Tsuyokute New Saga (LN)

The following day after Kyle set up his goal to become a hero, he was now pondering in his own room. Naturally, that was solely related to how he should go on about achieving this.

“Yo, got a second?” Right as he held his head in the face of a dead end, Seran stepped into the room without knocking. “Woah, you crazy?” He looked at the situation going on inside the room, and showed his surprise.

The desk Kyle faced was riddled with a mountain of books, and the situation around him didn’t look much better. All of these books he brought here from Seraia’s prided book shack. They were all of a wide spectrum, telling about the topography and myths of various regions, the passed-down legends of heroes, knowledge of magic, territories of certain magical beasts, and the history of the demons, as far as human folk knew of.

“I was never as thankful for my Mom’s greed for books than today. I can get all the knowledge I want in a matter of minutes…So, what brings you here?” Kyle asked, closing the book he was reading.

“Do you really plan on becoming a hero?” Seran asked, as he sat down on the bed.

“Of course. As fast as possible, that is. That’s why I’m coming up with a plan of action right now,” Kyle said, sitting at his desk.

“But, you won’t become a hero just because you want to, right?”

“That’s why I’m having this much trouble…You got any good idea?” He asked Seran.

“Hmm…Maybe defeat the Demon Lord right now?”

“…If I could do that, I wouldn’t be at a loss right now.” Kyle sighed in disbelief. “There’s no clear way to become a hero after all…But, I at least know what one needs to become a hero. Seran, you know why?”

“I mean…strength, right?”

The heroes of the past all held formidable strength, no doubt.

“Nah, that’s just the prerequisite. From what I see, you need money, connections, and luck.”

“So blunt. But, I get where you’re coming from.”

“First, a hero is known to ask for no reward, so you need the necessary funds to even afford that. Let me give you an example. A rural village is attacked by a magic beast, and you happened to be passing by there. What would you do?”

“If it was a village I hadn’t been to before, I’d be on the lookout for some cute girls?”

“Your original goal is messed up already…Anyway, you defeat the beast, and most likely receive a reward for that. However, what if you turned down that reward? And on top of that, what if you showed them a warm smile, saying ‘It’s the obvious thing to help people in need’, hm?”

“They’d start admiring you, no doubt. So much that they’d pass down this story for generations.”

“An act of kindness without asking for something in return, isn’t that what a hero would do? In order to pull that off, you need money.”

“Yeah, you got a lot of options with money.” Seran showed consent to Kyle’s logic.

“And, next are the connections. A lot of it can be resolved with money, but when you need to do something as a hero, or act out a plan, connections are always helpful. The higher-ranking the connection, the better.”

“Yeah, in the old hero stories I read and heard of, there’ve been cases of the influential people standing in as a backup for the hero.”

“Put more simply, it’s creating a debt. As one-sided as possible even, so that they can’t decline any request of help. Heck, grasping their weaknesses is about the same idea.”

“Aren’t you straying away from the path of the hero?”

“As long as the influential and famous people give me special treatment, my own name will spread as well.”

“Sounds more like shady business if you ask me.” Seran threw in a retort.

“And finally…if you have money and connections together, you can pretty much do anything. However, you’re still lacking as a hero.”

“Luck, was it?”

“Exactly. Though, that’s the most bothersome one.” Kyle complained.

“Luck, huh…Nothing you can do about that, no matter how hard you work, I guess.”

“And, just being lucky isn’t enough. The luck you need as a hero is different from the one you might now.”

A hero only shines in the face of despair and hell, in the middle of tragedy involving other people. The greater the misfortune, the greater the glory the hero receives.

“Basically, I need luck to be at the right place at the right time. If I can solve the problem, people will see me as a hero.”

“Wait, don’t tell me…”

“No worries, I won’t instigate some calamity just to resolve that myself. Even without that, there’s plenty of problems riddled all over the world. Wherever you walk, there’s bound to be some sort of misfortune.”

“I mean, I can imagine that, but being present at that exact time is super dependent on luck, right? Can you really influence that?”

“Don’t worry…I have a secret trick up my sleeve which should make that possible.” Kyle picked up the small booklet from his desk, gently tapping his hand on it.

