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Chapter 15: The Time Capsule

Thanks to the time capsule, the two found themselves thrown into an unexpected joyful commotion.

This time, Ariel wanted to go somewhere, dragging Edgar along, which meant he had to move his feet without knowing the destination once again.

However, even though he was clueless about where they were headed, he could guess reasonably well this time.

It wasn’t a sprawling city like Hespania; there were only a limited number of places to visit in this countryside village.

Besides, the fact that Ariel was leading them to a place filled with memories added to the anticipation.

As Edgar looked at the lush grass and the still dense trees, he let out a low gasp.

Ariel, who was walking ahead, glanced back at him, smiled softly, and scampered over.

“It’s been such a long time.”

“Right? How old were we when we last came here?”

“Eleven or twelve? I don’t quite remember.”

The fact that Edgar couldn’t remember clearly meant this was a rather old memory.

“To think we hadn’t come back since that day.”

That ‘day’ was one where, exaggeratedly speaking, Ariel almost lost Edgar.

Climbing to the top of the mountain to look down at the scenery, she had wanted to say to him, ‘This mountain is your birthday present.’

Because of that rash thought, they encountered a wild boar in the heavy rain on the mountain, putting him in danger.

Ariel still remembered that day as a trauma.

While other memories were somewhat vague, she vividly recalled his back as he carried her down the mountain, panting on his cold body.

As the weight of that memory seemed to darken the mood, Edgar grinned and playfully started to tease.

“You said you were scared and didn’t want to go.”

“Me? I did!?”

“Seriously, you don’t remember?”

As Ariel’s feet, which were touching the ground, suddenly lifted into the air, Edgar couldn’t help but giggle, recalling that day.

He was the kind of person who would joke around but never lie.

Ariel knew this, so despite her instinctive doubt, her ears perked up.

“A month later, you were almost in tears refusing to go back to the mountain even when I said I was fine.”

“I was… crying?”

“Yeah. You were like, ‘What if we meet another wild boar and Edgar dies?’”

“Alright, alright, I get it! Stop!”

It seemed that even at ten years old, the princess had her own version of innocence.

Of course, Ariel felt too embarrassed about that dark history to simply laugh it off, so she rushed towards Edgar to cover his mouth.

Now that Ariel’s skills had improved significantly, it was tough for Edgar to slip away from her grasp like before.

That said, there remained enough of a skill gap that he could still escape if he truly wanted to, but what would that mean when it came to a girlfriend?

To enjoy a playful moment as a joke, it was just right to act like he was caught and let her cover his mouth.

“How about we go there today since we’re on the topic?”

“Go where… exactly?”

“To the place where we met the wild boar. If we have time, we can go even higher.”

Since it was Ariel who had brought him to the mountain in the first place, her attire was perfectly suitable for climbing.

Edgar noticed this and casually asked, “You’re not thinking we’ll run into that guy again, are you?”

“If we do, so what? Neither of us is at a level to be taken down by one wild boar.”

“True, I could handle it too without a sword.”

Even Edgar, who hadn’t brought a weapon, felt confident he could take down a wild boar if he put his mind to it.

Ariel, a mage of exceptional skill, naturally could handle it without any problems.

It’d honestly be a relief if the wild boar wasn’t any bigger than a chubby pig.

“Okay then, let’s go. It’s been a while after all.”

“Just let me know if it gets too tough. I’ll carry you like before.”

“Do you think I’m the same as back then!?”

Ariel fumed, puffing air from all directions, feeling that Edgar remembered her exactly as the ten-year-old girl.

Although she hadn’t even touched martial arts back then and was a frail little girl, now she was entirely confident she could go up and down a mountain multiple times.

Besides, those two times he carried her down were mostly due to her accidents of hurting her legs or twisting her ankles.

Today, there shouldn’t be any such incidents, so she was determined not to be carried down the mountain like a loser.

* * * * * * *

It was that time of year again when wild raspberries were ripe. The two found them quite easily, unlike the last time when it was a struggle.

With handfuls of raspberries, they munched on their way up, acting carefree.

Who would consider them the sole heir of a grand estate and her lover?

They looked just like an everyday young woman and a seemingly normal lad living in the area.

Of course, other than their external appearances.

While they climbed towards the cave, Edgar spotted something white in the distance.

Narrowing his eyes and taking another look, he realized that while it had changed a lot since then, it was undoubtedly the same cave.

“Hey, Ariel. Look over there.”

“Where?”

“That way. Can’t you see it through the trees?”

“Oh, I see it now. It feels nostalgic.”

Back then, it had truly felt like a dark and gloomy cave, but today it felt somewhat different to Ariel.

Perhaps it was because there were quite a few flowers blooming nearby.

As she pondered why the cave’s impression had changed, she reached the destination while holding Edgar’s hand.

“I guess there’s no wild boar around.”

“Do you think it’s dead?”

“Why say something so harsh? Well, it could have just gone out to find some food.”

This was a common occurrence when wild boars went down from the mountain to mess with the village’s crops.

Or perhaps they’d simply relocated.

Neither of them particularly wanted to run into one, so they settled on the ground in front of the cave and took a break.

As they munched on the bright red raspberries, their eyes wandered to the open landscape, where the sunset was gradually sinking behind the mountain peaks.

