Chapter 67 – Reward

Yurasia, who had been wearing an expression full of question marks, suddenly brightened with an exclamation point and primly ran her tongue over her lips.

Yes. Getting ready to moisten her lips before telling a lie.

Good posture.

I moved a little closer to Yurasia and whispered very quietly.

“You don’t need to be so nervous. I happen to be exceptionally good at this sort of thing.”

“G-good at it…? Ex-exceptionally…?”

“Of course.”

“…Y-you’ve done this before?!”

“Naturally.”

Yurasia’s blue eyes trembled as she let out a breathless sigh. That breath carried the scent of toothpaste, suggesting she’d just brushed her teeth, along with her characteristic flowery fragrance.

“…How many times?”

How many times?

How many times have I made up stories like this?

“Well? So many that I’ve never bothered to count. Why would I count something so trivial? It’s nothing special.”

“S-so… so m-many… Nothing sp-special… It’s not your first time? Why?”

With a deeply shocked expression, Yurasia pulled her upper body back.

“…When did you…?”

“Why ask about such things? It’s embarrassing. Anyway, just trust me and it’ll be easy, so don’t worry.”

“Good… heavens…”

Now she stared at me with eyes that were practically brimming with tears.

“…Why are you making that face?”

“My lady. Surely… you haven’t done even… even more serious things than this?”

“Of course. This is nothing.”

“…Huh?”

Her expression was quite peculiar. Like looking at a younger sibling who suddenly became an adult…? No, darker than that. Betrayal…? And a terribly profound sense of betrayal at that.

Yurasia’s gaze turned icy cold. Her eyes were sharp enough to tear someone to shreds if they were blades.

Why is she making that face?

“…With whom?”

I couldn’t talk about my past life, so…

“Alone.”

“Oh my… Alone? That’s a relief? Is it relief? Um, uh…”

After mumbling incoherently for a while, Yurasia squeezed her eyes shut and shrieked.

“You’re, you’re too… too young!”

“Too young for what?”

“That sort of thing… is, um… for adults! It’s not allowed!”

“Is there really any need for such restrictions?”

“Whaaat…?”

Yurasia’s face showed utter confusion again.

“Really? No need… for…?”

Her clear blue eyes spun around wildly, her lips trembled, and she audibly gulped.

“Same gender, but, is this, oh… still, if it’s necessary, is it necessary? This is, um… I’ll… I’ll allow it just this once.”

“Just this once? Nonsense. When it’s necessary, it must be done.”

“…Eek! Th-then do it with me instead! Do it with me!”

“Why bother? This is a special situation so we’re doing it together, but otherwise I’d just do it alone.”

“That kind of… ah… No!! Absolutely not!!”

Now she was pounding on my bed in a frenzy.

What is wrong with her?

Is coordinating our stories for one little lie really such a big deal?

I carefully reviewed our conversation, wondering if we were talking about different things. But no, that couldn’t be. Yurasia isn’t stupid enough to misunderstand the situation so badly, and I clearly communicated my intentions.

So why is she acting like this?

“Have you been drinking?”

“N-no! Hmph… So embarrassing…”

“Then why are you… Ah, never mind.”

Shaking my head, I walked over to get a drink, then grabbed a notebook and pen.

“I’ll write down what you should say to the knights—a slightly embellished version of what happened in the labyrinth. Memorize it well, but don’t recite it word for word. Make it sound natural. Understand?”

“…Labyrinth? Embellished?”

Yurasia’s expression had turned completely vacant.

Throughout my explanation, Yurasia maintained that blank expression. Finally, she let out a dejected sigh and gave me a sideways glance.

“…My lady.”

“Yes?”

“…Nothing.”

With another heavy sigh, she rose from her seat.

“…I just need to say this, right?”

“Yes. This will help you gain some recognition in the Order even after graduation.”

Though I had no intention of letting her graduate and leave me.

“…Okay.”

“Why that expression?”

“Just… nothing.”

Yurasia still seemed disappointed. Why? Had I forgotten something? Was it her birthday? No, that wasn’t it. Yurasia’s birthday is November 28th. Then what could it be?

Perhaps I hadn’t properly acknowledged her achievement of reaching the 5th Tier?

Come to think of it, Arisa and Luna were the same way. If I didn’t acknowledge when they accomplished something, they’d sulk for a week, deliberately causing trouble.

While I don’t think Yurasia is like them, she is still a girl.

Feeling a bit awkward, I scratched my cheek, downed the rest of my drink, and casually asked:

“Is there anything you’d like as a gift?”

“…A gift?”

Yurasia looked at me with a tilt of her head.

“To commemorate reaching the 5th Tier… Although I’m sure you’ll reach even higher tiers eventually, the 5th Tier is considered the limit of human potential, so I thought maybe I should give you something.”

“R-really…?”

“Yes. Should I get you a new necklace? The magic in your old one is gone. I’ll get you a better artifact this time.”

Due to recent events, Yurasia’s necklace—her artifact—had lost its effectiveness.

With Kaloso’s creation magic and Luna’s miracle, we could make a semi-permanent artifact, but for now, we’d have to use disposable artifacts like this.

