I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess - Chapter 245



245 – Side Story – The Secret He Has Been Hiding (2)

His eyes, looking up at the night sky, seemed to Ariel to be somewhat steeped in sadness.

Is it because of his wish to return to the world he lived in?

Or is it just memories of the world I once lived in?

I didn’t know why, but I was certain that it was at least a side view of her that I had never shown her before.

“There were few stars in that world. Sometimes, when I stay indoors and go out at dawn, only the round moon greets me.”

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“Is this a world without stars?”

“Not really. It’s just invisible. From what I heard, they say it’s because the air in that world is murky.”

What does it feel like to have thick air?

It was a somewhat incomprehensible concept to Ariel.

As long as she didn’t go into her dusty warehouse, the air was always clear, she thought.

“Then you can’t see it even if you go to the mountain?”

“Yeah, it’s hard to see. If you go to a very remote corner, you can see the stars falling like in this world… Even that gradually decreased.”

Edgar recalled his memory of once visiting his grandmother’s house and sitting in a pavilion near the neighborhood, looking up at the night sky.

Before he came to this world, this was the scene where he first showed us that there were many stars in the night sky.

“So that’s why you were like that then.”

“What?”

“When I went to your house and watched the stars together. “Do you remember?”

I have quite a few memories of stargazing with Ariel.

Edgar, who didn’t know which of them he was talking about, tilted his head slightly.

As a result, she thought that Edgar was not remembering her and puffed out her cheeks and poked her on the arm.

It didn’t contain any particular power, it was just a cute antal of a cat.

“Why, the day I first saw it on the roof of the warehouse.”

“Oh, I remember. “Why then?”

“You said that. “It’s nice because there are a lot of stars here.”

It was a somewhat strange line for Ariel.

For her, there were always many stars in the night sky, and she thought that the only difference between them being visible was depending on the weather.

However, Edgar spoke as if it was the first time or the first time in a long time that he had seen so many stars.

Since I was very young, I only had small doubts at the time, but looking back now, it must have had a different meaning.

“So, is there anything else to talk about?”

Ariel didn’t even question the fact that he was from another world, and she urged on like a child listening to her grandfather tell her an old story.

Of course, it’s not surprising.

She is so strong-hearted that she doesn’t even flinch at most things, but her ability to move between dimensions, which surpasses even her magical theories, was jaw-dropping.

But the only reason I can maintain such a calm appearance is because that is not an important fact in the first place.

What is important to her is that he is a man named Edgar Vilhark.

And it’s just that all the memories and times he spent with her are true.

“What should I tell you?”

“Anything is fine. Because it’s the world you were in.”

Edgar, who usually tried to change the topic according to the listener’s opinion, was able to continue the story without much trouble thanks to the grateful consideration of the only audience member.

“There are so many that it would be difficult to tell them all. “Would you believe it if there was a carriage that went without horses and a balloon that flew in the sky?”

“Without words… ? So how do you run? “A person pulls it?”

“No way. Just put oil in the machine and it will run on its own. Instead, only humans directly control it.”

“Then it must be a very valuable item?”

Edgar shook his head, saying it wasn’t really like that.

Of course, it is true that cars are expensive items, but most homes have at least one.

“Then you had it too? That…”

“You mean a car?”

“Yes, a car.”

Her eyes, filled with curiosity, suddenly returned to the Ariel he remembered from when she was nine years old.

Ariel, who was full of curiosity about the world and the universe, always hung on to Edgar and showed him a book or pointed to a tree he saw on his way and asked his name her her her her.

“It did. Would you like me to draw a picture of what it will look like later?”

“Painting? “You can’t draw.”

Ariel says that people will do her a favor, but suddenly they stab her in the chest.

In response, Edgar patted her and healed her wounds, then looked at her with his harsh eyes.

“Man, people are always kind to me…”

“Cook, cluck, it’s a joke. “If you get a chance, draw it.”

“When I see you talking, my heart breaks.”

Edgar crossed his arms around her and shook his head as if he didn’t like her.

Ariel, who found her appearance infinitely lovely, walked towards him with her back to him.

Side.

Their lips lightly touched each other with a cute sound, and a playful smile similar to Edgar’s appeared on the corner of her mouth.

“Even like this?”

“… “Everything you do these days, you try to fill it with this.”

Side.

“So you don’t like it?”

“It’s not that I don’t like it, but it’s a little annoying…” ” …”

Side.

“… Yes, I lost.”

In the end, there is no Edgar who doesn’t take three shots.

He was melted by Ariel’s uncharacteristic cuteness and quickly raised both her hands, declaring defeat.

“Hehe, if you think you’ll win against me forever, it’s a big mistake.”

“Is it? “I never really thought I would win against you.”

“Yeah, really? “I thought it was because you always play pranks on me.”

As Ariel blinked her eyes at the somewhat surprising answer, Edgar raised one corner of her mouth.

I understand what you want to say, but at least it has nothing to do with it.

That’s right,

“I lost when I confessed to you in the first place. From that day on, I was in a position that I could never win.”

“Well, so… “You don’t like it?”

“I don’t like it. “I think it was the best choice of my life.”

Edgar lowered his hand from stroking her hair and placed it on her cheek, gently brushing it with his thumb.

When we face each other like this, I still remember my first encounter with her when she was a baby.

