Ch.185Chapter 185 – Waiting for the Full Moon (2)

After the meeting ended, I was in the process of memorizing some of the information Rich had shared with me.

“Kay, where are you going?”

I answered Eve, who approached me immediately after the meeting ended.

“I’m going to see Sarah. She won’t know what was discussed in today’s meeting.”

Since Sarah was the only one who hadn’t attended the meeting, someone needed to inform her about what had been discussed.

But it seemed Eve knew I wasn’t moving solely for that purpose.

“You’re worried about her, aren’t you?”

“…I suppose so. I heard she’s been holed up in there for days.”

This had been briefly mentioned before the meeting, and I had already heard from Eve about what happened while we were in the labyrinth.

Until now, I had been too concerned about Beatrice’s condition to pay much attention, but today I felt I absolutely needed to check on her.

“I heard she’s been skipping meals to save time.”

I was worried she might be having health problems.

“Then shall we go together?”

Eve smiled as she approached me.

And behind her came another person… no, an elf.

“Excuse me, Eve?”

“What is it?”

Eve looked at Pine with a puzzled expression, probably thinking there was no reason for Pine to suddenly call out to her.

Pine smiled and pulled out a piece of paper.

“It seems you’ve been doing a lot of business with elven merchants while I was away.”

“Yes. Is there a problem?”

Eve’s voice was a bit sharp, likely because she hadn’t expected Pine to approach her about this.

Pine grinned and moved closer to Eve.

“No~ It’s just that there’s a potentially profitable deal I wanted to discuss.”

Pine approached with a smile.

“I studied commerce briefly in the past, and I’m involved in running a small merchant company. Could we talk for a moment?”

“Hmm, that’s…”

Eve looked at Pine with a troubled expression.

Pine smiled and whispered softly to Eve.

“It’s nothing bad at all. It’s actually quite good news.”

There was a clinking sound from Pine’s bag.

Then Pine pulled out a bottle of alcohol.

Eve’s expression changed slightly as soon as she saw the bottle.

“Alfheim is famous for its fruits and honey, right? This is a specialty made by fermenting honey and grapes using a secret method passed down only among elves. You’ve tasted it before, haven’t you? What do you think?”

The alcohol Pine showed was a high-quality drink our group had tasted before.

I had only been able to look since I couldn’t drink alcohol.

In any case, it must have been quite excellent, as Eve looked conflicted, glancing between Pine and me.

“I…”

Judging by her hesitation, this deal must have been very tempting for Eve.

I should probably ease her burden.

“I’ll go see Sarah myself. You go ahead and work.”

“…Are you sure?”

Did I step on a landmine?

Eve glared at me slightly.

But after a moment, Eve quietly moved her lips, starting to calculate.

“…It’s too big an opportunity to miss… and if I monopolize too much, they’ll get angry… in this situation…”

“Eve?”

I called out once, but Eve didn’t respond.

Soon, having finished her calculations, Eve smiled and said:

“No, it’s fine. Then, I’ll leave Sarah to you, Kay.”

“Sure.”

Eve was backing down quite readily for someone who had been glaring at me earlier.

But soon she smiled brightly and said:

“In exchange, you’ll have to make some time for me later, okay?”

As if to say she wouldn’t accept a refusal, Eve gripped my hand firmly as she spoke.

“S-Sure.”

I ended up accepting, overwhelmed by her intensity.

Eve smiled brightly and said:

“No taking it back, okay?”

Eve said with a slightly seductive expression.

After staring at me intently for a moment, she quickly turned away without waiting for my response and headed toward Pine.

I felt like I had fallen into another trap.

‘Can’t be helped.’

It should be fine since there’s no malice involved.

And I don’t think she’s particularly upset.

Putting Eve aside, I decided to focus on Sarah.

“Hey Chris, perhaps…”

I turned my head to call Chris, who was usually close to Sarah, to ask if she wanted to come along.

But an unexpected scene was unfolding before my eyes.

“Lady Beatrice, I told you smoking isn’t allowed, didn’t I?”

“But, I feel more depressed when I don’t smoke.”

“You feel that way because you’re too dependent on it. Hand over the ones you’ve hidden in your back pocket too.”

Beatrice was being scolded.

It seemed she had secretly stashed some cigarettes, and Christina had somehow found them.

“…How did you find them? I hid them well… it’s not like you have X-ray vision.”

“That’s none of your concern.”

Chris was lecturing a grumbling Beatrice.

‘At least she seems comfortable.’

Though she was constantly grumbling, Beatrice’s expression wasn’t that bad, perhaps grateful that Chris was looking after her.

Since Beatrice had been in the worst condition after returning from the labyrinth, Chris seemed to be paying special attention to her.

‘But I can’t ask her to come along in this situation.’

