Chapter 22 : Chapter 22
Chapter 22: Preparing to Set Out, Each to Their Own Path
Time passed swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, two months had gone by.
Although summer had not yet ended, the time for parting had already arrived.
Today was the day Fina would leave Lute Town for the Mage Academy.
Because the Mage Academy was a great distance from Lute Town, Fina had to depart in advance.
Originally, Ryan had suggested that Fina first travel to the nearest large city to Lute Town, then use a teleportation magic circle there to go directly to the Mage Academy. That would have saved quite a bit of time.
But his suggestion had been rejected.
The reason was simple: using a teleportation magic circle even once cost a great many Gold Coins.
Although Fina had earned quite a lot of money over the years, it was only enough to cover her tuition and living expenses for four years.
The cost of using a teleportation magic circle once was beyond what she could afford.
So she chose the most cost-effective method of travel instead: a carriage.
Ryan had wanted to pay for her, but Fina firmly refused to let him spend the money.
According to Fina, Ryan would need money even more than she did once he began traveling and going on adventures alone.
And besides, if she stayed with Ryan any longer, she might no longer be able to bear leaving him.
So it was better to depart sooner.
After learning her reasons, Ryan did not say much. Before Fina left, he simply exchanged 100,000 Desert Eagle bullets from the System.
Considering how heavy those bullets were, Ryan also asked Mr. Mark to buy a spatial backpack from town.
This kind of backpack was made by Mages with the space attribute.
A spatial backpack with a capacity of ten cubic meters sold for 100 Gold Coins.
For ordinary people, it was an extremely extravagant item.
But for Ryan, it was nothing at all.
Ryan bought not only one for Fina, but one for himself as well.
Inside Fina’s spatial backpack were not only the Desert Eagle bullets he had prepared for her in advance, but also all of her luggage.
Ten cubic meters might not sound like much, but its actual capacity was enormous. Holding all of Fina’s belongings was effortless.
“Ryan, thank you. I’ll make good use of it.”
“There’s no need to conserve the bullets. Use as many as you want. When you go on break, I’ll come see you, and I can replenish your bullets then.”
Ryan waved his hand, telling Fina not to be frugal with them.
Many of the townspeople already knew that Fina was going to the Mage Academy.
Although everyone was reluctant to see her go, they all knew it was a good thing for her.
Today was the day of Fina’s departure, and many people had come to see her off.
“Fina, good child, study hard once you get to the Mage Academy. You have to become a famous Mage in the future!”
“Waaah, Fina, take care of yourself!”
“Ughhh! Fina, if you leave, how am I supposed to go on living?!”
Everyone: “......”
The crowd looked at the man wailing at the top of his lungs and instantly fell speechless.
The originally sorrowful atmosphere was broken at once.
This man was the son of the owner of the town inn.
From the first moment he saw Fina, he had fallen for her and begun pursuing her.
But Fina had never given him a pleasant look.
“Uh...”
Fina froze for a moment, then said, “Even if I stayed in town, I still would never accept you. Look at this.”
As she spoke, she raised her left hand and displayed the ring Ryan had given her.
“This is...?”
“That’s right. This is an engagement ring. Ryan and I are already engaged. Once I graduate from the Mage Academy, we’re getting married!”
Fina did not leave him even the slightest hope. She severed his lingering fantasies on the spot.
“Ahhhh!!!”
Heartbroken, he ran away.
Only then did everyone realize that Ryan and Fina were already engaged.
Immediately afterward, they all offered the couple their congratulations.
Ryan and Fina were both children they had watched grow up.
To them, the two of them were a perfect match.
Before long, the carriage arrived.
Fina climbed aboard, pulled aside the curtain, and waved goodbye to everyone.
“Thank you all for coming to see me off! Ryan, remember to come visit me!”
Tears glistened in Fina’s reddened eyes as she waved both hands.
Ryan also felt a pang of sorrow in his heart, but his pride as a man would not allow him to cry.
Then he noticed that Aunt Kaya was already in tears.
In truth, Kaya had already seen many children from the Orphanage off in the past.
But most of those children had remained in the town.
Even the one who had gone farthest away was only in the neighboring town.
Visiting them had always been easy.
But now that Fina was leaving, no one knew when they would see her again.
In the end, Aunt Kaya was an emotional woman.
She had endured it until now, and only after Fina had boarded the carriage did the tears finally begin to fall.
Kaya had watched Fina grow up since childhood.
Over the years, she had not only taken care of Fina’s daily life, but had also served as her magic teacher.
How could Kaya possibly not be heartbroken over Fina’s departure?
But Kaya knew that Fina had an endless future ahead of her and should not, like herself, spend her whole life wasting away in this small town.
She had merely held back her tears before, afraid that she would affect Fina.
Now that Fina had gone far away, Kaya could no longer hold it in and covered her mouth as she wept.
Soon, the carriage vanished from sight.
The townspeople gradually returned to town.
Ryan followed Kaya back to the Orphanage as well.
Now that Fina had already left, Ryan also planned to leave Lute Town.
