After witnessing the consequence of looking into Elise's eyes, Kamito no longer knew what he should do—or say.
Nor did he intend to look at her, even after she had tied the blindfold back over her eyes.
That scene just now had truly shaken him, and fear lingered. Yet inside, he was conflicted, unwilling to simply walk away.
After they tidied the room a little, the two of them moved to an open space to rest.
But the night passed in silence. Elise didn't start another conversation, and neither did Kamito.
And so, both drifted into slumber.
When morning came, the sunlight was already shining on them.
"Elise, are you awake…?"
Kamito opened his eyes and turned toward her side. But the empty room told him only one thing—she was gone.
She had left while he slept.
"…"
"Hm?"
As Kamito started to sit up, something slipped from his body—a small, conspicuous pouch.
"What's this?"
Picking it up, Kamito opened it to find some gold coins and a letter inside.
The number of coins wasn't great, but enough to support him until he reached that old woman's academy.
But the letter…
"To Mr. Kazehaya."
It had to be from Elise, right?
The handwriting was elegant—clearly from a delicate, thoughtful girl.
Kamito carefully opened the envelope and began to read.
First of all, thank you very much, Mr. Kazehaya, for protecting Est and me last night. The money in this pouch is prepared as your payment. I don't know the standard hiring rate, but I believe these coins should be enough.
More than enough!
For just one night, ordinary hirelings would never be paid this much!
I must be a very detestable woman, and with these terrible eyes as well. Surely, Mr. Kazehaya, you no longer wish to see me again, do you?
How could that be?
You're such a kind girl. To avoid harming others, you even blindfolded yourself, choosing to live a life of darkness!
And yet, last night, it was me who killed that man. Such a horrifying thing—all because of me. Who would want to see such a monster again…?
No!
You're not a monster at all!
And that incident wasn't something you chose to do!
Kamito's fingers brushed against the paper. There were faint water stains. He immediately understood.
The girl must have been crying when she wrote this letter.
The thought pierced his heart like needles.
Why?
Why had he stayed silent last night?
He had pushed a pure-hearted girl into such misery!
He read on…
Therefore, please forgive my leaving without goodbye. I also hope, Mr. Kazehaya, that we will never meet again.
But yesterday, I was truly happy. Thank you!
—Elise Holiness
"..."
When he finished reading, Kamito's chest filled with guilt. Without meaning to, he had wounded the girl deeply.
Clutching the letter tightly, he bit his lip.
"That's not true!"
"What do you mean, never meet again!?"
"I… I really like you!"
As he recalled the smile Elise had worn while strolling with him yesterday, Kamito could only imagine how much pain she must be in now.
He could feel her unwillingness toward her tragic fate, her helplessness.
Just like himself, once before!
Raised as an assassin in the Instructional School, taught to kill, to suppress emotion. But Kamito had been lucky enough to escape.
What about Elise?
The more he thought about it, the more he cared!
"I want to help you, Elise!"
Suddenly, Kamito's anguished expression froze as a thought struck him.
"That's right! The Blade Dance Festival!"
"If I can win the championship, then I can make a wish to the Elemental Lord!"
"If it's this wish, then surely it can resolve the problem with Elise's eyes!"
With that thought, Kamito quickly grabbed the pouch and his belongings, running toward the desert.
He wanted to help Elise!
But the endless expanse of desert forced him to a halt. He couldn't determine which direction she had gone. If he wandered blindly, he would only lose himself in the sands.
"Just a little more…"
His clenched fist trembled. Clearly, Kamito was in pain.
But even so, he chose to press on.
After taking several deep breaths, he stared earnestly at the vast desert and shouted loudly:
"Elise!"
"I promised to protect you!"
"I will never go back on my word!"
"I will never give up!"
"I will definitely save you!"
The desert offered no reply. Kamito didn't know if Elise could hear him. But…
His promise would not end here!
The Blade Dance Festival…
Kamito stared at his palm for a long while, then clenched it tightly into a fist.
"I will win the championship!"
...
On the caravan wagon, Elise toyed with the pouch in her hand.
"I left some behind for Kamito. It should be enough for him to reach Areishia Spirit Academy."
Yesterday, when she first met him, she had clearly sensed where Kamito's gaze had been fixed. So, she decided to confiscate his coin pouch as a small punishment.
But now… this counted as returning it, right?
At least a small part of it.
After all, last night's bath, the inn, the food expenses—those had all been paid with Kamito's gold coins.
Beside her, Est was sipping on some drink she had somehow acquired.
The wagon jolted over a stone, and the drink spilled onto her clothes.
"Est, I told you to be careful while drinking!" Elise said helplessly, helping Est wipe the damp fabric. "You were like this earlier too!"
That morning, while Elise was writing the letter, Est had been drinking something as well. With one careless slip, a few drops had fallen onto the letter.
Hopefully the ink wasn't smudged.
If the words had been ruined completely, that would've been a real loss!
But at the time, Kamito had already shown signs of waking. Elise hadn't lingered, leaving only the coins and letter before heading to the appointed caravan.
By the way, the coins to hire this caravan… were also Kamito's.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Elise felt something and turned sharply.
Then, she smiled.
There was no mistaking it—it was Kamito's faith power!
"So, Kamito has already received my letter."
But the emotions within this faith power…
They were a little too strong.
Elise removed her eyepatch, her deep gaze fixed on the distant city, already a small black speck on the horizon.
"So this is what it means to be the protagonist?"
"Perhaps it's better if we never meet again…"