Angel Little Sister 348

 

Chapter 348 : Until We Meet Again

 

「I’m sorry… I’m not going with you to Fatia…」(Ester)

Ester’s voice trembled when she said that but I could somehow see determination in her eyes.

Honestly, it didn’t surprise me.

I notice that she has been in deep thought lately, probably because she’s still worrying about her lack of ability after we raid Darkan’s mansion the other day.

I had a feeling that she would prefer to stay, but I didn’t ask and waited for her to tell us herself.

「Maya-san has trained me well while I’m here, but even so, I’m aware that I can’t get stronger in just one or two weeks of training. She said she would train me until I become a full-fledged adventurer if I stay here.」(Ester)

As I thought. The reason why she chose to stay is to train under Maya.

In the first place, her goal is not to go with us to Fatia, but to become an adventurer, and to achieve that, staying in this city and having Maya to train her is probably the best decision for her.

「I see. I’m a witch, so I can’t really teach you close-combat techniques, but Maya will surely be the perfect master for you. Yeah, you better stay here and learn from her.」(Celine)

「Un.」(Ester)

Looks like Celine agrees with her decision.

Ester is a close-combat fighter, and Maya used to be one of the best melee fighters in this region. If she wants to train under a master, then Maya will be the perfect one for her.

Of course, I agree with her decision too, but I’m still a bit worried.

After all, she is somewhat socially awkward. I wonder if she’ll be okay living in this big city without us.

「Umm… Mark, are you worried about me?」(Ester)

「A little…」(Mark)

It seemed my worry showed on my face.

She turned to me and gave me a bitter smile.

「Don’t worry. I have Maya-san with me. Yesterday, I told her that I would stay, and she said she would help me as best as she could while I’m here.」(Ester)

「I see. You can surely depend on her. I’m rooting for you. Do your best, Ester.」(Mark)

「I’m rooting for you too, Ester-chan!」(Nicola)

Nicola said that, but she looked somewhat down. She likes Ester, so she will surely miss her a lot.

『Noooo! My harem!』(Nicola)

『…..』(Mark)

Nevermind. I felt stupid for feeling bad for her even for a second.

「Thank you, you three. I’ll definitely become a strong adventurer!」(Ester)

Ester clenched her fists and replied to us with a resolute face.

「Ah, that’s right. Mark, can you keep them for me?」(Ester)

Saying that, she took the earring magic tool off her ears and handed it to me.

Thanks to the magic tool Tori jii-san gave her, she could hide her elven ears, but she handed it to me as if she no longer needed it.

「Are you sure you?」(Mark)

「Yeah. I feel like I will never change if I keep relying on it.」(Ester)

The reason she put this magic tool on was because she was shy. Elves and half-elves are rare, so people tend to stare at their pointy ears, and she didn’t like it when people stared at her ears.

But… I see. Not only is she trying to get stronger, but she’s also trying to overcome her timid self.

「Ester… Alright, I’ll keep them for you.」(Mark)

Ester smiled at me as I put the magic tool in my Item Box.

 

ーーーーー

 

In the evening of the same day, Tryon prepared an extravagant dinner as a farewell party for us.

Ester told him that she would stay, and he said he would provide full support and take care of her while she was staying here.

He may be an eccentric man, but he’s a good person, and he has a good reputation as a lord. I think I can trust her to him.

The next day, the three of us decided to depart.

Tryon had prepared a carriage for us. Of course, it wasn’t just an ordinary carriage. Its exterior looked simple, but the interior was extraordinary. It had transparent glass windows and soft cushions on the seat.

Currently, Tryon, Liane, Ester, Maya, Alex, and some other servants are sending us off by the gate.

「Huuuu… I’ll be so lonely without you, Nicola-chan~…」(Liane)

Liane hugged Nicola tightly while crying.

「Huuu… I wish you could stay…」(Liane)

「But Lia-chan, I have a family.」(Nicola)

「That’s right! Nicola-chan, you should become my little sister and stay! I will feed you delicious sweets every day!」(Liane)

「Uhh, that’s kinda tempting, but Lia-chan, I want to stay as my brother’s little sister!」(Nicola)

Saying that, Nicola gently pushed Liane away and hugged my arm.