Written in there he had all the important incidents for the next four years, which allowed him to be at the right place at exactly the right time to intercept this misfortune. Leaving aside the Great Invasion, as long as he knows of the incidents before they happen, he can act. However, Kyle’s time was limited, and there’s no meaning to solving all of the problems. Pick out the greatest problem, appear like a galant hero, and depart for the next one. For that sake, even if more people end up injured than before, as long as that nightmarish future can be avoided, Kyle had to live with that.

“In order to become a hero…I will do whatever it takes. Even if I have to become a despicable coward!”

“Isn’t that the exact opposite of your original goal?”

“It’s fine, I’ll only tell you about this, since…it’s you.”

“‘Zat so…So, why are you this adamant on becoming a hero in the first place?”

“I figured you’d ask about that.”

At first, Seran assumed that this sudden change was instigated by some prepubescent period that Kyle was going through, but that seemed not to be the case. Which he thought of as a shame, as Seran would have been more than delighted to watch Kyle embarrassed himself. Looking at Kyle right now, and his train of thought, there seemed to be something else.

“I can tell that you’re serious, but less than you wanting to become a hero for the sake of it, it feels more like you need to become a hero for another goal of yours.”

Kyle was a bit surprised, as he didn’t expect Seran to even catch on to that, but considering they’ve been friends for so long, he showed a smile. One day, there might be a time for Kyle to explain what his true goals are. However, today was not that day.

“Well, I do have a reason…but I decided that it’d be better not to tell you yet, disregarding the fact of you believing me or not. I need you to have faith in me for now, my trusted friend.”

“If you’re that adamant on it, then so be it.” Seran probably realized that asking any further was pointless, so he raised his hip. “Do your best, I guess. I’ll be cheering for ya.” Seran waved his hand at Kyle, and stepped out of the room.

“…Why’s he acting like this got nothing to do with him?” Kyle was slightly confused.

As a matter of fact, Kyle was brimming with intention of wrapping up Seran in his plot.

“Well, it’s fine. I’ll be getting enough money soon, and I want to reunite with them as quickly as possible. If I manage to clear up the incident at Archen…yeah, I should make it according to schedule.”

Either way, there’s barely anything left to do in this town.

“Gotta prepare to depart soon,” Kyle muttered, as he gazed outside the window.

“That’s why I decided to go on a journey.”

“Journey, huh…”

The following day, Kyle spoke these words as he visited Leyla’s place to report on his plans.

“You told Seraia yet?”

“Yes. She did cry a bit, but eventually let me go.”

“She sure is protective…What did Roel say?”

“Roe? Ah, my old man. Huh? He was home? Well, I’ll let him know if I see him.”

“Don’t treat him like some background character…Well, it’s a good thing to learn more about the world. With your current skill, you should be able to deal with most of your enemies. And, take Seran with you while you’re at it.”

“I was planning on doing exactly that, but are you sure?”

“He’s great as a shield for arrows or magic. If push comes to shove, use him as a sacrificial pawn.”

“That’d be such a waste. I’ll only use him as a sacrifice when it’s truly necessary.”

“Can you not say that in front of the person in question?” Seran complained loudly. “What about my own will?”

“You didn’t have that from the very beginning. I was always wondering when you’d finally leave to travel so that you and Kyle understand how harsh this world is.”

If Kyle’s memory served him correctly, Leyla forcefully had them go on a journey in roughly one year anyway. Back then, a lot happened as well, but it was a great experience for Kyle.

“Even if you stayed here in this town, you’d probably waste around your lives without doing anything, right?” Leyla glared at Seran.

“What are you talking about! Even I have some future plans, alright!”

“Out with it then?”

“I’ll get a beautiful, rich, and pure lady, who has two or three cute maids that I can use to my desire, and spend my life in prosperity!”

Leyla looked away from her own son, who said all of that with a formed fist, and continued.

“As long as you’re alive, everything’s okay. If you feel like it, just throw him away at your convenience.”

“It really feels like you’re pushing him onto me…But, I’ll put him to good use.”

“No, I’d prefer at least ten maids instead…I want to stay humble, but if I get the chest…Wait hold on, listen to me you two bastards.”

“I really failed in raising this brat…” Leyla sighed in resignation.

“No, he’s gotten this personality at birth, I tell you,” Kyle tried to cheer her up.

During that day’s evening, Kyle was busy training at the same old ruins. Plagued by his muscles aching as always, he finished his daily share, and thought of returning to his home, when Lieze suddenly appeared.