Maybe, even if it wasn’t for Helen’s recommendation of her that day, he wouldn’t have made up his mind to protect that little girl.

It is often expressed as fate.

Although Edgar did not really believe in that existence, she had no doubt that if there was only one destiny in her life, it was Ariel.

“Ed.”

“Why?”

“If there was a way to return to the world you came from… What are you going to do?”

It’s a pretty sad question.

But Edgar was vaguely anticipating this question.

The world we lived in and the world we lived in. Thinking about two worlds was a common theme even in fictional stories.

“Would you like to go back? This is the world I live in. Besides, there is no reason to return to the other world.”

“Why? Family or… Ah.”

As Ariel continued to ask her question, she realized that it was a topic that should not be brought up.

Edgar, who sensed that her mood was suddenly getting heavier, poked her cheek with his hand, which was caring for her cheek.

Pook. As his thick thumb penetrated between her soft cheeks, Ariel’s face was crushed like dough.

“Kku… ” “It’s so bad.”

Ariel resisted weakly, her pronunciation her being muffled due to her mouth her sticking out.

Edgar burst into laughter at that sight, but covered his mouth and giggled to himself.

Finally, wiping away the tears that had leaked from laughing so hard, he opened his mouth in his usual tone.

“Just. Don’t think about it for anything. There is no place to return to, and even if there is, it is in this world and not in the other world.”

“… Still, don’t you want to go again?”

“Well, I see. I’d like to know at least how things have changed…”

Just because I left the world doesn’t mean I completely lost interest in it.

That doesn’t mean he wants to go back, but it’s just how the landscape he walked through has changed. I was just curious about that much.

However, since there was no proper way to get there, it was just a pie in the sky.

I don’t even know how I got there in the first place, so how could I know how to get there?

“It’s okay. It’s already been a few years since I stopped paying attention.”

Maybe we’ll find a way in the future, but right now it’s just a distant wish.

So Edgar decided to stop paying attention and focus only on his current life.

“… Really?”

At his answer to her, Ariel turned her head with a strange smile.

It was a nuance that seemed to end the story, but somehow there was a strange desire in those eyes.

The two talked until the wee hours of the morning.

Until now, it was usually Ariel who led the conversation, but today, Edgar became the speaker and told the story.

Everything was just amazing facts that Ariel had never dared to imagine.

After listening to his story that lasted until dawn, Ariel strengthened her resolve again.

It’s still too early to tell Edgar.

*

One day about a year later.

Edgar, who was taking care of the children as usual, took a step forward in response to Ariel’s sudden call to her.

That place is none other than the workshop Minette is using.

Since it was a place Ariel rarely visited recently, she opened her door feeling a bit surprised.

“What happened all of a sudden?”

“Ah, Ed. Come on. “I urgently called because I had good news.”

“Good news?”

Edgar’s head tilted at the unexpected story.

Anyway, Ariel had an excited expression and hurriedly urged Minette to show it to her.

As soon as Minette entered the warehouse next to the workshop, a crunching sound was heard.

Because there were so many items piled up, it was quite difficult to find the item you wanted.

“Your Majesty, here we are.”

“Thank you, Minette.”

Eventually, the object Minette took out had the shape of a disk.

The floor is flat, so if two people step on it, it will fill up.

Ariel received it and proudly presented it to Edgar, as if it were a laurel wreath obtained by a hero who had defeated the enemy.

She was just curious as it was the first time she had seen her so happy with one of her things.

“What on earth is that?”

“Hehe, don’t be surprised. This is the magic tool that will allow you to go to the world you were in!”

“… “What?”

The smile on Ariel’s lips deepened when Edgar asked in a dumb way, wondering if her hearing she was wrong.

Because she wanted this reaction, she kept it a secret from him until now.

“Instead, they say you can only make the round trip once. The materials used are also precious, so you never know when an opportunity like this will come again.”

“No, I guess it’s just a one time thing… “I can really go to the world I lived in?”

“Yes, Minette said that.”

On what principle was it made?

Normally, to make something like this, you would need a medium to get to that world.

“Minette, are you sure?”

“Sure. “You don’t have to worry because you’ve already completed the mock exam.”

Minette, who narrowed her eyes, suggested that I first stand on the disc with Ariel.

Although I’ve been focusing on this one thing for the past year, I haven’t been able to create anything that can be used permanently, and at best I’ve only made disposable items, but I was still satisfied.

Anyway, with this, I was able to give these two people unforgettable memories.

“Even if you go there and this device malfunctions, it will be okay because Your Majesty is with you.”

“Ariel?”

“Yes. It may be difficult to explain the detailed principles.”

I thought he wouldn’t understand the magical theory even if I explained it to him anyway, so he turned his head away as if he didn’t want to hear it.

Anyway, this small device is what makes it possible to travel to the world he was in.

The more I looked, the more confused I became.

I never thought a day like this would come.

“I really wanted to go with you at least once. To the world you lived in.”

“So, did you prepare this much?”

“Huh. Because it will be an unforgettable memory.”

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It was like that. She did not ask Minette this out of curiosity about a world she had never been to.

Just walk around the world he lived in with him.

I just wanted to experience that short trip down memory lane.

Ariel gently took his hand and climbed onto the disc together, facing each other.

The time will pass so quickly, but I want to enjoy it as much as possible.

It felt like I was floating in a sweet dream with him.