Chapter 33

While feeling somewhat annoyed by Ruruka's attitude, I fiddled with the earring I had put in my ear. As I did, Marietta, Fran, and Sera walked over from the group of knights, chatting about something.

Marietta looked somewhat troubled, Fran seemed satisfied, and Sera sighed as she looked at Fran.

"Ah, Shiki-san, thank you for coming. Well, we'll be moving soon, so please head towards the gate."

Marietta called out to me as soon as she saw me. It seemed we were about to set off.

Then, as I shifted my gaze to tell Yuel that we were moving—Yuel was staring intently at my ear. She was staring intently, very intently, at my ear. Upon closer inspection, she was also slightly pinching the hem of her clothes.

...I couldn't read her emotions from her expression. What could she be thinking?

No, if I consider what happened earlier, I can probably guess. Yuel must be jealous of Ruruka. She might feel like her joy over the matching bracelets was dampened.

...Should I say something to reassure her? But I can't say something like, "The bracelet Yuel gave me is much more important than Ruruka's earring" in front of Ruruka. If I were Ruruka, I'd probably get angry if someone said that. Even if there were no romantic feelings, I'd definitely get angry. And she would probably be convinced that I'm a lolicon.

What should I do? ...Maybe I should just pat her head or something.

"Ah, that..."

No, treating her casually is not good. Children are sensitive to such treatment. If Yuel felt a sense of "specialness" from the matching accessories, there's a possibility that tears might well up in her cute eyes. I need to think seriously about this. Maybe I should make a shopping trip with Yuel sometime? But we're about to leave the city...

"Shi, Shiki-san...?"

No, is Yuel really jealous of Ruruka? Her expression doesn't show jealousy or sadness. She's just looking at the earring. Maybe she just wants one for herself. But...

"Ah, Shiki-san? Staring at Yuel-chan is, well, your personal freedom, so it's fine. But, um, let's move towards the gate quickly..."

...I'm sorry.

As I turned towards the gate, Sera, who had been talking with Fran, called out to me from the side.

"Um, thank you for coming to treat us in the middle of the night the other day. We really appreciate it."

She was very polite.

"No, don't worry about it. I got paid by Ruruka for the treatment."

When I said this, Sera looked up and smiled softly. It was a mature smile.

I thought they were both asleep when I treated them, but maybe they heard about it from Ruruka.

...Sera's attitude didn't seem to have any hidden meaning.

I looked at Ruruka. She seemed uncomfortable and was avoiding eye contact with Fran and Sera.

...It seems Ruruka kept quiet about what I did to them when I treated them. But at the time, I said it was a medical procedure, though honestly, I couldn't control my impulses with two defenseless women lying on the bed. Now, being thanked so politely makes me feel uneasy, as if my baseness is more apparent. If I were accused of it, I couldn't deny it.

As I thought about this, Sera nudged Fran with her elbow.

"..."

Fran looked down, furrowed her brow, and seemed to be hesitating. Then, for some reason, she looked at Marietta.

Oh, I remember, Marietta was said to be shy around people, yet she was talking normally with Fran earlier. Maybe they knew each other before.

"...So, that... Ah, thank you."

Then, in a voice so low I could barely hear it, Fran muttered.

What's this? I was thanked normally. I thought Fran was a clean freak or something, completely hostile to men. Is it that after getting sick, she becomes unusually meek?

But I still feel a bit uneasy. There was a bit of payback for the time I peeked at her panties or the way she acted during the treatment. Half of it was because I was genuinely concerned about the bruise on her thigh.

Now that I'm being treated normally, I feel a bit awkward. I don't regret it, but I do feel a bit guilty.

I'm sure I look quite uncomfortable right now.

I glanced over, and Ruruka was opening and closing her mouth, trying to tell me something.

When I tilted my head, Ruruka pouted and mouthed something again. This is...

"Go, go, inside? What, we're leaving already? Go quickly."

"No, that's not it! I, I mean, no more... no, not that! I, I mean, don't do that anymore!"

I see. Ruruka must have been a bit angry. She shows me her undergarments and lets me touch her chest, but it seems she draws the line with her companions. Or maybe she means, "Don't do that to anyone else."