“What’s wrong?” Since Lieze was devoid of her usual energy, Kyle narrowed one eye in confusion.

“Just now, Seraia-san complained that ‘Kyle-chan is throwing me away!’, you know.”

“She really knows how to trouble you, I’m so sorry.” Kyle deeply lowered his head.

“So, is it true that you’re leaving?”

“…Yeah. With preparations and all that, I plan on leaving in two, maybe three days.”

“Where are you reading off to?”

“First, the capital Malad. I need to prepare some things, and after that, we’ll be moving for real.”

The capital of the Kingdom of Zilgus Kyle and the others lived in, Malad, was roughly five days away from here if you travelled by foot.

“I see…” Lieze’s expression tightened up, as she continued. “Listen, Kyle…”

“Just to let you know, I don’t plan on taking you with us.” Kyle knew what she was trying to say, so he interrupted her first.

“Why!? Seran is going with you, right?”

“Unlike you, he doesn’t care how he’s being treated.”

“I won’t hold you down!”

“I’m well aware that you’re pretty strong.”

As a matter of fact, Kyle’s body itself knew of her strength. After what happened these past few days, he subconsciously covered his stomach. If Kyle was a genius with the sword, then Lieze had talent in hand-to-hand combat, and often trained with the priest warriors of the Goddess of Earth. Although she wasn’t a genius like Kyle, she made up for it with efforts, and raised her skills considerably.

The problem however was that Lieze had lost her father during the war before she was even born, which led her mother to always wanted a peaceful way of living for her precious daughter. And, this very mother, who had a weak constitution ever since she was born, finally succumbed to a sickness two years ago. Ever since then, she lived with her aunt and uncle and helped with their housework.

So far, she has continued her training, but not on the level of Kyle or Seran. Yet, now that she heard of Kyle’s plans to travel, she couldn’t sit still. Of course, she wouldn’t be pulling them down. Rather, Kyle would be more than glad to take her with him.

“If it’s about Mom, then…I’ll apologize as many times as it takes in front of her grave…so…”

“It’s not just that, I’m being selfish as well. I want you to stay at a safe place. I don’t want to risk you getting hurt…No matter what.”

Kyle remembered the moment he lost Lieze as she was inside his arms. Never again did he want to experience this feeling again.

“And, please hear me out…I need a hometown. A place to return to, someone waiting for me.” Kyle grabbed Lieze’s shoulders, and said as he looked her in the eyes. “I will come say ‘I’m home’ to you first before anybody else. That’s why I want to hear your ‘Welcome back’ first thing I get home…So, please have faith in me, and wait.”

“Kyle…I…”

Kyle didn’t wait for Lieze’s words, and instead pushed his face closer to hers, reaching a distance where their lips might, or might not have overlapped.

“Uuuu…” Lieze’s face turned beet red. “You really changed, Kyle…That wasn’t fair. If you do that…then there’s no way I can say anything…”

“It’s the composure of an adult, alright.”

“We’re the same age…”

“…Physically, yeah.” Kyle smiled as gently as possible, and embraced Lieze’s body.

Lieze herself gave in to this, and enjoyed his warmth.

“You better…come back soon, okay? Just waiting around here is pretty boring.”

“I don’t plan on staying away forever, so don’t worry. I won’t force myself.”

That was an absolute lie. No matter what danger he might have to face, Kyle was ready to go through it all for his goal.

“Alright, I understand…”

Even while being plagued by guilt, Kyle continued to embrace Lieze tightly.

***

“Let’s go home.”

Kyle offered one hand to Lieze, who accepted it after a brief point of hesitation. In order to return to their home, they had to walk down the main street of the town, where a few of their friends would probably see them. This being a fairly small town, the rumours would spread right away. As a result of that, the two clearly seemed a bit flustered, but neither of them cared.

“Yup, time to go home.” Lieze showed a charming smile, and returned the grasp on Kyle’s hand.

That reminds me, my actual first kiss happened when I was 18…I sure was a late-bloomer back then.

Reminiscing about something unnecessary like that, Kyle started walking.

They walked down the main street of Rimarze, colored by the setting sun. It was filled with citizens preparing to close up the shops, and it would surely grow even more bloated soon. The street shops were trying to sell their last bit of ware, making the streets feel vibrant and alive. However, Lieze spotted a single different corner in the midst of that. A single individual, possibly a traveller, gathered attention from all over.

