Chapter 79 - Kurune
"Wow! This is the flower field Aldo was talking about!"
As soon as we reached the flower field, Kurune raised an excited voice.
While swaying the brown ponytail tied at the back of her head, Kurune ran toward the flower field.
She had been calm until we reached here, but the moment she saw the flower field, she became like a child. Well, considering the beauty of this flower field, it's no wonder.
With a slight wry smile, I began walking as if to enjoy the colorful scenery spreading before me.
It's now mid-September, a little past summer. In the flower fields of Nordende, blue flowers are starting to appear here and there, and warm colors like red and orange are beginning to fade.
"It's much wider than I imagined! And just like Aldo said, it's really beautiful!"
"Right?"
The scenery I couldn't talk enough about before leaving the Royal Capital is right before my eyes. Seeing Kurune empathize with that scenery just like I did makes me happy.
Looking at Kurune, who was gazing at the flower field with wide eyes and an impressed look, I felt somewhat proud, perhaps because I live in this village.
When I realized those feelings of mine, I thought about how I helplessly love this village and have a sense of attachment to it. Even in the Royal Capital where I spent a long time until now, I didn't have this much attachment.
Kurune, who had looked over the vast flower field, crouched down to observe the flowers blooming at her feet.
"This is amazing. These are tulips, right? I've seen red and yellow ones, but I've never seen a color that looks like a mix of orange and light blue."
"The flowers here change color depending on the season. The colors change day by day, shifting through transitions."
"Which means the colors of the flowers change every day?"
I nodded to Kurune as she looked up at me while asking.
"Heh, when I first heard that story from Aldo, I thought it was a lie, but it was true."
So you didn't believe it at all.
Well, I also doubted it when I first heard it, so it can't be helped.
"Wow, these are roses, right? They're the same green color as the leaves. Somehow, when you think of roses, you have an image of red, so it's confusing when they're a completely different color."
"Yeah, I might understand that. Here, the colors are completely different from general flowers."
For someone who knows general flowers, this sight must be quite surprising. If you showed this kind of sight to a florist in the Royal Capital, they would surely be confused.
While I was thinking about that, Kurune found flowers she knew and observed them one by one. It seems she finds it incredibly interesting that the flowers she knows have colors different from the usual.
If I had known a bit more about ordinary flowers, I might have been able to enjoy it that way too. I want to scold the old me to study flowers more.
However, there's knowledge I've gained since coming to this village. Since I've grown too, I'll show off that knowledge to Kurune and brag a bit.
With such a childish thought, I looked around and found a suitable flower at my feet, so I called out to her.
"Kurune, did you know? This flower called Muninika is edible."
"Eh? You can eat flowers too?"
As expected, Kurune didn't seem to know and gave me a puzzled look.
Having seen the reaction I expected from Kurune, I spoke proudly.
"That's right. You can mix them into salads, eat them with meat, and they can even serve as a substitute for vegetables. If you float them in tea or soup, sweet nectar comes out, making it delicious and looking beautiful too. And apparently, it's good for the skin."
Yes, Flora said roughly the same thing, so it should be correct.
"Heh, that's quite something, but those lines sound totally second-hand. Setting aside the salad and vegetable part, the tea and skin part doesn't sound like Aldo at all."
I expected words of praise from Kurune, but what came back was a cold stare and cold words.
"Ugh, that's right! I learned it from Flora! Is that bad!"
"No, it's not bad, but the sense of incongruity is incredible. A hero called the Dragonslayer bragging about flowers."
When I spoke quickly because I was embarrassed at being seen through so easily, Kurune laughed amusedly.
I understand it doesn't suit me myself, so I'd like her to leave it alone.
When I made a face as if I felt awkward, Kurune gave my sleeve a tug.
What is it? Is she going to laugh more?
"But it's interesting. I want to know more about flowers, so tell me. You liked flowers and studied them a lot, right?"
Hearing those words from Kurune, my feelings of annoyance vanished instantly.
"Yeah, leave it to me!"
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After that, I walked through the flower field with Kurune while conveying my knowledge of flowers.
Well, in the beginning, I could talk about flower knowledge smoothly, but halfway through, Kurune started asking about the language of flowers for each one.
I know the language of flowers for the ones I heard from Flora or the ones used daily, but as expected, I don't know the language of flowers for ones that aren't used much.
Most flowers have more than one meaning in their flower language. I, who had just started learning about flowers, couldn't compete.
Seeing me like that, Kurune laughed happily, saying, "You're under-studied."