「I’m sorry, Lia-chan, but I looooove my brother! I love him so much that I want to stay with him forever!」(Nicola)

「Khh…!」(Liane)

Ugh, now Liane’s glaring at me menacingly. Nicola is definitely doing it on purpose…

「Well, that’s unfortunate… But, Nicola-chan, you’re always welcome in my home ーNo, in my room! So please visit me again someday!」(Liane)

「U, un… thank you, Lia-chan.」(Nicola)

「And… Mark-san.」(Liane)

After saying her farewell to Nicola, Liane approached me…

Andー

「Ei!」(Liane)

ーput a wig on my head.

「ー!?」(Mary)

Where in the world did she hide it!?

「Ahh~ Mary onee-sama~」(Liane)

She then hugged me tightly just like she hugged Nicola just now.

「O, Oi…!」(Mary)

「I’ll miss you a lot. Please come to see me again someday. I’ll always be waiting for you!」(Liane)

After she said that, she let go of me and took the wig off my head.

She then looked at me with a frowning face.

「And, Mark-san, I won’t lose to you! Remember that!」(Liane)

「A, alright. Do your best, Lia.」(Mark)

「H-hpmh!」(Liane)

As always, the way she treats me when I’m ‘Mary’ is completely different from the way she treats me as myself… It hurts me a little bit, to be honest…

She looked away, but then she glanced back at me. Her face turned a bit red for some reason.

「It’s been fun. Th, thank you for everything, Mark-san.」(Liane)

Well, at least she’s trying to treat me as a friend now.

I replied to her with a smile.

After that, Ester stepped forward. With her sharp, long ears exposed, I feel like she looks more confident than usual.

「Mark, Celine, Nicola, I will train hard here, and once I become a full-fledged adventurer, I will come to Fatia to see you all!」(Ester)

「Un! It’s a promise!」(Nicola)

「I’m sure you will become a great adventurer.」(Mark)

「Fufu. Ester, you don’t have to think too much about it. You can come see us whenever you like~」(Celine)

「Geez. You just weakened my resolution by those words, you know? But… Yeah, I guess you’re right. I might come over if I feel like seeing your faces. When the time comes, Mark, will you show me around your town?」(Ester)

「Of course. It will be my pleasure. Um, Maya-san, please take care of my friend here.」(Mark)

「Don’t worry about her. She’s in the right hands.」(Maya)

「Fufu. Train her well, will you?」(Celine)

「You don’t need to tell me. I guarantee you she will become one of the strongest adventurers in this region in the future.」(Maya)

「Ma, Maya-san, that’s so much pressure you put on me!」(Ester)

「No, no. Ester, you have talent. I’m sure it will become a reality someday.」(Maya)

「U, uhh…」(Ester)

Hearing what Maya said, Ester couldn’t help but scratch her cheek with her index finger shyly.

I’m happy for her. Maya will surely be a great teacher to her.

After we said our farewell to Maya, the other people who had taken care of us like Alex, Morrison, the head chef who I taught to make potato salad, and the other servants took turns to say their goodbyes, and lastly, their master, Tryon stepped forward.

「Mark, I’m sure we’ll meet again someday. You have contributed so much to the safety of the people in this region. Please let me know if you need anything. I will definitely be of help.」(Tryon)

「Then, would you please take good care of Ester for me?」(Mark)

「Of course. She will be safe here. Maya and I will take care of her. Anything else?」(Tryon)

「Hmm… I think that’s it for now.」(Mark)

「Is that so? I still wish you would say, “Give me your daughter!”, you know?」(Tryon)

「Father!」(Liane)

「Uhh…」(Mark)

「Hahaha! I’m just kidding!」(Tryon)

His eyes look serious for a split second though…

「Anyway, you people are always welcome in my castle. Please pay us a visit anytime you like, but for now, I hope you will get home safely.」(Tryon)

「Thank you for the hospitality, Lord Walltrail. We will pay a visit someday. Well then, Mark, Nicola, let’s go home.」(Celine)

「Un!」(Nicola)

Nicola nodded to Celine and immediately got into the carriage. She seemed to be afraid that Liane would hug her again. At the same time, Celine got to the driver’s seat.

「Until we meet again, everyone.」(Mark)

「Take care, Mark.」(Tryon)

Meanwhile, I bowed deeply to Tryon and the others before I got into the carriage.

Soon after, the carriage started moving down the main street toward the city.

Nicola and I turned our faces toward the transparent window and saw Ester and Liane waving their hands.

We then waved back at them until we could no longer see them.

 

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