Chapter 381: The Story After (13) [Side Story, Part 13]

Arkemis went straight to the Akasha estate in the Kingdom of Denian. When Milayna saw her arrive, her face lit up.

“Arkemis! It has been a while,” Milayna said.

“It has,” Arkemis replied with a small smile. “It is good to see you again, Milayna.”

“Won’t you come in?” Milayna asked her.

Arkemis took Milayna’s offered hand, and the two of them made their way to the reception room. They sat facing one another and spent some time exchanging small talk, catching up on what had happened since they last met.

“It seems you have been doing well,” Arkemis said.

“The same goes for you,” Milayna replied. “Your expression is very bright today. Did something good happen?”

“It did,” Arkemis said. She lifted her chin with a hint of pride and began to explain.

As Milayna listened, her eyes grew wide.

“Goodness,” Milayna breathed. “You really did it in the end. Congratulations.”

Arkemis had always wanted a family. She had wanted to bear a child. Milayna knew painfully well how desperately Arkemis had wished for that future, so her congratulations came from the heart.

Arkemis scratched her cheek, a little embarrassed. “Hehe. Thank you.”

“Then... is the partner Ketal?” Milayna asked her carefully.

“For now, that is what I am thinking,” Arkemis answered.

“I see,” Milayna murmured.

It was only natural. There was no one else Arkemis would have chosen. Still, the thought stirred something strange in Milayna’s chest. The Ketal who existed now was practically no different from a god who had descended to the Mortal Realm.

“I am cheering for you,” Milayna said. “Did you come to me so that I could help pass that message along?”

“No,” Arkemis replied. “In truth, there is something I wanted to ask you.”

She glanced around, as if afraid someone might overhear them, and lowered her voice.

“I want to become family with Ketal,” Arkemis said. “How do I do that? Can you tell me how to approach him... and how to share those kinds of feelings?”

“I see...,” Milayna said.

“I am a High Elf. I have never really exchanged feelings like that with anyone,” Arkemis continued. “But you are human. You must have some experience. Could you give me some advice?”

Milayna froze.

“Regarding that... I do not actually have any experience,” she admitted.

She might still look like a young woman, but she was the head of a noble house. She had never had time to concern herself with personal romances. A few opportunities had come her way, but she had pushed them all aside. When it came to love, she was not so different from Arkemis.

“Oh,” Arkemis said, flustered. “I see...”

“I think it would be better to seek help from someone else,” Milayna suggested.

“Someone else?” Arkemis repeated. “There is no one else.”

Her circle of acquaintances was very small. Among the elves, she had been an outcast. Outside their lands, she was an odd and alien elf who never quite fit in. If she counted the people she could really call connections, there were only two: Milayna and Karin. No one else came to mind.

“Hmm,” Milayna murmured.

She and Arkemis both leaned in, their heads almost touching as they fell into deep thought.

“Perhaps you could simply use your beauty,” Milayna said at last. “From an objective standpoint, you are very beautiful. As a High Elf, you are almost like a living embodiment of beauty.”

Arkemis did not look convinced.

“Do you really think Ketal cares about things like that?” she asked her.

“That is... unlikely,” Milayna admitted.

Ketal was not the type to judge anyone by their appearance.

Arkemis muttered in a small, uncertain voice, “Now that I think about it, I do not even know whether Ketal likes me that way.”

She knew he liked her as a person. That much was clear. However, whether that affection was anything like romantic love, she had no idea. Her shoulders drooped, and her expression darkened. Milayna hurried to comfort her.

“Please do not worry too much,” Milayna said. “I will help you. I may not have my own experience to draw from, but I have heard plenty of stories.”

“R-really?” Arkemis said.

“Yes,” Milayna answered.

Of course, everything she knew was secondhand, taken from rumors and other people’s tales. That much she quietly chose not to mention.

She instead began offering bits of advice, repeating the things she had heard and remembered. Arkemis listened with shining eyes, absorbing every suggestion as if it were precious knowledge.

Several days later, Ketal arrived with a happy look on his face and came to see Arkemis.

“Oh! Arkemis!” Ketal exclaimed. “It has been some time.”

“O-oh. Yes. It has been a while, Ketal,” Arkemis replied.