It was the moment I thought that next time, I would become able to answer smoothly no matter what was pointed out. At the same time, I was made to realize just how vast Flora's knowledge of flowers was.
After chatting like that, we ate Flora's lunch boxes under a tree in the flower field.
Kurune and I enjoyed them, and now we're taking a leisurely break.
Looking up, I could see the blue sky through the branches and leaves of the tree.
It was clear everywhere, and in the distance, soft-looking white clouds were floating along.
The clouds moved as if representing the slow flow of time.
The wind that blew occasionally was pleasant, passing by as if to deliver the sweet scent of the flowers.
The ponytail of Kurune, who was sitting next to me, swayed gently.
"...It's a truly wonderful place. If it's this, I can understand why Aldo fell in love with this flower field."
"Right?"
I replied proudly to Kurune, who spoke in a quiet manner.
Then, after Kurune answered with a smile and a "Yes," I slowly opened my mouth.
"What do you think of this village, Kurune?"
"It's a very good village. Nature is abundant, the scenery is beautiful, and the food is delicious. Even though it's rural, the clothes are stylish, the villagers are very kind, and they're very nice to even me, who isn't a resident."
"I see."
"The children are energetic and all good kids; it was fun just being with them. It's been a while since I played with magic so enjoyably like that."
The expression on Kurune's face as she laughed while saying that was truly joyful, and I could clearly tell she liked Nordende. That made me happy, and my expression naturally softened.
Then Kurune slowly looked up at the sky and began to speak quietly.
"...You know, I became a teacher at the Magic Academy in the Royal Capital, but it was completely different from what I thought. I just purely wanted to teach magic to children, but noble customs and pride got in the way, and I couldn't even do that properly."
I had guessed from the way Kurune was venting, but as expected, it turned out like that.
The members of the Dragonslayer, who now boast popularity in the Kingdom, possess considerable fame. From the perspective of proud nobles, the sight of commoners being praised must have been very unpleasant. I heard that the power of the nobles weakened after we started being active, and as a reaction to that, they must have been harsh toward Kurune.
While I was thinking about that, Kurune, who had been looking up at the sky, turned a cold stare toward me.
"My boss, who's strict about etiquette, got mad at me every day, and I was questioned by nobles asking where Aldo was."
"...Ahaha. I'm truly sorry about the latter."
Regarding that, I can only give a wry smile because I feel so incredibly sorry.
"Do you really feel sorry? The nobles were asking me persistently every day. My boss even said sarcastic things like, 'You know where he is, don't you?' I even thought about just blowing everything up at one point."
So saying, Kurune poked my cheek repeatedly with her finger.
Ah, she's angry. She's saying the last part like a joke, but I can tell about seventy percent of it is serious.
"Aldo disbanded the party and went to the countryside, and Keel left the country saying he'd travel around various lands. Elliot is getting married to a noble lady, and the men in our group are all heartless, aren't they?"
Kurune's words pierced me, and my chest hurt.
When put like that, I can really see how selfish the men in the party are being.
No, but Kurune proceeded on the path of the Magic Academy herself, so isn't it fine? That crossed my mind, but I understood that saying it would make Kurune's mood worse.
After all, my abrupt actions are influencing everyone the most.
Thinking that, I just kept apologizing to her words of reproach, and Kurune seemed a little satisfied, as she stopped poking my cheek.
"And so? While I was spending my days feeling frustrated like that, I suddenly wondered what the culprit who was making me suffer was doing."
The, the culprit. Well, that's exactly right.
"I wondered if he was spending his time leisurely in the countryside? While imagining various things, I suddenly remembered the time when we were adventurers."
"Is that about the villages we stopped at during quests?"
Suddenly, the image of Kurune happily teaching magic to children crossed my mind.
Every time we stopped at a rural village during our adventurer days, Kurune would show magic to the children or teach magic to children who had the aptitude. She looked so happy that it remains strongly in my memory.
"Yes, that's right. I thought I should just freely teach magic and studies to children, just like I did in the villages we visited as adventurers. What I want to do is enjoyably teach and use magic. In that case, I thought it didn't have to be the Royal Capital. That's why I quit being a teacher at the Magic Academy."
"...I see. Hearing that, I'm convinced."
I had thought that Kurune coming here and saying she'd open a magic classroom was halfway an impulsive idea. However, I now clearly understood that Kurune had something she wanted to do and was trying to do it while being properly aware of it. That made me happy.
"Do you think you can enjoy being a magic teacher here?"
"Yes! I'm certain of it!"
To my question, Kurune answered energetically.
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