They wore a large mantle, a short sword at their hip, and typical travelling clothes with their belongings tied up beautifully. However, nobody bothered with that.

“Ah, an elf…” Just as Lieze stated, it seemed to be a female elf traveller, walking towards them.

Generally speaking, elves were regarded as an unsociable race, rarely ever leaving the forests they inhabited. It was even more rare to see an elf here, since they had no forest villages around this area.

The special attribute of elves were their beautiful appearance, and their long ears. As for this elf in particular, she indeed possessed a charming appearance greatly surpassing those of many human women, but there was something else about her.

Her gaze was directed only up ahead, emitting a strong will. It felt like she was a sword created by a master craftsman. The impression she gave off even made the other passing people turn their heads towards her, after she had already passed them.

“Elves really are beautiful. If Seran saw this, he’d probably not let her go another time.” Lieze called out to Kyle with a smile. “I’d probably need to beat him down and take him back while he’s unconscious.” She added.

However, Kyle was not listening. In shock, he let go of Lieze’s hand, and walked ahead, as if he was attracted by her.

“Ky…le…?” Lieze called out to him with a worried voice.

However, he showed no response. His eyes were glued to the elf ahead of them. And, he muttered in a voice silent enough that Lieze couldn’t pick up on it.

“Ekses…”

***

The elf traveller Urza was regarded as an odd-out from her surroundings, and she was plenty aware of that. Most elves spend their days not leaving their home forests once, but she wanted to see the outside world, which is why she left to journey. She had been wrapped up in all sorts of troubles before coming here, but since she was skilled at Spirit Magic and an adequate user of her short blade, she managed to make it this far, and her journey was going along smoothly now.

It’s not as if she had any urgent business here at this town of Rimarze, but rather that she passed it by during her journey. And, when she met eyes with the human man walking towards her, she was forced to twitch in shock. Ulza could only describe it as ‘he looked like he had seen a ghost’. She was used to receiving curious onlookers from the other people present, but the very foundation of the man’s gaze was different.

Shock, joy, bewilderment…Urza couldn’t pick out any hostility at least, but it still wasn’t a very comfortable situation for her. To Urza, this should be their first encounter, and right as she wanted to speak up about that exact fact, the human man opened his mouth, and muttered.

“Ekses…”

It was a quiet voice, but for an elf like Urza, with sensitive hearing, she had no problem picking up on that.

“Why do you know that name!?” Uzra screamed in disbelief, to which Kyle finally returned to his senses.

“Eh? …Ah, crap! I shouldn’t be saying that in front of people. Sorry, Urza…Wait, no! Uhm…n-nice to meet you? Welcome to the town of Rimarze?”

“Did you really think you could deceive me with that?!”

Seeing Kyle act like a fake tour guide, Urza’s anger was fuelled even further.

“Oh right, you said you came to Rimarze before. To think it was around this time…I had no idea.” Kyle held his head in disbelief, and immediately regretted blurting out his previous words.

Urza had stayed with Kyle until the bitter end, passing away during their battle against Demon Lord. It’s not as if he had fully forgotten about her, or didn’t particularly care. Instead, he knew that, during this time, she should have been on a journey, and simply didn’t assume he would run into her this quickly. He had planned on going to look for her once things calmed down a bit, and he took care of some more urgent things, but he was taken by surprise to find her this easily.

Angered by Kyle’s attitude, the short-tempered Urza put her hand on the sword at her hip.

“Wah, stop stop!”

Kyle casted [Haste] without chanting it, and closed the distance between the two immediately. He held down Urza’s hand which reached for the sword, and kept her restrained that she wouldn’t be able to grow rampant. From an outsider’s perspective, it looked like the two were embracing each other. If possible, Kyle wanted to render her defenseless for easier conversation, but he couldn’t do such a thing to Urza.

“Wha! You! Let go of me!” Urza protested inside Kyle’s arms, but her slender elf body couldn’t muster up the strength to escape.

“Calm down, there’s guards around. If you cause a ruckus, you’ll get arrested.”

Since this street had a lot of pedestrians walking around, they had gathered a fair amount of attention. If she, someone from a different race, took out her weapon, and cut down a resident, Kyle, she would be captured without a doubt, and given severe punishment.