Even now, Chris’s attention was focused on Beatrice.

I’ll have to check on Sarah myself.

“Oh, where are you going, Sir Kay?”

“To see Sarah.”

Hearing my answer, Chris seemed conflicted for a moment but then shook her head and looked at Beatrice, saying:

“Then let’s get you examined while I’m thinking about it, Lady Beatrice.”

“No, again? I had exams the day before yesterday, and yesterday too…”

“This is a special examination.”

Beatrice began to be dragged away by Chris.

Seeing the golden aura floating around Chris’s body, she was probably using her blessing to enhance her strength to drag Beatrice along.

“Hey, helmet girl, did you eat something weird…?”

“Come along, Lady Beatrice.”

In the end, Beatrice couldn’t resist and was dragged away by Chris.

‘She’s changed a bit.’

After returning from the labyrinth, Chris’s personality seemed to have become more assertive.

“Well, there’s nothing wrong with that.”

While there are times when one should be modest or considerate, being honest in one’s actions isn’t a bad thing.

If anything, she sometimes seemed too reserved before, so this should be considered a positive change.

I left the conference room behind and headed toward Sarah’s room.

‘Wait, should I bring something?’

I thought that if I went empty-handed, Beatrice might later tease me for lacking sense.

I changed direction and headed to the market first.

+

After buying some snacks at the market, I returned to the inn and headed to Sarah’s room.

I carefully knocked on the door and said:

“Sarah, can I come in?”

“Huh? Ah, uwah?!”

There was sudden commotion inside the room, as if she hadn’t expected me to come.

“J-Just a moment! I’ll open it, just wait a second!!”

‘She must have made a mess.’

Given Sarah’s personality, she definitely wasn’t pretending to work after playing around. She must have cluttered the room while researching.

So it would be polite to wait patiently outside.

“But I don’t feel like doing that.”

Feeling a bit mischievous, I immediately opened the door and called out:

“Are you okay? You seem so busy…”

My thoughts momentarily froze.

Simply put, there wasn’t a single spot to step in the room.

Despite the inn being high-class with very spacious rooms, objects were chaotically scattered everywhere.

Books that seemed to have been laid out for reference were spread across the bed, alchemy tools I wasn’t familiar with covered the floor, and clothes that appeared to have been carelessly tossed aside after a quick shower were in one corner…

“Uwaaah?!”

Sarah screamed when she noticed where my gaze had landed.

Fortunately, her underwear must have been buried under other things, as they weren’t visible.

Still, a mess is a mess.

I swallowed the urge to ask if this was a garbage dump and said something else instead:

“…Let’s clean up.”

“…Yes.”

At this rate, there wouldn’t even be a place to eat the snacks I brought.

And so an unexpected cleaning session began, with me picking up tools scattered on the floor and placing them in boxes as Sarah directed.

‘I don’t think she was usually this messy.’

Or perhaps she’s naturally very disorganized but had been hiding it well in front of me.

The inn we stayed at in the kingdom was too cramped compared to this one, making it difficult to clutter things, and inside the carriage, the environment made research difficult, so she might have tidied up regularly.

If not that, then it must be due to psychological factors.

If it was psychological, there was only one thing I could guess.

“…Your research isn’t going well, I take it.”

“Embarrassingly, yes…”

Sarah said while inserting bookmarks into books.

“It’s strange. There seems to be nothing more to fix, but the core still won’t work.”

“Really?”

“…I don’t know what’s missing.”

Sarah sighed as she spoke.

Looking at her eyes, I could see shadows I hadn’t noticed before.

“If it’s not working out, maybe you should postpone it?”

“That’s absolutely out of the question. Absolutely.”

Sarah spoke sternly.

“…After this is over, we’ll get leads that could improve your condition, Kay. I can’t be careless about this.”

Sarah spoke resolutely, recalling the promise with Rich.

“…With my skills and knowledge alone, I can’t improve your condition. So, at the very least, I need to do this much…”

“Sarah.”

“I’ve been holding you back. I haven’t been helpful. Always making you push yourself, always causing worry, always…”

This wasn’t good.

Once negative thoughts start flowing, people tend to continue thinking negatively, tightening their own noose.

“At this rate, I…”

Before she could finish, I firmly gripped her shoulders.

Sarah looked at me blankly for a moment, then showed a startled expression.

“Um, Kay…”

“You seem really exhausted.”

I had never heard such weak words from Sarah before.

She must have been under more mental pressure than I thought.

“I’ve never once thought you were holding me back.”

If anything, I had received so much help from her that it was hard to count.

Until now, she had been making helpful tools and medicines, and doing her best to assist in battles.

And when I pushed myself too hard in fights and collapsed, she and Chris would nurse me back to health with all their hearts.

“If it weren’t for you, I don’t think I’d even be here.”

