana.
She would try hard to ignore such people and without fail, apologize to me, yet I continued to be worried until she did.
She would say she was sorry.
She would say she was wrong.
She would ask me not to hate her.
And I think it was from that point.
Even when I told her it was okay, she would still repeatedly apologize to me, and she worked hard to change.
“I received 1000 Dera. Your change is 80 Dera.”
To correct her awkward and strange habits, she developed the habit of using formal speech even when not working.
“Yes, thank you. Please visit us again at Ileina grocery store.”
Since she started naturally using formal speech, she insisted on using it in her daily life.
Her words and actions gained a peculiar grace, and she matured that way.
So.
“Ain.”
“Oh, yes.”
“It has been a while, are you going to have lunch?”
She sometimes instinctively addressed me formally.
With her baby fat gone and a more feminine appearance, she asked me politely.
“Yeah, since the customers have all left, let’s have lunch. And you don’t have to use formal speech with me.”
“Yes, I’ll prepare it…? Ah, I got in the habit. I’ll make lunch, Ain.”
Yet, the smile she showed only to me still felt childlike.
After saying that, she headed toward the kitchen beside the storage room, turning back to give me a shy smile.
And that.
As a side note, Ileina is the name of the daughter that the uncle miraculously gained during those two years.
I vividly remembered the day he immediately changed the store’s sign when he finally had a daughter.
********
Fourteen years old.
“….”
Fourteen years old.
I first vowed to embark on a journey when I was five years old, so nine years have already passed since then.
So I recall the tales of the past.
First of all, there was the role I had assigned myself that now had only two years left.
Rather than being a witch’s watcher, it would be more accurate to say I was now the witch’s protector, my first choice.
Daring to say, I think I have done well in that role so far.
Shouting at the creator and resisting, losing my voice, my choice to take a stand was the first turning point in my life.
And from that, there were relationships that blossomed at the grocery store.
I didn’t want to remain a small child.
I thought that as a weak and insignificant person, that was all I could get.
Starting to earn money at eight years old continued on for six years since then.
It became the knot connecting the first step and the second step.
Next, there were efforts toward growth that I regretted even thinking about.
I recall the days when I screamed under the director’s orders, still thinking of him as a crazy human.
….
Crazy guy.
He is still crazy.
And lastly.
It is at this point that I finally begin to make the last preparations to set out on my journey.
If you ask what that is, I will confidently say.
This world is still very unfair.
It hasn’t given me anything despite luring me into the romantic backdrop of fantasy.
For me, who is merely an extra, to become a traveler wandering around the world is something that is forced upon me.
“…, damn it.”
I pack several thick books into my bag and leave the house.
Creator, I apologize for the blasphemy thus far and humbly request a language patch.
Please.
So, I began the language studies I’d been neglecting and postponing until now.
The only consolation is that being in the empire, which is the largest realm of humans, presents no problem for a short journey to republics or several kingdoms and holy nations.
However, my ultimate goal does not stop there.
I will step into the territories of non-human races.
The lair of dragons, the valleys of ogres.
The great forests of elves and the caves of dwarves.
The fields of fairies and spirits.
The territories of beastmen and the oceans of sea gods.
If possible, I would also like to venture into the gray land beyond, where the Demon King resides.
So even just touring all the human nations makes the number of languages exceed ten, and combined with the languages of each race, the number skyrockets exponentially.
Naturally, I wouldn’t have the talent to master all those languages in just two years, so for now, my intention was to study the languages of the areas I would head to first.
“Eh…, Ephride, Benishi… What does this say?”
And I think that, contrary to my thoughts, this process will take quite some time.
She, who speaks fluently now, reminds me of how she looked when she first learned the imperial language—how awkward and clumsy her imperial tongue was until recently.
I thought that even with two years of steady studying, it might still be somewhat difficult.
“Dvalley…, Chi. Bini, E…, Mi.”
What a damn thing.