“Shut up! Let me go!”

However, the agitated elf Urza did not listen. At this rate, she would surely resort to pulling out her dagger, and might even follow up with some Spirit Magic.

“Alright then…”

As an emergency measure, Kyle decided to render her powerless with magic. That being said, elves generally had great resistance towards magic, so Kyle was forced to use an emergency measure.

“[Sleep – Ekses].”

He casted sleep magic, and activated it together with the girl’s ‘True Name’.

“Bas…tar…d” Urza glared at Kyle once last time, only to lose all strength in her body, ending up in a deep slumber.

Gently, Kyle embraced her limb body. The sensation he felt was the exact same one he had experienced five days ago. Memories of their passionate night before the final battle came gushing inside his head. And then, he remembered the girl’s final smile, right as she disappeared forever.

“We…got to meet again.” He gently caressed the girl’s charming sleeping face.

Feeling her faint breathing on his hand, Kyle smiled gently—Only to receive an immense impact right into his solar plexus, ending with Kyle being blown away in a く shape. After slamming into the ground, he looked up.

“What are you doing…?”

“Y-You really…urk…like to aim for my liver, huh…” Kyle’s gaze was met with Lieze’s face, devoid of any expression. “No, you’re wrong, okay. Hear me out, let’s talk things through. You know, she lost her hometown and family as well, so we were both supporting each other…And, with you gone, I was very lonely, and, you know…”

“Can you stop talking nonsense!?”

“T-This is a misunderstanding! …Maybe not as much, but there’s important circumstances to consider!”

“I can’t be bothered! I didn’t think you’d assault some woman on the street just because she’s a bit of a beauty… are you Seran!?”

“No no no, let me finish—Gyaaah!?”

“I really can’t trust you! I’m going with you! No matter what you say! I won’t be looking away from you for a second!”

This ruckus continued until the guards broke between the two, most likely saving Kyle his life. On a side note, Lieze being violent towards Kyle was more of a daily occurrence now, so she got off with a warning.

The three were sitting inside the reception room of Kyle’s home, drinking the tea Lieze brewed. Urza sat as far away as possible from the other two, not even bothering to take a sip of the tea, but still seemed fairly calm considering the circumstances.

After all, when she woke up, she immediately saw the scenery of Lieze being lectured by the guards, and Kyle beaten to a pulp, laying lifeless next to her, so most of her anger had vanished thanks to that. Asked by the two, she came with them here.

“From my point of view, it just looked like you made her sleep, and forcefully pushed her down!”

“I’m saying that you just had a misunderstanding…”

“…Can we just get to the main deal?” Urza spoke up, calmly but with a lot of pressure, as she couldn’t stand the two whispering in front of her anymore.

“Well…For starters, I’m Kyle. Can I call you Urza-san?”

“We’re way too far into this mess to start with that! More importantly, how do you know my True Name?”

She had calmed down quite a bit, but gave off the impression that she was willing to slash your throat if you said one wrong word. However, Kyle could understand her anger, and so would probably anybody else who knew the circumstances. A True Name is a name different from your known one, and is more important when it comes to magic. Users of Spirit Magic form a [Contract] with the spirit using their True Name, and borrow their strength to use Spirit Magic. This True Name they usually only pass on to those they deeply trust, their parents who named them, or their own children. If it were put to bad use, their life would be in danger.

One’s True Name is closely connected to their very soul, so any magic that can influence the mind, just like Kyle’s sleeping magic, is much more effective if you combine it with the other person’s True Name. Using the magic [Charm] in addition to this, you could easily make the other person your slave, nevermind curse magic. From Urza’s point of view, this situation basically meant that Kyle had her life in his hands.

“There should not be anybody else who knows my True Name except my parents and myself. How did you find out!”

I heard it from you, alright, Kyle retorted inside his heart. In the previous timeline, they both had lost something important, and as they continued to fight together, Kyle and Urza’s bonds grew deeper and more profound. And, on the night before their attack on the Demon Lord’s castle, Urza came to Kyle’s sleeping place.

‘My True Name is “Ekses”…When we’re alone as the two of us, please call me like that…forever, and ever…’ Urza said back then, as she leaned against Kyle.

She sure was cute…

Kyle remembered the sight of her suppressing her tears and embarrassment to charm him.

“What are you grinning for…” Lieze’s words and sharp glare brought Kyle back to the present.