It was a bit disappointing, but money wasn’t an issue, so it didn’t really matter.

Of course, this time I’d be paying with my own money, not the family’s.

The reward money from clearing the labyrinth.

Since Fabiana and Silina had declined their shares, Yurasia and I received an enormous amount—far too much for a mere 17-year-old.

I’d tried to give my portion to Yurasia as well, but she adamantly refused, so we decided to split it.

So, I had made some rough plans for how to use it.

I would send a letter to my family with the amount I’d spent so far, and use the rest at the academy.

It was enough to live well for at least six months, so I could keep buying macarons for Stella as usual without any worry.

Well, if I bought Yurasia a gift, the amount would decrease a bit, but that was fine.

Yurasia, who had started to get up, sat back down gently on the bed and fell into deep thought.

After a while, she glanced at me.

“Instead of a necklace… hmm…”

She looked at me and spoke quietly.

“When my confinement is lifted… could we go to the capital together? Just the two of us… I’d like to choose a gift with you, my lady.”

“Is that what you want?”

“…Yes!”

Yurasia nodded, her face breaking into a bright smile.

“Alright, let’s do that then.”

“Oh! And let’s go after I return from visiting my family!”

“Ah, it is about time for your visit home.”

Yurasia visits her family home once every two months. Her grandmother and younger sister, these two people live at her family home. I’ve heard her grandmother was once a famous adventurer.

Gold badge, 1-star. In other words, 5th Tier.

She had reached the 5th Tier, which is considered the limit of human potential, but lost her right arm and leg in a battle with a high-ranking magical beast and retired.

Anyway, she’s going to visit her grandmother and her 12-year-old sister.

I haven’t heard anything about her parents. She doesn’t seem to want to talk about them, so I haven’t asked.

“When will you be back?”

“Well, I’ll probably leave after Thursday’s classes, and return next Friday.”

Until now, she’d always come back after three or four days, but this time she’s staying much longer?

I was about to ask why, but I held my tongue.

Yurasia probably wouldn’t explain her reasons, and I didn’t want to make her feel pressured by asking.

But Yurasia seemed to read my thoughts and gave me a curious smile as she moved a little closer.

“Why? Do you want me to come back sooner?”

“…Not really?”

Her cheeks immediately puffed up in disappointment. Yurasia’s emotions are so clearly displayed on her face that it’s entertaining just to watch her.

“…My lady.”

“What?”

“At times like this… please just agree with me, even if it’s a white lie…”

“Hmm… But if I said I wanted you to come back sooner, wouldn’t you feel pressured and hurry back?”

“…Would I?”

“Yes, you would. That’s the kind of person you are. Anyway, take your time. I was just curious why you’re staying longer this time.”

For a moment, Yurasia’s expression darkened. It was a rather heavy expression, unusual for Yurasia, but by now I was familiar with it—she always wore that expression before visiting home.

“…Are you curious?”

“Of course I am.”

I lightly tapped Yurasia’s nose and giggled.

“But I won’t ask about it. And I won’t try to force it out of you. Later, whenever you feel like telling me. That’s when you can share it.”

“But why…?”

Why, indeed? Honestly, I’m not entirely sure myself.

“Because I trust you?”

“…You trust me?”

“Yes.”

The answer came reflexively, without hesitation.

I trust Yurasia. Among people outside my family—Mother, Father, and perhaps Uncle Kerian if I’m being generous—she’s the first outsider I’ve ever placed my trust in.

That’s why I don’t want to force my way in. Trust gained through force will eventually break.

“So there’s no need to feel unnecessarily burdened. If you have troubles you can’t tell others, you can always tell me.”

Yurasia bowed her head deeply and asked in a small voice.

“What if the trouble is extremely difficult, complicated… a problem that seems impossible to solve?”

I couldn’t understand why she was asking this.

If, as Yurasia said, it was an extremely difficult, complicated, and seemingly impossible problem…

Well, for me, perhaps something like defeating the Demon King?

That was a problem I couldn’t resolve now, and perhaps not even in the future, but Yurasia’s troubles wouldn’t be something like that.

Even if they were, as Yurasia had just suggested, I should agree with her right now.

“Tell me anyway. I’ll help you.”

“…What if it’s something even you can’t handle, my lady?”

“Such a thing doesn’t exist in this world.”

“What if everyone in the world turns against us…?”

“Well… that might give me pause for thought.”

Yurasia, who let out a hollow sigh, raised her head. Her face wore an expression as hollow as her sigh.

Nevertheless, I chuckled and flicked Yurasia’s forehead.

“Even then, I’m on your side.”

I couldn’t see Yurasia’s reaction to my words.

A voice from outside the door caught our attention.

“Lady Eliaernes Eustetia.”

A high, gentle voice. The head maid, Mikel.

“A visitor from the Eustetia family has arrived for you.”

“…Yes. I’ll be right out.”

I sighed and rose from my seat.

Outside the window, the orange glow of sunset was streaming in. It was still hours before the knights were scheduled to arrive.

This meant someone else had arrived before them. Yurasia had no reason to be tired so early.

“I’ll call you on the device later. Rest here.”

I gently patted Yurasia’s shoulder and left the room.

I wondered who had come.