Variables

We arrived in Destin Village and headed straight to the inn. Seeing the children looking at us with curious eyes, I fervently prayed that my choice wasn’t wrong.

As we entered the inn, the owner, who had been welcoming guests, tilted his head when he saw me.

,Huh? Aren’t you the guest who came before?

,That’s right. I promised I’d be back soon, didn’t I? I came to keep my promise.

At my words, the owner scratched his head, as if wondering if he had said that. In fact, it was just a passing remark from the owner, but I needed a reason to head to Destin Village.

,Heh, I’m old and forgetful. Anyway, welcome back. Our village is small, but it has a river and the air is good, so it’s great for a weekend getaway. Above all, the innkeeper’s cooking skills are amazing, they say!

I responded with a laugh to the owner’s cheeky self-praise. Roel whispered quietly with a slightly dumbfounded expression.

,Was this the promise? I thought it was something serious.

Seeing Roel sighing in relief, I wondered what my image was to Roel.

,Did you think I’d caused some kind of accident?

At those words, Roel flinched and avoided my gaze, making me narrow my eyes and glare, realizing that she really thought so. The quick-witted Ellie intervened.

,But did you really come to this village because of what the owner said? It sounds like something he’d say to any guest, not a promise.

At Ellie’s spot-on remark, I said defensively.

,I just suddenly thought I’d never gone on a trip alone with Hyung-nim, so I made up a reason to come. Well, if someone hadn’t barged in without being asked, that is.

,Ah~ The weather’s really nice….

When I looked at Ellie with a playful gaze, she avoided my eyes and mumbled.

I burst out laughing at the sight of the two guilty parties avoiding my gaze. At my laughter, they glanced at me and grinned, so I gestured for them to eat first.

Perhaps touched by the unexpected return of a guest, the food the owner brought out was the best I could have tasted in a small village.

The smoked wild boar meat, mashed potato salad, and honey-glazed corn were a pretty good combination.

,Should we rent just one room for now?

I asked Roel, who was eating corn, after finishing my meal first.

,Huh? Do we need to rent a room?

,We need to leave our luggage somewhere, and I was actually thinking of staying overnight.

It was Ellie who reacted to my words, who was eating her second ear of corn next to us.

,Y-You’re staying overnight?! You should have told me beforehand!!!

,I didn’t even know you were coming in the first place….

,Still!!!

Roel asked me, tearing off kernels of corn with her front teeth, as I shook my head.

,You didn’t say we were staying overnight today, did you? Do you want to stay in the village longer?

,Now that we’ve come all the way to the village, I thought we could borrow some fishing rods and go fishing together, since there’s a river in front, just like the owner said.

I remembered the setting that Roel’s hobby before coming to the Academy was fishing, so I said that.

Roel reacted even more violently than I had expected, to the point where the corn in her mouth flew out.

,F-Fishing?! I thought you didn’t want to go fishing with me anymore! How many years has it been? Seven years? Eight years?

Seeing Roel’s eyes change to expectant ones in an instant, I nodded, thinking that the novel’s setting was still the same.

And I came to regret this choice.

*

,Wow, Roel Oppa. How many is that already~? You’ve been wiping out the fish in the village since before…. I guess that talent hasn’t died. Oh my, this fish is unique. What is this?

,Ah, this is called a Goblin Fish. It’s not actually related to goblins, but it’s said to look ugly like a goblin….

The quick-witted Ellie took a seat next to her and kept praising her, and Roel, excited, continued the conversation.

On the other hand, I hadn’t had a single bite for an hour next to Roel.

I never thought I’d feel the difference in talent even in fishing, so I felt a little depressed by the sudden surge of inferiority.

I glanced to the side and naturally sighed at the sight of the 18 fish Roel had caught.

So that’s why Ross doesn’t go fishing with Roel.

,Oppa, looks like it’s here again!

,It’s here! It’s here! It’s really biting!

Seeing Roel catch another one without a care, I took out my fishing rod for no reason and checked if the bait was properly attached.

Just in case, I put on new bait and was waiting again when I felt someone glancing at me.

,I guess Ross hasn’t caught one yet….

,Shhh. You can’t say that. It’s fishing etiquette.

I pretended not to hear and looked at the river.

Chwaaaa-!

,Again! Again! This one’s huge!

,This is the feeling! I’m glad I came here. The fish are different from the ones in the village, so the feeling is different?

I glanced over and saw a fish the size of my forearm, but I pretended not to see it and just looked at my fishing rod.

I heard somewhere that fishing is the art of waiting. If I wait patiently….

Chwaaaa-!

,Kyaaak! I caught one! Oppa!

,Nice Ellie! Good job! My advice worked perfectly, right? Fishing is a skill! You can’t just throw bait!

