NOVEL WEB Chapter 106 - The End of the Day
The End of the Day
“Well, it’s good that we know now. Thanks to Meg and her spirit! So, we’ll each depart in five days. Get ready.”
Dad’s light-hearted voice changed the heavy mood. As expected of the Don! I’m so proud of him!
“That’s right. Even if they come, Meg-chan won’t be at the guild.”
“But there’s no need to tell them that.”
Saura-san and Dr. Ludo had evil grins on their faces…! I see, the Nemo people will have come all the way to Ortus, having made up their minds, only to find that I’m not here. It’ll be a wasted trip. And they probably won’t even tell them until they’re defeated, or even after they’re defeated. I could easily read their minds…!
“And Juma, you can fight to your heart’s content. It’s a defensive battle, but I’m counting on you. We’ll strengthen the barrier, so don’t hold back.”
“Alright! Ooh! It’s getting me excited, after so long!”
Saura-san’s really good at getting Juma-kun fired up. They’re excited even though the enemy’s attacking, that’s so oni-like.
But will it be okay? For Special-grade guilds to fight each other? When I asked this, Gil-san answered.
“We’re just defending. We won’t do anything until they attack first. If we have proof that Nemo started it, we can do whatever we want.”
I see. So they’ll probably install some magic device to record audio or video in the guild. With Dad here, it wouldn’t be strange if he’d researched it and had Mikolasch-san develop it. I’m pretty sure they have one.
“And we’re trusted. For example, even if they made up some reason to attack us, we’d be seen as more credible than the suspicious Nemo.”
Kei-san added this explanation. I see. We’ve built up a reputation to be trusted. It’s unlikely that we’ll be at a disadvantage, unless something major happens. Our daily conduct is important!
“Juma. You can be excited all you want, but can you beat him? Razield. If you can’t beat him, this guild is finished.”
Dad asked Juma-kun this, creating a tense atmosphere. Razield must be close to their strongest fighter. Based on Shou-chan’s report, he’ll be coming to this guild. And Juma-kun’s probably the only one who can stand up to him among the members who’ll be staying here.
The other guild members will have to fight the other Nemo members, and they won’t be able to expect much support. Well, it’ll be the same for the other side.
“…It’s true, I’ve never beaten him. But that was when we were kids. If we fought now, I’d win!”
Juma-kun’s golden eyes seemed to shine brightly. I see, so he’s never won before. But for some reason, I’m not worried. I believe Juma-kun will do it. And I think everyone here feels the same way.
“…I see. Well then, win.”
“Yeah!”
Dad and Juma-kun communicated silently with their eyes for a while, and then exchanged a few words. Yeah, that’s probably all they needed.
And so, the defense of the Special-grade Guild Ortus’s headquarters was entrusted to Juma-kun.
“He’s reliable when it comes to fighting. But he’s totally useless at everything else.”
Saura-san! Everyone was thinking that!!
The meeting finally ended, and the members dispersed. I was being carried by Gil-san back to my room. I was sleepy because my magic power hadn’t recovered, and even though I’d taken a nap, it was late at night! How much am I going to sleep today…
“Meg. …Are you pushing yourself?”
When we arrived at my room and he put me down, Gil-san asked me this. When I looked up, I saw his handsome face, looking at me with concern. Ah, as expected of my guardian. No, maybe I’m just easy to read? I should probably be honest here.
“…To be honest, I’m weally scared. My legs would pwobably shake so much, I couldn’t walk!”
As I said this, laughing, “Ahaha,” Gil-san knelt down to look me in the eye. The pretty little girl reflected in his black eyes had a pitiful smile on her face. This is no good.
“Actually, I’m scared too. More scared than I’ve ever been.”
“Eh!? You, Gil-shan!?”
When I asked this in surprise, he nodded, laughing. It was really unexpected. Because to me, Gil-san was a perfect person.
“I’m terrified of losing you, of losing Meg.”
I’m sorry for being such a pathetic guardian, Gil-san said. Gil-san’s handsomeness is too much…! No, that’s not it, I was honestly happy. I see, Gil-san’s scared too. Knowing that made me feel reassured. It’s strange, right? Normally, you’d be anxious if you knew your guardian was scared.
“Then I’ll protect you, Gil-shan!”
“Hmm?”
I wrapped my small arms around Gil-san’s neck and hugged him tightly. I’ll do the charm Dad used to do for me.
“Shoo shoo, fear, fly away!”
“Meg…”
If Gil-san’s scared that I’ll get hurt because of him, then I’ll always stay cheerful by his side. I’ll try not to get hurt as much as possible, and smile as effortlessly as possible. That’s probably the best medicine, right?
“Did the shcary things fly away?”
When I asked this, tilting my head cutely, Gil-san, who had looked surprised, laughed after a moment. Ufufu, did it work?
“Yeah, they flew away. That’s right. If you’re here, Meg, I’m not scared.”
“I’m so glad!”
We shared a small laugh. A gentle time flowed between us.
I saw Gil-san off as he left the room, wishing me goodnight. Then, a guild Onee-san came in, saying it was time for a bath. She’d apparently been waiting nearby.
As the Onee-san washed me thoroughly, she kept murmuring, “I saw something good,” and “That was healing.” We’d left the door open, so she’d seen everything. I see, a heartwarming skinship between a handsome man and a little girl. I guess it could look like that to others. And that’s when I realized something.
After getting ready for bed and the Onee-san had left, I flopped onto the bed and finally… I writhed in agony.
I was a woman in her thirties on the inside! And while I hadn’t told them my real identity, they’d probably noticed that I was mentally older, right?
If you think about it, isn’t it a big deal for me to just hug a man like that? I mean, we both see each other as father and daughter, so there’s no ulterior motive, but still!
I feel like my mental age is being pulled by my physical age. I was already dried up before, but I wouldn’t have suddenly hugged someone like that. Which means I’ll probably do similar things to various people in the future. Come to think of it, I’d asked Schlie-san for a hug before…
“Uu, uwaaah…”
When I suddenly became aware of being Megu, an unbearable embarrassment washed over me. I have to remember that I’m a little girl now, I muttered to myself. Thinking this was no good, I squeezed my eyes shut, pulled the covers over my head, and forced myself to sleep.
…Guh, good night!!