Unexpected Outing (3)

Grainstone Village.

Having ridden for two hours north from Blackwood Territory and arrived at our destination, I turned my head to Ethan, who was seated behind me, and spoke.

“We’ve… ugh, arrived… Young Master Ethan…”

“……Mm.”

Ethan met my gaze for a moment, then subtly blushed and turned his head away.

Considering what had happened on horseback during the journey here, his reaction was perfectly understandable.

Ethan’s hands had repeatedly brushed or gripped my chest throughout the ride from Blackwood Territory to here, causing the atmosphere to turn awkward more than once or twice, even in the middle of our gallop.

Well, it was an unavoidable phenomenon due to the situation where I was riding and Ethan was holding on behind me.

Firstly, a horse itself is a mode of transport that requires one to move their waist in sync with the horse’s movements, and Ethan, unlike me, didn’t seem very accustomed to the sensation of moving like that.

In that process, his entire body would jolt, and his hands would inevitably slide upwards from my waist.

And from the start, Lillith’s chest itself, due to its size, tended to shake a bit excessively during vigorous movements, so in that process, my chest would often brush against Ethan’s hands as he held onto my waist.

Moreover, perhaps because my chest had also shaken a bit too much throughout the ride, I felt a strange throbbing sensation around my chest area.

‘Should I wrap it with something like a compression cloth?’

Last year, when I learned horsemanship from Dietmeyer, I changed into riding attire before mounting the horse, so I didn’t experience this feeling.

It seemed like a mistake to have mounted the horse in my Maid Uniform, just because I wanted to depart quickly.

I didn’t know it would hurt this much.

‘…When we return to Blackwood Territory, should I just ask Ethan to hold on with his hands?’

He had already touched me several times on the way here, regardless of either of our intentions.

If it’s going to get awkward just from being touched anyway, wouldn’t it be better to just tell Ethan to hold onto my chest from the start?

I wouldn’t be bouncing up and down as much due to the riding, so it would hurt relatively less than now, and Ethan would also be able to stabilize his body much more securely than by holding my waist….

‘No, no. What kind of crazy thought is this right now?’

I shook my head, quickly shaking off the insane thought that had momentarily popped into my mind.

No matter how much it hurt from shaking, how could I possibly utter such a crazy request to Ethan, asking him to hold me throughout the entire ride?

Lately, for some reason, whenever it concerns Ethan, I feel like my senses become lax. I need to pull myself together.

Even if Ethan had touched my chest over a dozen times, asking him to touch me first was a completely different matter.

Why would I, of all people, make such a suggestion first? If I did, Ethan would truly think I was some kind of sex-crazed, frustrated woman.

As soon as I dismounted, I briefly hugged my throbbing chest, lost in useless worries, when Ethan, subtly observing my expression, cautiously spoke to me.

“…Um, Lillith?”

“Yes, Young Master Ethan.”

“…Are you perhaps angry?”

“Pardon?”

“I was wondering if you were angry because I kept touching your chest during the ride…”

Seriously, he’s still being so considerate about things like this.

As I told him when we departed, there was no particular reason for me to be angry with Ethan over this level of contact.

From the moment I suggested we ride the horse together, I should have been prepared for my chest to be touched during the ride.

Of course, I hadn’t anticipated it would happen this frequently.

…I didn’t think I rode the horse roughly, though.

“No, as I told you when we departed from Blackwood Mansion, it’s nothing, Young Master Ethan.”

“…Really?”

“Yes. And you didn’t intentionally touch me, did you? It was an unavoidable accident that happens during horseback riding.”

“Th-that’s… true…”

“Of course, if by any chance, Young Master Ethan had taken advantage of my defenseless state to satisfy his lewd desires, I would naturally have despised you.”

“Uh, uh…?!”

“I don’t like cowardly people who sexually harass and satisfy their desires as if they’ve found a weakness, especially when a woman cannot move or resist. Of course, I know that Young Master Ethan is not such a person, so I naturally believe your words that your hand touched me due to an unavoidable accident.”

“……”

“So, where is the blacksmith’s shop in Grainstone Village that Young Master Ethan mentioned? I recall you visited it last year with Master Harold, but it’s my first time here…”

“Ah, yes… Follow me this way…”

“……?”

Ethan, looking subtly dejected, walked ahead of me, guiding the way through Grainstone Village.

