Eaten by the Tyrant I Raised - Chapter 17

Chapter 17 – Promise

Nabel did not make Ronée wait long. He returned to her immediately after hanging out urgent orders.

“Ronée.”

“Nabel.”

Ronée was gazing out of the window. Even just a few hours ago, she could never have imagined that things would turn out like this.

Bell should have recovered her strength a little, but she was curled up in Ronée’s arms with her tail hanging, the same as before. After staring at Bell for a while, Nabel opened his mouth.

“Do you remember the forest that was like an ocean?”

Ronée widened her eyes. As did Ryne, who was combing her hair. Only the maid of this foreign mansion, who was standing beside them kept her head bent low, showed no reaction.

“A place where the dense leaves stretch on endlessly and ripple like ocean waves when the wind blows.” Nabel’s gaze brushed Ryne briefly and then fell. It was a story that Ryne had told the two of them once when they were younger.

It was a scene that was difficult for Ronée, who had been born far inland, to picture. A forest as wide as an ocean… She had tried to multiply the image of the few trees she could see from her window in her mind to visualize the breathtaking scene.

“I know that place. I want to go there together,” Nabel murmured quietly.

Ronée had no reason to refuse. She could not return to the Rieda household nor could she go anywhere else on the Eastern Continent. Or at least, not anywhere where the Church had a hold. What was more, they had even killed an inquisition officer…

Ronée’s expression darkened. Will we be okay?

She, who had been branded a demon, would be treated as an enemy of the Church wherever she went. She may have to watch out for mages for the rest of her life.

But what about Nabel?

“You’re worried.” Nabel, who had approached at some point, lightly placed a hand on her cheek. His gray glove brushed her skin.

“Ah.” As though realizing something, Nabel pulled off the gray gloves with his teeth. They dropped onto the floor.

The maid from that mansion widened her eyes at that. She had known her master to keep his gloves on at all times.

Now barehanded, Nabel again smoothed the worried creases forming at the edge of Ronée’s eyes. “If it’s the incident with the inquisition officer you’re worried about, you need not. Did I not promise you?”

So long ago now.

He said softly, “I said I would never do anything that would bring harm to you. So…” His voice quavered ever so little as he spoke. “Would you like to go and see the ocean of trees with me?”

It was the same as asking if she wanted to go with him wherever he went. Ronée could clearly recall the conversation from their youth.

“That’s on the Western Continent, right?”

“Yes.”

That meant that they had to leave the Eastern Continent. A completely new land. A foreign place that she had never seen or even imagined she might someday venture to.

It must be a very different place. Originally, there had been almost no interaction between the people of the Eastern and Western Continents, so the culture must be very different indeed.

“The place where you spent 10 years.”

“Yes.” Nabel did not deny it. Although nothing good would come of revealing his identity on the Eastern Continent, at the very least, he would not deny it before Ronée.

“….Your home.”

That, too, he did not deny. “So you knew.”

Ronée nodded her head slowly. “More than saying that I knew, I wondered where this person who knew so much about mythical creatures came from.” It was a conclusion that she had come to during the time that they had been separated.

People of the Eastern Continent knew nothing about mythical creatures. Ronée had never even heard of such creatures before. But Nabel had seemed to know all about them.

A place where even a child as young as Nabel knew about mythical creatures… She could only conclude that it was a completely different part of the world.

“I used to think about it every time I thought of you. ‘So he was a westerner, after all.’”

Nabel chuckled. “I should have come sooner.” His regretful gaze brushed Ronée’s pale face.

Because I was afraid that those who were looking for me would come for you, I settled for just drawing your face in my mind over and over again.

He swallowed those words back down. “You look just the way I remember.” He wanted to call out her name one more time. Nabel smiled.

This person with her rich scent of roses. From now on, he would not be separated from her. He did not want to be separated from her.

Just as I thought of nothing but seeing her again for ten years, I wonder if Ronée thought of me.