Chapter 46 – Toward the Karahan Mountains (2)

For a while, I couldn’t speak as I watched Hephaestus’s reddened face. Noah seemed to be in the same state, just muttering under her breath while awkwardly fiddling with her sword hilt.

“Um… everyone?” Hephaestus finally broke the silence, as if she couldn’t bear it any longer.

“Oh… yes?” I managed to respond.

“I’m sorry if I caused any discomfort. Even though I’m like this… my master is different from me. So please don’t hold any ill will towards her.”

The embarrassment that had painted Hephaestus’s face was now replaced by a wave of gloom.

Is she talking about unrequited love? I wondered.

“Hephaestus, I couldn’t speak earlier because, well… your face was really… pink. That’s what threw me off.” The words tumbled out of my mouth in an attempt to console her. How stupid of me.

“P-Pink… you noticed it too? I wasn’t the only one, huh? Wow… really pink…”

Seeing Noah respond similarly, I thought maybe it wasn’t so bad after all.

“Pink? What do you mean…?” Noah asked, confused.

“Hephaestus, the whole atmosphere around you was pink. It was filling up the entire carriage!” I chuckled.

Hephaestus’s face turned red in an instant. “N-Not that much… heh heh…”

“Regardless of who you are, we don’t dislike you, Hephaestus. Besides, this isn’t uncommon in the Sunrise Empire, right?” I tried to reassure her.

Sure, there might be some stereotypes, but it’s not unheard of. Even now, the empire’s third princess is dating several women.

“Thank… you,” Hephaestus mumbled.

“So… Hephaestus. Is that all about your master’s notable traits?” I asked, trying to get the conversation back on track.

Honestly, I couldn’t remember where we had left off. Thankfully, I had taken notes. Without them, I would have needed to start over from scratch.

“Hmm, yes. I think I’ve told you all of her physical traits.”

“I see. Then, when did you receive this letter… huh? A letter?” I unfolded the paper in my hand. The first thing I noticed was that it mentioned reaching the summit of Karahan.

When I read it earlier, I didn’t give it much thought. But sending a letter from the summit of the Karahan Mountains… how is that even possible?

Unless… they didn’t head for Karahan at all, or… they’ve already been killed, and the letter was sent to lure Hephaestus in.

I looked up cautiously at Hephaestus. She was still staring at me with an innocent expression. She hasn’t realized anything yet. But I should probably tell her, for her own sake.

“Hephaestus, I need you to calm down for a moment and listen.”

“Huh?”

“The letter says your master reached the summit of Karahan, but…” I struggled to find the right words. “Well, logically… it’s impossible to send a letter from the summit of the Karahan Mountains, right?”

“Oh…”

“So… your master might have gone somewhere else, or… sigh… she may already be-“

Just as I was about to say it bluntly, Hephaestus interrupted, “That letter was delivered by a hawk.”

“A… hawk?” I blinked in surprise.

“Huh…? A hawk…?” Noah echoed.

“Yeah, I forgot to mention it, but my master is oddly close to animals. Sometimes, she even talks to them. Anyway, that letter was delivered by her hawk.”

I put my hand to my head, feeling a sudden wave of dizziness. “Close to animals…?”

“Yeah! So, near our forge, there were always animals coming and going. But after she left, none of them came anymore…”

Even if she is close to animals, how could she get a hawk to deliver a letter…?

“Wow… then, did you see rabbits or cats too?” Noah asked, her curiosity piqued.

“Yeah, but the cats were always bothering the rabbits, so Master would scold them.”

“Wait, do cats eat rabbits…?”

“No, it’s just that some of the cats were naughty.”

“I see… she didn’t kill the naughty ones, did she?”

“Of course not, sis. She just chased them off.”

“Right…? Hmm… oh! Did you ever see a unicorn?”

Despite the odd turn of the conversation, Noah began bombarding Hephaestus with curious questions. Though it was an unexpected pause, I decided to wait until Noah’s barrage of questions ended. Watching Hephaestus’s ever-changing expressions as she answered was so cute, I didn’t want to interrupt them.

Besides, seeing them chatter so happily made me feel… relaxed. Hephaestus, despite her sharp features, looked almost comical chatting and laughing with Noah.

When their lively chatter finally began to quiet down, I cautiously spoke up. “All finished?”

“Ah, uh… sorry… um, thanks for waiting, Rubia.” Noah bowed her head apologetically.

She probably still remembers when I told her not to apologize for everything… Honestly, I want to tell her it’s fine, but… She’s too cute like this. I know it’s bad, but… It’s Noah’s fault for being so endearing.

“R-Rubia…?”

“Oh, it’s okay. I enjoyed listening too.”

Hearing my response, Noah’s face turned pale. “Y-You did…? Uh… Rubia enjoyed… hearing about… unicorns making babies…? O-Okay, Rubia. I understand… sort of… ugh…”

Noah trailed off, turning her gaze out the window.

What did she just say…?

“What? Noah, did you just-“

“Oh! Rubia, you liked it? Then let me explain in more detail. So, first, the unicorns-” Hephaestus eagerly leaned in.

“Wait, wait, stop!” I pushed Hephaestus away. “I was… distracted for a moment, so what exactly were you two talking about? Weren’t you just chatting about cute animals?”

“Oh, baby unicorns are really cute! Because-“

As Hephaestus started talking again, Noah covered her ears and curled up.

And what followed… What on earth are they talking about?

