The Banished Former Hero Lives as He Pleases: Volume 2 [Parts 1 to 5] by Shin Kouduki

Author:Shin Kouduki
Language: eng
Format: epub

Allen returned from his bath to discover that the person he had expected to see was nowhere to be found. Though the sun had already set, the flames of the burning fire provided ample light to observe the scene.

“Wait, where’s Riese?” he asked.

“Hm? Oh, she returned to the carriage. She was obviously exhausted,” replied Beatrice.

“Ah, makes sense.”

During dinner too, Riese had spoken little, seeming somewhat sleepy. Allen had headed for his own bath as soon as they finished eating. During that time, she had evidently been completely wiped out.

“I guess she was weirdly on edge all night. That must be it...”

“So you noticed,” said Beatrice.

“Wasn’t hard to tell.” Allen shrugged, sitting down beside the fire.

“Aren’t you going to sleep?” Beatrice remarked with surprise.

“I can’t sleep right after a bath,” he replied, though he knew Beatrice would see through the excuse. He had always slept directly after bathing until then. Still, he wasn’t exactly lying—he really didn’t feel like sleeping just yet.

There the two sat, gazing into the fire, until Beatrice broke the silence. “Big day tomorrow.”

“Yeah. We’re making great speed. We should reach the village by noon, sundown at the latest. I don’t really feel as strongly about all this as you two do, though.”

“Oh, I’m not that much more invested than you. Not compared to Lady Riese, anyway.”

Allen had to agree. “Yeah, I guess that’s true.”

It was clear that Riese’s exhaustion was not the only reason she had little to say during the previous day’s supper. She would sometimes fall silent after receiving some negative premonition. Likely, she had been thinking of the village, or the man they hoped to find there.

Riese had seemed strained for the duration of the journey. Aware of this herself, she had avoided speaking but had likely been deeply concerned ever since she had heard the story about her uncle, which was hardly surprising, given the situation.

“You think she’s regretting coming?” asked Allen.

“I’m sorry.”

“I dunno what you’re apologizing for, but there’s no need. Like I said, I thought this was the perfect chance for me to unwind a little.” Whether that had proven true, he couldn’t really say. While on the surface, he had enjoyed many peaceful days, it was clear Riese wasn’t at peace on the inside. If Allen was the sort to be able to ignore that because it had nothing to do with him, he would have already been enjoying a quiet life for some time now.

“Still as lackadaisical as ever, I see,” Beatrice observed. “And yet when the mood strikes you, you’re far from a good-for-nothing.”

“You’re giving me too much credit. All I want is a quiet life. It just never seems to come to me.”

“I think you said something similar when we first met. You seemed like you were having a rough go of it back then.”

“I guess you weren’t wrong, in a way. Past tense, though. Things were rough for me, way back when.”

“Ugh, you make me feel old. You’re much younger than me,” Beatrice answered with a smile.

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