Early morning.
Lydia was notoriously bad with mornings, and she loathed leaving her bed in the winter most of all.
Loath to relinquish the cozy warmth, she usually wouldn't stir until nearly midday. Carla always struggled to rouse her, but today, Lydia was different.
"..."
Her eyes snapped open, fully awake.
Despite the freezing early morning hour, she moved to leave the bed immediately. With Carla already in attendance, she settled into her wheelchair.
When Carla pushed her into the living room, breakfast was already prepared. Normally, Lydia wouldn't bother with a morning meal, but today was different. She had a definitive purpose.
"What time are Ray and the others scheduled to meet?"
"Ten o'clock. I believe we will make it in plenty of time."
"I see."
After finishing her breakfast, she headed to the washroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. Then, she changed into her private clothes. Today, she wore a pair of trousers with a pitch-black coat draped over her shoulders.
"Right. Let's go."
"Yes."
The two set out, Carla pushing the wheelchair.
The snow had accumulated slightly, making the path difficult to navigate, but Lydia used her magic to lightly melt the ground ahead. Just like Ray, she had recently begun to feel less constrained when it came to using magic for her own convenience.
"Shall we set up around here?"
"I believe it would be better to stay a bit further back."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. I understand that you wish to see Ray-sama, but there is no point if you are noticed."
"True enough."
Accepting the advice without complaint, Lydia retreated a little further back.
What were these two doing?
It was, of course, stalking.
According to intel from a certain source, Ray was going out to play with his friends today. If he were simply going out to have fun, Lydia might have let it slide this time. Her concern lay with the group of women surrounding him.
Among them, she was particularly wary of three: Amelia Rose, Rebecca Bradley, and Ariane Algren.
She was already well aware that Amelia and Rebecca harbored feelings for Ray. On top of that, Lydia had noticed that Ariane’s demeanor had changed slightly following the tournament.
That was precisely why she had gone through the trouble of coming out into the cold, but...
"Hmm. What do you think, Carla? About Ray’s social circle."
"I believe he is nurturing very wonderful friendships. However, it seems the approaches from Lady Amelia Rose and Lady Rebecca Bradley have become more aggressive lately."
"Hoh... So those two are indeed the ones to watch out for."
"..."
Carla thought to herself that instead of going through all this trouble, Lydia could just ask Ray herself. She could simply ask him what he thought of those two girls.
However, whenever Carla suggested that, Lydia would snap, "Idiot! I couldn't possibly do that! It's... it's embarrassing..."
While her blushing, age-inappropriate behavior was certainly cute, Carla was starting to feel a sense of guilt about conducting these investigations. Lately, she had been hoping this would all end soon.
As the two of them waited patiently, they happened to run right into Carol.
"Ah! Lydia-chan and Carla-chan! What are you doing in a place like this? ☆ Wait, ah... I see. It's the usual thing, isn't it?"
Carla gave a polite bow, but she actually found Carol's appearance to be a blessing. She had been growing tired of listening to Lydia’s endless discourse regarding Ray.
"Huh? What, you got a problem with it?"
Lydia glared with murderous intent, but of course, Carol didn't flinch.
"Nope! ☆ But I don't think it's right to follow Ray-chan around like that~ ☆"
"W-We don't even know if it's Ray yet!"
Lydia offered a pathetic excuse, but it was completely meaningless.
"Eh. So, it's not him?"
"Ugh... Guh. Gununu..."
Lydia glared with half-closed eyes, but there was no intimidation behind it. In this instance, the victory went entirely to Carol.
"Really, you can't do that, Lydia-chan. Ray-chan is going out to play with his friends, right? It’s not the sort of thing a parent tags along for."
Carol's voice was unusually serious. She held up an index finger and began to lecture Lydia.
"In the first place, wasn't it your wish for Ray-chan to become independent, Lydia-chan? Well, I understood when he first enrolled, but it's already winter and the year is ending, you know? It's starting to get a bit pitiful for Ray-chan. Do you really distrust him that much...?"
"No, that's..."
Carol knew. Lydia wasn't stalking him just because she was curious about his love life. At the very root of it all—she was worried about Ray.
Lydia was the one who had sent him off, wanting him to stand on his own two feet. But precisely because she knew the Ray of the past—because they had lived through that horrific history together—she couldn't help but worry.
No matter how much time passed, Ray remained like a child to Lydia.
"Lydia-chan. Let's go have some tea! Caro-caro will treat you~ ☆"
Looking at Carol's bright, cheerful smile, Lydia thought to herself:
Honestly, I'm no match for Carol...
It had always been like this. Carol seemed like she was just playing around, but she kept a close eye on everyone. Even back in their military days, she had often listened to their comrades' troubles. And every time a brother-in-arms died, she was the one who shed the most tears.
Lydia knew better than anyone that Carol was the most compassionate of them all.
"Fine. I'll let you treat me, then."
With that, Lydia decided to stop her stalking for the day and speak with Carol properly.
They ordered cake sets. Steam rose from the tea, and the sweet aroma of the cake wafted through the air.
"So, are you still worried, Lydia-chan?"
Carol continued to speak in a serious tone. Lydia responded in kind.
"I'm sure I am worried... but more than that, I think..."
She hesitated. It was a feeling, an emotion she had recognized long ago. It wasn't that she was thinking of Ray. It was just a selfish, petty sentiment.
"I think I'm afraid of Ray growing up. I feel like I'm being discarded, like I'm being confronted with the fact that Ray doesn't need me anymore... and I can't help it."
When put into words, she thought it sounded surprisingly underwhelming.
Ah. That's right. Everything until now was just my own selfishness. I knew it...
Looking at Ray as he flew away freely, she wondered if she was no longer needed. That was the true nature of the restlessness Lydia had been feeling.
Hearing this, Carol gently and softly wrapped her hands around Lydia’s.
"It's okay, Lydia-chan. To Ray-chan, you will always be someone he needs. You remember, don't you? What happened when you first met. You really are special, Lydia-chan."
"...Is that so?"
"Yes! I guarantee it. And... isn't it about time you moved forward too, Lydia-chan?"
Carol knew. No, it wasn't just Carol. Abby knew as well.
They knew that Lydia was stagnating. The fact that she lived in a corner of the Kingdom as if in retirement, never daring to move forward, was for that very reason.
But now... the war had come to an end.
Lydia held a certain conviction. She knew she should live on while carrying the weight of her fallen comrades, but she wondered if she herself was worthy of that.
As her comrades died, she alone had survived. Their hopes had been entrusted to her. When the war ended, she had thought: Was I able to accomplish anything? Did I not just lose things pointlessly?
"Hey. Lydia-chan, I have a proposal..."
It was something Carol had been thinking about for a long time. When she shared it, Lydia's eyes widened.
"That's..."
"See? What do you think, Lydia-chan?"
"I suppose..."
Lydia idly gazed at the sky through the window.
Things had changed. The world she thought would never change had transformed completely. She had always thought she would live her life as a sorcerer. She thought she would master the essence of magic and reach its ultimate truth. She believed that by doing so, she would find meaning in her life.
But that wasn't what Lydia needed.
What she needed was—
"I understand. I'll think about it positively."
"Yeah. I'm rooting for you, Lydia-chan."
They both shared a smile.
That was likely how it was. The world shifts, and people, too, cannot remain unchanged.
The time had come for Lydia to move forward, as well.