Isekai Journey Of The Magic Archer

[Rein's POV: ]

"Hahaha… hey! No~!"

"And then, the warrior fell asleep."

"What? Hey! Hahahaha~!"

We were just coming out of the haunted cave that Sir Quesnel had opened up for the people.

It was a fun place. Instead of being afraid, both of us had a good time there, and while we were inside, he was telling me about a certain warrior who journeyed through the east along with a pig and a monkey.

The story was simply a comedy and since he was being playful, it was even more fun.

'I almost fainted while laughing a few times~.'

It was amazing.

The fun we had inside there wasn't simply a mix of horror and laughter, but also a lovely mix of joy and masked tension.

"Hehe, it was fun~."

We walked to the other side, to the benches set to the side of the path leading to the academy castle, and sat down with a smile.

Then we looked at one another, in each other's eyes, and broke out laughing once again.

"You're becoming bad with your acting, darling~."

Both of us knew how both of us were trying to hide the fact that we were worried about something that wasn't related to anything we were doing right now.

We knew we were just acting in those moments, that we were simply hiding the fact that a lot of our mind was still stuck on those cultis and what the headmaster might be doing right now.

We surely enjoyed our time alone after the lunch we had with our friends, but that wasn't all there was to this fun evening.

'Going around the various places, helping Med and the others with their work for a little while, checking out allllll the stalls that the students and the teachers had set throughout the garden, and seeing the various attractions, like Sir Quesnel's haunted house.'

We did a lot of things, and while doing all these things, we kept thinking about what might be happening under our feet, in the places that weren't visible even to the divine eyes.

"I'm not becoming bad with anything, dummy. You've just gotten used to me."

"Oh, that's not true now, alright?"

Looking at him with a smirk, a playful smirk, I bit his fluffy cheeks.

"I don't think I'm gonna get used to this chameleon anytime soon."

He had a lot many sides of him that I still hadn't seen.

We knew most of the things about one another, but there were still a few things that he hadn't told me.

And, even forgetting that, there were a lot many sides of him that I don't think I'll get used to anytime soon.

'Like… really.'

Be it his amazing magic, his archery, his other weapon skills, his runes, his knowledge, especially that diversely amazing knowledge that he has.

'He's like a wise sage.' Experience new stories on empiren/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

He knows pretty much everything. And things he doesn't know about, he knows how to connect things that he knows about the things that he doesn't know at that point.

'And yet… he's technically younger than me.'

We had long let go of the fact that there was a big age difference between us. It was quite common in this world anyway so the difference that we have isn't anywhere near the age difference between a few others that we have since just this morning.

Some have an age difference of hundreds of years, while some have an age difference of millennia.

And that too when talking about ages of their own kinds.

'Witches are not common in this world, and same with wizards, but they still exist almost everywhere.'

Elves live for centuries, dwarves also have a big lifespan, and same with some unique species that gain intelligence as they evolve over the passage of winters and springs.

We don't even know how big the 'age' difference between Wali and Albert would be since they had perhaps been around for the longest we know.

"What are you thinking so intensely about?"

"Hmmm?"

We were talking a moment ago, and then I fell into that thought whirlpool.

"Ah, about age differences. I don't really know why people put so much emphasis on it."

"Oh?"

In some normal cultures, the difference in age is attributed to incompatibility of the partners. In some cultures, a large age difference is seen as a negative thing, and some cultures outright reject those who still go beyond the social norms.

Some societies see love between unacceptable individuals as a punishable crime. And that doesn't happen just between human societies.

'No pure elf wants their family members to be with an orc, and no witch wants to see another witch be with someone who couldn't give her all that she needs.'

It's a common thing in this world as well, but still… there are always exceptions to these norms.

And we aren't even one of those exceptions.

"Why suddenly think about age? Oh, do you want to get married that desperately?"

"Hmm? What? Where did that-."

Oh, wait. That's not such a bad thing either.

"I'm ready anytime you want, dear. You're the one who's not ready, not me."

