Two days have pa.s.sed since I separated from Asagi . That means he should be returning from his excavation today .

It has been quite a while since I traveled alone like this . From our campsite up until the start of the mountain road, I had this feeling as if Asagi was right next to me . But once I began to climb the mountain, my footing started to become slippery .

“Ah, this will not be an easy climb . ”

I caught myself cautioning the usually clumsy Asagi . I could only sigh and laugh at myself then . It seems that I have become so used to traveling with him . It was odd since the times that I traveled alone were so much longer…

I suppose, in the end, I was rather lonely .

While the road was well trodden, there was no mountain cabin along the way, and so I was forced to pitch a tent and camp out in the open with a fire . Asagi had collected branches along the way, so I did not need for firewood . He was often very clumsy, yet he could be very perceptive as well . Now that I was alone, I could see that he did such things in order for our journey to be as comfortable as possible .

“Hahhh…”

I could not help but sigh when I thought of being alone another night . It was surprising just how much I missed him . Even my food seemed to lack flavor . It was the meat from Veigun’s stalls, it should be delicious… But perhaps it was now lacking the greatest spice of all . In the end, I only ate four skewers that night .

The next morning, I advanced through the thin mist . Not much was known about the mist goblins, but it was said that they did not appear in this level of mist . It had to be very thick for them to come out . But where were they usually?

I pa.s.sed others who were climbing the mountain . We greeted each other and went on our ways . Asagi would have greeted them happily . I found that I did not talk much when he was not around . I had always traveled alone and spoke as little as possible . It was not that it pained me or that I disliked talking . No, it was not a fear of talking to strangers!

That was the last time I saw anyone, but it did remind me even more of his absence .  I was that lonely . My old self would have seen this as a great weakness .

I was a weak person who now depended on someone else to live . I was codependent . Spoiled . I was so immature that being alone made me anxious .

Individual strength was important if you wanted to make it against the world . There was a time when I believed that was the only thing important for me to survive . But traveling with Asagi and depending on each other made me see that the world wasn’t only harsh, it was also gentle .

I did not see this as a ‘regression’ for myself . I saw it as growth . And I was happy when I realized that it was because of him .

“Ah, I had worked so hard up until now, so that we could meet . ”

That was the feeling that seeped into my heart and enveloped me .

When I recalled that feeling, the lonely night became nothing at all . Asagi said that he would return . Then I would believe him and keep moving . I would bear the lonesome nights and dream of the moment that we would travel together again .

“…Well, such were my thoughts last night . It was how I made it through the cold . ”

“…”

“And yet Asagi… To think you could feel joy by the sight of a naked machine . I am terribly disappointed in you . ”

“I’m sorry . ”

“What?”

“I’m sorry!!!”

Master Daniela had blown a fuse . The reason, clearly, the Automata .

“What a thing to bring with you!”

Such was our reunion . After that, Daniela told me of her feelings during the past few days . It was the most heartwarming story, but her eyes were not smiling in the least . I was sweating down my back .

She was furious .

It was as if my wild instincts, or sixth sense that I had cultivated since coming to this world had run away crying . Goodbye, sixth sense . Your sacrifice would likely end in vain .

“Huhhh…What do you mean to do with that…”

“I wanted to ask you…”

“Put it back where you found it . We do not have any time to spare for some automated doll . ”

“Oh, but I’ll take care of it! I’ll recharge it!”

“You say that now, but clearly I will be taking care of it eventually! It is so obvious!”

“I will…”

“Hahhh…”

I complained, but it was no use . My efforts in retrieving the reactor cores were for nothing .

“…Perhaps we could auction it with the reactor cores in the imperial city . It should fetch quite a price . ”

“That’s horrible!”

How could you sell such a cute doll!