“It’s already sunset?”

“Yeah, I guess we’ve been here a while.”

“Considering how long it took to read the letter.”

“I told you not to bring that up!?”

Edgar defended her, saying, ‘Why? It was cute,’ but to Ariel, it was just an embarrassing episode.

If only she had managed to hide it from him.

Unfortunately, Shuri, who was next to them, had also peeked at the letter, making Ariel worry about how that might play out when they returned to Hespania.

Of course, unlike Edgar, she was not so soft-hearted, so she could easily brush off Shuri if she tried to insist.

It was just the situation itself that felt strange.

“Sunset, huh… it feels like back then.”

“When we came down after picking raspberries?”

“Yep, the sunset was just like this too.”

Ariel nodded, surprised that Edgar had guessed her thoughts so quickly.

Meanwhile, Edgar, who had been silently watching her, suddenly stood up with a determined expression and reached out his hand.

“Why? Are we leaving already?”

“I thought we could take a nostalgic trip since it’s been a while.”

“A nostalgic trip…?”

As Ariel tilted her head at those vague words, Edgar smiled and insisted she take his hand.

With a feeling of trust, Ariel cautiously took his hand.

Then, with a strong grip, Edgar lifted her onto his back as if she were a sack of potatoes.

Ariel, startled by the sudden action, kicked her legs in rebellion.

“Why, why are you doing this? Am I a patient!?”

After all, she had promised herself there would be no shameful piggyback rides today.

Why on earth was this stupid guy making it so easy to break her resolve without knowing how she felt?

“What do you mean patient? It’s just natural for lovers to carry each other sometimes.”

“Still….”

“I’ll stop if you don’t want me to. It’s just something I wanted to try.”

“You only become serious at times like this!”

If he had said it jokingly, she might have stubbornly demanded to be put down, but with his unusually gentle tone, she ultimately had no choice but to surrender.

Edgar was the only one who knew that doing this would render her unable to refuse.

As they walked back the way they had come, the sound of their footsteps on the leaves felt pleasantly soothing.

Ariel asked him what he wanted to do now that she was on his back, but Edgar remained silent, simply wearing a smile as he continued forward.

“Was it over there?”

“What?”

Ariel questioned Edgar’s involuntary muttering.

This time, he came to a stop at a place that resembled a place tucked away in his memories, without providing a clear answer.

As he turned his body, the once dense trees vanished without a trace, unveiling the sunset he had seen earlier now right in front of them.

“Ah….”

Only then did Ariel realize where they were, and she let out a soft gasp.

“Do you remember? This place.”

“Y-Yeah, I remember.”

Quickly answering Edgar’s question, she stared blankly at the sunset that had begun to disappear beyond the mountain peaks.

How could she forget?

This was the spot where she first became aware of Edgar as an opposite gender.

Her heart had raced uncontrollably that day, refusing to listen to her commands.

Though she didn’t know why at the time, one thing was certain: since that day, she had paid close attention to everything he did.

“That place where you told me what it meant to grow up.”

“Was it here that you said sometimes you lose something precious to gain something precious?”

“Yeah. I think it sounded a little scary back then.”

At that time, Ariel had been just a ten-year-old girl.

A girl too ordinary to even have the courage to imagine losing something precious.

Though Edgar had kindly explained, saying, ‘It’s just that precious things change over time,’ to her, it was frightening to think that she was changing into a version of herself she didn’t know.

But looking back now, it seemed rather foolish.

Realizing that changing what is precious could bless her life abundantly.

Her favorite toys, books, and trinkets.

Even though each of those still held memories, if she were to ask if they were as precious as they once were, the answer would be no.

But did she feel as though she had lost something?

Definitely not.

“How do you feel now? Have many precious things changed?”

“Yeah, they’ve changed a lot. Of course, some things haven’t.”

“Really? That’s unexpected.”

When Edgar asked what things had not changed in a carefree manner, Ariel couldn’t help but give a dry laugh.

Despite usually being so perceptive, he never noticed things like this.

But on the other hand, it felt just like him.

Even though they were so close, unless she told him, “You’re precious to me,” he wouldn’t recognize it.

Moreover, she had another thought.

Despite the course of time altering everything, was it not true that this man remained unchanged?

That foolish boy, who had gazed elsewhere, completely oblivious to the pure goodwill of a ten-year-old girl.

Edgar Billhark, from back then, felt like he was still the same, which brought her joy.

No matter how much everything changed, the man she loved remained unchanged.

With that revelation filling her heart with warmth, Ariel instinctively leaned in and planted a sweet little kiss on his right cheek.

Ordinarily, he would have playfully demanded for something more than that, but today he just wore a tender smile and asked softly,

“Is there something good happening?”

“It’s just a thanks! For helping me remember this precious moment.”

“Really? I’m glad you liked it.”

When he asked if they would come back again, Ariel quietly nodded.

Next year, and the year after that, even ten years from now.

It was a place she always wanted to visit together.

A place that helped her realize her love for him.

What other cherished and sentimental memories could compare?

Even if that sunset set, the memories wouldn’t fade away.

They would be able to climb this mountain and watch the sunset, reminiscing about that day.

Without a doubt, it would be an unparalleled happiness. Ariel was convinced of that.