I felt my lips pouting without me realizing it, so I rested my chin on my hand and just looked at my fishing rod.

Chwaaaa-!

,This one’s small, so I’ll let it go. But has Ross still not caught one…?

,Shhh, he’ll catch one soon.

I vowed to never go fishing with Roel again and got up from my seat.

***

After catching a lot of fish, I released them back into the river, except for a few big ones. I gave the borrowed fishing rod and the fish I caught to the owner.

,Oh. You three caught so many. You must have been fishermen!

Ellie answered excitedly to the owner’s smooth talk.

,Nah, we caught even more, but there were too many, so we let them go!

,Really? That’s amazing. I’ll quickly season them with butter and bring them out for dinner. You guys can rest in your room for now.

I made a sullen face, thinking that none of those fish were mine. Roel poked me in the side with her elbow and whispered.

,Do you want to go fishing again later? Night fishing would be fun too.

My cold gaze was the answer. Roel flinched and headed to the room, whistling.

As time passed, we were able to eat decent fish dishes for an early dinner, thanks to the innkeeper’s skills. The taste was quite good with butter and spicy seasoning added.

,It’s late, but should we go back now?

I looked at Roel, puzzled by her sudden words. Wasn’t that the end of the conversation earlier?

,It’s already late. Even if we go back by carriage now, it’ll be dawn, so we’ll have to sleep outside, right? Tomorrow’s a day off, so there’s no need to rush, right?

Roel, who was puzzled by my words, crushed the fish with her fork and said as if she had just remembered.

,I might die if I stay out without saying anything….

Seeing Roel swallow hard as if thinking of someone, I thought of the heroines around Roel and thought it was possible.

Especially Flavia, with her nasty personality, I couldn’t predict what she would do if I not only took her appointment but also stayed out overnight.

,But, now that we’ve come on a trip, and Ellie and I…. We, uh, need a guardian?

When I deliberately brought up the word guardian, Roel’s gloomy face changed to a bright one, as expected.

Was she moved by her younger sibling relying on her? She smiled brightly, as if nothing had happened.

,That’s right. Hyung-nim is with you guys as your guardian today. So staying out overnight is okay… right?

Ellie, who was quick-witted, thought it was an opportunity and hurriedly agreed, as if Roel had regained her reason at the end.

,That’s right! We’re still Academy first-years who don’t know anything! We need a guardian!

Eventually, Roel, who had been persuaded by us, went up to her room for a while and came back a long time later with an exhausted face.

,I, I just contacted them with the crystal ball to say I’m staying out.

I felt a little sorry for Roel’s tired appearance. If it had been normal, she would have had a good time with Flavia tonight.

I took the pre-ordered honey beer and snacks and moved to the window seat where the moonlight was pouring in.

I ate sweet honey beer and jerky, and looked at Destin Village, which was covered in pale moonlight. The vitality of the daytime when the sunlight surrounded the village and the life force that nature and the children exuded had been replaced by the silence and solitude of the moonlight, illuminating the quiet silence with moonlight and starlight.

It was when the second bottle of honey beer was running low that the bell rang, announcing a sudden attack on the village, which had fallen into a deep sleep except for the inn, which used the first floor as a bar.

We were listening to Ellie’s explanation of how hard the magic department’s training was when we heard the bell and exchanged glances.

,Hyung.

Roel, who had already noticed something was wrong, went straight up to his room and brought back his greatsword without answering.

,You guys stay here with the people and wait. I’ll check it out and come back.

,We’ll help too!

When Ellie said that, Roel shook her head.

,No, we need to find out what’s going on first. And I’m your guardian. Of course, ensuring your safety is my priority.

Roel’s voice, which was a little cold, unlike her usual warm voice, was no different from an already complete warrior.

I certainly made the main character well. Just as I was feeling a little proud, someone’s scream was heard from outside.

,Aaaaaak! Orcs! Orcs have appeared!!!

At someone’s scream, Roel hurriedly ran out of the inn. Watching him, I brought a spear and potion from the room just in case and returned to the first floor, where frightened people were gathered.

As planned, Hyung-nim met the Mutant Orc, so the Mutant Orc’s village attack will end today in Roel’s hands.

I sighed in relief that everything was going according to plan and looked around, thinking of being by Ellie’s side. But Ellie was nowhere to be seen.

I hurriedly checked the room, wondering if she had gone up to the room out of anxiety. But Ellie was nowhere to be seen.

,Do you know where the girl who came with me went?

I asked the owner, who was hiding in the corner with a frightened face and holding a kitchen knife, feeling uneasy.

,If you mean the girl…. She followed the guest with the greatsword earlier?

Shit.

Why does my bad feeling always come true?

At the owner’s words, I hurriedly ran out after Ellie without even thinking.