“But…”

Sarah murmured sadly.

“…I want to be even more helpful…”

As if it had been too much for her, Sarah quietly lowered her head.

Droplets appeared from somewhere and began to wet the floor.

Silently, I approached Sarah and stroked her head, waiting for her to calm down.

+

It took quite some time for Sarah to regain her composure.

“I’m sorry for showing you such a pathetic side of me.”

Sarah, finally calmed down, sat on the bed and said this.

“How foolish of me. I’ve only made things awkward for you…”

As she lowered her head again and spoke like this, I quietly thought:

‘I haven’t been attentive enough.’

I had noticed she was struggling, but it must have been worse than I imagined.

There had been other matters to deal with, and I had too easily assumed Sarah would handle things well.

‘…She must have been physically exhausted.’

First, I needed to let her do what she needed most.

“Sarah.”

“Yes?”

“Let’s get some sleep.”

I patted the bed beside me as I spoke to her.

Sarah shook her head and said:

“I can’t. I still need to research. There’s not much time left, and I need to complete the core soon…”

“That’s enough, lie down.”

I reached out and somewhat forcefully made Sarah lie down.

Though she tried to resist physically, she must have been tired, as she eventually lay down on the bed.

Looking down at her slightly flushed face, I said:

“It’s been tough, hasn’t it?”

“…No, compared to you…”

Sarah quietly said:

“You’re always working hard looking after us. Compared to you, my struggles are nothing…”

“But you’ve still been struggling.”

I quietly asked her.

Soon, as if reluctant to admit it, Sarah quietly answered:

“…Yes.”

It was a difficult admission.

“Just because someone else is having a harder time doesn’t mean you’re not tired or struggling.”

“But…”

“Try to take better care of yourself. Do your best for yourself while doing your best for others. You don’t need to ruin your health for my sake.”

“…But I’ll end up holding you back…”

Sarah murmured sadly.

Then I quietly said:

“If it’s you holding me back, I don’t mind being held.”

Sarah’s expression changed slightly.

“That’s how exhausted you’ve been. I’ll stand by and wait until you’re fully recovered. Then we can go together.”

“…Kay.”

“You and I are comrades. It’s okay to be a bit of a burden. No matter what others say, I won’t criticize you for it. Besides, I’m often a burden to you too, aren’t I?”

Looking at Sarah, who seemed a bit anxious, I smiled and said:

“If that bothers you, you can help with all your might after you get back on your feet. I think being comrades isn’t about being bound to each other and sacrificing for each other, but about relying on each other and moving forward together.”

“But…”

“And I’ve always received help from you. Look, this scar.”

I took off my helmet and lifted Sarah’s arm.

Her hand touched the place where there used to be a burn mark.

“It’s healed a lot, hasn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“All thanks to you.”

The burn scar itself was still there.

But now I could show my face without people grimacing or screaming.

That was because Sarah regularly made and applied medicine for me.

“…Since I’ve received so much help from you, don’t worry about being a burden to me. You’ve never been a burden in the first place.”

“But if I can’t accomplish this…”

“Then we’ll fight without having accomplished it.”

I smiled at Sarah.

“Perfect preparation doesn’t exist in the first place. You choose the best option at that moment. We can make up for what’s lacking by relying on each other in battle. I’d like you to trust me that much.”

Sarah silently looked at me.

Soon she smiled slightly and said:

“…I really am a bit foolish, aren’t I?”

“Why?”

“Because I made you worry too much.”

Sarah smiled slightly and said:

“…I knew you would worry, but it ended up like this again.”

Despite saying this, Sarah’s face looked somewhat more relaxed.

“…I’ll sleep obediently now. I’ve been staying up for several nights.”

Indeed, she had been pushing herself too hard.

The unusual words and actions, unlike her usual self, must have been due to excessive stress over a short period.

“Alright.”

As soon as I finished speaking, Sarah closed her eyes.

Looking down at her, I slowly got up.

But then Sarah’s arm grabbed my hand.

“Sarah?”

“If, if it’s okay for me to be a bit more of a burden…”

With her eyes still closed, Sarah quietly said:

“…Could you lie down beside me until I fall asleep?”

“Hmm…”

Asking me to lie down next to her.

It’s the first time she’s asked me to lie down rather than just stay, and it felt awkward to refuse.

I had just said with my own mouth that it was okay to be a burden.

In short, I had no grounds to refuse.

“Alright.”

As I slowly lay down next to Sarah, she put her arm around me.

“…Thank you for worrying about me, Kay.”

Sarah opened her mouth as she closed her eyes again.

“…Next time, I’ll…”

With those words, Sarah soon began breathing regularly.

“Sleep well, Sarah.”

Lying beside her, I looked at her sleeping face.

It was a peaceful face that had set aside its worries.