“Good heavens…”

“Amazing, right? So then-“

How did this conversation spiral into this mess?

“Hephaestus, please… just stop. Let’s… get back to talking about your master, okay?”

“Yes! Then, I’ll tell you more about the unicorns later during dinner!”

“Please don’t…”

Avoiding Hephaestus’s eager gaze, I tried to steer the conversation back on track. “Ahem, so… the handwriting is definitely your master’s, right?”

“Oh, yes! It’s definitely Master Yuria’s handwriting.” Hephaestus nodded confidently.

Considering how much Hephaestus admired her master… it must be true. Sigh. But I can’t focus with that stupid unicorn story stuck in my head.

“Alright… I was just worried something bad had happened.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I should’ve explained that first, but I took it for granted. I forgot.”

“It’s fine. So, your master definitely reached the summit of Karahan, right?”

“Yes, absolutely. She was on an important mission, after all.”

“A mission?”

“My master is an adventurer.” Hephaestus scratched her cheek, looking away.

“An adventurer…? Not a smith?”

“Yeah… heh heh.”

So Hephaestus is a smith, but… Her master is an adventurer?

“Then why do you call her ‘Master’…?”

“Oh, well… she taught me everything about life, not just work.”

“I see… then who taught you your current skills?”

Hephaestus hesitated for a moment before answering awkwardly. “My… neighbor’s shop.”

“The shop you recommended?”

“Yes… it’s the Crom Forge… I’m sorry. I’m not great with words… I tend to talk about pointless things, like unicorns mating… and forget the important stuff. My master used to scold me a lot for it… sniff.”

With each word, Hephaestus’s body seemed to shrink, and tears welled up in her eyes. At this point… it feels like she’s got some kind of complex.

Considering how much she loves her master, it’s understandable that she’s like this, thinking they might be in danger. Before the tears could start pouring, I needed to offer some comfort.

“It’s alright. Don’t be so down. That’s… part of your charm, Hephaestus.”

“I’m… sorry…”

Before I could respond, Noah suddenly gasped and whispered into Hephaestus’s ear. “Gasp… Hephaestus… Rubia doesn’t like hearing people apologize…!”

“Eep… then…”

The problem is, I can hear everything they’re saying. Watching the two of them glance nervously at me made me let out a deep sigh.

“Sigh… No, never mind. Let’s stop getting sidetracked and wrap this up.”

“Yes!”

“Right…!”

Grabbing my throbbing forehead, I brought the conversation back on track. “So, if your master is an adventurer, what rank are they?”

“Platinum!”

“W-What…?”

“P-Platinum…? Her name is… Yuria… green hair, a druid…?” Noah muttered, seeming surprised by something.

I was shocked to hear the master was a platinum-ranked adventurer. But Noah seemed to be piecing together some information, just like when she thought of Luchi back in Hablon.

Was this also something Noah heard from her master? Ugh, why are there so many people with these masters in their lives?

Hephaestus clearly loves her master. And Noah… even though the feeling is different from Hephaestus’s, she seems fond of her master too.

It’s so frustrating… I wanted to immediately stop Noah from thinking about her master any longer, but I held back. After all, the more information Hephaestus gets, the better it is for her.

But… why should I care? Why am I so irritated about Noah liking her master? This time… and last time… I felt the same weird irritation when Hephaestus was hugging Noah and rubbing her cheek against hers…

Why does that bother me?

Neigh—snort—!

Just as my thoughts began to spin out of control, the carriage gradually came to a stop, and I heard the horses neighing.

“Oh! It looks like we’ve arrived!” Hephaestus excitedly yanked the curtain aside.

I, too, turned my head toward the window and saw the magnificent Karahan Mountains towering over the city of Ursphere.

Then, I slowly turned back. Noah remained seated, gripping her greatsword tightly.

I felt sorry for her. I wanted to take care of her. I wanted to describe every detail of the village, the colors, the atmosphere. But at the same time… Her slightly upturned lips and furrowed eyebrows, as if she were thrilled… were just too cute.

I couldn’t help but smile softly. Hmm… Maybe I’m just protective of her like an older sister would be, and as her only friend, that’s why I feel this strange emotion. Like an older sister wanting to protect her younger sibling.

If a guy came along and made her cry or hurt her, I’d probably kill him without hesitation.

“Rubia, I’m heading to the checkpoint first!” Hephaestus called out.

“Alright. Let’s continue this conversation over dinner.”

“Unicorns-“

“Not that. Please, not that.”

And another thing. If the friend who always spent time with me suddenly started spending time with someone else and hugging them… That would really piss me off too. I went through the trouble of making her smell like me… It’d be annoying if someone else’s scent mixed in.

“Noah, should I hold your hand?”

“Ah… okay…!”

Her soft fingers intertwined with mine. As I savored the feeling of our fingers interlocking, I thought to myself. This isn’t quite… Pink.

“Let’s go down slowly, so you don’t trip.”

“Oh, come on, I can handle this much just fine.”

“Still, just in case.” I switched my grip and slid my hand around Noah’s waist.

“Ah… that tickles…!”

“Hahaha… just bear with it for a bit. Oh, by the way, I heard there’s jelly made from wild raspberries, a specialty of Ursphere.”

“Huh… r-really?”

“Yeah, should we try it?”

“Yes! Absolutely…!”

Yeah. My emotions aren’t pink. They’re much darker. They’re red. A deep red.