41 Bonds of Heart and Memory

" …. " think

'...' Speak

(I'm trying a new model. Say it if you prefer this one or the old thx)

____POV Chiyoko____

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"I was right"

I didn't sleep much last night. My head was preoccupied with the scene I made before "sleeping."

Moreover, I asked myself many questions, and all these questions can be summed up in one.

"What are my feelings for Hecate?"

A simple question, but so difficult to answer. All night, I racked my brain. I couldn't find the answer. At least, that's what I thought.

Honestly, I was denying the real answer. I avoided it like the plague. I denied it because I was afraid. Afraid of others' judgment. Even though homosexual relationships are allowed, some hate them. Why? I don't know.

But I can't even imagine if I, the princess of the kingdom of Nitis, have a woman as a partner. A large part of the citizens will be disappointed, even angry because it will be the end of the royal lineage.

I convinced myself that I was not attracted to girls, attracted to Hecate, and I almost succeeded, but Hecate's calm breathing threw me back into the debate.

But at one point, as I was watching Hecate's back, searching for an argument to ignore my feelings, she turned around, and I saw her sleeping face. It was the first time I saw her so calm, relaxed, at peace, and with a small smile that shows she's having a beautiful dream.

This simple view demolished all my weak arguments, and now, I can no longer ignore my feelings. The fact that I am in love with Hecate, the person who has lived through hell but is still standing, ready to fight.

And it's only after I gave up my resistances and embraced my truth that I could finally fall asleep. But it's a shame I had to wake up 2 hours later!

Moreover, it was Hecate who woke me up! As soon as I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was her face! I couldn't even look away from her. She then asked me if she had something on her face, and I blushed like never before.

Luckily, I found a lame excuse, but from her response, I heard that she didn't believe me.

ARRGRGRG!

Why has everything become so complicated! Before, I could interact freely with her, but now, I feel like one wrong step, and I'm doomed.

And the problems are not over. After that scene, which I was again the cause of, we had to break camp and go to the elves' village to return them to where they belong, find information on the nearest town with a guild, and learn how the guild works.

Finally, when I say we had to break camp, Hecate packed up everything while I reassured the girls and convinced them to get into our vehicle.

It wasn't easy. Some were afraid of the vehicle, others had nightmares and refused to move, and all were afraid of Hecate. But in the end, I succeeded. They all agreed to get into the vehicle, and one person even agreed to be our guide.

She said that her village is a 2-day walk away. With the vehicle, I don't know how long it will take. Moreover, I don't know what the terrain is like. Is it muddy, full of trees, or just a beautiful road? Only time will tell.

Finally, there's our guide, but she's not very talkative because she's near Hecate. Personally, I sat right next to Hecate, in the seat. I didn't take the shooter's post for 4 reasons.

The first is who would dare attack us? Hecate scares most creatures, and even if they're not scared, we're too fast for them. And if by great misfortune we get attacked, it will take me less than 2 seconds to get to the post.

The second reason is that I'm too tired to watch the surroundings. I would see things that aren't there, and vice versa.

The third reason is that if I'm not there, our guide will be scared all the time and won't talk.

And the last reason, I'm trying to spend time with Hecate (from time to time, I throw discreet glances at Hecate) and make sure that our guide doesn't try anything on Hecate. Even if she's scared, I'm not taking any risks.

And that's where I am now, throwing discreet glances and serving as an interpreter while fighting fatigue. And for that, I'm very bad at hiding it because Hecate points it out to me.

"Did you sleep well last night?" she asked.

"Sleep well, yes, but not enough," I replied tiredly.

"Why?"

"Too many questions," I retorted.

"What questions?"

"ALERT! Find an excuse, find an excuse! HA, I know!"

"You know, about how my country is doing, how to get it back, how to kill that bastard. That kind of question."

"On these points, I can't help you since you don't like my methods."

"Massacres are not for me, but thanks anyway," I retorted with amusement.

"But I can help you with something."

"With what?"

"With your fatigue. Rest, I'll take care of the rest," she said, looking at me.

"Don't worry and watch the road. I don't want to end up in a tree."

"I insist, rest. You're no use if you're a zombie."

"Nooo, it takes more than that to put me out of service. Moreover, you wouldn't know how to take care of..." I start before Hecate interrupts me.

"Stop pushing yourself, it's not good for your mind and body. Trust me and go to sleep."

"Don't I have a say? Fine, I'll follow your advice, but if we get lost, you owe me something, ok?"

"Fine, go to sleep now."

With that, I turn in the other direction and try to sleep. And since I fell asleep instantly, it shows how tired I am.

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___Time Jump___

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"Chiyoko, wake up," a soft voice said.

"Mmmf 5 more mins," I grumbled, still in my sleep.

"Come on, wake up," repeated the voice.

"Just mmm 5mins."

"Wake up!" this time, the soft and honeyed voice shouted very loudly right next to my ear.

"YES, WHAT?" I woke up with a start.

"We've arrived," said the voice.

Looking in the direction of the voice, I see that the voice belongs to Hecate. Shaking off the remnants of my sleep, I look around. I'm still in the seat next to Hecate, and I don't see the guide. Turning around, I see that all the elves are gone and the door is open. I quickly assume they have all already left.

"What's the village like?" I ask, turning my attention back to Hecate.

"It's more of a hamlet than a village, but it has everything you need to live. If my eyes don't deceive me, there's a forge, a bakery, a church if the sign above the tree and the elves dressed as nuns don't deceive me, and other buildings. It's hard to tell since the buildings are actually holes in the trees," Hecate replies.