"...? What are you talking about?"

Sera, who had been watching our exchange, tilted her head in confusion.

Outside the city.

We walked down the road, surrounded by knights. I thought we would be traveling by carriage, but it seems we're walking. With an item box, there's no need to use a carriage to carry luggage, and it's only about an hour's walk to the forest. Besides, horses can't enter the forest.

As we walked, I looked back at the city of Merharts, which was gradually getting farther away. The weather was unfortunately overcast, but the maze city, surrounded by high stone walls, looked quite impressive.

I hadn't been outside the city before. My life had been almost entirely confined to the clinic, the bar, and the maze. Even though I lived in the city, it felt like a tourist experience to see it from the outside.

"Until now, I hadn't really noticed, but it's quite a large city, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is. I didn't realize it was such a grand city."

Yuel also sighed in amazement and nodded in agreement. I remember, Yuel couldn't see when I first bought her. This might be her first time seeing the city from the outside.

"Oh, you know."

A proud voice. I thought, "Who is that?" and it turned out to be Fran. She placed a hand on her hip and looked smug.

What's going on? I thought she was the type who would never talk to a man. Maybe she's just very patriotic.

"Even though you're still young, you have a good eye. Your father will surely be pleased."

Yes, she was talking to Yuel. But what does she mean by "your father will be pleased"? Is her father a construction site supervisor or something? ...I doubt it.

As I was confused, Ruruka whispered to me from the side.

"...Fran, actually, is the daughter of the lord of this city."

"Huh!?"

Ruruka, who was a bit away from Fran, beckoned me over.

"Fran's real name is Fran Luluna Merharts. She's the daughter of the noble family that has been the lord of this city for generations. It's not like she's hiding it, but Shiki, you should know. If you harass Fran and there's a problem, I won't protect you."

"Wait, why is someone like that an adventurer?"

I was thrown into confusion by this sudden revelation. What's going on?

"...Well, you see, a while back, Fran's parents... the lord, arranged a marriage for her, but Fran didn't want to marry a man, so she cast an attack spell on the groom's... well, you know, and chased him away. She thought that if she did this, her parents wouldn't bring up the topic of arranged marriage again."

Whoa. I thought she hated men, but this is too extreme. Even with healing magic, that's not something you should do. So, that's why Ruruka kept quiet about the treatment incident. I'm very grateful.

Was that what Marietta was talking about earlier? As the lord's daughter, it makes sense that she would have connections with the knights.

But even if she knew Marietta and the knights, is it okay to take the lord's daughter outside the city, where it's dangerous? Fran seems strong-willed, so maybe she insisted on coming. She's also a necessary guide.

"But because of that, Fran was kicked out of the house. Her parents said, 'If you don't like it, find a man you like and come back as a commoner, or fix your hatred of men and come back when you're ready.' They also assigned Sera, who has been friends with Fran since childhood, as her attendant, out of concern. Fran still wants to be the lord, so she's trying to earn her father's recognition by achieving something that would overshadow her hatred of men and by making sure her father's acquaintances don't see her hatred of men."

It seems like she's being sent out to the world to reform herself. For Fran's parents, trying to arrange marriages or social events to cure her hatred of men would be futile, as no noble would want to get close to a woman who casts attack spells on men's private parts. They probably had no other choice.

I glanced at Fran, who was talking to Yuel. When I listened, she was explaining the history of the city's walls. It was a rather boring topic, but Yuel was listening with interest. Fran also seemed to be enjoying it. Maybe they share some common ground. Like, chest size.

After finishing my conversation with Ruruka, I returned to Yuel. This time, the roles were reversed. Yuel was enthusiastically praising me, saying, "Master is amazing!" and "He's so pure and noble!" while Fran listened with a bored expression. I thought Fran wouldn't listen to a talk about a man she dislikes, but maybe even Fran's conscience hurts when she sees Yuel's enthusiasm.

It seems Yuel is spreading the word about my greatness even when I'm not around. I remember Elise saying something like, "I heard Yuel's master is a wonderful person." I see, this is how misunderstandings spread. But I feel good, so I don't want to stop her.

By the time Yuel's long talk ended, we had arrived at the forest.