"That person?"Before Eyjafjalla could respond, Steiner had already caught onto something in Revy's words."That person… was he a colleague of yours, Mr. Revy?"
"...Sort of. But he's already dead."Revy's gaze dimmed briefly, but then he spoke as if nothing had happened."Strictly speaking, when I met him, I wasn't a Catastrophe Messenger yet. But after his death, I more or less inherited his role."
"He could be considered the predecessor of The Prophet himself!" Steiner exclaimed in awe."Such a hidden story, and we knew nothing of it—what a pity! May I ask, Mr. Revy, could you share his name?"
"Sometimes, mystery itself is a virtue."Revy dodged the question, then squinted slightly."Secrets are like a thin sheet of paper on a window—poke through it, and the beauty's gone."
"Right, right, I was being too nosy."Steiner shook his head."Since Mr. Revy is unwilling to say more, I shall not press further."
Revy smiled, not saying more. It was Eyjafjalla, instead, who gave a small yawn as she listened to their conversation.
"...Looks like I'll have to wait until next time to catch up with my niece."Understanding the situation, Steiner tactfully decided not to overstay his welcome. He picked up his hat and stood up.
"Well then, we won't see you off."Revy gently tugged Eyjafjalla's small hand before she could speak and subtly added,"It's quite late. Please be careful on your way back, Mr. Steiner… Just a few days ago, I heard there were some bandits from the wild sneaking into the mobile city."
Steiner was briefly taken aback, then laughed."No need to worry—I can handle myself. Don't underestimate me just because I'm a researcher."
As if remembering something, the middle-aged Caprini man's smile faded. He lowered his voice."—Volcano research is extremely dangerous. Mr. Revy, please take good care of Adele. Do not let her follow in her parents' footsteps."
Revy glanced at Steiner, his piercing gaze sending a chill down the latter's spine."Heh… Let's wait and see."
— Scene Break —
Back in the room, Revy spent nearly an hour trying—and failing—to coax Eyjafjalla into going to bed.
Perhaps it was because she had seen an old friend, or maybe she was just too excited about her research. The little sheep couldn't calm down, so Revy had no choice but to keep chatting with her.
"About earlier… I'm sorry about what happened with Uncle Steiner."Eyjafjalla began by apologizing."Uncle Steiner's not a bad person… Actually, he was a good friend of my parents. Maybe he just came to check on me—after all, I never told him when I left for Rhodes Island after getting infected."
"Understandable. He's an elder—checking in on a younger one is only natural." Revy said coolly."I have no bias against Mr. Steiner. I was just doing my job as a bodyguard."
"Whew."Eyjafjalla visibly relaxed."That's a relief. I was worried you might have misunderstood Uncle Steiner."
"You really think I'm that petty?"Revy shook his head."I don't judge people based on bias or misunderstandings."
After a moment of silence, Eyjafjalla spoke again.
"Speaking of which… you heard it earlier, right? My name."
"Adele, right? Yeah, I heard it. And I also heard your parents' last names—just not sure which one you took."
"Naumann. My full name is Adele Naumann—I took my mother's surname."A glimmer lit up in her eyes."Senpai, in private… I mean, just between us, is it okay if you call me by my name directly?"
"Of course, Adele." Revy smiled."It's a beautiful name. I like it very much."
"L-Like!"Eyjafjalla's joy was plain to see."Senpai likes it? That's great!"
"Listen to you."Revy reached out to pat the little sheep's head. She squinted contentedly as if basking in the affection."If I didn't like it, what then? Change your name?"
"Ehehe."Eyjafjalla said nothing more—maybe playing dumb, or maybe just happily enjoying this rare moment of affection from her senpai.
(As I thought… it's hard to bring it up.)Watching the blissful expression on the girl's face, Revy let out a silent sigh.
For Eyjafjalla, happiness was such a simple thing.Being able to do the research she loved, reminiscing with old friends about her parents, or just spending a little free time with her admired senpai—That was already more than enough.
Precisely because of that, Revy found it hard to speak—to reveal the cruel truth behind everything.
(Fortunately, I'm the one who solves problems.)Without a sound, Revy slipped a hand behind his back, reaching under the seat to pluck out a small "box," then closed it in his palm.
(I was wondering why he suddenly came to visit… What a clumsy little trick.)With a cold smile, Revy clenched his hand tightly. When he opened it again, only warm ashes remained in his palm.