I reincarnated as a losing heroine, the hero’s childhood friend who lost to the main heroine, so I switched jobs to alchemist

Chapter 23: Time spent in my hometown

"Laura, how are you doing?"

Lucas looked at my face with concern.
Since that conversation with Master, the mood inside the house was very heavy, and Lucas, who returned with a basket full of medicinal herbs, sensed it immediately.

As soon as he saw me, his eyes lit up, he was happy to see me again.
I wanted to respond in the same way, but the conversation I had just had with Master was spinning around in my head, and I couldn't get rid of those painful doubts.

"I'm glad to see that you aren't hurt."
"Everyone was worried about you."

He kept talking, saying something to me again and again, but I only nodded in response, finally when I understood what was he saying I answered.

"Eh, uh, no, sorry, I'm a little tired ... That's all."

An excuse that I spoke in a deceptive way, but it was not completely a lie.
Being rocked by the carriage for more than a day was, after all, a physical and mental pain.
On top of that, I can't help but feel a helpless feeling when I think of Elvira situation.

Lucas smiled gently at me.

"I see"

After that, he didn't ask any more and suddenly changed of topic.

"When I heard that a horde of demons had appeared near the city I was surprised."

Surprise... Surprise?!
From the slowness of his voice, probably he didn't want to express his true feelings.

It's true that he was "surprised", but the reason why I'm frustrated is that there's another word to express his emotions more accurately and I can see it in his face.
That expression on his face is something I already knew from long ago.

The worried look on Lucas face relegated Elvira's problem to the corner of my mind, albeit temporarily.
My sweet childhood friend, I have to apologize to you for all of this.

"I'm sorry, I worried you."
"It's not something that Laura has to be sorry about"

Lucas immediately shocked his head.
He's a sweet boy... I really think so.

I was still feeling guilty, but I knew that the corners of my mouth also rose at the sight of my childhood friend's kindness.

"You wrote me a letter but...I-- I'm so relieved to see you face to face today."

I'm not sure what to say... Before I could think about it, he squeezed my left hand.
Then Lucas reasserted his grip several times, as if to check my body temperature.
--That's when I realized.

... Lucas' palm... Just how many blisters have formed there? It's not something that formed yesterday neither ...

"A little while ago, I started training… My uncle at the Weapons Store is teaching me how to fight with a sword. Laura's working hard, so I thought I'd try too... to do as much as I can."

I'm sure, it's not only what he said, from the look of his palm I can tell, he has been practicing for many hours, and that the training is tough.
This boy's smile is different from the soft and cute smile of before, and there's a hint of self-confidence too.
　
Master has a strong sense of humor, but I'm sure she also thinks of Lucas as a younger brother or child, maybe that explain everything, she was worried about him.
I know it's a worry that is not necessary... because he's the "future hero", but the one who is in front of me right now, is also my childhood friend... A thin and inexperienced child, who has to fight against demons.

"Don't overdo it, ok?"
"Is Laura the one saying it? It's a mutual feeling in any case."

Without delay, he responded in a sarcastic way.

I've been vaguely aware of it before, and now it's confirmed, Lucas thinks of me as the kind of person who doesn't realize that was working too hard until end in bed with fever.
... Admittedly, when I was still in the village of Emme learning, some times I focused on my studies so much that I forgot that I need eat.
However, if my childhood friend notices it, it's something I need to have more present next time.

I nodded a little disapprovingly, but held tightly Lucas's hand.

The moment when he let my hand go, it made me feel helpless, worried, and more anxious than before.

*******

Lucas drove me home, where Petra and the others were waiting for me.
Strangely, when they saw him, they started to act nervous and said that they didn't remember that they were going to talk with me about.

As soon as he saw the looks on their faces, Lucas refrained from saying, "Have fun" and walked away.
At that moment, I didn't know what was going on but had already some clues.

I invited Petra and the others into my room and let the talk blossom.
What happened in the village recently...
A new hobby the girls have found.
The boys of the village and who is the handsomest.