Marriage was also a big thing in many cultures.

Among the witches and some of the elvan societies especially, actually getting married under the traditional ways to someone was considered a bigger event than living together with someone or having children with them.

'Teacher Sapphire even told me how witches from all over the world come to these special occasions if there is one being held to someone that had been accepted by them as an independent individual.'

Until just recently, I didn't even know much about the witches and now I'm thinking about these things… it's funny how it all started with him appearing out of nowhere when I was searching for a simple flower.

"Haaaa… we would do that if that was possible, but let's stick to what we had decided originally.

Many things are deviating from how we wanted recently. At the very least… let's finish this school.

We will have enough time to think about big events like that."

He was saying that, but his eyes were saying something else. Something I didn't dislike at all.

'We can at least do… stuff, you know.'

'We can? What is this 'stuff' you're talking about, Miss?'

'You know what I'm talking about, you're practically screaming it as well.'

'Oh, I've said nothing. I'm not even saying anything right now.'

'And yet I can somehow hear you loud and clear.'

Talking through this eye contact was a fun thing, especially when there's so many people around us.

Especially when, even with all these problems and tension, we are actually enjoying these fun moments.

"Haaa…"

It was evening. A fine evening with people all around us.

Children were playing with their endless energy, their parents and elders were tired so their siblings and others of their families were looking after them, some were eating the last meal of the day, while the couples were chatting happily, sharing what they liked the most about their day.

"What's up? Why the sudden sigh?"

"Well, nothing much, really."

Today was quite eventful.

The last preparation for the festival, the opening ceremony, seeing all these people, showing people how we had created the big planet that was ranked highest among all the twelve masterpieces…

Going around, playing with friends, chatting with the seniors… watching all those powerful people fight against that big monster, helping Eon with his worries, and enjoying all the various things with him.

It was fun. And now that we have reached the end of the first festival of our academic life, it surely wasn't a bad thing.

"It's just…"

-Swiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiish!

We knew there was going to be a firework show by some teachers as well, but we didn't think they would start as soon as it got darker.

"We could have had so much more fun, you know?"

What we experienced today was surely more than what we had prepared for…

'Those cultist bitches being more than what I had expected, their deep plot that went deeper into the academy undergrounds, to this unexpectedly fun time we spent with all these concerns.'

It wasn't a bad experience so I'm not complaining, but… the others around us, all these people enjoying this festival, our friends, even the teachers who were part of this academy had no idea what actually was happening out there.

'It was just the two of us, the President, and Del.'

We didn't really have to do anything this time around since we weren't even involved in this operation directly.

There was no need to do anything for the headmaster, or the others. Yet we were doing it.

'It's ultimately a good thing, but, on the other hand, it hindered the actual fun that we should have been having in this fun festival.'

I'm not saying it wasn't fun or we didn't enjoy it, just that with all these things weighing down on us, it wasn't the same as how the others were experiencing all this.

-Boooom! Pat! Ptptptptptpt… shrrrrrrr~.

The first fireworks exploded in the high sky and following them, the gorgeous show meant for the final act of the festival began.

"Look at them…"

Fireworks were very special for him. Many in our family actually, but for him, they were something much more than just some magical explosions.

They reminded him of various things. Just seeing this look in his eyes, this special look he had when looking at those colourful patterns in the sky, reminded him of his childhood days, his encounter with special beings, and his last moments with the person he cared for the most.

"Aren't they pretty?" He knew we couldn't help what isn't in our hands.

Fate was one of them, and the past is also one of them.

They are beyond anyone's control, so, what has happened to us is simply something inevitable.

We couldn't have been able to control it in the first place.

"You're changing the subject again, mister."

He just smiled at me when I said that, and held my hand.

"We should enjoy them a little longer."

Despite the hectic day, now that he was finally feeling some peace, he didn't want to move anywhere from here.

He just wanted to sit and watch the glowing sky, forgetting all that has gone wrong and right.

"It's peaceful here."

That's all he wanted right now, and I surely didn't mind accompanying him.