El Psy Congrue, you bastards.
On my remaining time after working, I had permission to study other languages as well.
So while I mumbled some unknown words inside the store, the uncle quietly approached me and spoke.
“Jiljil.”
“….”
I am not Jiljil.
“Kid.”
“….”
I am not a kid.
“Oh, fine! Ain, answer me.”
“Yes, Uncle Rendo, why did you call?”
In other words, I am always Ain.
“…, why do you think I called? I must have called to say something.”
“Don’t tell me you’re going to take back what you said about studying in the store?”
Seeing me studying instead of working might come off a bit petty.
However, the uncle sighed with a gaze of disdain and quietly spoke.
“Is that it? Of course not. It’s something else.”
“What is it that you want to say?”
He spoke in a voice that was barely audible to the woman standing blankly in front of the counter.
“So when do you plan to tell that guy?”
“….”
As the uncle said, there was indeed a more important conversation than language study.
That was the task of transitioning from my current role to the next.
“You know, right? Though she looks so kind and gentle now, that kid is grey.”
“…, I know.”
It was telling the woman, who approached me with curiosity, about the journey I had been planning all along.
“Don’t say you’re going to leave without saying anything. You also need to think about the emotions of that child left behind and how far the fallout will reach.”
“I know. I know, but…”
“You idiot! If you know, hurry up and tell her before more time passes!”
In other words, it was a long-standing dilemma.
Since I deviated from merely being a simple watcher, I had been worried about it continuously.
Yet ultimately, the same result comes out again, and I find myself unable to find the answer.
“No matter how much I think about it, I don’t know how to say it.”
“….”
What I want to say to the woman would undoubtedly stir her emotions.
No matter how much I agonize and suffer, I couldn’t come up with words that she would feel okay with.
My heart raced louder with every pounding.
“…, no matter what choice I make, problems are sure to arise.”
“You foolish kid…, then why did you do something you can’t handle?”
If I leave on my own without her, the problems and anxiety that arise from that cannot be completely wiped away.
If I suggest we travel together, I will have to give up more than just a few things.
Endless checks and inspections in numerous regions, the suspicions and detection I will continually encounter from mages and adventurers.
I couldn’t believe that she would pass through those safely.
Because grey is that kind of existence in this world, the world has only allowed her the small room of the grocery store.
Having taken one step like that, I still feel fearful about taking the next.
Thus.
If someone were to ask me whether the feelings I have given to her were just that much.
I might nod and say yes.
I could say I gave my heart to her without even having the courage to take her along.
It was something I, myself, couldn’t handle, like the uncle said.
It could also be seen as the backlash of my actions—stretching well beyond the role of a watcher.
But I thought this.
“I’m just foolish as the uncle said.”
“Hah….”
I am just a foolish human.
If I were to return to that moment, I would surely make the same choice again.
I would save that little girl who looked at me with blurred and lifeless eyes, abandoned in the alley.
The tattered clothes full of lint, a month’s worth of food, the ointment and bandages to cover her wounds.
I want to give it back so she can smile again.
That was pity, perhaps, a calculated sentiment.
Reflecting on it now, it was a sentiment of affection that no one else in this world would give.
So I am still tortured by thoughts of how to part with her without causing her pain.
And as these worries continue, there is the woman who approaches me with hasty steps.
“Ain.”
“Yes.”
The woman, smiling softly and extending her head towards me, asks.
“What are you doing… no. What are you up to?”
“….”
“Is it something hard to talk about?”
However, it was indeed something a bit tricky to explain, as she said.
I still didn’t know how to give her an answer.
So as I kept my mouth shut for a moment, she subtly lowered her head to look at the cover of the book.
Of course, her speaking skills might be fluent now, but she wouldn’t know what it was, as she still didn’t know how to read.
“Just.”
“….”
“The book is a bit difficult.”
“Yeah, I see.”
So I only smiled back at her, who nodded.