After returning to the Orphanage, Ryan silently packed his luggage.
In truth, he did not have much to bring. A few clothes and some dried rations were all placed inside his spatial backpack.
Afterward, he went to Kaya’s office.
“Aunt Kaya.”
“Ryan, have you already finished packing your luggage?”
“Yes, I’ve finished.”
“How fast. You’ve both already grown into adults. I still remember when you and Fina first arrived at the Orphanage. You were only infants then.”
“Yes. Thank you for raising us all these years.”
“When are you leaving?”
“Tomorrow morning.”
“So soon?”
“Yes. I don’t like parting scenes, so sooner is better. Besides, I’m only going traveling. Once I grow tired from my travels, I’ll come back to visit you.”
“Hehe, you said that yourself. I’ll be waiting.”
“No problem.”
“All right, then. I won’t say anything unnecessary. I wish you a bright future ahead.”
“Thank you.”
Ryan bowed, then turned and left.
Back in his room, Ryan looked around.
This was the room he had lived in for more than ten years. Now that he was suddenly about to leave it, he felt a little reluctant to part with it.
But only a moment later, Ryan adjusted himself.
All of the reluctance in his heart transformed into anticipation for the future.
Eighteen years after transmigrating into this world, he could finally leave the starting town and see the world for himself.
Ryan’s heart was filled with excitement.
He tossed and turned in bed, and only after an unknown length of time did he finally fall into a deep sleep.
The night passed without incident.
At dawn the next morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Ryan woke up.
Today was the day he would leave.
He had already said goodbye to Kaya yesterday.
He had also taken leave of the others in advance.
Ryan slung the spatial backpack over his shoulders, walked out of his room, and came to the entrance of the Orphanage.
“Uh...”
The moment he pushed open the door, Ryan discovered that many people were standing outside.
Not only was Aunt Kaya there, even Mark had come as well.
“Uh... Aunt Kaya, Mr. Mark, why are you all here?”
“Haha, today is the day you’re leaving town, Ryan. How could I possibly not come see you off?”
Mark laughed heartily, then walked over to Ryan and patted him on the shoulder.
“Ryan, I watched you grow up. You’re just like one of my own children. Now that you’re about to travel far away, of course I had to come see you off.”
Kaya said this with a smile.
“That’s right, Ryan. You protected the town twice. You’re the hero of the town, so we came to send you off.”
“Exactly, Ryan. No matter where you go, never forget that Lute Town is your home.”
“Ryan, if someday life outside makes you unhappy, or you can’t make it anymore, then come back. Lute Town will always be your home!”
“We’ll always be your family!”
“......”
The townspeople had come of their own accord to see Ryan off.
Many of them had personally lived through the Beastfolk attack.
They all understood that if Ryan and Fina had not killed most of the Beastfolk, many of them would not have survived that battle.
In other words, Ryan and Fina were their saviors.
Now that Ryan was leaving, they naturally had to come bid him farewell.
“Everyone...”
Ryan’s eyes stung.
He took a deep breath and raised his head to look at the sky.
For some reason, today’s sunlight seemed especially harsh, making his eyes feel damp.
“I... I’ll never forget all of you. I’ll never forget Lute Town!”
Ryan said in a choked voice.
Then he turned and left.
He was afraid that if he did not leave now, he would no longer be able to make himself go.
Before long, the carriage Ryan was riding disappeared from everyone’s sight.
The townspeople gradually returned to their homes.
“Madam Kaya, are you still worried about Ryan?”
Mark asked.
“No, it isn’t worry. Rather, of all the children from the Orphanage, Ryan is the one who puts me most at ease. I have never worried about his future. That child has been exceptionally clever since he was young. I believe that even in another place, Ryan will still be able to carve out a future for himself through his own abilities.”
“I’m simply feeling a little sentimental. After all, I watched them all grow up from childhood. Now that they’ve suddenly left, I feel as though there’s an empty space in my heart.”
Kaya spoke softly.
“As you said, Madam Kaya, Ryan is also the cleverest child I’ve ever met. At the very least, when I was ten years old, I was still playing in the mud with my friends, while Ryan had already started making goods to sell.”
Mark praised him sincerely.
“If Madam Kaya would allow it, how about we have a drink together tonight?”
“Forget it, Mark. After all these years, is your heart still set on me? You know very well that I can’t forget him. You should give up.”
Kaya shook her head.
“Sigh, after all these years, I thought I might be able to make you forget him, but I never expected that you still hadn’t. My family has sent word, telling me to marry as soon as possible. At my age, the fact that I still have no heirs has made those old men in my family very dissatisfied.”
Mark said with a bitter smile.
“Really? Then let me congratulate you on your upcoming marriage in advance.”
Kaya said with a smile.
“Sigh, you really are...”
After saying that, Kaya turned and returned to the Orphanage.
Mark looked at Kaya’s retreating figure and shook his head helplessly.
After all these years, it was time for him to let go as well.
Then he turned and left.
Everyone had their own road to walk, and everyone had a bright future ahead.