I’m waving goodbye when I’m enveloped within a three-dimensional technique formula.
I really missed all of this.

I continue waving to everyone up until my vision is covered by dazzling golden light. That golden light then causes me to close my eyes. By the time it fades, I’m standing in the backyard of my house.

“I’m home.”
I enter through the back door.

“Why do you always come in from the back?”

The door brings me into a small kitchen. There, my kaa-san is preparing a scrumptious New Year’s Eve dinner. That said, with the circumstances of my family, it’s only a hair’s worth more than what we usually have.

“This… is a gift. Because this is a special time, I was allowed to take some. It is delicious water.”

With a suitable boast, I hand the tall jar filled with the drops of the spirit tree to my kaa-san.

“Special water?”
“It isn’t holy water.”

Generally speaking, holy water is water from the temple that is used for exorcising demons. This water, however, is for drinking.

I draw a cup of the drops of the spirit tree for her to drink.

“Just why are you obsessing so much over some water? If you’re going to do that, I wish you’d obsess over your own future.”

While complaining, she takes a sip. Her eyes then pop open and she stares at it.

“Well? Isn’t it tasty?”

She makes a wry smile at my question.

“Yo- you…”
kaa-san drinks the rest in one go.

“Where did you get this? This is the first time I’ve had such delicious water since I was born.”
She looks at me with an expression that mixes astonishment and excitement.

“Ah, everything about this water is an absolute secret. It can’t be shared with the neighbors either. That’s how special it is.”

kaa-san is then convinced that my going into the Dragon Forest everyday isn’t for appearances, just as I’ve been saying.

“You should become a Dragon Forest guide in the future.”
“Ahaha, what kind of job is that?”

The Dragon Forest isn’t a tourist attraction. There is no place to turn to for guidance at the entrance of the forest, nor can the moss covered plaza be shown around.

At my kaa-san’s light comment that can either be taken as a joke or her being serious, I head to my room. It’s time for the great cleaning.

“Looks like we won’t be needing any wine for tonight. I’m certain tou-san will be delighted with that too. Thank you for bringing back something this good.”

With my kaa-san’s gratitude at my back, I rush to start the great cleaning of my room.

The great cleaning comes to a peaceful end by evening. Due to this being before my departure and because my room is small due to us not being an affluent family, there isn’t much inside. Cleaning everything is actually pretty easy.

Upon finishing, I help my kaa-san. I wipe the dinning table and place the food. It’s as I finish that tou-san comes home. He’s been hard at work, even up towards the end of the year.

I wonder if I’ll be as a reliable tou-san[1] to Mistral and Ruiseine once I marry them. I try imagining the future for a bit, but no matter how hard I think, all that comes to mind is me on the ground before Mistral. My shoulders droop as a result.

Speaking of which, I haven’t mentioned a word about Mistral or Ruiseine to my parents. I don’t think this is the time to do so.

Running into love before setting of on a trip should only be done by those with a splendid and secure future like Yuusha Ristia. Of course, there are couples at school, but they are friends who have promised to spend the year together.

However, my circumstances are different from theirs. On the surface, I am a foolish child who lost an important sword the day after it was bought for him inside the dragon forest. He then for some reason started wielding a wooden sword as a substitute in his left hand.

Furthermore, I head into the Dragon Forest everyday to gather firewood and berries. While that is helpful, it isn’t very useful in regard to the future. My classmates, however, are properly looking into the future and are apprenticing themselves as craftsmen or finding employment as store clerks.

I just go to the Dragon Forest every day. Most recently, instead of going to the Dragon Forest, I’ve been going someplace else everyday and returning home in low spirits. I’m really not much different from a worrisome child.

All I’m doing is troubling and worrying my parents. With how I am, there is no way I could introduce Mistral to them. I need to become more splendid. I will introduce her to them once I become a son they can boast of. That’s why I need to push myself hard after this. My goal for next year is to be a splendid person.

We gather as a family and enjoy our final meal of the year.

tou-san, just like kaa-san, is astonished by the deliciousness of the drops of the spirit tree. He requests I bring some home with me everyday from now on, but even with that, doing so is impossible so I refuse.

Next year, I will be separated from my parents on New Year’s Eve. While many become independent after their departures, I have no doubt that some of my classmates will celebrate this special day at their homes again[2].

Now what about me. I plan to marry Mistral and Ruiseine in the future, so of course I will have to leave this house. Speaking of which, where are we all going to live?

Although I won’t be allowed to enter the land of where I was born and raised after setting off, that restriction won’t apply after a year. If it’s like that, we could live in the royal capital. That way, we will be able to see our mothers even after leaving our homes.

Except, Mistral is a Dragon Tribesman. Wouldn’t living like a member of the Human Tribe be an enormous difficulty for her?

I’ve been to a Dragon Tribesmen village on Dragon’s Peak and met with Gild-san. From what I saw, Dragon Tribesmen seem to have a simple life. A glamorous life in the Royal Capital might be a burden to Mistral.

Ah, isn’t this going to require some thinking from now on? Not just me, but we are all going to have to think about it.

While having various thoughts in mind, the remaining time of the year’s final night wears on.

---

T/N: There is actually two more chapter to this arc. The fact that the new year chapter was reached as we reached the new year was a nice coincidence, wouldn’t you say??

~Gandire Alea

[1] tou-san can mean both father and husband
[2] 旅立ちの後そのまま独立する人も多いし、きっと同級生徒の中には特別な日になっている家庭もあるのかもしれない。

<74.1 Unwinding at Home for New Year’s Eve
75.1 The Last Visitor of the Year>