episode_0008

The next morning.

Waking up to the crisp morning air unique to the forest, I, along with Rai, performed some simple stretches in the open lot in front of the house to loosen our bodies, which had stiffened overnight.

Having loosened her legs for walking through the forest all day and her shoulders for drawing a bow, Rai took a deep breath as if this refreshing morning air was a long-awaited treat, and smiled brightly.

“Killua is an even more wonderful person than I imagined.”

Stretching her arms vigorously and letting out a satisfying yawn, Rai exhaled the breath she had taken in deeply, then abruptly blurted out her true feelings about Killua.

“Huh?”

Doubting my ears at Rai’s sudden praise for Killua, I tilted my head and looked at her.

Then Rai, belatedly feeling embarrassed by her own words, scratched her slightly flushed face with her fingertips and calmly explained to me why she had praised Killua.

“Honestly, I had some prejudice against nobles and royalty.”

“Oh… you did?”

When Rai first encountered Killua, she was covered in dirt and blood, but it was clear at a glance that she was wearing a luxurious white cloak.

And the clothes she was wearing were made of high-quality silk, which ordinary people couldn’t even touch, with thin basilisk scales embroidered on it for warmth and protection.

Crucially, even her mysterious silver-white hair. At a glance, Killua possessed luxurious attire and an elegant appearance that could easily be mistaken for a high-ranking noble or royalty.

“When I only saw her appearance and clothes, trying to imitate the White Mage, I thought she’d be a typical pretentious and self-centered noble.”

“Ah… Ahahaha…”

But Rai seemed to have thought that her appearance was the act of a brainless, foolish noble trying to imitate the White Mage-nim, who was now a legend.

Unable to respond to her honest impressions, I merely averted my gaze and quietly let out an empty laugh.

“Actually, when she woke up, I expected a torrent of curses, unreasonable demands, or even threats in the worst-case scenario. I was quite prepared for it.”

Rai closed her eyes for a moment, as if reminiscing about the moment Killua woke up. A smile of ambiguous meaning slowly formed on Rai’s lips as she recalled that moment.

“Her eyes were truly beautiful. Clear black pupils, devoid of prejudice or greed. They were eyes that clearly showed this person was genuinely righteous.”

“Yeah. That’s true.”

At Rai’s sincere and heartfelt praise, I also closed my eyes for a moment and recalled Killua’s eyes.

When I first met her eyes, they were eyes that held a captivating allure in their unfathomable mystery.

However, having been by her side for over three years, I had already grown so accustomed to her eyes that I felt they were simply a given.

“And she was calm and wise. She checked her own body condition and asked about the measures I had taken… She wasn’t an empty, flashy noble like an empty cart, but a true noble with discernible dignity and wisdom worthy of respect.”

I slowly nodded, as if agreeing with Rai’s heartfelt compliments towards Killua.

Honestly, I couldn’t imagine Killua, the White Mage, crying, throwing a tantrum, and whining when she was in pain.

She must have calmly analyzed her situation and the state of her injuries as soon as she regained consciousness.

“It seems we weren’t the first nobles to end up in this forest?”

Inferring from Rai’s words, it seemed he hadn’t saved a noble who had stumbled into the Lime Forest by chance for the first time.

As if my inference was correct, Rai nodded slightly.

However, a deep shadow fell across his face, suggesting that his relationships with the nobles he had saved had never ended well.

“Because the war situation became severe… many lower-ranking nobles fled to avoid forced conscription.”

It seemed a lot had happened in the five years Killua and I had lost.

Humans had clearly restarted the war with the demon race.

The White Mage-nim had committed evil acts by extorting tributes from both humans and demons, but her very existence had effectively served as a breakwater, preventing war between the two races.

With the White Mage-nim gone, and the Demon Queen rampaging uncontrollably in human territory to capture her…

It was an entirely natural progression for war to break out between the demon race and humans.

“All the nobles I rescued were the same. Their eyes, narrowed sharply like jackals, shone as they only sought the power and authority they could wield in this small village.”

“That terrible habit never gets fixed, no matter the situation or where they go.”

People who loved to arbitrarily assess others’ worth and divide them into upper and lower classes, who hated and denied the word “equality.” That’s what nobles were.

Even after abandoning everything and fleeing, they clearly tried to act as leaders in the almost crumbling Eaton Village.

“Indeed. Regardless of gender or age, those who bore the insignia of nobility on their chest or shoulder were all the same.”

Rai smiled bitterly at their concepts and common sense, which were utterly incomprehensible even for a fellow human.

“So where did all those terrible people go?”

Judging by Rai’s tone, it seemed he had rescued lost nobles in the forest multiple times.

But now, in Eaton Village, there wasn’t a single person with the unique arrogant aura of a noble, let alone noble attire.

“They all left. Given their personalities, they couldn’t endure life in this humble village.”

“True. They’re the kind of people who despise equality and vulgarity to their very core.”

Nobles who expected special treatment in Eaton Village, where food was scarce and everyone cooked together in the town square, sharing the same meager meals, couldn’t possibly endure and survive there.

As I agreed with him and cursed the nobles, Rai merely let out a small, bitter laugh.