“So what do you want to do? It would be very difficult to bring such a thing with us . ”

“It could help us . ”

“I can help myself . ”

“Take the night watch…”

“It is best to do it yourself and keep your guard up . ”

“Uh…”

It was no use… Daniela was strictly anti-Automata . Her opinion was a firm NO . I put her opinion and the doll on a scale . Tragically, the scale tipped heavily to Daniela’s favor . I would have to give up…

“Well, if you’re against it…”

“I would rather be with you alone . Even if it is an Automata, it will get in the way . ”

“Sorry . Really, I’m sorry for leaving you . ”

“Asagi…”

“Daniela…”

The distance between us began to shrink . I felt as if I were being pulled into her green eyes . Her eyelashes lowered over them, and I closed my eyes as if to follow her .

Now, the place that I had reunited with Daniela was slightly pa.s.sed the mountain peak where the road began to go downward . It was still very high here, and very cold . However, Daniela and I realized that we would quickly become warm if we exercised, and so we did . We generally kept a rule to avoid exercising while on the move, but Daniela had been away from me for a while, which stirred something within her . Besides, we were so far up that no monsters would appear, and so we exercised a lot .

The next day . We wiped each other’s bodies with a cloth soaked in hot water as we prepared for the day’s journey . We just needed to climb down the mountain . Once that was pa.s.sed, it was through the southeastern pa.s.s . And then we would reach the imperial city of Vellefrost .

“We must go south first . After a while, we turn east . ”

“Just like when we went to Replant . ”

“Yes . ”

Would there be a place like Senka Village then? I hoped that Merica was well… I thought as I stroked the strap doll that hung on the hollow bag . Daniela saw this and immediately knew what I was thinking . She smiled .

“We already took down the tent . We should go now . ”

“Yes, we’ll eat breakfast as we walk . ”

We bit into our meat skewers as we started to move . It would not have been so leisurely if this was not a beaten path, but there were roads and even stairs in some places, which made it easy to walk .

As for the Automata that I’ve been avoiding bringing up until now, it was in the hollow bag . As a nonliving thing, I was able to store it just fine .

We had decided to auction it after reaching Vellefrost . It was an ancient elven artifact . A relic from the age of advanced magic . Surely that would ensure a hefty price for it . And we could sure use the money… Even if I didn’t intend on buying a new set of armor, it would need maintenance . My equipment had seen a lot of use… I’m sure there would be fine craftsmen in the imperial city . It would be nice to go on a new adventure with equipment that had been fully repaired .

“To be honest, Asagi…”

“Huh?”

“I do not want that Automata nearby, because of how rare it is . ”

According to Daniela, such an Automata had been found in the past . It was over ten years ago, and the single automated doll had resulted in someone’s death .

“It would be for our own safety to let it go . ”

“Even I wouldn’t…want to keep it around if it meant danger . ”

“I understand the fascination . ”

Daniela got it . She was an Adventurer, after all, and there was a sense of romanticism in the discovery . But she was also much more experienced than me, and her sense of reason was stronger . She was reliable because she thought before she acted, unlike me .

“You even took some reactor cores with you . They will definitely sell . ”

“How much do think we’ll get for them?”

I asked . Daniela folded her arms while still biting on her skewer .

“Hmm… . considering how much it sold for before…”

“Yeah?”

“Probably about five thousand . ”

Five thousand? Gold pieces?

“Of course . You have the reactor cores, after all . The one that sold before was one thousand with one reactor core . Considering the condition it is in and the extra reactors cores and the rarity of it, the price should go way up . ”

“Daniela, there was another one in good condition there . ”

“Well, it is too late . ”

d.a.m.n it . With a little more work, we could have made ten thousand in gold…!

I cursed my own foolishness as we descended the mountain . Daniela was just laughing as if with exasperation .

The mist eventually faded, and a soft, warm light shone down on us . It was as if it was blessing us, as we walked down a path that was so close to the clouds . …Yes, it really was great traveling together with Daniela . This was a good reminder .

Two days have pa.s.sed since I separated from Asagi . That means he should be returning from his excavation today

 .

It has been quite a while since I traveled alone like this . From our campsite up until the start of the mountain road, I had this feeling as if Asagi was right next to me . But once I began to climb the mountain, my footing started to become slippery

 .

