Alvin and the others entered the
archive room to pay a visit, but the room had changed considerably. The archive
room, which was neat and orderly before the disturbance, was now filled with
various tools and stacks of papers on the desks. In such a situation, Iren, who
was wearing the uniform of the Adventurers' Guild staff, was silently writing
letters on a piece of paper.
「Excuse me, I'm sorry to bother you at
your busy time...!」
「...?
Everyone of <Running Wolves>. Good morning. I apologize for the
mess in the room」
「Don't worry about it. I'm sorry to
bother you at this difficult time, but... are you compiling a document?」
「Yes. I'm just compiling information
about what happened during the incident. We need to use this information for
future reference. I'm going to be working on this for a while」
This reminds Alvin that he too was
interviewed by Iren. Considering the effort required to examine and summarize
what each person said, he was impressed that it was beyond his ability to do
so. So, not wanting to take up too much of her busy schedule, Alvin decides to
offer a brief greeting.
**a
「We've decided to go back to the base
too. We've been indebted to Iren-san, so we've come to pay our respects」
「...But you haven't gotten the
<Breath Plant> yet, right?」
「Yes. But the situation in Hateyama is
unstable because of this trouble. It's not like we need the <Breath
Plant> desperately」
From Iren's point of view, he could
not feel Alvin's lingering attachment to Hateyama. In this atmosphere of having
accomplished what needed to be done, Iren guessed that Alvin had achieved his
goal.
（We may never see each other again.
Before that, I want to thank you!）
As a mere employee of the
Adventurers' Guild, Iren cannot easily meet Alvin, an honorary knight and a
nobleman. Thinking of this, Iren's mouth naturally moved.
「Well then, see you later...」
「Excuse me? Before you go, may I have
a moment of your time to talk to you about your parents, Wolf-sama...?」
「Eh?」
Alvin stops as he is about to leave.
Milis also stops moving because of the unexpected content of the conversation.
Shinji and Renka also stop moving, but they are not surprised because they know
what is going on through eavesdropping.
（It is now or never to tell him. Alvin
knows that he has surpassed his parents, and now that he has decided to go
home, there is no problem in listening to Iren's story）
Rather, Shinji proposed that they go
to the archive room to greet Iren so that she would tell him about Alvin's
parents. The fact that she started talking spontaneously, without prompting,
saved a lot of time and effort.
「What do you mean...?」
「I am the one... who was saved by the
<Breath Plant> that Wolf-sama's parents picked!」
Iren tells Alvin, who is confused,
the truth.
The confession is like a confession
to the Goddess, a painful confession of her heart.
As Shinji and Renka know, Iren tells
the story of how Alvin's parents saved her, how they went to Hateyama to help
her, and how the dragon killed them in the end.
Although there is no proof of this
story, Alvin intuitively understands from the way Iren tells the story that it
is not a lie but the truth. Milis holds Alvin's hand, who cannot hide his
agitation at the information about his parents that he suddenly learned from an
unexpected source. The look of concern on Milis' face, on the face of his loved
one, makes Alvin somehow regain his composure.
Then, Alvin quietly listens to
Irene's story. She finishes telling him about how much she admired her parents,
how she had failed as an adventurer due to her residual disease, and how she
had become an employee of the Adventurers' Guild to at least help adventurers.
「...I could not become an adventurer
who helps others like your parents did, even though they helped me. But I am
glad to have become a guild member because I could say thank you to you
directly. Thank you very much」
Iren bowed his head deeply, and Alvin
could feel her deep gratitude. Alvin was happy to know a part of his parents as
adventurers.
（My parents were good adventurers...! ）
Having lost his parents at an early
age, he felt lonely. But now that he hears the words of those who were saved by
their parents, Alvin is glad that he trained hard and became an adventurer like
his parents, even though he was lonely.
**b
「I should be the one thanking you! I
didn't know my parents that well. So... it's good to hear your story」
「Wolf-sama...」
Alvin's nostalgic smile shows no
anger that he lost his parents because of Iren. On the contrary, he thanks her,
which makes Iren feel guilty. Alvin then continues to speak to her.
「Besides, I don't think becoming an
adventurer is everything. You have helped many adventurers as a staff member,
haven't you? What's important is that you want to help others. I think it is
the same for my parents, and me, Iren-san」
Alvin's earnest words resonated well
with the sense of helplessness that Iren was carrying inside her heart. It was
probably because Alvin was the son of a respected adventurer.
「So, let's keep up each other's good
work, okay? I will help many people as an adventurer and an honorary knight」
The words did not come out of his
mouth, like his parents', but everyone present understood without words. Shinji
squinted at Alvin's renewed determination as if he were seeing something
dazzling, and Renka looked at him as if she were seeing a younger brother who
had become more reliable. Then Milis took Alvin's hand tightly in hers.
「...Yes. Me too. I will do what I can.
Thank you, Wolf-sama. Be well」
「Oh, yes, see you some other time!」
Alvin grabs Iren's hand. Then, they
shake hands firmly in farewell and let go of each other's hands. Iren seems to
have made a decision, but no one questions her about it.
Thus, Alvin and the <Running
Wolves> return from the Hateyama branch to the Medio city and to the Wolf
residence.