In his bitter laugh, there was no hatred or loathing for nobles.

Only pity and regret for those who had adapted to living that way and could only continue to live that way.

“Compared to those other nobles, Killua is an unbelievably strong person. To lose everything and still be so calm and energetic…”

“Yes. She is an incredibly strong person…”

Hearing Rai’s sincere admiration, I couldn’t help but think about Killua again.

She was once the White Mage-nim, possessing overwhelming power and magic capable of making the entire continent tremble.

However, her overwhelming magic vanished in an instant, and she became so weak that she could be mortally wounded by a starving, near-death wolf.

Though I couldn’t compare my situation to hers, I had also fallen to rock bottom, which made her current attitude and actions all the more surprising.

Even when faced with a despairingly bleak reality that was almost suffocating and unimaginable, she did not collapse.

Instead, without any hesitation or great agitation, she confidently smiled as usual, burning with the will to regain her lost power from nothing.

“But… is that possible?”

I murmured softly, swallowing my worry about Killua’s unreasonable stubbornness and obsession with regaining her lost power.

Unable to even face a hungry wolf, she was literally a powerless, ordinary girl.

Even a small effort to regain her power could become a danger that threatened her life.

“I’ve found the answer!”

Just as I was quietly swallowing my worries about Killua.

The window on the second floor, where Killua was temporarily staying, burst open, and she called out to us as we warmed up in the open lot.

“Rai! The village’s problem right now is that there are no goods valuable enough to trade with the merchant caravan arriving soon, right?”

“That’s right. We can no longer obtain high-quality timber, which was Eaton Village’s main product.”

The Lime Forest was a bizarre and mysterious forest where slimes and nature coexisted, but due to the recent abnormal proliferation of slimes, it had quickly become desolate.

Ultimately, Eaton Village, which had been obtaining and selling timber from the Lime Forest, was naturally doomed to decline.

“Then we just need to create a high-value product to replace the good quality timber!”

Killua vigorously thrust her thumb up, presenting a very simple, fundamental solution.

However, Rai shook her head vigorously at Killua’s triumphant solution and replied.

“Medicinal herbs are somewhat popular… but as you can see, they barely meet the village’s demand.”

“I have a great idea!”

Killua answered with vigor, gripped the windowsill, and leaped down forcefully.

With our eyes wide open at Killua’s unexpected leap from a two-story height, Rai and I urgently rushed towards the spot where she was about to land.

“Ki… Killua!!”

“Killua-nim!!”

Rai and I called out to her simultaneously, extending our arms with all our might to catch her as she descended.

But because Killua jumped without any warning, no one’s hands could reach her.

“Oof!”

Our efforts were in vain as Killua’s feet touched the ground. She expertly softened the impact of her landing with a light roll, a fall-breaking technique.

And then, as if nothing had happened, she lightly stood up and looked back and forth between Rai and me, who were still extending our arms in an awkward posture.

At her athletic ability, which was uncharacteristic for a mage, being swift, agile, and even daring, Rai and I could only stare blankly at Killua, who was looking between us with a perplexed expression.

“Are you doing slapstick comedy? It didn’t even make me snort, but I’ll acknowledge your effort.”

“Ahem…”

At Killua’s chilly response, Rai and I let out a dry cough and carefully retracted our arms, which we had extended to catch her.

“I know of a truly ingenious item. There’s a lot to prepare, so I’ll need to work with Jazel until the merchant caravan arrives.”

“Are you sure?”

Rai coughed a couple of times, as if asking her to forget his embarrassing action, then looked at Killua with worried eyes and asked.

He didn’t know what item Killua had thought of, but if it failed to meet the merchant caravan’s demands, Killua would have to entertain them as promised to the village chief, with no chance to escape.

At that, Killua grinned, as if to say not to worry, and instead of words, she gave a thumbs-up.

“Alright. I’ll make sure to tell the villagers so Jazel can move freely until the merchant caravan arrives.”

“Good. Are you certain?”

Killua asked him, mimicking Rai’s words.

Then this time, Rai mimicked Killua, grinning and giving a thumbs-up.

At his action, Killua burst into bright laughter, as if amused.

“Oh, right.”

Rai, who had been watching Killua’s smile, clapped his hands lightly as if remembering something and walked to one side of the open lot.

There was a drying rack for laundry and medicinal herbs. On one side of that drying rack hung a familiar cloak.

“The blood and dirt didn’t come off completely, so there are still some stains, but it seemed like a valuable item…”

What he took from the drying rack was Killua’s pure white cloak.

The cloak was already full of stubborn stains from mud and blood, its original pure white long gone.

When he brought the cloak, Killua seemed genuinely surprised, quickly covering her slightly agape mouth with her hand and staring at the cloak in Rai’s hand.

“Here. Hold still.”

Rai approached Killua, who was blankly staring at the cloak in her hand, and, on her behalf since her right arm was uncomfortable, draped the cloak over her shoulders.

Then he carefully began to tie the cords around her neck to prevent the cloak from coming undone.

“……”

As Rai’s breath, while tying the cloak’s cords, gently rustled Killua’s bangs, a faint blush began to appear on her cheeks.