‘I’m trash… Trash who took advantage of Lillith’s weakness and only satisfied my own desires…’

Following Ethan, who was timidly muttering something incomprehensible to himself, Jeraon and I entered the village.

…I don’t know why Ethan’s emotions are so topsy-turvy today.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

The atmosphere of Grainstone Village, which I entered with Ethan, was subtly strange for some reason.

I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but it felt subtly gloomy, as if the entire village lacked vitality.

Firstly, even though it was still midday, there didn’t seem to be many people walking outside their homes, and the few people I did see clearly had a subtle weariness etched onto their faces.

As if they had dark circles under their eyes, just like Ethan when his sleeping place changed.

‘Could Ethan’s sudden dejection upon arriving in the village also be related to this?’

Furthermore, it wasn’t just the people; even the livestock didn’t seem particularly lively, and for some reason, even the neighborhood dogs looked utterly exhausted.

‘Whinny…’

“…Jeraon?”

For some reason, Jeraon, who was being led by me with the reins, also suddenly began to slow his pace shortly after entering this village.

Given that it’s affecting Ethan, an outsider, and Jeraon, an outside horse, it seems there might be some kind of problem with the village itself.

In an atmosphere so heavy and draining, like arriving in a village of graduate students, Ethan’s steps continued forward, cutting through the village.

Sensing something suspicious, I quietly called out Ethan’s name from behind him as he walked ahead.

“Young Master Ethan.”

‘I only wanted Lillith to see me as a man… But I did such a trashy thing…’

“Young Master Ethan!”

“Ah, huh?! Li-Lillith?!”

“I have something to say, would you mind lending me your ear for a moment?”

“S-something to say?! N-now?!”

“…? Yes.”

Was merely having something to say really cause for such a surprised reaction?

For some reason, it was a moment of brief doubt at Ethan’s sudden fear of my words.

Still, thinking I couldn’t just overlook the strange atmosphere of this village, I decided to convey what I had noticed to him.

‘I-I’m sorry, Lillith…! Actually, back on the horse…’

‘This village. Doesn’t something feel strange about it, Young Master Ethan?’

‘……Huh?’

‘Pardon?’

What was that? Ethan seemed to have said something concerning just now.

‘Ah, the, the village? You mean the village is strange?’

‘Young Master Ethan, could you please tell me what the meaning of your apology just now was…?’

‘…Yes, it’s definitely strange. For some reason, all the villagers seem to lack vitality. Not just the people, but the animals too.’

‘……Yes, that’s right.’

As Ethan’s exclusive maid, I couldn’t interrupt him twice when he was deliberately changing the subject.

I cleanly forgot the question that had popped into my head and, for now, continued a quiet conversation with Ethan at close range.

‘By any chance, was the atmosphere like this when you visited with Master Harold last year?’

‘…No. It wasn’t like this then. It was a bit more lively, and the people seemed full of energy.’

‘Then this atmosphere…?’

‘Now that I listen to Lillith and observe, it’s certainly a bit strange. I don’t know the cause, though…’

Well, typically, people in small villages not belonging to any particular territory tend to be bright and warm-hearted.

Unlike cities where you can get everything you need without even knowing who lives next door, in small villages like this, you ultimately need to know everyone well to acquire necessary resources.

In that sense, the current atmosphere of Grainstone Village felt too alien, no matter how I thought about it.

Both Ethan and I, with questions still lingering in our minds, decided to head to the blacksmith’s shop run by the Half-Dwarf for now.

‘Let’s go to the blacksmith’s shop first, Lillith. Our purpose for coming here today is to get your dagger fitted.’

‘Understood.’

‘Even if there’s some problem in the village, let’s first get your dagger made at the blacksmith’s shop, and then we can investigate.’

“Yes, Young Master Ethan.”

Well, honestly, regardless of the village atmosphere, it didn’t really matter to me once I got my dagger fitted.

Why the residents and animals in this village couldn’t shake off that subtle weariness from their faces.

And why Ethan and Jeraon, who came from outside, were affected by it.

Most importantly, why I wasn’t losing energy like Ethan and Jeraon and was perfectly fine – it was a village full of many questions, but…

To be honest, upgrading my equipment for my personal advancement came first, and solving such mysterious problems was originally the Hero’s job.

Not something a mere maid like me should concern herself with or interfere in.

…That was my mindset until just a short while ago.

Until just before I heard that the Half-Dwarf blacksmith’s shop, which I visited with Ethan, could not forge my sword.