"False reports," Olivia answers curtly.
"Hm?" Rose murmurs.
"They spread fabricated news, claiming they had found the crystal—more precisely, your father," Olivia continues, a faint smile appearing at the end of her words. "They traveled the world, facing trials and obstacles. My father greatly respected your father, Hiro."
I lower my gaze. "So fate finally turns it into reality?" I say.
"Your father is a hero, Hiro. He saved the world," Olivia replies. "If fate made it real for him, why should it not be the same for his child?"
I do not answer. Silence hangs between us.
"Then… will you help us?" Rose asks. "Like Uncle once helped Hiro?"
"That has been my intention from the beginning, Miss," Olivia says. "I did not leave Quenstown because I was uncomfortable. I left to prove the stories my father told me."
"And then?" Rose presses.
"To go as far as possible. To grow strong at an early age. To follow my father's path—if those stories are true."
"Will you come with us, Olivia?" Rose asks.
Olivia shakes her head. "No. But I can help you cross the sea."
"How?" Rose asks.
"Do you know," Olivia says calmly, "that I became one of the magi's operatives? I was assigned here to guard the land routes."
"W-What?!" Rose exclaims.
"As I said, Miss. To prove my father's stories. But fate brought us together at the right time. You have both found an exit."
"How?" I ask.
"Can you ride a horse?"
—
"We're using your horse?" Rose says, startled.
"Yes. You won't be able to enter without a ticket, and obtaining one means waiting in line for over a month," Olivia replies.
"That strict?" Rose mutters.
"That's why Oliver chose not to cross by sea," I say. An image of him standing alone in the night flashes through my mind.
"Exactly. Sea mines," Olivia adds. "Experience does not lie. My father was once your father's navigator—and his musician, Hiro."
I nod. "Don't tell me you're going after your father, Olivia," Rose asks quietly.
"That is how it should be," Olivia answers. "If the story is real, I will go to him. And when that time comes…" She hesitates, then looks at me. "May I one day become your traveling companion, Hiro?"
I shake my head.
"E-Eh? Why?!" Olivia blurts out, shocked.
"No. Not unless Oliver returns with you," I say. "Besides, doesn't Santiago's pigeon need you more?"
"…Right," Olivia replies slowly. She looks around. "Wait—where are they?"
"At the village barrier. The pigeon knows best, Olivia," Rose says.
"The barrier? I'm growing more curious about who is behind all of this," Olivia says.
"One of the Vanguard. The second Vanguard who came after me," I reply.
"I see. That helps," Olivia says, inhaling and exhaling slowly. "I've decided. I will dig deeper for information on that agent. They are one rank above me."
"So… we're parting ways for now?"
"Of course. We will meet again someday—with Oliver by my side," Olivia replies, her face bright with determination.
"And if not?" I ask.
Olivia's expression dims, turning slightly downcast. "Hiro, what are you saying—" Rose does not get to finish.
"Hmph. Of course. I don't get a place beside you. That's fine. That's how it should be," Olivia says, ending with a faint smile.
Rose hugs Olivia. "Take good care of yourself, Olivia."
Olivia nods. "You too, my lady."
I mount the horse. The long conversation makes time slip by quickly—dawn is almost here.
"Ehm, so you're the one riding it, huh?!" Rose says, one hand on her hip.
"Of course. I don't want to risk my life in a foolish accident."
"HUH? ARE YOU SAYING I CAN'T RIDE A HORSE?!" Rose snaps. Olivia chuckles softly beside her.
My body is still warm from the earlier fight. There is nothing wrong with resting for a bit while waiting for the harbor's time. I climb down from the horse. "Fine. Do whatever you want." I get into the carriage.
Rose mounts the horse. "That's better—giving in to a girl."
I close my eyes and do not answer.
"Dawn is close. When you hear the ship's horn, that means it has arrived. You should move ahead of the group," Olivia says as she puts her cloak back on.
"But you said we wouldn't be able to get in without a ticket—then how can we get in?" Rose asks. I flinch slightly, realizing the most important detail never crossed my mind.
Olivia tilts her head, a faint smile on her lips. "That doesn't apply to VVIPs," she says. "And with your faces hidden by cloaks."
Rose half understands. "Ohh, alright, I understand. See you again, Olivia. I can't wait to see you with Oliver by your side," she says, nodding slowly as she waits for what will happen.
Olivia pulls her cloak over her face. "Of course. Just wait. I will return. Until then."
Olivia departs. Even so, I can sense the mixture of emotions within her. I open one eye halfway, watching her for the last time before she moves swiftly and vanishes.
—CLICK.
Rose photographs Hiro, sleeping soundly.
—CLICK, CLICK, CLICK.
Flashes of light sweep across my face again and again. I feel it now. I realize it.
"Ugh."
I open my eyes slowly. "What are you doing? I know exactly what you're doing."
Rose freezes, then slowly hides the camera behind her back. "Nothing. I was just taking pictures of the carriage, heehee."
HWOOOM—the ship's horn cuts through the air from far away.
Rose turns around, grabs the reins, and prepares to head toward the harbor ahead of the others. She looks back at me and smirks. "Ready?!"
I am about to close my eyes, but I fasten the safety belt first.
"HAA!" Rose shouts and cracks the whip—WUSH. The horse surges forward at full speed in an instant. Fortunately, I am secured by the belt. Rose is thrown backward into the carriage, crashing down roughly beside me.
"Hehe, forgive me."