episode_0011

“Kidney, it’s been a while. Your height seems to have grown a bit?”

“That’s right. This kid has been talking about you all this time… It felt like watching a couple going through a breakup.”

Even after half a year, the two seemed to still get along well. While they spoke like that, they were gradually preparing to become adults during the time they hadn’t seen each other.

“Is this how uncle feels..”

“What did you say?”

“Oh, let’s just hurry up and start.”

Uttering nonsense, Kidney looked strange as David pushed him into the carriage, ignoring him.

“Ouch! Young master! You have to take me too!!”

Bang!

“Is that really okay?”

“Celina, calling that ‘that’ to a person. It’s a bit unsettling, but… if you help, I can manage on my own.”

“That’s right… Originally, you’re supposed to do it alone, right?”

As if not liking it, Celina sucked on an apple juice box, then threw it towards me before entering the carriage first.

“David, get lost! Why are you undressing inside the carriage?!”

“Well, isn’t it time for men to enjoy a physical conversation with each other? Kidney, you should undress too! It’s a challenge!”

“Haha…”

From the start, one couldn’t help but think that it wouldn’t be easy. And not long after that…

***

“Umm… What’s going on?”

Celina, who had been sleeping leaning on my shoulder, her face covered with rosy strands of hair, asked as she removed them.

“Uh, it started raining outside, so even though it’s a bit early, I’m going to set up camp.”

“Oh! A ground squirrel!”

“David, we call that a mouse… Who does it resemble to act so stupidly…”

Celina covered her eyes with her delicate fingers and then snuggled back against me as if she had decided to do so.

“Wake me up when it’s done, especially you, David! Just try to eat without me?”

“Yes~”

“Just a moment.”

As Celina was coming over to help Anna, who was setting up camp outside, I briefly pushed her away.

“Why…? Did I do something wrong? Do you dislike me now?”

“No, there’s nothing like that, just wait a moment.”

As I pushed her away, Celina, seeming anxious, tried to cling to me more. I calmed her down by grabbing her shoulders.

“I’m going to help Anna outside. As a precaution, we should also keep watch in case monsters come. David, you stay here to guard.”

“Alright! Just trust me!”

“Why is he staying… If I don’t have a pillow, I can’t sleep… Can’t we just send David instead?”

As if expecting that, David, who was smiling, rummaged through his bag and shouted.

“I knew that, so I brought two pillows! Don’t worry, Celina!”

“Shut up! David!”

“Haha…”

***

“Anna, are you doing well?”

“Yeah… Young master… Could you… help me set this up?”

Seeing Anna struggling to set up a pole much larger than herself, I immediately approached her feeling sorry.

“Ah! Why are you here now! At this rate, my arms will end up like David’s, young master!”

“No, Anna, that won’t happen.”

“I’m serious! Try touching it!”

Pulling up her long sleeves, Anna flexed her pale arms, showing off non-existent muscles. It made me worry about her truly having nothing.

“You really…”

“Look! I have some unexpected charm, right?”

“Your body is like a slime? There are no muscles at all. You should exercise.”

Seeming annoyed, Anna clung to me with her soft arms, shaking her body here and there. It truly felt like raising a younger sister.

“Kidney, young master. The camp seems mostly complete. Shall we prepare dinner?”

“Yes, will you do it?”

“Sure. Since you said I don’t have to use honorifics… Understood!”

Mr. Mabu Bigten scratched his head as if embarrassed, then took his servants and started doing various things. Suddenly remembering Celina’s request to wake her up before dinner, as I was about to return to the carriage,

“A delicious smell…”

“What are you doing! Stay away from the young master!”

“Ah! Don’t hit me…”

As if to protect me from the gangster, he blocked my way and started hitting the girl in front of me with a branch he had been holding, making her look pitiful.

“Anna, stop. Let’s at least hear what she has to say.”

“But, you said to protect anyone unknown to the master, especially women, drop them and watch…”

“I didn’t mean it like that…”

He lifted the girl, who was crouching and clutching her stomach, brushed off the dirt, and stood her up.

“Thank you. I was about to go back because I was so hungry.”

“I didn’t say I would give you food…”

“Where can I sit?”

Ignoring what I said, she took a seat and even handed a bowl to the big man.

“David… Who is this little one?”

“Oh, a new face? Did you bring her as a potential spouse?”

“What? Really?”

“What a forced marriage…”

Looking at the two who seemed more northern in spirit than me, who lived at the very top of the north, I felt dizzy.

Like a hissing cat, Selina shouted at the girl in front of me, getting everyone to sit down and listen to the conversation.