"Typical wood elf village. It will be the first time I visit one," I say before getting up and heading towards the exit.

When I'm at the exit of the vehicle, I don't feel Hecate's presence. I turn around with a look that clearly says, "What are you waiting for to come?"

"I don't think it would be wise for me to wander around the village, so close to the inhabitants. You know... with my title."

"Oh... I see... I'll tell you how it goes then."

Before leaving, I take one last look at Hecate, and I can see in her movements (and not in her eyes since she's wearing her usual glasses) that she would have liked to go. With that, I face the village alone.

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___Time Jump___

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This information session displeased me greatly.

"These elves and their damn system!"

Indeed, what displeased me the most is their damn system for guilds. To be part of a guild, you have to show an ID card where your face is clearly visible, and by extension, whether you are an elf or not. You also need an adventurer's diploma, and the courses last 3 years! 3 YEARS for a piece of paper that says you won't get killed on your first missions!

"WE DON'T HAVE 3 YEARS AHEAD OF US! EVEN LESS MAGIC TO TURN INTO ELVES!"

That's why I'm so upset. Our entire adventure and plan are resolved in failure. BEFORE IT EVEN STARTS! And now, I have to go tell Hecate. I'm sure she'll be thrilled with this info!

At least she won't have to stay out of the city alone.

But speaking of her, I don't see her. I entered the vehicle, but she wasn't there. I look around, but no sign of her. Until I hear a noise coming from the roof of the vehicle. And when I look in that direction, I see her, looking at the village.

Without further ado, I jump up and climb onto the vehicle. Once done, I sit right next to her. Out of curiosity, I look in the direction she's looking, and I see the elves we saved being comforted by their families and friends.

"Finally, our journey was not in vain."

Anyway, I still have to tell Hecate the info, and we have to find another plan. But before I can open my mouth, I feel something take my hand. Looking at what it is, I see that it's a hand and that the hand belongs to Hecate. I can also feel, through the strength of her grip, that she is sad.

'Are you okay?' I ask worriedly.

Without a word, she points with her finger at the elves and their families.

'The elves? It's true that it warms the heart to see them so happy,' I say.

'No... this... scene reminds me of my home,' she says between sobs that have become less silent.

'Ah... I... I'm sorry.'

'Wh..Why?'

'I..I don't know. Maybe because I never really paid much attention to your story before you came into my world. Maybe the thought that you miss your parents never crossed my mind,' I reply before we fall into an awkward silence.

'It's not... your fault... I..I never mentioned it before,' she resumes our conversation, saving us from the silence.

'What was your family like? Do you have any siblings?'

'My family is small. Just my father, me, and my grandparents on my deceased mother's side.'

'I'm sorry about your mother.'

'She died in a car accident when I was 6. A foolish driver who couldn't even check if the light was green or red. My life has never been the same since her death. Nor my father's. Originally, we lived in England, but after her death, my father, struggling to cope with the loss of my mother, wanted to move away from the country where he met my mother and where they lived their entire story. That's why we moved to Belgium.'

'That must have been hard. Moving to a new country at such a young age.'

'The hardest part was learning the languages. My father insisted that I learn the three official languages. He said it was the best way to integrate. If that was all, why didn't we move to America? There, at least, we spoke the same language.'

'Why that country, then?'

'Because my grandparents lived there. We could have support there, a roof. Also, the fact that it was easier since we were part of the same continent.'

'I didn't know you had traveled so much. But, if I'm not mistaken, you were in Japan when you were summoned here? In a classroom. So, why?'

'I wanted to discover Japan. I wanted to experience the life of a student in Japan. All those novels, mangas, and anime that I saw made me want to explore that country.'

'With all these travels, how many languages do you speak? You must be a prodigy, right?'

'Five languages. English, my mother tongue, French, Dutch, German, and Japanese. It's just study. I struggled with French, speaking of which.'

With the end of her sentence, we fall back into silence, but this time, it's a comfortable silence. I even realize that I managed to make Hecate stop crying, which lifts my spirits. But the sadness she feels is still there. I can feel it with my hand.

'I want to go home,' she says sadly.

'I promise you, once all this is over, I'll help you get back home,' I reply bravely, but also with a hint of sadness.

'Thank you,' is her last word before we fall back into silence.

'May I make a selfish request?' she resumes with the same voice.

'What is your request?'

'Can we go back to the base?' she asks with the same voice, but this time, with a bit of hope in it.

'Alright.'

'Seriously? And become an adventurer?'

'Impossible. The elf system makes things impossible in reasonable time frames. We'll have to find another way. You know what? So much the better. I also want to go back to the base. Let's go right away if you don't mind.'

'You... you don't want to say goodbye?'

'No need. They have enough to do.'

With that, we jump together out of the vehicle and head back inside. Once all the preparations are made, Hecate leads us to our next destination, our base.

"Today, I learned things about Hecate, I got closer to her, I saw two sides of Hecate that I had never seen before, and I even held her hand. So yes, despite our plan falling through, it was a very good day."

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Hello everyone, I hope you are well. Sorry for the delay. The good news is that I was able to find a lot of inspiration for the future!

I need your help, I need a military demolition vehicle (preferably a tank). I was thinking about an AVRE centurion but they are a bit old. So if you have any ideas, don't hesitate! I also accept ideas on how to improve the AVRE centurion or a tank that doesn't exist in our world (but it still needs to get closer to our technology).

I hope many of you will help me.

On this, see you soon!

PS: I have a lot of work, so there may be delays for the next chapter.