Chapter 30
“Zion! Senpai! I’ve been waiting for you!”
As I entered the dining hall and followed the staff’s guidance into the lavishly set guest room, Hanamana stood up from her seat and greeted me warmly.
After finishing her duties and waking up from a nap, Hanamana had suggested that the three of us have a meal together, and I accepted the invitation.
“Come on, sit quickly! The food will be out soon!”
Hanamana swiftly guided me to my seat, and she also assisted Zion into his wheelchair, positioning it at the empty spot with the chair pulled out in advance.
Once Zion and I were seated, Hanamana took her place and greeted us from the head of the table.
“Thank you so much for today… Ouch!”
After sitting down, Hanamana bowed her head to greet us, but she couldn’t complete her greeting before letting out a scream and tilting her head back.
“My hair got caught on the chair…”
It seemed her right twin tail had snagged on the chair’s embellishment.
Hanamana turned to the right to check the chair’s backrest, pouting as she struggled to free her hair from between the chair’s frames.
“Geez, Hanamana, come on, just keep your head straight.”
“Ouch!!”
Zion, unable to watch any longer, moved to Hanamana’s side and helped pull her hair free, and after she arranged her hair and brought it forward, she bowed again.
“Thank you so much. And I’m really sorry…”
“That apology…”
I thought about telling her to hold off on saying sorry like I did to Zion, but…
“No, it’s fine. It seems like Hanamana should have a reason to be a bit sorry.”
“Right? It’s just typical of me…”
I decided to let her be sorry. After all, it wouldn’t be easy to see Hanamana again after her business trip.
She wasn’t someone I saw every day like Zion, so there was no need to feel overly concerned.
What worried me more was Hanamana’s condition.
When humans pull an all-nighter, they generally stay tired for about three days due to disrupted sleep patterns, but I wondered if elves experienced the same.
“Hanamana.”
“Yes?”
“So, did you rest well today?”
“Yes! I feel so refreshed. I can’t remember the last time I got to sleep so peacefully.”
Hanamana smiled brightly and shook her head.
It was a relief to see she didn’t look tired at all.
After all, even at the age of 200, elves didn’t seem to age but instead appeared youthful, so perhaps they’re a bit healthier than humans.
“That’s great to hear.”
As Hanamana said that, food quickly arrived and the table was soon set.
I had tried various gourmet dishes in this world, but Sacred Law Country was famous for its unique food culture due to its rugged terrain and difficult access, which made me look forward to this meal.
“Actually, I wanted to serve you a dish I made myself…”
“Please spare us.”
“I’ll decline too.”
With a sulking Hanamana and a shocked Zion, I too politely expressed my refusal.
Hanamana’s cooking was notoriously known from the original work.
Hanamana loved cooking and always put in the effort, but her dishes often ended up either not being completed or were just plain bad.
There were explosions, fires, or whatever she attempted turning into something unrecognizable, often leaving the floor to clean up…
It would be a fascinating experience to witness such memes I’d only read about in novels, but being involved in one was definitely something I wanted to avoid.
“Oh? Even Senpai?”
Seeing me decline, Hanamana tilted her head in confusion.
“Have you seen the dishes Hanamana cooks before?”
Crap, the fact that I was originally part of the Hero Party was something only Zion knew.
To Hanamana, I was someone she had just met yesterday, so it made sense for her to think it was odd that I knew so much about her.
“I heard it from Zion.”
“That’s harsh, Zion. What exactly did you say for Senpai to react this way…?”
“Um… Just the truth?”
“Ugh.”
Fortunately, it seemed like Zion was matching the mood well.
While we were having a brief chat, the staff finished bringing in all the food and exited the guest room, and Hanamana clasped her hands together, looking back and forth between Zion and me.
“I would like to say a prayer before we eat.”
Since we were in Sacred Law Country, and a Cleric like Hanamana was hosting us, it was only natural that a prayer would take place.
As Hanamana closed her eyes and lowered her head, Zion and I did the same, and Hanamana’s solemn prayer echoed in a tone different from her usual lively self.
“Creator Lord,
We accept your creations, may this daily bread nourish our bodies and souls.
Furthermore, here we gather three individuals who perform unparalleled righteousness among the world and humans you have created.
Please look upon us with care, so that we may not falter in our duties due to our afflictions.
Lastly, for Zion and all the adventurers and veterans who bear the scars of war,
We hope they can rise swiftly and walk the world you have created with their own strength.
We give thanks to you, who listens to the earnest prayers of your creations once again today.
All these prayers come from your creation, Hanamana.”
As the prayer concluded, we opened our eyes and faced each other.
The atmosphere felt heavy.
To be honest, I was a little taken aback by Hanamana’s unexpected side.
“Okay, now let’s eat!”
And just like that, Hanamana turned the atmosphere back with one sentence.
With her cue, we finally began to eat with smiles.
Since the three of us were gathered for this meal, it would be nice to chat a little too.
“Hanamana.”