They also asked me about the royal city.

There was a moment, however, when the conversation come to an end in an abrupter way.
It was when I remembered about the recent attack to the village of Emme.
From Lucas mouth I learned about it, but he didn't want to tell me the details.
It may have been a consideration to avoid putting unnecessary worries and mental stress on me.
However...

"Um, I heard the other day that a village was attacked... is that true?"

When I mentioned this, Petra, Radmila, and Yulia looked at each other with a somehow subtle expression on their faces.
It was Yulia who responded at last.

"Yeah... But no one was hurt!!"

"Yes, thank goodness... A demon entered the village, wasn't it?"

Once again, I am relieved to hear that no one was injured, but what I want to know is the more detailed part!
Posing more questions, I tried to dig deeper into the topic.

"The old man from the Tool Shop has a field on the edge of the village, doesn't he? Apparently, a demon appeared there."

"Yes, he's my uncle. Because it was so big, my uncle came back to the village in a hurry... he didn't even approach it, but for some reason, the demon chased him back to the village."

"It's so big!! I've never seen something like that before. It was about two sizes bigger than the usual beasts that roam for the woods."

Petra took over Yulia's words and Radmila added at the end.
From their words, I imagine what it was like then.... The sight must have been very frightening.

There are no Knights here, no sorcerers either.
Adults are used to fighting demons to a certain extent, but the creature they faced this time was of a size that nobody had never seen before.

The people of the village must have been terrified by such a monster.
Among them, of course, would be Lucas.

"I honestly feel like I was already dead when I saw how easily it crossed the magic barrier that was supposed to protect the entrance to the village."

Petra laughed forcefully.
No one was hurt, but they don't want to talk over it... A chill ran through my chest.

"So, Lucas...?"

"Oh, yeah!　His left eye sparkled... and it was unbelievable!"

"The men fought it and weak it in their own way, though. But in the end, Lucas... you know... with his "magical powers" defeated it. "

Radmila eyes were wide open, perhaps because of her natural meekness, but Yulia was nervous.
Even though it was a force that protected them, she seemed to be bewildered and nearly scared of Lucas power.

What is the power of the brave of Lucas?
That's something "I" don't know for sure either.
However, in this world, there is a legend that when a demon king awakens, a young man is born with the power of light to defeat it.

--I've heard of it in my previous life, though. ... Never heard something similar in this life, though.

A young man with the power of light, that is Lucas.
In a sense, he may be a messenger of the heavens.

"I see... I'm really glad everyone is okay."

With those words of mine at the end, the subject was cut off.
After that, the topic of conversation returned to a friendly chat.

We had a good and long talk, so good that I lost track of time, it was faintly dark outside before we noticed.

With a sense of regret, Petra and the others left before dark arrives.
As we said goodbye, I told them I would be back soon, and they nodded their heads.

That night, the three of us, my parents and me, enjoyed a memorable dinner.

Both my mother and father listened to my stories with a gentle smile.
Sometimes we raised our voices laughing.
But suddenly, however, there was a topic where their smiles broke down.

"Laura, if there's something you don't want to do... It's ok, you don't have to!"

"That's right, you can always come back home."

The eyes of my parents were unable to smile as said this to me.

As a parent, you're always worried about your child... They must be conflicted about letting their precious daughter to go to live in the Royal City alone.

- We want you to come home, we want you to be with us, where you're safe. - Their eyes looked like they were begging.
However.

"Yes, I know. Thanks."

I laughed, pretending not to notice it, thanks to their support I was able to do all I was capable of until now.
But I need to do this, for my sake and theirs, it is unlikely that I'll accomplish my goal staying in this village.
On the contrary, in a near future, I may have to visit all over the world...

In my mind, I apologized to my parents.
I thought about mentioning it, but if I did, my parents, especially my mother, would start crying.
My mother's eyes were already weeping.

I'm sorry, but I've got a new goal.

While I enjoy seeing them again and converse happily with them, Elvira's suffering is still painfully present in my head.

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