“Ah, this will not be an easy climb . ”.

 .

I caught myself cautioning the usually clumsy Asagi . I could only sigh and laugh at myself then . It seems that I have become so used to traveling with him . It was odd since the times that I traveled alone were so much longer….

 .

I suppose, in the end, I was rather lonely

 .

While the road was well trodden, there was no mountain cabin along the way, and so I was forced to pitch a tent and camp out in the open with a fire . Asagi had collected branches along the way, so I did not need for firewood . He was often very clumsy, yet he could be very perceptive as well . Now that I was alone, I could see that he did such things in order for our journey to be as comfortable as possible

 .

“Hahhh…”.

 .

I could not help but sigh when I thought of being alone another night . It was surprising just how much I missed him . Even my food seemed to lack flavor . It was the meat from Veigun’s stalls, it should be delicious… But perhaps it was now lacking the greatest spice of all . In the end, I only ate four skewers that night

 .

The next morning, I advanced through the thin mist . Not much was known about the mist goblins, but it was said that they did not appear in this level of mist . It had to be very thick for them to come out . But where were they usually?.

 .

I pa.s.sed others who were climbing the mountain . We greeted each other and went on our ways . Asagi would have greeted them happily . I found that I did not talk much when he was not around . I had always traveled alone and spoke as little as possible . It was not that it pained me or that I disliked talking . No, it was not a fear of talking to strangers!.

 .

That was the last time I saw anyone, but it did remind me even more of his absence .  I was that lonely . My old self would have seen this as a great weakness

 .

I was a weak person who now depended on someone else to live . I was codependent . Spoiled . I was so immature that being alone made me anxious

 .

Individual strength was important if you wanted to make it against the world . There was a time when I believed that was the only thing important for me to survive . But traveling with Asagi and depending on each other made me see that the world wasn’t only harsh, it was also gentle

I did not see this as a ‘regression’ for myself . I saw it as growth . And I was happy when I realized that it was because of him

 .

“Ah, I had worked so hard up until now, so that we could meet . ”.

 .

That was the feeling that seeped into my heart and enveloped me

 .

When I recalled that feeling, the lonely night became nothing at all . Asagi said that he would return . Then I would believe him and keep moving . I would bear the lonesome nights and dream of the moment that we would travel together again

 .

　　□　　　□　　　□　　　□.

 .

“…Well, such were my thoughts last night . It was how I made it through the cold . ”.

“…”.

“And yet Asagi… To think you could feel joy by the sight of a naked machine . I am terribly disappointed in you . ”.

“I’m sorry . ”.

“What?”.

“I’m sorry!!!”.

 .

Master Daniela had blown a fuse . The reason, clearly, the Automata

 .

“What a thing to bring with you!”.

 .

Such was our reunion . After that, Daniela told me of her feelings during the past few days . It was the most heartwarming story, but her eyes were not smiling in the least . I was sweating down my back

She was furious

It was as if my wild instincts, or sixth sense that I had cultivated since coming to this world had run away crying . Goodbye, sixth sense . Your sacrifice would likely end in vain

 .

“Huhhh…What do you mean to do with that…”.

“I wanted to ask you…”.

“Put it back where you found it . We do not have any time to spare for some automated doll . ”.

“Oh, but I’ll take care of it! I’ll recharge it!”.

“You say that now, but clearly I will be taking care of it eventually! It is so obvious!”.

“I will…”.

“Hahhh…”.

 .

I complained, but it was no use . My efforts in retrieving the reactor cores were for nothing

 .

“…Perhaps we could auction it with the reactor cores in the imperial city . It should fetch quite a price . ”.

 .

“That’s horrible!”.

 .

How could you sell such a cute doll!.

 .

“So what do you want to do? It would be very difficult to bring such a thing with us . ”.

“It could help us . ”.

“I can help myself . ”.

“Take the night watch…”.

“It is best to do it yourself and keep your guard up . ”.

“Uh…”.

 .