“Yes, Senpai.”
“I might have scolded you a bit too much, huh?”
“Ugh. I’m sorry for being deficient and getting scolded so much…”
Oh no. Seriously, the conversation wasn’t flowing as I imagined.
I intended to compliment her, yet Hanamana sank back into her sulking mood.
Usually, wouldn’t one say, “No! I don’t think that at all!”?
She admitted she got scolded and slid into negative mode.
From now on, maybe it’s best if I get straight to the point without any lead-up when talking to Hanamana.
“I was trying to say not to worry so much, but you already looked down before I could finish my thought.”
“W- Was that so?! I’m sorry for being clueless!”
“It’s fine. More importantly, from the charts I reviewed yesterday and the stories from today’s patients,”
Hanamana watched me with a tense expression, clearly waiting for my words.
“You’ve been doing well, Hanamana. Even with the center just opened and patients coming in, the charts are well-done, and everyone trusts you. No, it’s more like… care and look after you? Either way, the bond formed is beneficial for treatment.”
This was my honest evaluation of the Director of Sacred Law Country Rehabilitation Center, Hanamana.
It wasn’t just flattery; it was the truth as I saw it.
“Senpai…”
Upon hearing my evaluation, Hanamana looked at me with tear-filled eyes, on the verge of bursting into tears.
“But you need to work on your tendency to cry or shout at the slightest. A doctor should be someone the patient can depend on. Instead, it feels like the patients are the ones looking after you.”
“Ugh, understood.”
At my comment about correcting her crying habit, Hanamana wiped her tears with her arm and put on a serious face to look at me.
“Shouldn’t I eat instead of watching you? The food here is delicious.”
“Oh, is that so? I chose the dishes based on what you like!”
Are all the dishes here things that Hanamana likes? I guess since she can’t cook, she enjoys eating out?
Well, it could be that the quality of the restaurant itself is good because the variety of dishes placed was uniformly top-notch.
The cozy dinner continued.
Mostly, Hanamana and Zion were happily chatting about old stories and Naou’s tales until Hanamana had to excuse herself for a moment, leaving just a brief time for Zion and me alone.
“Uh… Hop Harvey.”
“?”
As soon as Hanamana left the room, Zion spoke up immediately.
From her expression and tone, she seemed to be troubled about something.
“What’s on your mind?”
“I was thinking maybe you should tell Hanamana that you were a companion.”
Really? Telling her I was part of the Hero Party…
I could see that could lead to something, but,
“You didn’t tell the Fourth Princess.”
Of course, I hadn’t mentioned it to Naou either because she was injured and I wanted to keep her out of the next fight.
So does not being injured make Hanamana different?
“Naou is injured, but Hanamana isn’t, so she can fight alongside us. Maybe we’ll need Hanamana’s strength someday.”
“Hmm…”
From the standpoint of rehabilitation for Zion, Naou’s injuries were far less severe compared to Zion’s, and she had started rehabilitation much earlier.
Depending on her progress, Naou could complete her rehabilitation and be in fighting shape faster than Zion, but Zion didn’t want her to participate in the next Demon King battle.
So, I wondered if Zion meant to keep the next gate a secret like that, but maybe he thought it was right to tell her now.
“What do you think, Hop Harvey?”
“Zion, that’s not something I can decide…”
“Honestly, I’m worried. The thought of having to fight again… just the idea of returning to that battlefield terrifies me. I still feel like I’m on that battlefield. Perhaps fighting is my fate, something I can’t escape. But you two are different. I don’t want Naou… Hanamana to go through this fear.”
Zion, with her head down, was trembling.
I got up and moved to sit beside her, firmly holding her trembling hand.
“Zion. Calm down. I’m here.”
“But facing the Demon King without Hanamana is even scarier. I’m not strong; I’m weak, and I’ve held my companions back too many times without being able to protect them. I just… I don’t know what to do!”
As Zion’s tremors intensified, I wrapped her in my arms.
In this situation, this was about all I could do to console her.
Yet, she naturally relaxed into my embrace, leaning on me to steady herself.
It was both heartwarming and exhilarating at the same time.
The sight of Zion, so weak and scared, still striving to be a hero was something exceptionally precious to me.
“So please, Hop Harvey, tell me what to do. Will you tell Hanamana your secret too?”
“It’s alright; just calm down, Zion, I…”
Of course, I had no intention of revealing my lie to Hanamana as well.
There was nothing good about a lie being known by multiple people. So then…
“To Hanamana…”
– *Creak*.
“Are you enjoying your meal?”
Just as I was going to tell Zion I wouldn’t reveal it to Hanamana, Hanamana suddenly swung the sliding door open and walked in.
“Oh? Zion? Senpai?”
An abrupt silence fell in the room. Here I was, sitting with ZIon’s trembling form tightly embraced beside me.
“……”
When our eyes met, Hanamana had a confused expression as if she couldn’t comprehend the situation.
What was the timing on this…