She hastily raised her hand in greeting. Ketal grinned.

“I heard that you wished to see me,” he said. “What is the reason?”

“Well, it is nothing serious,” Arkemis said.

Her tongue felt thick in her mouth. She forced herself to say the lines she had practiced over and over.

“You have worked so hard all this time,” she began. “You have been traveling everywhere, helping people without asking for anything in return. Aren’t you tired?”

“Not particularly,” Ketal said. “I enjoyed it.”

“Even so, you have not had any time for yourself,” Arkemis insisted. “I thought that was a little sad. So I wanted to ask you something. Ketal... would you like to travel with me for a while?”

“Travel?” he repeated.

Ketal tilted his head. Arkemis nodded.

“I have found some places that I think you would like,” she said. “We could visit them together and look around. What do you think?”

“That sounds wonderful,” Ketal said at once.

His smile widened.

“I happen to have nothing in particular to do at the moment,” he added. “This works out nicely. Thank you for inviting me.”

“It is nothing,” Arkemis said. She shook her head as if it were not a big deal, but out of sight, she clenched her fist.

It worked,

she said inwardly.

After a long discussion with Milayna, they had reached a simple conclusion. She needed to go on a date with him. They would spend time alone, build emotional intimacy, and use that time to figure out what Ketal truly felt. That was the plan they had settled on.

In the end, the two of them had decided on a journey together. Thankfully, Ketal had accepted without hesitation.

“Then it will be just the two of us traveling for a while,” Ketal said. “I will be in your care.”

“Okay!” Arkemis replied. She smiled brightly and took his hand.

***

“I believe this is the first time I am traveling with only you,” Ketal remarked as they walked.

“I think so,” Arkemis said. “It has been a while since it was just the two of us.”

“By the way, Arkemis,” he added. “You look different from usual.”

“Ah, yes. I learned a bit about makeup,” she said.

There was a faint, unfamiliar glow to her face. Her lips were a soft red, and her already pale complexion looked as smooth and clear as paper.

“Does it look strange?” she asked him, looking at him anxiously.

“No,” he said at once. “It suits you well.”

“I see...,” she said, and her smile relaxed into something more natural.

Arkemis had made up her mind. Throughout this journey, she would make Ketal feel as comfortable as possible and, at the same time, open up to him emotionally so that they could share their feelings more deeply.

A few hours into their trip, as the day edged toward mealtime, she began to prepare their food. She unpacked ingredients, only to stop short.

“Um, Ketal?” she asked him.

“Wait just a moment,” he replied. “I am almost finished.”

Before she realized it, he already had the ingredients laid out in front of him. He moved with practiced ease, and by the time she fully registered what she was seeing, he had nearly completed their meal.

“Here. Take this,” Ketal said, handing her a dish.

“Okay...,” she replied.

She finally realized that Ketal was very good at cooking, and it did not end there.

Whenever she tried to set up their sleeping space, Ketal moved first, his hands moving with easy, fluid confidence. The bed he prepared was so neatly arranged and comfortable that it felt no different from sleeping at home.

Her carefully crafted plans creaked and tangled from the very first steps. Even so, Arkemis forced herself to stay positive.

It’s going to be fine,

she thought.

They were traveling together. As long as she used that time to slowly build up their bond, everything would work out.

In the end, they arrived at their first destination.

“Oh wow!” Ketal breathed.

A cliff stretched out before his eyes, and beyond it, the world seemed to be pouring downward.

Arkemis smiled as she explained.

“This is one of the Demon Realms,” she said. “The End of the World.”

“It is magnificent,” Ketal said.

All matter fell endlessly from the cliff, vanishing into the depths below. The sight was like something torn from the pages of a fantasy tale. He watched in awe for a while, then frowned slightly as a thought came to him.

“You called it a Demon Realm,” he said. “But I do not sense the presence of any Anomalies here.”

“Ah. This is not the same type of Demon Realm you came from,” Arkemis explained. “It simply looks similar to those places, so people grouped it together and started calling it a Demon Realm. It is actually a natural phenomenon.”

“A natural phenomenon?” he repeated.

“Yes,” she said. “It is something like a natural event caused by Myst becoming overly concentrated in one place. It feels extremely strange and uncanny, but it still follows the laws of the world.”