“So, who are you?”

“I’m Erin. And you?”

“I’m Kidney. That muscular guy over there is David, and the girl with the apple hair in front is Selina.”

“Wait, Kidney! How could you introduce me like that in front of someone new!”

“Yeah. Apple head, muscle man, kind person who gave food. Got it.”

“You remembered, right…? So where were you heading?”

“I was on my way to the academy. I thought I could run all day, but it’s farther than I thought. I’ve run out of supplies.”

A girl with a wild, unsocialized vibe, yet carrying a large sword much bigger than herself, seemed unbalanced.

“We were also on our way to the academy. Would you like to come with us if you’re okay?”

“Hey, Kidney. I’m not okay, though.”

“I’m fine!”

“You’re a bit out of it, David!”

“You always do this to me…”

Erin, perhaps feeling hungry, emptied her bowl and kept staring at mine.

“Are you very hungry? You can have mine too.”

“Thank you, kind person.”

In Erin’s mind, giving her food seemed to qualify someone as a kind person.

“Kidney, that was yours! Just give her a new bowl.”

“It’s okay. Can I get another bowl?”

“I don’t like that kid…”

Selina glared at Erin, put down the empty bowl, and opened the book she was reading.

“What magic is it this time?”

“It’s the 3rd level magic! Three small flames swirling in anxiety! It must be beautiful!”

Whenever she talked about magic, Selina’s eyes lit up as if fireworks were blooming, making me feel happy for no reason.

“Hey, do you use a sword too?”

“Oh, of course! Want to spar?”

“Not you, the muscle guy. You.”

Studying my hand intently, Erin noticed that I was skilled with a sword.

“Yeah. I’m still lacking, but how did you know?”

“Calluses. Body balance. Posture solid and faithful to the basics.”

With a good eye for detail, Erin, who spoke like that, seemed to blend with the ground due to her petite build, giving an impression of being one with the earth.

“Isn’t the greatsword heavy?”

“No, not at all.”

Saying that, she tossed the sword to David with one hand.

“Whoa!”

Wobbling, David somehow managed to catch it.

“And you say this isn’t heavy? What a body you’ve got.”

“Let me try.”

Feeling the weight from the handle, it was difficult to lift with one hand, unlike the one Erin effortlessly held earlier.

“Wow… It seems like strength training rather than a strength spell. Or is it genetic?”

“I don’t know. I’m an orphan.”

Suddenly, in the tense atmosphere, David, who had been asking eagerly, stiffened, and Selina, who had been watching closely, also froze.

“But, it wouldn’t have been easy to find a black one of this weight. Where did you get it from?”

“Yeah. It’s something my master used in the past. A gift for independence.”

“Then it must be precious. Just hold on for a moment.”

Erin had an idea to prevent the handle from breaking due to her strong grip.

“Alright, this way it should last longer.”

Remembering what was in her bag, she wrapped a guard around the sword handle.

“What’s this?”

“It might feel unfamiliar at first, but this way you can use the sword for longer. Give it a swing.”

Swish!

After swinging the greatsword a few times, Erin nodded approvingly with sparkling eyes.

“I like this. Thank you.”

Her slightly raised tail felt like a cat not refusing a first touch. Is this how one becomes a caretaker?

“Let’s test your skills by sparring!”

“Hmm. Okay.”

Before they knew it, David and Erin were engaging in a duel.

***

“You’re quite strong..”

“They say real embarrassment is when you can’t stop it. Can’t help it, really!”

Thwack!

As if embarrassed, David struck Erin’s back firmly, then became interested in her strength, approaching closely and starting to ask various questions.

“What did your master do?”

“A street mercenary. He called himself just a lucky vagabond.”

“Hmm.. Have you ever taken any potions or the like?”

“Yeah, occasionally some wild game that my master brought.”

Listening intently, Selina seemed to have realized something and exclaimed,

“I’ve heard that creatures in the north contain special energies within them, maybe he consumed that continuously. This could be a material worth researching, right?”

“But Selina, how many people do you think can capture those creatures? You’d need to be a Sword Master or a Grand Magician at least..”

“True, right? So that means Erin’s master was truly remarkable..”

Erin, seemingly unconcerned, groomed herself as if sorting out her thoughts. While grooming, it looked like she was shaking off a lot of dirt from her white hair, possibly accumulated during training. Seeing that she couldn’t reach the back of her head, someone approached to help.

“Ouch..”

“Hold on a bit, there’s too much dirt, I need to clean it properly.”

“Eek..”

At this rate, could she really be a cat? The journey to the academy doesn’t seem boring at all.