The Eve of a Small Battle

Upon being led into the room and passing through the door, Harthis was seated. After exchanging light greetings, the rest of us took our seats.

Honestly, at this point in the situation, there's almost nothing left to ask.

I informed them that we had made contact with what seemed to be part of the enemy main force. The Guild had also infiltrated deeper into the forest and was keeping an eye on that group, though they hadn't identified the command unit yet. It seems common for retired adventurers to become Guild staff, so scouts and messengers must be of high quality.

Currently, it's impossible for us to venture further into the depths of the forest, but the staff are specialized in scouting and messaging, keeping watch. Based on the movement speed of previous groups, they estimate that the enemy force will arrive at tomorrow's operational area around three hours after dawn. Even though they mentioned moving faster through the forest, it's a disorganized group. They expect them to come slowly in clusters of decent size. The movement speed of an inexperienced group is quite slow. While there are uncertainties, someone who has been monitoring them makes this judgment, so it must be fairly accurate.

The arrival of the knight corps and their formation into ranks is expected around midday, which seems certain. They seem to be advancing quite urgently. They've already come within a distance where messengers from the village can frequently travel back and forth. So if we can buy about two hours, things should work out.

There are no major changes to the operation itself; adjustments have only been made based on estimates of when the enemy group and the knight corps will arrive. We went over information sharing again in detail. If we make a mistake here, it could lead to an irreparable situation.

We discussed anticipated issues and worked through solutions. Once we reached a point where things seemed settled, we shook hands and left the Guild.

I walked home, massaging my face with my hand to relax it. I didn't want to go back home feeling tense like that.

I knocked on the door of our house and announced my return. Everyone was already gathered in the living area, and dinner preparations were complete. The table was slightly more elaborate than usual, which was unfortunate since it was meant to prepare for tomorrow's events. I definitely wanted to have a victory celebration.

Despite everything, everyone kept things light-hearted without any somber mood. It turned into a warm mealtime scene.

After eating, I returned to my room, cleaned myself up, and started washing clothes when Riza came into the room.

"At times like this, doing something special might set off a flag," I thought in the corner of my mind.

"You're making that smile look forced," Riza said harshly. Even though I tried to put on a good face, she could read my expression, which meant we'd spent enough time together for her to know me well.

"I don't want to worry the two of you too much," I replied while quickly finishing the laundry. No matter how dire things get, daily life must continue as normal. We have to live our lives even in times of war. After all, I need clean clothes tomorrow.

"Do you think something will happen? You're worried about problems arising?" Riza asked as she wrung out and squeezed the clothes.

"I do think problems will arise. We don't have enough information, and unexpected situations are always possible," I said. While it's comforting to say such things, if something does happen, unexpected events are inevitable.

"The biggest concern is if Riza or Fia get hurt. In that case, there won't be anyone around to cover for us, so I'll prioritize dealing with it immediately. Of course, Riza comes first."

Although others might not have a hierarchy of importance, emotionally, my priorities are clear. Above all else, Riza is the most important to me in this world.

"Thank you for saying that, but listen," Riza said seriously.

"Thinking about loved ones and wanting to protect them is something everyone feels. Hiro, you're carrying the responsibility for everything on your own... That's not right."

People can only do what they're capable of doing. We were all caught up in this together. Wanting to protect loved ones is something everyone feels.

"Riza, I'm sorry if I was being selfish again. Did I think I had to handle everything alone?"

"When we first met, when I proposed marriage, you seemed really confused. But maybe it's because I wanted things to stay that way. We spent time together and had many happy moments. But you always looked like you were in pain, like something was bothering you."

Thinking ahead as a professional is normal. I didn't feel any hardships; I just thought it was part of life.

"Focus on the present. Look at me now, touch me now. Hiro, if you keep going like this, you'll disappear somewhere... That's scary..."

Riza came closer and hugged me.

"Look around you. I'm here, Fia is here, everyone is here. It'll be okay. You'll come back again for sure. So relax."

I blushed at being treated like that by a younger girl. No matter how old I get, I don't understand myself. Did I really pay attention to her feelings when I did things to make her happy? I couldn't say.

Did I think that if I sacrificed myself, as long as Riza was alive, everything would be fine?

Thinking about it now, there were many points where that made sense.

"I love you, Hiro. That's for sure. If we look to the future, let's come back safely together. We're engaged, right? There will be marriage in the future too... children..."

Riza blushed a little.

"So, let's return alive. I'll do my best to protect myself, and so will you. Otherwise, it'll be hard on me..."

Riza looked determined.

"I'm happy that you're kind, but I don't want your kindness to come at your own expense. Let's get hurt together. Let's walk together. That's what I wish for."

Ah. While I was aware of my introverted nature, others might see it as reckless. The difference between dependence and love is unclear. But all I want is for Riza to be happy.

"I'm sorry, Riza. I was wrong. Let's come back together," I said, hugging her tightly.

"Let's explore the world fully. We haven't even been to town yet. Let's see and enjoy many things together."

We held each other in bed, gazing at each other's faces as we rolled around.

"I love you, Riza. Thank you so much," I said.

The lack of coordination was a bit concerning, but such things are trivial. What matters now is the time we spend together.

As night deepened, we talked about the future in bed. We both resolved to survive tomorrow and fell asleep.