He cleared his throat and fixed his posture, looking at Urza now.

“Apologies, but I can’t tell you no matter what. But, I want to let you know, I’m the only one who knows, and nobody else has any way of finding out either. So, please rest assured.” He said this to Lieze at the same time.

She herself seemed to have something more to say, but gave in after looking at Kyle’s expression.

“Don’t joke with me! As if I could believe you with just that!” Naturally, Urza was not convinced as easily.

“It’d be easy for me to come up with a lie, and there’s many more things I’d love to tell you, but…there’s no meaning to that.”

Honestly speaking, I didn’t expect to suddenly run into her like this…I can’t come up with a good excuse on the spot.

On the contrary, what would happen if he were to be honest?

‘In four years, you and I will be lovers. That’s why you told me your True Name. I know of the heart-shaped birthmark on your butt as well…and that you’re really sensitive behind your left ear. What else…’

No doubt, he’d get beaten to a pulp by Lieze, only to be sliced to pieces by Urza, grilled into some tender meat with her magic.

“And, I really hate lying, so…let’s go with ‘I can’t tell you’. I know that you must be worried, and I really do feel bad.”

Lieze stared at Kyle in disbelief, with an expression as if she wanted to say ‘What is this guy on about?’, but he ignored that. Kyle knew that being as honest as possible with Urza was his best bet, not to mention his previous knowledge of her stating ‘I hate liars!’, so he decided on this approach.

“And, even if I wanted you to believe me…you can never fully tell with lie-detection magic, right?”

Just as the name suggested, you could use this magic to testify if someone is speaking the truth or not, but it wasn’t 100% accurate all the time. As a natural cause of this strong magic, there has been countless amounts of research into nullifying this magic, most likely already implemented in the army or crime organizations. In the end, it’s merely meant as a way of trusting someone, but not officially used as definite proof concerning the law. However, just as Kyle suspected, Urza’s attitude softened a bit.

“…Even if that’s the case, I can’t rest assured with just that. Normally, I should be killing you right here so that my name never gets leaked, you know?”

“Hold on!?” As the word ‘kill’ fell, Lieze’s facial color changed drastically.

She tried to stand between the two, as if to protect Kyle, but he stopped her.

“I know how important a True Name is to a spirit user like you, Urza. But, I can’t afford myself getting killed here…So, to show that I have no bad intent, how about we use an [Applied Contract]?”

“An [Applied Contract]!? …Are you sane?” Urza’s eyes opened wide in shock.

A [Contract] is an act where a spirit user offers the spirit their True Name to borrow their strength. And, a [Applied Contract] is such a contract with a human. However, instead of borrowing their strength, you will be tied down by self-made conditions. This [Applied Contract] requires the other person to reveal her True Name, which makes it a rare instance, but since Kyle already knew Urza’s true name, there was no problem.

“…I’m surprised you know about that. Only elves or spirit users now of this.”

“My condition is ‘I won’t tell others of Urza’s True Name, and won’t use it for evil deeds’, how about that?”

“You know what will happen if you break that condition, right?”

“Yep, I will die.”

A [Contract] is something that borrows the strength of the Spirit God, so if one party breaks the contract, they die. Kyle however spoke like it was no big deal.

“Are you really sure about that? Since I’ll be the one activating the [Applied Contract], I can decide on the details, you know? That would mean I had control over your life…”

“I’m not worried about that. I know that you’re not the type of person who would do anything evil, Urza.”

“How can you be so sure about this? We have barely met.”

“…If you really planned on doing that, you wouldn’t warn me like this, right?”

“…Hmph!” Urza averted her gaze, clearly not entertained. “Alright. My life is on the line as well, so I won’t hold back.”

“Yeah, I don’t mind. And, I promise I will tell you once the right time comes around.”

“Doing right now is impossible anyway. I can only fulfill an [Applied Contract] during a full moon as of right now.”

In order to create a [Contact], you need the strength of the Spirit Deity, also known as the protective goddess of the elves, Moon Deity Moona. The strength you get highly depends on the status of the moon.

“The next full moon is in half a month, huh…Until then, I guess I have to stay in this town…” Urza muttered to herself.

“Ah, sorry about that.” Kyle spoke up, apologetically. “In fact, I planned to leave this town the day after tomorrow.”

“What…did you say?”