It was no use… Daniela was strictly anti-Automata . Her opinion was a firm NO . I put her opinion and the doll on a scale . Tragically, the scale tipped heavily to Daniela’s favor . I would have to give up….

 .

“Well, if you’re against it…”.

“I would rather be with you alone . Even if it is an Automata, it will get in the way . ”.

“Sorry . Really, I’m sorry for leaving you . ”.

“Asagi…”.

“Daniela…”.

 .

The distance between us began to shrink . I felt as if I were being pulled into her green eyes . Her eyelashes lowered over them, and I closed my eyes as if to follow her

 .

　　□　　　□　　　□　　　□.

 .

Now, the place that I had reunited with Daniela was slightly pa.s.sed the mountain peak where the road began to go downward . It was still very high here, and very cold . However, Daniela and I realized that we would quickly become warm if we exercised, and so we did . We generally kept a rule to avoid exercising while on the move, but Daniela had been away from me for a while, which stirred something within her . Besides, we were so far up that no monsters would appear, and so we exercised a lot

 .

The next day . We wiped each other’s bodies with a cloth soaked in hot water as we prepared for the day’s journey . We just needed to climb down the mountain . Once that was pa.s.sed, it was through the southeastern pa.s.s . And then we would reach the imperial city of Vellefrost

 .

“We must go south first . After a while, we turn east . ”.

“Just like when we went to Replant . ”.

“Yes . ”.

 .

Would there be a place like Senka Village then? I hoped that Merica was well… I thought as I stroked the strap doll that hung on the hollow bag . Daniela saw this and immediately knew what I was thinking . She smiled

 .

“We already took down the tent . We should go now . ”.

“Yes, we’ll eat breakfast as we walk . ”.

 .

We bit into our meat skewers as we started to move . It would not have been so leisurely if this was not a beaten path, but there were roads and even stairs in some places, which made it easy to walk

 .

As for the Automata that I’ve been avoiding bringing up until now, it was in the hollow bag . As a nonliving thing, I was able to store it just fine

We had decided to auction it after reaching Vellefrost . It was an ancient elven artifact . A relic from the age of advanced magic . Surely that would ensure a hefty price for it . And we could sure use the money… Even if I didn’t intend on buying a new set of armor, it would need maintenance . My equipment had seen a lot of use… I’m sure there would be fine craftsmen in the imperial city . It would be nice to go on a new adventure with equipment that had been fully repaired

 .

“To be honest, Asagi…”.

“Huh?”.

“I do not want that Automata nearby, because of how rare it is . ”.

 .

According to Daniela, such an Automata had been found in the past . It was over ten years ago, and the single automated doll had resulted in someone’s death

 .

“It would be for our own safety to let it go . ”.

“Even I wouldn’t…want to keep it around if it meant danger . ”.

“I understand the fascination . ”.

 .

Daniela got it . She was an Adventurer, after all, and there was a sense of romanticism in the discovery . But she was also much more experienced than me, and her sense of reason was stronger . She was reliable because she thought before she acted, unlike me

 .

“You even took some reactor cores with you . They will definitely sell . ”.

“How much do think we’ll get for them?”.

 .

I asked . Daniela folded her arms while still biting on her skewer

 .

“Hmm… . considering how much it sold for before…”.

“Yeah?”.

“Probably about five thousand . ”.

 .

Five thousand? Gold pieces?.

 .

“Of course . You have the reactor cores, after all . The one that sold before was one thousand with one reactor core . Considering the condition it is in and the extra reactors cores and the rarity of it, the price should go way up . ”.

“Daniela, there was another one in good condition there . ”.

“Well, it is too late . ”.

 .

d.a.m.n it . With a little more work, we could have made ten thousand in gold…!.

I cursed my own foolishness as we descended the mountain . Daniela was just laughing as if with exasperation

The mist eventually faded, and a soft, warm light shone down on us . It was as if it was blessing us, as we walked down a path that was so close to the clouds . …Yes, it really was great traveling together with Daniela . This was a good reminder

 .