Chapter 435: End of the Trip ①  

‘Oh? That’s…’, is what Root says as he stops his feet.

At the place he was looking at, there’s the students touring around noisily.

They are touring, but they seem to have some leisure on them.

Root is reminded that they have already been a number of days in Tsige now.

“No, they are soon to leave, huh. Yeah, their faces are pretty different from the time when they just got here. No matter how many times I see that, it is always nice.” (Root)

It has been quite a long time since the Rotsgard Academy was founded.

Root is plainly aware that organizations are like that, but Rotsgard Academy has begun to deteriorate and it is a shadow of its former shining self.

There’s no one who succeeds the ideologies of that woman who put all of her efforts into bringing the joy of learning to this world.

There’s also no one to pass on the feelings of that man who tried to show that great effort is what brings wisdom and power.

Root knows that man and that woman personally, so the current state of the academy is hard to forgive.

That’s why he made the Rotsgard Adventurer Guild headquarters as his main base, and was thinking of purifying the academy in a plan of 10 years.

However, because of Raidou and the Kuzunoha Company that just showed up in the Academy Town, the long long purification plan of Root ended up being thrown into the trash can with a wonderful smile on his face.

The injustices and the deterioration were scraped away completely -albeit roughly- and, as for the town that had developed by attaching itself to the academy, it was cleaned up by the schemes of the demons.

(Oops, if I were to say it has been cleanly solved, he would get angry at me again.) (Root)

By him, he is referring to the otherworlder that is using the fake name of Raidou.

He is also the person Root is the most interested in right now.

The ones that Root is looking at having fun touring around are the students of Raidou.

What must be readied at Rotsgard Academy is a successor that holds certain conviction in teaching.

The one Root was secretly putting an eye on was within the students.

That’s right, it is as if every single thing had been prepared by Raidou.

That’s why it bothered him.

The male student that’s normally acting as their leader in a lively manner is lacking any sort of brilliance right now.

(If I remember correctly, his name is Jin Roan. He is a talented boy and he is a student of his, so… Alright, let’s make a special exception here. I shall talk to him directly. If I manage to separate him from the group, it would be easier for me… Ah, nice. They are splitting. Now then…) (Root)

Root tailed them for a while and checked their state. And then, he read his moves, got ahead of him, and then acted as if it was a coincidence, entering the eatery that Jin had come into and calling to him.

“Heya there, school trip, right? Having fun?” (Root)

“?!! Ah, the one from the guild! Falz-sama, right?! Yes, I am having fun!!” (Jin)

“Jin-kun, right? I guess today is your last day of free time?” (Root)

“Ah, yes. Tsige is an incredible city. Being called the liveliest remote region of the world is no mistake, but…you can’t tell unless you come here for yourself. I am glad I could have the chance to.” (Jin)

“That you managed to understand that with just one visit means that you are exemplary. But you are working part-time in the Kuzunoha Company, right? Haven’t you come to this city too?” (Root)

Root has an idea about the unfair instant teleportation means of the Kuzunoha Company.

Hence the question.

“I have never left the store. Also, quite a high degree of specialized knowledge is required here to attend to the customers, so it is still far too soon for me and Amelia. At that time, when I was told that, I thought I could at least watch the store, but…now, I can tell I was being a fool.” (Jin)

Jin laughs and scratches his head powerlessly.

He really is not his usual self.

The scary part of Root is that just by meeting you a few times, he can see through even the students like this.

Makoto’s follower, Tomoe, can do something similar to that by reading the memories of the other party, but Root uses only his memory, information, and discerning eye.

“If you are thinking of doing customer service work in a company of Tsige, at this period of time, it would be rough, you know? There’s nothing to be ashamed of for a student to not be able to do it.” (Root)

“It made it even clearer how amazing Akua-senpai and Eris-senpai are.” (Jin)

“Ahaha, they have apparently been trained quite a lot after all.” (Root)

Root energized his conversation with Jin and loosened his lips in an instant.