“I see,” Ketal said.

His eyes shone as he listened to her talk. Arkemis puffed out her chest, proud to be the one guiding him.

“Every place we visit on this journey will be like this,” she said. “Strange and mysterious. It will be a very fun trip.”

“I look forward to it,” Ketal replied, smiling brightly.

***

Days passed as Arkemis and Ketal traveled together. Along with the End of the World, they visited all manner of unusual sights. Ketal enjoyed each one, laughing, marveling, and letting his curiosity run free.

Arkemis should have been happy, and in truth, she was. Yet as time passed, her expression grew more and more clouded. The reason had nothing to do with disliking any part of the journey. The problem was that she was enjoying it too much.

This does not feel like a date

, she thought.

It felt like traveling with a close friend and nothing more. There was no sense of deepening intimacy, no shift in atmosphere, nothing that felt like an exchange of romantic feelings.

Should I be more proactive?

she wondered.

The question circled in her mind, but every time she tried to think of something to do, her thoughts scattered. She had no idea how to take the next step. She fretted and worried, until finally another thought rose to the surface.

Do I even like him in that way?

She wanted to have a child. For that, she needed a partner, and Ketal was the perfect candidate.

Is that all this is? Do I truly love Ketal, beyond the logic of suitability and timing?

The question made her chest tighten. While she was lost in her thoughts, Ketal stepped toward her and held something out.

“Ah—so cold!” Arkemis yelped.

She jerked in surprise. Ketal’s expression shifted to a faintly apologetic one.

“Ah, my apologies,” he said. “I wanted to surprise you.”

“What is that?” she asked him.

“Ice cream,” Ketal replied.

“Ice... cream?” Arkemis echoed.

“I received a useful artifact from the Tower Master,” he explained.

It was an artifact that could lower the surrounding temperature below freezing. Ketal had used it to try making something new.

“This is a sort of fruit sorbet,” he said.

“O-oh. Thank you. But why...?”

Why would he suddenly make ice cream for me?

she thought. She stared at him, puzzled, and Ketal spoke in a calm, matter-of-fact tone.

“You have seemed a little down lately,” he said.

“You... noticed?” Arkemis replied.

She had been tangled up in questions about her own feelings. That turmoil had seeped into her behavior.

“This has been a long journey,” Ketal said. “It is only natural to grow tired. I failed to take that into account. This is my apology.”

“That is not...” she began.

“It is all right,” he said. “Arkemis, you are my friend.”

Ketal smiled gently.

“You are one of the very few people in this world I can call a close friend,” he continued. “Your worries are my worries. If there is anything that troubles you, anything that weighs on your heart, tell me whenever you wish. I will do everything I can to help.”

Arkemis looked up at him, blank and speechless. In that moment, everything inside her settled into place. She realized her feelings completely.

She had always been alone. Among the High Elves, she had been an outcast. Leaving their lands had not changed that as much as she might have hoped. Among humans, elves were foreign, nearly alien, and so she could not form deep ties easily.

Milayna was the only one she could truly call a friend, but Milayna was a woman. Arkemis could not have a child with her, and as the head of the Akasha family, Milayna bore responsibilities that meant she could not devote herself entirely to Arkemis’s struggles.

However, Ketal was different. He was an outsider, just like her. Arkemis had been cast out from among the High Elves and had come to live among humans. Ketal had walked out of the Demon Realm, trying to find a place in this world. Living beings were drawn to those who shared their circumstances.

More than that, Ketal had always been her strength.

He had stood at her side, supporting and aiding her. When demons attacked, he had risked his life to protect her. Time and again afterward, he had laughed brightly and stood firm whenever she hesitated, steady as a pillar at her back.

Only now did she fully understand what that meant to her. Arkemis lowered her eyes and scooped a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth.

“How is it?” Ketal asked her.

“It is delicious,” she answered.

“I am glad to hear that,” he said. “It was my first attempt, so I was a little nervous.”

Ketal let out a small sigh of relief. Arkemis finished the last of the ice cream, then looked straight at him.

“Ketal,” she said.

“What is it?” he asked her.

“There is something I need to talk to you about,” she replied.

Her voice carried the weight of a decision finally made.