And then, he got an idea of what was stabbing at his heart, and began to steer the conversation towards it.

“And so, there’s underclassmen who are taking the lecture of Raidou-sensei in the academy, and I was thinking about bringing souvenirs to them. The armor and magic tools of this place would be a bit too much for my pocket, so I was thinking about taking a peek at consumables, accessories and everyday things that can only be obtained here. Do you have any recommendations, Falz-san?” (Jin)

Jin pleasantly speaks to Root about the plans of his friends and about the academy.

He also revealed that today’s free time was mainly being used to choose the souvenirs.

Being the considerate person that he is, that must be his true feelings. Root didn’t find anything off about this, and evaluated Jin favorably for his choice.

The two were talking with each other as if they were friends who have known each other for years.

“You are kind, Jin.” (Root)

“…Kind…no, someone like me?” (Jin)

“Denying it even though someone else was the one who evaluated you? Did something happen in the past?” (Root)

“…Well…” (Jin)

“There’s no need to be ashamed or hesitant, Jin. I, and surely your comrades too, think that you are kind.” (Root)

“But…” (Jin)

“That’s the result of you properly digesting your past experiences, wishing to become kinder, and acting upon it.” (Root)

“…Falz-san.” (Jin)

Don’t know if to call it cunning or sly, but Falz appealed to the good side of a person with a smile on his face, and was leading Jin into the direction he desired.

What’s fortunate is that Root intends no harm towards Jin.

“I think you guys have grown up a notch in this city. Be proud of that.” (Root)

“Thank you very much…” (Jin)

“…Not enough?” (Root)

“Yeah.” (Jin)

“You want to aim higher?” (Root)

“…No, I am not in that much of a hurry. I have already messed up once there after all.” (Jin)

“Oh, is that so?” (Root)

“?” (Jin)

“And here I thought for sure that what was bothering you was how Sofia charged at you that night. Did I just unnecessarily overstep here?” (Root)

“!”

“Haha. I did think it was unnecessary, but you seem to be worrying about something, so I was thinking about freeing up your mind before you left.” (Root)

“Falz-san, uhm…is Sofia-san really…” (Jin)

“Hm?” (Root)

“Is she really your daughter?” (Jin)

“Well now…that’s quite sudden. Yeah, she is my daughter. Slightly special circumstances, but…there’s no doubt she is my daughter.” (Root)

Thinking about the connection Root himself has with Sofia, he responds in that way.

“It is exactly as you say. It has been bothering me.” (Jin)

“?”

“There was an adult woman that looked after me in the village I was born and raised in.” (Jin)

“Yeah?” (Root)

“Her name was Miranda. Sofia-san is, uhm, a bit younger, but she is the spitting image of her. At the time when I met her in Kaleneon, and at the time when I met her in Tsige, I truly thought it couldn’t be anyone else but her. But Sofia-san says she doesn’t know me, and has never met me. And so…” (Jin)

(Achaa…) (Root)

Root looked at the sky internally.

Miranda.

That was the past name of Sofia.

“So that’s what it was.” (Root)

She has excelling physical prowess thanks to having strongly inherited the genes of Root.

Root is aware that Miranda had been used for manual labor as a handyman in a village somewhere when she was young.

Out of all of those places, it happened to be the home village of Jin Roan.

Fate is one strange thing, Root thought.

Root, Jin, Sofia, and Makoto.

The fate that intertwined in an interesting manner was showing its face here.

“Falz-san?” (Jin)

“Really got me there.” (Root)

“Eh?” (Jin)

“In other words, you are the boy that fought that mamono together with Miranda?” (Root)

“?!”

“…I see. In that case, you might have the right to hear about this. About the…death of Miranda and Sofia.” (Root)

Root speaks.

About how she threw away the name of Miranda and came to be called Sofia, and her circumstances.

Her death and rebirth.

A story with convenient dramatization that doesn’t hurt Root, Makoto, or Jin.

At the end of the school trip…

Jin Roan learned of the conclusion of his memories.